We are in the throes of the Pleiadian Full Moon at the end of Taurus today, the Sun is also at the end of Scorpio, and it may seem like the end of a cycle.  You may be able to make sense of a cycle which started a month ago, or two weeks ago.  It is an emotional high tide for that particular cycle now.  In the middle of unrest about Student University fees, and benefits, and how many of our troops are being killed in Afghanistan and why are we there…Prince William and Kate Middleton got engaged, with Princess Diana’s engagement ring, a huge karmic statement.  Sapphire is a strong carrier of telepathy, so they will be conversing constantly with Diana.  I have written separately about the engagement, so as not to clog up this blog.  Today is about emotionally processing the last two or four weeks, and the benefits conundrum is still very much in our minds.  John Bird, founder of Big Issue, writes an open letter to Iain Duncan Smith in this week’s issue, pointing out that “The Big Issue has steadfastly tried to get people back into work with the support of our readers.  By getting people away from dependency we have inspired people to believe in change.  The Big Issue has helped get people off long-term unemployment.  By supporting businesses that take on long-term unemployed people, we have demonstrated it is possible to inspire change.  There are hundreds of social enterprises like us who help the unemployed into work…Your single benefit payment may have legs.  If it is seen to be addressing one of the greatest ironies in social delivery – that is, the fact the vast bulk of social security costs are not in the money the recipients receive but the cost of giving people the money, that is the most costly part.”  That is his contribution to the debate, but frustratingly we do not have his birth date, let alone his time of birth.  Use the Pleiadian connection today to fully explore any emotional or spiritual issues or conundrums.  If you receive higher guidance today, it may be sourced from the Pleiades, especially if it is bringing solutions based on group and community co-operation.  The Sun enters Sagittarius tomorrow (Monday 22^nd), and hopefully today’s wranglings have ended in some resolution, so that you can cheerfully move ahead into a new phase.  This may be signalled by a change of routine, new horizons, a new social scene or even a new philosophy based on a broader perspective (the broader the better, unless you’re Virgoan in which case you will uphold the need for scrutiny of detail – it’s a good trick if you can do both).  The tension between seeing the wood and seeing the trees is a theme for this week, so it is a good week for eye exercises, for example as under the Bates Method.  For as you start to examine the bigger picture tomorrow, you then become aware of its opposite, the smaller picture.  This is because a square is building up between Mercury (detail) and Jupiter (expansion), and this square peaks on Thursday (25^th).  So if you have a tendency to one extreme or the other, it is worth examining the opposite pole and bringing the two together or filling in the gap.  You could find that it is a good game, very satisfying and worthwhile, as the information from one end will inform the other eventually.  So that by the time you get to Thursday, you could be adept and begin to experience life holographically.  If you wish to work with animal totems, you can use the ant for detail and the whale for the bigger picture.  Light worker and animal communicator Teresa Wagner has a superb website dedicated to the whale experience http://swimandcommunicatewithwhales.com/ and her animal communication website link is on my Contact page.  If you have not been working on your communication and vision, you may feel mentally overstretched on Thursday.  Saturday (27^th) is a day pregnant with possibility and meaning.  Mercury is sextile with the conjunction of Neptune and Chiron.  It is a day when mind, spirituality and healing combine, and you can realize the meaning of health in all its multilevel connections: the conventional medicine, the alternative medicine; the psyche and the soma.  In meditation you will sense that It is All One and Everything is Connected.  The Universe is going out for All Unity on Saturday, because the Mean North Node will be conjunct with Pluto, so on an individual level our destiny and our psychology are seeking to synchronize, and on a global or society level our collective karmic mission seeks to unite with objectives for healing the disaffected sections of society.  It is a tall order, both individually and collectively, and could be very difficult if it merely exposes the gap between how we want life to be or our lives to be, and how they are.  So it is a good week to make time for meditation in order to bring together the gaps in our lives and in society, in our minds and in reality.

Q:  Any first thoughts on the Cancer-Capricorn engagement?

A:

Prince William

Prince William is a New Mooner (born on an eclipse) and therefore also has the Part of Fortune on the Ascendant (see previous postbag question).  He therefore has the ability to start anew when he needs to.  As well as having the Sun and Moon in the sign of Cancer (his mother’s sign) he also has the North Node (his karmic mission) in that sign.  They are in his 7^th House of relationship, so emotionally he is very attuned to family life and marriage.  His Air Force career is shown by Mars in his 10^th House of Career in the sign of Libra (often associated with the Air Force).  He also has Jupiter on his Midheaven (Careerpoint) ensuring good fortune in this area of his life, or certainly the opportunity to do what he wants in career terms.  He has a conjunction of Venus and Chiron in Taurus at the end of his 5^th House, which somehow conveys the wounding and poignancy of losing his mother and his relationship with her.  The Cancerian planets emphasize her role in his life.  It is possible that these wounds later in life will be translated into creative and artistic or musical talents, in which he can express what he feels about her.  He may well have a strong paternal urge to create a family of his own.

Kate Middleton

Kate’s Sun Sign Capricorn is the opposite of William’s, and together they create the Cancer-Capricorn polarity which is one of parenting.  As a Capricorn she has administrative skills, and likes to uphold tradition.  Iain Duncan Smith might like to note that she is capable of work in this capacity, and in fact also has Venus conjunct Mercury so may have writing talent, and could write books in the future.  Her Part of Fortune is in the 6^th House of work, in fact, too.  Although born 6 months apart, William and Kate have their Mars’ conjunct, which denotes sexual compatibility and the ability to work together and to pull together in the same direction on a project.  Additionally, she has the Sun trine Chiron and may be a healer in some respects which she is not yet aware of, e.g. she may take an interest in the Homeopathic tendencies of the family she is marrying into.  She and William also have shared Moon signs (Cancer) and that may be a resonance which brought his mother’s engagement ring to her, but possibly even more significantly her Moon is exactly conjunct with William’s North Node, which denotes a karmic connection of the mothering kind.  This may indicate that one of the primary purposes of the union is in order to bring in the next generation.  Karmically too, her Sun is conjunct her South Node indicating past life connections with Royality, possibly in Egypt or Russia.

The Synastry

In addition to the Cancerian connections, and the Mars link described above, the couple have trined Mercuries which indicates good mental compatibility.  William’s Mercury is in Gemini so he likes to chat and exchange factual information, while Kate is also communicative with Mercury in another air sign Aquarius, but perhaps more forward thinking.  But it will be a good combination when they are in discussion over a project or a family matter.  His Mercury trines her Venus, so Art History (which they both studied at St. Andrew’s University) would provide a good topic of conversation, and he may provide ideas if she does embark on writing – she would be able to use him as a sounding board.  His Mars also trines her Venus, a romantic bond between them to be sure.  Her Mars trines his Mercury, so she can encourage him in work and thought.  Her Jupiter trines his Moon, providing emotional uplift.  And her Pluto sextiles his Ascendant (we don’t have a birth time or Ascendant for her) so she is capable of providing solid psychological backing for him, for example in any future role in the Monarchy.  In an anecdote shown over and over on the news last Tuesday  told by the writer Kathy Lette it was intimated that Kate described herself as being allergic to horses, one of the animal totems of the family she is marrying into.  This may be depicted in her chart by the square of Jupiter (horses) to her Mercury/Venus conjunction.  Something to write about.

The Engagement

The chart of the engagement on Tuesday 16^th November 2010 shows the Part of Fortune on the cusp of the 5^th House and trine the Ascendant.  I would see the 5^th House as the Engagement, to the 7^th House as Marriage.  So that is a happy event, with Venus (Romance) at the top of the chart, eliciting a collective “Aaah!” across the nation, or across the section which is not anti-Monarchy.  The Moon is conjunct Jupiter,  promoting good news and buoyancy.   Venus trines the Chiron and Neptune conjunction which occurs in the 2^nd House of Finance, bringing attention to the complex issue of how much to spend on a Royal Wedding in a time of austerity, and conveying sensitivity towards this.

