Lana Wooster » Astrology

Aspects for the week beginning 25 July 2010

Lana — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 10:14:32 +0000

Well, here we are…We’ve arrived at one of the most important and transformative astrological weeks this year…if you haven’t already filled in your diary, I would try and keep it as free as possible, as there will be a lot going on, especially on Monday. This morning Jupiter squared Pluto, and sadly we hear of the demise of Alex “Hurricane” Higgins, Piscean genius snooker champion. He died of throat cancer, and is quoted as saying: “I read the bible my mother gave me when I was 15 and told myself ,You can fight.’ I have been a fighter all my life. That’s what stopped me going through with it [suicide]”. He was a fighter all right, with Sun exactly conjunct Mars at 27 degrees Pisces. Mark that degree. I prepared a Jupiter square Pluto blog earlier, but will add that we shall see and understand the results of this aspect intensively and clearly over the next 10 days, for the second pass is as soon as Tuesday 3^rd August, with both planets travelling retrograde. Financial Astrologer Raymond Merriman emphasizes that this could mean a financial explosion. He writes, deliciously: “We also hoped it would be wild, for we wanted to see Astrology live – in real time – correlating with market movements reflecting these hugely diverse geocosmic dynamics”. So that you can easily find this quote in context, I have just added his link on my contact page. Could it be that we will find out if we are in for a double dip recession? Another aspect I would like to deliver for today is a double quincunx. Sounds like a double rainbow, as it looks slightly bent, but quincunxes are not easy aspects. For Neptune is conjunct Chiron (a healing cauldron) at 27 degrees Aquarius and 0 degrees Pisces respectively, and quincunx Mars conjunct Saturn (disciplined action) at 27 degrees Virgo and 0 degrees Libra respectively. Notice that 27 degree mark, again. Mars was exactly opposite Alex Higgins’ Sun/Mars yesterday. What this picture means is that we are all struggling with drama (Jupiter square Pluto) and complexity (the double quincunx) against a backdrop of changing structures (the ongoing T-square formation in the early Cardinal signs. As if this is not enough, tomorrow (Monday 26^th) has 5 aspects to report, including a Full Moon in Aquarius. The Full Moon in Aquarius will highlight those areas in which we need to come together in communities and brother/sisterhood in order to produce healing outcomes for these complicated astrological configurations and what they bring to our attention. Mercury opposes Neptune, so clarity of thought will be at a premium, though mystical attunement may win through. Mystical attunement itself can sometimes compound the cloudiness of vision and the illusion, especially if accompanied by substances such as caffeine. So drink plenty of water tomorrow, as purity can be crucial to outcomes. Oh dear…Inner Astrologer…you seem so serious these days, let me tickle your chin…next the Sun trines Jupiter. Gee thanks! You could see the funny side of life amidst all the complexity and furrowed-brow truth seeking. The Mars/Neptune quincunx also becomes exact tomorrow, which adds energetic confusion to the mental confusion of Mercury opposite Neptune. All that mayhem is just the warm-up act for the main event of Saturn opposite Uranus later in the day, which I have blogged to the hilt. It is the 5^th and final pass of this transit, which has been about dismantling the old and constructing the new on the world stage, in society, and in our personal lives. The new feature of this final pass is that whereas the other oppositions occurred over Virgo/Pisces (Saturn/Uranus) this one occurs across Libra/Aries. What was about health and healing, has now become about individuality and relationship. With Saturn now in Libra, cooperation and negotiation are now vital, and with Uranus in Aries, we must express our individuality and authenticity within that. We all have to evolve together, as we are challenging each other every step of the way, in this process. The rest of the week you will be dealing with issues raised by these first two days. Tuesday (27^th) Mercury opposes Chiron, and the confusions of thought give way to pressure to find healing solutions. These may be creative as Mercury is at the end of Leo, and later Mercury enters Virgo analytically inspecting health options. It may be an important day, and week, for the National Health Service. On Thursday (29^th) Mars changes signs, to Libra from Virgo. The focus changes from demanding health solutions to negotiating and warriorship. We will all need to find our Inner Warriors, our Inner Negotiators, and merge them into Peaceful Warriors. At least if we can do so that would be a good day for it. Friday (30^th) is a mixed bag: Mercury trine Pluto and Mars opposite Uranus. The first aspect promotes profound thought and mental solutions, and the second aspect is incident prone especially around electrical activity. Fitting in a morning meditation may ensure that you stay on a constructive vibe, in the same way that taking your bio yoghurt early on may ensure good digestion. You will then be able to deal with any other excitements that occur, or any breaches of health and safety conditions, in the optimum way. We end the week (Saturday 30^th) on the conjunction of Mars and Saturn. With all the wealth of wisdom we’ll have gained, we will be in a position to act with deliberation and intent and focus, and hopefully constructively. Read this blog today, and read it next Saturday, and look back at yourself. You could find a different person.

