5th May: Aspects for the week beginning 5 May 2013
Nigel Farage and the conundrum of UKiP The face of British politics is said to have changed dramatically this week, with one in four voters plumping for UKIP. David Cameron has been forced to retract his earlier impression of the party as “fruitcakes and closet racists” modifying his tune to “We need to show respect for people who have taken the choice to support this party”. What is the demographic of the voting section? A few 80 year old women I know have found themselves voting for or sympathetic to what the party stands for, and some women find Nigel Farage personally fascinating. There is no doubt in my mind that UKIP inherits some strands of the National Front, British National Party and EDL philosophies, and targets immigrants as being the source of our society’s ills. The Observer leader this morning describes its voters: “The Ukip surge is a warning. Immediate analysis indicates that two groups, in the main, have been swayed by Farage. They are the less qualified, working-class, older male and the lower middle class”. So I will look at the charts of Nigel Farage, UKIP, and the UK to try to assess the astrological factors involved. As a Sun sign Aries, Nigel Farage cuts an individualistic and almost self-sufficient figure. On the Andrew Marr show this morning, he was very confident, straight speaking and focussed. He has leadership qualities through that sign, but also from an exact sextile from Uranus to his North Node (karmic mission). He has the capacity to surprise. We do not have his birthtime, but I suspect Pluto is prominent on the angles of his chart, because of the way he rose from the ashes of the plane crash on the day of the last election declaring that he was lucky to be alive. On that day Pluto squared his Mars (the near death experience), trined his Natal Uranus (surprise survival), and conjuncted his South Node in Capricorn (karmically facing death). He has lived to fight another day, and plague Cameron, whose Sun opposes his Sun natally. The Conservative party have lost a huge proportion of their votes to UKIP, and are under pressure to hold a referendum on our membership of the EU as soon as possible. On Thursday, the day of the election, Pluto was exactly trine the Sun in the UKIP Party chart, a sign of ultimate power. It may mean though that this is the height of the power that they reach. Especially if it is subsequently revealed that there is no substance behind their policies, and as has been claimed, that they are a one issue party. The same holds true astrologically for Nigel Farage, that it may prove to be his finest hour. For Pluto is exactly trine his natal Pluto now, the Universe giving him a point of empowerment, perhaps as a karmic balancing from the air crash, where Pluto was also prominent by transit. This reinforces the possibility that Pluto is prominent in the angularity of his natal chart. Pluto seems to pulling the strings in his life, picking him up and putting him down in a stark way. I have just (almost finishing my blog) located a possible birthtime, attributed to Christina Rose through Marjorie Orr. This does in fact give Pluto exactly on a Virgo Ascendant, confirming my train of thought, though I am not sure how accurate the source is. The United Kingdom chart has some difficulties at this time, and notably the current Uranus-Pluto square links in with our natal Pluto. Pluto currently opposes our natal Pluto, and Uranus squares our natal Pluto. That may register as a sea-change in our politics, as has been claimed. One thing is for certain, many of those who voted UKIP have just had enough of present party politics and disempowerment from the EU and feeling like strangers in their own country. Not me though, I count myself as an immigrant, having come to England as a 4-year old from Israel, my family having fled the persecution of the Jews in Baghdad. You might then conclude I was bound to think as I do. I would like to think one out of four comments to this blog would be from UKIP supporters, educating me about their point of view, that is if the comment count reaches four! Aspects This morning Mercury opposes Saturn which puts a block on springing up early as you’d planned, foregoing your Sunday morning lie-in in order to catch up with your paperwork. Your computer may be on a go-slow, your digestive system may be delicate, and the lie-in may be more healing, in order to pen an Ode to Indolence. Keats wrote one in the 19th Century: …O, for an age so shelter’d from annoy, That I may never know how change the moons, Or hear the voice of busy common-sense!... I wonder what he would make of the age we live in. The news may be uninviting – you might switch on the radio, then switch it off again. But things are likely to improve after Noon. In the evening, Mars trines Pluto and there’s an opportunity to engage in some energetic enterprise. Have some constructive structure in mind for the occasion, so that excess energy does not turn wild! Tuesday (7th) morning brings a conjunction of the Sun and the South Node. A karmic issue may be highlighted – a consequence from a past life or earlier in this lifetime. You may recognize this from an invitation or opportunity handed to you. Then Mercury trines Pluto – now’s the time to deal with the paperwork! You’ll find you are extra inspired to fill in the huge box on the form entitled “Any other information that can help your cause”. If