Hi, Elsa.
I find that as I get older, I need to see transits in a new way. So much goal setting, forward thinking, and need to direct myself, in my younger years, and astrology guided me. Now, in semi-retirement and elder years, I wonder about the meanings of transits at THIS life stage…and what to learn and grow into. How does astrology help me NOW? My goals are smaller, more personal, not so outward. I want to write the novel, the poetry, I want to learn to watercolor better. I want to travel some, but my physical energies are wobbly sometimes (loss of stamina!)
How do we best use astrology as we get older!?? I do not have the same lofty goals that my Capricorn Moon pushed me towards, back then…
Madeline in Arizona
Hi, Madeline.
I had to think about this; I’ve concluded it’s a trick question of sorts. I think astrology is the static part of the equation here. What’s changed or what’s changing is your goals, your views on things, your tastes, your methods or whatever.
As a real example, let’s say you’ve got a Mars Jupiter aspect. You opt to use it. At one age, you may run, twenty miles. At another, you may walk one mile? If you have no legs or if you’re unable to use them, you might push yourself in another way.
You mentioned “learning and growing into to”. Being an old person is something you need to learn to do and grow into it. It’s not really different than learning and becoming an adult, other than you are becoming an older adult at this point. But the challenges are equivalent.
I see these life changes as if you’re stepping into your new shoes. You leave your old ones at the door and generally, it’s relieving to do so.
It sounds like you’re grappling, less with astrology, and more with the fact your time is getting shorter. It sounds like you want to prioritize your goals, which is on point. Part of this is to take your physical limitations into account.
For example, I really like to garden. Should I have a huge garden, like I done for years, but which pains me at this point? Or should I have a small garden, protecting my assets so I can keep a garden longer?
Basically, you plotted your way up the hill. Now let’s plot our way down. Astrology helps in either case.
Good luck!
An elegant response Elsa!…Astrology doesn’t repeal the laws of Nature, and “a man’s gotta know his limitations” as he or she gets older..We all face this fact…
I too have often thought about astrology ( especially transits and progressions) from a Senior’s point of view. Like, I have transiting Pluto conjunct MH (0 degrees Aquarius). I’m retired, so no career. Everything I read talks about career. I’m concerned bc I have 4 planets in Scorpio that will get squared by transiting Pluto in Aquarius and Asc in Taurus along Pluto conjunct Mars in Aquarius w Pluto/Pluto opposition (if I live that long). Actually, there’s a grand square. Ugh! So how could ll if this get interpreted ?
In addition to Elsa’s thoughts, we have to remember we also have had EXPERIENCE with many of the transits and energies, since we are elders now and have been through many cycles..(been round the block a few times??) – even if a Pluto cycle is “new” we do have experience with the “challenging “ aspects of Saturn and squares and oppositions, and sometimes other harsh /powerful transits that upending our lives as we knew them..Soo.. I like to review what I did “last time” and perhaps gain some perspective on how I can best use the up coming transits.. but as I mentioned, in elderhood, our goals and dreams are soo different (most of us..) and so, there is possibility of whole new ways of expressing ourselves, and dealing with the energies.. and sometimes, it is simply not as dynamic EXTERNALLY as it was when we were younger.. more internal..I find that I am very drawn to expressing my intense emotions through haiku and art, whereas as a young woman it had to be romance,roses, and some drama.. I skip the drama now (roses and romance are still welcome, but I have a much larger repertoire of expression for my Cancerian,Pisces, and chaotic aspects of my natal chart..plus I have seen consequences of how I express..and some experiences,I wish to NOT repeat..) So.. we always have choices! Those choices change a lot as we age, of course.Elsa’s focus on our reaction and expression is right on ! the planets come and go and come and go…
What an enlightening response.. it certainly does resonate.. you’re right, it isn’t the astrology that’s changing, it’s ME.. I see the path a lot more clearly from this perspective. I think, as a lifetime over-achiever, I will always have trouble “letting go” of being so “busy” “Productive” etc..although,from this new perspective,I still AM those things (my natal aspects do not change!) but I will need to express them with age and time and energy in the equation.Thanks so much for this! It adjusts my viewpoint a lot!!
Thanks for the question Madeline.
