Astrology and the Affects of a Twelfth House Stellium*

Living in the Past
The Epitome of a 12th House Dream


Letting go of the past has not been easy for me. I was born looking back…
When the planets fell in the house of sorrow, dreams and long ago memories.
In a sky full of tempests and thunder I awakened early to receive more than my share. The Dark Moon portended heartache which I have yet to outdistance.

Ancient memories sustain me through the long, terrible nights of loneliness;
a sentence I have inflicted upon myself for the crime of caring far too much.

My prison is knowing that I may never change.

The madness of a moment lost in time forever haunts me with its cold, cloying fingers; wrapping around my heart, choking my Soul, draining me of life and breath and hope.

The demons stalk me in nightmares of pain; torturing me mercilessly with their laughter at my ineptness, my inability to pull myself out of the mire of hopeless desires.

I struggle to awaken from this endless night of torment. Conflicted, I reach out for love, for understanding, only to be abandoned yet again...

© 2007 Kat Starwolf All Rights Reserved

Such are the dreams of a 12th House native

Recently I read and wrote a review on the book, The Law of Attraction, by Esther and Jerry Hicks. Over the last two years in particular, I’ve been extremely (Pluto in Leo) drawn to self-help and motivational material, not just to review, but for my own benefit. Because of issues from my past (12th House) I’ve wanted to really get to know myself in order to clear out quite a few undesirable (in my opinion) traits, as well as learn to deal with my heavily Neptunian 12th House nature.

In fact, the primary reason I became interested in astrology so many years ago, was because I wasn’t receiving any satisfactory answers from mainstream religion, psychology or philosophy in regard to why my life had been so difficult.

No, I’m not whining about the lot that I’ve been ‘dealt.’ However, because my Mercury is in Virgo, I am one of those people who analyzes everything every which way to Sunday and back. I have to KNOW. I have to understand WHY things are the way they are. Additionally, I’m a FIXER; I need to know if there’s a way to FIX whatever is wrong; to understand what I can do to resolve problems/issues. Of course, I also need to know if there’s no hope of fixing a situation so that I waste as little time as possible on it and, instead, focus on something that stands a chance of resolution.

I’ve learned a lot about life and the people who’ve wended their way through mine over the last 51 years; though I, by no means, know everything. I may have had some rough times, but I sincerely feel that we’re here to learn; and learn, I intend. And because I see the proverbial glass as half full, rather than half empty, I’ve chosen to see the 12th House influence in my chart and in my life as a means for opportunities for growth.

Astrology has afforded me that opportunity. I can look at a chart – whether the chart is for an individual, a company, a situation, a country or a specific event – and I can pretty much tell WHY things are the way they are and what can be done to resolve challenging issues. Actually, any astrologer worth his or her salt can do the same, so I’m not unique in that regard.

Before I go any further let me admit that I am a Leo; a septuple Leo if you will. (Yes, I know: uh oh.) And Leos are known for their bombastic, narcissistic, egotistical, look-at-me, in-your-face personalities. One would think that with six planets (Sun, Moon, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Pluto) plus my ascendant in Leo, that I wouldn’t have any problems being motivated even if my Saturn and Midheaven are both square to them all. However, five of those planets, plus my Uranus (in Cancer) are also in the 12th House and have caused me no little consternation in making headway in many areas over the last 30 years.

For all of you astrologers out there, you KNOW what this can mean. For those of you who aren’t astrologers or aren’t quite as familiar with the significance of these placements, the 12th House can be an extremely difficult house in which to have so many planets. And, on top of all that, my renegade, er, excuse me, retrograde Chiron is in Aquarius in the 6th House – opposite all those planets in Leo in the 12th. Whew! Has it been a bumpy ride so far! With such a prominent 12th House influence and lots of squares and oppositions in my chart, much of the air was let out of my sails before I even had a chance to sail my ship!

So, what does all this 12th House stuff mean? And why am I talking about it?

First, the 12th House is known to represent the past, hospitals, prison, the un-/sub- and supra-conscious, occult matters, psychic abilities (along with the 8th House), dreams, secrets (also along with the 8th House), repressed and innate talents, mental health and even depression among other things. It is also referred to as the House of Sorrows and the House of Self-Undoing. In short, the 12th House can be a very scary and lonely place to be if one is not inclined to want to be alone or afraid.

Sure, I could have given up and given in to all the demons. But I finally realized after trying so diligently to leave this plane and not quite being successful at doing so, that there was a reason that I was here. Just as there’s a reason each and every one of us is here. And I knew I needed to find out what – for me – that reason was.


You Can Do It!

The point of this seemingly self-aggrandizing (ok, so maybe it is self-aggrandizing :-) ) treatise, is to show what can be done if we set our minds to it, regardless of what our astrological natal charts look like, and regardless of what ‘sign’ our Sun falls in.

Although it’s true that the fire signs are fairly invincible, the fact is that all of the other signs are more than capable of doing much the same in the way of pushing to get where they need and wish to go. They just do it in a slightly different way.

Books such as The Law of Attraction, The Secret, Sacred Contracts and anything by Drs. Deepak Chopra, Caroline Myss, Wayne Dyer and others, inspire us to make the most out of the lives we’ve been given.

Regardless of whether you have a Twelfth House stellium or anything similiar, instead of blaming others for what you lack or the lot you’ve been given, it’s up to you to change things if you don’t like where you’re headed, instead of whining about why it happened or is happening.

Think positively. Like really does attract like. See the glass as not just half full, but FULL. Aim for the stars.

Before you realize it you’ll not only find that you can do it, but that you’ve done it.

Namaste and Many Blessings,
Kat Starwolf

* Stellium: 3 or more planets in the same sign or house