you meet someone for a coffee you’ll be able to express what matters to you. Wednesday (8th) brings more interesting possibilities for the mind, starting with Mercury conjunct Mars in the early hours: your dreams may be driven by the Inner Critic and may reveal anxieties. The characters within the dream may exhibit agitation, but of course as in Jungian dream interpretation may reflect aspects of yourself. If you wake up rattled with negative chatter, turn the phrases round to create a positive affirmation, unless you feel the dream has a deeper meaning (Mars conjunct Mercury can represent superficial chatter and concerns). Next Mercury sextile Chiron provides some welcome information about health and healing in combining conventional and alternative medicine harmoniously. It’s also a good aspect for problem-solving in general. If there’s a crisis don’t panic, the solution is at hand. This is followed and reinforced by a sextile between Mars and Chiron. Healing energy will flow, as in hands-on healing, or healing solutions involving energy or problems connected with energy. Awkward places can be made smooth, and square pegs may be able to fit in round holes. On Thursday (9th) Venus goes into Gemini, which livens up the social life. You might trust the weather enough to have an early summer barbecue, or a picnic. Mercury conjunct the South Node could be dictating the karmic scenario however: perhaps karma with brothers, sisters, neighbours or teachers (all represented by Mercury) may be involved. The eclipsed New Moon at 19 degrees Taurus on Friday (10th) favours gardening and gardeners, artists and musicians, and turning points in Arts projects. Finally Saturday (11th) holds a conjunction between Mercury and the Sun at 20 degrees Taurus, reinforcing what you are trying to achieve in these areas. 19/20 degrees Taurus is a sensitive point around the end of the week, so if you have planets in this degree they may be bolstered by this influence: supportively so if you are willing to work with change, but not so supportive if you are resistant to change. Contact Email Earlier editions of this blog contained a message about my email changing. The email link on my Contact page has now been changed and will work as normal. The week in bullet points:
21st April: Aspects for the week beginning 21 April 2013
Global Security When I embarked on having 10 sessions of Rebirthing in the late 1980s, the very first affirmation I was given went something like: “I am safe on this planet now and always” Since then of course safety on this planet has become more complicated and precarious. It may be time to upgrade the affirmation. Within ourselves, safety I believe is a 1st chakra issue, a question of feeling grounded and sensing our environment. So maybe we need to look at this chakra, and work on getting clearer about it. Cindi Dale in “New Chakra Healing” describes no less than 32 chakras. She quotes Gerber’s “Vibrational Medicine” describing the first chakra: ‘Psychologically speaking, the root chakra is linked to the basic survival instincts. It is connected with primal feelings…and is the prime mover behind the so called fight-or-flight response.’ In Astrology, minor accidents tend to be shown by Mars transits, more serious accidents by Uranus, and larger scale violence by Pluto, especially bombs (both of the smaller variety and the nuclear scale). Personal security can be a function of the natal Imum Coelum or I.C. and divine protection is related to Jupiter. With two unstable regimes holding nuclear capability, North Korea and Iran, and threatening to use them, we cannot ignore these threats to countries and states on our planet. All countries who have the means to use nuclear weapons think they have the right to do so, but are often suspicious of the rights and intentions of others. I would like to have unilateral disarmament (and was for several years a card-carrying member of CND), but also have always felt that we (especially as a small island nation like Japan) should not entertain nuclear power on our shores. With the third phase of the Uranus (unexpected)-Pluto (destruction) square due on 20th May, I felt it was time to look at this issue in relation to North Korea and Iran. You may have issues closer to home which are more preoccupying. Do you have a stand off, or an issue of brinkmanship in a group you belong to? In the U.K. we have the breakdown of benefits to the disabled, and the changes to the NHS which are destructive, and may reach a peak around then. Last week, the Boston Bombing came out of the blue, a tremendous level of violence, echoing 9/11 in the U.S. and 7/7/ in London. Thoughts turned to the London Marathon, which is happening today, and safety procedures in place for that. The Boston events have had an extra psychological effect on the London Marathon. Competitors are wondering whether or not to have their families cheering them on. The explosion at the Texas fertilizer factory also in the week just gone, took place exactly on the Sun/Mars conjunction. Boston Bombing Notably Mars was conjunct the Sun on the day of the bombing, and Saturn is conjunct President Obama’s Neptune, and the Nodal Axis squaring his Ascendant/Descendant axis, affecting him personally. The Nodal Axis is also exactly square the natal chart of Boston. But this event is surely a part of the overall Uranus square Pluto climate. North Korea I have resisted looking too closely up to now, as