Another shot from my visit to Edinburgh Castle last week, the school stands on the same street I now live on, Lauriston Place.
The foundation stone was laid on “1 July 1628” (and finished 1659). Construction was overseen by master mason to the crown William Wallace, after whose death in October 1631 the work was carried on by his assistant and successor William Aytoun. A prodigy of Scots Renaissance architecture the school is Scotland's leading independent school. Although the central tower of the north façade, wasn't completed until 1693, as you can see from my pictures it bares original date the school was established, and the initials of it's benefactor, George Herriot, a goldsmith to King James VI.
When he died in 1624, he left the sum of £23,625.10.3d to "the Proveist Baillies Ministeris and ordinarie Counsell of and for the tyme being of the Towne of Edinburgh for and towardis the funding the erecting of ane hospittill within the said Towne of Edinburgh in perpetuitie and for and twoardis the purchasing of certaine landis in perpetuitite to belong vnto the said hospittill to be imployit for the maintenance releif bringing vp and educatiowne of Puire fatherless bairnes friemens sones of that Towne of Edinburgh".
The tradition which continues today and which has been extended to include the education of motherless children, although the vast majority of the bairns schooled here will be fee paying pupils.
it was my birthday yesterday: predicting my 23rd year based on my solar return chart
i think this is fun to do, so feel free to comment or reblog what you think will happen this year to me based on my chart, while i make my own predictions for my solar return chart. feel free to treat this as a solar return observation post! perhaps next year i will come back and see if my predictions were correct!
first things first i have to point out this is a 2023/2024 chart i always get funny looks for this but hi i turned 23 on october 27th, 2023 (this year my solar return starts the 28th because of the eclipse - i suspect) why would i look at a 2024 solar return that takes place october 27th, 2024 - i would be 24 then? so from this point on EVEN WHEN WE ARE IN 2024 i will be referring to the 2023 chart for the solar return year. make sure you verify your stuff before looking at your solars.
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1H IN LIBRA AT 12° (contains: scorpio sun and narcissus (37117))
prediction: there is likely to be a relational focus this year and with venus (the house ruler) in the 12h it is likely to be with myself (what us my relationship with my self? how can i better treat myself? etc). my diplomacy skills are likely not going to be the best as i look at the 10h/11h, what is sitting in those houses, and that pisces degree on my 1h... with my scorpio sun present in the house, it is likely that it will be obvious that i trust no one this year (people may suspect that i only trust myself - they could feel as though i look down on them or think little of them). my sun is opposite my moon so i might feel a bit disconnected from myself... with my sun in the 1h, i will likely have a super intense vibe (not that i don't already) but in a way that seems like magnetism because it is a libra 1h? like drawing others in? i do feel like this year is going to be the sort where i am discovering who i am and who i want to be (i just have to make sure it doesn't get out of hand with the sun and narcissus (especially with his conjunction to my sun, mercury, and mars) present).
2H IN SCORPIO AT 9° (contains: scorpio mercury, mars, and kassandra (114) AND sagittarius educatio (2440) and pythia (432))
prediction: what an interesting mix of stuff i have here... money makes the world go round this year i guess. my mercury is at 9° and my mars is at 11° - can i just cry a little...? bro wtf is bitcoin and why do i feel like i am gonna get into the world of online investing...? the coupling of these two planets (especially mars as the 2h ruler) makes me feel as though i will be making money and spending it or moving it relatively quick so that i can't use it? i say "i can't use it" because my mars opposes jupiter which makes me think of compounding interest like a CD... anywho, i am a money wizard? i have kassandra and pythia here, so i feel like i will probably make investments and use my money in unexpected ways (kassandra makes me think of emergency funds OR bad financial contracts though). i also have educatio here so at least i will be learning more about financial literacy plus i do think with mercury i will be extremely interested in learning more about finances. and with mars... it might just become a new passion of mine... aside from money, while i am likely to continue a lot of giving and receiving of knowledge this next year on social media (mercury things), there is a danger to the realm of social media... ESPECIALLY with mars present and both mercury and mars conjunct my sun then all three opposing jupiter... my self worth could take a hit which i do not look forward to.
