1 - Spilling the Astrological Tea

Third House Gossip is a community-driven podcast documenting how real astrology affects real life. In this first episode, learn all about the podcast, including how to contribute by asking your burning astrology questions and sharing your stories. The episode finishes up with a personal experience with Jupiter trine Jupiter and a tip on what to do if you have an empty house in your birth chart.

• 01:10 About me
• 04:07 About the name Third House Gossip
• 07:58 What to expect from the podcast
• 10:24 How to contribute to the podcast
• 13:35 About the Q&A segment
• 14:10 About the Transit Journal segment
• 15:14 Example Transit Journal: Jupiter trine Jupiter
• 18:13 Sip & Tip: Empty houses

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Have a burning astro question or a story to share? Contribute to the podcast at https://www.astrologywithclaire.com/gossip

Join my email list: https://www.astrologywithclaire.com/email

Transcript

Hi, I'm Claire Gallagher, and this is Third House Gossip, where we spill the astrological tea. So pour something delicious and let's chat. This podcast is sponsored by me. So to support the show and support yourself, come see me for an astrology reading. Just head to astrologywithclaire. com. That's astrology with C L A I R E dot com. 

Hey Astro Lover, welcome to the very first episode of Third House Gossip. Wow, I am just so excited to get this podcast rolling. I have been dreaming this up for a few years now and as we say, the stars have aligned and now it's finally time to roll this idea out. And I am just tickled pink. 

Today we are going to chat about a lot of little odds and ends. I'm just going to introduce you to the podcast and why you want to be here and why you want to contribute. Yes, more on that later. And I'm going to introduce you to myself a little bit. And then we're going to finish up with a little astrology, of course. We have a little Sip and Tip at the end with an astrological tip to apply to your birth chart.

 My name is Claire, and because inquiring minds want to know, I am a Virgo sun, which I talk about and make fun of all the time. I'm also an Aquarius moon and a Sagittarius rising. So I do have a bit of a goofy streak and, you know, I love that. But on the inside, I'm super serious and super organized. 

I'm a professional consulting astrologer. I've been practicing astrology for about 10 years now, which is really hard to believe. And I'm a traditional astrologer with a modern spin. So I practice ancient astrology and I really appreciate ancient astrology as a Virgo sun and Aquarius moon because it has rules and it has systems and that makes me feel safe. But I also have Uranus on the ascendant, and so for me, knowing the rules is so I can break the rules when I need to.

I'm also the author of Body Astrology, which is basically wherever books are sold, which is pretty cool. That came out in February of 2022. And since that time, I've transitioned away from the wellness space and moved more into general astrological practice. And that is what happens when Pluto snuggles up to your career ruling planet. It was a big change, a big transformation, especially during a book release. It was a very confusing time, but I feel really good about my new direction. And that is talking to people about career, creativity, and timing mostly. So I love talking to people about what they're passionate about and how to make that happen in the world. And I love talking to people about timing their lives with astrology because timing really is everything in this ancient art.

My day to day is spent reading charts for people, and my style is pretty unique. It is more collaborative and conversational. I like to think of it as an astrological exploration. Instead of me telling you who you are and what you're supposed to do and what's gonna happen, we look at the chart together and and explore the possibilities. So it really is more of a conversation and not me talking at you. And by the way, you can come see me for an astrology reading at astrologywithclaire. com.

This is not my first podcast rodeo. If you know, you know, I had a podcast back in 2019, may it rest in peace. And gosh, a lot has changed since then. The tech is amazing and everyone does video podcasts. So I hate to break it to you, but I'm going to break it to you right now. We are not going to do that. At least not right now, because I like to record my podcasts in my leggings and four day dirty hair. I guess that's when I feel my most creative, and I'm not going to let you take that away from me. It's a special thing.

