WATER ELEMENT

The Water Signs are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.

The element of Water is associated with emotions, intuition, premonitions, empathy, artistic talents, spirituality and human relations.

The individuals with predominant element of Water in their birth charts are very sensitive and vulnerable introverts. They have a great memory, especially for emotions, so they never forget the hurt they suffered many years ago. Constant reminiscences of old wounds make life difficult for them, however the relationships with others are crucial form them because they can't live alone. Quite often, they talk about old traumas or insults they have suffered many years ago. People with strong element of Water in their natal charts feel comfortable in small groups of close and reliable friends. Before they trust anyone, first they carefully watch that person and only when they recognize that he/she is not threatening their safety, they are able to make a closer acquaintance. The individuals with heavy Water element don't like big parties where there is a lot of people and the topics discussed are very superficial. They only look for deep, sincere and long-lasting friendships. They are very loyal to their friends and are ready to help them anytime, no matter the circumstances. These people are often interested in psychology, spiritual growth and thanks to their great intuition, they can easily read the emotions of other people. They are excellent advisers who are eager to help solve difficult issues, especially the emotional ones. Giving good advice sometimes goes into excessive interference in others' lives. 

Love is very important for them. They want to experience great and unique emotions. Their relationships must be magical in some way, otherwise they don't feel loved. People with strong element of Water will only start relationship with a partner with whom they have a strong spiritual bond, e.g. they feel that they were once lovers in previous incarnations and in this life they meet again to solve unfinished matters from the past lives. Because of their great sensitivity, they prefer to express their deep emotions through art, not verbally, so many of them become recognized artists. They often absorb emotions from the environment, which is not always good for them. They should use different techniques of cleansing from negative energies. The space in which they spend their time, such as an apartment or work place, should be harmonious. They sense the atmosphere and energy of places and feel bad when the elements of the decor don't match. They do well in such professions as psychologist, card reader or psychic.

When the natal chart lacks the element of Water, its owner is not sentimental, doesn't pay much attention to his/her own feelings nor the emotions of their friends or family members. These individuals often hurt their loved ones as they are not always aware that some of their behaviour is unpleasant to others. They only trust their common sense and firmly reject any flash of intuition. People with the deficiency of Water element are not emotionally attached to others, so they don't need to create relationships. They may well be alone and don't feel bad about it. They easily change the circle of friends and find new ones but their friendships are superficial. Love is not important for them, so they start a serious relationship or family quite late, if they decide to take this step at all. Raising children seems very boring for them and they are not patient so often they look for various excuses to avoid spending time with their children. In the young age, they are anxious to become independent. When they grow up, their contacts with parents or siblings are rare. They don't remember the old traumas or failures from the past, so painful events leave no trace in their psyche. Even after experiencing a severe failure, they quickly recover. A good idea of compensating for a shortage of the element of Water is swimming, doing water sports and drinking plenty of water. 

How to calculate the amount of each element in your natal chart?

The amount of modes and elements is determined by the positions of the planets in the signs of the Zodiac but some planets have more influence on the amount of modes and elements than others. It's easy to count how much of each mode or element we have in our chart. The most important components of our chart which give the biggest amount of the certain element or mode are the Sun, the Moon and the Ascendant. You can give 5 points for each of them. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are also important, so you can give 3 points for each of that planet. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are less important, so you give only one point for each of them. Then you count all the points for each mode and element. If your score is from 0 to 5 points, that means that this element or mode is missing in your chart. If your score is from 6 to 10 points then you have a good balance of that particular element or mode. If your score is above 11, you have an excess of some element or mode.

WINTERSUN IS COMING - part II

In the second part of this article (you can find the first part here) I would like to present the mutual aspects of planets in the natal charts of each Wintersun member. It's very interesting to observe how many important aspects we can find when we compare their natal charts. It explains why the band didn't split up despite the fact they had to struggle with obstacles for many years. As I didn't want to bore anyone with too many details, I chose only the most important aspects but I encourage you to analyse the birth charts of Wintersun members and surely you will find more curiosities.

In Jari Mäenpää's natal chart Venus, the planet of artistic expression is placed in Sagittarius and conjuncts Neptune. This is the reason why Jari's music is so epic and magical at the same time. The average song of Wintersun is approximately 12 minute long. The arrangements are very complex and they include a strong influence of oriental traditional music. This is another manifestation of Venus in Sagittarius as this sign is related to foreign cultures and majestic projects. As Jari is an excellent guitarist and a very talented and ambitious composer, he writes songs which are very difficult to play for other musicians. Recording and producing the whole albums is very easy for him and he can do everything on his own, but he cannot play his music alone at the concerts. He found very gifted musicians to help him create a band. It must have been difficult to find the right people who would understand his way of making music, share his true vision and be able to play his complex songs during the concerts. The first person who joined Jari was the drummer, Kai Hahto and later Jari found a bassist, Jukka Koskinen and a young guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari. Early this year, Asim Searah, another guitarist joined the band as Jari decided to concentrate entirely on singing during the concerts. Let's take a look at the natal charts of the Wintersun's members and see who are the people ready to play Jari's songs. 