there is no firm birthdate let alone time for the ruler of North Korea. The nation chart is a little firmer. We have a warrior nation chart here, with Pluto (the bomb) on the descendant in the 7th house of relationships also occupied by Saturn, and Mars (the warrior) on the South (karmic) Node in the 9th House of foreign lands. The chart of Kim Jong Un’s coming to power has the Sun exactly conjunct Pluto. Uranus was exactly square the North Korean Uranus, an indication that matters were out of control. At the time of the third Uranus-Pluto square the Nodal Axis will be exactly square to China’s Pluto, China being a key neighbour. There seem to be several exact squares to aspects of countries prominent in this issue around the time of the third Uranus-Pluto square, suggesting a huge karmic theme being played out. Iran The nuclear threat from Iran is being taken seriously by the U.S., and its ally Israel. In the comparison between the chart of Iran and the U.S. chart, Iran has its Neptune opposing the U.S. Mars, so that it can have a psychological hold of fear and paranoia held over the U.S. decision to act or not. Iran has this week suffered a very severe earthquake, with Pluto exactly squaring its Sun. At the time of the third Uranus-Pluto square, the Nodal Axis will be square to Israel’s Saturn, which is conjunct Iran’s Ascendant. They will both be feeling pressure. At this time, the onus is with Barack Obama and his Secretary of State John Kerry to conduct the delicate negotiating with North Korea and Iran, but if the United Nations were to be more involved around the time of the forthcoming Uranus-Pluto square, there could be some favourable balance set up, as Pluto will be trine the Uranus of the United Nations chart. Feeling Safe With all that is going on, being reported all around the world, there is a sense of sympathy, caring and support being transmitted from people who cannot understand this inhumanity. Each person needs to stand in their own authenticity, maintain the light in their own area, and ask for divine protection for all. When you, as a human, feel aligned with your own purpose in being here, you are able to send healing to the planet more strongly, and we have all chosen to be here at this time. In your relationship with the planet, use all the chakras you have at your disposal. I would like to conclude this report with a quotation from "Companions in Spirit" by Leah Maggie Garfield: "We evolve globally as well as individually and regionally. At this point in our global evolution, we are learning magnanimity and absorbing compassion. (Compassion is the emotional component, magnanimity the intellectual component.) Insofar as we're able to be compassionate and magnanimous, we are all potential magi." Aspects Today we start the week on a note of dissonance with Pluto squaring Mercury. You might perhaps feel that this blog strikes a dissonant tone. You will be challenged to articulate your ideas clearly and logically, so be prepared to be tested to the limits in this respect. For example, your family may ask you to validate any beliefs which come from your inner black sheep! Tomorrow Venus opposes Saturn so some emotional flattening may take place. Your inner black sheep may not have done a good job, and unless backed up by your Inner Rebel who does not care, may slope off to the corner of the field to mope! Wednesday (24th) has three aspects, starting in the early hours of the morning in the U.K. with Mercury sextile Jupiter. You may have worked out for yourself what you needed to re-align in your thinking on Sunday, and are now in a position to sell your ideas. It's a buoyant day in the market place and for small companies, e.g. struggling astrological businesses. It may be a defining time where local business expands to global. The other two aspects on Wednesday are equally buoyant, so you can follow through on early gains. In the afternoon Venus trines Pluto. This is healing for any heartache experienced on Monday. Any partings in relationships could be fairly amicable, so it's a good day for mediation in separations. For existing solid relationships there could be deeper understanding, such as when one party has worked on their growth and communicates it successfully to the other, enabling a joint shift. The evening brings a sextile between the Sun and Neptune, bringing about a spiritual integration of the day's gains, possibly through creative activity. Perhaps the day's events would make a good starting point for a novel or screenplay. Thursday (25th) starts with Venus sextile Chiron so there is some prospect for balancing and healing of the week's downs and ups. Once that is settled you have the space to deal with the emerging tension from the eclipsed Scorpio Full Moon of the early evening. This is likely to highlight a thorny emotional issue, possibly re-awakening the inner black sheep of early week. You may be re-assessing your role in the family, or examining how you are treating someone, shining a light into your own subconscious motives. The finale of the week on Saturday (27th) is Mars sextile Neptune, a chance to balance action with sensitivity. It is a suitable one to integrate all the ranges of emotion of this week, and to bring together the personal will and divine will in concert. Take good care of yourselves, and good luck to all of you taking part in the London Marathon and raising money for good causes. The week in bullet points: