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Thursday, March 18, 2010
About
Hi, I’m Pawan Alluru. I started blogging in 2004 and today it has become a part of my life. I maintain only personal blogs whose content is evolved from my daily experiences, thoughts , feelings and observation. It would be apt to say that I am into lifestreaming rather than blogging.
I strongly believe that this LIFE is an experiment or a project given to us to correct ourselves. So we are expected to change at every moment that passes by. The change to make ourselves better than before.
My blogs can be seen as an output of my inner being and the change that's taking place in my life.
Here, I am presenting all my blogs at one place. Whether it may be experiences I have gone through, the information I always needed or the change I always wanted to see in me and in this world.The purpose of making these blogs public is to become informative for those who are facing the same issues as I did at various nodes of their lives.
I dedicate these blogs to all those who are wishing and striving for a change in their lives.
You can post all your suggestions to pawan@kimo.com
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi
Brief Info
Name: Pawan Alluru
Country: India
Passions: Oratory and Music
Sports I Like: Squash and Tennis
Activities: Roller Skating, Cycling and Swimming
Country: India
Passions: Oratory and Music
Sports I Like: Squash and Tennis
Activities: Roller Skating, Cycling and Swimming
E-Mail: pawan@live.in
Living One Day At A Time
"Living One Day At A Time!"
There are two days in every week about which we should not worry.
Two days which should be kept free from fear.
One day is Yesterday loaded with all its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains.
The other day we should not worry is Tomorrow. With all its adversities, its burdens, its large promises and its poor performance. Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.
This leaves only one day, Today. Any person can fight the battle of just one day. Do what needs to be done today with zeal and enthusiasm. It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful days Yesterday and Tomorrow that we break down. It is not the experience of today that drives a person mad. It is the bitterness of something which happened Yesterday and the fear of what Tomorrow may bring.
Let us, therefore, Live But One Day At A Time for a better tomorrow!!!
As one rightly said
"Life is not a race, but a journey to be savoured each step of the way. Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mistery, and Today is a gift, that is why we call it The Present"
There are two days in every week about which we should not worry.
Two days which should be kept free from fear.
One day is Yesterday loaded with all its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains.
The other day we should not worry is Tomorrow. With all its adversities, its burdens, its large promises and its poor performance. Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.
This leaves only one day, Today. Any person can fight the battle of just one day. Do what needs to be done today with zeal and enthusiasm. It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful days Yesterday and Tomorrow that we break down. It is not the experience of today that drives a person mad. It is the bitterness of something which happened Yesterday and the fear of what Tomorrow may bring.
Let us, therefore, Live But One Day At A Time for a better tomorrow!!!
As one rightly said
"Life is not a race, but a journey to be savoured each step of the way. Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mistery, and Today is a gift, that is why we call it The Present"
The Eighteen "Ities"
Follow The Eighteen "Ities"
For everyone's success in life it is essential that he should develop certain cardinal virtues. Virtue is strength, power and the key to peace. A virtuous man is ever happy, peaceful and prosperous. The Song of Eighteen "Ities" enumerates the virtues that one should cultivate.
Take up any one virtue and develop it to a very high degree of perfection; eradicate in toto its opposite evil quality even in its most subtle form. Meditate on these virtues, on their benefits and the methods of cultivating them.
Here is the Song of Eighteen "Ities":
Serenity, regularity, absence of vanity,
Sincerity, simplicity, veracity,
Equanimity, fixity, non-irritability,
Adaptability, humility, tenacity,
Integrity, nobility, magnanimity,
Charity, generosity, purity.
Practice daily these eighteen 'ities',
You will soon attain immortality.
Brahman is the only real entity,
Mr. So and so is a false non-entity.
You will abide in eternity and infinity;
You will behold unity in diversity;
You cannot attain this in the university.
You can attain this in the Forest University.
For everyone's success in life it is essential that he should develop certain cardinal virtues. Virtue is strength, power and the key to peace. A virtuous man is ever happy, peaceful and prosperous. The Song of Eighteen "Ities" enumerates the virtues that one should cultivate.
Take up any one virtue and develop it to a very high degree of perfection; eradicate in toto its opposite evil quality even in its most subtle form. Meditate on these virtues, on their benefits and the methods of cultivating them.
Here is the Song of Eighteen "Ities":
Serenity, regularity, absence of vanity,
Sincerity, simplicity, veracity,
Equanimity, fixity, non-irritability,
Adaptability, humility, tenacity,
Integrity, nobility, magnanimity,
Charity, generosity, purity.
Practice daily these eighteen 'ities',
You will soon attain immortality.
Brahman is the only real entity,
Mr. So and so is a false non-entity.
You will abide in eternity and infinity;
You will behold unity in diversity;
You cannot attain this in the university.
You can attain this in the Forest University.
~ By Swami Sivananda
A Dream
Last night I had a dream. I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonged to me, the other to the Lord.
After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints.
This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. “Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You’d walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”
The Lord replied, “My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of suffering, when you could see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”
After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints.
This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. “Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You’d walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”
The Lord replied, “My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of suffering, when you could see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”
Alphabet Of Happiness
A–Accept Accept others for who they are and for the choices they’ve made even if you have difficulty understanding their beliefs, motives, or actions.
B–Break Away Break away from everything that stands in the way of what you hope to accomplish with your life.
C–Create Create a family of friends whom you can share your hopes, dreams, sorrows, and happiness with.
D–Decide Decide that you’ll be successful and happy come what may, and good things will find you. The roadblocks are only minor obstacles along the way.
E–Explore Explore and experiment. The world has much to offer, and you have much to give. And every time you try something new, you’ll learn more about yourself.
F–Forgive Forgive and forget. Grudges only weigh you down and inspire unhappiness and grief. Soar above it, and remember that everyone makes mistakes.
G–Grow Leave the childhood monsters behind. They can no longer hurt you or stand in your way.
H–Hope Hope for the best and never forget that anything is possible as long as you remain dedicated to the task.
I–Ignore Ignore the negative voice inside your head. Focus instead on your goals and remember your accomplishments. Your past success is only a small inkling of what the future holds.
J–Journey Journey to new worlds, new possibilities, by remaining open-minded. Try to learn something new every day, and you’ll grow.
K–Know Know that no matter how bad things seem, they’ll always get better. The warmth of spring always follows the harshest winter.
L–Love Let love fill your heart instead of hate. When hate is in your heart, there’s room for nothing else, but when love is in your heart, there’s room for endless happiness.
M–Manage Manage your time and your expenses wisely, and you’ll suffer less stress and worry. Then you’ll be able to focus on the important things in life.
N–Notice Never ignore the poor, infirm, helpless, weak, or suffering. Offer your assistance when possible, and always your kindness and understanding.
O–Open Open your eyes and take in all the beauty around you. Even during the worst of times, there’s still much to be thankful for.
P–Play Never forget to have fun along the way. Success means nothing without happiness.
Q–Question Ask many questions, because you’re here to learn.
R–Relax Refuse to let worry and stress rule your life, and remember that things always have a way of working out in the end.
S–Share Share your talent, skills, knowledge, and time with others. Everything that you invest in others will return to you many times over.
T–Try Even when your dreams seem impossible to reach, try anyway. You’ll be amazed by what you can accomplish.
U–Use Use your gifts to your best ability. Talent that’s wasted has no value. Talent that’s used will bring unexpected rewards.
V–Value Value the friends and family members who’ve supported and encouraged you, and be there for them as well.
W–Work Work hard every day to be the best person you can be, but never feel guilty if you fall short of your goals. Every sunrise offers a second chance.
X–X-Ray Look deep inside the hearts of those around you and you’ll see the goodness and beauty within.
Y–Yield Yield to commitment. If you stay on track and remain dedicated, you’ll find success at the end of the road.
Z–Zoom Zoom to a happy place when bad memories or sorrow rears its ugly head. Let nothing interfere with your goals. Instead, focus on your abilities, your dreams, and a brighter tomorrow.
B–Break Away Break away from everything that stands in the way of what you hope to accomplish with your life.
C–Create Create a family of friends whom you can share your hopes, dreams, sorrows, and happiness with.
D–Decide Decide that you’ll be successful and happy come what may, and good things will find you. The roadblocks are only minor obstacles along the way.
E–Explore Explore and experiment. The world has much to offer, and you have much to give. And every time you try something new, you’ll learn more about yourself.
F–Forgive Forgive and forget. Grudges only weigh you down and inspire unhappiness and grief. Soar above it, and remember that everyone makes mistakes.
G–Grow Leave the childhood monsters behind. They can no longer hurt you or stand in your way.
H–Hope Hope for the best and never forget that anything is possible as long as you remain dedicated to the task.
I–Ignore Ignore the negative voice inside your head. Focus instead on your goals and remember your accomplishments. Your past success is only a small inkling of what the future holds.
J–Journey Journey to new worlds, new possibilities, by remaining open-minded. Try to learn something new every day, and you’ll grow.
K–Know Know that no matter how bad things seem, they’ll always get better. The warmth of spring always follows the harshest winter.
L–Love Let love fill your heart instead of hate. When hate is in your heart, there’s room for nothing else, but when love is in your heart, there’s room for endless happiness.
M–Manage Manage your time and your expenses wisely, and you’ll suffer less stress and worry. Then you’ll be able to focus on the important things in life.
N–Notice Never ignore the poor, infirm, helpless, weak, or suffering. Offer your assistance when possible, and always your kindness and understanding.
O–Open Open your eyes and take in all the beauty around you. Even during the worst of times, there’s still much to be thankful for.
P–Play Never forget to have fun along the way. Success means nothing without happiness.
Q–Question Ask many questions, because you’re here to learn.
R–Relax Refuse to let worry and stress rule your life, and remember that things always have a way of working out in the end.
S–Share Share your talent, skills, knowledge, and time with others. Everything that you invest in others will return to you many times over.
T–Try Even when your dreams seem impossible to reach, try anyway. You’ll be amazed by what you can accomplish.
U–Use Use your gifts to your best ability. Talent that’s wasted has no value. Talent that’s used will bring unexpected rewards.
V–Value Value the friends and family members who’ve supported and encouraged you, and be there for them as well.
W–Work Work hard every day to be the best person you can be, but never feel guilty if you fall short of your goals. Every sunrise offers a second chance.
X–X-Ray Look deep inside the hearts of those around you and you’ll see the goodness and beauty within.
Y–Yield Yield to commitment. If you stay on track and remain dedicated, you’ll find success at the end of the road.
Z–Zoom Zoom to a happy place when bad memories or sorrow rears its ugly head. Let nothing interfere with your goals. Instead, focus on your abilities, your dreams, and a brighter tomorrow.
Natal Chart - A Sample Birth Chart
Alluru Vasudeva Naga Pavan Kumar
Birth Chart Report
Full Name Sex M
BirthPlace 0 India BirthDay 03:10 - Julian day 2444437.40
Adjust -5.30 ST 22.41 Lat 16.18 Long -80.27
Natal Chart Report
Birth Chart
This birth chart report shows the positions of the planets for
Birth Chart Report
Full Name Sex M
BirthPlace 0 India BirthDay 03:10 - Julian day 2444437.40
Adjust -5.30 ST 22.41 Lat 16.18 Long -80.27
Planet Positions, Ascendant, & Houses
The following table shows the position of the planets in your chart, by sign and degree. On the right, you will find the sign of your Ascendant and the signs on the cusp of each house in your natal chart. The Roman Numerals refer to the houses, where the Ascendant is also the first house and the Midheaven is also the tenth house. For example, if the sign Taurus is next to Mars, you know your Mars is in Taurus. If the sign Libra is next to Venus, you know your Venus is in Libra. If Cancer is next to Ascendant, you have a Cancer Ascendant, and if Leo is next to II, Leo is on your 2nd house.| Zodiac in degrees 0.00 | Placidus Orb:0 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | Cancer | 24.29 | Ascendant | Gemini | 18.27 | |
| Moon | Virgo | 17.55 | II | Cancer | 13.47 | |
| Mercury | Cancer | 16.39 R | III | Leo | 9.40 | |
| Venus | Gemini | 17.52 | IV | Virgo | 8.43 | |
| Mars | Libra | 3.29 | V | Libra | 11.43 | |
| Jupiter | Virgo | 8.47 | VI | Scorpio | 16.07 | |
| Saturn | Virgo | 22.40 | VII | Sagittarius | 18.27 | |
| Uranus | Scorpio | 21.34 R | VIII | Capricorn | 13.47 | |
| Neptune | Sagittarius | 20.26 R | IX | Aquarius | 9.40 | |
| Pluto | Libra | 19.05 | Midheaven | Pisces | 8.43 | |
| Lilith | Libra | 11.33 | XI | Aries | 11.43 | |
| Asc node | Leo | 20.12 | XII | Taurus | 16.07 | |
Aspects
The following table shows the planetary aspects in your natal chart. Short interpretations are found below.| Planet | Aspect | Planet | Orb/Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | Conjunction | Mercury | 7.50 | 156 |
| Sun | Sextile | Saturn | 1.49 | 153 |
| Sun | Trine | Uranus | 2.54 | 83 |
| Sun | Square | Pluto | 5.24 | -11 |
| Moon | Sextile | Mercury | 1.16 | 232 |
| Moon | Square | Venus | 0.03 | -159 |
| Moon | Conjunction | Jupiter | 9.08 | 34 |
| Moon | Conjunction | Saturn | 4.45 | 41 |
| Moon | Sextile | Uranus | 3.40 | 20 |
| Moon | Square | Neptune | 2.31 | -64 |
| Moon | Square | Ascendant | 0.32 | -82 |
| Mercury | Trine | Uranus | 4.56 | 42 |
| Mercury | Square | Pluto | 2.27 | -53 |
| Mercury | Trine | Midheaven | 7.56 | 1 |
| Venus | Square | Saturn | 4.49 | -22 |
| Venus | Opposition | Neptune | 2.35 | -128 |
| Venus | Trine | Pluto | 1.14 | 68 |
| Venus | Conjunction | Ascendant | 0.35 | 264 |
| Jupiter | Opposition | Midheaven | 0.04 | -69 |
| Saturn | Sextile | Uranus | 1.06 | 102 |
| Saturn | Square | Neptune | 2.14 | -38 |
| Saturn | Square | Ascendant | 4.13 | -12 |
| Neptune | Sextile | Pluto | 1.21 | 40 |
| Neptune | Opposition | Ascendant | 1.59 | -31 |
| Pluto | Trine | Ascendant | 0.38 | 9 |
| 1245 | -669 | 576 | ||
Asteroids & Chiron
The following table shows the positions of the four major asteroids and Chiron. These points are not as commonly used by astrologers, but are presented here for those interested in knowing where the asteroids are positioned in their birth chart.| Chiron | Taurus | 17.48 |
| Ceres | Gemini | 22.17 |
| Pallas | Aries | 29.24 |
| Juno | Virgo | 0.47 |
| Vesta | Cancer | 15.17 |
| Fortune | Aries | 0.00 |
| South node | Aries | 0.00 |
Birth Chart
This birth chart report shows the positions of the planets for
Alluru Vasudeva Naga Pavan Kumar .