Jupiter square Pluto

Lana — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:50:35 +0000

It is difficult for the average Astrologer to extricate one square from the multiple T-square pile-up these days, but this coming Sunday’s Jupiter square Pluto seems to me to highlight light and dark, and faith and belief in our society.

Many of us are feeling exhaustion (from the Saturn square Pluto) at the same time as high energies (from Jupiter square Pluto) pulling both ways at us now. Unlikely, but true. The focus this Sunday (25th July) is on the rip-roaring energy of Jupiter square Pluto.

Most of the world was horrified by the exploits of Osama bin Laden, but a significant proportion saw him as a hero. In the U.K. recently, Raoul Moat’s killing spree shocked most people, but sufficient members of the population sympathized with him to launch him as a hero on various websites.

The cosmos and the psyche are a hologram which we explore while we are in incarnation. We all have a starting point at the beginning of each incarnation which is based on what has gone before. We also have an agenda of what we want to explore in our experience for this lifetime. Sometimes that involves a different extreme than before, for example a Jew can be re-born as an Arab, and vice versa.

Jupiter (planet of religion) and Pluto (planet of elimination) are important forces in our society, now as ever.

In our Western society there is a strong contingent of atheism and pride in human potential, which has an Aries flavour. Aries scientist Richard Dawkins has popularity, intellect and charisma, and a huge following. I have close friends who base their life philosophy on his writings, notably “The Selfish Gene” and “The God Delusion”. Hard on his heels is fellow Arien Christopher Hitchens, author of “God is not Great”, who according to the Observer “is a familiar presence on American cable politics shows. He is a formidable participant in public debates, a regular on the lecture circuit.” His religion planet Jupiter natally is beset by 5 squares and is unsupported in his chart. Maybe it wasn’t always thus: somewhere in his incarnational history he could have been a crusader who became disillusioned when God failed to back him. His pious Anglican Christian sibling rival Peter Hitchens started out as an atheist. No doubt they have travelled together many lifetimes. They share a Venus-Mars conjunction, and Chiron (the “wounded healer”) in Sagittarius, the sign of religion. Peter also has a difficult Jupiter natally, opposed by Saturn and the Moon.

Bush and Blair believed themselves to be the good guys in their religious crusade. Many have turned against religion because of its promotion of war throughout history. Both Atheists and the fundamental religious have at times turned against Astrology (it’s a funny old world…). Those new agers working exclusively with the light are sometimes criticized by those who feel it important to embrace the darkness. If you start out with the light sooner or later you meet the darkness. The psychotherapist will meet the shadow self. Incarnation has a positionality, which can dissolve into unity in the between-life perspective, or in meditation. One man’s meat is another man’s poison, and we all have a starting point and a repertoire of experiences. Our faiths (Neptune and Jupiter) often determine our path in life, and the wider our outlook the more choices we may have.

Before the discovery of the planet Uranus, the dualism of spirituality and materialism were seen as the struggle between Jupiter and Saturn respectively. But with the discovery of the outer planets, the world is seen through deeper lenses. Pluto has X-ray vision and sees through the material world. Now in the scientifically advanced era of quantum physics and the contemplation of black holes, even Astrologers are on new thresholds of awareness: witness the travels to the Galactic Centre, the Super-Galactic Centre and the awareness of asteroids in the blog of Human Design expert Kim Gould (link on my Contact page). Our horizons are wider, our choices more mind-boggling, and our responsibilities greater now..

If you have Jupiter square Pluto in your natal chart, this aspect is about power, and about power struggles within yourself and with other people. It is about will, self-will, will power and divine will. When you are locked into personality needs, this can be quite difficult, but it can become easier as you come into your higher consciousness. At that level you are able more easily to see others’ needs and how they interact with your own, the needs of society, the needs of a group, the needs of the whole, and the Divine Plan. It is a process where you might start with your own personality needs, but if they are blocked you work your way out in an expanded way, and if there is a complete block you may end up surrendering to the divine, or offering the problem to the divine because you just can’t work out or understand what the divine will is within the situation. You’ve had a lifetime (this one!) of practice with this, and can more easily help those who will be struggling with it.

