Cosmic Child Horoscope
August 2005
by ERIC FRANCIS

Five Things to do With Your Child's Birth Chart

1. Give them a copy. Print or photocopy it onto heavy paper with a coloring surface and let them have a go at it. It's their chart. It's also good for collages and whatever else you might be able to do with paper. When they're done making art or other commentaries on their first chart, I suggest (after hanging it up for a while) that you save it in their Kid Collection. It will be beyond interesting when they go for their first astrology reading.

2. Understand the aspects to their Moon. Don't try to get the whole chart -- just start with this one most important planet in the life of a child. In deducing the expression of a planet, you need to be aware of the house and sign placement as well as the aspects. The Moon in its most basic sense describes a person's needs. It will reside organically at the seat of the personality throughout a person's life. We can only learn to live with the Moon -- not get around it. What does your child's Moon say about their needs?

3. Follow their progressed Moon. Don't worry about not understanding progressions; just get the progressed chart and follow along as the Moon makes aspects and changes signs every two- and-a-half years. Soon enough you will understand progressions, but moreover, you will understand something unique about how your particular child grows. You can get the progressed horoscope just about anywhere you can get the natal chart.

4. Use their chart to understand that they really are a different person than you are. This is less a matter of analysis and more a matter of observation. Just simply note the differences in needs (Moon), expression (Sun) and orientation on life (ascendant).

5. Look at the Sun and the Moon in your child's chart and see what these planets say about your child's experience of mother and father. It's important for you to be objective and not take the messages of the chart too personally, while at the same time to use your power to address what you see directly, over time. If you read astrology books, you'll find both friendly and unfriendly interpretations of aspects as relating to the parents. Keep an open mind, look for enlightened views, and remember you have a lot of influence over the conditions under which your child grows up.

Saturn in Leo and Kids

Saturn in Leo can remind us that this is a heavy time to be growing up. Leo is a sign that signifies children, play, childhood and creativity. Saturn in this sign can have a serious feeling for kids, who don't necessarily have the creative power to use the energy in a constructive way.

I see too little -- if anything -- written about the effects of war, terrorism and suicide bombings on children. It's really as if we forget that it affects them at all. I speak about younger kids as well as teens.

Adults have many more denial mechanisms in place to deal with things, we're more desensitized, and we have our lives to preoccupy us -- so we can more easily ignore the world situation, or pretend it doesn't affect us. The younger someone is, the fewer filters, barriers and other defense mechanisms they have in place to deal with it.

They are also more likely to identify with other children they see on television, whose suffering they may relate to directly. Saturn in Leo is
speaking to the necessity of taking care of children and remembering that they are in fact children.

I suggest that people who remember growing up in the Vietnam era, with its endless horrors on television every night, think back to what they might have benefited from in the way of explanation or comforting.

Aries (March 20-April 19)
There's what's true and there is what we want to be true. For children, we must take extra care to protect both. Wishful thinking is not merely a diversion for children, it is a way to contemplate what is possible. And while both you and they may be inclined to take a more sober approach to life these days, where Aries youngsters are concerned, I suggest you hold open the field of dreams. Aries children are now entering a rare phase of what you might call growing up young. It will be your responsibility to remind them that they are still children. And for them to get a little closer to that reality, you must do so first.

Taurus (April 19-May 20)
There may be the sense of the ground moving under Taurus children, what may be their first experience of life being less stable than they were told it was, or than they had experienced it before. There is at the same time an inner sense that they are making a break or separation from their parents and other caregivers. Your role is to teach that there is continuity even in times of change. You are that continuity. Your job is not to deny the change, but rather to move with it and to demonstrate that some things remain consistent no matter how much life alters its course.

Gemini (May 20-June 21)
Has any Gemini actually ever made up his or her mind? I doubt it, but their thought process does stop in interesting places. As Mercury stations direct in early Leo later in the month, you'll likely see a clear evolution of thought and maturity even in children you thought would never grow up. This will come as a great pleasure for both of you, but remember to acknowledge their development and achievements. He or she may be striving for a feeling of depth of communication, and you're the one who is most likely to provide that. Remember these three words where ideas are concerned: Awareness. Acknowledgement. Allowing.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)
There is no telling what Cancer children have been through the past two years, nor their parents, but you may want to take the time to sum it up for yourself. And you would be wise to sum it up from their point of view as well; start by asking what's happened going back to a particular point in history in 2003. Listen carefully. You will hear much you're not expecting, and you may be wondering why you didn't hear it before. The reason is that you did not ask. The message is that even a relatively young child leads a life entirely different than your own, and that their perceptions are both powerful and accurate -- including their perceptions of you.