Thanks for your response Elsa. Rights of passage at the second half of life aren’t common in 2023; astrology and the writing of Angeles Arrien (The Eight Gates …) help me. ✌️🌈
Hi Madeline,
I too, have the moon in Capricorn and I have found that to be a somewhat singular blessing as I have gotten older. Although we moon/Cap souls seem to have been born “tiny adults” in some ways, we also appear to have been given the gift of aging in reverse. It’s only now,in my later years that I have finally found the freedom to play, for instance. I no longer have to fulfil other peoples (or societal) expectations of what my activities “should” produce. Or if they should produce anything at all! Enjoying life (finally) seems to be job one. Just one persons experience. Good luck on your own journey :0)
I find myself wishing that I could find an astrologer who actually understands the pace of an elder’s life and also empathizes with the unique questions and concerns of the elder years. No glib reassurances will do.
Oh! I’m glad you mentioned this.
I meant to touch on security issues and finance. Oops.
Security. Internal or external? Many ways in astrology to read this. Financial, sometimes, but we also experience life in spiritual, social, family, creative and personal changing contexts. Where does astrology speak to the evolving soul as it enters and occupies the powerful but socially invisible last few decades of internal assessment and growth. How will astrology include us elders into the context of seekers? I keep scanning for signs of wisdom and depth that honors and illuminates all the later concerns in life.
I COUNT on my Moon in Cap.With a lot of water in my chart it grounds me.Now, in opposition to Moon and square my Saturn and Neptune, and opposite my Uranus,well, let’s just say my Mother was pretty much absent from my life and my father abandoned us early on.My grandmother was my “person” thank goodness!! In my practice of astrology with others I have noted capricorns tend to be “born old” and get younger as they age, for certain. I am also Pisces rising which is kind of amorphous.. I don’t have wrinkles, I dress in colorful clothes, love my jewelery, I THINK I appear younger than my years.. (who knows..) and overall my health is better than a lot of 70 year olds I know.. I am very young at heart,I travel on my own, take (light) adventures, I keep up with the news, the younger generations, and with tech, I am not headed for a rocking chair!! But I think that Moon in Cap is one of the placements that prods me to constantly wonder if I am “doing” enough, “being” enough, being “productive..” and, as I age, I am not holding up those values anymore, I actually am relieved to be retired from a nursing career and even from astrology, not interested in helping people solve their problems so much anymore.. a good day is when I can finish that murder mystery I am reading,take the online astrology class I signed up for, and do some watercolor, oh and get a yummy dinner on t he table for me and husband. Physically,I am slowing down some and have to make adjustments in what I do (like Elsa’s gardening ..) not sick,, just slower..can’t hike the BOIG mountains anymore but I can still do the small trails with my husband. Elsa’s perspective helps me with mine.. it’s not the planets/transits, it’s how I use the energies…
“…not interested in helping people solve their problems so much any more” – love this! I relate to your age and state. Even if I had the interest or energy, it’s taken years to realize the greater gift is accepting people as they are. And when this is too challenging, make the encounter brief as well as pleasant.
Thanks Elsa, and everyone! Elsa’s response is excellent.
Thank you for addressing this topic 🙂
The older and younger baby boomers are a large part of the population and are thriving and contemplating their lives and their spiritual growth. This is especially true as life is evolving in uncommon ways. Astrology guidance and interpretation to include this populations perspectives can be so useful in our world today.
This is so interesting to think about. I too am a retired elder (66) and that seems young now a days but being this age and retired (for now), since stopping work, commuting everyday, having had a physical job, I am grateful to slow down. I don’t pay attention to my chart as a whole as much as transits and what they show is everything I am going through is reflected in that. Daily Horoscopes saying “ use this energy to get things done, see that project through and use social connections to boost your productivity etc” don’t hold any water for me anymore but if I am going grocery shopping and have other errands, I’ll be mindful I might feel pushed to get it all done stat! Especially this time of year! I don’t even read love horoscopes much anymore except out of curiosity rather than looking for the next flurry of romantic periods in hopes it will bring some romance into my life. Romance has taken on an entirely different hue now. Thanks at Madeline for bringing this up!
Fascinating and timely. I hope Elsa mines this rich vein in the future.
I am also at this tipping point (wear bright clothes, pay with cash, enjoy bold jewelry and am told I appear much younger than 68), but heads up to Madeline, bright colors and jewelry are a total Neptune in Libra/Pluto in Leo giveaway! Have you SEEN young people? There is a dedication to dark neutrals and oversized androgyny (and huge TATTOOS!)
I think wearing bright clothes just makes us *feel* young (1968, anyone?), and since many Olders have a shit attitude, our feelings are making the difference.
