Monday, February 21, 2011

Astrological Star Wars

The Sun - Ruler of Leo: The sign that the sun is in indicates: 1) what kinds of experiences help to strengthen and clarify your self-image, and 2) what unconscious biases shape your view of the world.

The house that the sun occupies is where you want to shine and where you can find and expand your personal power.

The Moon - Ruler of Cancer: The sign that the moon is in indicates: 1)what kind of experiences are most essential to your happiness; 2) what unconscious emotional needs motivate your behavior; and 3) how moodiness and irrationality are expressed.

The house that the moon occupies is where you are most subject to emotional ups and downs.

Mercury - Ruler of Gemini & Virgo: The sign that Mercury is in indicates what your intellectual and communicative strengths and weaknesses are.

The house that Mercury occupies is where you communicate best.

Venus - Ruler of Libra & Taurus: The sign that Venus is in indicates: 1) what you need in a partner; 2) what you can bring to a relationship; and 3) how you can calm down.

The house that Venus occupies signifies what you really enjoy.

Mars - Ruler of Aries & Scorpio: The sign that Mars is in indicates: 1) what battles you must face; 2) how you can sharpen your will; and 3) how you express aggressiveness.

The house that Mars occupies is where you expend the greatest energy and where you must be more assertive to avoid pointless conflict and strife.

Jupiter - Ruler of Sagittarius & Pisces: The sign that Jupiter is in indicates what kind of experiences will help you feel more faith in yourself and in life.

The house that Jupiter occupies is where you often have good fortune and like to spend leisure time. It is also where you may be taking too much for granted.

Saturn - Ruler of Capricorn & Aquarius: The house that Saturn occupies is: 1)where you must learn to act alone; 2) where a lack of self-discipline will lead most quickly to sorrow; 3) where you feel least secure and tend to overcompensate; and 4) where your ability to dream and have faith will be most severely tested.

The expression of these seven planets in relation to each other formed the foundation of astrology. The active mechanism of their expression, that is the energy that affects change, is the equivalent of what Lucas termed "The Force". Hence he wanted the main characters in the original film to personify the seven planets of the zodiac with their interactions with each other acting as the driving force behind the story.

Luke: The sun rules will power and ego. It is the core of your potential and uniqueness as an individual; who you are and what you are about. It represents the main direction and focus you want your life to take, and your determination to accomplish what you set out to do. It is your personal honesty and integrity, and the ability to command respect and authority, to impress and influence others.Think of Luke's conversation with Owen Lars.

R2-D2: The moon rules desire as opposed to ego, need as opposed to expediency or reason. It describes how you feel about yourself, how you handle relationships, and how you emotionally respond to situations and experiences. It describes the flow of your daily functions; physical, emotional, and mental. The moon is your emotional or experiential memory. Note that the two planets that represent memory and recall are the only two characters present in all 6 films with R2's memory being completely in tact. Think about R2's determination to find Ben Kenobi.

C3PO: Mercury indicates mental outlook, intellectual endeavors, the way you think and communicate. It represents ideas, methods, and information. It rules your hands and thus your manual dexterity and mechanical skills. Mercury also describes transportation; that is, how you get where you're going physically and mentally. Do you speed with all possible haste or amble along taking a few detours here and there?
Just think about the first 20 minutes of the movie. Beginning through R2 and 3PO splitting up on Tatooine.

Leia: Venus rules your social attitudes and behavior, and your aesthetic tastes and inclinations. It is female relationships and social interactions at every level. Venus indicates your values. It describes romance, marriage and other partnerships, capacity for humor, and the pursuit of pleasure. Leia on the Death Star.

Han: Mars rules physical energy and efforts. It describes the strength and direction of the physical force that drives your ego, fires your emotions, and encourages your mental endeavors and communicative skills. It describes male relationships and associations, risk-taking inclinations, and the physical challenges you are likely to encounter....yeah everyone gets this one.

Obi-Won: Jupiter rules your potential for growth and expansion on many levels; physical, intellectual, spiritual, cultural, and the accumulation of material assets, power, and status. It describes your optimism and aspirations. It represents your father and his position in society. obviously Obi's relationship with Luke.

Vader: Saturn rules responsibilities, restrictions and limitations you are apt to encounter, and the lessons you must learn in life. It does not deny or diminish imagination, inspiration, spirituality, and good fortune but it does demand that these things be given structure and meaning. thus the reason Luke must come to know the force.

The Chakra Pitch

Pitching the Chakras
If you ever wanted to understand anything about pitching in baseball, like what the different types of pitches are, who throws what, and how those pitches can be thrown (as I divulge my own pitching grips) then read on!! Otherwise, if you want to see what kind of insanity I've put through the Chakra model just to shake your head at my maddening genius, that's cool too.

