before the 1st saturn square--astrology and young children -- farnell

8/8/2019 Before the 1st Saturn Square--Astrology and Young Children -- Farnell

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Before the First Saturn Square:

Astrology and Young Children

--Kim Farnell


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This article addresses the issue of interpreting the charts of young children - primarily those of

the under five's - or in astrological terms before they reach their first Saturn square.

It is likely that work done for a young child will be prepared for someone other than the subject -

possibly the parent of a first born child who has little experience of children or for someone

outside the family as the chart is intended as a gift. Commonly a written analysis will be required

which can be referred to, as the child gets older. It is likely to be referred to for a long time and

often will be the only astrological analysis offered, at least until the child reaches adulthood.

There is a temptation in these circumstances to describe the child in glowing terms to be part of

the celebration of birth that needs to be avoided. It may be the only chance we have to prepare a

chart on a completely blank slate. If contact is retained with the parents it is possible for us to see

the child grow into the chart and how it manifests.

But for astrologers, preparing the chart of a young child - specifically the under 7 who hasn't yet

reached their first Saturn square - can be a real joy. Even casual observation can show the child

living out their chart in such a way that we wonder whether they wrote the textbook. Over there

you have the fifth house Saturn child wondering how to join in his classmate's games. Turnaround and you see the third house Pluto beating his sister over the head with building blocks.

You can put them in front of you playing a game with other children and that's the Taurus Moon

over there, who's eating everything; that's the Virgo ascendant wiping the table with a cloth

because they left a spot on it; that's Leo who everyone is following - you can see them, it's easy

astrology. But because it's easy you can get fooled. It's also easy to make mistakes.

All great fun for astrologers. But what parents usually want when they ask for the chart of a very

young child are simple basic answers to simple basic questions. They want to know if the child is

ever going to sleep for more than four hours at a time, they want to know if they're ever going to

eat a decent meal, they want to know if they're going to stop slapping their younger brothers and

sisters.


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We may want to delve into the deeper recesses of the parent-child relationship. Mother wants to

know how to get the little monster to sleep at nights. Talking about development of artistic and

musical ability later in life can be fascinating but often unhelpful at an early stage.

For this age group we aren't so much concerned with the bigger things in life as we might be for

an adult. Some astrologers aren't happy doing young children's' charts as they don't like to work

at this sort of basic level. This can be very much textbook astrology - with no frills or room for

manoeuvre. They young child lives out the ascendant, they live out their sun sign.

The difference before the first Saturn square

I'm using the cut-off point as the first Saturn square. Obviously slightly prior to this we get the

first Jupiter opposition. The Jupiter opposition heralds the change that you'll get with the Saturn

square - - the big expansion ready to be constricted. The process is beginning. This is why I've

been looking at under 5's rather than under 7's. I've been looking atbefore the Jupiter opposition

as well. The real differences begin at that age.

Saturn squares its natal position at about the age of 7. At this time the progressed Moon is

making a square to its natal position and Uranus a semi sextile to its natal position. We would

expect a lot of changes around the ages of 6 or 7 with all this going on. People often speak of

these changes in vague terms but often don't realise how specific and obvious the changes are.

Most of them are due to one reason - what is that?

The biggest difference between children and adults is that children do not have the sense of time

that adults have. They start to develop that sense of time at the first Saturn square. The adult has

time control and is the one who knows how long anything is going to continue for. A young

child doesn't know how long something is going to last. They don't understand tomorrow and

yesterday. They don't understand next week.

There are also physical things that happen around this time. Milk teeth start to fall out and adult

teeth come through; you develop handedness; up to the ages of six or seven you have no sense of

left or right handedness. During the first years of life you shift from one hand to the other. There

is a pattern with different age groups as to whether you're left or right handed. And this has


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nothing to do with whether you end up being left or right handed. Or you may develop freckles -

young children aren't born with freckles.

There are many psychological changes and they're almost all to do with a sense of time.

In the early months of life elements of Saturn cannot be present in the way that we tend to think

of them as this would mean that boundaries between the mother and child were established and

the child is not yet ready to tolerate an awareness of separation from its life support system.

Saturn boundaries begin to arise when the mother does not do what the child wants. Rather than

a switch between lunar and Saturnian mothering roles, it is an integration of both types of

experience and a gradual shift in the first few years of life away from the Moon and towards

Saturn.

The boundaries between reality and unreality are blurred. Anything and everything can be real or

unreal. Young children live in a dream like world where the boundary between unreal and real is

indistinct. Under the age of seven children find it difficult to understand reality, as we know it as

their concept of time, position and place of people and individuals is still developing. Younger

children become easily confused about what is true or false, what is good or bad. Young

children's memory works on images. Up until the age of 3 or 4 when Saturn semi squares its

natal position, a child has an eidetic memory, remembering things as images rather than verbally.most adults have verbal memory although there are exceptions. In general after the Saturn semi

square you start to develop a verbal memory. You can tell people what you remember. A child

can see what they remember but can't always verbalise it. That has nothing to do with their

language skills.

Gender definition isn't fixed until about three years old when most children can tell you what

gender they are. A child is the gender that you tell them they are. You can tell a boy that he's a

girl, a girl that she's a boy and they will happily believe you. Why shouldn't they? It doesn't

matter if you point out the physical differences they believe what they're told. It's probably best if

I tell you not to try this at home though, we don't want to go around upsetting people. Gender

identity becomes fixed between the ages of 5 and 7 and after that time cannot be changed.


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Most authorities accept that a child cannot be depressed. To be depressed you need a sense of

time. Sadness is learned from copying the reactions of adults and is often only a fleeting emotion

when exhibited. To be truly depressed you need a sense of hopelessness, to believe that things

won't get better, you see things getting worse, and this is only possible with a sense of time.

Grief in the young child is similar: to be able to understand grief it is necessary to appreciate the

uniqueness of the individual realising that they cannot be replaced and again to have a sense of

time. If someone close to the young child dies they cannot appreciate that they are not going to

see that person again as they have no true sense of time. They know it rationally, they can tell

you that but the feeling is different to rationalising. Everything happens now. Understanding of

grief is rare in children under seven.

Most of the big changes that occur around the time of the first Saturn Square are to do with this

sense of time. It is at the first stressful Saturn square that the young child becomes capable of

experiencing the type of emotions associated with Saturn.

Because of the young child's special relationship with time, fleeting influences from planetary

cycles can have a deep and lasting effect. In general most of us take little notice of Mercury

returns, occasionally get hopeful on a Venus return and avoid our enemies on a Mars return. A

young child can be seen to be going through a specific stage of development aligned with theplanetary cycles and what may seem a minor transit to us as adults can be of major importance in

the childs life.

The development of the young child

Babies, toddlers and infants live in the same physical world as we do but their mind works

differently because their psychological worlds are very different. During the stage between the

first Saturn square and the first Saturn opposition - between the ages of 7 to 14 we have adifferent group of children again, and then from the opposition to the next square. Each of these

Saturn cycles show a different area of development. We are all well practised at pointing out

whether people have grown into themselves according to whether they've had their first Saturn

return or not before getting to that stage are other points of development. Some of what I say will

apply to the 7/14 age group.


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The term cognitive development describes the changes that occur in thinking, perception and

memory as we grow. Despite differences in the way children are treated, general patterns of

development can be observed. Behaviour is not at the mercy of the child's environment. Children

go through certain stages in a certain order but not necessarily all at the same time. Unless there

is a physical problem each child learns to walk. If they learn to crawl they will crawl before they

walk. Some children don't crawl which is something I'd like to take a look at later. A child will

sit, crawl and then walk; they won't do it in a random order. But while one child may learn to

walk at the age of 8 months another may be 18 months. There is a very broad band as to what is

considered normal. I think that the reason why we have such a broad band is because of the

triggers within their chart. With walking, crawling jumping and so on we're talking about the

Mars cycle. We look at Mercury cycles to see speech and dexterity; Venus seems to be the

biggest indicator for separation issues rather than bonding. Venus returns often herald strong

separation issues with the mother. With an adults chart we may be thinking of beginning a new

love affair. All bright and jolly but for a child is a break, a separation.

The child's intellectual development takes place through the development of what one

psychologist Jean Piaget calls schemata, which are the internal representation of a series of

physical or mental actions. In other words the child establishes their own sets of rules about how

the world works. They operate those rules and live within them until something challenges those

rules and then they have to develop a new set. And so they go through to the next stage. They

always have their own set of rules and they change with the planetary cycles. They need these

rules to understand how to interact with the environment and other people. Once a set of rules is

developed the child is motivated to use and test them, it's the constant testing that leads onto the

next stage.

Understanding the world through an existing schema is known as assimilation. The assimilation

of things into existing schemata allows the child to remember more information about the world

although fitting things into the existing frameworks makes the child act in a way which adults

consider odd. This is a very definite process. This is how the world is - hang on a minute - that

can't be quite right - something doesn't fit - we'll redo these rules, make it fit. I've redone my

rules, I allow for this thing to happen and then I test it until something else happens. This process

goes on all the time.


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When a mismatch between schemata and feedback is experienced the child is said to be in a state

of disequilibrium and a new schema has to be formed. This process is known as accommodation.

Developmental theory states that children pass through four broad stages that correspond with

successive age ranges. From infancy to about age two, children go through what Piaget called the

sensorimotor stage. This is a time when children physically manipulate and sensorially explore

the environment. It is not a time when there are mental thoughts about the world.

During the preschool years, from age two until about six or seven (Piaget's Pre-operational

stage), children begin to have internal thoughts about the external world, especially as they learn

to use language. The child learns to use words as symbols of objects. During this pre-operational

stage, children can represent their world in symbols, but they cannot yet mentally manipulate

language to classify or logically explore the world. They are in a perceptual world (still

absorbing), not a conceptual world.

The third (Piaget's operational) stage unfolds between the ages of seven to eleven or twelve.

These are the elementary school years during which children begin to manipulate thoughts, just

as they once manipulated the physical environment. Students learn to classify objects, using

similarity and difference, and they begin to understand time, number, and space with a degree of

sophistication. Although children can begin to reason logically at this early age, their thoughtsare still concrete. They cannot yet manipulate abstract ideas.

Piaget's final stage is called the age of formal operations. This occurs after the age of twelve,

during the middle and high school years (adolescence). During this time, children develop the

adult abilities to use hypotheses, to bring organizational systems into their thoughts, and to

understand and employ empathy.