I also have Pisces Rising and i tend to wear my emotions! I mean literally!! My hair dresser knows I am depressed if I show up for an appointment without my necklaces on..
Send the questions and I will work on it. 🙂
I Loved all these wonderful comments on the subject raised !!!!!
Thank you Elsa, as always.
This New Moon convo in Sag is just delicious. Boomer here, vintage ’46, bleeding edge all my life. Reading this fab thread I kept thinking, Saturn, we’re VERY familiar with Saturn by now. I think those echos are important as mentioned similar above. And those of us I call the OPPs, Outer Planet People, who experience the massive outer transits and ingresses upfront and personal. Not everyone does, rather, getting caught up in the drift and Neptune in Pisces has turned the drift into flooding, literal and everyotherwise. There are a million stories. Some of the best are the clips you all share. Dear Elsa, you perform a unique service and I love you for it. You are AMAZING!!! Thank you!
Great thread. I’m embarking on a journey. It will either be a last hurrah or the start of something ongoing. All I know is I can’t sit inside waiting to die, watching too much TV, spending too much time online, not being able to see and do things. I have to get out there, no matter what it means. I say that as a 70+ year old with health problems. So what if something happens “out there”? If I die or get injured it will be during doing something I love rather than just fading away.
I do like the questions “How does astrology relate to us, as elders? What does it mean for US now?”
I hear ya! I am 70. I am basically healthy but have had a couple of musculoskeletal issues that made walking difficult for a bit of time (wow that scared me!) and also some other pains that slowed me down a little.Made me wake up and see if I have places to go and things to see,well, the clock is ticking.I don’t say this in a fatalistic way, but really, it’s just time. So I have this awesome retreat to Guatemala booked for February.. I did not read the travel advisories for the area before booking and I am a little nervous , but hey! Now or never!! I figure , like you,if it’s my time it’s my time.If I die by a lake in Guatemala I will go with a smile on my face. But I suspect I have more time ahead to enjoy more adventures..I bet you do too!
I agree. Sitting around doesn’t help musculoskeletal issues get any better. No, they get worse. There WAS a time when I was accepting/resigned and thought I would be OK with it, but then it went on for too long. 😉
I also love Elsa’s answer:It ‘s really the other way around.. how do WE, as elders,relate to the astrology!?? The energies of the planets and aspects are the same. .it is WE who come to the transits with different perspectives,different goals, different abilities, as we grow older..it changes this topic up for me big time to see it that way..sometimes we need the obvious to be pointed out to us!!!!
https://www.amazon.com/Astrology-Third-Life-Elizabeth-Spring-ebook/dp/B07K6YWPZ9
That’s a link to a good book on this topic by Elizabeth Spring,another astrologer I admire. I forgot I had this book on my kindle..I bought it a long time ago when I though 65 was “elder” and now I am 70– even more elder than before, lol.. will be rereading. And I count on Elsa’s daily blogs to keep me current with her no nonsense information and wisdom!
(Hope this is ok to share here..)
Yes, it is truth of life stuff, isn’t it–getting older. I will be who l am, and do what l can … until l can’t.
l am not clear on my role, but l am getting there.Eg talking to young parents and saying things like: you are doing a brilliant job. And they are! l got to nurse my new little neighbour. Made me happy all day. I want to support our young people too by engaging…they need to be heard and supported esp. now.
My niece and nephew wanted to buy me a Christmas present: l said: a card, please, with ‘IOU a favour’. No money spent. Perect. l cant get up on a ladder safely these days…but it is not just about that, l will get to see them…spend time.
Both grandmothers’s had large gardens that they managed into their 70s…80s. They had extra gardening help as required. I am glad l let the community gardens go…they are still having their issues. (More gardening less talk would be a good thing).
I dont know about your garden lay out Elsa, but my small garden here is enough work for me. l was not pleased with certain crops this year so will leave two bed fallow and grow a green crop. l do a small garden job most days. The seasons demand certain things too and l like that, it weaves me in…
l have been re reading ‘Saturn in Transit’ by Erin Sullivan too. l like her take esp. about the expressions of Saturn and ‘tragic flaws’. It describes mine (Saturn Capricorn) beautifully. Still a work in progress.
‘Expressions of Saturn’= (her chapter) Astrology and rites of passage’…all about the interior world and inner voice.
Erin, RIP just the other day!
Thanks for letting me know Astromama.