The Charts of Children

It is important to remember that the chart of a child is the chart of the potential, which has not yet unfolded.  It is like a seed that has been newly planted. How the seed develops and grows depends on the soil and climate as well as the innate nature of the seed itself.[1][8]  The outcome is unknown. What the astrologer can give parents and carers is information about the uniqueness of their child to assist them in fostering his/her strengths and to offer support in areas that may be difficult for the child.

In looking at the chart of your child it is important to remember that the child is part of your family matrix and hence it is very helpful to look at the charts of parents and siblings at the same time if at all possible.  This enables the astrologer to get a sense of the family dynamics, which are at work and how the child fits into them.

Parents/carers come to an astrologer for many different reasons.  It is important for the astrologer to talk with parents/carers beforehand about your fears and anxieties re  your child and where these  stem from.  It is also helpful for the parents/carers to explore what your unfulfilled dreams and hopes are and if you have had a chance to live out your own creativity and spontaneity.  If not there is a risk that you may inadvertently try to live these out through your children. 

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The planets that are particularly useful to look at in children’s charts are the Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars.  The moon by sign and house position indicates the child’s nurturing needs at a basic instinctual level.  For example if your child has Moon in Gemini s/he will find communication comforting.  Hence if s/he comes home from school upset it is helpful to talk to her/him about what happened. Whereas a child with Moon in an earth sign such as Taurus may struggle to express his/her emotions in words and would find it more comforting to be given a hug and some food s/he likes.

Mercury is useful because it describes how a child communicates. There is nothing in the chart to indicate level of intelligence.  The chart merely indicates the child’s manner of learning and communicating.  For example Mercury in any of the air signs (Gemini, Libra and Aquarius) tends to find traditional learning using words and exams easy. However Mercury in water (Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces) is more comfortable in the preverbal imaginative medium of the arts such as music, dancing and painting. 

Next Issue:  The Charts of Children Pt 3

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Venus describes what the child values and enjoys and Mars indicates the child’s will and vitality.  Venus in the fire signs (Aries, Leo and Sagittarius) indicates that your child values spontaneity and adventure and Mars in the Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn) is a slower moving but tremendously tenacious mars.

What is crucial for parents/carers to remember is that all children need some challenges in life to help them find their own inner resources.   The job of parents/carers is not to avoid challenges for their children but to help them find their own inner resources so that they can embark on their journey to find themselves, thereby engaging with the obstacles that life presents.

James Hollis describes the task of parenting as “the early necessity of reassurance, and the softening of the existential blow of separation we call birth, and then the progressive abandonment of the child, in stages he or she can handle, in order to leave home at the appropriate time as a proto-adult.”[2][9]