At the same time that all these cognitive stages are evolving, there is a concomitant unfolding of

neuromuscular abilities. The child walks at the end of the sensorimotor period, just as language

is developing. During the preschool years the child learns to ascend and descend steps using

alternating feet. Around age three the blind child learns to walk in a straight line, and at age four

to walk in a circle. The ability to do fine motor skills gradually develops as the child moves

through the elementary years.


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The transition from the first to the second phase, from the sensorimotor to the preoperational

period in Piagetian terms, occurs during the months leading up to the second birthday, and this is

precisely the period when Mars conjoins its natal place, the first Mars Return. The next major

transition at 6-7 coincides with the opening square transit of Saturn to its natal place. And the

third transition, at about 11 1/2 to 12 1/2, coincides with the first Jupiter Return.

Perhaps it is obvious that the first major Saturn transit to the natal position is linked with an

awareness of death and grief and the ability to be depressed. Father Time is a slow mover when

we are young. Perception of the speed of time varies as our life goes on. This is partially due to a

change in metabolic rate and partially to how memory works. If we have lived one day,

experiences are vivid and important as 100% of our life. By the time we reach 30 each day is

1/10,000th of our life. And each successive day is a smaller proportion. Time contracts andpasses more quickly. This is one reason for the accepted premise that childhood experiences

have a lasting effect on our lives.

Because of the child's special relationship with time, fleeting influences from planetary patterns

can have a deep and lasting effect. In general, we take little notice of our Mercury returns,

occasionally get hopeful on a Venus return and avoid our enemies or try to direct out energies on

a mars return. However, a young child can be seen to be going through a specific stage of

development aligned with the planetary cycles and what may seem a minor transit to us can have

a deep and lasting effect on them. Many astrologers note that a young child expresses their lunar

qualities strongly but take little notice of the difference in effect from the rest of the inner

planets. Everything is felt for the now and the inner planet transits need to be accommodated

before they can assimilate outer planet transits.

Each planetary combination is a new experience to a child and well before the age of reason at

seven the child is experiencing a number of planetary cycles that through our familiarity we tend

to ignore. The cycles of all the planets open us up to new experiences enabling us to develop

skills, a process which continues into adulthood. Everything is in the now, the concept of past

and future is difficult to grasp and a fleeting influence of apparently minor important can have a

lasting effect on a young child.


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Interpretation factors

Young children live out their charts to such an extent that you might think that they have stolen

your astrology textbooks. Before the first Saturn square the young child will experience two

Mars returns, A Jupiter square and opposition as well as a number of Venus and Mercury returns.

Human beings are pre programmed to develop in a certain way. However, all children do not

achieve the same skills at the same age. There is a wide range as to what is considered normal.

Planetary cycles as well as transiting aspects to planets can help us to pinpoint when a child is

likely to achieve the different stages.

Angles

Planets that make a major aspect to the ascendant are generally considered to be related to the

birth experience. For example, the involvement of Mars can point towards surgical intervention,

Neptune to a drug aided delivery and Saturn to a lengthy labour. We tend to describe the birth in

terms of the mother rather than the child. It is the child's perception of the birth that is important

and a Mars involvement may refer to a sense of violence, Neptune to other worldliness. Mars is

also traditionally the planet that rules childbirth so its involvement with the ascendant need not

indicate anything worrisome.

Cycles of inner planets

It is worth reminding ourselves here of the cycles of the inner planets. Mercury has an orbit of 88

days, Venus of 225 days and Mars of 687 days. Mercury is retrograde for 20% of the time,

Venus for 7% of the time and Mars for (% of the time. Retrograde motion may be one reason

why there is a large variance in ages in reaching a developmental milestone.

A milestone is an achievement such as walking, crawling, jumping, sitting which all children

achieve and is used to judge the general; development of the child. There is a wide range of ages

for achieving milestones. Walking may be achieved between 6 months and 2 years of age and be

considered normal though the average age for walking is 13 months.


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The end of babyhood and beginning of toddler hood is at one year. This is the time of the first

solar return. First Venus return and first Mercury return. Depending on retrograde motion these

returns may coincide or be staggered over a period. At this age most children have some sort of

mobility, speech has started to develop and they may be comprehensible to outsiders. They are

no longer babies.

Moon

While the ages of seven through twelve are taken to be ruled by Mercury and ages 13 through 18

by Venus and Mars, the first seven years are dominated by the Moon. Until the age of seven, the

Moon is the prime indicator of what a child must receive in order to feel safe and well-nurtured.

If a child doesn't get what they need, which is often indicated by difficult aspects to the Moon,

they can miss out on emotional resilience.

According to Ptolemy, the Moon is an appropriate ruler for this age because there is a flexibility

in the body, quick growth, changeability and the food of infancy is liquid, all things that are

linked to the Moon.

The Moon is pre-verbal and unconscious. Imprints set here are very hard to access and change. If

for example, the Moon is conjunct Jupiter this indicates that the individual takes a strong

nurturing imprint. That person will probably be very well nurtured, and may live in a protected

environment. They will carry this with them for the rest of their lives and it will shape their

destiny.

