Gauntlets of Growth
Uranus Sextiles and Risk-Taking Teens
While studying the charts of the Presley family, under Alex Trenoweth’s Rohini Academy last fall, I began to get more curious in the family patterns I was seeing. As I learned the details of the Presley biographies, I made separate posts early this year, one on Riley Keough in December, and another in January on Elvis’ 90th birthday. This past month, my research findings were published in an article on page 40 of the
Evolving Astrologer Magazine - September Issue on Family Dynamics
In the piece, I wanted to know three things:
How does the length of the period between the first Jupiter return and the final Saturn opposition during the early teen years ( a period I called “the gauntlet period,”) relate to a child’s ability to integrate the development and psychological demands of puberty?
Does having the Uranus sextile before the Jupiter sextile correlate with more troubling or risk-taking behaviors in adolescence?
What patterns emerge when you look across family generations?
I wondered what the charts would show.
What I Learned
In the Presley family, the three main individuals who struggled most with addiction as a form of risk-taking behavior were Elvis himself, Lisa Marie, and her son, Ben. All had very short gauntlet periods. They also experienced the Uranus sextile before the Jupiter sextile. So this made me wonder, when a person has a short gauntlet period, does such a short window make it more difficult to integrate the psychological demands of puberty?
I decided to look at another famous family, the Huston family of Hollywood film director John Huston, and his daughter, the actress, Angelica Huston. It seemed to show the same pattern. In some ways, the rebellious streak was even more pronounced. The study made me more curious about everyday, non-famous people as well. It would be an easy question to ask in a reading, “How were you as a teenager? Did you have a difficult teen period?” Then, look at the Uranus and Jupiter transits and the timing within the gauntlet window, as well as the length of the gauntlet window to see whether it confirms or denies that notion. For that matter, I wonder if looking at this phase of life as a hologram for basic questions of identity might be useful.
What’s Next?
Since the summer, I have been contemplating my next steps with this inquiry, and whether or not I want to carry forward with this line of research given the risks it could pose to me professionally as a teacher. Then there is also the question of how to carry it forward from a strategic or practical standpoint, which I have only begun to grapple with.
Meanwhile Charlie Kirk’s assassination happened, creating a very big pause. The following week, teachers in the previous district I used to be employed with were fired for posting political comments. That definitely made me more concerned and cautious than ever about what I do and don’t say in writing, both online and offline, not that I would ever “celebrate” someone’s death. We should all be concerned about any and every political attack, no matter the party affiliation.
I also see my own self-censorship too, due to fear of my spiritual views coming under question in my larger community, or the fear of external powers censoring me because I study the stars both astronomically and astrologically and have a spiritual worldview that encompasses the study of both of these. This time period has been my own gauntlet of growth, as I find my own voice in the astrology community, while remaining true to myself, and integrating it into my public life as a teacher and community member.