The Sun represents vitality, a sense of individuality and outward-shining creative energy.
Sun in Cancer
Sun in Cancer natives have a strong survival instinct. They are protective of those they care about, and of themselves too. They are often quite reticent about sharing their inner selves to the rest of the world, and are often caught up in reminisce. Cancers have a reputation for moodiness, although this trait is most evident when the Moon is in Cancer. Cancer needs roots. They resist change to an extent, and concern themselves about being secure and safe in most everything they do. Cancers can be quite intrigued by objects with history attached to them -- antiques, photos, souvenirs, and the like.
Cancer is a very sensitive sign, and they don't always appreciate it when you are blunt with them. Their reactions to hurt will depend on how thick a shell they have developed. Most Cancers react by withdrawing or retreating. Some have developed an ability to manipulate others to get what they want. They avoid direct confrontations almost as a rule. Cancers are, in fact, quite yielding and soft when you have them in the right mood. They are one of the more hospitable signs of the zodiac. Sure, they can be touchy and indirect, but they are also very dependable, caring souls.
Short description:
He weighs words carefully and is tenacious. A calm and discreet nature, tender, thoughtful, sensitive and impressionable.
Weaknesses: He is humble, timid, changeable, indecisive, lazy, over-sensitive. Easily influenced by the family and sometimes manipulative.
Cancer ascendant Gemini
Sun in II
You take pride in what you own, and have a strong drive for security. You have staying power, and you hate to let others down once you've made a promise. Avoid over-identifying with what you have. Concentrate on proving your worth through your strong value system and your incredible ability to stick with things and with people. Take pride in the solid and secure foundations that you build, as well as the lasting relationships you aim to maintain, while being careful to avoid possessiveness. You seek a safe and secure job, you satisfy your needs, which are substantial. You may be given to spending money impulsively.
156 Conjunction Sun - Mercury
Because your ego and your mind are aligned, you possess much mental energy. You are always in a position to think about what you want, and in many ways, this is an interruption of the will. You are highly intelligent with a great drive to communicate with other. You invest a lot of pride in your intellectual capacities. You may not always listen as well as you speak, however! You might be too busy thinking about what to say next. But you are very curious and although you enjoy expressing yourself, you usually don't dominate conversations completely. As far as studying or learning goes, you are better off reading the material than listening to a teacher. These traits come from a strong need to take an active role in communications. It is very hard for you to passively listen and absorb information.
Your opinions are usually strong and you are an independent thinker. You tend to be proud of your opinions and thoughts, and might easily get a bruised ego if you are not "heard", if your opinions are pushed aside or ignored, or if your opinions are criticized. You are expressive and possibly a very animated speaker. You are also very witty and others enjoy your playful and sometimes mischievous sense of humor.
153 Sextile Sun - Saturn
It is easy and natural for you to accept responsibilities, to lead a rather ordered life, and to apply caution in your financial and business dealings. You rarely jump to conclusions or take uneducated risks. You have a certain amount of patience and enough self-discipline to slowly but surely achieve what you set out to do. Although somewhat undemonstrative, you are generally loyal and responsible people to those you care about. You take your time in most endeavors and generally use a step-by-step approach to most projects--but you steadily reach your goals. You are naturally trustworthy, and you don't have much patience for those who don't show respect for others, who take foolish risks, and who lead disorganized lives.
83 Trine Sun - Uranus
It is natural for you to question tradition. You are, above all things, an individualist. You naturally rebel against that which is established. It doesn't mean that you consistently break all the rules, but you definitely do question some of the rules, especially those that simply don't make much sense. You possess a huge distaste for routine. You work best when you have some say as to when and how you get things done. You possess much self-integrity. You avoid labeling people and are most offended when others attempt to label or stereotype you.
You easily embrace new ways of doing things, you stick up for the underdog, and you express yourself in unique and inspiring ways. You don't have to try to stand out as unique--you are original, creative, and progressive without trying. You are far from pretentious. You value honesty and truth, and you avoid putting on airs. You believe in the equality of people, and easily relate to people from all walks of life. You possess an unmistakable enthusiasm about life, and generally your life is interesting because you invite unusual or adventurous experiences into your life. You are generally appreciated by others because you are open-minded, fair, and not judgmental. Nothing really seems to faze you! You take things in stride, and are rarely shocked or taken aback by human behavior.
-11 Square Sun - Pluto
You may be prone to inner tension and negative, self-destructive behavior. When things are going well, you suffer from fears that something will come along to change that. Constantly worrying that the rug will be pulled from under your feet can easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy. You possess tremendous power and strength--when you learn to accept and use that strength, instead of fear it, you can be one of the most effective, insightful, helpful, and healing person around! At times, you can be intensely dissatisfied with your personal accomplishments and expressions of self. You put a lot of pressure on yourself regarding your own endeavors. You can be quite dissatisfied with your creative self-expressions, and want to hide your expressions from others until you feel the output is "right". This is largely due to a perceived inability to express or reveal your true personality to others. You struggle with a deep need to control yourself and life itself. You are especially sensitive to criticism, and feel the need to "redo" yourself often. There is a marked fear of losing control, and this might stem from some traumatic event in childhood, or the childhood might have been crisis-ridden or emotionally-charged in general. As such, you can be intensely fearful of, or threatened by, change. This can express itself through attempts to control your life in such a way that you can manage your fears of being taken off guard. Of course, this generally backfires! You have an intense need for privacy at times.
The Moon represents the emotional responses, unconscious pre-destination, and the self-image.
Moon in Virgo
Lunar Virgos find security in the little things in life. They feel most content when they've straightened out all the details of everyday life. Many of them enjoy running errands, paying bills, and balancing the books. They take care of these things happily, although some won't let on. In fact, many Lunar Virgos are quite practiced at nagging and complaining. As long as they are appreciated, however, these people will help you take care of your life, too. They are at their best when they feel useful and needed. If somebody needs help, they are generally the first to jump up and take on the task.
Some people with Virgo Moons are accused of being underachievers. While it may be true that Lunar Virgos can lack self-confidence, many are--quite simply--content with living "regular", unassuming lives. They appreciate simplicity, and are often most comfortable when they're not getting too much attention from the world at large. Lunar Virgos are easily overwhelmed by pressure and stress. They worry incessantly when there is too much to think about; and they know their limits. Arguably the worst position for a Lunar Virgo is without a steady routine or a simply satisfying job. They need to feel useful, and they best express this by helping others in little ways. They need something to call their own, and the space to do what they want to do. The unhappy Lunar Virgos are fussy and complaining sorts. They are victims of routine and freak out when their plans are not followed. They are restless and nervous, and can't seem to see the big picture. Probably the best remedy for these people is a job or hobby in which they can express their deep need to analyze, attend to details, and micromanage.
These people express their affection for the people they care about in little, but practical, ways. They can be a little stiff when it comes to open, gushy displays of affection. Lunar Virgos are often shy with new people. However, when they are comfortable, they are anything but shy. More often than not, others can count on Moon in Virgo people. They are reliable and trustworthy. Above all else, Lunar Virgos are practical. Others turn to them for help and advice. In relationships, Lunar Virgos can be self-effacing and kind. Some are quite shy in love, and easily intimidated on a sexual level. Many are not very comfortable with their sexuality, but they aim to please nonetheless. The sign of Virgo is very body-aware, in general. If this awareness combines with a lack of self-confidence, Lunar Virgos can be too aware of the parts that make up the whole. This can lead to a tendency to be intensely self-critical. Once Lunar Virgos learn to come out of their shell, however, they can be earthy partners with a lot to give.
Some of the most skeptical people are Lunar Virgos. They can't help but poke holes when faced with others' blind faith. Their criticism can be maddening, and their insistence on seeing the practical in anything emotional can be challenging, especially if you are the dreamy type. Virgo curiosity shows up big time with this position of the Moon. To some, it can be confusing. Lunar Virgos seem very interested in others' problems, for example, but can be quite cool and even unsympathetic in the long run. Their advice can seem hard to more sensitive folk; yet Lunar Virgos can be surprisingly delicate when faced with others' criticism. Virgo Moon people are generally busy and quietly happy when they have their lives under control. They aim for a simple existence, and are often quite content with very little. Many are early risers, ready to take on the day with enthusiasm. They scurry around, keeping busy and managing their life quietly and expertly. As long as their little world is manageable, Lunar Virgos can be a delight to be around.
Short description:
He has a very good memory. Scientific or medical studies preferred above all others. He is humble and moderate, calm and reserved. Emotional discipline. He is willing to help, devoted and gentle.
Weaknesses: servile nature, frequent changes of occupation, gets annoyed, upset, worries. He is too shy.
Moon in IV
He likes family life, peace and quiet -- he likes to stay at home, surrounded by loved ones, in agreeable circumstances. Strongly influenced by the mother.
You long for a sense of true belonging, but you may be quite restless in your search. You might change residence frequently, or simply feel the need to make many changes in your home. Moving frequently may be a healthy thing if it keeps you emotionally stimulated, but if you find that you do so on whims and later regret the changes, you might want to treat it as a symptom of emotional unrest--as a sign that you are in a constant search for the perfect mood and setting, when in fact a feeling of belonging should be worked on from the inside out, not the outside in! Some of you might remain rather immature on an emotional level, never wanting to truly grow up and take care of yourself. Attachments to your past, traditions, and family are strong.
232 Sextile Moon - Mercury
You can be quite expressive and animated in your speech. You have an outstanding memory and tend to pick up a lot of information from your environment. You love to chat and to exchange ideas. Even if you are shy, once you're friends, you love to talk about pretty much anything under the sun, and you enjoy sharing stories from your past! For the most part, you are focused on day-to-day activities in your communications rather than on grander philosophies. You are naturally curious and interested, and others find you very easy to talk to. You are accommodating and curious, but you are not as well equipped to handle heavy emotional demands. You thrive on change and variety. You might be a little addicted to gossip! More probably, however, you are simply very curious about others. There is a twinkle in your eyes, and you are never short on humor. You are playful and versatile--you make a fun companion and an interesting friend. You listen! Yes, you do talk and occasionally interrupt in your excitement, but you are a curious person who does want to hear what others have to say, and that is a real pleasure. In fact, you are more able than most people to get others talking, simply because you are very receptive and sympathetic. You pick up others' feelings and body language readily.
-159 Square Moon - Venus
Because you value harmony, you may find yourself giving in to others too easily, especially in the first half of life. Resentment is possible, as you can feel that you are the one who seems to do all the acquiescing. There can be a distinct tendency to become friends (and lovers) with people too readily, simply because there is a strong need for approval and a hunger for receiving affection. As such, you may get involved with people who seem to really like you, and you fail to consider whether you actually like them back! It's somewhat of a weakness, as you are very charmed by the idea that someone seems to really like and appreciate you. Generally, one of your life's lessons is to learn to discriminate more and to get in touch with what you truly want and need. The functions of the Moon (which rules the emotions and feelings, amongst other things) and the functions of Venus (which rules social relationships, harmony, and partnership, amongst other things) are at cross-purposes. When you attempt to feed the needs of one function, it is often at the expense of the other, until you find some sort of balance. This can play out in a variety of ways. For example, there can be conflicts in partnerships about parenting or whether or not to have a family. You may find yourself compromising your own emotional needs in order to find and keep love. Peace and harmony are important to you--perhaps too much so, as you can easily be taken advantage of. Insecurity is something that you need to deal with at some point in your life. Very sensual, you sometimes replace love with food or shopping! You can also be quite sexually active and sometimes quite lustful. You possess a distinct lazy streak. You are capable of working hard, but you truly appreciate luxuriating and enjoying as many pleasures as possible, and self-discipline simply isn't always at your disposal!
34 Conjunction Moon - Jupiter
He is generally pleasantly composed, due to an inner sense of harmony and emotional balance. He is optimistic--and realistically so, most of the time--which contributes to his overall "luck". He is able to get a real perspective on emotional matters that not only benefits his outlook, he is able to offer support to others when needed. Broad-mindedness is a wonderful characteristic. Quick to find humor in situations, he is generally warm and fun to be around. Deep down, he believes in the basic goodness of people and of life in general, and this basic and natural attitude helps him to attract positive circumstances and to make good connections. One of his best qualities is tolerance. Usually, he doesn't take life too seriously in the sense that he believes in having a bit of fun. His hunches are more often than not bang-on.
He is frank, honest, optimistic and generous. He likes good cooking, his comforts. His friendships are sincere. He is a worker and knows how to surround himself with the right people: He is appreciated at work.
41 Conjunction Moon - Saturn
He controls his feelings. He has a sense of duty, of self-esteem and is prudent. He can concentrate on a long-term task, manual or intellectual. He perseveres and is serious in everything he does.
20 Sextile Moon - Uranus
He is imaginative and has the Moon's intuition complemented by Uranus' independence and originality. His life is out-of-the-ordinary, with lots of changes and a great knowledge of the world not through reading but through personal experience. He likes the sensational, new things. He acts instinctively, but fortunately has a good sixth sense. He likes to be surrounded by original people, artists.
-64 Square Moon - Neptune
He lacks firmness, and can be a sucker for a sob story! He likes to live in a dream, in the world of imagination, and can hope so much that reality checks can be brutal.
-82 Square Moon - Ascendant
He is unhappily influenced by the family. He is probably loved insufficiently by his parents, but looks for more love especially from his mother. He is susceptible, has superficial sensitivity and is sometimes irascible.
Mercury represents communication, Cartesian and logical spirit.
Mercury in Cancer
He communicates with feeling, endearing others with words. He is reflective and has one of the best memories around. He feels people out and is quick to pick up emotions and moods. He is discerning and is full of insight, is lucid, and thinks things through. He likes to please and to create a good impression. There can be a strong tendency to be influenced by those around him.
Mercury in II
Intelligence geared towards ways of making money, becoming rich. All methods are good, sometimes he is on the borderline of honesty.
You have a very practical mind and intelligence, seeing the obvious, most logical answer to any predicament often before others. You don't like to be put on the spot or pushed into talking or coming to a conclusion. Studies are similar--you need to work at your own steady pace. You can be quite one-track minded at times, not very happy with multi-tasking, and often quite fixed in your opinions. Sensual stimuli is more relevant to you than abstract concepts.
42 Trine Mercury - Uranus
He is perspicacious, ingenious: he binds intelligence and originality together with genius. He likes literature, especially fiction. He is spontaneous in his friendships and knows how to take advantage of the situations that arise.
-53 Square Mercury - Pluto
He may be impatient. He likes contradiction. His arguments are noisy and animated.
You are very incisive and aggressive with your opinions. You have a tendency towards fanaticism and often want to impose your ideas on others, sometimes in a subtle manner and sometimes more imperatively. You will find yourself attracted by the occult and other mysteries but it is recommended that you avoid those subjects because they can generate certain fixations or obsessiveness. You must learn to control your impatience and impulsiveness, to think things over before speaking, and to respect the weaknesses of others.
1 Trine Mercury - Midheaven
He likes to have his own ideas about things, to form an opinion and think over the problems it poses. He is an intellectual.
Venus represents an interest for emotions and values, exchange and sharing with others.
Venus in Gemini
Venus in Gemini people will try to win over the object of their affection with witty conversation, displaying just how much they "know", and demonstrating their diverse interests. These lovers are playful -- some might even call them a tease. They are hard to pin down, and they resist relationships that promise to become too "comfortable". Even those with their Sun in Taurus or Cancer, whose outward demeanor may suggest some reserve and caution, will want their relationships to be stimulating and full of conversation with Venus in Gemini. Venus in Gemini men and women don't want to be tied or bogged down in their relationships. They appreciate lightheartedness in love. Although they are willing to talk (perhaps endlessly) about the relationship, you may get the feeling that they gloss over some of the deeper issues. In love, their tastes change often, and it can be hard to know what to expect from one day to the next (or, sometimes, from one hour to the next!).
Pleasing Venus in Gemini involves supporting their need for fun and variety, showing interest in their brainpower and knowledge, and giving them space for friends and activities outside of the relationship. Let them know just how much fun you have with them. Try not to get overly miffed by Venus in Gemini's changeable, fickle ways. Remember that time spent with your lover will be exciting and invigorating.
Venus in XII
He is devoted to sick or impoverished people. Can be in the medical or social professions. He likes animals, tranquility, peace and solitude. He may have secret love affairs.
You are big on romance and you tend to live and breathe your partner once you're hooked. Not the best at defining your boundaries -- where your needs and your partner's needs separate -- you can get hurt in love rather easily. You can also feel used quite readily. You are attracted to people from all walks of life, finding a partner who has an unusual background or quirky personality most attractive. Partners who mistake your compassion for weakness can take advantage of you. Being openly affectionate and trusting often doesn't seem safe to you. You may feel your love won't be appreciated or reciprocated. You may get involved in secret love affairs or fall in love with a person who is quite unavailable to you at different points in your life. Love and sacrifice often seem to go hand in hand for you - having to give something up to be with the one you love, or having to relinquish some person or some aspect of an important love relationship. You value a certain amount of self-sacrifice and a giving attitude in a partner, as you embody these traits. You can be quite mysterious to others, even if you don't mean to be, because your romantic needs are kept hidden. Although you are quite naturally drawn to relationships that are unusual, secret, challenging, and unequal, do take the time to examine why this may be the case. Be certain that you are not, in some way, punishing yourself because you don't feel worthy of an equal and public relationship. Because Venus represents attraction, and the twelfth house is associated with the feet, your feet may be especially attractive and/or erogenous zones!
-22 Square Venus - Saturn
This aspect sometimes means unhealthy sensuality. He is hard, and does not know how to express his emotions. He is frightened of showing his love, and this leads to disappointments, break-ups, lack of satisfaction. It is likely that he had problems with his mother, who did not know how to love him or give him self-confidence. He doubts, is suspicious and jealous. He will learn how to be happy in love, to be at ease with himself and to control his jealousy in the second half of his life, thanks to an older person, who gives his self-confidence back to him, so he can then trust others.
-128 Opposition Venus - Neptune
He might lack self-confidence and his ideals are not easy to achieve. In love, he is unstable and deceitful or meets people who are like this. He is easy-going and follows others' wishes in love, and he lets the partner take the initiative.
This aspect indicates a suggestible romantic nature. Being "in love with love" is a strong possibility. You are naturally compassionate and are generally willing to go over the top for a loved one. It's hard to say whether your expectations in personal relationships are too high or too low. On the one hand, you tend to easily accept behaviors in your partners that others wouldn't accept, as you are compassionate and even drawn to people who others might consider trouble. On the other hand, your romantic dreams may be so powerful that you are easily disappointed with the reality of relationships. Deception in love is possible, but self-deception is even more likely. In love, you see what you want to see, rather than what is. Feelings of being used or deceived may come up. However, if a distinct pattern exists in your love life that involves you being let down, deceived or used, it will be especially worthwhile to examine whether self-deception was at work.
The possibility of clinging to romantic delusions is very high with this position. For example, some with these aspects cling to a romantic notion that someone loves them when in reality that person doesn't return the affection. Or, they may cling to a romance that has lost all hope. Another possibility is devoting their love to someone who is unattainable or who is unable to commit. Yet another Venus-Neptune scenario is loving someone who treats them badly, all the while clinging to an idealized image of the partner. No matter what the scenario, romantic yearning and longing, as well as delusion, tends to be the theme. The expectation here is that loving someone requires self-sacrifice. The result is an attraction to relationships that are co-dependent and even abusive. Venus-Neptune people are drawn to victim/savior relationships, and they can play either the role of victim or savior! Dependency or neediness in a partner can be confused for love. In an attempt to love unconditionally, you may too readily sacrifice your own needs and eventually feel used.
68 Trine Venus - Pluto
His emotional and sex life is powerful and rich. He lives out truly passionate love affairs.
264 Conjunction Venus - Ascendant
He likes everything beautiful, the Arts, balance and harmony. He is amiable and sociable. He likes entertainment and has a loving nature.
Mars represents the desire for action and physical energy.
Mars in Libra
Mars in Libra natives often reflect about things before they act. Decisiveness is not their strong point, but they do, eventually, get things done. Many people with this position procrastinate, generally because they feel the need to weigh all of the alternatives before taking action.
Life isn't always fair, as Mars in Scorpio would say, but Mars in Libra will seldom accept this notion. These natives can easily get caught up in defending themselves and others. Although their overall goal is to live peacefully, they stir others up with their desire to balance everything. Still, they always play innocent when they are challenged, and can generally charm the birds out of the trees to win your favor. Passive-aggressiveness is practically the hallmark of this position. They don't want to look like they are ever being mean or unfair, but aggression has to go somewhere! Too often, this results in sneaky behavior and subterfuge. On the other hand, some Mars in Libra people turn the Mars energy into action, and they fight for Libran justice and fairness in the world. On the up side, Mars in Libra people are adept at predicting when problems and discord will occur well in advance. They know how to compromise and are excellent at conflict management.
Mars in IV
Quick decisions, he has a lot of things on his plate and wants to climb the social ladder. He will succeed through phenomenal work-rate. Stormy family life, where his aggressiveness shows itself.
Jupiter represents expansion and grace.
Jupiter in Virgo
He attracts the most good fortune when he is helpful, honest, orderly, and pays attention to details. The service industries, nutrition, and health are prosperous avenues. Practical and technical knowledge and skills are most valued. A real problem solver and others appreciate his help. Doesn't always feel lucky or especially ambitious. Rather, hard work is valued.
Jupiter in IV
He likes and believes in justice. He is an optimist and is generous. Professional success is rapid and helped by the family. Family life is very important for him. He likes comfort, well-being at home. He knows how to entertain in style and above all with pleasure: his house is always open to friends.
-69 Opposition Jupiter - Midheaven
He aims big and is often disappointed with small advancements or successes, wishing they were bigger and better. He may bring every conversation around to himself, which is a tendency that should be kept in check. He has highs and lows in his professional life.
Saturn represents contraction and effort.
Saturn in Virgo
He likes order, harmony, method and balance. He can undertake long-term medical or scientific studies.
Weaknesses: he is intransigent, stubborn. Misuse of medicines, or asking for too much medicine.
Saturn in IV
He needs to be dominated. He has a sense of organization and accepts his responsibilities. He achieves his objectives in spite of slow progress, with many hurdles to overcome. He is persevering and patient.
102 Sextile Saturn - Uranus
He knows how to be on top of the situation. He perseveres, is determined but ingenious and original. He is very practical. He proceeds slowly, but is always bound to achieve his objectives in the end.
-38 Square Saturn - Neptune
Living conditions are difficult for -12 Square Saturn - Ascendant
His life is difficult and cramped. He is a worker, but success takes time in coming. He has problems in being open. He accepts solitude, rather than looks for it. Family problems.
Uranus represents individual liberty, egoistic liberty.
Uranus in Scorpio
Intelligent and subtle. Adores research, inquiry, investigation. Very sensual.
Uranus in VI
He is independent and his work efforts are inconstant. Sometimes undisciplined, eccentric and rebellious. He should fare better working independently without relying on anyone else, but should develop more self-discipline in order to get things accomplished. Dislikes routine.
Uranus in the first house alters the way an individual projects personal energies onto others. You are likely to seek, nay demand, freedom in the way you present yourself to the world. Dressing simply but quirkily, you will have no problems in asserting yourself. You are not shy in letting everyone know where you stand on issues. In fact you take pride in presenting your unique perspective. "I am a simple soul with few wants and needs," is what you tell yourself. All you can feel is an altruistic desire to change the world! Friends and relatives probably find you a trifle erratic. They know you to be good-hearted and genuine about your feelings. Your passions rise fast and you lose interest at the same rate.
Neptune represents transcendental liberty, non-egoistic liberty.
Neptune in Sagittarius
Likes long voyages, things foreign, water.
Neptune in VII
Marries for love, to show the depth of his passion, but has a troubled conjugal life.
40 Sextile Neptune - Pluto
-31 Opposition Neptune - Ascendant
He is very easily influenced and fragile. He suffers disappointments.
Pluto represents transformations, mutations and elimination.
Pluto in Libra
Looks for new ways to relate to others.
9 Trine Pluto - Ascendant
He has will-power and ambition, and likes to have his own way.
House I is the area of self identity. The ascendant is a symbol of how one acts in life. It is the image of the personality as seen by others, and the attitude that one has towards life.
Cancer ascendant Gemini
Ascendant in Gemini
Those born with Gemini rising see the world as a place to learn. They are curious about the people around them. Sounds similar to Sagittarius rising? Well it is, but there are some important differences. While Sagittarius seeks to expand their mental and physical horizons in a broad sense, Gemini is mostly interested in moving about in their social circles. These are people who love to ask questions, to move around freely, and to mingle. Definitely restless and often quick in physical expression, natives of the Gemini Ascendant exude an air of impatience even if they don't mean it. In fact, there is a cleverness to Gemini Ascendants that can intimidate some, especially sensitive folk. Their facility with words can be a wonderful asset, although sometimes Gemini rising individuals identify too much with their mental agility and forget, in their personal interactions and communications, to nurture the people around them. A certain lack of warmth in presentation can be the result, and although this style is generally a facade, it is not immediately apparent to most. People with, for example, predominant Water signs may feel a little ill at ease with Gemini rising people (that is, before they get to know them more personally), while strong Air types more fully appreciate the fun and cleverness of these individuals.
I have found two styles of presentation most common with Gemini rising people. One style is bubbly, changeable, talkative, and a little quirky. These natives are interesting and fun. They constantly explain things, whether it's their own behavior and opinion or those of the world around them. Another distinct "style" is a rather cool and intellectual demeanor. These natives are often quite witty and clever, but they present themselves in a less cheerful and changeable way than the first group. Their observations are sharp and the overall manner is a tad brusque. No matter the style, Gemini rising natives are given to analysis and making sense of their world. Their powers of observation are well-developed, they are mentally active (more often than not, their minds are racing!), and they almost always have something bright or witty to say. It is easy for individuals with this position to get sidetracked, as their curiosity is large, their minds are quick, and their attention spans rather short! As children, natives born with a Gemini Ascendant are often labeled as the intellectual, inquisitive, and perhaps odd child. Many feel their upbringing lacked some warmth. In one-to-one relationships, Gemini rising people often seek a certain amount of personal freedom and space. They enjoy intellectual debates and exchanging ideas. Although they often demand a fair amount of freedom, they are often just as willing to give their partners room to breathe.