First Chakra = The Four-Seam Fastball:

The fundamental pitch thrown by all pitchers and non-pitchers alike. Not only is this your basic "grip it and rip it" fastball, it's also the grip position players are taught to throw the ball with. This pitch has the highest maximum velocity of any pitch and generally features the least amount of movement as it reaches the hitter. The top flamethrowers pitch at velocities higher than the batspeed of almost every hitter. The four seamer is thrown as either a tailing fastball or a riding fastball at speeds of 90 mph or better. Once you get above 90 mph, the rapid symmetrical backspin of the riding fastball's evenly spaced seams produces an optical illusion that the ball is rising as it approaches the hitter. The tailing four seam is thrown equally as hard and slightly off-center so that just before it crosses the plate it suddenly moves an inch or so to pitcher's throwing arm side of the plate (RH moves right, LH moves left)

Justin Verlander
Billy Wagner
From the right side we have the Detroit Tigers' starter Justin Verlander and from the left side, the New York Mets veteran closer Billy Wagner. Verlander is a young guy who is just coming into his own as a starter but this 6'5" behemoth throws hard all game. Consistently clocked at 97-98 mph, his fastball was clocked at 99 mph during the 8th inning of one of his starts this year. As a closer, Wagner's job is to come in to the game in the 8th or 9th inning while his team maintains a slight lead (3 or less) and completely shut the other team down. He's done so, some 300 plus times in his career, by launching fastballs with his 5'11" frame that can reach 100 mph and still have movement . OUCH.

Second Chakra = The Two-Seam Fastball:

Of course, not all pitchers can throw the ball that hard. They, therefore, replace the velocity with late movement. The two seam fastbal uses a nearly identical grip to the four seam but on another part of the ball where it is held just off center. The result is asymmetrical rotation on a tilted axis where gravity and air pressure ultimately force the ball to veer, or suddenly drop, as it crosses the plate. A sharp two seamer causes hitters to pound the ball into the ground for an easy out or ground-ball double play. For a select few who throw that sharp two seamer especially hard, the resuts are even better.

Derek Lowe *Retired*

Kevin Brown
Brandon Webb
Two guys who happen to throw that hard-hard two seamer are the Los Angeles Dodgers' openning day starter Derek Lowe and the Arizona Diamondbacks' staff ace Brandon Webb. Both are capable of throwing their sharp-breaking 2 seamers in the low 90's where hitter's can struggle just to make contact. Even worse, the contact that is made is rarely solid and sometimes so poor that the pitches "saw off" or shatter the bats. Toothpick?* Retired pitcher Kevin Brown deserves his own catergory when discussing the 2-seam or sinking fastball since he is the power sinker master prototype. At his peak his hard-bighting bat shattering power sinker gave him a groundball -outs to fly-ball outs ratio of better than 4-1 (it's hard to hit homeruns on the ground) while still allowing him to strike out more than 200 hitters!

Third Chakra = The Cut-Fastball / Sinker

The sinker and the cut-fastball (or cutter) are the middle ground between the true fastball and the breakingball (a pitch that suddenly "breaks" or changes directions as it approaches the hitter). The sinker is an pitch that expands upon 2 - seamer by exaggerating the off-center finger placement, which further imbalances the pitch in flight and increases air pressure on one side of the ball. Therefore, not only does the slightly slower sinker take a nose dive, it also breaks horizontally to the same side of the plate as the pitcher's throwing arm. The cut-fastball, on the other hand, has movement somwhere between a slider and a fastball. Thrown off center with a four-seam type grip or a 2 seam style grip. Thrown with less velocity but greater movement than the other fastballs, it not only dips down under bats but also breaks to the side of the plate that is the pitcher's glove side.

Andy Pettite
Roy Halladay
New York Yankees left-handed pitcher Andy Pettite is tied for most career post season wins largely because he excels at inducing the groundball out from hitters. Using sinker and change-up to attack the outside corner against right-handers, and his knuckle busting cutter inside, he sets hitters up for a filthy curve and watches as time and time again they pound it into the ground. The Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay is a power pitcher protege' of Roger Clemens and a master of the sinker and cut fastball. Instead of relying on his 95 mph four-seam, Halladay forces the hitter to guess between his 92 mph cutter and 90 mph sinker while trying to layoff his wicked knuckle-curve. As a result, the Cy Young winner gets mostly groundballs, infield pop-flies and broken bats.

Mariano Rivera
It would be wrong to mention the cut-fastball without mentioning the soon to be undisputed greatest all-time closer; the Yankees Mariano Rivera. Why? Rivera throws the same pitch ninety percent of the time - his signature 94-96 mph late breaking cut fastball. The greatest reliever in post season history generally relies on only one pitch.