Kai Hahto, 31.12.1973, Vaasa, Finland   data rating X (time unknown)

photo by Jari Mäenpää    www.facebook.com/jariwintersun

Kai Hahto has got the Sun and Mercury in Capricorn opposing Saturn in Cancer and squaring Pluto in Libra, revealing that Kai is a hard working person who treats his job very seriously. He probably is a perfectionist who is extremely determined to achieve his goals. He is also very professional and ambitious. Usually Capricorns are very patient and they can wait for success. Struggling with obstacles and endless waiting for something big is normal for them. They know that the right time will come and will reward them for all the effort they put in their job. In the meantime they work hard for their future success. Kai played drums on the debut album of Wintersun and on Time I and he could understand Jari's vision of making music very well. It was not easy as Jari's songs are very complex and yet he succeeded. He must be extremely talented as he has a Venus/Jupiter conjunction. This aspect in the natal charts indicates a huge artistic talent and also gives the opportunity to earn money on your skills. It's worth mentioning that Kai toured with other bands, e.g. Nightwish during the time when Jari Mäenpää was struggling with producing the next album (which took years). The conjunction between Jari's Sun and Kai's Sun and Mercury is very good for both of them, as they understand each other perfectly and have the same approach towards work. Kai's Jupiter and Venus in Aquarius oppose Jari's Mars in Leo which is also a very good combination. Thanks to Kai's great talent and skills, Jari can develop his ambitious ideas. Unfortunately, Kai is not touring with the band right now as he is recovering from an injury. Wintersun found another drummers who replace Kai during this tour.
 

Teemu Mäntysaari, 7.01.1987, Tampere, Finland    data rating X (time unknown)

 http://venia-mag.net/galerija/thumbnails.php?album=522

Teemu Mäntysaari has also the Sun and Mercury in Capricorn, just like Kai. He must be very patient, responsible, hard working and ambitious, too. Neptune conjunctions with Mercury and the Sun show that Teemu has a huge artistic talent and inspiration. The individuals with strong influence of Neptune in their birth charts are able to create extraordinary art works thanks to their ability to transform their visions to reality. They are also very intuitive and feel the energy of other people, even if they don't want to. Neptune, the planet of illusions, dreams, mysteries and artistic inspiration, dissolves all kinds of boundaries, including these between people. It's not surprising that Teemu is able to feel Jari's visions and ideas so easily and helps him make them real. We can find strong influence of Neptune in the natal charts of actors, models, photographers or films directors as these people can create a perfect illusion of something which is very ordinary. Most of them have a magical charm, even if they look quite normal. Their appearance is amazing on photos, in films or when they are on stage. Teemu looks like a normal guy, but when he is on stage, he seems to be a different person. During the concerts he looks very magical with his long, flowing hair. Teemu has also a Youtube channel where he shares his films from the current tour of Wintersun. Thanks to these short films the fans of Wintersun can see how the touring looks like. In this case Neptune dissolves the barriers between the members of the band and the fans. Actually Teemu is very active on social media which helps promoting the band. He is 10 years younger than Jari Mäenpää so he understands the world of social media much better. Jari openly dislikes some social media and doesn't understand some ideas, e.g. using hashtags. Teemu, instead, is a true master of hashtaging. It's worth mentioning that Teemu also composes his own songs and gives guitar lessons via Skype. According to his students, he is a great teacher who not only shows the technique of playing that instrument but also inspires and motivates them. Teemu's Mercury in Capricorn conjuncts Neptune so he must be a very patient teacher who is able to explain all the boring details in a fascinating way. On Teemu's films from the tour we can see that he cares a lot about his physical condition by doing a lot of exercises. It's very interesting as he has the Moon in Aries. Moon in the natal chart shows how we rest and what makes us feel comfortable, so no wonder that Teemu does exercises a few times a day even while touring with the band. Teemu has Mars in Pisces so he is a very nice and charming person. Usually the individuals with "weak" Mars (placed in Cancer, Libra, Taurus and Pisces) are very calm and kind. They hate fighting for anything so they not always get what they want immediately. They might have an impression that they are ignored by others, so they must invent another strategy of achieving their goals. In most cases, their perfect strategy is being nice. They are so adorable that everybody likes them and is ready to support them. The individuals with Mars in Pisces tend to drive their energy inwards, so they are not as expressive as others. Quite often they have a great imagination and they are daydreamers. When I saw Teemu performing live during the show in Warsaw, I noticed the strong manifestation of his Mars in Pisces. Pisces is the sign of artistic inspiration, spirituality, dreams and visions. While playing the guitar, Teemu seemed to be somewhere else. It looked as if he left his body on stage and sailed away to a fantasy world. He was very focused and hidden behind his long hair and probably was contemplating the music. 