3H IN SAGITTARIUS AT 10° (contains: sagittarius ambrosia (193), asclepius (4581), cupido (763), jormungandr (471926) rx, lev tolstoj (2810), and zeus (5731) AND capricorn aphrodite (1388) and chekhov (2369))
prediction: sagittarius and 10° for the 3h is giving "it's all fun and games until someone says/mentions ____". i have to be mindful of my mouth because while i am likely to make people feel alive with my words given ambrosia and asclepius in this house, i also have chekhov (where you want simplicity but receive drama), aphrodite, and jormungandr (where people try to end you - aka getting socially outcasted/cancelled) in the 3h... but lev tolstoj is here too so whatever i am saying that offends others or makes them mad is facts even though there is drama/gossip involved when i do say these things... the dangers of social media part 2? i feel like it may be romantic drama because zeus (i am not a zeus person because there are no aspects to the sun or asc - only a square is made from this asteroid to my venus), cupido, and aphrodite (and for aphrodite there are no aspects made to my inner planets this solar return - so it is definitely not me doing something sus like cheating) are here in the house too. i do have my suspicions as to what is happening already... and oh shiiii will it hurt because 10° is always a bit painful in my opinion. especially with the house ruler in the 8h... it just looks like emotional damage...
4H IN CAPRICORN AT 14° (contains: capricorn pluto, balder (4059), and bellerophon (1808)
prediction: a lot of my astro friends who see this chart are like "oh are you moving?" and i am like ABSOLUTELY NOT. like i literally just moved so no. unfortunately (i hate to be this person) i do believe a beloved family member (4h balder conjunct pluto and square moon) will be passing this year. even more unfortunate - i do not think it will be an easy death with bellerophon present because he was thrown from pegasus... and not to be super disgusting, but i do believe i will inherit something expensive and very material given the earthy grand trine formed by pluto, venus, and uranus. that being said i feel like i might neglect my mental health because pluto squares my moon - i might stopping going to therapy (currently i see a therapist regarding my childhood ptsd). i might regress into people pleasing behaviors because it is all that i will be able to control if someone in my family passes... which is not the healthiest for me.
5H IN AQUARIUS AT 17° (contains: pisces saturn, amor (1221) rx, and karma (3811))
prediction: this seems like a good mix for me achieving something big with writing/blogging. especially because saturn is the traditional ruler of aquarius and capricorn (which is home - the work i do from home, a side hustle). my outlook for romance is not too good with amor in retrograde in this house nor with freedom loving aquarius ruling this house. not to mention i feel like the world will be showing me something that will cause me to have a grudge against love (saturn) and karma will be dished out. this could also be a sign that my childhood trauma could be triggered again with saturn in the 5h too (great).
6H IN PISCES AT 17° (contains: pisces neptune rx, AND aries heracles (5143) rx and salacia (120347) rx)
prediction: i appreciate the that neptune is retrograde in this pisces house... last thing i wanted was for my health, routine, or hygiene to be confusing/frustrating, avoided, or to constantly be behind / running late / neglected. so this is fine by me. i might be obsessive with scheduling, health, and hygiene because jupiter (this house's other ruler) is in the 8h. it seems like the job hunt is at a standstill with heracles in retrograde - instead, i might get one great option that i take and stick to with given salacia in retrograde.
7H IN ARIES AT 12° (contains: aries nn, chiron rx, part of fortune, pandora (55) rx, and signe (459) rx AND taurus moon and vertex)
prediction: it's a toss up as to what all this could mean. i could find myself in a very emotionally charged connection (this is the eclipse moon after all) - with chiron rx it could be the healing of past wounds. the combination of vertex, part of fortune, and north node dictates that any relationship/partnership i find myself in could be extremely significant. with pandora here i feel like it might be unexpected where this relationship will come from. WITH SIGNE HERE i feel like some people may look down on who i this person is...