House II is the area of material security and values. It rules money and personal finances, sense of self-worth and basic values, personal possessions.
House II in Cancer
Cancer is a fruitful sign to have on a money house. He can rely on sound instincts to acquire and save money. Very good money sense, although financial fluctuations may be frequent in his life. He can use his keen ability to hone in on what the public wants and needs, and benefit financially. He may be a hoarder, but certainly assigns much sentimental meaning to personal possessions.
House III is the area of social and intellectual learning.
House III in Leo
Somewhat opinionated in speech. Keenly interested in education, and a good teacher. Proud of siblings and tells countless stories about growing up. He is a very good organizer. Everything is carefully studied, explained and swiftly executed.
House IV is the area of home, family, roots, and deep emotions/sense of self-worth.
House IV in Virgo
Makes a good father, watching over his children, spending the night in an armchair near a sick child, caring for and calming him/her with patience. Knows how to look after his home perfectly, how to iron out difficulties by his practical sense and thanks to his intelligence.
House V is the area of creative self-expression, romance, entertainment, children, and gambling.
House V in Libra
He is delicate and full of good manners, with a taste for luxury: his friends are the same - refined with very good jobs. Will want to marry (and not just live with the partner).
House VI is the area of learning by material transaction.
House VI in Scorpio
Likes risky professions. Weak point: the genital area.
House VII is the area of one-to-one relationships such as marriage and partnership, and of social and intellectual action.
House VII in Sagittarius
Either marriage with a foreigner, or a marriage abroad, or marriage with a foreigner abroad.
House VIII is the area of emotional security and of security of the soul.
House VIII in Capricorn
Natural death in very old age. Inheritances.
House IX is the area of learning that shapes the identity.
House IX in Aquarius
Goes into one of the professions, is innovative and original. Likes travel, communicating with different people. Long research.
House X is the area of material action. The Mid-heaven represents the work one will do in his life, the place one will take in the world of society. It becomes more important as one grows older
House X in Pisces
Professional success in solitary professions. Archivist, librarian, historian etc...
House XI is the area of search for social and intellectual security.
House XI in Aries
Likes to be surrounded by friends full of vigor, solid, spirited. Carries out everything he undertakes.
House XII is the area of education and of emotion.
House XII in Taurus
Business affairs will have their highs and lows, financial loss can be heavy.
The Sun represents vitality, a sense of individuality and outward-shining creative energy.
Sun in Cancer
Sun in Cancer natives have a strong survival instinct. They are protective of those they care about, and of themselves too. They are often quite reticent about sharing their inner selves to the rest of the world, and are often caught up in reminisce. Cancers have a reputation for moodiness, although this trait is most evident when the Moon is in Cancer. Cancer needs roots. They resist change to an extent, and concern themselves about being secure and safe in most everything they do. Cancers can be quite intrigued by objects with history attached to them -- antiques, photos, souvenirs, and the like.
Cancer is a very sensitive sign, and they don't always appreciate it when you are blunt with them. Their reactions to hurt will depend on how thick a shell they have developed. Most Cancers react by withdrawing or retreating. Some have developed an ability to manipulate others to get what they want. They avoid direct confrontations almost as a rule. Cancers are, in fact, quite yielding and soft when you have them in the right mood. They are one of the more hospitable signs of the zodiac. Sure, they can be touchy and indirect, but they are also very dependable, caring souls.
Short description:
He weighs words carefully and is tenacious. A calm and discreet nature, tender, thoughtful, sensitive and impressionable.
Weaknesses: He is humble, timid, changeable, indecisive, lazy, over-sensitive. Easily influenced by the family and sometimes manipulative.
Cancer ascendant Gemini
Sun in II
You take pride in what you own, and have a strong drive for security. You have staying power, and you hate to let others down once you've made a promise. Avoid over-identifying with what you have. Concentrate on proving your worth through your strong value system and your incredible ability to stick with things and with people. Take pride in the solid and secure foundations that you build, as well as the lasting relationships you aim to maintain, while being careful to avoid possessiveness. You seek a safe and secure job, you satisfy your needs, which are substantial. You may be given to spending money impulsively.
156 Conjunction Sun - Mercury
Because your ego and your mind are aligned, you possess much mental energy. You are always in a position to think about what you want, and in many ways, this is an interruption of the will. You are highly intelligent with a great drive to communicate with other. You invest a lot of pride in your intellectual capacities. You may not always listen as well as you speak, however! You might be too busy thinking about what to say next. But you are very curious and although you enjoy expressing yourself, you usually don't dominate conversations completely. As far as studying or learning goes, you are better off reading the material than listening to a teacher. These traits come from a strong need to take an active role in communications. It is very hard for you to passively listen and absorb information.
Your opinions are usually strong and you are an independent thinker. You tend to be proud of your opinions and thoughts, and might easily get a bruised ego if you are not "heard", if your opinions are pushed aside or ignored, or if your opinions are criticized. You are expressive and possibly a very animated speaker. You are also very witty and others enjoy your playful and sometimes mischievous sense of humor.
153 Sextile Sun - Saturn
It is easy and natural for you to accept responsibilities, to lead a rather ordered life, and to apply caution in your financial and business dealings. You rarely jump to conclusions or take uneducated risks. You have a certain amount of patience and enough self-discipline to slowly but surely achieve what you set out to do. Although somewhat undemonstrative, you are generally loyal and responsible people to those you care about. You take your time in most endeavors and generally use a step-by-step approach to most projects--but you steadily reach your goals. You are naturally trustworthy, and you don't have much patience for those who don't show respect for others, who take foolish risks, and who lead disorganized lives.
83 Trine Sun - Uranus
It is natural for you to question tradition. You are, above all things, an individualist. You naturally rebel against that which is established. It doesn't mean that you consistently break all the rules, but you definitely do question some of the rules, especially those that simply don't make much sense. You possess a huge distaste for routine. You work best when you have some say as to when and how you get things done. You possess much self-integrity. You avoid labeling people and are most offended when others attempt to label or stereotype you.
You easily embrace new ways of doing things, you stick up for the underdog, and you express yourself in unique and inspiring ways. You don't have to try to stand out as unique--you are original, creative, and progressive without trying. You are far from pretentious. You value honesty and truth, and you avoid putting on airs. You believe in the equality of people, and easily relate to people from all walks of life. You possess an unmistakable enthusiasm about life, and generally your life is interesting because you invite unusual or adventurous experiences into your life. You are generally appreciated by others because you are open-minded, fair, and not judgmental. Nothing really seems to faze you! You take things in stride, and are rarely shocked or taken aback by human behavior.
-11 Square Sun - Pluto
You may be prone to inner tension and negative, self-destructive behavior. When things are going well, you suffer from fears that something will come along to change that. Constantly worrying that the rug will be pulled from under your feet can easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy. You possess tremendous power and strength--when you learn to accept and use that strength, instead of fear it, you can be one of the most effective, insightful, helpful, and healing person around! At times, you can be intensely dissatisfied with your personal accomplishments and expressions of self. You put a lot of pressure on yourself regarding your own endeavors. You can be quite dissatisfied with your creative self-expressions, and want to hide your expressions from others until you feel the output is "right". This is largely due to a perceived inability to express or reveal your true personality to others. You struggle with a deep need to control yourself and life itself. You are especially sensitive to criticism, and feel the need to "redo" yourself often. There is a marked fear of losing control, and this might stem from some traumatic event in childhood, or the childhood might have been crisis-ridden or emotionally-charged in general. As such, you can be intensely fearful of, or threatened by, change. This can express itself through attempts to control your life in such a way that you can manage your fears of being taken off guard. Of course, this generally backfires! You have an intense need for privacy at times.
The Moon represents the emotional responses, unconscious pre-destination, and the self-image.
Moon in Virgo
Lunar Virgos find security in the little things in life. They feel most content when they've straightened out all the details of everyday life. Many of them enjoy running errands, paying bills, and balancing the books. They take care of these things happily, although some won't let on. In fact, many Lunar Virgos are quite practiced at nagging and complaining. As long as they are appreciated, however, these people will help you take care of your life, too. They are at their best when they feel useful and needed. If somebody needs help, they are generally the first to jump up and take on the task.
Some people with Virgo Moons are accused of being underachievers. While it may be true that Lunar Virgos can lack self-confidence, many are--quite simply--content with living "regular", unassuming lives. They appreciate simplicity, and are often most comfortable when they're not getting too much attention from the world at large. Lunar Virgos are easily overwhelmed by pressure and stress. They worry incessantly when there is too much to think about; and they know their limits. Arguably the worst position for a Lunar Virgo is without a steady routine or a simply satisfying job. They need to feel useful, and they best express this by helping others in little ways. They need something to call their own, and the space to do what they want to do. The unhappy Lunar Virgos are fussy and complaining sorts. They are victims of routine and freak out when their plans are not followed. They are restless and nervous, and can't seem to see the big picture. Probably the best remedy for these people is a job or hobby in which they can express their deep need to analyze, attend to details, and micromanage.
These people express their affection for the people they care about in little, but practical, ways. They can be a little stiff when it comes to open, gushy displays of affection. Lunar Virgos are often shy with new people. However, when they are comfortable, they are anything but shy. More often than not, others can count on Moon in Virgo people. They are reliable and trustworthy. Above all else, Lunar Virgos are practical. Others turn to them for help and advice. In relationships, Lunar Virgos can be self-effacing and kind. Some are quite shy in love, and easily intimidated on a sexual level. Many are not very comfortable with their sexuality, but they aim to please nonetheless. The sign of Virgo is very body-aware, in general. If this awareness combines with a lack of self-confidence, Lunar Virgos can be too aware of the parts that make up the whole. This can lead to a tendency to be intensely self-critical. Once Lunar Virgos learn to come out of their shell, however, they can be earthy partners with a lot to give.
Some of the most skeptical people are Lunar Virgos. They can't help but poke holes when faced with others' blind faith. Their criticism can be maddening, and their insistence on seeing the practical in anything emotional can be challenging, especially if you are the dreamy type. Virgo curiosity shows up big time with this position of the Moon. To some, it can be confusing. Lunar Virgos seem very interested in others' problems, for example, but can be quite cool and even unsympathetic in the long run. Their advice can seem hard to more sensitive folk; yet Lunar Virgos can be surprisingly delicate when faced with others' criticism. Virgo Moon people are generally busy and quietly happy when they have their lives under control. They aim for a simple existence, and are often quite content with very little. Many are early risers, ready to take on the day with enthusiasm. They scurry around, keeping busy and managing their life quietly and expertly. As long as their little world is manageable, Lunar Virgos can be a delight to be around.
Short description:
He has a very good memory. Scientific or medical studies preferred above all others. He is humble and moderate, calm and reserved. Emotional discipline. He is willing to help, devoted and gentle.
Weaknesses: servile nature, frequent changes of occupation, gets annoyed, upset, worries. He is too shy.
Moon in IV
He likes family life, peace and quiet -- he likes to stay at home, surrounded by loved ones, in agreeable circumstances. Strongly influenced by the mother.
You long for a sense of true belonging, but you may be quite restless in your search. You might change residence frequently, or simply feel the need to make many changes in your home. Moving frequently may be a healthy thing if it keeps you emotionally stimulated, but if you find that you do so on whims and later regret the changes, you might want to treat it as a symptom of emotional unrest--as a sign that you are in a constant search for the perfect mood and setting, when in fact a feeling of belonging should be worked on from the inside out, not the outside in! Some of you might remain rather immature on an emotional level, never wanting to truly grow up and take care of yourself. Attachments to your past, traditions, and family are strong.
232 Sextile Moon - Mercury
You can be quite expressive and animated in your speech. You have an outstanding memory and tend to pick up a lot of information from your environment. You love to chat and to exchange ideas. Even if you are shy, once you're friends, you love to talk about pretty much anything under the sun, and you enjoy sharing stories from your past! For the most part, you are focused on day-to-day activities in your communications rather than on grander philosophies. You are naturally curious and interested, and others find you very easy to talk to. You are accommodating and curious, but you are not as well equipped to handle heavy emotional demands. You thrive on change and variety. You might be a little addicted to gossip! More probably, however, you are simply very curious about others. There is a twinkle in your eyes, and you are never short on humor. You are playful and versatile--you make a fun companion and an interesting friend. You listen! Yes, you do talk and occasionally interrupt in your excitement, but you are a curious person who does want to hear what others have to say, and that is a real pleasure. In fact, you are more able than most people to get others talking, simply because you are very receptive and sympathetic. You pick up others' feelings and body language readily.
-159 Square Moon - Venus
Because you value harmony, you may find yourself giving in to others too easily, especially in the first half of life. Resentment is possible, as you can feel that you are the one who seems to do all the acquiescing. There can be a distinct tendency to become friends (and lovers) with people too readily, simply because there is a strong need for approval and a hunger for receiving affection. As such, you may get involved with people who seem to really like you, and you fail to consider whether you actually like them back! It's somewhat of a weakness, as you are very charmed by the idea that someone seems to really like and appreciate you. Generally, one of your life's lessons is to learn to discriminate more and to get in touch with what you truly want and need. The functions of the Moon (which rules the emotions and feelings, amongst other things) and the functions of Venus (which rules social relationships, harmony, and partnership, amongst other things) are at cross-purposes. When you attempt to feed the needs of one function, it is often at the expense of the other, until you find some sort of balance. This can play out in a variety of ways. For example, there can be conflicts in partnerships about parenting or whether or not to have a family. You may find yourself compromising your own emotional needs in order to find and keep love. Peace and harmony are important to you--perhaps too much so, as you can easily be taken advantage of. Insecurity is something that you need to deal with at some point in your life. Very sensual, you sometimes replace love with food or shopping! You can also be quite sexually active and sometimes quite lustful. You possess a distinct lazy streak. You are capable of working hard, but you truly appreciate luxuriating and enjoying as many pleasures as possible, and self-discipline simply isn't always at your disposal!