Fourth Chakra = The Change-Up

This is where we depart from the fastball, which occupies three chakras in it's various forms because it is the primary weapon in disrupting a hitter's timing. The change of pace, or change up, is the great immitator, the fastball's bestfriend, and the nightmare in the back of every hitter's head. It is a pitch designed to resemble the fastball in everyway except that it travels about 12-15 mph slower so the hitter swings at the fastball only to find the pitch has yet to reach home plate. To accomplish this, only the way the ball is gripped is changed to create more friction and less rotation. Everything else is the same; throwing motion, arm speed, and release point.

Pedro Martinez
Johan Santana
There is no question as to who throws the most dominant change-up from either the left-side or the right. The Mets Pedro Martinez has the best winning percentage of any pitcher with 200 decisions or more and is the only player under 6 feet tall to strike out 300 batters in a season twice. His primary strike-out pitch continues to be one nasty circle-change which has near breaking-ball like movement to his pitching hand side. The American League leader in both Earned Run Average (ERA = runs allowed per nine innings) and strikeouts over the past 2 1/2 years is Minnesota Twins Cy Young winning lefty Johan Santana. Santana has been baseball's most dominant pitcher while primarily relying on only 2 pitches - his precision point fastball and his unhittable circle change-up.

Fifth Chakra = The Splitter

The pitch originally touted as a "super change-up" is a variant of the forkball and is not truly a fastball. Thus, it's title is a misnomer. A hybrid of the fastball that drops like a breaking ball is classified as a change-up but travels faster. In fact, those who throw it hardest throw it 7-9 mph slower than their fastball which it looks identical too as it approaches the hitter. Then, just a couple feet from the plate, the proverbial bottom falls out and the pitch dives down. As it looks virtually identical to the 2 seam fastball, most hitters cannot distinguish one from the other and are forced to guess on any given pitch as to which one is being thrown.

Roger Clemens
Curt Schilling
The winner of an unprecidented 7 Cy Young Awards, Houston Astros icon Roger Clemens is second all-time in career strike-outs and the definitive master of the split-fingered fastball. A steadfast proponent of the splitter Clemens has identified it as the pitch that revived his career and allowed him to prosper with such longevity. Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling has won the World Series MVP as a National League player and an American Leaguer player. The ultimate iron-horse warrior, Schilling battles relentlessly with his fastball setting up hitter after hitter for his signature go-to pitch - the split fingered fastball.

Sixth Chakra = The Slider

The slider, or side-ways curve, is a breaking ball historically refered to as the great equalizer. A breaking ball is an offspeed pitch that has a sudden change of direction, or "break" as it moves through the hitting zone. First seen in the 1930's the slider gained popularity in the 50's when pitchers, desperate to end a decade of dominance by the hitters, sought out a new weapon. Perfected by the 1960's the slider is thrown just as hard as the fastball and generally travels only 5-7 mph slower making it very deceptive to the hitter. In terms of the pitcher's arsenal, it became the pitch that allowed pitchers to regain the advantage over hitters.

Randy Johnson
Brad Lidge
Diamondbacks left-hander Randy Johnson is the most prolific strike-out pitcher in baseball history. No pitcher with half as many strike-outs averages as many as his career average of 11-plus per 9 innings. Amazingly he has done so primarily through the use of two pitches; his upper 90's fastball and his signature slider. Johnson's leathal weapon is concealed by his low angle of delivery which produces a side-ways slicing snap action slider that often can't be touched. Right-handed Brad Lidge is the Houston Astros 'lights out' closer who's slider is like a ghost. Thrown in combination with a 97+ mph fastball, his slider comes in a mere 8 mph slower on the same plane as the fastball and then breaks practically straight down-almost like a splitter. Now you see it; now you don't. As a result, what was meant to be a baseball swing by the hitter turns into an ugly golf swing as they try in vain to adjust.

Seventh Chakra = The Curveball

Many people, including myself and most pitchers, consider pitching to be an art form. If this is true, then, without a doubt, the curveball is its master stroke. The devastating power and elegant form that is the curveball in its purest form is truly something to behold. As a breaking ball it moves almost entirely on a vertical axis and is capable of moving from the top of the strike zone to the bottom as it moves through the hitting zone it is literally the opposite of a fastball in rotation and velocity. Intended to build friction and resistance as it heads towards the hitter it is thrown at least 15 mph slower than the fastball making it highly disruptive to a hitter's timing. Also the mechanics of hitting any pitch dictate that the bat be swung on a primarily horizontal plane. This makes the vertically moving curveball very difficult to hit because the hitter must time the break of the ball and guess location of the pitch all at once.

