By Resti Santiago
The country woke up to a new reality in the middle week of April- when the news travelled that Community Pantries have spread all over the Philippines. At a time when unemployment was at all-time high and so was the number of Covid-19 cases in the Philippines, the bamboo rack filled with food , the modern incarnation of the bayanihan spirit, became a beacon of hope. It was viewed, not only as a way of helping alleviate hunger but it was also seen to have summoned the real spirit of the Filipinos. All thanks to Ana Patricia Non- who began the first community pantry on April 14.
As an astrologer, the first thing that came to mind was to guess Patreng’s Sun Sign. I thought it is Cancer because this is one of the signs that has a very caring nature. Cancer, ruled by the Moon, is also associated with food and food security. The Sun of modern Philippines is Cancer, so there might be a genuine connection between Non and that of her fellow citizens, especially those who are hungry. Apparently this is not the first time that she was involved in taking care of the needs of the downtrodden. She has been involved in numerous feeding programs before, a habit that may have begun when she was still a student at the University of the Philippines. The Cancerian connection fits.
However, after getting hold of her correct birth data, it turned out that her Sun sign is not Cancer at all. Real astrology is not guesswork nor fortune telling, hence a computed astrological chart is necessary. Astrology entails a thorough analysis of an astrological or natal chart, the map of the heavens at the exact time of one’s birth.
Her Sun Sign is Aquarius, an air sign that specializes in bringing people together. The “zodiac” are actually 12 signs, the “zoo” at the root word of the term means animal. Aquarius is among the signs whose symbol is that of a human being. Thus, an Aquarian has natural affinity with the masses in general.
Aquarius is also called the water-bearer. This is significant because we are now in the Era of Air, which officially began in December 22, 2020 during the grand conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the sign Aquarius. As the symbol suggests, Aquarius is pouring down energy to the masses.
So what does having Aquarius signature in the chart mean? It means two things, those with Aquarius highlights in their charts will be more prominent in the next two decades at least, and they will be called to do more for others. Aquarius is ruled by Saturn, the planet ruling the poor and the downtrodden. Those who have this signature in their charts are inclined to feel the needs of the people.
But of course, not all Aquarians will heed the call. After all, the signs are just indicators of what we are supposed to do. For individuals to take a more concrete action there must be a compelling reason or a strong force from within that one needs to respond to. And that brings us to the concept of life purpose. One of the ways that an astrologer can look into to see life purpose and life direction that can propel one to action to help others is by analyzing the Lot of Spirit, one of the most important factors used in Traditional or older systems of Astrology.
The Lot of Spirit (LOS) is one of the points in the astrological chart that has a relationship with the Ascendant sign. The LOS together with the Lot of Fortune (LOF) give us an inner look at the person’s life. Whereas, Lot of Fortune is related to one’s body and life circumstances (and even wealth) the Lot of Spirit is connected with one’s spiritual nature and its growth.
Non’s LOS, it turns out, is Cancer. My initial guess was right after all. She has a genuine connection with the Filipino people. Her chances of winning should she decide to run for public office is high.
The Moon, the ruler of Cancer, is in Sagittarius which is in the same sign as Jupiter and Venus, the two benefics. The words that made the community pantry more effective “Magbigay ayon sa iyong kakayahan, kumuha ayon sa iyong pangangailangan” stems from these two planets’ innate optimism. Patreng believes in the goodness of the human spirit and the bayanihan of the Filipinos. When- Jupiter is with Venus, blessings overflow. Her leadership made the community pantry a success.
What we have here is a union between one’s life and spirit working together to spread the message of love (Venus) and spirituality (Jupiter) for the service of those who are in need, the powerless and the hungry (Saturn).
According to Charles Obert, the Lots are like the focal points of life integration. By Non’s example we see that thru the community pantry, her no-nonsense Sun sign in Aquarius gets integrated with her Moon in optimistic Sagittarius and her down-to-earth earth sign Ascendant sign. By focusing on her Lot of Spirit, we see that she’s no Satan as some would have us believe.
More on this in Astro Year 2021, book 5 of Filipino Astrologer Auspicious Timing Guides.