I bought a campervan.
The goal is to travel around England, Scotland, Ireland and Spain. And maybe France.
I want to visit sacred sites, energy lines. I want to investigate how these lines were connected to the stars and astrology, and I want to use the cosmic and energetic lines to create deep growth. In ancient times, people made pilgrimages, not in campervans, but on foot and sometimes, if they couldn’t walk, on horseback. While I will be driving to destinations, I do plan to do lots of walking, and I’ve brought my walking sticks and hiking shoes for the challenge. Walking is an essential part of pilgrimage and growth, and I’ve got a post about that topic soon!
Travel is a powerful way to transform
Visiting new places gives us different perspectives and challenges how we see the world. I was recently a guest on the Sacred Travel podcast, where I talked a little more about this 9th house/Sagittarius experience. The host of the Sacred Travel podcast also asked me to create an astrological guide for her upcoming group experience in Egypt. She still has room, so check out the podcast and her offering. From my perspective, it’s cosmologically, astrologically and magically aligned. If you feel connected to the Galactic Centre, the Milky Way or the Golden Gate of Egyptian cosmology, then you’ll be really interested in the astrology and the offering.
Back to my 9th house/Sagittarius experience… I bought a campervan and, of course, in my head, it was perfect, glorious and smooth sailing. Well, sometimes when we go on these travels, it’s challenging. And if embraced, the challenges bring tremendous growth. Along with the regular challenges of buying a vehicle in a country that is not yours, insurance, registration, and paying taxes, the experience brought in my own consciousness. I noted the time of my purchase and immediately drew up a birth chart/astrology chart for my new/used campervan to see what I drew in! Ultimately, anything we buy, especially large purchases like vehicles or homes, will incorporate our consciousness. This is also true for relationships we enter and jobs we take on. What can show up in those new endeavours are the areas within ourselves that need work.
This campervan is not just about my own internal story, but also one about the mission that I am on for the world. My campervan astrology tells a story about the moment that we are in and some of the lessons that we need to heed or incorporate as we move through tricky territory….
Strangely, the astrology of my campervan is all about the Mother!
So here’s the astrology of the campervan:
The moon is in Capricorn. The moon in Capricorn is concerned with achievement and hard work. In a natal chart, it is often seen in people who have difficulty connecting with their mother and who can feel distant or removed. However, there is another side to Capricorn. Capricorn is connected with grandmothers. Grandmother energy is different from mother energy. When it is wise and grounded, it can provide a deeply safe, gentle and warm container. Interestingly, mother energy came up strongly and prominently in my recent trip to Italy. Read about that here. I spoke about the energies of Aesculapius at Tiber Island, of Ceres, which was the astrological locational line running through Italy and the energy of Demeter at the Tempio di Demetra just outside of Rome. Well, Aesculapius, Ceres/Demeter are all prominent in my campervan chart!
The asteroid Aesculepia is the healing asteroid. It represents the ability to heal and come back from the brink or even come back to life. This is complicated astrology, but just to say that this asteroid is parallel to Uranus in the chart and contraparallel the Vesta. As my campervan is a classic 1990 Renault Trafic, this is a good sign. It signifies that it has endurance. Uranus is the planet of surprise, but also electricity and technology. Vesta is the asteroid connected to passion, dedication and work. In the chart, it is conjunct the part of fatality… so Aesculepia promises to heal and revive this little old classic! But is that enough?
Demeter is the Greek goddess, and Ceres is the Roman version. Demeter is opposite Pluto in the chart.
In the myth, Pluto takes Persephone, her daughter by dubious means, into the underworld where he is ruler. Demeter is grieved, and in her grief, she causes the earth to become barren. In the end, a deal is struck and Persephone is allowed to come back to her mother for half of the year. Fertility is restored during this time. This myth is used to depict the seasons, the fall/winter vs spring/summer months. But it’s also one that can depict the Great Year…. I’ve mentioned this before. We are returning to a golden age, a time of light, a time when Persephone is no longer in the darkness with Pluto. A time of emergence from the Kali Yuga/Dark Age/Underworld of the 25,000-year-plus cycle. But at the moment, we are at the point of negotiation with Pluto. All of us, here on earth, are involved in this negotiation! In the myth, Zeus sends Hermes to go to the underworld to negotiate the deal. In the story with Ceres, it’s Jupiter who sends Mercury to the underworld for the negotiation.
