• About

Rachel Funk Heller

~ Social Alchemy: There's Magic in here….

Rachel Funk Heller

Category Archives: astrology for writers

Astrology for Writers — It’s All About Aries!

21 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by Rachel Funk Heller in astrology for writers

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

Aries, art, astrology, characters, creativity, fire, writing

Key Phrase is "I Am"

Spring has sprung, and on this the first, second, or third day of spring is a perfect time to continue our look at Astrology for Writers. At first I wanted to begin with the basics of charts and zodiacs and the symbols for all the planets, but I realized it’s a lot to throw out all at once. So I thought we’d begin with the signs and work our way from there.

So, first off — Happy New Year! Yes, for astrologers, and for those in the western hemisphere who follow the old calendars, the vernal equinox marks the beginning of the New Year. Old Man Winter is well on his way out, and the Darling Buds of May are on their way in. There is new birth all around, from new green shoots on the trees, to the spring lambs, and the sun has moved into the constellation of Aries. This is a good time to remind you that’s where all the “signs” in astrology come from. Back in the day, the big theatre was up in the sky. Star gazing was about all you could do at night time, so the night sky became the big “screen” so to speak where ancient story tellers, sitting around camp fires extolling the exploits of gods and goddesses, and re-telling the myths of the day could then point up to the sky and say “look, kiddies, there’s Aries looking down at us now.” The constellation Aries shows a series of stars depicting a ram lying on the ground with his head to the right. Here’s what it looks like:

Aries the Ram as seen in the sky

The sign Aries, looks like the horns of a Ram, and “Aries” is latin for “ram” but then we get into the whole Greek/Roman smack down, as Aries is the Greek god of war. Who came first? The constellation, the ram, the god? Who knows? Actually a bunch of people do know and here is a great article from Wikipedia, if you want the nitty gritty. But in the end they agreed that Aries is the constellation and the sign we’ll be talking about.

Now as for the sign and what it “means” we get to talk about how most people first encounter astrology. They read it in a newspaper column, or a magazine that all use a bunch of key words like head-strong, energetic, innovative, pioneering, original, aggressive, enthusiastic, self-assured. These characteristics derive from what the astrologers saw in their daily lives during this time. Children born under the sign of Aries displayed a lot of these behaviors. The world around them, as new plants were growing, new energy expressing itself, lead the astrologers to classify Aries as on of the Fire signs. And this is the glyph or symbol for Aries:

Sort looks like Ram horns don't it?

The elements are also classified in terms of degrees, they are called Cardinal, Fixed, or Mutable. Aries is a Cardinal Fire sign. What does Cardinal mean? The word comes from the French “cardo” not to be mixed up with “cardio” which is what you should be doing every day to fire up your heart healthy, but I digress. Hmm, starting a new spring workout schedule? Aries can help fire that up. Because “cardo” means a hinge, on which something turns. In this case, the New Year, hinges on the vernal equinox.

Am I getting too technical? Let’s just say that Cardinal signs are the first, the premiere, the initiator of things. Add that to fire and it melds perfectly with the story we are told of the Greek god Aries. He was the god of war, how much more fiery and impulsive can you get? According to his mythology, he was the only son of Zeus and Hera, although Zeus was famous for his liaisons with other women. Aries ruled war and was said to delight in conflict. He fooled around with Aphrodite, the goddess of love and their son was named Eros (yes, where we get the word, erotic).

Now, how to put this in perspective for writers? When you are looking at your characters, do any of them express a fiery, impulsive attitude? Do they jump first and ask questions later? Have you thought of assigning this character other fiery associations? Does he or she smoke? Does your story hinge on their actions? Do they create messes that other characters have to clean up later?

When we create characters we want to give them as much depth as we can, to make them three dimensional, and along with their positive characteristics, we should examine their negative side. One of the hard parts of being a leader, and the first one to start something, is often Aries “natives” don’t finish what they start. How would that kind of action affect your other characters? I bet they are complaining already.

The premiere fire sign, the one who starts it all

Just for fun, here are some famous Aries people that you may have heard of. Sarah Jessica Parker, Reese Witherspoon, Jackie Chan, Eddie Murphy, Alec Baldwin, Marlon Brando, Robert Downey, Jr., Russell Crowe, Quentin Tarantino, Celine Dione, Diana Ross, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Billy Holliday, Rosie O’Donnell, Conan O’Brien, and David Letterman. They managed to harness that Aries fire and it made them all famous in their own rights. I for one wouldn’t want to be in a room with all that energy, but you know the fireworks would certainly be a great show to watch.

