When you move or travel somewhere other than your birth place, your Astro Map changes too. Ok, that’s my nickname for Astro*Carto*Graphy, which is quite a mouthful. The more I get to know my chart as it relates to travel, the more amazed I am. This last year was my biggest year of travel in a long time. I went to India to receive my award in New Delhi. Then I spent the summer in Barcelona, Spain. Being in two new places gave me a good chance to see how different I felt in each location.
First I want to explain a little bit about Astro*Carto*Graphy. It’s a technique that shows where your planets were around the world when you were born. It’s like your birth chart on a map. So when I was being born in Tucson, where was the Sun rising in the world and where was it setting? Where was Venus or the Moon rising and setting? The Astro Map easily shows that and much more.
People typically use Astro*Carto*Graphy to decide where to move, or where to travel for holiday, or where to start a new business. If people are interested in finding love or have an interest in the arts, I look at their Venus line. If they are asking about business, I would look at their Jupiter line. I call the Moon line a home away from home, so your Moon needs to be in a safe place where you are drinking tea in someone’s cozy kitchen. An unprotected Moon would lead to being insecure in that location, especially if it’s a big city and you don’t know anyone there. Depending on your chart, there are places in the world that are good to visit and some places not good to visit.
So what were the planetary lines was I on in these different locations: Tucson, India and Barcelona? I was born in Tucson with Jupiter rising, so the main line for me here is the international planet, Jupiter. I find it interesting that I worked at Canyon Ranch as an astrologer for 32 years. I stayed here in Tucson and greeted people from all around the world as my clients. It’s a successful planet to have prominent in a location and explains my stay at Canyon Ranch as well as my international presence as a full-time astrologer. But most of my planets are below the horizon here and add to a private lifestyle. My clients are almost all over the phone or the internet, so I don’t see many of them in person.
Let’s go to India in my chart. Saturn is the planet on my horizon in India. How perfect for this ancient and well-preserved culture. Saturn relates to the past and structured patterns. It’s a male-dominated society, which is also very saturnine. I was one of only two women who received awards with about 50 men receiving awards at the conference. So it was an honor for the both of us. The other woman, by the way, is Sasha Lee, an excellent Korean astrologer. I felt quiet and not very adventurous in such an unusual environment, which was also a Saturn style.
Barcelona called to me, even before I knew my AstroMap there. Well, the Sun was rising in Barcelona when I was being born in Tucson. I went to my sunrise there. No wonder I felt so alive. Somehow I felt like I have been dreaming my entire life and all of the sudden – I woke up! I was outgoing and met lots of new friends easily. My style changed drastically since I really loved how the Spanish women dress. I even got a new, fun haircut. Hey, I lost 10 pounds too. Since Barcelona is a pedestrian city, I realized I was walking miles each day just getting around the city.
So when you change your latitude – you do change your attitude. But it depends upon which is your predominant planet as to how you change. Moving to a Saturn line would bring a rooted, serious life. On a Mars line, you would feel very energized or impatient and restless. You would change on your Neptune line, but might not understand the change. So the planetary line you are one makes all the difference.
Maybe it’s because I spent most of the summer in Barcelona or maybe it’s because I got to know my sunrise line, but I’m different and will never be the same. I want to thank this fabulous technique of Astro*Carto*Graphy in helping me see a new part of myself come to life. I feel like my Sun is rising now.