The Jupiter square Pluto experience will challenge us to define our faiths, beliefs and choices. We are likely to meet extremes, and choose between the light, the dark or the middle way. All roads will eventually lead home, but some routes are more circuitous than others, and some consequences take more than one lifetime to undo. Whether we use the prop of the Divine, or go it alone, that is the question.

Saturn and Uranus – 5th and Final Opposition

Lana — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:48:05 +0000

If you have read the background in my blog “Saturn opposite Uranus – Phases 1 – 4” you will see that much of the focus of the first two phases at least, on the world stage, was in establishing Barack Obama in his role as U.S. President. We knew at the outset, that this series of oppositions was going to be about dismantling old institutions and re-building. The 3^rd opposition was centred around the Health Bill, and the comparison between the National Health Service in the U.K. The 4^th opposition was around the cliffhanger of the General Election in the U.K. Now we are at the final pass of this opposition, we have a new scheme for the National Health Service presented by the new Coalition government. With Jupiter having joined Uranus in the opposition, the government are taking a huge gamble with our national treasure, in trying to get rid of bureaucracy and save money. Seamus Milne wrote recently in the Guardian “We cannot allow the end of the NHS in all but name”. He wrote: “Under the banner of Liberating the NHS, the health secretary Andrew Lansley this week unveiled a programme of dramatic change, promising to free the English health service from bureaucracy, put family doctors in the driving seat and hand power to patients.” This could well lead to privatisation, and vital funds landing in the wrong hands. It could be that they are promoting the more destructive aspects of the Saturn-Uranus opposition, leading towards greater unfairness in our society. Not the ending we’d dreamt of for this opposition. With the 5^th and final opposition taking place on Monday 26^th July, the day after the Jupiter-Pluto square, we may see some of the impact on our NHS quite clearly on Monday.

Aspects for the week beginning 18 July 2010

Lana — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 09:40:29 +0000

This is a bread and butter week being served up as an hors d’oeuvres before a massive meal of Jupiter square Pluto and Saturn opposite Uranus early on next week’s menu. Last week’s eclipse brought new twists to old news: Here in the U.K. Robbie Williams re-joining Take That (transiting Neptune trine his Saturn and Uranus, forming a Grand Trine), and Coalition plans to revamp (or dismantle?) the NHS; and in the U.S. twin boosts for Barack Obama with the capping of the oil spill situation, and the pushing forward of financial reforms, both featured on 15 July. Starlight wrote 2 days before on Nancy’s Blog (link on my Contact page) “due to this month’s Jupiter station sextile Obama’s Moon (3Gemini21) and square the US Venus (3Cancer06), as well as semisquare Obama’s Ascendant (18Aquarius03), July is bringing some successes and optimism to our beleaguered president.” Neptune is on Barack Obama’s South Node, a long transit, insinuating oil karma but also speculation about his true character. Tuesday (20^th) sees Chiron retrograding back into Aquarius, so healing initiatives may suffer a temporary reversal. Counting Chiron as a planet (poetic licence, it’s an asteroid) that is the first of 3 planets to change signs this week, bringing subtle changes this week to the tone of life. Wednesday (21^st) Saturn re-enters Libra, and we mean business in our relationships now (there is no going back to Virgo). Next up on Thursday (22^nd) the Sun enters its own sunny sign of Leo, and it’s a good week for Leos to feel their essence. For on Friday (23^rd) two favourable aspects to the Sun occur: a sextile with Saturn (stability and creativity combined), and then Sun trine Uranus (having established what the rules are, then bringing intuition into play, and expressing as much creativity as possible within those conditions). A day when much can be achieved. The same day, Jupiter goes stationary prior to retrograde motion, and recent successes or gains will need further research (e.g. if you are on a knitting project you may need to go back and pick up some stitches). Don’t abandon hopes and dreams, you just need to realize what needs tweaking. The week ends on a cliffhanger, for Jupiter is poised to square Pluto on Sunday 25th (power play on a large scale) and the 5^th and final pass of Saturn opposite Uranus is about to take place on Monday 26^th (a final judgement in politics and health reforms). I will try to blog ahead of these two events, and whether or not I do will be my own personal cliffhanger. Perhaps you also have one you already know about…