The Moon represents a part of us that begins to develop in infancy, in our mother's arms before

we have any verbal capacity. At that age, we do not understand who we are (the Sun) or how we

fit into the family (the Ascendant); we only know what we feel - hunger, heat, cold, dampness,

rage, fear, or need. The Moon is our sense of comfort and safety, or the lack thereof. A child with

a Moon-Saturn aspect or Moon in Capricorn is often born to a mother with one or more of the

following characteristics: older, anxious, depressed, and overwhelmed with responsibilities,

strongly career-oriented. A birth chart with a strong Saturn-Moon aspect symbolises a person

born into a cold, unemotional, restrictive environment. It may be worth investigating whether

babies that spend time in incubators have strong Saturn-Moon aspects. Later in life, this


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condition often coincides both with fears of intimacy in relationships and with control over

feelings and emotions.

The Moon is passively receptive to outside influences. So the child begins its life in a

psychologically fluid state, taking its early shape from the maternal mould. Although an

individual with distinct characteristics that will later become conscious, the infant experiences

helplessness and vulnerability, and is unable to act for itself except in blind or dim responses.

Throughout these first seven years, the child registers the effects of its environment and in so

doing displays the acutely impressionable nature of the moon.

During this early phase of life the child develops many personality habits, powers of observation,

becomes aware of and interested in their surroundings, reaches out to touch and experience

things through the senses. Taste, touch and sight are the first senses developed. A young baby

will put everything to its mouth to examine it more closely. Recognition by smell and hearing

follows a little later. During this time the reflexes are mainly of feeling and sensation. As the

hearings sense begins to co-ordinate with the thinking process and the child begins to recognise

people, sounds and the meaning of words and compare things we move into the phase of

Mercury.

The Moon takes twenty eight days to go once around the Zodiac, spending only two days in eachsign. It governs those aspects of life that change from day to day, the many faces of our everyday

personality that may seem consistent to ourselves but may seem to wax and wane to others.

The Moon symbolizes our most basic survival needs. It is our instinctive response to situations

and represents those feelings, moods and internal physical rhythms that nature designed for our

protection. The sign of the Moon defines the type of environment and emotional response we

subconsciously know will provide security and protection. Having no other way to express or

protect themselves, infants resonate to the sign of their Moon as a source of comfort and safety.

The Moon is the most important planet in an infant's chart, and describes the type of emotional

response that is needed from mom to feel comfortable, safe, secure and loved.


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During the first weeks of an infant's life, as appropriate kinds and number of sensations are

exchanged between infant and mom, the infant feels safe and secure enough to allow its innate

emotional nature to emerge from the unconscious.

Infancy and toddlerhood are now seen as the time when the core of an individual's ability to

think, feel and relate to others is being formed, and when important protective factors such as

intelligence, trust and empathy can be lost. Possibly the most important information to come out

of this research is just how important the infant's first experiences are to the individual's entire

life.

Marc Edmond Jones has suggested that the speed of the Moon at birth can be sued as a guide

towards how quickly the young child can learn. If the Moon is moving above about 13 degrees

and 10 minutes then it is fast at assimilating information and using it. This is nothing to do with

intelligence. A slow moon - under 13 are slower at getting information together and using it. A

particularly fast Moon, over about 14 and a half degrees this indicates a fast learner. When you're

looking at a chart of a very young baby this can be a useful guideline. Because you can offer an

instant analysis and watch how the Moon speeds up and slows down in the first days of life. And

this can affect how they process information and se it.

For the first weeks of a child's life looking at the transiting Moon can be helpful. Small babiesare known to be especially fretful and sensitive during the three days around a full Moon

especially if they were born around the time of a full Moon. Additional sensitivity can be noted

when the Moon returns to the sign it was in at birth. At this time the baby is likely to be

emotionally expressive and cling more to the mother. During the first weeks information can be

gleaned from the Moon perfecting the applying aspects we see in the natal chart. Additional

sensitivity can be noted, especially in relation to illness, when the moon is in the same sign as at

birth for very young babies.

Progressed Moon Cycle

When we're looking further ahead we need to look at the progressed Moon cycle. Transiting

Moons are only any good for the first weeks of life if we're not to drown in piles of data. Nit


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pickers may want to follow the transiting Moon around the chart for the first few months as it

probably still yields valid information.

It takes about two and a half years for the Moon to move through each sign by secondary

progression. An about 27 to 29 years to traverse the chart, allying it with the Saturn cycle.

In other words about the same time as a Mars return. This also commonly occurs when a younger

sibling is born, although on occasion it indicates the desire for a sibling coming to light. In the

first two and a half years of life aspects are received from every planet in the chart by the

progressed Moon. All applying aspects are perfected and the Moon triggers every point in the

chart. Adult responses to the child's actions are being learnt. As the Moon moves at about one

degree per month all applying aspects will be perfected before the child is one years old. In other

words at the stage when a child ceases to be a baby and becomes an infant. In looking at the

charts of young babies we have little to work with but the lunar cycle. Small babies are known to

be particularly fretful and sensitive during the three days around a full Moon, especially if they

were born on a full Moon. Sensitivity is heightened in any event when the Moon returns to its

natal position. Emotional expression increases and the baby clings more closely to the mother.

That time at about two to two and a half is the terrible twos - tantrums, end of the first lunar

cycle, end of the first Mars cycle, anyone who has experienced young children know what I'mtalking about. It does vary slightly with different children depending on the motion of Mars. So it

may be close or separate to the progressed Moon cycle. Adult responses are beginning to be

learned. A sense of what is going to happen and what has happened starts to develop rather than

simply a sense of what is happening now. Time. In theory difficult separating aspects and easy

approaching aspects show calm infants. And vice versa. Colic? A screaming baby without this

combination the screaming is caused by something else.