Barry Zito
Josh Beckett
There is no question who has the best left-handed curve in baseball since it is largely considered the best curveball in all of baseball today and among the all-time greats. The Giants' Barry Zito is the man who wields this magnificent weapon. This Cy Young winner's slow bender travels 15mph slower than his fastball and has been known to begin above the strikezone and end at the knees for a strike. When armed with his best curveball, he could tell the hitter it was coming and they'd still swing straight threw it hitting nothing but air. Boston Red Sox hard throwing right-hander Josh Beckett continues an outstanding tradition of big flamethrowing Texans with blazing hot fastballs and knee bending curves that includes Nolan Ryan and Kerry Wood. Beckett can snap off his late-breaking dive bombing curve in the upper 70's. Dropping nearly straight down just before it crosses the plate, Beckett's over-hand curve is a devastating complement to his 96 mph fastball. Armed with his wicked curve and a bat-shattering fastball, Beckett twice defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series to help lead his Florida Marlins to their second world championship. In doing so, he became World Series MVP at age 22.

by The Lucid Drive

Human Design: Composite Body Graphs & Relationships

The four main areas of Connection in Human Design
HDS (copied from)

Electromagnetics

The obvious instant connection when you meet someone is when "sparks fly between you." This comes about when one person has one side of a channel and the other person has the other side. This is called an "electromagnetic" connection. When the two people meet, the energy combines to define the whole channel and the energies flow between the two centers. It can feel like a rush of energy in an otherwise quiet part of one's being. The more of these connections there are in a relationship, the more sparks fly. This can be very exciting, but too many of these connections bring a point when the relationship overheats!

Friendship

When both partners in a relationship have the same gate or channel activation in their own design, the two combine in an area of friendship within the relationship. It is as though both parties are looking through the same window at the same view in their lives. Friendship leads to empathy and having several friendship connections potentially strengthens the harmony in relationships.

Dominion

When one partner has an entire channel defined and the other partner has nothing in that channel, the partner with the definition has dominion in that area. This is a particular unique energy that your partner brings which you do not share in, but you may admire, appreciate or perhaps, simply tolerate. When you are the one who has the dominion channel in your design, it is helpful for you to be aware of the effect it has on your partner, i.e. you bring something to the relationship that your partner may be aware of, but in which they may not be able to participate

Compromise

When one partner has a whole channel defined and therefore he or she is accustomed to consistently moving their energy in a particular way in that area of their being, but the partner only has a gate in that channel, there exists a state of compromise in the relationship. This area of the relationship bears much conscious attention. With compromises there can be potentially a mismatch of energy, leading to a sense of resentment because there is always the feeling that one or other of the partnership controls the flow in that part of the relationship.


Human Design: Defined and Undefined Centers



{I have no idea where this was copied and pasted from, but it's important info so I wanted it out there. Apologies to the author(s). }

In Human Design terms, there is an enormous difference between a Center that is defined and a Center that is undefined. When a Center is defined, it means that the function relating to that Center is turned on, reliable, and consistently available at all times. When a Center is undefined, it means that the function relating to that Center is inconsistent; it is NOT always available. The undefined Center only becomes activated when another person (who has that Center defined in their own Design) comes into the presence of the person with the undefined Center, or when a transiting planet completes a definition. When this happens, the undefined center is temporarily defined.

As we look into a body graph, we can instantly see what part of the chart is defined, and what part is undefined. This is how we see which of the person's energetics is running consistently, and what part of the being is conditioned by the environment. All of us are subjected to "healthy" and "unhealthy" environments and we each respond to those environments according to our own personal makeup. When we have an undefined center in our Design, we are prone to taking on and absorbing the energies relating to that center. Usually this happens through the presence of other people in our lives who have those centers defined in their own Design. When we are in an environment that is "unhealthy" we need to be aware of the potentially "dis-easing" effect of those around us. This is not to suggest that we should go through our lives keeping everyone at arm's length, but rather, it is to make clear that each of us has to take responsibility for our own being, our own wholeness. For instance, if we have undefined Mental Centers in our Human Design, there is absolutely no point in trying to rationalize our way through life, because we are surely processing other people's thoughts.

The Heart


The human heart is an amazing organ. It provides our very pulse, and keeps the river of life flowing through us. Thus, it is one of the saddest statements in the world that, according to medical statistics, heart disease ranks highest on the list of diseases that affect humans. It seems a tragedy that this part of us should be so prone to disease.

In Human Design, the Heart Center is the place within us from which we derive our willpower; it is the place within our makeup from which we draw the willingness to proceed and select what we 'want' to do within our lives.

The Heart by Design

If one looks at the Heart Center in the Human Design Body graph, it is apparent that there are only four channels that make an energetic connection to it.

There is the 40-37, the Community, Family channel which connects to the Emotional, Solar Plexus Center. Next, there is the 44-26, the Transmitter Channel, which connects to the Splenic, Immune Center. The third channel is the 51-25, the Initiation Channel which connects into the Self or the Liver Center. The last one is the 21-45, The Money Channel, which connects to the Throat or the Thyroid Center. Out of 36 potential channels in the Human Design Energetic makeup, only four give access to the Heart Center, our place of Willpower.

If one considers this from a statistical point of view, there is a low possibility of anyone having a definition into their Heart Center. Most people in the world do not have a defined Heart Center. Most people do not have access consistently to their own source of willpower. The results of this fact are plain:


If you have a defined Heart Center, you can access your willpower, and, hopefully, apply it successfully within the context of the rest of your Design. I say 'hopefully,' because it is vital to consider your Type, your consistent means of accessing the world around you, and your Authority, your personal decision-making process, which we have discussed in previous articles.

If you have an undefined Heart Center, you cannot consistently apply willpower into your world, and if you attempt to do so, you will doubtless end up straining your heart and the mechanisms related to it. With an undefined Heart Center, committing to something or someone becomes entirely relative to your environment. Your life presence here is one in which you do not have to prove anything to anyone, neither to yourself, to your parents, or your boss, or your family. There IS nothing to prove to anyone.

I always tease people with an undefined Heart Center, telling them that if they should ever, for any apparent reason, feel the urge to go out and prove something, they would do far better to just find some Bach Flower remedies or homeopathic remedies that reduce their sense of willfulness; or make a cup of tea, have a good laugh and sit down... for they will immediately feel much better!

The Solar Plexus, Emotional Center

Emotions rule the world. Whoever gets the most upset, has the most power, since the rest of us will immediately try anything to calm them down, knowing that if we don't do something to defuse the situation, they will either blow a fuse or else injure someone, either physically or psychically. Babies learn very early on that if they require something, they merely have to throw a tantrum to get quick results. It is inevitable that we will all suffer some degree of emotional bruising during our lifetime; that is just a normal part of being human.

The Emotional, Solar Plexus Center registers the highs and lows of life. It is where we get to experience the pleasures and disasters of life through food, relationships, sex and all kinds of thrills and spills. Life would be dull indeed without these experiences, but we know that, in the end, none of these experiences bring lasting satisfaction, and yet, we still tend to pursue them! These days, we humans seem to be getting crazier than ever in our thirst to witness and indulge in extreme experiences.


A defined Emotional Center generates a wave pattern, touching between the highs and lows of life: the highs are the hopes, expectations and delights, and the lows are the pains, disasters and depressions. If you go up, you also go down. If you are 'attached' to going up, inevitably you are 'attached' to going down. If you go up without any attachment and expectation, you can be unattached on the downturn. This gives you the possibility of finding a place of clarity in your emotions, and emotional clarity opens a gateway to Spirit.

An undefined Emotional Center picks up and amplifies the waves generated by people with defined Emotional Centers. If the emotional atmosphere created by people with defined Emotional Centers is high, up and excited, the person with an undefined Emotional Center will be ecstatic. However, when the emotional atmosphere falls, the person with the undefined Emotional Center crashes emotionally. If you have an undefined Emotional Center, it is essential to comprehend something: Yes, you can express emotions, but, no, you cannot necessarily stabilize and control them.

If you have a defined Emotional Center, it is essential for you to understand that you are continually generating emotional waves, setting the tone of the emotional atmosphere around you. That is your nature. So, if you are in a good mood, you will see that everyone around you is in a good mood, but if you are feeling grumpy and upset, you will tend to emanate that wave of emotion around you. Sometimes you are excellent company to be around, and other times, you are not such good company. In the latter case, it does not imply that you need to go around shaking a little bell, calling out: "Unclean!" as lepers did in the dark ages. But it does imply that sometimes it is far healthier for everyone, and especially for you, if you take some space to yourself until the mood shifts, the wave rises and you feel like "joining in" again. People with defined Emotional Centers are here to process the highs and lows of life. This process requires time for reflection, and when given that time, it yields the most profound view of life as a human. Clarity from an emotional perspective can lead to profound wisdom.

However you live your life, if you try to ignore your emotions, you will end up getting sick. Some of the diseases related to the emotional center include: breathing and lung problems, stomach upsets, eating and digestive disorders, diabetes, bladder and sexual problems.

Sooner rather than later, everyone will see how essential it is to relate intelligently to our wonderful emotional nature as humans. It is through our touch to the emotions that we can access Spirit. If we shut down our emotions or allow the center of our emotions to become diseased, we can become immune to Spirit and lose access to our highest potentials.

The Root Center

The Root Center in Human Design relates specifically to the Adrenal glands, which, among other things, supply the pressure that gets us into motion to provide for ourselves in this world. The adrenals connect us particularly to the deep underlying fear of whether we are going to "make it" in life or not. Does Existence remember us, or do we have to make a particular effort to be included in the scheme of things? The Root Center is the center of Stress! In the 21st century, particularly in America, and perhaps most places, stress seems to thrive! So, understanding the place of stress in the Human Design chart can be a valuable study.


If you have a defined Root Center, it implies that you are someone who is not only equipped to handle stress but who also can promote stress in people who have their Root Center undefined! This is neither a good nor a bad thing, because all of us from time to time need to access adrenaline energy, otherwise nothing would ever get started! It is just that a defined Root Center exerts the impetus for something to get launched, and if you have an undefined Root Center, you may well get set into motion unwittingly, living on someone else's deadline! I always tease people with an undefined Root Center, telling them that they are 'born procrastinators!' Within their own makeup they do not have consistent pressure to get things started and they need to be particularly careful about what deadlines they agree to meet. Committing to unrealistic deadlines causes uncalled-for stress that the person with an undefined Root Center is not equipped to handle.

Depending on which channel defines the Root Center, there will be a particular drive, either through the Emotional Center, where the emotions get stirred up, or through the Spleen Center, where physical energy is exerted, or through the Sacral, Sex Center, where the Life Force Energy is engaged. It is through the Sacral Center connections (the three channels called Format Channels in Design) that the shape of whatever we set in motion in our life is determined. These Format Channels determine the outcome of everything in our lives, from source. The way in which disease takes its course in our bodies is determined from the way in which it starts out in the Format Channels. All of us know perfectly well that if we succumb to stress we will most likely soon find ourselves getting sick!


The Sacral Powerhouse

The Sacral Center gives us access to Life Force energy. It provides us with the power to fertilize, impregnate, and nurture others and ourselves, and also to forge our way through life. It is the center in Design we call the "Generator" Center because of its apparently ceaseless supply of living energy. People who have this center defined in their chart can "keep on keeping on" when the rest of us tire. They can appear to be one-paced and do not appreciate, on any level, being interrupted while "in the middle of something." Many of the world's great athletes who involve themselves in "repetitive movements" in their sport, for example tennis players, have a defined Sacral Center.


In general, the great thing that people with defined Sacral Centers must establish for themselves is to what activities and to which people, they are going to give their "Life Force" energy. The recognition comes through responding from their Sacral Center, allowing the affirmation of Life Force energy to present its own wisdom in relation to any commitments, rather than, for example, trying to rationalize a situation from the mind, or feel forced through the pressures of stress to commit.

In physical terms, if the access to or supply of Life Force energy is interrupted or misdirected there can be a breakdown in that person's health and well-being, leading to exhaustion and depletion.

The Spleen, "Feel-good" Center

The Spleen Center relates to our Immune System and is always looking out for our physical health and well-being. It embodies the senses of Taste, Smell and Intuition, senses that, moment by moment, guide us into situations that are healthy for us, and away from situations which are hazardous for us. There are many expressions in language which emphasize the Spleen's capacity to engage with our environment and alert us to our circumstances: "It leaves a strange taste!" "I smell a rat!" "Something tells me.....!"

People with a defined Spleen Center in their Design usually feel good about themselves and often have the capacity to make everyone else feel good about themselves as well.

However, there are limits for people with defined Spleen Centers. If the person with a defined Spleen Center takes on too much in their life, disregarding their Intuition, taste or Instinct, their Spleen Center may become overloaded and fail, causing them to become very, very sick.

People with undefined Spleen Centers characteristically get sick often as children, but, provided they rest and recover completely from an illness, their immune system adjusts. As the person gets older, they become stronger and stronger in health.

Typically, in times of sickness, a defined Spleen Center can process drugs, particularly Allopathic Chemical remedies, whereas, undefined Spleens cannot consistently process drugs. Undefined Spleen Centers, being highly sensitive, can adjust and heal through lightweight dosages of lightweight medicines, for example, homeopathic and "gentle" herbal remedies.


The Self, Liver Center, G-Center

In Human Design, the Self Center gives us access to our sense of direction, purpose, and love in life. The eight gates which make up the Self Center in the body graph connect into the twelve signs of the zodiac and, when the sun passes through them, align with the eight seasonal high points of the year, including the solstices, equinoxes and other festivals marking the middles of the seasons.

People who have defined Self Centers typically know where they are going and how they fit into the scheme of events in their life, more obviously so than those with undefined Self Centers. Defined Self Centers are consistently connected into the ways of the world. They appear to routinely fulfill a sense of purpose, either through their life direction or through their sense of belonging and love connections with others.

People with undefined Self Centers constantly push the boundaries of life as though they have no limits at all. It appears sometimes that there is no consistency in what they do, where they go, or with whom they are affiliated. When someone with an undefined Self Center brings all their friends together, those friends will be really puzzled in trying to see common ground among everyone present. There can be an experience for someone with an undefined Self Center that occasionally they are "lost in space," and disconnected from the run of life around them. The most important key for them is to connect with the "right" people; people who recognize and appreciate them, so that they connect into a healthy personal direction in life.

The Crown Center and Its Connections to Solutions at the Ajna Center

Unlike any of the other centers in the Human Design chart, the Crown Center, (the Pineal Gland), the in-spiration center, connects only to one other center, the Ajna Center, (the Pituitary Glands) the place of cognition, mental awareness and analysis. The Crown Center has only three gates within it which interpret the pressure to explain our presence here in living form. These gates operate through the dimensions of doubts, confusions and an inner sense of balance.