Freedom!  With a trine between the Sun and Jupiter coming up early this week, in the last 24 hours we have heard of two releasings: that of the Burmese heroine Aung San Suu Kyi, and also the release of the British Yacht couple who have been held by Somali pirates.  Jupiter often has a hand in releasing those who have been held in captivity for a long time, for example Natasha Kampusch made her getaway when Jupiter was transiting her Pluto.  These remarkable events take place while we are still held in the force field of last week’s Mercury trine Uranus and tomorrow’s Sun trine Jupiter.  Venus is also trine Chiron, bringing healing to the heart. There is an element of a forced hand for Burma, with Jupiter squaring its natal Uranus, and Saturn transiting its natal Neptune which is trine its Venus.  The act of being freed is one thing, and no one can deny that the aftermath will be tough to deal with for all concerned in many ways.  We wish Aung San Suu Kyi and the British couple heart and strength in the coming weeks and months.  Meanwhile, Conservative politician Iain Duncan Smith would like to free those claiming British benefits from their self-imposed house arrest in their subconscious desire to go to work and the consequent inner turmoil.  IDS was a lack-lustre leader of the Conservative party, and has a difficult T-square in his chart composed of the Sun squaring his Nodal Axis (difficult karma around leadership).  Although he is a pillar of Conservative politics now (North Node in Capricorn) with Uranus exactly on the South Node arm of the T-square he may have a rebellious streak, a habit brought through from past lives, with a possible link with Atlantis if he is an old soul.  The T-square denotes some stubbornness, but Bob Holman wrote in the Guardian yesterday “I no longer recognize the Iain Duncan Smith with whom I have had a cross-party friendship for eight years.  In 2002, as the Conservative party leader, he visited the young people’s project I helped to found in Easterhouse, Glasgow.  I was impressed by his willingness to take local residents seriously.  He has described the visit as a kind of epiphany: ‘I saw the poverty among a swath of forgotten people.  I felt I had to do something and came away a changed man.’ ”   His Moon is in Cancer, so these would have been real tears of sympathy, and galvanized him to what seems to be his karmic mission of this social reform project.  This was his portion of the plan, just as Al Gore emerged from his political defeats to take up the cause of the environment.  Mars sextile Saturn tomorrow (Monday 15^th) is a helpful practical step if you have a social or any other kind of project.  The last week may have seen you ruminating positive changes, and tomorrow is a good day to get going.  If you made strides last week, the Sun trine Jupiter will see you shifting another level.  If you didn’t make strides, you could see a preliminary shift.  Stargazers watch out for the peak of the Leonids meteor shower on Wednesday 17^th, save your wishes for that night and release them all in one go to the Universe.  Thursday 18^th brings a sextile between Mercury and Saturn, when you can in the early hours (UK time) consolidate mentally plans you started to put into action on Monday.  But later in the day the Sun squares the conjunction of Chiron and Neptune and this could bring a spaghetti  junction scale muddle, and not just in the traffic queue.  Health and healing will need clarification in particular.  Later developments save the day, in that Venus and Jupiter both turn direct, and top financial Astrologer Raymond Merriman feels that this is an especially favourable turn of events in the financial arena.  All may end well on the healing front too because this week as Venus turns direct, it is also trine with Chiron.  This at least will be soothing to emotional pain, and may also mollify physical health concerns.  So if you get stung, look for the dock leaf nearby.  On Saturday 20^th the Sun will be trine Uranus, and the creative vision of your original project (e.g. from last Sunday 7^th when Mercury trined Uranus) is renewed, and can flourish or blossom.  Seize the day on that one, as later on tension begins to build and sparks fly, ushered in by a conjunction between Mercury and Mars.  If you are irritable, avoid driving as you could be a menace on the roads, especially if you are arrogant about your driving ability.  Emotionally too your judgement could be impaired with a Pleiadian Full Moon set for the next day.  So to sum up the complexity of Saturday 20^th, start by rounding off a stage of your pet project, then meditate into a harmonious frame of mind, and contemplate the healing qualities of the Pleiades.  The Seven Sisters have long been admired for their beauty, and are for many people associated with an expansion of consciousness.  Their brightest star is Alcyone, and if you wish to work with these stars, there are some mandalas by Barry Stevens named after the Seven Sisters.  Here is a link to Alcyone, Merope and Asterope:

