22nd January: Aspects for the week beginning 22 January 2012
At the time the Costa Concordia ran aground, Uranus was squaring Italy’s Mercury in the 8th House in Cancer (a shock to its coastline). Italy suffered a double shock that day, because on the same day, Italy’s credit rating was downgraded by Standard & Poor (the 8th House also represents financial dealings with others). When Silvio Berlusconi departed from office last November, Uranus (extreme change) was also squaring Italy’s Mercury (a challenge to its mindset). The Costa Concordia was originally ordered on 19 January 2004, under a Moon conjunct Pluto trine Mars, which might have raised some Health and Safety issues. Be careful what aspects you order a sailing vessel under, such as a Royal Yacht. But ours is still at the discussion stage, I believe, so no astrological chart to be drawn just yet. On the night that the Costa Concordia ran aground, Venus was on the cusp of Aquarius and Pisces, conjunct with Neptune. Mercury was also conjunct Pluto – both conjunctions of the deep. There is a sense of fatefulness when the chart of the disaster is compared to the chart of the ordering of the sea vessel: Pluto was opposing the ship’s Saturn (destruction by grounding). What of the role of the Captain, Francesco Schettino? Schettino was born three days before Jonathan Ross in the same year. Ross has now relaunched himself, after a cavalier prank in 2008. It could be the role of their Pluto conjunct the North Node to live on the edge. Of Schettino’s relationship to Italy, his Neptune (carelessness) squares Italy’s Pluto, but it is quite a price to pay for carelessness. Perhaps we will find out more about his state of mind in due course. The Sun sextiles Uranus today: A bright start to a bright day. Maybe you slept unexpectedly, contrary to your usual insomnia pattern, and feel re-aligned. The Sun also squares Jupiter, so there is a possibility of overreaching yourself in enthusiastic efforts, e.g. pruning the bushes in the garden. Just know your own boundaries, and those of your neighbours. Tomorrow the New Moon occurs in the sign of Aquarius at 2 degrees - Another bright start to another bright day. A time to launch or relaunch social initiatives, and look at life in a new, and perhaps whackier, way. Group consciousness is favoured, and mind-melding. Subsequently, Mercury trines Mars and an energetic trek or fitness drive may be supported by the Universe. If you have strident words to say, you may find clear but inoffensive ways to say them. This time you can set things precisely right, if you have been awkward in your past efforts. On Tuesday (24th) Mars is stationary prior to turning retrograde - having taken two steps forward this week, plans may begin to stall, leaving you only one step forward. The expert on retrogrades Erin Sullivan says of Mars retrograde: “When transiting Mars stations and turns retrograde, all externalized drive and focused energy reverses its direction. The daily progress of which one normally takes no note suddenly becomes filled with effort.” As if to illustrate this, Friday (27th) brings a square between Mercury and Saturn, which could bring beaurocratic delays to your documentation, rather like a retrograde Mercury action or non-action, but shorter and sharper and more embodied in a particular event. Plans may take a step backwards but remember if you made the most of the headway early in the week, you are still one step forward from where you were at the beginning of the week, the snakes are now behind you and there are a couple of ladders in sight! Mercury then goes into Aquarius in the early evening of Friday, bringing a fresher mental outlook, and stimulating discussion if you are socializing. If you are spending a quiet Friday night in, it is a good time to actively start a new project, rather than sit mesmerized in front of the television (I hope I will be able to walk my talk). Mentally you can turn things around now, because another boost arrives on Saturday (28th) in the shape of Mercury sextile Uranus. Again it’s at tea-time in the U.K., so again more socializing is on the cards, and some of it could be quite electrifying. If you are having a traditional tea, it won’t be sedate! If you are having a housewarming party there could be some welcome surprises. And if you are attending a reunion, mentally you will be reeling. Estrangements may be healed. In your Dancing on Ice update for this week, the stand out surprisingly wonderful performers of last week (Chico and Matthew Wolferton) have proved elusive in the search for birth dates. Maybe these will emerge as the series continues. Jennifer Ellison, who skated first last Sunday, won the culinary challenge Hell’s Kitchen a few years back in 2004, when Uranus was exactly square to her Uranus. With Sun/Mars (high energy) opposite natal Jupiter/Uranus, she relishes a challenge and is a risk taker. She has made a good start, and should do well. Veteran fitness