Jukka Koskinen, 16.07.1981, Riihimaki, Finland    data rating X (time unknown)

https://www.facebook.com/krogography

Jukka, the bassist, has got the Sun and Mercury in Cancer, but Moon in Capricorn which is why he understands all the Capricorns in the band very well. Although he differs from them, he can still follow their idea of being hard working and obsessive perfectionists. The Sun squares Pluto so it seems that Jukka is also very ambitious and determined to achieve his goals. The individuals with Moon in Capricorn are very sensitive but they don't show their emotions because of fear of rejection. They seem to be very serious, cold, shy and introverted, but this is just a kind of mask that they are wearing in order to protect themselves from being hurt. Although Jukka seems to be serious and introverted, the Sun in the emotional sign of Cancer makes him a very nice and warm person. He has Mars in Gemini so he is quite communicative as for a Cancer with Moon in Capricorn. During the crowdfunding campaign, Jukka supported the band and gave online interviews and chat with fans, patiently answering all the questions. His singing talent was discovered during the recordings of The Forest Seasons, Wintersun's latest album. It turned out that Jukka can sing low growls perfectly, so Jari used this ability to record the backing vocals. Jukka must be a very patient man who understands Jari's true vision of making music as he repeated his parts of low growls several times, even if it was perfect. Jukka has Venus in Leo which trines Jari's Venus, Neptune and Mercury, so making Jari's true vision real comes naturally to him. Jukka also sings backing vocals during the concerts. He is very calm on stage and seems to be lost in another dimension. The individuals born under the sign of Cancer often are introverts, but it doesn't mean that they don't care.

Asim Searah, 26.10.1989, Lahore, Pakistan    data rating X (time unknown)

photo by Jari Mäenpää   www.facebook.com/jariwintersun

Asim, the new guitarist, has got the Sun in Scorpio, but Mars and Mercury in Libra. As his birth time is unknown, it is impossible to say whether he has Moon in Virgo or in Libra. Nevertheless, it is obvious that he is totally different from the rest of the Wintersun members and he brings fresh energy to the band. According to the fans who met him, he is a very nice and charming person which is typical for an individual with personal planets in Libra. Asim seems to be very interested in fashion and takes care of his look. The strong influence of the sign of Libra gives him artistic talents and the Sun in Scorpio provides him with the deep psychological insight and some kind of mysterious darkness which is probably the reason why he became a heavy metal musician. It's worth mentioning that Asim has also his own band. He has Saturn, Neptune and Uranus in Capricorn so this gives him some energy of this sign as well. The stellium of these planets is a generational aspect as all the individuals who were born between 1989 and 1990 have these 3 planets in Capricorn. Because of that it doesn't influence the character of each person that much. Nevertheless, it's important when we compare Asim's natal chart to the ones of the other Wintersun members. Asim's Uranus, Saturn and Neptune conjunct Jari's Sun, Teemu's Sun and Mercury, Kai's Sun and Mercury and probably Jukka's Moon (Jukka's birth time is unknown so we don't know the exact position of his Moon in Capricorn). On one hand, Asim is blocking the creativity of the other members of the band (Saturn), but on the other, he inspires them in some way (Neptune) and may show them new possibilities of performing live (Uranus). He is much younger than most of the band members which is why he has a different approach towards promoting music and to life in general (he hasn't experienced the first Saturn return yet which occurs at the age of 29 - 30). His Venus in Sagittarius conjuncts Jari's Venus, Mercury and Neptune so he can perfectly understand Jari's visions of making music and despite he is a bit different, he fits to Wintersun perfectly. It's worth mentioning that Asim was a fan of Wintersun and met the band members in a music shop in Helsinki. He became their friend and later joined Wintersun. Asim's Jupiter is at 10 degree of Cancer, so it opposes all the planets in Capricorn of the other members of the band. It explains the fact that he was chosen as a new guitarist. 

Jari Mäenpää, 23.12.1977, 06:00 a.m., Helsinki, Finland    data rating A (from memory)

photo by Sławek Skuta www.facebook.com/SkutaPhotography

Let's have a quick look at the natal chart of the founder of Wintersun, Jari Mäenpää , as there are still some important details worth mentioning. He has Mars in Leo which makes him a perfect entertainer. During the concerts Jari is very energetic and extremely expressive. He has also a fantastic contact with the fans and he encourages everyone to have fun and participate in the show. All the individuals with Mars in Leo need the admiration and recognition of others. They are born to perform for large audience and entertain other people. Obviously not everyone with Mars in Leo is an artist, but Jari is the lucky one so in his case the energy of Mars in Leo can be used in a perfect way. Watching Jari performing live on stage is a fantastic experience. He seems to have as much fun as the Wintersun fans. Right after the show in Warsaw he thanked all the fans for coming for the concert and he seemed to be very grateful. I love going to the concerts and I have seen many, but for the first time in my life I witnessed the situation when an artist was so happy during the show. I'm not sure who had more fun during the concert, the fans of Wintersun or the band itself (especially Jari). The love of the fans is the greatest reward for all the struggling that Jari had to go through during last years. Nevertheless, Jari's chart clearly shows that he is not always so open to people as he is on stage. He has a Moon/Saturn square which is why he is an introvert and can even be very shy. Moon in astrology describes our feelings, family, childhood and home. Saturn is the planet of limitations, strictness, time, obstacles and wisdom. The energy of Moon and Saturn is very different so when these planets create an aspect in the natal chart, it always brings emotional issues (although it depends on the nature of aspect, as trine and sextile are harmonious ones so they don't bring suffering). Jari loves his fans but he needs to be left alone from time to time. He is not always sociable and sometimes he is sick of people and wants to be left alone. The Moon/Saturn square is a bit similar to Moon in Capricorn, so Jari probably hides his emotions because of fear of being hurt. He also protects his privacy. Nothing is known about his private life and it should stay a secret. You should never talk about private things nor emotions with a person with the Moon/Saturn aspects. It will make her/him angry and frustrated. Most of the individuals with these aspects feel lonely and rejected. It's quite difficult for them to create a good relationship until they are 30 years old and it makes them feel miserable. They are desperately searching for answers as they want to know why they are so lonely and sad when other people around them are happy and can create good relationships. This research quite often awakes an interested in psychology and sometimes even in the esoteric knowledge. Most of the individuals with these aspects become very good psychologists. The Moon/Saturn square brought Jari a lot of suffering but it also became an artistic inspiration, adding Saturnian darkness, loneliness and frustration to his music and lyrics.

It's worth mentioning that Saturn will be transiting the sign of Capricorn from December 20, 2017 to March 22, 2020 and from July 2, 2020 to December 17, 2020. The individuals born under the sign of Capricorn but also Aries, Libra and Cancer may experience some obstacles and annoying delays in realising their goals. They will have to work harder than usually and will have to take extra responsibilities. They should also take an extra care about their health and mental condition. The transit of Saturn through Capricorn is also very important for all the individuals who have Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars or the angles in the cardinal signs (Capricorn, Cancer, Libra, Aries). They may face some problems and limitations, too. The positive side of Saturn transits is building solid structures for the future projects. Saturn rewards all the hard working and responsible people, so they may expect a recognition for what they have done in the past. Let's hope that Saturn will allow Wintersun to build a stable position at the music market.

photo by S. Skuta www.facebook.com/SkutaPhotography

I truly recommend seeing Wintersun live as this is an unforgettable experience. I've never seen a band who would be playing such a complex music on very high level, treat the concert very seriously and had so much fun during the show at the same time. Wintersun seem to be very devoted to their fans. Unfortunately, I have seen some artists who were quite arrogant during their concerts, that's why the positive attitude of Wintersun blew my mind completely. Their concert was full of energy, great music and fun. 

Special thanks to Anna Solun from Wintersun UK, Wintersun España, Wintersun Fans, Wintersun Madness i Wintersun South Africa for providing a very detailed information about Wintersun and co-writing this article with me.

WINTERSUN IS COMINIG - part I

The Finnish epic heavy metal band Wintersun is touring across Europe right now and they are also planing to visit Australia, New Zealand and Japan this autumn. On September 11th, I saw them live in Warsaw and I must admit it was a fantastic experience. As an astrologer I couldn't help myself analysing the birth charts of the band members during the concert. It was amazing to see how the behaviour of each of them was reflected in their natal charts. In this article I would like to present my observations from the concert but also to analyse the synastry between the members of the band and write about the interesting (from the astrological point of view) story of Wintersun's leader, Jari Mäenpää.

I gave a lecture about the influence of Neptune in the charts of artists at the 9th conference of Polish Astrological Association (Polskie Stowarzyszenie Astrologiczne) taking place in Warsaw in March 2017 which also included Jari. Usually when Neptune is strong in the birth charts of artists (it is placed on the angles or is forming aspects to personal planets) it is the source of strong inspiration enabling them to create amazing art works which seem to be out of this world. Unfortunately, Neptune is not only the planet of artistic inspiration but also of addictions. Many artists with strong Neptune in their birth charts create amazing works but they may become addicts at the same time. Drugs or/and alcohol have already destroyed the careers of many very talented artist. Luckily this is not the case of Jari Mäenpää. The manifestation of Neptune in Jari's life is very unique and makes his story so interesting. Let's take a look at Jari's natal chart. 

He's a Capricorn with Venus, Mercury and Neptune in Sagittarius and Mars in Leo. As we can see Neptune forms important aspects to his personal planets, a conjunction with Venus and a trine with Mars, so Jari is a Neptunian artist. His music is not just an ordinary heavy metal. The music he creates (he writes lyrics, composes and produces his songs) comes from a different dimension. It sounds a bit like a soundtrack for a fairy-tale and it awakens the imagination which is so typical for Neptune. In general, the individuals with strong Neptune can't bear the reality which seems so boring, superficial and meaningless to them, making them suffer and feeling like they want to escape from this world in some way. They have a great imagination so they create their own, fantasy world where they feel like at home. Dealing with everyday tasks like shopping, cooking, cleaning, paying bills, earning money is not their thing. This is too ordinary for them. This is why they are searching for a deeper meaning in life and they try to bring their fantasy world to the reality. The best way to do this is through artistic work. 

photo by Jari Mäenpää                                                                          www.facebook.com/jariwintersun   

 Jari's problems started with signing a tricky contract with his record label. According to this contract, Jari doesn't earn much money on what he creates which must be very frustrating for an ambitious and hard working Capricorn. Actually, it's quite strange that a wise Capricorn signed such a bad contract, but Mercury, the planet of communication, is in a very difficult position in Jari's chart. His Mercury is in Sagittarius (in detriment) and it's retrograde. The natives with such Mercury placement don't pay attention to details because they don't seem important for them. What really matters to them is the bigger picture. On the other hand, they are overwise and think that they know everything better than others. The individuals with Mercury retrograde aren't less intelligent than others, they only need more time to learn and understand something properly. It's quite probable that Jari Mäenpää was so happy that a big, international record label wanted to sign a contract with him, that he didn't pay attention to details. Having Mercury in Sagittarius, he probably was thinking about the possible growth and expansion of his music careerer and he didn't bother with the details concerning money. 

The record company advised Jari to create a band, so he found very talented musicians who were willing to play with him. Jari named his band Wintersun. It also became the title of his first album which was released in 2004. It's worth mentioning that Jari was born on December 23rd, one day after the winter solstice, so intuitively he chose a very good name. In October 2012, Jari released his second album called "Time I". He had a very clear and specific vision of how the songs on this album should sound like. Unfortunately, producing the album according to his ideas was quite expensive and he couldn't afford it as he was not earning much on his music. Usually the record companies invest in the production of their artists' albums, but in this case the record label wasn't willing to pay so much money for Jari's true visions. Jari had to compromise and released an album he wasn't completely satisfied from. He was (and probably still is) very angry about this situation. He decided not to release the second part of "Time" until he was able to produce it the way he wanted to. According to the record company, Jari was exaggerating and his stubbornness was completely ridiculous. They respected his great talent, professionalism and high standards of making music, but in their opinion even the demo recordings of Jari's songs were good enough to publish, so spending money on making his visions was unnecessary. Jari Mäenpää is a Capricorn which is why he is such a stubborn perfectionist who is never completely satisfied with his work. He always thinks that he can do something better, so recording albums take him a very long time. As the record company didn't want to pay for the proper production of "Time", Jari tried to make this album on his own. He spent years on mixing the tracks until he got to the point that he wasn't able to do it any more because he didn't have a good equipment. He realised that he needed his own studio to achieve that, but obviously he had no money to build it. He was trapped by his ambition and perfectionism. He wanted to make an album which would fulfil his true vision but he couldn't due to the lack of money which must have been very frustrating for Capricorn. In this case perfectionism paralysed Jari. The individuals with strong Neptune always want to make their vision true, but they often forget that it requires proper resources. Jari had no money and no possibility to produce an album that he wanted to. He decided not to release "Time II" if couldn't do it his way. He wasn't satisfied with "Time I" and he didn't want to make the same mistake with "Time II". Capricorns hate compromises, so no wonder that Jari doesn't want to release an album that would not be done according to his true vision. 

screen shot from Jari's fan page on Facebook

The individuals born under the sign of Capricorn quite often have to struggle with many obstacles especially when they are young. They know that they must work very hard and patiently wait for success. They take life very seriously and they are very proud, so they don't want to get anything for free. They are not afraid of hard work and they are famous for obsessive perfectionism. The sign of Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, the planet which is related to time, wisdom, annoying delays, struggling with obstacles, criticism, limitations, sadness, seriousness, loneliness and frustration.

Saturn is a very important planet in Jari's chart as it forms square to his Moon in Gemini and trine to his Sun in Capricorn. Interestingly, the album of Wintersun is called "Time" and this is also the title of one of the songs included in this record. Producing this album took 6 years. The lyrics of Jari's songs have a deep, philosophical meaning (which is typical for Mercury in Sagittarius) and are related to loneliness, frustration, evanescence, death and endless waiting for a brighter future. The lyrics of "Time" are the perfect definition of the planet Saturn.

Darkness and frost are starting to reach
The heart of this land with a cold disease
Sleep now for a while before the storm awakes
And one day it will reward you for the burden of wait
The roots go deep into the frozen dead ground
Listen to the land of snow, it makes no sound
For ages searching the warmth of the sun
If it never finds me, I can die as one
Time will go on and we are drifting away in the night
I´ve been searching so long,
But I will find you even if it takes my whole life
But tonight I feel so alone
And I know that you are forever gone
Oh time, don´t fade away when I need you here,
Oh please don´t leave me now

Time!
Time!
Fades away!
When time fades away!
And I´ll never be the same

Time! Time! Time! Time!

You want so much from me
I feel nothing but grief and despair
How can I make you feel again
All my dreams are just visions I can't bear
You want something that I can't give
I cannot keep living in this bitter dream
And I don't care anymore
It feels like my life is ending

Oh, another year gone by
But nothing has changed in my life
And time goes on forever and ever
And it waits for no one

Time fades away
And I fade away
And I´ll never be the same
Time! Fades away!
When time fades away!
And I´ll never feel the same
And I fade away!
When time fades away!
And I´ll never feel the same

A coincidence? Probably yes, as I don't think Jari is interested in astrology nor has he any knowledge of this discipline. Nevertheless, there is lot of other astrological references in his lyrics, e.g. the titles of some of his songs like "Death and the Healing" (an obvious Pluto theme), "Sons of Winter and Stars", "Beyond the Dark Sun", "Battle Against Time" (Saturn again), "Sleeping Stars", "Starchild" (Uranus) and "Awaken From The Dark Slumber" (Neptune).

It's obvious that the strong influence of Saturn in Jari's natal chart has a huge impact on his artistic work and on his life. The Saturnian people are very serious, responsible, hard working and patient. They must work harder than everybody else to achieve success and they always have to struggle with some obstacles. The most frustrating is the endless waiting for... everything. This is very annoying when they are young, before their first Saturn return which takes place at the age of 29 - 30. Other people (non-Saturnians) achieve their goals very quickly. They create good relationships, find a nice job and gain financial stability quite quickly. The Saturnians have to wait for it, therefore they feel very lonely and frustrated. The strong influence of Saturn makes them very serious and responsible, so when they are young they are not spontaneous and it's very difficult for them to relate to other people. The Saturnians are searching for a deeper meaning in life so young people who are having fun and make a lot of stupid things are silly, boring and superficial in their eyes. They don't relate to them and feel very lonely. Quite often young Saturnians are rejected and even bullied by peers who laugh at their seriousness. Saturnians are very sensitive so when someone criticizes or makes fun of them, they suffer. They want to disappear from this cruel and superficial world. Quite often they suffer from depression and sometimes have suicidal thoughts. After turning 30, marking their first Saturn return, their life situation changes. The frustrating limitations are gone so they can finally achieve their goals, fall in love, create good relationships and gain financial stability. Nevertheless, in some cases (when the influence of Saturn is very strong, like in the case of Jari Mäenpää) it may take more time and these Saturnians break free from their limitations when they are over 40 years old. Jari is nearly 40 now, so his time has finally come and from now on, everything will come easier to him. He will probably have to face some obstacles during the transit of Saturn to his Venus, Mercury and the Sun (which will take place by the end of October, in November, December 2017 and January 2018), but after this transit he will achieve his goals easily. He may expect success in October, November and December 2019 during the transit of Jupiter to Venus, Mercury and the Sun. It will be a very good time for him.

It's worth mentioning that Jari has 4 planets retrograde in his chart which also causes annoying delays. The individuals with planets retrograde cannot achieve their goals quickly although they work very hard on it. They think that they go straight to the point, but they are not aware that instead of going forwards, they go backwards. They feel like they got stuck in a wrong place and they don't know how to get out of it. They need more time than other people to learn how to act properly. When the retrograde planets turn direct in the progressed chart, these individuals finally notice a positive change in their lives. 

photo by Jari Mäenpää                                                                          www.facebook.com/jariwintersun

Fortunately, Jari has not only a strong influence of Neptune and Saturn in his natal chart. In some way he is also a Jupiterian type as he has Venus and Mercury in Sagittarius (sign ruled by Jupiter) and a Jupiter - Sun opposition. Jupiter in astrology is related to good luck, expansion, growth, broadening horizons, international recognition, higher knowledge, universe and philosophy. Thanks to Jupiter, Jari can overcome many obstacles as he's a lucky man (which he would probably deny as Capricorns don't believe in such things as luck. They believe in hard work). The Sun - Jupiter opposition means that other people are always ready to help Jari. He can achieve success thanks to the support of others. In some way this must be frustrating to him, as he prefers to do everything on his own, which is very typical for Capricorns. They always want to control everything and think that no one could it better than them and Jari is no exception. He composes his music, writes lyrics and produces it by himself. He had to learn the whole process of mixing and mastering music, but he succeeded. He could also become a producer although working with him could be difficult as he is perfectionist who is never satisfied with his work. As he had no money to produce "Time" the way he wanted to and the record company didn't want to pay for his Neptunian visions, Jari was caught in a situation with no way out. Having a talkative Moon in Gemini, he wanted to explain his position on his Facebook profile, which caused even more problems as he gained a lot of haters and got in trouble with his record company. Fortunately, he has a very devoted and loyal fan base who love his music, appreciate his amazing talent and accept his obsessive perfectionism and the need for realising his true vision in music. The fans suggested Jari to organise a crowdfunding campaign in which they would give the money he needed for his own studio. They were ready to do this because they wanted to hear more Wintersun music. At the beginning Jari rejected this idea as it was not serious enough. Most bands who organised such campaigns gave their fans semi used underwear or similar items which in Jari's opinion were ridiculous. He definitely didn't want to go this way. Besides a proud Capricorn would have never accept anything for free. Nevertheless, the fans insisted, so Jari had to think what he could give them in return. While walking in a forest close to his home, he got the inspiration for a new album, which was completely different from still unreleased "Time II". He was inspired by the way how the forest was changing during the seasons of the year. He wrote 4 songs that were reflecting the seasons in the forest and called this album "The Forest Seasons". Now he had something good to give to his fans in the crowdfunding campaign. The concept of this album is totally different than of 'Time I" and "Time II" and most of all it is not expensive to make. Capricrons are famous for doing something extraordinary having little resources. Jari recorded and produced the entire album by himself. He even learnt photography and prepared the 5k booklet for the album (except for the cover). It turned out that he is a very talented photographer. It's very interesting to see how the energy of Neptune manifests in Jari's photos. Although the photos he takes are very beautiful, he uses a programme for editing photos to make them even more magical, unreal and like out of this world. He prefers making photos of lonely landscapes. He even sells his images (https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/jariwintersun), which is very good for him, because it means that he finally learnt an important lesson of earning money on his talents and understood that accomplishing his true vision requires proper resources. 

photo by Jari Mäenpää                                              www.facebook.com/jariwintersun

The crowdfunding campaign took place in March and April 2017 and it became a huge success. Wintersun gained almost half of the amount of money that they need for their own studio. In the future, they plan more crowdfunding campaigns which will allow them to collect all the money they need. The album "The Forest Seasons" was released in July 2017, almost 7 years after their last record "Time I". The fans who participated in the campaign received the links to the material of "The Forest Package" which included not only the new album but also remastered version of "Time I", the debut album "Wintersun", the isolated tracks of all the songs from "The Forest Seasons" and many more. The amount of items featured in the package also shows the Jupiterian nature of Jari who is generous to his fans. The new album went to the first place of the Finnish charts and became very successful. However, perhaps the most important thing is that Wintersun finally has new material and can go touring to earn more money. After years of struggling against many obstacles, Jari has finally started to build the solid foundation for his careerer. Interestingly, the crowdfunding campaign took place during the transit of Saturn to his Venus and Mercury. It was quite possible that it would be a total failure as Saturn brings limitations and Venus represents financial matters, so at that time Jari might have lost money instead of gaining it. Fortunately everything went even better than expected. Saturn may bring a reward to people who work very hard for their success. Saturn seldom offers gifts but when it does, it is very special and long-lasting. In this case Saturn gave money to Jari who was struggling with financial issues for many ears. The money he gained in this crowdfunding campaign is the first firm step for building his studio and accomplishing his Neptunian true vision. 

The Sun - Jupiter opposition and also the north Lunar Node in Libra show that relationships of all kind and collaborating with others are very beneficial for Jari. The best example of it is the huge support of the members of his band. They are very talented and high skilled musicians who are able to play Jari's sophisticated and complex songs. The band didn't split up despite the fact that for many years there was nothing going on with Wintersun.

 

I will dedicate the next part of this article to the members of the band and I will analyse the relationships between them. I will also share my impressions from their concert in Warsaw.

Special thanks to Anna Blanka Solun from Wintersun UK y España, Wintersun Fans, Wintersun Madness and Wintersun South Africa for providing very detailed information about the band and co-writing this article with me.

"Time" from "Time I" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alo7A0NLmxU 

"Loneliness" (Winter) from "The Forest Seasons"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIiZFpOQnd8

EARTH ELEMENT

 The Earth signs are Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn

The element of Earth is associated with money, financial stability, reliability and substantial things.

The individuals with predominant element of Earth in their birth charts know how to value their work. They won't work for law salary nor sell their products cheap. Nevertheless, sometimes they agree to work for little money, but this is a part of their well-thought strategy. Sometimes they do so in order to gain professional experience, establish important contacts and learn the rules in certain line of business. They learn very quickly and soon they become experts.

They are proud of their skills, responsibility and professionalism. Their self-esteem is very high which is why they don't let anybody to ill-treat them. If their employer doesn't value their talents, high reliability, hard work and responsibility, they will quit their job and find a better one. The people with a strong element of Earth use only their logics and common sense and reject an emotional approach. Their beliefs are based on facts only. They don't let anyone manipulate them and they resist any kind of emotional blackmail of their loved ones. Their biggest ambition in their lives is to gain financial stability. They desperately need to have certain amount of money on their bank account. Without it, they feel insecure and they fear that their world may collide anytime. They know how to save money and how to cut any unnecessary expenses. Sometimes they are mean and even greedy. On the other hand, they value things of good quality. They hate trashiness. They prefer to have less things e.g. clothes but of good quality. They have an excellent taste in fashion and art. These people know how to combine colours, fabrics and designs of clothes, that's why they always look great. The individuals with strong Earth element are very persistent which allows them to dedicate themselves to one subject for a long time. Such approach helps them become an expert and a high skilled professional. They are also very well-organised.

The individuals with deficiency of Earth element have difficulties in valuing their work, that's why they often work for low salaries. They think that money doesn't give happiness. In their opinion, the satisfaction of doing what they love, the good atmosphere at work place and good relations with other colleagues are more important than money. Such people can't save money as they prefer to enjoy their lives and they don't bother with financial matters. Even if they earn a lot, money just slip through their fingers. Due to the lack of the Earth element organisation issues may arise, such individuals are not able to concentrate on one task as their mind is distracted on many things at the same time. It often creates the feeling that they are doing a lot but they don't achieve much. They get bored quickly so they abandon their work before achieving anything, e.g. they change their job or even profession. They don't have enough patience and perseverance to deepen a subjcet properly. These individuals are not emotionaly related to the place where they live so they can move easily. They adapat to new circumstances very quickly. They are not grounded so they have a lot of good ideals which are not practical. Such individuals often attract people with strong Earth element because they give them the basic structure of life and stability. A good idea of compensating for a shortage of the element of Earth is spending more time outdoors, especially in the parks, forests or mountains.

How to calculate the amount of each element in your natal chart?

The amount of modes and elements is determined by the positions of the planets in the signs of the Zodiac but some planets have more influence on the amount of modes and elements than others. It's easy to count how much of each mode or element we have in our chart. The most important components of our chart which give the biggest amount of the certain element or mode are the Sun, the Moon and the Ascendant. You can give 5 points for each of them. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are also important, so you can give 3 points for each of that planet. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are less important, so you give only one point for each of them. Then you count all the points for each mode and element. If your score is from 0 to 5 points, that means that this element or mode is missing in your chart. If your score is from 6 to 10 points then you have a good balance of that particular element or mode. If your score is above 11, you have an excess of some element or mode.

FIRE ELEMENT

The fire signs are Aries, Leo and Sagittarius.

The element of fire is associated with quick action, creativity, initiating new projects, conquering new territories and competition. 

The individuals with the predominant fire element in their birth chart cannot stand still not even for a minute and are always on the run. Stagnation and boredom are their worst enemies. They are workaholics who are always busy. The best form of relaxation for them is a physical activity. Such people get angry very easily and are always ready to quarrel even for unimportant matters. The good thing about them is that they calm down quickly and soon they forget what they were fighting for. They don't keep negative emotions nor they are revengeful. Instead of being angry at someone, they prefer to do something constructive.

They have a very practical sense. They don't analyse anything nor hesitate, they just act. They are very impatient so they want to see the results of their work very quickly, otherwise they lose their eagerness. If they can't achieve their goals quickly, they abandon them and search for new ones. They just don't want to waste time on unproductive projects. They are very ambitious so they always want to be successful. 

People with strong fire element are very creative, brave and passionate. They love to start new projects and quite often are pioneers. Inventing something new or working on a project that nobody has done before is extremely exciting for them. The courage and enormous will power are the keys to their success. 

The individuals with predominant element of fire are natural born winners so they can't stand failure. They are very ashamed and upset when they are defeated. Nevertheless, they stand up very quickly and move on as they want to prove everyone that they are professional and successful. They don't want to be remembered as losers.

Such people are very independent and they don't like ask anyone for help. They prefer to work alone rather than with other people, unless they are leaders. They are fantastic managers as they are very well-organised. They know how to use the potential and talents of their employees for the benefit of the whole team. They are very passionate so they know how to motivate others to work. On the other hand, they are very demanding and want everyone to be as committed in their work as they are. They don't tolerate laziness nor lack of obedience. They are not good employees as they will always question the orders of their boss. Being obliged to fulfil someone else's orders is against their rebellious nature. 

They love to compete with others and they must always be the best in everything. In each discussion they have the last word.

The individuals with deficiency of fire or those who don't have it at all are very calm, patient and kind but they lack in ambition. They don't fight for anything as they think it's an unnecessary waste of energy. Paradoxically, they win being passive. Such people are very cautious and they take a lot of time for analysing the situation before they act. First of all, they have to defeat their fears and laziness and find a strong motivation to act. They work better in a group than alone as others inspire and encourage them. They don't feel comfortable being a boss or a manager because they don't know how to organise the work in a team nor they can demand discipline. They hate giving orders or imposing anything to others. Such individuals prefer to fulfil the orders given by someone else, just to do their job, go home and relax. They avoid conflicts, quarrels and competition and that's why they seem so nice that everyone likes them. On the other hand, the deficiency of fire element makes people less ambitious. They don't defend their opinion, even if they are right, that's why they may be perceived as losers. The lack of self-confidence and shyness may cause a lot of problems. They lose a lot of good opportunities to grow on the professional level and also in the private area, e.g. they don't fight for the person they love very much.

Such individuals like to work with people who are courageous and who will guide and inspire them. Having a business partner is a very good option for them.

People who don't have enough element of fire avoid sport or any physical activity as they don't want to waist their energy. They feel cold very often. 

They may wear red clothes, eat hot meals and spicy food in order to compensate for a shortage of element of fire in their charts.

How to calculate the amount of each element in your natal chart?

The amount of modes and elements is determined by the positions of the planets in the signs of the Zodiac but some planets have more influence on the amount of modes and elements than others. It's easy to count how much of each mode or element we have in our chart. The most important components of our chart which give the biggest amount of the certain element or mode are the Sun, the Moon and the Ascendant. You can give 5 points for each of them. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are also important, so you can give 3 points for each of that planet. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are less important, so you give only one point for each of them. Then you count all the points for each mode and element. If your score is from 0 to 5 points, that means that this element or mode is missing in your chart. If your score is from 6 to 10 points then you have a good balance of that particular element or mode. If your score is above 11, you have an excess of some element or mode.