All right, enough about me. Let's talk about the podcast and why you want to be here. So what is with the name Third House Gossip? One, it's cute. Two, it's cute. Three, it's cute. I just think it's really cute. I'm actually very proud of the name. I came up with the name, uh, several years ago and I was like, gosh, if I ever do a podcast again, that's what it's going to be called. And here we are. Love it. So when you have ideas just download into your head, write it down and buy the dot com. You know what I'm saying? I have so many dot com ideas. 

Anyways, Third House Gossip is a community driven podcast documenting how real astrology affects real lives, your life. So this podcast is all about the listeners. I'm going to be doing solo episodes, especially here at the beginning, but really once this gets rolling, it is a listener featured podcast where we're going to share our real stories about how astrology is unfolding in our lives and we're gonna ask and answer burning cosmic questions. So that's where the gossip piece comes in of Third House Gossip. It is a communal podcast where we're going to be talking with each other and swapping stories. 

I also like to think of the interactions between planets as conversations or juicy bits of gossip, and we're going to translate here in Third House Gossip how those interactions and conversations between planets show up in our day to day.

And let's address the elephant in the room, am I a gossip in real life? I don't know, it depends on the context, but I like to think not. I am very introverted, proud introvert over here, and your secrets are definitely safe with me.

Okay, so that's the gossip piece. What about the third house? So this is the house, if you don't know, of communication. So email and texts and phone calls and meeting for coffee are all third house modes of communication. Spreading the word in any way belongs to the third house. It's also a house of your local community, so especially your neighbors, your kinfolk, you know, people that you chew the cud with. 

The third house is also the house of short journeys, and yes, it does relate to gossip, so hear me out. So these are places that you can go on foot, by bicycle, or maybe just a short drive in the car. Short journeys does not refer to things you gotta get in a plane for, or things that take many hours to get to. These are just short A to B journeys. So like going to town to buy groceries or going to the cafe to pick up a little latte. And what happens when you get to the cafe and you pick up your latte? Well, you see Martha over there in the corner, and what are you going to do? You're not only going to pick up that delicious caffeine, but you're going to exchange a little bit of juicy information about what Brenda did. Mm hmm. That's how it works. So the short journey is all about going to town to exchange goods and exchange information.

And in traditional astrology, the third house is what's called the joy of the moon. And in ancient astro, the moon actually had a lot to do with travel. I know we think of Mercury as the planet of travel, and it totally is, but the moon was there first. So the moon moves really quickly around the Zodiac and gathers and reflects all the dirty laundry of all the other planets down to us here on Earth. So the moon is the original gossip. So really the name Third House Gossip is just a fun spin on an ancient concept.

 There are two main ways the podcast will manifest. And the first is just like this. A solo episode where I'm talking by myself in a room, into a microphone, sharing about the hottest, current astrology. Now, FYI, I'm not going to be sharing every single thing that's happening in the sky during a particular week. There are plenty of great podcasts that do that. Instead, I'm going to take the juiciest highlight and take it real deep. 

The other main type of episode is what I'm calling a Real Talk episode. And this is where the magic happens. This is where you come in. So these are listener call in episodes where you're going to be sharing real stories about how astrology is affecting your life. So I'll cast a net for contributions about a particular topic. I'll gather those contributions over a certain number of weeks and then compile them into an episode. For example, I want to hear about everyone with Mars in Aries and their experience with irritation. I want to hear about everyone with the sun in Cancer and what they feel about the word sensitive. Are they really sensitive or is that a stereotype? There are plenty of other ideas. Those are just a couple examples.

So there are a couple solo episodes available right now, and by a couple, I mean quite a handful, and these are super important for you to listen to. They are foundational episodes that walk you through the planets, the signs, and the houses. So these are going to be key for those of you who are newer to astrology and need a little bit of extra information in how to apply the podcast to your life and to your chart. So make sure you listen to episode number two, "the deets on the planets", episode number three, "the scoop on the signs", and episode four, "did you hear about the houses?", if you need information on basic astro.

So how often can you expect a new episode of Third House Gossip? Well, for now we're going to keep things casual and low key. After all, gossip is organic, and I'm only going to be sharing new episodes when I have something to gossip about. But again, that's just for now, and could totally change in the future, depending on how this goes.