guru Rosemary Conley (my age bracket) according to the commentator performed a tortilla wrap (I could manage one in the kitchen). Natally she has Venus conjunct Jupiter, a very sociable feature, and called Dancing on Ice: “The Most Wonderful Show on Earth”, which is a superlative befitting her Venus/Jupiter enthusiasm. If you’ve ever wondered where she gets her inexhaustible energy from – it’s directly from the Centre of the Galaxy where she has her Sun (she’s a rare creature, and I wish her well in the competition!). Like Jennifer Ellison and Heidi Range, she has the high energy conjunction between Mars and the Sun (it is not that common!). Holywood actor Corey Feldman was lagging behind in training – making 2 films at the same time – and appeared in the skate off, possibly not for the first time. He has a sensitive chart, with Sun in Cancer square Chiron, and Jupiter conjunct Neptune. His partner Brooke Castile has Moon conjunct Jupiter and the Sun, Chiron and Mercury in Gemini. The pair have their Venuses conjunct, plus his Uranus trines her Sun. Uranus currently trines Corey’s Neptune, so he may be learning personal and impersonal lessons of sensitivity through his participation in the show, whilst multitasking in his film ventures, Uranus stimulating his ability to take on complexity (Neptune) which may not enable him to stay long in the competition. It’s a spinning plate he may not be able to maintain. Sebastien Foucan, a French runner specializing in freerunning and parkour, is someone I was unaware of, not being of a sporty disposition. But he seems to have taken the contest by storm, with an unusual twist in that his fierce independence (natally Mercury/South Node trine Uranus) created distance between him and his skating partner Brianne Delcourt. He performed well, and it is intriguing to see whether he takes note of his partner in his next performance. Philip Schofield said he brought passion to the contest, and this may be his Venus/Chiron conjunction in Aries, but in many ways he has a private chart. Incidentally, he is a Gemini, and running is the sport most associated with Gemini. I associate ice dancing with Pisces. The Week in Bullet Points:
15th January: Aspects for the week beginning 15 January 2012
It’s time to consider that there may be a contender pitted against Obama in the U.S. Presidential Election in November. After Sarah Palin bowed out, and Michelle Bachmann has left the scene, and a few others came and went, Mitt Romney emerges as a possibility after his triumph in Iowa and New Hampshire. I have to say that I still feel that Obama has the stature for the role of President – that he has not performed as well as hoped I feel is because he has not been allowed to by the opposition, in the same way that I feel that in British politics David Cameron has not played fair with Nick Clegg. Not that Nick Clegg is in the same league as Obama, but that he has been scapegoated and disempowered by a Prime Minister who has not played fair. If Politicians are continually fighting, nothing helpful ever gets done. They put the power play before health, education and peace, and rarely do you find a sense of co-operation even for important projects for the good of all. In the Guardian yesterday, Jonathan Freedland talked about the gridlock experienced by the current U.S. administration, calling it “an abuse of the system, a consequence specifically of the march rightward of the republican party“. So…looking at Mitt Romney’s chart, I am not bowled over, but then, as I say, I am biased! He has no Earth planets, so could be said to be ungrounded. He has the past-life Warrior Archetype in the shape of the Nodal Axis square to his Mars, and may be part of a warrior group. On the plus side, he has the Moon exactly conjunct Jupiter, which is buoyant, and has been labeled “guilelessly optimistic” in the past. He also has a balanced Jupiter trine Saturn, but a dark Chiron square Pluto. On the date of the election, neither Romney nor Obama have easy aspects, but Pluto is trine Obama’s Pluto, and if he were to win it would mean he would be coming into his own power, and may have more of a chance to deliver on his original ideals. Jupiter will be trine the U.S. Saturn, and so there may be a sense of uplift in the mood of the continent. Nancy’s Blog (see my Contact page for the link) said spookily accurately of Mitt Romney on 2nd January, before Iowa: “Mitt Romney does well in Iowa but may share the winnings with Paul and Santorum. He has a very strong win in New Hampshire. South Carolina and Florida are disappointing, but he remains very aggressive throughout January and February and regains his strong momentum from mid-February onward, winning Super Tuesday (March 6) decisively. May is likely to be his official crowning as nominee.” This morning Venus sextiles Jupiter, making it an excellent day for socializing, wining and dining. Tomorrow, Venus conjuncts Chiron and healing hopes could be raised, and in some cases realized. On Wednesday (18th) we have a recurrence of Jupiter semi-sextile Uranus, which last occurred on 13th December, if you can resurrect your old diary. At that time, I wrote: “Jupiter from 0 degrees Taurus is semi-sextile Uranus at 0 degrees Aries [they have now reached 1 degree], very fundamental positions being tested against each other. Some Gandhi-like negotiations might be needed, in order to avoid the collapse of the whole. In your own life one area may look to be holding up, but faces a challenge from another area of your life which somehow you know could go either way. Expand your consciousness and see things from a larger perspective, where things are already unified and whole.” In actual fact, I found it to be a buoyant, co-operative and productive day on a personal level and between people, so the contact between Jupiter and Uranus can work well, in such a mildly uneasy aspect. On Thursday (19th), there is a square between the Sun and Saturn, and there may be a little nugget of inertia infiltrating your plans, so you may need a little nugget of persistence and optimism to overcome this. Unless the signals are prohibitive, you should be able to proceed. Friday (20th) brings a change of Sun Sign, from the sluggish Capricorn to the more dynamic Aquarius. Overnight, people may have slept on the difficulties of the previous day, and dreamt the solutions, and brought new energy to the table. For instance, if you baked a Mary Berry recipe the day before and felt disheartened, you might try it again with a new twist on the Friday, surprising everybody. Later the same day, our positive input will be rewarded by a supportive sextile between Venus and Pluto. While reviewing events of the day, there is a sense of deep fulfillment, especially when reviewing baking. People will understand more easily where others have been coming from. A new series of Dancing on Ice has begun, and anticipating tonight’s show I thought I would look at a random batch of contestants’ charts – there are always a great number at the beginning, and that is twice as many if you look at the charts of the professional skaters too. The four I have chosen are all female, partly because I hardly know most of the men’s batch, but my interest usually warms up as the series goes on. Heidi Range was a co-founder of Atomic Kitten with Kerry Katona, many years ago. She always has a dazzling smile, and performed well with her then partner a few years ago on Mr and Mrs. In the first show of this series, Heidi was in the skate off, and so we could lose her in an early round. She currently has her Saturn Return, and in addition Neptune is trine her Saturn, so she feels tested but will find herself through the experience, though she may not stay long in the competition. Charlene Tilton, who was Lucy Ewing in Dallas in the 1980s, impressed me with a gracefulness that Lucy never showed. She has a difficult and high energy Grand Cross in her natal chart, but the chart is balanced by some strong trines as well. She was off to a steady start somewhere in the middle of the leader board, with Mars trine her natal Mars in support, and the North Node conjunct her Venus. Jorgie Porter from Hollyoaks was enormously popular. A Christmas Day baby, she has great character as shown by Sun/Mercury/Venus/Neptune in Capricorn, a line-up of great talent. She has balance (Jupiter trine Saturn), which is always a good quality on ice, inspiration (Neptune close to her personal planets) and a revolutionary spirit (Uranus exactly square her Nodal Axis). Jupiter is working up to a transit of her Sun, which happens on Sunday 5th February, so expect a spectacular performance around that time. There are positive links between her chart and that of her skating partner Matt Evers. Chemmy Alcott, as expected, has high-energy features in her chart: Mars conjunct Pluto and square the Sun, but they are tempered by the involvement of Saturn. She impressed the judges last week, but they took into account her brave recovery from a leg injury sustained while ski-ing just over a year ago as a professional Skier. She has no up close and personal aspects to Chiron (the wounded healer) and so her courageous re-building is even more impressive from an astrological point of view. Her astrological transits are quite buoyant at the moment, including Uranus (surprise) trine her natal Uranus (risk). Her professional skating partner Sean Rice has a trine at the moment between transiting Jupiter and his natal Jupiter, which contributed to a good start. There is good co-operation between them as his Saturn trines Chemmy’s Saturn. The Week in Bullet Points: Today – Come Dine, or Party Party Tomorrow – Healing initiatives Wednesday - Seismic shifts and tectonic plates in the human experience; Possibly buoyant, co-operative and productive day on a personal level and between people Thursday – slow and steady wins the race Friday – the tide turns more briskly