34 Conjunction Moon - Jupiter
He is generally pleasantly composed, due to an inner sense of harmony and emotional balance. He is optimistic--and realistically so, most of the time--which contributes to his overall "luck". He is able to get a real perspective on emotional matters that not only benefits his outlook, he is able to offer support to others when needed. Broad-mindedness is a wonderful characteristic. Quick to find humor in situations, he is generally warm and fun to be around. Deep down, he believes in the basic goodness of people and of life in general, and this basic and natural attitude helps him to attract positive circumstances and to make good connections. One of his best qualities is tolerance. Usually, he doesn't take life too seriously in the sense that he believes in having a bit of fun. His hunches are more often than not bang-on.
He is frank, honest, optimistic and generous. He likes good cooking, his comforts. His friendships are sincere. He is a worker and knows how to surround himself with the right people: He is appreciated at work.
41 Conjunction Moon - Saturn
He controls his feelings. He has a sense of duty, of self-esteem and is prudent. He can concentrate on a long-term task, manual or intellectual. He perseveres and is serious in everything he does.
20 Sextile Moon - Uranus
He is imaginative and has the Moon's intuition complemented by Uranus' independence and originality. His life is out-of-the-ordinary, with lots of changes and a great knowledge of the world not through reading but through personal experience. He likes the sensational, new things. He acts instinctively, but fortunately has a good sixth sense. He likes to be surrounded by original people, artists.
-64 Square Moon - Neptune
He lacks firmness, and can be a sucker for a sob story! He likes to live in a dream, in the world of imagination, and can hope so much that reality checks can be brutal.
-82 Square Moon - Ascendant
He is unhappily influenced by the family. He is probably loved insufficiently by his parents, but looks for more love especially from his mother. He is susceptible, has superficial sensitivity and is sometimes irascible.
Mercury represents communication, Cartesian and logical spirit.
Mercury in Cancer
He communicates with feeling, endearing others with words. He is reflective and has one of the best memories around. He feels people out and is quick to pick up emotions and moods. He is discerning and is full of insight, is lucid, and thinks things through. He likes to please and to create a good impression. There can be a strong tendency to be influenced by those around him.
Mercury in II
Intelligence geared towards ways of making money, becoming rich. All methods are good, sometimes he is on the borderline of honesty.
You have a very practical mind and intelligence, seeing the obvious, most logical answer to any predicament often before others. You don't like to be put on the spot or pushed into talking or coming to a conclusion. Studies are similar--you need to work at your own steady pace. You can be quite one-track minded at times, not very happy with multi-tasking, and often quite fixed in your opinions. Sensual stimuli is more relevant to you than abstract concepts.
42 Trine Mercury - Uranus
He is perspicacious, ingenious: he binds intelligence and originality together with genius. He likes literature, especially fiction. He is spontaneous in his friendships and knows how to take advantage of the situations that arise.
-53 Square Mercury - Pluto
He may be impatient. He likes contradiction. His arguments are noisy and animated.
You are very incisive and aggressive with your opinions. You have a tendency towards fanaticism and often want to impose your ideas on others, sometimes in a subtle manner and sometimes more imperatively. You will find yourself attracted by the occult and other mysteries but it is recommended that you avoid those subjects because they can generate certain fixations or obsessiveness. You must learn to control your impatience and impulsiveness, to think things over before speaking, and to respect the weaknesses of others.
1 Trine Mercury - Midheaven
He likes to have his own ideas about things, to form an opinion and think over the problems it poses. He is an intellectual.
Venus represents an interest for emotions and values, exchange and sharing with others.
Venus in Gemini
Venus in Gemini people will try to win over the object of their affection with witty conversation, displaying just how much they "know", and demonstrating their diverse interests. These lovers are playful -- some might even call them a tease. They are hard to pin down, and they resist relationships that promise to become too "comfortable". Even those with their Sun in Taurus or Cancer, whose outward demeanor may suggest some reserve and caution, will want their relationships to be stimulating and full of conversation with Venus in Gemini. Venus in Gemini men and women don't want to be tied or bogged down in their relationships. They appreciate lightheartedness in love. Although they are willing to talk (perhaps endlessly) about the relationship, you may get the feeling that they gloss over some of the deeper issues. In love, their tastes change often, and it can be hard to know what to expect from one day to the next (or, sometimes, from one hour to the next!).
Pleasing Venus in Gemini involves supporting their need for fun and variety, showing interest in their brainpower and knowledge, and giving them space for friends and activities outside of the relationship. Let them know just how much fun you have with them. Try not to get overly miffed by Venus in Gemini's changeable, fickle ways. Remember that time spent with your lover will be exciting and invigorating.
Venus in XII
He is devoted to sick or impoverished people. Can be in the medical or social professions. He likes animals, tranquility, peace and solitude. He may have secret love affairs.
You are big on romance and you tend to live and breathe your partner once you're hooked. Not the best at defining your boundaries -- where your needs and your partner's needs separate -- you can get hurt in love rather easily. You can also feel used quite readily. You are attracted to people from all walks of life, finding a partner who has an unusual background or quirky personality most attractive. Partners who mistake your compassion for weakness can take advantage of you. Being openly affectionate and trusting often doesn't seem safe to you. You may feel your love won't be appreciated or reciprocated. You may get involved in secret love affairs or fall in love with a person who is quite unavailable to you at different points in your life. Love and sacrifice often seem to go hand in hand for you - having to give something up to be with the one you love, or having to relinquish some person or some aspect of an important love relationship. You value a certain amount of self-sacrifice and a giving attitude in a partner, as you embody these traits. You can be quite mysterious to others, even if you don't mean to be, because your romantic needs are kept hidden. Although you are quite naturally drawn to relationships that are unusual, secret, challenging, and unequal, do take the time to examine why this may be the case. Be certain that you are not, in some way, punishing yourself because you don't feel worthy of an equal and public relationship. Because Venus represents attraction, and the twelfth house is associated with the feet, your feet may be especially attractive and/or erogenous zones!
-22 Square Venus - Saturn
This aspect sometimes means unhealthy sensuality. He is hard, and does not know how to express his emotions. He is frightened of showing his love, and this leads to disappointments, break-ups, lack of satisfaction. It is likely that he had problems with his mother, who did not know how to love him or give him self-confidence. He doubts, is suspicious and jealous. He will learn how to be happy in love, to be at ease with himself and to control his jealousy in the second half of his life, thanks to an older person, who gives his self-confidence back to him, so he can then trust others.
-128 Opposition Venus - Neptune
He might lack self-confidence and his ideals are not easy to achieve. In love, he is unstable and deceitful or meets people who are like this. He is easy-going and follows others' wishes in love, and he lets the partner take the initiative.
This aspect indicates a suggestible romantic nature. Being "in love with love" is a strong possibility. You are naturally compassionate and are generally willing to go over the top for a loved one. It's hard to say whether your expectations in personal relationships are too high or too low. On the one hand, you tend to easily accept behaviors in your partners that others wouldn't accept, as you are compassionate and even drawn to people who others might consider trouble. On the other hand, your romantic dreams may be so powerful that you are easily disappointed with the reality of relationships. Deception in love is possible, but self-deception is even more likely. In love, you see what you want to see, rather than what is. Feelings of being used or deceived may come up. However, if a distinct pattern exists in your love life that involves you being let down, deceived or used, it will be especially worthwhile to examine whether self-deception was at work.
The possibility of clinging to romantic delusions is very high with this position. For example, some with these aspects cling to a romantic notion that someone loves them when in reality that person doesn't return the affection. Or, they may cling to a romance that has lost all hope. Another possibility is devoting their love to someone who is unattainable or who is unable to commit. Yet another Venus-Neptune scenario is loving someone who treats them badly, all the while clinging to an idealized image of the partner. No matter what the scenario, romantic yearning and longing, as well as delusion, tends to be the theme. The expectation here is that loving someone requires self-sacrifice. The result is an attraction to relationships that are co-dependent and even abusive. Venus-Neptune people are drawn to victim/savior relationships, and they can play either the role of victim or savior! Dependency or neediness in a partner can be confused for love. In an attempt to love unconditionally, you may too readily sacrifice your own needs and eventually feel used.
68 Trine Venus - Pluto
His emotional and sex life is powerful and rich. He lives out truly passionate love affairs.
264 Conjunction Venus - Ascendant
He likes everything beautiful, the Arts, balance and harmony. He is amiable and sociable. He likes entertainment and has a loving nature.
Mars represents the desire for action and physical energy.
Mars in Libra
Mars in Libra natives often reflect about things before they act. Decisiveness is not their strong point, but they do, eventually, get things done. Many people with this position procrastinate, generally because they feel the need to weigh all of the alternatives before taking action.
Life isn't always fair, as Mars in Scorpio would say, but Mars in Libra will seldom accept this notion. These natives can easily get caught up in defending themselves and others. Although their overall goal is to live peacefully, they stir others up with their desire to balance everything. Still, they always play innocent when they are challenged, and can generally charm the birds out of the trees to win your favor. Passive-aggressiveness is practically the hallmark of this position. They don't want to look like they are ever being mean or unfair, but aggression has to go somewhere! Too often, this results in sneaky behavior and subterfuge. On the other hand, some Mars in Libra people turn the Mars energy into action, and they fight for Libran justice and fairness in the world. On the up side, Mars in Libra people are adept at predicting when problems and discord will occur well in advance. They know how to compromise and are excellent at conflict management.
Mars in IV
Quick decisions, he has a lot of things on his plate and wants to climb the social ladder. He will succeed through phenomenal work-rate. Stormy family life, where his aggressiveness shows itself.
Jupiter represents expansion and grace.
Jupiter in Virgo
He attracts the most good fortune when he is helpful, honest, orderly, and pays attention to details. The service industries, nutrition, and health are prosperous avenues. Practical and technical knowledge and skills are most valued. A real problem solver and others appreciate his help. Doesn't always feel lucky or especially ambitious. Rather, hard work is valued.
Jupiter in IV
He likes and believes in justice. He is an optimist and is generous. Professional success is rapid and helped by the family. Family life is very important for him. He likes comfort, well-being at home. He knows how to entertain in style and above all with pleasure: his house is always open to friends.
-69 Opposition Jupiter - Midheaven
He aims big and is often disappointed with small advancements or successes, wishing they were bigger and better. He may bring every conversation around to himself, which is a tendency that should be kept in check. He has highs and lows in his professional life.
Saturn represents contraction and effort.
Saturn in Virgo
He likes order, harmony, method and balance. He can undertake long-term medical or scientific studies.
Weaknesses: he is intransigent, stubborn. Misuse of medicines, or asking for too much medicine.
Saturn in IV
He needs to be dominated. He has a sense of organization and accepts his responsibilities. He achieves his objectives in spite of slow progress, with many hurdles to overcome. He is persevering and patient.
102 Sextile Saturn - Uranus
He knows how to be on top of the situation. He perseveres, is determined but ingenious and original. He is very practical. He proceeds slowly, but is always bound to achieve his objectives in the end.
-38 Square Saturn - Neptune
Living conditions are difficult for -12 Square Saturn - Ascendant
His life is difficult and cramped. He is a worker, but success takes time in coming. He has problems in being open. He accepts solitude, rather than looks for it. Family problems.
Uranus represents individual liberty, egoistic liberty.
Uranus in Scorpio
Intelligent and subtle. Adores research, inquiry, investigation. Very sensual.
Uranus in VI
He is independent and his work efforts are inconstant. Sometimes undisciplined, eccentric and rebellious. He should fare better working independently without relying on anyone else, but should develop more self-discipline in order to get things accomplished. Dislikes routine.
Uranus in the first house alters the way an individual projects personal energies onto others. You are likely to seek, nay demand, freedom in the way you present yourself to the world. Dressing simply but quirkily, you will have no problems in asserting yourself. You are not shy in letting everyone know where you stand on issues. In fact you take pride in presenting your unique perspective. "I am a simple soul with few wants and needs," is what you tell yourself. All you can feel is an altruistic desire to change the world! Friends and relatives probably find you a trifle erratic. They know you to be good-hearted and genuine about your feelings. Your passions rise fast and you lose interest at the same rate.
Neptune represents transcendental liberty, non-egoistic liberty.
Neptune in Sagittarius
Likes long voyages, things foreign, water.
Neptune in VII
Marries for love, to show the depth of his passion, but has a troubled conjugal life.
40 Sextile Neptune - Pluto
-31 Opposition Neptune - Ascendant
He is very easily influenced and fragile. He suffers disappointments.
Pluto represents transformations, mutations and elimination.
Pluto in Libra
Looks for new ways to relate to others.
9 Trine Pluto - Ascendant
He has will-power and ambition, and likes to have his own way.
House I is the area of self identity. The ascendant is a symbol of how one acts in life. It is the image of the personality as seen by others, and the attitude that one has towards life.
Cancer ascendant Gemini
Ascendant in Gemini
Those born with Gemini rising see the world as a place to learn. They are curious about the people around them. Sounds similar to Sagittarius rising? Well it is, but there are some important differences. While Sagittarius seeks to expand their mental and physical horizons in a broad sense, Gemini is mostly interested in moving about in their social circles. These are people who love to ask questions, to move around freely, and to mingle. Definitely restless and often quick in physical expression, natives of the Gemini Ascendant exude an air of impatience even if they don't mean it. In fact, there is a cleverness to Gemini Ascendants that can intimidate some, especially sensitive folk. Their facility with words can be a wonderful asset, although sometimes Gemini rising individuals identify too much with their mental agility and forget, in their personal interactions and communications, to nurture the people around them. A certain lack of warmth in presentation can be the result, and although this style is generally a facade, it is not immediately apparent to most. People with, for example, predominant Water signs may feel a little ill at ease with Gemini rising people (that is, before they get to know them more personally), while strong Air types more fully appreciate the fun and cleverness of these individuals.
I have found two styles of presentation most common with Gemini rising people. One style is bubbly, changeable, talkative, and a little quirky. These natives are interesting and fun. They constantly explain things, whether it's their own behavior and opinion or those of the world around them. Another distinct "style" is a rather cool and intellectual demeanor. These natives are often quite witty and clever, but they present themselves in a less cheerful and changeable way than the first group. Their observations are sharp and the overall manner is a tad brusque. No matter the style, Gemini rising natives are given to analysis and making sense of their world. Their powers of observation are well-developed, they are mentally active (more often than not, their minds are racing!), and they almost always have something bright or witty to say. It is easy for individuals with this position to get sidetracked, as their curiosity is large, their minds are quick, and their attention spans rather short! As children, natives born with a Gemini Ascendant are often labeled as the intellectual, inquisitive, and perhaps odd child. Many feel their upbringing lacked some warmth. In one-to-one relationships, Gemini rising people often seek a certain amount of personal freedom and space. They enjoy intellectual debates and exchanging ideas. Although they often demand a fair amount of freedom, they are often just as willing to give their partners room to breathe.
House II is the area of material security and values. It rules money and personal finances, sense of self-worth and basic values, personal possessions.
House II in Cancer
Cancer is a fruitful sign to have on a money house. He can rely on sound instincts to acquire and save money. Very good money sense, although financial fluctuations may be frequent in his life. He can use his keen ability to hone in on what the public wants and needs, and benefit financially. He may be a hoarder, but certainly assigns much sentimental meaning to personal possessions.
House III is the area of social and intellectual learning.
House III in Leo
Somewhat opinionated in speech. Keenly interested in education, and a good teacher. Proud of siblings and tells countless stories about growing up. He is a very good organizer. Everything is carefully studied, explained and swiftly executed.
House IV is the area of home, family, roots, and deep emotions/sense of self-worth.
House IV in Virgo
Makes a good father, watching over his children, spending the night in an armchair near a sick child, caring for and calming him/her with patience. Knows how to look after his home perfectly, how to iron out difficulties by his practical sense and thanks to his intelligence.
House V is the area of creative self-expression, romance, entertainment, children, and gambling.
House V in Libra
He is delicate and full of good manners, with a taste for luxury: his friends are the same - refined with very good jobs. Will want to marry (and not just live with the partner).
House VI is the area of learning by material transaction.
House VI in Scorpio
Likes risky professions. Weak point: the genital area.
House VII is the area of one-to-one relationships such as marriage and partnership, and of social and intellectual action.
House VII in Sagittarius
Either marriage with a foreigner, or a marriage abroad, or marriage with a foreigner abroad.
House VIII is the area of emotional security and of security of the soul.
House VIII in Capricorn
Natural death in very old age. Inheritances.
House IX is the area of learning that shapes the identity.
House IX in Aquarius
Goes into one of the professions, is innovative and original. Likes travel, communicating with different people. Long research.
House X is the area of material action. The Mid-heaven represents the work one will do in his life, the place one will take in the world of society. It becomes more important as one grows older
House X in Pisces
Professional success in solitary professions. Archivist, librarian, historian etc...
House XI is the area of search for social and intellectual security.
House XI in Aries
Likes to be surrounded by friends full of vigor, solid, spirited. Carries out everything he undertakes.
House XII is the area of education and of emotion.
House XII in Taurus
Business affairs will have their highs and lows, financial loss can be heavy.
Power Of Meditation
Meditation Technique and How to do Meditation :
Meditation is the journey of our consciousness towards the Self.
Sleep is unconscious Meditation
Meditation is conscious sleep.
We receive some amount of Cosmic Energy in sleep and in deep silence.
We receive abundant Cosmic Energy in Meditation.
Meditation is the journey of our consciousness from:
Body to Mind,
Mind to Intellect,
Intellect to Self,
and Beyond.
To do Meditation, the first thing is Posture.
We may sit in any posture. Posture must be comfortable and stable.
We may sit either on the floor or on a chair.
Cross your legs clasp the fingers.
Close your eyes gently.
Relax, relax.
Then, Observe your normal Breath
Do not chant any Mantra, do not think of any God.
Just witness the Breath.
If any thoughts come, do not go behind the thoughts, do not negate the thoughts
Just come back observe the Breath.
Witness the Breath.
Be the Breath.
Just Be.
This is the WAY. This is the Meditation Technique.
Then one reaches:
No Thought and No Breath state.
This is the Meditative State.
By more and more Meditation, we receive abundant Cosmic Energy.
With this Meditation Technique,
Our Energy body gets cleansed, Third Eye get activated, and further perfected, Astral Travel happens, we understand Life After Life and many more.
What is Meditation?
Meditation is the greatest and wonderful experience.
Meditation is the easiest and natural phenomenon that is there with every one of us.
Meditation is the only way to understand and to elevate to state of Bliss.
Meditation is the journey from known frequency to unknown frequencies.
Meditation is the journey from our limited perception to unlimitedness.
Meditation is the journey from Body-Mind Consciousness to Self Consciousness.
How to do Meditation?
There are 3 steps to do Meditation:
1. Posture
2. Meditation Technique
3. Meditative State and its Experiences
Posture:
Posture is defined as the way you sit for Meditation
Posture must be comfortable and stable.
Posture is the first and foremost step in the process of Meditation.
You can select a comfortable place in your natural environment. The place should be very comfortable and esthetic to you. You should feel comfortable in that environment.
In that place select a comfortable place.
Then sit in that place.
How you sit is what we call Posture.
You can sit in your normal way or you can sit cross legged, Sukhasana.
Then clasp your fingers. You can also do Mudras.
Then when you feel comfortable,
Slowly close your eyes.
Meditation Technique:
Meditation Technique is the technique one adopts to reach Meditative State.
The easiest and profound way is to:
Observe one’s own natural Breath.
How to adopt the technique?
After selecting the place, posture with the eyes closed,
Take deep breath.
Inhale deeply. Exhale deeply.
Do Inhalation, Exhalation consciously with total relaxation for 5 times.
Inhale slowly and exhale slowly. Take your own time.
Then,
Slowly stop the inhalation and exhalation which you were doing consciously.
Relax…totally relax…
Slowly you will witness a miracle.
What you were doing consciously is still happening without your commands.
Breath is happening on its own. Sometimes erratic, some times rhythmic.
Observe that natural flow of Breath.
Let it happen on its own. Just witness it.
Do nothing. Just witness the Breath.
Do not do conscious breathing. Breath happens on its own.
Just be with the Breath and its flow.
Miracles start happening.
Breath slowly becomes thinner and thinner. Breath becomes shorter and shorter.
Slowly you will transcend the mind zone.
Here in the process,
Thoughts may creep in. Known and unknown thoughts may just creep in.
It may or may not disturb you.
If it is not disturbing you,
Just be with breath. Slowly thoughts reduce.
If thoughts are disturbing you:
Thoughts will be there in the process of transcending the mind, because mind is nothing but bundles of thoughts.
When thoughts come and haunts you,
Just witness consciously your in-breath and out-breath.
Do not negate the thoughts. Do not energize the thoughts. Do not go behind the thoughts. Just allow it to happen.
Relax…relax…
Just observe the Breath.
Witness the in-breath … out-breath…
Breath will be erratic…
Slowly the breath becomes rhythmic.
Breath becomes thinner and thinner.
Thoughts too become lesser and lesser.
Thoughts will not disturb you. It just happens as if it is happening some where and you are only witnessing it.
Slowly thoughts become zero and breath becomes shorter and shorter.
Slowly you will transcend the mind/thought zone.
Meditative State and Meditative Experiences:
By Observing, Witnessing
you will slowly reach No Thought No Breath State.
It is the Meditative State.
In this state you will receive abundant Cosmic Energy.
By continuously doing Meditation,
Third Eye gets activated. Further, Third Eye gets perfected.
Astral Travel starts happening. We ‘see’ our own physical body.
Our Energy body gets cleansed.
We will get glimpses of our past-lives.
You will ‘Experience’ many more.
By doing Meditation,
Our understandings will change.
Our perceptions will change.
We will understand our unlimitedness.
We will understand Death and Beyond.
We will be blissful at all times and situations.
Meditation is the journey of our consciousness towards the Self.
Sleep is unconscious Meditation
Meditation is conscious sleep.
We receive some amount of Cosmic Energy in sleep and in deep silence.
We receive abundant Cosmic Energy in Meditation.
Meditation is the journey of our consciousness from:
Body to Mind,
Mind to Intellect,
Intellect to Self,
and Beyond.
To do Meditation, the first thing is Posture.
We may sit in any posture. Posture must be comfortable and stable.
We may sit either on the floor or on a chair.
Cross your legs clasp the fingers.
Close your eyes gently.
Relax, relax.
Then, Observe your normal Breath
Do not chant any Mantra, do not think of any God.
Just witness the Breath.
If any thoughts come, do not go behind the thoughts, do not negate the thoughts
Just come back observe the Breath.
Witness the Breath.
Be the Breath.
Just Be.
This is the WAY. This is the Meditation Technique.
Then one reaches:
No Thought and No Breath state.
This is the Meditative State.
By more and more Meditation, we receive abundant Cosmic Energy.
With this Meditation Technique,
Our Energy body gets cleansed, Third Eye get activated, and further perfected, Astral Travel happens, we understand Life After Life and many more.
What is Meditation?
Meditation is the greatest and wonderful experience.
Meditation is the easiest and natural phenomenon that is there with every one of us.
Meditation is the only way to understand and to elevate to state of Bliss.
Meditation is the journey from known frequency to unknown frequencies.
Meditation is the journey from our limited perception to unlimitedness.
Meditation is the journey from Body-Mind Consciousness to Self Consciousness.
How to do Meditation?
There are 3 steps to do Meditation:
1. Posture
2. Meditation Technique
3. Meditative State and its Experiences
Posture:
Posture is defined as the way you sit for Meditation
Posture must be comfortable and stable.
Posture is the first and foremost step in the process of Meditation.
You can select a comfortable place in your natural environment. The place should be very comfortable and esthetic to you. You should feel comfortable in that environment.
In that place select a comfortable place.
Then sit in that place.
How you sit is what we call Posture.
You can sit in your normal way or you can sit cross legged, Sukhasana.
Then clasp your fingers. You can also do Mudras.
Then when you feel comfortable,
Slowly close your eyes.
Meditation Technique:
Meditation Technique is the technique one adopts to reach Meditative State.
The easiest and profound way is to:
Observe one’s own natural Breath.
How to adopt the technique?
After selecting the place, posture with the eyes closed,
Take deep breath.
Inhale deeply. Exhale deeply.
Do Inhalation, Exhalation consciously with total relaxation for 5 times.
Inhale slowly and exhale slowly. Take your own time.
Then,
Slowly stop the inhalation and exhalation which you were doing consciously.
Relax…totally relax…
Slowly you will witness a miracle.
What you were doing consciously is still happening without your commands.
Breath is happening on its own. Sometimes erratic, some times rhythmic.
Observe that natural flow of Breath.
Let it happen on its own. Just witness it.
Do nothing. Just witness the Breath.
Do not do conscious breathing. Breath happens on its own.
Just be with the Breath and its flow.
Miracles start happening.
Breath slowly becomes thinner and thinner. Breath becomes shorter and shorter.
Slowly you will transcend the mind zone.
Here in the process,
Thoughts may creep in. Known and unknown thoughts may just creep in.
It may or may not disturb you.
If it is not disturbing you,
Just be with breath. Slowly thoughts reduce.
If thoughts are disturbing you:
Thoughts will be there in the process of transcending the mind, because mind is nothing but bundles of thoughts.
When thoughts come and haunts you,
Just witness consciously your in-breath and out-breath.
Do not negate the thoughts. Do not energize the thoughts. Do not go behind the thoughts. Just allow it to happen.
Relax…relax…
Just observe the Breath.
Witness the in-breath … out-breath…
Breath will be erratic…
Slowly the breath becomes rhythmic.
Breath becomes thinner and thinner.
Thoughts too become lesser and lesser.
Thoughts will not disturb you. It just happens as if it is happening some where and you are only witnessing it.
Slowly thoughts become zero and breath becomes shorter and shorter.
Slowly you will transcend the mind/thought zone.
Meditative State and Meditative Experiences:
By Observing, Witnessing
you will slowly reach No Thought No Breath State.
It is the Meditative State.
In this state you will receive abundant Cosmic Energy.
By continuously doing Meditation,
Third Eye gets activated. Further, Third Eye gets perfected.
Astral Travel starts happening. We ‘see’ our own physical body.
Our Energy body gets cleansed.
We will get glimpses of our past-lives.
You will ‘Experience’ many more.
By doing Meditation,
Our understandings will change.
Our perceptions will change.
We will understand our unlimitedness.
We will understand Death and Beyond.
We will be blissful at all times and situations.
