Star Children: Hubris

Astrological Stories by Juri Viktor Stork

The other night at the evening meal, our 7-year-old daughter Rafaela asked: "Where are we when we are not?" Chewing intensely on a piece of salami, I tried to find a comprehensible answer. My wife Annina, who had reproached me recently for always having an answer to everything, looked at me sternly and said: "This is one of those very important questions that many people ask themselves." I grumbled: "And those who have found out won't be able to tell you." Of course, my wife is right. "Children need the question, not the answer," she said forcefully, "the question itself will lead them to the answer." Yes of course, I know that from my own experience. I love questions, they lead me directly to the answers, and sometimes I'm really surprised about the ones I find. Would you like to ask me something?

Some time ago, a client of mine asked me to work out a good birth time for her baby. She had to have a cesarian, and if that was unavoidable, she wanted at least to choose a time that was in harmony with the other family members. I hadn't done anything like this before, and was really interested what the outcome would be. So, I did the charts for the whole familiy and checked the constellations around the prognosticated date of birth. I really wanted to find a great horoscope. And - believe it or not - the best chart to fit into the family system was - the prognosticated date. The only thing I had to do now, was to inform my client about the inherent harmony of Mother Nature. I was annoyed about myself and my own thoughtlessness. Of course, I know that children don't just come into existence, but are conceived, grow in the womb for about 40 weeks, and are born whenever the time is right. We as human beings cannot influence which chart the child is going to choose for itself. But I had the fixed idea that I could find a perfect birth time! Isn't that called hubris, or in plain language "arrogance" or "presumptuousness"? Life seems to organise itself well enough without my interference, probably even better.

Yesterday I was looking for a particular text in our Astrodienst library, and while rummaging around, I came across one of the many astrological "cook books". Chance would have it that the book opened exactly at the page about "Planets in Sagittarius". In my own birth chart the Sun, Moon and Mercury are placed in that sign, and I don't want to leave you in doubt about what the author writes (about me?):

Mercury in Sagittarius
Is daily on the phone to God. Receives messages from all kinds of other sources regularly. Doesn't talk but preaches. Always says one word too many. Is never short of a clever question and always convinced of his own opinion. Only thinks intoxicating thoughts and only ones he believes to be his own...
(Markus Jehle, "When the Moon is in the seventh house..."
only in German: "Wenn der Mond im siebten Hause steht...")

Ouch. That hit. I just hope that my wife Annina will never see this story. I will spare you - and myself - the text for Sun and Moon in Sagittarius. So, what am I meant to do now, answer or be silent? And what would then become of my Star Children stories?

Ah, I just remembered something. I really want to know what this Markus Jehle writes about Annina's Mercury:

Mercury in Pisces
Communicates mainly telepathically. Looses herself in her boundless imagination and can't find her way back anymore. Can't distinguish her own thoughts from those of others, and calls this intuition... Perceives preferably dreams and inner images. Talks in order to create confusion.

Thank you, Markus Jehle. I have found myself again. Where are we when we are not? In case you want to know the answer, don't hesitate to ask me. Please.

The Child's Horoscope by Liz Greene