Between two and two and a half years of age the progressed Moon has changed sign forming a

semi-sextile to its natal position. Depending on the change of sign the child withdraws or

becomes more responsive. Squares become trines and sextiles giving an ease in response in those

areas whilst tension can be found where none previously existed.


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Between three and six the Moon enters the next sign forming aspects more compatible with those

found in the natal chart. The polarity returns to that of the natal Moon. As a working aspect the

sextile encourages imitation of the prime carer. During the fifth year when this aspect perfects,

imitative behaviour becomes stronger. A child will not only attempt to imitate the behaviour of a

parent of the same sex but also respond to the other parent in a way which is designed to elicit

similar responses to those a parent receives. A little girl may try to do whatever mom does to

make dad happy.

Between the ages of five and seven and a half the first square is formed. This is another warning

of the impending Saturn square and may coincide with it. It coincides with the start of formal

schooling for many and represents the first serious attempt to disengage emotionally from the

mother. Depending on aspects made by the progressed Moon while in the sign square its natalposition, this process may begin immediately or not occur until the time of the exact square at

about seven to eight and a half. Switching from receptive to active or vice versa is as confusing

for the child as it is to their adult carers. Responses and the level of understanding reached

depend to a degree on how well the mother is coping with her emotional stresses.

Examining the Moon can give us an awareness of the emotional development of the child. But it

is the cycles of the inner planets which give developmental clues in other terms. As Mercury is

retrograde 20 per cent of the time, Venus 7 and Mars 9 there is great variance in the ages in

which a child reaches a particular stage of development. A milestone achievement such as

walking, crawling and sitting, which all able bodied children achieve, is used to judge the general

development of the child. There is a wide range of ages for achieving milestones. For example

walking can be achieved between 6 months and two years of age with the child still being

classed as having normal development although the average age for walking is 13 months. This

variation of ages can be allied to the variations in planetary movement in an individual's chart.

Cycles

I'd like to move on and look at some of the cycles at this stage. Every minor transit holds

importance for the young child, as it's a new experience. Few people in this room are likely to

get excited by Mercury transiting their Sun. Been there, done that. But this could be when a child


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utters their first word. In practical terms as well we can't possibility track all the inner planet

transits for an adult. But we don't need to. We learn from experience and although the Saturn

return is classed as a major changing point before it happens we have experienced Saturn

aspecting it's natal position, perhaps conjoining our sun or moon. We have a sense of what

Saturn transits mean for us. A young child has yet to have those experiences and the very

newness of inner planet transits gives them power. I have found that it isn't the first try at a new

skill, the first word or step that ties in with the transits. But rather the first competent effort. The

first communication with someone outside the immediate family circle, the first walk outside.

Maybe the first shoes. First achievements are different. This can be difficult to define.

If Mercury is retrograde for a long time they are not going to have a Mercury return or

opposition at the same time as another child may, they may have to wait until Mercury is directto catch up with some development points. If they are born with a retrograde planet that again

makes a difference.

We are generally looking for aspects between the planet concerned and the Moon and/or Sun -

perhaps additionally the ascendant, as well as aspects to the natal position of the planet. There is

a wide range of ages for achieving milestone skills and they will vary depending on when

retrograde motion happens.

Mercury

We all understand that Mercury governs speech, writing, communication and the mental

functions in general. The early years are when the child learns the mechanics of communication,

how to write, to speak, to express their self as a mental being and not just as a collection of

clamorous desires. They discover that they can contradict the voice of authority sometimes and

assert their ideas so that others will listen and pay attention. However, Mercury is not restricted

to language development, it is also the planet we look to for development in dexterity and

general learning skills. Additionally, hands and feet grow before arms and legs.

In some systems of astrology Mercury rules the period when a child has just been born. While

aware of separate existence, they are still closely connected to the mother. The arising of a sense


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of difference between child and mother is the basis for the concept of division and the source of

logical thought. Other schools of thought ally Mercury with the ages of 7 to 14.

This second stage is true childhood, lasting from four to fourteen. It is associated with Mercury,

the second fastest planet. Ptolemy explains that this is the period when the child begins to

articulate and formulate intelligence, when learning takes place and the mind-character can be

moulded through instruction.

During the Mercury phase the child begins rapidly learning and begins to discover its own

interests, talents and abilities. Thinking and talking become developed. This stage remains until

the onset of puberty when the child enters the Venus phase.

The association between Mercury and early learning is strong. Interestingly, learning difficulties

and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have recently been associated with

Mrecury toxins. For the past several years, parents have become increasingly concerned about

their children's learning difficulties. Yet this was not a major problem for children growing up in

the 1700s or the early 1800s.

In 200 years, we have produced trillions of tons of chemicals utilizing mercury, lead, cadmium,

arsenic, and aluminum to work in our industries.

For example, thimerosal is a preservative that has been used as an additive in vaccines

[Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), diphtheria and tetanus toxoids with acellular pertussis

(DTaP), hepatitis B, influenza] since the 1930's to prevent bacterial and fungal contamination.

Thimerosal contains mercury. Mercury can cause immune, sensory, neurological, motor, and

behavioral dysfunctions. Autism has also been associated with Mercury toxins. The fetus is eight

times more sensitive to mercury than its mother prior to pregnancy. Human exposure to mercury

typically occurs when contaminated fish are eaten as food. Children born of women exposed to

relatively high levels of methyl mercury during pregnancy have exhibited a variety of

developmental neurological abnormalities, including delayed onset of walking and talking,

cerebral palsy, and reduced neurological test scores.


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Mercury takes about three months to circle the Sun but because it is so close to the Sun it follows

it around the Zodiac, moving backwards and forwards around the Solar position on a three

monthly cycle. At its fastest it passes through a zodiacal sign in a fortnight and covers affairs of

this nature - our pattern of work, our weekly routine, our immediate plans. In the course of a year

Mercury marks out the seasons.

As Mercury cannot be more than 27 degrees from the Sun at any point, the first Mercury return

occurs about the age of one year - the end of babyhood. The timing of Mercury making its first

squares, trines etc to its natal position are highly variable and it is difficult to say that a certain

combination results in a particular milestone achievement. In practice Mercury aspects to the Sun

and Moon supported by an aspect to its own position provide timing. We need to be aware more

in the case of Mercury of the range for normal achievement if we are to make any sensiblepredictions. The position of transiting Mercury will obviously depend on retrograde motion.

With some children born with direct Mercury which does not go retrograde for some time after

birth the Mercury return will clearly herald a developmental milestone. With others we may have

to ay more attention to the first squares and oppositions.

The first Mercury return occurs at about one year of age, the beginning of toddler hood and the

stage t which most children develop clear language. Therefore the Mercury return is associated

with first speech. As Mercury has traversed the chart it has conjoined every point, gathering

information as it goes. The aspects it makes immediately before the return shows the ways in

which this happens, for example if it is triggered by Uranus the n there will be a flash of

inspiration, but Saturn a dogged determination and so on. Or with a Saturn contact they may lose

confidence in their abilities.

It is easiest to see the Mercury cycle in terms of speech but it isn't exclusively connected with

that. Dexterity is also to be considered as well as handedness. The cycle of developing

handedness is highly complicated and we don't have time to go through it here, it may be

interesting at some point to develop that idea further. The point at which they settle on one hand

or another logically ties into a Mercury pattern. Babies begin life by using both hands and later

develop through a stage of using the right and left alternately. By the age of four, a preference of

hand will be noticeable and by the age of eight or nine, dominance will have been established.


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There are children who begin to reveal their preference early in life, while others keep parents

guessing into primary school. Most show a propensity to use one hand for throwing, writing, and

drawing at about age three. Until then, changing hands is pretty much the rule. However, a large

minority of children continues to do this until the age of six. In fact, up to 20 per cent of children

remain equally capable with either hand (ambidextrous) at least for some tasks.

The closest Mercury pattern to the first Saturn square is the one associated with handedness. It

has been postulated that if Mercury is retrograde at this time that leads to left-handedness, but

this is not a theory I've tested.

With the retrograde motion of Mercury it isn't possible to draw up a list of what should be

expected when. But the milestone achievements appear to align with Mercury making a major

aspect to its natal position at the same time as aspecting one of the luminaries. Thos "bigger"

more active achievements appear to involve the Sun rather than Moon. The more subtle and

gradual changes involve the Moon. Although we are talking about Mercury at this point this

pattern holds true for the other planets, albeit with different milestone achievements.

At 4 weeks of age an infant is capable of distinguishing between sounds and will make cooing

noises to indicate pleasure.

At three months non-verbal signals of communication can be noted, dexterity improves enabling

the child to hold onto an object and the child shows signs of recognising the mother.

At 4 months pointing begins and the child is likely to laugh for the first time.

There is an association between Saturn/Mercury combinations and smiling as early smiles have a

relationship with fear, rather than with enjoyment. Think of the smiles and laughter of a young

baby who is tossed in the air and caught, peek a boo games etc. There is a sense of thank God I'm

safe and can now laugh.

At 5 months the infant is capable of locating audible objects in the dark.

At 5 months a link between sound and gesture is made.


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At 6 months there is a marked increase in the range of sounds made

At 6 months dexterity improves and a child can bring a held object to its mouth and transfer it

from one hand to the other

At 12 months one word utterances are made.

In the case of Grace, aged two and a half when I examined her chart, a Mercury tine to its natal

position was significant in indicting a house move. This occurred at the same time as Mars

making an opposition to its natal position and in a child of this age an emphasis on two planetary

cycles is often indicative of a major change.

In the case of Grace aged two and a half when I examined her chart a Mercury tine to its natalposition was significant in indicting a house move. This occurred at the same time as Mars

making an opposition to its natal position and in a child of this age an emphasis on two planetary

cycles is often indicative of a major change.

Venus

Venus is the influence of love, art, culture, sympathy, social relationships, evaluation. All

emotions that have a sexual basis begin here, including the love of beauty. Creative activities -poetry, acting, music, dancing - come under Venus. It aims to unify. Venus represents a stage

when the child realises he or she has something to give and gives freely. Movement is necessary

so that the child does not give too much. When development takes its natural course, Venus

represents the faculty of synthesis.

Copper toxicity has also been associated with ADD, with or without hyperactivity. The impact of

copper toxicity seems to be much more severe in preadolescent and adolescent girls than in boys.

As girls reach puberty, the increase in estrogen levels tends to exacerbate the effects of copper

toxicity because estrogen raises the level of copper in tissues (Pfeiffer, 1975). When this occurs,

there is likely to be an increase in behavior and emotional disorders: mood swings, depression

and suicidal tendencies, irritability and aggression, running away, promiscuity, and eating

disorders. Memory and concentration problems may also increase. The eating of foods high in


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copper content is likely to exacerbate these conditions. People with autism have peculiar

nutritional profiles. Natural approaches, including nutrition, for people with autism may take up

to a year to take effect before symptoms start to alleviate

Starting at age fourteen is the third age (youth) which lasts for eight years and is associated with

Venus, the third fastest planet. Ptolemy explains that this is the age when there is an impulse

toward love, sexual expression and a burning passion for ideals and all the blindness that goes

with it.

Venus takes about eight months, 18 and 2/3 days in each sign. On this timescale we see a curious

relationship with the Moon with its 18 and 2/3 year eclipse cycle or Saros. Venus covers the rise

and fall of feelings, the span of desire. In the sky it is moon-like in that it can be seen in the

evening or morning, and it waxes and wanes. In the way that the moon is the reactive feelings,

externally stimulated, Venus is those feelings that are internally generated over time. Advertising

campaigns usually run for about three weeks before their impact can be assessed.

Again, Venus can be difficult to plot in terms of timing events as it maintains a distance from the

Sun of 45 degrees and the timing of its first major aspects to its natal position are highly variable.

Venus cycles seem to be primarily concerned with issues of separation, particularly returns

which commonly indicate some sort of separation from the mother. Examples of Venus issuesare:-

At six months indiscriminate attachment ends

Between 7 & 8 months fear of strangers begins and specific attachment begins

At twelve months specific attachment ends and multiple attachment begins

Looking at Sebastian's chart again Venus squared its natal position on 6 April 1994. This was

when he rejected his dummy and refused external comfort objects. On 20 June 1994 at his first

opposition his mother noted that he "showed signs of anxiety when seeing me across the room.

I.e. not holding him, panicked for the first time in a room full of people who are not focussing

their attention on him." On the following Venus square she noted "loves playing peek-a-boo and


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chases after me when I leave the room" By following the Venus cycle we can see the child's

relationship to the mother developing as he learns that he is a separate entity and learns ways in

which to cope with this new experience.

Mars

Depression is often a symptom of chronic iron deficiency. Other symptoms include general

weakness, listlessness, exhaustion, lack of appetite, and headaches. Iron deficiency can cause

irritability and attention deficits Iron deficiency and it's most serious form, anemia are usually a

result of inadequate iron intake in a person's diet. If we are not consuming enough iron in our

daily diet or we are at one of the critical stages noted below, we may become anemic. Fatigue,

lethargy, difficulty concentrating, shortened attention span, lack of aerobic ability, dizziness,

shortness of breath, pallor (conjunctivae, nail beds, skin, gums). At different stages of life,

everyone is susceptible to anemia but there are some critical stages that are very important and

which everyone should be aware of.

Especially ages six months to two years. Breastmilk contains an adequate supply of iron for

infants and many formulas are fortified with iron so they do too. This age group is in an

important stage of growth and development - the brain is growing and learning, cognitive

development is occurring, motor skills and behavioral development is happening. Iron deficiencyhas detrimental effects on all of these. It can cause a loss of 9 IQ points, slows the brain

functions, hurting coordination and motor skills. Even mild anaemia in infants and young

children can impair intellectual development. Anaemia in children under two years of age may

cause problems with coordination and balance, and the child may appear withdrawn and hesitant.

This can limit the child's ability to interact and may hinder intellectual development.

Mars takes two years to traverse the Zodiac. It is the last of the inner planets and as such sets the

limits of our practical existence. Mars covers our strategies for life, our perceivable building

blocks. Most educational courses are based around two years. Most martial arts require two years

to attain Black Belt. It is the cycle of skill acquisition. One theory of learning is that

understanding lags learning by two years.


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Saturn in aspect to Mars in a birth chart indicates one who becomes conditioned to control and

who holds back much of the time. A strong ye t difficult Saturn-Mars contact could mean a

frustrating toilet training experience during the time of second circuit (Mars/Emotional-

Territorial) imprint. Toilet training is an important act of self-sufficiency, a proof of autonomy.

With Saturn stressfully connected to Mars one may find a parent who puts pressure on the child,

such as pressure to control the bodily functions. This could backfire if the timing is wrong, and

the child may spend the rest of his or her life with control problems, a fear of self-sufficiency and

a lack of confidence. A positive Saturn-Mars contact suggests the steady control of the

aggressive instinct, which is needed when life's great challenges are to be met.

Mars, the point of muscular control and personal autonomy. This is the stage where toddlers

learn to do things for themselves. Toilet-training requires muscle control.

1 month - jerky movement

6 months - sits erect when held lifts head

9 months - independent sitting moves around floor

12 months - can stand alone for a few seconds

15 months - clambers to feet, walks unsteadily

Mars is the easiest planet to understand in terms of child development. We are all aware of the

"terrible two's" - the bursts of energy and two-year-olds struggle to maintain supremacy by

screaming and refusing to cooperate or even negotiate. The toddler is furious. He rules the world,

he pulls the strings and the parents respond.

A child is approximately two years old when Mars returns for the first time to the sign anddegree of the horoscope it occupied at the child's birth.