http://www.mandalas.freeserve.co.uk/mandalatour3form.html

Q: What exactly is the Part of Fortune and what does it signify?

A:  It is an Arabian Part calculation, based on the geometric angle between the Sun and the Moon; placing the Sun on the Ascendant, where the Moon would be is where you find the Part of Fortune.

Traditionally, it is your Pot of Gold at the end of the Rainbow.

Martin Schulman in “Joy and the Part of Fortune” says it is where you find your Joy, and you usually find it around the middle of life.  His book was twice in my life lifted from me, and finally I recently bought a second hand copy from the internet – it is currently out of print.

My own interpretation is that it is the refining of one’s philosophy of life that you build up through life and gets you by, but at the same time is a subtle joie de vivre or joy of existence which you can catch sometimes, like a bubble, spontaneously and sometimes out of dimension.  I see it as the zest of life, and it can also point to talents which can become a career doing what you love to do.

A friend of mine has the Part of Fortune exactly on her Midheaven (Careerpoint) and a sustaining feature of her life has been using her talents in competitions, regularly winning holidays and household goods using her amazing facility for writing slogans.

The actress Jennifer Aniston has her Part of Fortune exactly on the cusp between her 10^th House of Career and 11^th House of Friendships and Groups, and her big breakthrough as an actress came through a television show named “Friends”.

The Part of Fortune is a uniquely fascinating feature in Astrology.  If you do not know a person’s time of birth, you can still find out which House the Part of Fortune occupies in their chart, even though the planetary House positions are a mystery.  Thus it can be the only House position known in that case.

When you have a transit of a natal planet to your Part of Fortune, dramatic changes can occur in your life, often for the better, e.g. dreams can come true, long-standing problems can be lifted.

Each day the Part of Fortune makes a revolution round your chart, and at certain moments when it is transiting sensitive areas in your chart, it can produce breakthrough thoughts which help you look at life differently.  However, because it has a very subtle influence, you can blink and miss it.

People born under a New Moon are “Part of Fortune” people!  This is because the Part of Fortune is always to be found natally on their Ascendant, and influences their personality in a positive way – they can always start afresh on a New Moon with a new outlook, and have a useful key to living.

An example of a singer whose inspiration for songwriting is continually self-renewing is Joan Armatrading.  She was born on a New Moon and has always written her own material.  I went to a concert of hers a few years ago, and the atmosphere at her gig was devotional.

My own Part of Fortune is trine with my Uranus (representing Astrology), and I have spent a few days thinking about this topic, since I was asked the question.  As I completed this reply, Chiron (providing a solution) was exactly sextile with the Part of Fortune.  Transiting Part of Fortune is very fleeting, so I am now on to my next question…

The energies of this week are all set up by the planets at the beginning of the week and especially the opportunity for the expansion of consciousness brought about by today’s trine between Mercury and Uranus, so that we are then left to enjoy, or work with them.  As the beginning of next week (Monday 15^th) brings a trine between the Sun and Jupiter we have a positive force field for this week between the two aspects, we do not have tension building, we can literally work with what has been set up, and possibly even have the luxury of living in the Now.  Our beginning standpoint is Mercury trine Uranus today.  The foggy clouds of yesterday (Mercury square Neptune) which may have lost you some of the day (e.g. through a hangover) are fading and we can step into the mental clarity that is Mercury trine Uranus.  This is a wonderful aspect to take through the week with us, and in fact is the only aspect, because tomorrow’s astrological features are changes of zodiac sign, and not inter-aspects between them.  So you can make the most of this and build on it throughout the week.  It’s a good week to cultivate mental acuity, and telepathic transmission, and to keep your higher antennae out for messages from the Universe.  If you have this aspect natally, you have an intuitional mind, which can sometimes by-pass logic, and cut through it to the real truth.  So we can all have flashes of intuition under this aspect, and it’s a good week to hone the connection between the lower mind and the higher self.  If you want to work with the Fixed Stars*, Uranus is connecting with the position of Scheat in Pegasus, and Mercury is connecting with the position of Alpha Centaurus.  This will expand the power of your work with today’s trine.  Alpha Centaurus can enhance conscious meditation or guided visualization for the mind, while Scheat working with the transiting Uranus can enable the transfer of energy to the Crown Chakra.  Regarding Scheat, Rubenfeld and Smulkis offer the following information: “Those who are having a little bit of trouble with this time of great change on Earth and wish to see the larger picture by attuning with cycles to see how things unfold appropriately will do well here.”  Remember in your meditations to project for the whole week.  So today is a launchpad for the week, and tomorrow is a reorientation possibly as a result of utilizing today’s trine.  Neptune and its confusions are standing still today, prior to moving forwards.  You may have a moment of “Oh I see where I have been going wrong, and now I see where or how to go!” on a subtle level.  The rest of the week will be able to respond to this moment of clarity, and a subtle new light can fall on everything.  Today is like turning on a switch, a lot can be sorted out today, to enable the rest of the week to fall into place.  Tomorrow’s events (Monday 8^th) are a change of sign for Venus and Mercury.  Venus retrogrades back to Libra from Scorpio, a chance for her to regain her equilibrium after the arduous challenges of being in Scorpio.  She can waltz a little after her Paso Doble…For all of us there will be a little re-tracing of steps in relationship.  And the last stage setting for the week is Mercury entering Sagittarius, also tomorrow.  Mercury leaves the more exacting rigours of Scorpio and is allowed freer rein in the wider fields of Sagittarius.  This allows even more expansion of the mind, and if nothing arrests this development we may all have an expanded outlook by next week, which will then be able to shift up yet another gear, provided you have been laying solid foundations this week.