8H IN TAURUS AT 9° (contains: taurus jupiter rx and uranus rx)
prediction: oof not my 8h ruler in the 12h - what's that screaming i hear lol? maybe i will be afraid of change - i mean that because of the 12h venus and jupiter retrograde... the combination doesn't really express embracing change and the unknown, you know? the uranus retrograde makes me think i will be moving away from shared finances and working on managing my own money. i definitely believe it is for the best that i keep my opportunities to myself... i don't get the sense people will be supportive of my wins - i more so sense the envy of others from this house. i don't think i will be shocked by my successes, but i feel like others will not see it coming...
9H IN GEMINI AT 10° (contains: gemini midas (1981) AND cancer arachne (407) and odysseus (1143))
prediction: mmmm the contemplation to go back to school is real this coming year. it's weird because it might not be for my MFA? like the 9h midas sextile chiron is giving paralegal? nursing? idk but it's not feeling literary oriented... especially with cancer arachne present, i feel like that is nursing/medical-esque... alternatively, midas can be extreme change then add in odysseus, the traveler - i could be going on a trip that changes my life entirely.
10H IN CANCER AT 14° (contains: cancer ajax (1404), hannibal (2152), and loke (4862) AND leo agamemnon (911) and arthur (2597))
prediction: it's a REAL toss up how this house will manifest. i feel like sometimes people will love me and find my presence comforting and other times they will hate me and be annoyed by me. this is thanks to the moon ruler in the 7h... and ajax (who squares my chiron)... and agamemnon (who squares my moon)... i say ajax because i think of my 3h this year - i am falling on my own sword in that regard for sure because not everyone will like what i have to say especially when it is likely to be true (3h sag is starting to remind me of a verbal burn). while people are likely to look up to me (10h arthur AND hannibal) or be forced to - because of my status, they are likely to despise me for what i say/said (7h moon AND mercury and jupiter (3h ruler) square arthur). meanwhile, it might not even be me who is the problem i just look like the bad guy for making it more apparent like loki (10h loke).
11H IN LEO AT 17° (contains: leo charybdis (388), helena (101), and hestia (46) AND virgo beowulf (38086), juno (3), lacrimosa (208), and silentium (2710))
prediction: i feel like my popularity is going to be a thing / where i am on the social status food chain (high up). but i don't believe i can trust anyone this year... i feel like i am likely to reach big social media milestones with beowulf in this house (and this house being in leo at 17°) - social media might even take over my life a little bit (11h charybis). i do feel like friendships will be very love hate with juno and hestia here - i am likely to be a moderator of sorts but with helena here i feel like someone is going to accuse me of being disloyal because of how i am likely to moderate without bias. i might find myself truly alone again this year because of it (11h lacrimosa and silentium).
12H IN VIRGO AT 17° (contains: virgo venus)
prediction: greatttt i thought we were passed this but i guess not.... looks like i still need to work on my self esteem... intuitively, i don't sense social media is going to be kind to me, and i really hope that doesn't mean here. like i am okay if it is instagram (that app is dying anyway) but like here and tiktok are my favorite apps to be in. when bullying is involved though and it is consistent, there is a limitation to that favoritism in which it becomes apprehension to stay for something like a social media in comparison to showing up for myself. there could also be delusions in romance with this set up - i could experience over thinking in a romantic connections with that 12h virgo venus too. karmic relationships are highly probable with this placement too. OR it could be an ex becoming an enemy too (unknown enemies my a$$)...
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Foam sits at the top of the waves, cresting noisily onto shore.
He watches it break on the rocks of the beach. It’s a short-term wreckage, how the rocks break the water apart, destroying its shape and sending it back to the ocean. In the long run, it’s the rocks that will be ruined, crumbling apart into pieces.
Digging his hands into the very ground he’s sitting on, he comes up with a fistful of pebbles, worn smooth by their constant, unwinnable fight. The feel of them in his hands, sun-warm and slip-sliding against each other, is as calming as it is unsettling.
It’s a struggle to stand, the stones giving way beneath his hands and feet as he tries.
Just his sea legs coming in, he reminds himself.
A sailor’s lot is to be unsteady wherever he goes. To stagger on land, joints jarred by the lack of give, and to stumble at sea, unable to predict each new rock of the boat.
“You’ll have to come closer,” she says.
Above the waves, her hair is limp, clinging to the sides of her face, streaming water down her back like hanks of loose kelp.
“I will,” he says. “When it’s time.”
“If you wait too long, your feet will vanish and you’ll be flopping around on land like a beached whale,” she points out.
The thought makes his knees buckle for an instant, or perhaps that’s the sea legs.
He won’t have feet.
He’s had feet his whole life.
He wiggles his toes.
On his last ship, the quartermaster had had a peg leg, and after enough to drink, he had talked at length about how he could still feel his left toes sometimes even though he knew they weren’t there.
“Come here,” she says.
He comes closer.
The water laps at his bare feet. It isn’t cold. It’s March. It should be.
He looks down.
Scales crawl up the lines of his feet, protecting him from the cold.
“You hadn’t thought about losing something yet,” she says.
Where her hair meets the water, it comes alive, beautiful. He thinks of her, forever on land, limp hair dragging behind her, forever not seen as she was meant to be seen.
“I’m also gaining something,” he points out.
The scales are creeping up his legs now. Before, goosebumps marred the lines of his calves, now, they turn to shimmers in blue and green and grey.
She smiles, and the sharp points of her teeth glimmer in the fading sunlight. Throwing herself onto her back, she swims back, the reds and blacks of her tail just barely visible through the water.
He follows, as he always has.
The rocks under the water are slippery with algae, and at first he thinks he’s fallen when his feet no longer find purchase, spluttering in the salt water, thrashing with all his limbs.
He comes up, gasping for air, to the realization that his legs no longer move independently of each other. The panic that grips him at the realization is so harsh, so intense, that he sinks below the waves again, struggling, ungainly.
The tail catches on the rocks, startling up tiny schools of fish to swirl around him.
They fear him now, he realizes.
Before, they would swim around him, past him, as if he wasn’t even there.
Now, they can’t get away fast enough.
His lungs burn. He needs to reach the surface, but he doesn’t know how to move his legs—his tail. Bright spots dance before his eyes. She appears before them, swimming circles around him, laughing, singing—the sound of her voice, it always drew him in, and here he is, drowning, trapped.
She swims ever closer, her mouth open wide, and as her sharp teeth sink down upon his helpless neck, he’s sure this is how he dies.
When his eyes blink open again, he can see for miles.
He was sure the water was murky and dark, before, that the salt was crusting in his eyelashes, that it hurt to see down here.
At his neck, his gills flutter, and water rushes through them.
He’s going to drown.
He needs to reach the surface.
His tail kicks out, two meters long, more power than he’s ever had in his life, and he shoots up through the water, through the air, but when he tries to breath it in, he chokes.
He hits the water’s surface again with a slap.
Under water, his eyes, his nose, gone flat and angular against his face, his gills, they all work. He runs his tongue across his teeth and winces in pain as their sharp points cut him.
He looks down at himself.
You hadn’t thought about losing something, he thinks.
She swims past him. The powerful, muscular flick of her tail sends him spinning through the water currents. Her hair is alive, a trail of serpents behind her, her chest bare.
The sound of her voice as she sings is just the same, deep and rich drawing him ever forwards.
She turns to look back at him and her eyes glow in the dark of the water.
His own, he knows, glow back.
Tentatively this time, he moves his tail, lets its motion propel him forward.
Fish flee before him.
So will sailors.
He draws even with her and she smiles, sharp, predatory. She flips around and sets off through the water, away from the home of the man he left behind on shore.
Her voice trails behind her, lighting the way down.