Okay, all my Aries peeps, does any of this make sense to you? Hmm? And friends from other signs, have you had to deal with the messes our Aries friends leave in their wake? I do, my mother is an Aries and you’ve already heard me go on about her. I’d love to hear from you, and your favorite Aries characters.

Astrology for Writers Part 1: Introduction to the Real “Stars” that Matter

14 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by Rachel Funk Heller in astrology for writers

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

astrology, Inspiration, writing

One of the first "scientist" that we know of

Astrology. I can already hear those of you in the cheap seats: “it’s a load of crap.” “It’s not scientific” and “horoscopes don’t mean anything.” Never fear, dear readers, Aunty Rachel is here to hold your hand, and walk you into the fascinating world of the stars… not idiot celebrities… the stars!
First off, let’s look at the daily horoscope issue. It’s funny, everyone dismisses them, but as soon as daily papers even hint that they are going to drop the weekly horoscope, their readers get all up in the editors faces and the sucker stay put. There’s something about it that people seem to want. The thing is, when you read the daily horoscope it reminds me of reading a weather forecast that just says “sunny” or “rainy” when you know there are a vast quantity of radar, satellite and other forecasting tools that modern meteorologists use.  The same holds for the modern astrologer. Yes, an ancient science (probably the first science) has come into the modern age. There are several great websites such as Stariq, astrodienst, and the mountain astrologer, just to name a few.
What does all of this have to do with writing? Specifially, writing fiction? The modern reader wants to fall in love with wonderful, three dimensional characters who will take them to new an interesting places. As an author, if you simply base your characters on your own personality, then they all begin to act and sound like you. You need variety in your characters and you need conflict. In theses posts, my plan is to help you to read your own astrological chart, to unearth the symbols and the mythologies behind the signs to see where your strengths and struggles lie.
Most of you probably know your “sign” which is the constellation the sun was in when you were born. But do you know what sign the moon was in? Or how about Jupiter or Mercury? And what does that mean? When you think about your birthday, it’s very special to you. You mom made a great effort when you were growing up to remind you that on this day, you arrived on planet earth and your “birthday” recognizes that the sun has made one full orbit (yeah, I know the earth does the moving, but we’re talking about how things look when you stand on a planet the feels stationary) and the calendar says that it is your special day and you get presents and tons of great wishes from all your facebook pals.
And your birthday is special, it is your cosmic time stamp. Let’s look at it from an astrologer’s point of view. There is the month, day, and year of your birth. But there is also the exact time, was it one in the morning, or one in the afternoon? There is also the latitude and longitude of the place you were born.  The astrologer takes all of this information and casts an “event” chart. Your birth is an event. This chart notes where all the planets are in the sky, what signs they were in and with the exact birth time, they know which sign was “rising” in the east, this tells us your “rising” sign and it charts all sorts of other interesting astrological phenomenon. Your Part of Fortune, North Node, the South Node.
All of this is set down on paper and then it is interpreted based on information that has been gathered for thousands of years. This event marks your connection to the cosmos. If I’m beginning to sound too airy-fairy, don’t worry. I just want to remind you that you, us, we are all vast, multi-dimensional cosmic creatures. The events that took place in the skies on the day of your birth are special. The exact configuration of planets will never happen again in another 250,000 years.
In the next few posts I’ll talk about what the chart looks like and walk you through some of the basics. Have I overwhelmed you already? I hope not. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Have you already had your chart read? What’s your experience been with astrology? I’d love to hear from you. Thanks for stopping by.

The New Social Alchemy

Social Alchemy: is my version of the digital salon. Where interesting ideas are bandied about, where opinions are appreciated. Where all that makes life interesting: art, creativity, writing, love, and compassion are explored in many facets. And it's also a place to come and relax. When you want to turn off the digital noise, kick back, relax, and just be yourself. Thank you so much for visiting.

Topics I Love

  • astrology for writers (2)
  • Goofball Nonsense (7)
  • Grattitude (8)
  • Hawaii (3)
  • Inspiration (37)
  • Transcendantly yours (10)
  • WANA Love (5)
  • Writing (16)
  • Writing Tips (14)

Archives

  • March 2013 (2)
  • October 2012 (5)
  • September 2012 (10)
  • August 2012 (10)
  • June 2012 (1)
  • May 2012 (3)
  • April 2012 (1)
  • March 2012 (4)
  • February 2012 (3)
  • January 2012 (4)
  • December 2011 (4)
  • November 2011 (9)
  • October 2011 (10)