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

Today’s aspect Venus sextile Pluto is well-matched for Halloween events.  If you found last Tuesday’s Sun sextile Pluto constructive and meaningful, today’s aspect is like a different tone of the same colour.  Whereas Sun sextile Pluto was balancing life and death, today’s aspect balances love and death.  Our dinner party conversation last night was about Halloween being a U.S. import.  Our guests were a few years younger than us, but none of us could remember it being celebrated in the U.K. in our childhoods.  Our Yorkshireman remembered they celebrated “Mischief Day” (e.g. scrumping apples) which was then replaced at that time of year by Halloween.  By the time we had our children, tricking and treating on the Scorpionic date of 31^st October had become a way of life.  I don’t have a natural understanding of Halloween, but as far as I can see it is about our relationship with fear and beliefs about death.  We need to become our own Most Haunted mediums or exorcists to negotiate it.  There is also an increasing tradition of celebrating the old celtic festival of Samhain merged in with this.  Oh well, the supermarkets are staffed by witches and warlocks this weekend, and stocking plenty of scary cakes and jellied objects to sink our teeth into…I might just succumb.  Tuesday (2^nd November) is the day of the U.S.A. mid-term elections, and I apologize in advance to the Tea Party in that I am not qualified to speak.  But, we are what we read, and like the Observer leader today, I would like to urge patience to give Obama a chance: “Faced with impossible expectations, Obama has done astonishingly well – on paper.  In two gruelling years, he has delivered on three of the five promises he set up as the pillars of his ‘new foundation’ in a speech of April 2009: healthcare, education reform and financial re-regulation.”  The Saturn-Uranus opposition of his election has now morphed into a square between Jupiter/Uranus and Pluto, more complexity and challenge.  He has been up against this Cardinal Climax, for goodness sake.  Of course I wouldn’t extend the same understanding to our own P.M. David Cameron, who is not in that league of social idealism, having skipped the Saturn-Uranus opposition and come in on the Jupiter/Uranus square to Pluto.  On Thursday (4^th) Mercury trines Jupiter which is a good day for doing business, and for positive thinking (if you believe in positive thinking, that is).  For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and there are current ideologies which point out the disadvantages of positive thinking.  For example if employing an affirmation, and if the subconscious backlash is not acknowledged, you might get the opposite effect you were intending.  I once affirmed for a part-time job to be not in front of a computer screen, and landed up with a full-time job in front of a computer screen, for instance.  But, assuming that you like positive thinking, and it’s for you, it’s the day to do it.  On Friday (5^th) Chiron is stationary prior to turning direct, and this favours healing initiatives, and miracle turn-arounds, which might reinforce any positive thinking you may have decided to do on Thursday.  Saturday (6^th) brings a New Moon at 13 degrees Scorpio, a good day for intensive psychotherapy whether in a conventional set-up or your own home-grown version.  And shortly afterwards Mercury squares Neptune as if to test out how well your new psychological structures are holding up, by putting in front of you a litmus test for reality versus illusion.  If you feel that positive thinking is not suited to Halloween week, then you can cut your teeth (not just on jellied spiders) on the conjunction of the North Node and Pluto in the month of November.  These become conjunct at different times according to whether you take the Mean Node or True Node.  If the Mean Node, then 27^th is your date.  If the True Node, then the 10^th and the 22^nd are more pertinent, and may be more spiritual in focus.  [Quote from hubby: “My brain is turning to jellied spiders reading this section”] Basically this conjunction provides an intense focus on karmic and psychological challenges (in combination) in one area of your life (depending on which House it occupies in your natal chart).  You may already know what that is, even if you do not know your Ascendant.  Some deep navel-gazing is called for, seriousness about your karmic mission and the mission of the planet as a whole, and possible past-life researches.  If you do not have time for these ruminations, then life is likely to present appropriate challenges anyway on an outward level, so that you can see what this is about.  Scary stuff?  Ha-ha-ha Halloween!

