In the seventh episode of Parts & Charts: The IFS and Astrology Podcast, Chelsea and KP explore:
What are firefighters? And how do they work in the system and our birth charts?
And how might the Moon in our birth chart illuminate how we soothe, react, or protect ourselves in vulnerable moments?
[to watch the video version, head over to Substack or Youtube. For the audio versions, listen through Spotify , Apple podcasts, or your favorite podcast app]
This episode dives into the reactive protector parts known as Firefighters in IFS—how they attempt to numb, soothe, or distract us from pain—and how that protective instinct might connect to our Moon sign and emotional patterns in astrology. Plus, Chelsea and KP share personal stories and challenge each other’s theories about risk-taking, soothing, and how selfhood shows up in the birth chart.
Time Stamps and Topics:
1:00 — Introducing firefighter parts in IFS
2:00 — Difference between managers and firefighters
3:00 — The role of firefighters: distraction, numbing, reaction
6:00 — How firefighter parts can show up in therapy and life
8:00 — Spiritual bypassing as a subtle firefighter
10:00 — Can we talk to firefighters when they’re not activated?
12:00 — KP’s story of quitting smoking as firefighter work
14:00 — The cycle of managers, firefighters, and shame
17:00 — Working with parts that don’t like our behaviors
19:00 — The Moon’s role in astrology as a soothing or reactive force
21:00 — How Moon signs might relate to emotional coping
24:00 — KP’s informal Moon sign survey results
27:00 — Chelsea’s unique Cancer Moon with no aspects
30:00 — Risk-taking, firefighters, and different houses in astrology
33:00 — How Moon placement may affect how we take risks
37:00 — Chelsea’s Leo Moon and self-expression, where the Moon is in the chart: where we invest ourselves emotionally
40:00 — Mars as a cutting force and how it relates to firefighters
44:00 — Chelsea’s 12th House Mars, Moon, and Sun: self-undoing and spiritual bypass
48:00 — Wrapping up: No fixed answers, just curious inquiry
Key Quotes:
“Firefighters are also protectors, but they have very different energies.” — Chelsea
“Firefighters try to put out the fire of emotions—and help people escape those flames.” — Chelsea
“Managers try to control things. Firefighters rebel against that control.” — Chelsea
“A huge part of this work is to help the manager parts calm down and trust that we’re trying to help.” — Chelsea
“Firefighters don’t always have to be extreme… They can show up in subtler ways.” — Chelsea
“The more you make acquaintance with your parts, the more you know who’s loudest right now.” — KP
“It wasn’t until I had more self-knowledge that I could actually release smoking from my life.” — KP
“There’s this cycle: something triggers, a firefighter comes in, does the behavior, and then the managers judge it—and shame comes up.” — Chelsea
“What helped me was not quitting smoking, but reducing the tension.” — KP
“They really want to make you feel good, even if they look destructive on the surface.” — Chelsea
“The Moon is often where I go first when I’m thinking about emotional reactivity.” — KP
“Maybe you tried soothing in a way someone else did—and it didn’t work for you because your Moon doesn’t vibrate that way.” — KP
“Wherever the Moon is in the chart, that tends to be where we’ve invested in our early years.” — KP
“Mars always has to cut something. It’s the severing principle in our lives.” — KP
“We need the ability to cut things in order to have a fruitful life.” — KP
Resources Mentioned:
Internal Family Systems (IFS) — Focus on firefighter parts and their protective roles
Dick Schwartz — Founder of IFS
The Moon in Astrology — How our Moon sign shows up in emotional coping and soothing
Risk-taking in the Birth Chart — Theories on houses, planets, and self-undoing
Mars in Astrology — As a symbol of choice, cutting, and severing
IFS Cycle of Managers, Firefighters, and Shame — How these parts interact in our systems
Connect with Us:
✨ Subscribe to Parts & Charts on Substack
📸 Follow us on Instagram: @PartsAndCharts
💌 Send a question or note through Substack
🎧 Share this episode with someone who’s ever doubted their chart or wanted to silence a part of themselves.
Credits:
Music “Vape Juice Dave’s Bistro” composed by Scott Cary (Wild Western Avenue) for the feature film RINGOLEVIO (2020) directed by KP Kaszubowski - performed by Scott Cary, Max Wikoff, Else Albeck Gasparka, and Sarah Luther
The cover image is a collage by Chelsea Owens.
Share this post