For a really long time I thought there was something wrong with me for not being able to watch any type of scary movies.
I saw the movie "scream" when I was about 7 years old and was terrified for DECADES after, which made all of my friends laugh endlessly as "it's not even scary". Well, for me it was terrifying.
I'm not particularly shy, sporting a Sagittarius rising and a Moon/Mars conjunction, people tend to see me as strong and fiery.
Yet, no matter how you slice it, I can't watch scary or violent scenes -and my threshold is LOW- without being deeply affected by it.
As an adult, it's still impossible for me to watch any type of violence, any surgery-like images, and I am still being made fun of for the amount of crying I do watching movie, whether the scene is sad or joyful, because "duh it's not real it's just a movie." Who was not even able to watch Squid Games? 🙋
Well I can't help it, and the day I found out about HSP was truly an awakening. Let's look into what it even is!
A highly sensitive person (HSP) is an individual who is thought to have an increased or deeper central nervous system sensitivity to physical, emotional, or social stimuli.
About 15 to 20% of the population identifies with the following cluster of symptoms: - Avoiding violent movies or TV shows because they feel too intense and leave you feeling unsettled - Being deeply moved by beauty, either expressed in art, nature, or the human spirit, or sometimes even a good commercial
-Being overwhelmed by sensory stimuli like noisy crowds, bright lights, or uncomfortable clothing
-Feeling a need for downtime (not just a preference), especially when you have hectic days; needing to retreat to a dark, quiet room - Having a rich and complex inner life, complete with deep thoughts and strong feelings that go with them HSP is not a diagnosis, it's not a disorder, it's simply a type of personality which we identify through how much you relate to the cluster of symptoms. And obviously as an Astrologer, my first quest was: Where do you see it in the chart!
#1 A strong Neptune: First suspect of HSP
The one suspect I saw over and over is a strong Neptune means that Neptune is one of your leading planet. This typically happens when Neptune is in hard aspect to your personal planets, or when Neptune is angular.
By determining your planetary influences (read this blog post to get introduced to the concept. If you would like to learn how to do this in-depth, you'll need to take my Astrology class)
People with a strong Neptune typically have Neptune in hard aspect to their personal planets, but sometimes sextiles and trines can do this too! Angular Neptune means that Neptune is located on your Ascendant or 1st house, Descendant or 7th house, Midheaven or 10th. house, and IC or 4th house. Neptune is a planet that, when strong in the birth chart, means that you have an excessive ability to imagine, project, emote, and put yourself in the shoes of. What this means for you is that when you are exposed to violence, it's hard to not imagine yourself in the shoes of, it can feel exactly as if it was happening to you in real time.
Because of the energetic openness, it's also much easier to get drained in overwhelming environments and easier to find stimulis exhausting. A strong Neptune will give you distinct strengths, but it also can be difficult to navigate the physical world just like everyone else. If this is your case, I do have a couple of blog posts you can browse through: - Neptune in aspect to Sun in the birth chart
#2 Strong Pisces energy
Under the same reasoning, having several planets in Pisces will produce very similar results. Pisces energy is profoundly open energetically, and just like Neptune, it has a tendency to be very open, malleable, easily influenced. - Mars in Pisces in the birth chart -Venus in Pisces in the birth chart
#3 Strong 12th house energy
Under the exact same reasons, people with several planets in the 12th house can also relate a lot to the symptoms of the HSP.
What next?
Understanding your birth chart and your energy can help you put more accent on your strengths and help you to devise strategies to work around your vulnerabilities. HSP is a term that explains a series of feelings or behaviours that seem different from the norm, but simply represent your personal wiring. Increased sensitivity doesn’t have to be a problem, as long as you find ways to make it work for you. Avoiding harsh stimuli is a good idea, but also recognizing that you have strengths others don’t: Empathy, creativity, imagination, compassion and ability to feel quite simply.
Another free resource for you is my Moon Guide. In it I detail what daily rituals and routines are best for you based on your Moon sign and aspects.