 Alright, let's talk about how you can be featured on the podcast, because that's my dream y'all. I don't want to be talking in a room by myself, I want to be experiencing astrology with you and hearing your stories. So like I already mentioned, the main way that you can contribute to the podcast is being featured on a Real Talk episode. The other ways you can contribute is by asking a question. So scattered throughout the episodes, we'll have some segments where there is a listener Q& A. And also a transit journal segment, and I'll talk more about that in a second. 

What you're going to do is you're going to head to astrologywithclaire. com slash gossip. That's astrologywithclaire. com slash gossip. And you will see buttons to prompt you to record a voice message on my website. So, here's a few tips on how to gossip. First, I want you to gather your thoughts before you press record. So, a little bulleted list always helps me, but you know, I am a Virgo after all. Also, try to find a quiet place to record where you won't be interrupted. Do your best. Uh, fun fact, sometimes bathrooms are really great for acoustics. Am I in a bathroom right now? That is for me and me alone. Please turn your phone off if you can. And if you have an external microphone, please plug that in because that will boost the sound quality. Otherwise, no worries. Just try to speak at a good volume and very clearly.

I would love it if you started your voice recording by introducing yourself. Just the first name is perfect. But this is gossip after all, and sometimes we'd like to remain anonymous. And if that's what you want to do, that's perfect. The only person who's going to know who you are is me, and that's just in case I need to get in touch with you or have a question. So that is going to remain private. 

I do want you to share all the juicy details that you're comfortable sharing, and that means not revealing anything you're uncomfortable telling a large audience.

And there is a little fine print. So when you submit a voice recording to the podcast, you're giving me permission to use it on a podcast episode now or in the future. You're also giving me permission to edit it down for time or content. And what I mean by this is if you give me a really long voice message and I only have room for 30 seconds, I might clip it down to 30 seconds. Or if you go off on a tangent and you had a really good piece at the beginning, I'm going to cut out the tangent. Editing is the magic sauce to keep the episodes nice and tight and on topic.

And of course, I deeply appreciate your submission, but it's never guaranteed to make the show. I'm not sure what to expect right now in terms of volume, so you probably have a pretty good chance at the moment to get featured, but that may not always be the case. So, it is not guaranteed, but I appreciate you playing the game anyway.

So as I said before, one of the ways you can contribute is by asking a question. So this is our Q&A segment. And you can ask a burning astrology question. You can ask a question about me, if for some weird reason you are curious about who I am. You are very welcome to ask a question about your birth chart, but please try to ask it in a way that makes it relevant to other people too. So if you feel like you need to give me all of your birth information, your question is probably too specific for the show and best for a private reading.

I think I'm most excited about the Transit Journal segment, and this is where you get to submit stories about how astrology really impacted your day to day. So first of all, what's a transit? A transit is when a planet in today's real time sky comes around and activates something in your birth chart. This is what makes astrology alive and also personal.

Here's what to share in a Transit Journal voice message. First things first, tell us what planets are involved in the transit. For example, Saturn conjunct Saturn, or Jupiter trine Mars, or Venus conjunct Mercury. Those are all examples of transits. If you want to take it deeper, let us know what zodiac signs and houses in your birth chart are involved. And then just tell us what happened. What events or changes unfolded? How were you feeling? And were there any lessons or takeaways that you learned during that time?

Because this might be a little abstract for new to astrology listeners, I'm going to do an example transit journal entry for you right now, so you can just get a feel for how it's going to flow. So this is a real transit that I am, yes, experiencing right now. And the transit is Jupiter trine Jupiter. So Jupiter in today's sky is making a trine to Jupiter in my birth chart. And this transit is going to be active for about a week or so.

Quick crash course on Jupiter. Jupiter is the planet of all things good and lovely in life. It is all about improving our life, upgrading our life, and getting what we want out of life. It rules our hopes and aspirations. In pop astro, we're often told that Jupiter transits correlate with luck. And things like winning the lottery. That definitely did not happen to me. But this transit was really significant and definitely propelled me towards things that I aspire to. So let me explain.