Mercury is the way of Hermes; a journey of self-discovery, transformation. As above so below… the transformation within each of us leads to the transformation of the world!
The campervan has Moon square to Ceres (the Roman version of Demeter). In this chart, Ceres is in Aries and is nurtured by independence and freedom as well as self-expression. This speaks of a tension between the emotional needs of the Moon in Capricorn, who is structured and may not be so adventurous, with the needs of Ceres. Grandmother is sharing her wisdom with the new mom. A new mom might want to say, “Leave me alone… I’m the mother”. But if the grandmother energy is embraced, there is a tension between the youthful and newly emerging Ceres – Ceres at the beginning of the zodiac… Ceres in the springtime of March – Aries season, and Grandmother who has been down that road, there can be tremendous support. But it takes a village to raise a child; a grandmother’s help is invaluable!
The moon is opposite Jupiter in Cancer, and this is another indication of the difficulty in the integration of the Mother. Jupiter in Cancer loves the comforts of home, family, and tribe. The Moon in Capricorn feels too driven to enjoy that energy. This is the energy of the overly doting mother or the one who is completely absent…. Ultimately, it creates the energy of “failure to launch”. Meaning the child lacks the skills necessary to make it in the world due to mom doing too much or nothing at all. I also have a wide Moon opposite Jupiter in my chart! So there is a little bit of me taking on this adventure to individuate and to integrate my own internal mother without going overboard…
Now this chart has another aspect that is present in my chart. This represents the energy that I am working on. The ascendant of my campervan is 16 Sagittarius, and this is very similar to my natal mid-heaven. So the chart embodies something about my career and what I am known for. It encompasses teaching, spirituality and religion and higher learning as well as travel.
Vesta in the Campervan chart is in sextile to the Sun and Pallas, all making a mini grand trine. Vesta is also trine Ceres. So all of the classical goddesses are present and working together. But the Sun is opposite Ceres, suggesting again a difficulty with integrating the mother within the ego (the Sun).
All in all, the energy is showing up like the mother who is still very wounded. The return to fertility depends on Mercury!
Now here is where you are going to probably say “what the f@#%”. Because I’ve decided after a week of having the campervan, that I will sell it. It has to do with Mercury (or Hermes). In the story of Ceres/Demeter, Mercury/Hermes goes to the underworld to negotiate the return of Persephone. This is needed for Ceres/Demeter to return to fertility and balance. But Mercury is too challenged in this chart. Now you might be wondering, aren’t you an astrologer? Couldn’t you have timed this better? Well, sometimes the universe has other plans.. And those plans are part of the lesson.
In a vehicle chart, two things must be strong. Mercury and Mars. Mercury is the movement of the vehicle. It represents the vehicle itself. Mars is the drive, energy, ambition, get up and go…. Both of these are challenged.
And they are also both challenged in our world. Social media, AI, smartphones etc, are all ruled by mercury. And they seem to be stunting not only our minds (Mercury), but also our motivation and drive (Mars)
Now, this doesn’t mean that this vehicle will be a challenge for everyone. I had a friend who bought a boat, and every minute of it was a challenge to her. She sold the boat to someone she knew, and the next owner didn’t experience a single issue! For me at the moment, I bought the campervan, it had Mercury square Jupiter, square the moon, opposite Chiron, semisquare Vesta and conjunct the mid-heaven. It’s indecisive, distracted, insecure and unsure about its mission! Mercury is the one whom Jupiter sends into the underworld to negotiate Persephone’s return… so Mercury is doubly important! There is no room for indecision and hesitation for this task!
Mercury’s ability to negotiate with Pluto is very challenged in the campervan chart. Mars in the chart is in Scorpio and Square to Pluto. This is a strong Mars, because it’s in a sign it rules, but it’s challenged by Pluto, making negotiations with Pluto difficult and combustible.
Ultimately, the campervan is just the tool for the mission of self-growth and for my career ambitions (which are also ambitions that I hope will serve the world). And so my first lesson on the path… We have to be able to admit when our tools are not right for the job if we are going to be successful! Part of the return to a healthy mother (or grandmother) is that balance of wisdom, structure and loving limits that know when to say “no” in the service of nurturing and meeting our needs.
So my campervan experience has been a lesson in what needs to happen for the return of the balanced and fertile mother!
If you are planning group travel and want a customized astrological guidebook, check out my offering here. It can be a special gift for your participants, and it’s a great guide to help you plan activities!