Of related interest:

http://www.lanawooster.co.uk/blog/2009/10/saturn-in-libra-karmic-dilemmas/

Aspects for the week beginning 11 July 2010

Lana — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 10:39:05 +0000

If your head was buzzing last night too full to sleep, the energy was coming from an early morning Sun sextile Mars. This is good news if you live in a part of the world where you might have needed the energy for daytime activities, but in the UK the energy would have been used up in psychic processing. However, this may be the launchpad for a good early morning start, burning up energy and calories on go-ahead projects. It is a good start to an important day, and a good week for laying new foundations. Buzzing our way through the day, the next aspect encountered is Mercury trine Jupiter, which is perfect for business, selling, car boot sales and craft fairs. Perhaps, as previously advised, you have been setting out your stall for the past week. The day’s transactions may have more importance than you thought, and the details are crucial. How you place Aunt Maud’s jewellery could be vital in terms of who buys it when. The day’s events are likely to unfold in a way that reveals its planning on a higher level. Each step has to happen for the next step to be enabled. The event of the day towards which we are working is the Solar Eclipse early evening (in the UK), one of those cosmic turning points. It is a New Moon and as such your intentions are part of the mix of outcomes, but it is also one of those days which when you look back you will say “I could see it coming”, as you watch events unfold. Depending on where the eclipse falls in your chart, you may find a new identity (if in the first house) or a new benchmark for a relationship (in the seventh house). The New Moon Eclipse can bring big changes, and let us hope they are in the direction we desire. Castor*, one of the Gemini twins, is aligned with our Sun today, and that represents the use of the left hemisphere of the brain. Although the New Moon falls in the gentle female sign of Cancer and emphasizes motherhood, there is an emphasis on the male side of life with Castor, Mercury trine Jupiter, and Sun sextile Mars. Football fans and pundits all over the globe are gearing up for the final of the football World Cup today, between Spain and Holland (and refereed by Englishman Howard Webb). Spain has Saturn trine its natal Sun, Uranus trine its natal Neptune; Holland has Jupiter trine its natal Sun, Jupiter trine its natal Venus – aspects which brought them to the final. Holland may have the joy at the end of the day, but Spain might have an enduring legacy, and I have little success in the field of sports prediction (but am still trying). Howard Webb’s chart shows excellent footballing credentials: Moon conjunct Chiron in the football sign of Aries, and the karmic mission of a warrior (North Node conjunct Mars). So he is capable of being partial, but what of the impartiality of being a referee? He has Uranus in Libra (unpredictable in diplomacy) and square to Venus the planet of fairness…um not ideal. Like Spain Uranus is trine his Neptune (which is at 0 degrees Sagittarius exactly conjunct Spain’s Neptune). He may therefore have an unconscious bias towards Spain, which may be a past life thing, although it may not necessarily count against Holland. Moving on, Venus trines Pluto on Tuesday (13^th) and if you emerged victorious from today you may be able to build on your success that day. Tuesday favours making challenging emotional decisions, which may or may not be linked with the events of the eclipse, but may well bring lasting changes. Wednesday (14^th) belongs to the other Gemini twin Pollux, and the other hemisphere of the brain, the intuitive right brain. “Starlight Elixirs” explains: “Thought is manifested on multiple-dimensional levels and then transmitted through receiving mechanisms to the physical form, and then manifests as electrical activity. Because of this, the intuitive energies that connect to subtler realms have components that are lost in the translation process. These lost components are still available, since thought in its true essence and form does not have the same constraints on time that three-dimensional processes, including electrical activity in the brain, must adhere to. As a result, these thoughts that have not been fully received are able to remain accessible to the individual. There is no time limit on this. These thoughts don’t just fade away over time, but can become available as the person attunes to them.” So if you have had some memory loss recently, there is a chance to recoup on Wednesday. Last of the Fixed Stars to be helping us this week is Procyon (Canis Minor) on Saturday (17^th). The emphasis with Procyon, as with the other two, is also about mental functioning. Procyon seems to work with both concentration and left-brain processes and the intuitive side of the brain, and so can bring both together. It works well with our Sun apparently. To continue unashamedly quoting: “This connection is at a subtle vibrational level in which the Sun says: ‘I love you, I care for you, I share with you your life and your light’ “. So to sum up the week, a huge step can be made to put your life on a new footing.