Leo (July 22-Aug 23)
Saturn in Leo is likely to be one of the best and most challenging times in your child's life so far. I'm going to trust that because we're talking about your child, they have a sense of what is necessary and true. You get to foster that, and you also get to provide adult support for the things they may take on that they're not quite ready for; but they're likely ready to be ready. The most helpful thing you can convey is that responsibility is something we can and must share. No one person carries the weight of the world, nor can they be expected to. They will be brave and bold and willing to grow -- and you must be there to help.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
Your child is about to have a birthday, so this time of year is the anniversary of the end of your pregnancy. It's a good time to remember the story of that final month, because from an astrological standpoint and from many others, the events, feelings and experiences you went through will have a bearing on your child's life. Perhaps now while it's fresh in your mind, you might want to take some notes and write down the basic facts. I am sure this is also a poignant time of year for you, filled with mystery and expectation. Planetary aspects at this time suggest it may be so once again for both you and your young one.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)  
I prefer not to dwell on past lives in my practice of astrology, but there are times when it's appropriate -- and for Libra, this is one of them. Children are often the best evidence for reincarnation, and at the moment, it's as if your child is being handed a vast inheritance of wisdom and beauty from the past. I cannot tell you if they will respond in a direct way to these aspects, but imagine that they are being put in contact with all who they were in previous incarnations in the best possible way. Listen to what they say and perhaps spend some time making gentle inquiries into their perceptions. Take them to old places and ask them what they see, think and feel. Don't doubt any of it.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
One of the lessons for Scorpio through the year is how to handle their own anger and hostility. This is another way of saying that Scorpios are set for a long phase of learning to see themselves in other people. There are simple ways to handle this, such as emphasizing the need to listen and acknowledge what they hear; their need to tell the truth, as a personal matter and not due to a responsibility to someone else; and to remember that there are many
in life whose situation is far worse than their own. The only way to learn these things safely is by example, and in an environment where there is a steady, clear outpouring of love.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)
These months have the potential to be a golden era for your Sagittarius child. There is so much that feels right with the world, no matter what else may be going on. It is true that among all the signs, Sagittarians are blessed with an unusual power of optimism. But now it's clear that this is not just wishful thinking. Rather, it's the power of manifestation at work. Pay particular attention to their interactions with friends; you're likely to learn some truly profound things about how it's possible to get along with people and to do small things that help make the world a better, more cohesive place. And listen for their insights into your life. They will be precious.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
I am sure I've written in this space about the power of negotiation for
young Capricorns, but if not, let me do so now. This is a time when they must feel their own power, and the power of those around them, and live in the place where the two meet. I would suggest that just about everything be up for discussion, even the things that are not. The discussion can go as far as how they feel or how they would want the situation if they could have it any way, and I think you'll see plenty of room for flexibility and adjustment if you do that. The ability to live in a fair world is a life skill. Skills are learned, and this is the time for learning.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
Luck is with your child right now, and they may be willing to take certain risks they would not take before. Certainly, you can work with this energy and they will appreciate it if you do so. Contrary to popular astrology, Aquarians have a certain reverence for authority, and if you stay in touch with them and remind them what is appropriate and what is a little off the beam, they will respond a lot more than if you just try to control them. In any case, this is a time for them to stretch, to test boundaries and in a real sense to push their luck. If we don't take chances, we never discover that we really can, and for too many adults that's one of the biggest rip-offs they have to live with. Let's not pass that one on to our kids now.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Who can fathom the depths of a Pisces? If anyone can, it is you. But I will reveal a few things from beneath the current Pisces psyche, in part, because as a Fish, I can. At this point, effort and pleasure must be balanced. The natural emphasis is going to be on effort, and there is no Pisces alive who does not feel that they owe a debt to existence. Therefore, there must be a sense that life offers its rewards back, and a flow must be maintained. To the extent that a young Pisces falters in keeping up that flow, you need to maintain it. And please be mindful of their sense of burden. Take what you can, and remember to leave them with the responsibilities they need to feel alive.