Doubts relate almost exclusively to our projecting into the future, confusions relate to our connections with the past, and "balance" or "imbalance" relates to our perception of knowing our place in the scheme of life.

If any one of these gates becomes overly energized, it is easy for the person to get distracted and unbalanced in their life, trying to resolve or equate something which cannot be explained. Many of us walk around with a dense furrow on our brow because we think we think we can think our way through life. In essence, what we are indicating with these furrows is that we are over-energizing our doubt that Existence still remembers us, and has a perfect plan for us... if only we can stop thinking about our concerns long enough to regain our access to the plan.

In a Design chart, if the Crown Center is colored in yellow, it is defined, implying that there is always a pressure available to be thinking. If the Crown Center is colored in white, it implies that the pressure to think only happens when someone else energizes that pressure because they themselves have the Crown Center defined in their own Design.

It can be seen in the Designs of Pablo Picasso and Walt Disney, two of the great recognized creative geniuses of the twentieth century, that they both have completely different ways of accessing their creativity. The common ground for their expression is not the Crown Center and the place of inspiration, but rather, their defined Self Centers, their personal sense of "connectedness" in life and the appreciation given to them, from the world around the, for who they are and what they relate.

The Ajna Center, the "solution" center

Has it ever been said that women generally don't look for solutions, but rather, would like an opportunity to express their concerns? Somehow they know that life itself is a mystery and not a problem, and any good mystery is only really good when even its outcome baffles us. I am not deriding the power of the mind and the incredible "solutions" for which it must, in part, take credit, but I am saying it is a greatly over-rated bio-computer. Instead of the mind being allowed to operate on auto-pilot, running the many functions which our lives require of it, it has become the focal point of our attentions, the boss. It has taken over.

In the past 10 years, most people in the world have been exposed to the computer, which in simple terms is a machine reflecting our mind, the binary flip-flop process between left hemisphere and right hemisphere. And most of us have a certain dread of this apparatus which is quietly overtaking our lives, whether it be through the 2.4 million surveillance cameras located throughout the UK, many of which can scan any person walking down the street and, through particular software, identify them, or the computerized box which sits under our desk, essential, expensive and apparently capable of wonders, but remaining unbelievably frustrating in its stupidity and inability to please us. Mind never satisfies.

The Ajna Center operates through the senses of sight through light, and inner knowing, coming through the dimension of sound. It attunes from the Pituitary glands, the Doors of Perception, through the eyes and the inner ear to the inspirations, which enter through the Pineal gland. It rationalizes, cogitates, ruminates and projects its findings to the Throat Center where we exchange our perceptions with those around us through speech. Constantly the Ajna is trying to get things to "fit" within the realm of what it perceives around it, because when things seem to "fit," there is a good chance someone else will be able to relate to it, somehow. The collective enjoys having things fit. Here in America, for instance, we see the good sense in everyone driving on the right, an apparently perfect two-dimensional solution to a three-dimensional situation.

Does having a defined (continuously active ) Ajna Center imply one is clever? Well, in some ways it is possible, but being really clever involves being able to master your mind and relegate it again to the information-handling device it so perfectly is. If you have an undefined mind, it gives you the possibility of a lifetime in which you can watch the machinations of the mind.

The Throat Center, Expression
In Design, the Throat Center relates to the Thyroid and Parathyroid glands, which control the making of thyroid hormones, which in turn regulate the body's metabolism. In the first few days after conception, the Throat Center is the energetic foundation for the fetus, and ultimately affects the formation and operation of all the other centers, throughout the body's lifetime.

The Throat Center is our place of articulation, expression and manifestation. It is the most complex of all the centers in the body graph and, particularly in these days, it handles intense pressures. We use it to describe our world; to explain who we are, what we do, how we live and, beyond that, it is the center from which we create in the world through manifestation.

There are at least 11 different voices in the Throat Center which we use to express ourselves; our great challenge in life is to identify the voices which most closely represent our truth and use them in a right way. Having one of the voice gates activated in a Design gives you access to that particular form of expression, but in order to use that voice on your terms, you need to wait your turn, until you get your cue. For instance, if you are a Generator in Design, you can only speak or engage your energy in response. A Projector needs to wait for invitation. Using the voice, or attempting to manifest in any circumstances, ultimately leads to the thyroid gland being strained energetically, which in turn leads to the whole metabolism being affected.