Nurturing an infant's Mars begins at birth with the impulsive action of the infant and the

supportive reaction of the primary caregiver. An infant's actions are purely impulsive reactions to

the sensations and emotions he is experiencing. His desires do not exist as thoughts or ideas, but


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rather as motor behavior. It is an infant's instinctive motor behavior that gives evidence of his

Mars.

For months an infant's impulsive actions, fueled by their desires go uncontested-fed when

hungry, carried when tired of walking and easily gets their parents' attention. In time, they

become aware that it is their actions that lead to the attainment of their desires.

Six to Eight Months - Transiting Mars has traveled 90 degrees from its birth position At this

stage the child is ready to start connecting emotions to actions. The ability to sit upright frees

their arms and hands while changing their perspective. They begin to act on their own behalf

with increased freedom and dexterity by consciously choosing and grasping any desired object

that is within his limited reach. The ability to independently and purposefully select and play

with one toy after another marks a turning point, and during the second half of the first year

voluntary mobility becomes an option.

Twelve to Fourteen Months: Transiting Mars opposition. The urge to become independent and

the negativism that accompanies it begins with walking. The baby becomes a toddler -

coinciding with the first Venus, Mercury and solar returns. They become more aware of the fact

that they are separate individuals and have a will of their own.

Eighteen to Twenty Months Mars second square. With increased mobility and the freedom to act

purposefully on his own behalf, the toddler has developed courage, and with a new burst of

energy begins to demand recognition by asserting his personal authority.

Twenty-Four to Twenty-Six Months Mars return. The toddler is full of Mars energy. There is a

need to establish that the parent is still in charge.

For months an infant's impulsive actions, fuelled by his desires, have rightly gone uncontested-he

was fed when hungry, carried when tired of walking and easily got his parents' attention. In time,

an infant begins to see this happen and becomes aware that it is his actions that lead to the

attainment of his desires. Healthy assertive development requires that the two year old see

himself as omnipotent.


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There will be variations depending on the sign placement of Mars and the aspects it makes. The

sign tells us how they reach out to gain experience and the aspects, or angles between Mars and

other planets in the birth chart, reveal areas of the personality that will assist or be obstacles to

assertive development.

Transiting Mars goes retrograde about every two years and two months. This can cause variation

in the age that the different stages are experienced. During a retrograde period assimilation of

skills already gained is possible.

To look at it another way - Mars squares its own position at about 5 months at the approach of

crawling skills. It opposes its natal position at about 11 months, around the time that crawling

begins, makes a second square at about 16 months and returns about 22 months. The

beginning of the terrible twos. The onset of mobility achievements walking, crawling, jumping

ally with an aspect between transiting Mars and natal Sun. These aspects do not appear to relate

to when the child first crawled or took their first steps but rather to the first demonstration of

competence. So the dates for walking are when the child first walks outdoors, the first walk they

are taken on without cajoling and persuasion.

Rory's chart is an example.

At 5 months he began to crawl - Mars square Sun trine Mars

At 11 months he began walking Mars opposition Sun (he actually took his first steps about three

months earlier)

At 14 months he gained competence in climbing - Mars opposition Sun

At 19 months he learned to jump - Mars opposition Sun

Interestingly in the chars I have looked at a 12th house Mars is common for children who do not

crawl but have a stage where they seem to have little interest immobility before beginning to

walk. In one case where the child did crawl she began to at an early stage but continued to crawl

for a longer period than average and no walking until the age of nearly 17 months when Mars


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was trine her Sun and had returned to its natal position. A 12th house mars shows restraint in

gaining early motor skills.

Another child began to crawl when Mars conjoined her Moon and squared her Sun, walked when

Mars trined her Sun and sextiled her Moon and jumped when Mars squared its natal position.

Grace crawled when Mars trined the Moon and quincinxed its natal position, walked when Mars

trined the Sun and its natal apposition and jumped when Mars opposed the Moon and squared its

natal position.

Commonly, transiting Mars aspects to the Sun - especially hard aspects - seem to be associated

with the onset of walking and Mars to the Moon - especially soft aspects - associated with the

onset of crawling. Mars aspecting its own position of Uranus is a supporting indicator.

Making it personal

The problem with all of the above is, of course, that although the patterns I have described hold

true for most charts I have looked at, they don't allow space for individual differences. It is

clearly ludicrous to say that two babies born on the same date will, for example, begin to walk at

the same time. To make the difference we need to take account of the house cusps and angles'

involvement.

In general terms there often appears to be a transiting aspect to one of the angles when a

developmental milestone is reached. Frequently, I have noted an aspect to the 5th cusp when an

angle is not involved.

The other individual difference is, of course, the differing house placements of the planets

concerned. A transit occurring from an angular house is more likely to mean the achievement of

a milestone than one from a cadent or succedent. We also need to take note of the house position

of the planet being transited. Again, an angular house involvement will increase the likelihood of

a milestone being achieved. Finally, it is obviously important to consider the strength of the

planets involved in these transits. A weak Mercury by sign transiting its own position and one of

the luminaries is less likely to show achievement than one that is in its own sign and direct.

These criteria make it easier to see when developmental milestones are achieved and account for


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the differences that occur with children of the same age with broadly similar charts but at a

different stage of development. I have not had the opportunity to study these differences at length

but apply these guidelines in the work that I do. As with all astrology, each chart needs to be

considered on its own merits.

before the 1st saturn square--astrology and young children -- farnell

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