Astrologer’s Notebook: Gifts from the family tree

As I eagerly await the birth of my first grandchild, I can’t help looking at the alignment of the planets, and wondering just where those personal planets will fall exactly. I already see how her birth will impact me (and herself/himself, of course) through the outer planets. (If she’s born while Venus is in Leo, it will fall in my 9th house of grandchildren, indicating to me that she is, in fact, a girl.)

My gorgeous aunties

What intrigues me is the place of ancestry and family of origin in the natal chart. What I do know, with certainty, is that this baby will have personal (inner) planets in either Leo or Virgo, or both. These are such strong themes and archetypes on our side of the family.

My MC (midheaven: the highest/most visible part of the birth chart) is Leo ~ the storyteller (novelist) and performer (celebrant), not to mention editing a magazine for twelve years about raising children (another Leo theme) consciously. I have Saturn resident in the natural home of Leo: the fifth house. It’s a deeply creative house, as well as being considered the house of children. I also have my Chiron (wounded healer/teacher) and North Node (soul’s purpose) there, in the house of Leo (5th house).

females in my family tree

I have three planets in industrious Virgo, and Lilith in my 6th house (the natural home of Virgo). And that’s just me!

My husband has Mercury and the Sun in Virgo, and Pluto, Eros and Saturn in Leo.

My daughter Eliza has a Virgo ascendant, North node in Virgo and a crazily jam-packed sixth house. Her fifth house (Leo’s natural home) is blessed with Venus, Mercury and Neptune resident there.

My mother has Neptune conjunct Moon in Virgo, and although I don’t have her birth time, am almost certain her Jupiter is in the 6th house. My mother’s mother was a Virgo.

My father had Moon in Leo and Neptune in Virgo.

My ancestresses

Obviously this blessed baby is going to have DNA from her father’s side, too, but one thing is certain: we are not born blank slates. It’s understood that when we’re born we are encoded with every thought our parents had up to the point of birth, every thought their parents had, and so on for seven generations. Frankly, I find it quite scary! On the positive side, though, and certainly when I look at my grandchild’s family line on her mother’s side, there is an immense amount of creativity and skill to draw upon. She will be our fingertips as she steps forward into the future. Oh what a joy it will be to watch her create her life! I trust that whatever we have achieved, enjoyed and learnt, will be there in her DNA for her to claim, if she chooses, as helpful and useful in this journey called life.

Not long to wait now 🙂

Leo: the storyteller, actor, performer, children, creative flair, fire, drama, great hair!, solar energy.

Virgo: nutrition, health and well-being, earthy, mind, body and soul health, apprenticeships, mastery, perfection, attention to detail, editing, writing, gardening.

Veronika Robinson is a second-generation astrologer with an international practice. She works by Skype, and also offers face-to-face consultations from her home in Cumbria. www.veronikarobinson.com/astrologer