Jupiter in my chart rules my first house and my fourth house. So it has a lot to do with my life direction and a lot to do with my home life. Transiting Jupiter is moving through my seventh house of marriage and partnership and relationship, and it's making a trine to my natal Jupiter in the third house, which we all know what the third house is about at this point. 

The first thing I noticed about this transit is that Jupiter feels a little bit like Uranus to me. It is teaching me a lot about freedom. It's teaching me a lot about the desire for autonomy. And that was a little bit surprising to me, as I don't often think of Jupiter as a planet that wants to break away. But now that I really think about it, it makes perfect sense, because that is what happened during this transit.

First of all, we made a decision in my home to move, so that my husband can pursue an opportunity that he's been desiring for a long time. Opportunity is a classic Jupiter word, and because Jupiter is moving through my seventh house, this was an opportunity for my spouse, not necessarily for me, so that was really interesting.

I'm also working the very last couple of days of a job that I haven't really enjoyed. And I quit it during this time, so that I can transition back to my hope for my life, which is to do astrology full time all the time. 

The other thing that happened during this transit is that I launched Third House Gossip. I chose that intentionally, but also unintentionally, because I wasn't sure how long it would take for me to get this podcast together.

 So that's an example of a transit journal. You don't have to share as much astro data as me. The essential piece is that you tell us what planets are involved and then what happened.

 Let's finish this first episode up with a little segment I'm going to call Sip and Tip. So everybody take a sip. It's time for an astro tip. Yes, that was a cheesy rhyme and I'm keeping it and I'm going to say it every time we do this segment together. 

So one of the most frequent questions I get about birth charts is, what if I have an empty house? We all have empty houses. That's just how the astro cookie crumbles. And first of all, it's important to understand that it does not mean that that's an empty part of your life. Just because a house is empty and doesn't have any planets in it, doesn't mean that part of life is inactive. For example, if your seventh house is empty, that does not mean you will never have a significant partnership. Absolutely not. That does not mean you're going to be alone forever. I have an empty seventh house, and I'm married. Okay?

There's a lot of other things you can look at in the chart that will give you more information about an empty house. The first thing is looking at the zodiac sign that's on the house. So in our example, I have Gemini on the seventh house. So Gemini is going to tell me a little bit about the tone and experience I have in my relationships. And you can do the same thing. So learning about the zodiac sign on an empty house is going to give you a little more information about how that area of life unfolds for you. It'll also tell you a little bit about the style in which you approach that area of your life.

And the other major piece that can tell you about an empty house is its planetary ruler. So, all of the zodiac signs are ruled by a planet, and I'm going to list them really quick.

The Sun rules Leo, the Moon rules Cancer, Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo, Venus rules Taurus and Libra, Mars rules Aries and Scorpio, Jupiter rules Sagittarius and Pisces, and Saturn rules Capricorn and Aquarius.

So you're gonna find your empty house, figure out what zodiac sign is on the house, and then figure out what planet rules that sign. So in my example with Gemini on the empty seventh house, Mercury rules that house. And so in my chart, Mercury is my relationship planet. And that means that wherever Mercury is in my chart, whatever sign it's in, whatever house it's in, what type of condition it's in, if it's happy or sad or everything in between, that planet is going to tell me about my relationships. 

So I hope this is helpful. Again, moral of the story is, if you have an empty house, that does not mean that part of life is empty. You can look at the zodiac sign on the house and also look to the planet that rules that part of your chart to get more information. 

All right, astro lover, thanks for listening to this first episode of Third House Gossip. I hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget, contributions for the podcast are open right now. You can leave a question, you can leave a transit journal entry, all you got to do is head to astrologywithclaire. com slash gossip, that's astrologywithclaire. com slash gossip to leave a voice message. That's all from me for now. If you liked this episode, pass it on, because that's what we do with a juicy bit of gossip.