8000 words Aaron Hotchner art artists astrology Beatles blogging book reference caregiving Castaneda characters creativity Criminal Minds death detectives dogs Dramatica dying egg timer emotions failure fairy tales false eyelashes first draft food Forbidden fun funk goals gratitude Hawaii Heller humor Huxley Inspiration Jung Lennon life Love Mark W. Travis Mockingbird mom mother movies Mr. Spock murder mysteries mystery mystery novel novel novels P.D. james princess Rachel reading rejection Rumi scrapbooking sharing sillyness solstice celebrations Star Trek story storymind support Thanks theater travel trust videos WANA winter solstice workshops writer writers writing

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,066 other followers

Blogroll

  • Dramaticapedia Everything you want to learn about Dramatica Story Theory
  • Jenny Hansen's MORE COWBELL Blog Because face it, in this life you can NEVER have too much Cowbell
  • Kristen Lamb Blog advice maven
  • Mark W. Travis An amazing storyteller and teacher
  • WANA International To learn all you need about WANA, along with craft, tech, business & lifestyle classes
  • WANA Tribe Where all the WANAs frolic, come and join the fun

Blogs I Follow

  • Rachel Funk Heller
  • Hiking Photography
  • Julie Glover, Author
  • Catie Rhodes
  • Youth Speaks Hawai'i
  • The Daily Post
  • LEANNE COLE
  • Canadian Hiking Photography
  • Word Hunter
  • Bayard & Holmes
  • BundlePost
  • Chad Carver
  • renée a. schuls-jacobson
  • jansenschmidt
  • To Be Aware
  • STICKY WORDS by Jay Squires
  • Brian Mercer - Music of the Soul
  • tommielyn.wordpress.com/
  • Ingrid Schaffenburg's Blog
  • CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD

Fast Draft Survivors unite!

oh yeah!

WANA logo

A Proud Supporter of WANA Tribe

Twitter Updates

  • A trip up to the north shore to see the big waves 🌊 #nofilter #surfsup @ Sunset Beach, Hawaii instagram.com/p/CKILgXJDoyo/… 3 days ago
  • Don’t get me started. Okay, so I like lights #craftfun #homedecor #marthastewartcankissmyass #magnoliabejealous instagram.com/p/CJ2OsG2j5Ir/… 1 week ago
  • Good morning!☀️ instagram.com/p/CJ1YtJYjfcj/… 1 week ago
  • From today’s walk #grateful instagram.com/p/CJxDkmODhnm/… 1 week ago
  • We said goodbye to our beloved Chie yesterday. He was the silliest and most loving dog and we miss him terribly, bu… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 3 weeks ago
Follow @RchelFunkHeller

RSS Rachel Funk Heller

  • K. B. Owen’s own Alchemy: “Dangerous and Unseemly”
  • How To: Throw Your Wake BEFORE You Die
  • Gr8ful4: Mom is home and on the mend
  • Gr8ful4: Thoughtful Nurses
  • Friday Fun: Recycling Flipflops & Cast Reunions
  • Writing Matters: We Are Not Alone: WANA’s Rock!
  • Loving Family Traditions: Knowing When to Let Them Go
  • Friday Frivolity: Craft Disasters, Buddy Cole, and Billy Connolly
  • Writing Matters: “Several Short Sentences on Writing” and Why You Will Hate It
  • Gr8tful4: That My New Chair Found Me

for more Social Alchemy


Social Alchemy is a an island of inspiration in a sea full of digital snark. Thanks for stopping by, hope you had some fun.

Blog at WordPress.com.

Rachel Funk Heller

Social Alchemy: Celebrating the Creative Spirit

Hiking Photography

Julie Glover, Author

Catie Rhodes

The Kid Your Mother Warned You About

Youth Speaks Hawai'i

existence persists through language

The Daily Post

The Art and Craft of Blogging

LEANNE COLE

Trying to live a creative life

Canadian Hiking Photography

Word Hunter

exploring the writing world

Bayard & Holmes

If you're in a fair fight, you're using poor tactics

BundlePost

Social Media Content Management

Chad Carver

Stories, Poetry and Reflections

renée a. schuls-jacobson

because life doesn't fit in a file folder

jansenschmidt

BLOGGING FROM THE EDGE OF ETERNITY. Where imagination abounds, nothing is impossible.

To Be Aware

It's all about disbelieving your thoughts

STICKY WORDS by Jay Squires

Brian Mercer - Music of the Soul

Reflections on the human experience.

tommielyn.wordpress.com/

Ingrid Schaffenburg's Blog

Threadbare Gypsy Soul

CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD

EDGAR NOMINATED CRIME WRITER

Cancel
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy