It's been almost three years since I moved to Jamaica. When people ask me how do I feel here, I say some days are good and some days are bad. I have never been so conscious about how a human being can develop a relationship with the land they live in like during these years spent on my new home-island. In contrast with other countries, Jamaica will change you. It will bring out your worst fears, it will make you confront your rigid beliefs and it will force you to question your value system. And in a moment we'll see why. But read this post with a pinch of salt, because the author is biased (like any author) and when we speak or write generally, we are automatically open to mistakes and wrong assumptions.
Jamaica became independent on 6th August 1962 at 09.38 am. The astrological chart for this time and date show the Sun in Leo, Moon and Ascendant in Libra. One of the energies that are most evident when you live in Jamaica is the fixed fire, the Leo energy. This upbeat, confident vibe expresses itself in many ways, but most evident through creativity and pride.
Creativity in art, music, dance, crafts, but mostly in an entrepreneurial style. This country abounds in small businesses and people making a living from following their passion. A clear expression of Leo - the fire that always burns within - is the drive for survival and thriving. Then, Leo Sun expresses itself in the way Jamaicans demand respect and admiration. I was not accustomed to this trait and it felt abrasive at first.
In my education and European background, respect is not something you demand from others, but you prove yourself worthy of it. Through their high regard for themselves, Jamaicans will touch others (foreigners) on issues of self-esteem. Humility is not really a trait easily observable on the island. It is like an urban jungle Jamaica, and you have to learn to either pose like a king or queen or isolate yourself in your own bubble. No matter of the social level you encounter, Jamaicans exude the self-important vibe. They show Leonine traits - confidence, friendliness, fun, dignity, invitation to be admired. They don't like to be told what to do, and probably most of the poverty and corruption of the country is a result of a national personality that it's too fixed in certain ways of living and thinking.
The Ascendant in Libra shows a country that presents itself in a civilised manner. Maybe abroad you hear about crime and expensive resorts. Living here, you will see how appearance is extremely important. Again, no matter of how poor or wealthy you are, you will put your best clothes when you go to church, when you go out for dinner or when you attend a party. If you can afford, your car must be a Pajero. A contradiction is felt, in Libra's tendency for justice and fairness - Jamaicans want justice, personally or collectively they are obsessed with what is fair. However, when you observe how they treat others - their own, fairness is not present. Social class and wealth drive how fairness is applied.
When you live in Jamaica, you discover that there are many countries within one land. I have seen and heard the ideals of Libra - compromise, conciliation, equality, partnership, strategy - in public speeches, articles, in my friends' discourses. But I have not felt them as much. Is in the Libra tool box - to initiate conversations about abstract concepts and project utopia, but not to live according to these. What does strike me the most, is that a country with ascendant and moon in Libra values the institution of marriage so little and treats relationships in such an unstable way. But this is the beauty of astrology, we look at our chart to see why we are born or created at that specific moment in time - what are the lessons and the patterns we need to understand so we can manifest our best potential?
There are many other aspects and points in the Jamaican's chart that I would love to discuss but the space is too short. For me, Jamaica has been a great teacher. I still have a lot to learn and I am sure that when my soul decides to move to another land, I will have absorbed much of the leonine traits that are not at all emphasised in my chart. If you want a life-changing experience, come to Jamaica. If you want to redefine yourself, if you want to learn to be flexible, if you want to grow, come and live for a while in Jamaica. It is a spiritual land, full of contradiction and embedded with raw, pure life energy.