*Interpretations from “Starlight Elixirs” by Michael Smulkis and Fred Rubenfeld

Aspects for the week beginning 4 July 2010

Lana — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 07:19:02 +0000

It is men’s finals day at Wimbledon, and my favourite shot of the week was the tender expression of Rafael Nadal when he beat Andy Murray in the semi-finals and gave him a hug. He has Venus (affection) in Cancer (maternal), and that showed. It is now time to turn our attention to the point in our birthchart of 0 degrees Aries. This is a point of great vitality, and this year it is being stimulated to an unusual degree. Tomorrow Uranus the planet of revolution revolves. It will be stationary preparing to go retrograde, and recent revolutionary moves in your life will temporarily be suspended, and starting to turn over old ground. The government is going through the motions of undoing various statutes from the previous government in order to implement their new policies. If you are hazy about the 0 degree Aries point in your chart, it has already experienced the entry of Uranus (28^th May), the entry of Jupiter (6^th June) and the conjunction of the two planets (8^th June). If you study the events in your life from those periods, you may gain some understanding of how this point is currently being used as a springboard in your life. Venus opposes Neptune on Thursday (8^th). This can bring confusion in relationship: you might suddenly wonder who someone is; and confusion in the art world: there may be a mystery over who was the artist of a particular work, or who is the perpetrator of an art theft. So two questions of the day might be “Who are you?” and “But is it Art?” A day of tantalizing mystery, and half-answered questions. Friday (9^th) is an opportunity to exercise the mind, with an emphasis on Mercury. We are working towards an eclipsed New Moon next Sunday, and useful work done now may pay dividends in getting your act together, and painting a cohesive picture for the New Moon in Cancer. You are laying out the elements, assembling the pieces you need for this event, which could be a turning point. It is not an art exhibition, but it is an emotional exposition. You may be needing to explain your feelings, for instance, in an effective and efficient way. Mercury sextile Saturn early on Friday (UK time) enables you to set out your stall, apply your mind, do your paperwork, connect your thoughts and ideas with practical methods. At this time Mercury is at the very end of the sign of Cancer, and able to encompass the feelings: put your feelings on paper. Mercury then enters Leo, so the practical phase has been dealt with and the focus next is how to display your material. If for instance you are preparing for a craft fair, the creativity will start to flow. Best aspect of the week is Friday evening (in the U.K.) when Mercury trines Uranus. Brainstorming will bring up a cornucopia of ideas. On Saturday, Venus enters Virgo and discrimination and good taste become acute, food tastes, fashion tastes, standards in friendship, colour sense, etc. Your senses may be heightened. You may find yourself walking a very fine path in choosing materials or in relationship negotiations, for Venus opposes Chiron and quincunxes Uranus, so there will be relationship crises, and egos may need to be massaged. The right people need to be in place at the right time for the eclipse on Sunday, which is backed by a sextile and a trine, giving it an extra sense of purpose. Whether you are a pawn in the game, a bit player, a choreographer, a scriptwriter, architect or director, you will have a sense that you are meant to be where you are and hopefully also know the reason why.

Aspects for the week beginning 27 June 2010

Lana — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 10:50:27 +0000

How was the Grand Cross for you yesterday? I heard reports back from several people flattened on Chaises Longues, tiredness being an undeniable feature of the experience. Hopefully, today can be a kind of rebirth, and certainly there will be mental challenges today with Mercury opposite Pluto, the results of which may bring a mental reorientation. You may need to look at where other people’s rules, constructs and constricts are limiting your own beliefs, and keeping you held through fear. Tomorrow (Monday 28) Sun is conjunct Mercury, so that can bring about a mental rebirth, favouring focus and travel. Wednesday (30^th) brings a conjunction between the South Node and Mercury in Cancer, when the focus can profitably settle on the past (in this lifetime or previous ones) and insight may come forth in connection with family ties and soul groups. Mental shifts are supported by the Sun’s alignment to the Fixed Star Alhena in Gemini: *“This star appears to offer individuals the ability to rapidly change modes of thought and to shift context. This will give them the ability to see things in a whole new way and to utilize the information from a new perspective or to change their minds in a way that is appropriate for their own development.” On Thursday July 1^st Mercury sextiles Mars, promoting quick thinking and intelligent action – a good day to get things done, and a good day to act on any new ways of thinking which emerged earlier in the week. Wimbledon matches could be super-efficient. The Ladies Finals are scheduled for Saturday 3^rd July, coinciding with a conjunction between the Sun and the South Node in Cancer. The outcome could be karmic! The aspects look more favourable towards Venus than Serena Williams, contrary to seeding positions, but maybe Serena has the strength to defy astrological odds or the instinct to work with them. (See my earlier blog ruminations on Wimbledon). For life outside Wimbledon, quoting myself from last week regarding the Sun/South Node connection, we are individually and collectively “coming to terms with karmic issues from the connection with the Sun this week, not in the sense of retribution but of looking at causes and what you contributed and why, so that you can move on.”