Anapanasati Meditation by Patriji
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How to Practice Anapanasati Meditation
Anapanasati meditation is the practice of mindful observance of one's breath. Breath awareness allows one to be anchored in the present moment and prevent thoughts about the past and future from rising. Thoughts about the past and future could generate happiness or sadness, desire or aversion, which is ultimtely the source of our suffering. The practice of anapanasati is a tool to free oneself from suffering generated by un-controlled thoughts. In practice, the practitioner is expected to ignore all thoughts that distract one from focus on the breath, simply observing as the thoughts rise and allowing them to dispassionately whither away. The practice of anapanasati will enable you to feel more in control of your life and train your mind not to generate unnecessary or distracting thoughts. This sounds like it generates a potentially robotic mindset, but actually it is quite the opposite. When freed from unnecessary and judgment clouding thoughts, one is able to act more spontaneously and creatively in each moment of their lives.
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
Time, Concentration, An Open Mind
Step 1
Dress in loose clothing and seat yourself comfortably in a quiet, isolated room. Keep your entire spine as straight as possible, but without rigidity and tension. To alleviate thoughts about time or fears of falling asleep, it might be helpful to set an alarm for the time you wish to meditate.
Step 2
Close your eyes and allow your body to relax as you breath.
Step 3
Breathing only through your nose, begin to focus on the sensations of your breath. The heat as it enters your nostrils and goes down into your lungs. The coolness as it travels back out. Whatever other sensations you observe. But when you feel these sensations, have no reaction to them. Just observe them passively, equanimously, however gross or pleasant you find them to be. Understand and accept that inevitably, all sensation shall pass.
Step 4
Allow your focus to fall on a particular area of sensation. Perhaps just above your lip. Perhaps just inside the nose.
Step 5
Focus on this one area of sensation, and focus the area smaller, smaller, smaller, paying attention to nothing else, trying to get your area of focus down to a single cell. Observe the sensations in this one area equanimously, allowing no reaction to distract you from concentration.
Step 6
Ideally, you will choose to expand this practice into Vipassana meditation, discussed in a separate article, but the practice of anapanasati offers benefits on its own.
Subrahmanya Karavalambam
Subrahmanya Karavalambam
The son of Lord Parameswara is Kumaraswamy. He is also called as Skandha, Subrahmanyeswara, Kartikeya and Subbaraya.
Margasira Suddha Sashti is celebrated as Subrahmanya Sashti. On this day, if one observes fasting, perform puja to Subrahmanyeswara, offer food and clothes to a bachelor, will attain goodness to the house.
Subrahmanya Stuti, which is otherwise called Subrahmanya karavalambam, is given below. This is also called Swaminatha Karavalambam.
Subrahmanya Karavalambam
Hey swaminaatha karuNaakara diina bandhO,
Srii paarvatiisumukha pankaja padma bandhO,
SriiSaadi dEvagaNa puujita paada padma,
valliisanaatha mama dEhi karaavalambam. 1
Extend a hand of support, Oh Lord of Valli; Who is the chief of gods, who is merciful; Who is friend of the oppressed; Who is the son of the lotus faced lord of goddess Parvathi, and whose lotus feet is worshipped by all gods and also by Lord of Goddess Lakshmi.
dEvaadhi dEvasuta, dEva gaNaadi naatha,
dEvEndra vandya mrudu pankaja manjupaada,
dEvarshi naarada muniindra sugiita kiirtE,
valliisanaatha mama dEhi karaavalambam. 2
Extend a hand of support, Oh Lord of Valli; Who is the son of God of gods, who is the chief of all gods; Whose soft lotus like feet is worshipped by Devendra; and whose fame is sung by deva sage Narada and others.
nityaanna daana nirataakhila rOgahaarin,
tasmaatpradaana paripuurita bhaktakaama,
Sruthyaagama praNava vaacya nijaswaruupa,
valliisanaatha mama dEhi karaavalambam. 3
Extend a hand of support, Oh Lord of Valli; Who gives food daily in charity; Who cures all prevalent diseases; Who bestows luck, who fulfills all wishes of devotees, and whose real form is the pranava given in Vedas.
krouncaamarEndra mada khanDana Sakti Suula,
paaSaadi Sastra parimanDita divya paaNE,
Srii kunDaliiSa dhruta tunDa Sikhiindra vaaha,
valliisanaatha mama dEhi karaavalambam. 4
Extend a hand of support, Oh Lord of Valli; Who is the Lord of mountains, who holds; Shakthi, Soola, bow and arrows in his holy hands; Who wears ear rings and who rides the fast moving peacock.
dEvaadhidEva ratha mandala madhyavEdya,
dEvEndra peeTha nagaram druDha caapa hastam,
Suuram nihatya surakOTi bhiriiDyamaana,
valleesanaatha mama dEhi karaavalambam. 5
Extend a hand of support, Oh Lord of Valli; Who is the god of gods, Who rides the central Chariot among a group of chariots; Who prevents problems for Devendra; Who can send arrows very fast, and who by killing Suura became the object of adulation of billions of devas.
haaraadi ratna maNi yukta kiriiTa haara,
kEyuura kunDala lasatkavacaabhiraam a,
hey viira taaraka jayaamara brunda vandya,
valliisanaatha mama dEhi karaavalambam. 6
Extend a hand of support, Oh Lord of Valli; Who wears crowns and chains with diamonds and gems; Who wears armlet, ear rings and strong armour and who is the valorous one who killed Tharaka, and was saluted by the groups of devas.
pancaksharaadi manu mantrita gaangatOyaihi,
pancaamrutaihi pramuditEndra mukhairmuniindraihi ,
paTTabhishikta hariyukta paraasanaatha,
valliisanaatha mama dEhi karaavalambam. 7
Extend a hand of support, Oh Lord of Valli; Who was crowned as their leader by Indra; With the chanting of the holy five letters; With the bathing of the holy water of Ganga, after strengthening it further by holy chants, and who was anointed with the five holy nectars, by very learned and holy sages.
Srii kaartikEya karuNaamruta puurNa drushTyaa,
kamaadi rOga kalushiikruta dushTa cittam,
siktvaatu maa mava kaLaadhara kaanti kaantyaa,
valliisanatha mama dEhi karaavalambam. 8
Extend a hand of support, Oh Lord of Valli; Who is known as Karthikeya, who with his fully nectar like looks of mercy cures; passion, diseases and mind which has made been dirty Who is the treasure house of arts and Who shines like billions of suns.
SubrahmaNyashTakam puNyam yeh paThanti dwijOttamaaha,
tey sarvE mukti maayanti subrahmaNya prasaadataha,
subrahmanyaashTaka midam praatarutthaaya yah paThEt,
kOTi janma krutam paapam tatkshaNaadEva naSyati.
The twice born who reads this octet on Subrahmanya, would attain salvation by the grace of Lord Subrahmanya, and for him who reads this octet on Subrahmanya, as soon as, he gets up in the morning, the sins committed in billons, of previous births will vanish in a second.
It is also said that by praying Lord Subrahmanya, one can get rid of Kujadosha.
lOhitO lOhitaakshaSca saamagaanam krupaakaraha,
dharaatmajah kujO bhoumE, bhuumadO bhuumi nandanaha.
If one goes to Navagraha or Subrahmanya temple on every Tuesday for seven days and pray God by narrating the above Sloka, he/she will be free from Kuja dosha. Lord Subrahmanya is also considered to be the reliever of Naga dosha. As such, one should pray God with the following Sloka.
Naga dosha nivarana stotram
anantO vaasukihi SEshaha padmanaabhaSca sambaLaha,
SankhapaalO dhaarta raashTraha takshakaha kaaLiyastathaa.
Etaani nava naamaani naagaanaanca mahaatmanaam,
saayamkaalE paThEnnityam praatah kaalE viSEshataha,
tasya vishayam naasti sarvatra vijayii bhavEt.
Skanda Gayatri
tatpurushaaya vidmahE,
mahaa sEnaaya dhiimahi,
tannO skandah pracOdayaat.
The son of Lord Parameswara is Kumaraswamy. He is also called as Skandha, Subrahmanyeswara, Kartikeya and Subbaraya.
Margasira Suddha Sashti is celebrated as Subrahmanya Sashti. On this day, if one observes fasting, perform puja to Subrahmanyeswara, offer food and clothes to a bachelor, will attain goodness to the house.
Subrahmanya Stuti, which is otherwise called Subrahmanya karavalambam, is given below. This is also called Swaminatha Karavalambam.
Subrahmanya Karavalambam
Hey swaminaatha karuNaakara diina bandhO,
Srii paarvatiisumukha pankaja padma bandhO,
SriiSaadi dEvagaNa puujita paada padma,
valliisanaatha mama dEhi karaavalambam. 1
Extend a hand of support, Oh Lord of Valli; Who is the chief of gods, who is merciful; Who is friend of the oppressed; Who is the son of the lotus faced lord of goddess Parvathi, and whose lotus feet is worshipped by all gods and also by Lord of Goddess Lakshmi.
dEvaadhi dEvasuta, dEva gaNaadi naatha,
dEvEndra vandya mrudu pankaja manjupaada,
dEvarshi naarada muniindra sugiita kiirtE,
valliisanaatha mama dEhi karaavalambam. 2
Extend a hand of support, Oh Lord of Valli; Who is the son of God of gods, who is the chief of all gods; Whose soft lotus like feet is worshipped by Devendra; and whose fame is sung by deva sage Narada and others.
nityaanna daana nirataakhila rOgahaarin,
tasmaatpradaana paripuurita bhaktakaama,
Sruthyaagama praNava vaacya nijaswaruupa,
valliisanaatha mama dEhi karaavalambam. 3
Extend a hand of support, Oh Lord of Valli; Who gives food daily in charity; Who cures all prevalent diseases; Who bestows luck, who fulfills all wishes of devotees, and whose real form is the pranava given in Vedas.
krouncaamarEndra mada khanDana Sakti Suula,
paaSaadi Sastra parimanDita divya paaNE,
Srii kunDaliiSa dhruta tunDa Sikhiindra vaaha,
valliisanaatha mama dEhi karaavalambam. 4
Extend a hand of support, Oh Lord of Valli; Who is the Lord of mountains, who holds; Shakthi, Soola, bow and arrows in his holy hands; Who wears ear rings and who rides the fast moving peacock.
dEvaadhidEva ratha mandala madhyavEdya,
dEvEndra peeTha nagaram druDha caapa hastam,
Suuram nihatya surakOTi bhiriiDyamaana,
valleesanaatha mama dEhi karaavalambam. 5
Extend a hand of support, Oh Lord of Valli; Who is the god of gods, Who rides the central Chariot among a group of chariots; Who prevents problems for Devendra; Who can send arrows very fast, and who by killing Suura became the object of adulation of billions of devas.
haaraadi ratna maNi yukta kiriiTa haara,
kEyuura kunDala lasatkavacaabhiraam a,
hey viira taaraka jayaamara brunda vandya,
valliisanaatha mama dEhi karaavalambam. 6
Extend a hand of support, Oh Lord of Valli; Who wears crowns and chains with diamonds and gems; Who wears armlet, ear rings and strong armour and who is the valorous one who killed Tharaka, and was saluted by the groups of devas.
pancaksharaadi manu mantrita gaangatOyaihi,
pancaamrutaihi pramuditEndra mukhairmuniindraihi ,
paTTabhishikta hariyukta paraasanaatha,
valliisanaatha mama dEhi karaavalambam. 7
Extend a hand of support, Oh Lord of Valli; Who was crowned as their leader by Indra; With the chanting of the holy five letters; With the bathing of the holy water of Ganga, after strengthening it further by holy chants, and who was anointed with the five holy nectars, by very learned and holy sages.
Srii kaartikEya karuNaamruta puurNa drushTyaa,
kamaadi rOga kalushiikruta dushTa cittam,
siktvaatu maa mava kaLaadhara kaanti kaantyaa,
valliisanatha mama dEhi karaavalambam. 8
Extend a hand of support, Oh Lord of Valli; Who is known as Karthikeya, who with his fully nectar like looks of mercy cures; passion, diseases and mind which has made been dirty Who is the treasure house of arts and Who shines like billions of suns.
SubrahmaNyashTakam puNyam yeh paThanti dwijOttamaaha,
tey sarvE mukti maayanti subrahmaNya prasaadataha,
subrahmanyaashTaka midam praatarutthaaya yah paThEt,
kOTi janma krutam paapam tatkshaNaadEva naSyati.
The twice born who reads this octet on Subrahmanya, would attain salvation by the grace of Lord Subrahmanya, and for him who reads this octet on Subrahmanya, as soon as, he gets up in the morning, the sins committed in billons, of previous births will vanish in a second.
It is also said that by praying Lord Subrahmanya, one can get rid of Kujadosha.
lOhitO lOhitaakshaSca saamagaanam krupaakaraha,
dharaatmajah kujO bhoumE, bhuumadO bhuumi nandanaha.
If one goes to Navagraha or Subrahmanya temple on every Tuesday for seven days and pray God by narrating the above Sloka, he/she will be free from Kuja dosha. Lord Subrahmanya is also considered to be the reliever of Naga dosha. As such, one should pray God with the following Sloka.
Naga dosha nivarana stotram
anantO vaasukihi SEshaha padmanaabhaSca sambaLaha,
SankhapaalO dhaarta raashTraha takshakaha kaaLiyastathaa.
Etaani nava naamaani naagaanaanca mahaatmanaam,
saayamkaalE paThEnnityam praatah kaalE viSEshataha,
tasya vishayam naasti sarvatra vijayii bhavEt.
Skanda Gayatri
tatpurushaaya vidmahE,
mahaa sEnaaya dhiimahi,
tannO skandah pracOdayaat.
Why, How, Where, When, What ..
How are you doing?
Where are you working?
When you will do that?
Why you did that?
What you are up to?
Where are you working?
When you will do that?
Why you did that?
What you are up to?
Monday, March 1, 2010
modern view of progress
Why is the modern view of progress so impoverished?