One has to realize that the age old adage of "putting your money where your mouth is," or "walking your talk," may not be possible for many people in terms of their Design. To engage in something just because you hear yourself talking about it might not be in your best interests at all. Certain words are bandied about which have a very deleterious effect on our lives: words like, "should," "could," "would," "must," "might," constrain us into actions which have nothing to do with our makeup.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Lovers Spread


Here is a simple technique for seeing how two people are in a relationship. What you do is shuffle the deck thinking about your relationship and then go through the deck until you find the Lovers card and take the cards before it and after it to make a three card spread. When it gets laid out, you view the Lovers card and on the female side, the card on her side represents how she feels toward the other in the relationship. If you are in a homosexual relationship, just decide beforehand who's who in the representations on the The Lovers card.

BoB was really testy with me last night, yelling at me for what I believe to be no reason at all. Really just confused the hell out of me and subsequently made me angry for being treated so unfairly...so I wanted to see what was going on...and I get this spread, telling me what I already know. On his side is the Knight of Swords Rx....this is the image of someone spoiling for a fight.

On my side is the image of the 6 of Wands, where I feel like I've lost something, like my energy is scattered. With the 6 of Wands there is also a strong feeling of competitiveness. So, I guess that just because he is in a bad mood, a fighting mood, I don't necessarily have to go to auto-pilot and start up as well. My knee jerk reaction is, ''What? What fucker? You want a fight for no reason, bring it on, I've been menstruating for the past 61 days. Let's Do This!''

I suppose this will just naturally resolve itself... We'll see.

And in any case I really like this style of reading, it's a pretty efficient spread.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day


Just wanted to look into what kind of day today will be, so here's this simple 3-card spread. What I have planned for today, my first Valentine's Day as a newlywed, is pretty simple but very nice. The gift I have for my husband is something he's really wanted for a while, but would never actually indulge himself with. I ordered this insanely expensive coffee, Jamaica Blue Mountain, which he's talked about for years now. And even though I think it may be a disappointment after reading the reviews of it, I know it's something he's going to love. He's going to be very very surprised, I cannot wait for him to get home from work!

I suppose that would be myself as the Queen of Pentacles then, providing food and indulgence...and she has flowers on the card...it would be lovely if BoB came home with flowers.

The other two cards seem to indicate a new phase of life entirely, the Ace of Wands beside The Fool...weird, didn't think today would be that awesome. And I wonder if I might get a surprise of my own somehow? Because of the Fool card.

Also, the undertone of these three cards together is pregnancy. Just thought I'd put that in here even though I know I'm not looking to get pregnant...

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

V The Hierophant

The Sexual Key To The Tarot by Theodor Laurence

Here is just a single card interpretation for the often overlooked Hierophant....

The Hierophant-nature runs from sex in all it's aspect, treating even thoughts of sex as sin. This nature is superstitious, fearful, and full of doubt. It is ignorant of the purpose of it's own virility or muliebrity (femininity). Penile erections in the male and clitoral excitation in the female keep this nature in a constant state of dread of it's own sexuality. Because of this nature's fear of open and natural sexual relations, masturbatory practices are frequently perpetrated and these are usually followed by haunting and debilitating feelings of guilt.

Devoted servitude to mankind is manifested by this nature, the natural but sublimated sex instinct recanalized. Married men of this nature engage in sexual intercourse only infrequently and then as a matter of conjugal duty. During the actual sex act these natures will strive, not for complete gratifying orgasm, but for minimal pleasure.

A male of this nature is subservient to women, passive in love-making, and prefers women to be on top and dominate, which allows him to 'divorce' himself from his erect penis, leaving the woman to her own "sinful" devices. If the Hierophant-nature emerges from his cocoon of sexual fear unboldly, he first manifests lack of confidence in his own masculinity. He over compensates by cowering, bowing, scraping, coddling, and catering to women. He becomes a compensatory art developed in hopes that demands upon his awkward and reluctant penis will be minimal.

When the Hierophant-nature yields naively to the pull of his flesh, he overdoses it, and takes on the characteristics of a pervert, a sexual misfit, or, in other words, "a dirty old man". The sexual technique of oral-ism which he perpetrates to convince himself of his virility appears depraved and an-aphrodisiac. He therefore attracts females of like characteristics and hence finds himself in a worse state of sexuality than before. Because of his or her proclivities, the Hierophant-nature can be easily abused sexually, and usually is. This is the basis for this nature's assertion that he has been to heaven and hell.

This card in sexual matters suggests a lack of self confidence in one's own masculinity or femininity. In cases where a woman doubts her own femininity and consequently prefers, desires, and enjoys oral-genital practices which afford her gratifying orgasms, the perfect sexual partner is the Hierophant-nature. This card could further mean homosexuality, latent or overt, (usually in the closet). Due to the card's esoteric symbolism denoting a nature's deliberate escape from one's own sexuality, a male of this nature, abhorring the masculine role of his phallus, may turn to sodomy, playing the passive role. In a female of this nature, her abhorrence of fearful penes may turn her to lesbianism, having preference for the softness and gentleness of another woman (especially the mouth).

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