*Interpretations from “Starlight Elixirs” by Michael Smulkis and Fred Rubenfeld

Aspects for the week beginning 20 June 2010

Lana — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 06:17:47 +0000

Apologies to those who like their blogs freshly laid on a Sunday morning. I am writing this two days in advance as I will be away for a short break. Some of you may be surprised at the moment to be feeling exhaustion as a result of the demands of the Jupiter-Uranus buzz. If you are, try to restrict your activities to things you want to do, and cut out activities that drain you. I hope you benefitted from the superb aspects early last week. On the Venus trine Jupiter-Uranus last week, I had the good fortune to win an ebook of Chironic poetry , Poems to Heal the Healer: The 12 Chiron Signs by Joyce Mason on her website http://radicalvirgo.blogspot.com/ Joyce had asked for a name for a new species of human, and I can reveal that the next stage of human will be Homo Astrolopithecus. I know many of you out there love to explore the healing dimensions of Chiron and poetry, and can recommend this book as a creation of beauty and inspiration. There’s something happening every day next week! Sunday (20^th) brings a spiritual tone to Father’s Day with a trine between Neptune and the Sun. This may bring up a theme of the “absent father” which concentrates on the spiritual link between you. There is a link between your father and the sea, so a good book title for the day is “The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway (or better still, the film). On Monday (21^st) the Sun enters the sign of Cancer, ushering in the Summer Solstice, and conversely bringing a link with the sea and the mother, which may be archetypal or symbolic if you can’t actually take your mum to the seaside. A minor step forward may occur in the oil situation in the Gulf of Mexico, but the situation will still be in the forefront of our minds while Saturn is quincunx with Neptune. There is a square between the Sun and Uranus on Tuesday (22^nd) which adds an element of surprise to your seaside break with your parents. This is followed by a square between the Sun and Jupiter on Wednesday (23^rd) so any surprises from the day before can be seen as silver linings. The first half of the week’s activity is all based around the Sun, so Leos will be prominent this week, and possibly calling the shots. The second half of the week sees much activity around the planet Mercury, highlighting the activities of Geminis and Virgos. Thursday 24^th brings a square between Mercury and Saturn, which may be tedious for travelling (e.g. the threatened tube strike in London for that day) and for having to catch up with the detail of paperwork and documentation. It’s just something that has to be done. If you are still fatigued, do the paperwork then resume your position on your chaise longue. This will be an advantageous position from which to enjoy the ensuing trine between Mercury and Neptune later the same day, which favours bringing dreams and inspiration into the conscious mind, and writing poetry. For those who have advanced beyond the stage of the chaise longue, a spot of dancing may be enjoyed. The Sun also aligns with the star Tejat in Gemini which “can gently and easily increase the ability to bring spiritual ideas into clear and expressible form as mental concepts and direct ideas to be shared with others”* This reinforces the action of Mercury trine Neptune. On Friday (25^th) Mercury enters Cancer, presenting a united front with the Sun, increasing focus in some ways, but then Mercury squares Uranus which could produce mental overwhelm. Added to this the same day Pluto opposes the Sun, and that is emotional and psychological overwhelm. Keep up your meditational practice…The tension is building to the Full Moon the next day. A more lighthearted square between Mercury and Jupiter on Saturday (26^th) may help us to see things philosophically, and someone may refreshingly play the Joker (there’s always one). Shortly after is the eclipsed Full Moon in Capricorn, whose purpose is to help us to effect a turning point in emotional and social structures. In the news, there may be an emphasis on Institutions which provide social services, and questions and answers as to how they may be improved and what changes need to be made. It will be a busy week, so if you are a bit tired already, you need to have a chaise longue ready in between aspects.

*Interpretations from “Starlight Elixirs” by Michael Smulkis and Fred Rubenfeld

Aspects for the week beginning 6 June 2010

Lana — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 10:28:03 +0000

Since Uranus moved into Aries you may have noticed signs of change and movement in various ways. A couple of trends I noticed last week were a lot of troupes (Uranus) acting as One (Aries) on Britain’s Got Talent, and two members of my circle changing (Uranus) their identities (Ascendants). I mustn’t labour any points today because there are many aspects to get through, including the whopper Jupiter conjunct Uranus. Today Jupiter jumps into Aries, a fire sign with whom Jupiter has a natural affinity. It is a good day, and year (Jupiter stays a year in a sign, roughly), for expressing the fire of the human spirit. Aries is great ground for giving birth to new ideas and feeling your enthusiasm, but there is a danger of riding roughshod over other’s sensibilities. So feel the enthusiasm, and don’t do it anyway…look around to see what others are feeling and thinking. Mars enters Virgo tomorrow, so there will be an opportunity to explore how your energies and enthusiasms translate into service of some kind. Some of you may have experienced being overstretched or actual burn-out while Mars was in a long stay of Leo. Tomorrow can be an opportunity to quietly take stock of your energies, and see how they are best used. Economy is the watchword, for Virgo does not waste anything, including energy. Tuesday (8^th) is the big day, for the likely lads Jupiter and Uranus are conjunct in Aries. Time for the new ideas, re-inventions and enterprise. Jupiter and Uranus have a natural affinity, being adventurous and freedom-loving. They can express themselves fairly uninhibitedly in Aries, but the sign increases their selfishness. Dynamic shifts can happen in the house area this conjunction occupies in your natal chart, but there may also be disruption. If there is a long-held cherished dream, you may get the green light. But also be on-guard for the unexpected. You could be walking along a particular highway, and Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda may whizz past…It may be the time to seize a dream, for it is the best thing to happen this year in terms of aspects. However, it does link in with the Cardinal Climax, so you can’t separate what you are doing from the general problems occurring in the world. If your pet project is along the lines of re-building from the rubble of ruined economies or environments, it is more likely to get the universal blessing, for instance. Your individual personal growth is important though, and that too may be honoured. Human potential is definitely a province of Jupiter-Uranus in Aries. Coming as it does at the very beginning of the astrological wheel, the 0 degree Aries point, it is a very physical manifestation, so don’t be surprised if there is a very concrete and symbolic event in your life on that day. Perhaps supplies of concrete may reach Gaza, for instance. Mercury trines Saturn also on Tuesday, which is another concrete, and additionally practical aspect, especially for planning. Mars also opposes Chiron, which may bring back some of the paranoias of last week’s Mars opposite Neptune…Derrick Bird’s last words apparently before his shootings were: “Am I being paranoid?” We all need to be aware of our paranoia, and work with it in constructive ways. Mercury squares Neptune on Wednesday (9^th) which refocuses the paranoia from an energetic level to a mental level. Paranoid thoughts could be channeled into gently-teasing poetry, or you could talk them over with someone you trust. Mercury enters Gemini on Thursday (10^th) so you can freely and easily articulate, and it is also a good day for travel. Mercury in Taurus represented thought driven by feeling, but the mind can roam more freely and lightly, or flit like a butterfly under Gemini. It is a day that mind and travel can really take wing, because Mercury then sextiles the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, so any of those big and bold ideas which entered your psyche early in the week, can catch fire and explode into imagination and activity on Thursday. It will be difficult to find restraint, so like fireworks some sparks may delight and some may land in slightly dangerous places. Hopefully Mars in Virgo will be ready to take proper health and safety measures if required. Mercury squares Chiron too, so health issues may flare up, possibly caused by over-excitement. On Friday (11^th) Mercury squares Mars so there could be cross words or irritability on that day, as again someone may be overwrought from all the excitement. I would several years ago have recommended herbal tranquillizers at this point, but I am a recovering addict of these, and have resolved not to use them again. The end of the week on Saturday (12^th) brings a New Moon, symbol of new hope, in Gemini. Our Sun is aligned with three fixed stars on that day: Mintaka from Orion’s belt (channeling aggression safely), El Nath in Taurus (multidimensional awareness) and Capella in Auriga (family interconnections)*. So you could be aware of an ongoing complexity, and again you cannot take a blinkered approach in your activities. We are learning to take global issues into account on so many levels, when shopping in the supermarket, when sifting through our recycling, when watching the news and sending out prayers, etc…The last aspect of the week, also on Saturday, of Venus sextile Saturn, illustrates just that, for it speaks of relationships with responsibility.

*Interpretations from “Starlight Elixirs” by Michael Smulkis and Fred Rubenfeld

Aspects for the week beginning 30 May 2010

Lana — Sun, 30 May 2010 11:03:48 +0000

The term “planet” is Greek for “wanderer”, and this week two of them plus an asteroid change direction in their wanderings. I have just a few hours ago returned from four days in Venice, so this blog may sound like a travelogue, or I may have total writer’s block. The first day of my holiday I realized I had put a “typo” (too kind a term) in my last blog, writing quincunx instead of semi-sextile, and would not be able to correct it until I got home…Meanwhile I saw the Full Moon on the Grand Canal, wistfully reflected in the eyes of the Gondoliers. The next morning business was brisker, and their eyes were glinting sunlight instead. And where were you when Uranus went into Aries? I was asleep on the Rialto Bridge (a very complex bridge with a Hotel which was hard to find). But on the day of Uranus entering Aries, two volcanoes erupted in Guatemala and Ecuador in South America, much to the suffering of humans, but nature needing to let off steam again. Today Saturn goes stationary at 27 degrees Virgo prior to going direct and travelling back towards Libra. Saturn went back in a particular area of our charts for some clutter-clearing, and I hope you were able to achieve some. When it goes back into Libra there will be more earnestness about making relationships or coalitions work. My blog of 18 October 2009 entitled “Saturn in Libra – Karmic Dilemmas” looked at the issues highlighted when it first entered Libra. We now have a coalition government in the U.K. led by a Libran Prime Minister. Delicate “proximity talks” are going on in the Middle East as Barack Obama seeks to make his mark on this age-old search for peace. Saturn does not reach Libra until 21 July, but the period in between is important preparation, as well as there being more Saturn-in-Virgo cleaning up, notably the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. To keep astrologically up-to-date on this situation, read Nancy’s Starlight News Blog (link on my Contact page) and the comments to it. Tomorrow (Monday 31) Neptune goes stationary at 28 degrees Aquarius prior to going retrograde. Neptune ruling oil and water will in retrograde motion show up more problems in connection with the oil spillage. Complex interconnections need to be understood and worked with in this retrograde phase. Neptune does not turn direct again until November, but some aspects of the oil spillage, or your own life complexities and clearing up operations, may hopefully gain ground by the time Saturn completes its mission in Virgo in July. Saturn direct in Virgo favours the practicalities, while Neptune retrograde highlights the emotional and compassionate needs of the weaker elements in our society (Neptune in Aquarius) or the animal kingdom which need our help. Saturn going and Neptune coming back meet up again in a quincunx (yes that really is one) at the end of June, and though it’s an uncomfortable aspect, it may be what is needed for people to work together on complex operations, and also to prepare for future ground. On Friday (4^th June) Chiron goes stationary at 1 degree of Pisces prior to turning retrograde. This is the researching phase of a healing crisis, in your own life or out there as on the coastlines or the waters (Pisces). Later as Chiron retrogrades back into the sign of Aquarius, there may be more scrutiny of the problems in air space. All the elements are vying for our attention at the moment, it seems. In the retrograde phase, diagnosis of the problem has been identified, and causation is what is being looked at. If you are reviewing your life, turning out the closets could reveal some causations, e.g. an old postcard could bring back a state of mind you had forgotten, and re-tell a story whose nuances you might have missed. On Friday too there is an opposition, between Mars and Neptune, so something may need to be looked at which you would have preferred to avoid, and there are more stories to be revealed on the themes of water and oil. Coming back so recently from Venice, reading a biography of the scientist Galileo, I appreciate so much the depiction of the play of light on water by the different Venetian artists old and new, but realize that we need the ingenuity and research of the scientists now to help achieve the healing and balance of our environment for its survival, but also that we can continue to enjoy the beauty of the planet. While away, I managed to offend one artist near St. Mark’s Square. “You like only my water?” He asked.