THE best modern parable of progress was, aptly, ahead of its time. In 1861 Imre Madach published "The Tragedy of Man", a "Paradise Lost" for the industrial age. The verse drama, still a cornerstone of Hungarian literature, describes how Adam is cast out of the Garden with Eve, renounces God and determines to recreate Eden through his own efforts. "My God is me," he boasts, "whatever I regain is mine by right. This is the source of all my strength and pride."
Adam gets the chance to see how much of Eden he will "regain". He starts in Ancient Egypt and travels in time through 11 tableaux, ending in the icebound twilight of humanity. It is a cautionary tale. Adam glories in the Egyptian pyramids, but he discovers that they are built on the misery of slaves. So he rejects slavery and instead advances to Greek democracy. But when the Athenians condemn a hero, much as they condemned Socrates, Adam forsakes democracy and moves on to harmless, worldly pleasure. Sated and miserable in hedonistic Rome, he looks to the chivalry of the knights crusader. Yet each new reforming principle crumbles before him. Adam replaces 17th-century Prague's courtly hypocrisy with the rights of man. When equality curdles into Terror under Robespierre, he embraces individual liberty—which is in turn corrupted on the money-grabbing streets of Georgian London. In the future a scientific Utopia has Michelangelo making chair-legs and Plato herding cows, because art and philosophy have no utility. At the end of time, having encountered the savage man who has no guiding principle except violence, Adam is downcast—and understandably so. Suicidal, he pleads with Lucifer: "Let me see no more of my harsh fate: this useless struggle."
Things today are not quite that bad. But Madach's 19th-century verse contains an insight that belongs slap bang in the 21st. In the rich world the idea of progress has become impoverished. Through complacency and bitter experience, the scope of progress has narrowed. The popular view is that, although technology and GDP advance, morals and society are treading water or, depending on your choice of newspaper, sinking back into decadence and barbarism. On the left of politics these days, "progress" comes with a pair of ironic quotation marks attached; on the right, "progressive" is a term of abuse.
It was not always like that. There has long been a tension between seeking perfection in life or in the afterlife. Optimists in the Enlightenment and the 19th century came to believe that the mass of humanity could one day lead happy and worthy lives here on Earth. Like Madach's Adam, they were bursting with ideas for how the world might become a better place.
Some thought God would bring about the New Jerusalem, others looked to history or evolution. Some thought people would improve if left to themselves, others thought they should be forced to be free; some believed in the nation, others in the end of nations; some wanted a perfect language, others universal education; some put their hope in science, others in commerce; some had faith in wise legislation, others in anarchy. Intellectual life was teeming with grand ideas. For most people, the question was not whether progress would happen, but how.
The idea of progress forms the backdrop to a society. In the extreme, without the possibility of progress of any sort, your gain is someone else's loss. If human behaviour is unreformable, social policy can only ever be about trying to cage the ape within. Society must in principle be able to move towards its ideals, such as equality and freedom, or they are no more than cant and self-delusion. So it matters if people lose their faith in progress. And it is worth thinking about how to restore it.
Cain and cant
By now, some of you will hardly be able to contain your protests. Surely the evidence of progress is all around us? That is the case put forward in "It's Getting Better All the Time", by the late Julian Simon and Stephen Moore then at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think-tank in Washington, DC. Over almost 300 pages they show how vastly everyday life has improved in every way.
For aeons people lived to the age of just 25 or 30 and most parents could expect to mourn at least one of their children. Today people live to 65 and, in countries such as Japan and Canada, over 80; outside Africa, a child's death is mercifully rare. Global average income was for centuries about $200 a year; a typical inhabitant of one of the world's richer countries now earns that much in a day. In the Middle Ages about one in ten Europeans could read; today, with a few exceptions, such as India and parts of Africa, the global rate is comfortably above eight out of ten. In much of the world, ordinary men and women can vote and find work, regardless of their race. In large parts of it they can think and say what they choose. If they fall ill, they will be treated. If they are innocent, they will generally walk free.
It is good to go up in the world, but much less so if everyone around you is going up in it too
It is an impressive list—even if you factor in some formidably depressing data. (In the gently dissenting foreword to her husband's book Simon's widow quotes statistics claiming that, outside warfare, 20th-century governments murdered 7.3% of their people, through needless famine, labour camps, genocide and other crimes. That compares with 3.7% in the 19th century and 4.7% in the 17th.) Mr Moore and Simon show that health and wealth have never been so abundant. And for the part of humanity that is even now shedding poverty, many gains still lie ahead.
The trouble is that a belief in progress is more than just a branch of accounting. The books are never closed. Wouldn't nuclear war or environmental catastrophe tip the balance into the red? And the accounts are full of blank columns. How does the unknown book-keeper reconcile such unknowable quantities as happiness and fulfilment across the ages? As Adam traverses history, he sees material progress combined with spiritual decline.
Even if you can show how miserable the past was, the belief in progress is about the future. People born in the rich world today think they are due a modicum of health, prosperity and equality. They advance against that standard, rather than the pestilence, beggary and injustice of serfdom. That's progress.
Every day, in every way…
The idea of progress has a long history, but it started to flower in the 17th century. Enlightenment thinkers believed that man emancipated by reason would rise to ever greater heights of achievement. The many manifestations of his humanity would be the engines of progress: language, community, science, commerce, moral sensibility and government. Unfortunately, many of those engines have failed.
Some supposed sources of progress now appear almost quaint. Take language: many 18th-century thinkers believed that superstitions and past errors were imprinted in words. "Hysteria", for example, comes from the Greek for "womb", on the mistaken idea that panic was a seizure of the uterus. Purge the language of rotten thinking, they believed, and truth and reason would prevail at last. The impulse survives, much diminished, in the vocabulary of political correctness. But these days few people outside North Korea believe in language as an agent of social change.
Every time someone tells you to "be realistic" they are asking you to compromise your ideals
Other sources of progress are clothed in tragedy. The Germanic thought that individual progress should be subsumed into the shared destiny of a nation, or volk, is fatally associated with Hitler. Whenever nationalism becomes the chief organising principle of society, state violence is not far behind. Likewise, in Soviet Russia and Communist China unspeakable crimes were committed by the ruling elite in the pursuit of progress, rather as they had been in the name of God in earlier centuries. As John Passmore, an Australian philosopher, wrote: "men have sought to demonstrate their love of God by loving nothing at all and their love for humanity by loving nobody whatsoever."
The 20th century was seduced by the idea that humans will advance as part of a collective and that the enlightened few have the right—the duty even—to impose progress on the benighted masses whether they choose it or not. The blood of millions and the fall of the Berlin Wall, 20 years ago this year, showed how much the people beg to differ. Coercion will always have its attractions for those able to do the coercing, but, as a source of enlightened progress, the subjugation of the individual in the interests of the community has lost much of its appeal.
Instead the modern age has belonged to material progress and its predominant source has been science. Yet nestling amid the quarks and transistors and the nucleic acids and nanotubes, there is a question. Science confers huge power to change the world. Can people be trusted to harness it for good?
The ancients thought not. Warnings that curiosity can be destructive stretch back to the very beginning of civilisation. As Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge, so inquisitive Pandora, the first woman in Greek mythology, peered into the jar and released all the world's evils.
Modern science is full of examples of technologies that can be used for ill as well as good. Think of nuclear power—and of nuclear weapons; of biotechnology—and of biological contamination. Or think, less apocalyptically, of information technology and of electronic surveillance. History is full of useful technologies that have done harm, intentionally or not. Electricity is a modern wonder, but power stations have burnt too much CO2-producing coal. The internet has spread knowledge and understanding, but it has also spread crime and pornography. German chemistry produced aspirin and fertiliser, but it also filled Nazi gas chambers with Cyclon B.
The point is not that science is harmful, but that progress in science does not map tidily onto progress for humanity. In an official British survey of public attitudes to science in 2008, just over 80% of those asked said they were "amazed by the achievements of science". However, only 46% thought that "the benefits of science are greater than any harmful effect".
From the perspective of human progress, science needs governing. Scientific progress needs to be hitched to what you might call "moral progress". It can yield untold benefits, but only if people use it wisely. They need to understand how to stop science from being abused. And to do that they must look outside science to the way people behave.
…I am getting richer and richer
It is a similar story with economic growth, the other source of material progress. The 18th century was optimistic that business could bring prosperity; and that prosperity, in its turn, could bring enlightenment. Business has more than lived up to the first half of that promise. As Joseph Schumpeter famously observed, silk stockings were once only for queens, but capitalism has given them to factory girls. And, as Mr Moore and Simon argue, prosperity has brought its share of enlightenment.
The Economist puts more faith in business than most. Yet even the stolidest defenders of capitalism would, by and large, agree that its tendency to form cartels, shuffle off the costs of pollution and collapse under the weight of its own financial inventiveness needs to be constrained by laws designed to channel its energy to the general good. Business needs governing, just as science does.
Nor does economic progress broadly defined correspond to human progress any more precisely than does scientific progress. GDP does not measure welfare; and wealth does not equal happiness. Rich countries are, by and large, happier than poor ones; but among developed-world countries, there is only a weak correlation between happiness and GDP. And, although wealth has been soaring over the past half a century, happiness, measured by national surveys, has hardly budged.
That is probably largely because of status-consciousness. It is good to go up in the world, but much less so if everyone around you is going up in it too. Once they have filled their bellies and put a roof over their heads, people want more of what Fred Hirsch, an economist who worked on this newspaper in the 1950s and 1960s, called "positional goods". Only one person can be the richest tycoon. Not everyone can own a Matisse or a flat in Mayfair. As wealth grows, the competition for such status symbols only becomes more intense.
And it is not just that material progress does not seem to be delivering the emotional goods. People also fear that mankind is failing to manage it properly—with the result that, in important ways, their children may not be better off than they are. The forests are disappearing; the ice is melting; social bonds are crumbling; privacy is eroding; life is becoming a dismal slog in an ugly world.
All this scepticism, and more, is on display in "Nineteen Eighty-Four" and "Brave New World", the two great British dystopian novels of the 20th century. In them George Orwell and Aldous Huxley systematically subvert each of the Enlightenment's engines of progress. Language—Orwell's Newspeak—is used to control people's thought. The individuals living on Airstrip One are dissolved by perpetual war into a single downtrodden "nation". In both books the elite uses power to oppress, not enlighten. Science in Huxley's London has become monstrous—babies raised in vitro in hatcheries are chemically stunted; and the people are maintained in a state of drug-induced tranquillity. And in the year of our Ford 632, Huxley's world rulers require enthusiastic consumption to keep the factories busy and the people docile. Wherever the Enlightenment saw scope for human nature to improve, Orwell and Huxley warned that it could be debased by conditioning, propaganda and mind-control.
Crooked timber
The question is why neither Orwell's nor Huxley's nightmares have come to life. And the answer depends on the last pair of engines of progress: moral sensibility in its widest sense, and the institutions that make up what today is known as "governance". These broadly liberal forces offer hope for a better future—more, indeed, than you may think.
The junior partner is governance—not an oppressive Leviathan, but a democratic system of laws and social institutions. Right and left have much cause to criticise government. For the right, as Ronald Reagan famously said, the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." For the left, government has failed to tame the cruelty of markets and lift the poor out of their misery. From their different perspectives, both sides complain that government regulation is often costly and ineffectual, and that many decades of social welfare have failed to get to grips with an underclass.
Yet even if government has scaled back its ambitions from the heights of the post-war welfare state, even if it is often inefficient and self-serving, it also embodies moral progress. That is the significance of the assertion, in the American Declaration of Independence, that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights". It is the significance of laws guaranteeing free speech, universal suffrage, and equality before the law. And it is the significance of courts that can hold states to account when they, inevitably, fail to match the standards that they have set for themselves.
Illustration by Matt Herring
Such values are the institutional face of the fundamental engine of progress—"moral sensibility". The very idea probably sounds quaint and old-fashioned, but it is the subject of a powerful recent book by Susan Neiman, an American philosopher living in Germany. People often shy away from a moral view of the world, if only because moral certitude reeks of intolerance and bigotry. As one sociologist has said "don't be judgmental" has become the 11th commandment.
But Ms Neiman thinks that people yearn for a sense of moral purpose. In a world preoccupied with consumerism and petty self-interest, that gives life dignity. People want to determine how the world works, not always to be determined by it. It means that people's behaviour should be shaped not by who is most powerful, or by who stands to lose and gain, but by what is right despite the costs. Moral sensibility is why people will suffer for their beliefs, and why acts of principled self-sacrifice are so powerful.
People can distinguish between what is and what ought to be. Torture was once common in Europe's market squares. It is now unacceptable even when the world's most powerful nation wears the interrogator's mask. Race was once a bar to the clubs and drawing-rooms of respectable society. Now a black man is in the White House.
There are no guarantees that the gap between is and ought can be closed. Every time someone tells you to "be realistic" they are asking you to compromise your ideals. Ms Neiman acknowledges that your ideals will never be met completely. But sometimes, however imperfectly, you can make progress. It is as if you are moving towards an unattainable horizon. "Human dignity", she writes, "requires the love of ideals for their own sake, but nothing requires that the love will be requited."
Striving, not strife
At the end of Madach's poem, Adam is about to throw himself off a cliff in despair, when he glimpses redemption. First Eve draws near to tell him that she is to have a child. Then God comes and gently tells Adam that he is wrong to try to reckon his accomplishments on a cosmic scale. "For if you saw your transient, earthly life set in dimensions of eternity, there wouldn't be any virtue in endurance. Or if you saw your spirit drench the dust, where could you find incentive for your efforts?" All God asks of man is to strive for progress, nothing more. "It is human virtues I want," He says, "human greatness."
Ms Neiman asks people to reject the false choice between Utopia and degeneracy. Moral progress, she writes, is neither guaranteed nor is it hopeless. Instead, it is up to us.