Shapers of finance last week in the UK were George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Wayne Rooney who obtained a pay rise from Alex Ferguson, the Manager of Manchester United Football Club.  Under the harmless sounding title of “Spending Review” last Wednesday, Osborne outlined the most savage programme of cuts to hit the poorest members of our society possibly ever.  This came on the day of the appearance of green Comet Hartley, which hardly enhances the reputation of comets.  Mercury also entered Scorpio that day which intensifies cutting speech.  What is it in George Osborne’s natal chart which enables him to be so ruthless?  It may be his Mars square Mercury (also cutting speech), or it may be his Moon square (difficult relationship with the public) North Node (karmic consequences).  On the day of the cutting speech Saturn was transiting his Uranus (bringing out his capacity to shock), and Uranus was opposing his Pluto (extreme action and psychology). …Wayne Rooney has innate talent as a football player (the precision of Mars in Virgo exactly sextile his Saturn) but in estimating his value to the world there may be a touch of arrogance (a T-square between Jupiter, his Sun/Pluto, and his North Node).  In his dialogue with Alex Ferguson he was taking on a shrewd man (who has been called the greatest football manager in the world).  Alex’s natal chart has a close trine between his Mercury and North Node (karmic mission as a Teacher) and Moon conjunct Jupiter (a motivator).  The astrological story is that Rooney was expressing his negative feminine side, in that Saturn was transiting his Venus (his feminine side, and money) and Venus currently in Scorpio (financial desire) was transiting his South Node (karmic habits).  These negative feminine wiles (manifesting last week as a sulk) may have come through from past life patterns therefore.  In calling in his cash karma, he is also creating cash karma for the future.  Alex Ferguson has karma with Wayne Rooney as a benefactor (his Sun trines Rooney’s North Node).  For both scenarios, Osborne’s and Rooney’s, time will tell the consequences.  Today Mars trines Uranus, a go-ahead, sparky day.  If you are meeting a friend, conversation will be lively.  If you are kicking a football around, you could make some surprise success moves.  Tomorrow Mercury conjuncts Venus at 7 degrees Scorpio, which is good for communication, negotiation, and rich descriptive writing.  Conversation will flourish in terms of mutual understanding.  On Tuesday (26^th) the Sun sextiles Pluto, another positive aspect but one which doesn’t pull any punches.  Everyone will have an agenda, and progress can be achieved, but in making your bid you will have to justify your cause.  A minor aspect is worthy of mention for Wednesday (27th) and that is Mercury semi-sextile Saturn.  Dialogue on Wednesday has to be realistic, and if it is, minor gains can be achieved.  However, some could use avoidance tactics under this aspect.  Mars enters Sagittarius on Thursday (28^th) which is another highlight of go-ahead energy.  You might sense an energy shift from ruthless (as in Osborne and Rooney) to beneficent, or at least more straightforward and upfront.  You will feel, in engaging in a group for instance, that you know where you are much more easily, and that hidden agendas are not lurking in the background so much.  In a week where all the aspects are pretty friendly, we end on Friday (29^th) with a lovely conjunction between Venus and the Sun at 5 degrees Scorpio.  If it is your birthday, your cup runneth over.  If it is not your birthday, it is a good day for marriage proposals, engagements and romantic dinners.  You might also try your luck sulking for a pay rise…unless your karmic status has risen above this level, in which case it’s a good day to create your own wealth authentically and with integrity, from the heart.

33 gold and copper miners were miraculously rescued a few days ago, with Jupiter transiting the Chilean natal Pluto, and the profile status of their country Chile was also raised.   This last week has been a neutral or even creative space without major astrological aspects, the first since I started blogging in early 2007.  What an amazing achievement by the Chileans, and how heartwarming a story!  I felt that with the bringing up of the miners, we watchers were all undergoing the resurfacing of deeply buried emotions.  The astrological story is that the disaster occurred at the peak of the Cardinal Climax or T-square on 5 August this year, when Saturn was square to Chile’s Ascendant, and that all the preparatory work in the last few weeks paid off this week in a perfectly-executed rescue, as though the Chileans were showing us how it should be done, emotionally as well as practically.  Sadly champion of the underdog Aquarian Claire Rayner lost her battle for life during that period, but had prepared well her last words: “Tell David Cameron that if he screws up my beloved NHS I’ll come back and bloody haunt him.”  You may have had a complex project to negotiate the last few weeks, and may have experienced the right space or perspective to tie it up this week.  For myself, I have been struggling with my first Self-Assessment Tax form, and found that the challenging aspects between the Sun/Mercury and Pluto square Saturn in the last few weeks both pinned me down to tackling it, and brought me through my blocks, so that I completed it this last week.  Someone was asking me why people had such difficulty filling in forms, and I observed that 20 years ago a form was about 1 page and now it is several pages long, with an accompanying manual or two of notes, of even greater thickness, to “enable” you to fill it in, if you can stay awake and aware long enough when reading it, and digest and memorize its contents.  When you have filled in a form, you also need a degree or training to work out postage on packets now.  Even the experts in the Post Office seem to need complex equipment for the job, much deliberation, eyebrow gymnastics and pursing of the lips. Not so long ago, you were able to just put a stamp on an envelope with confidence, swish your hair and go.  These are the rantings of a pensioner, bear in mind, and perhaps the youth of today find it easier.  So we are back to normal aspect services from the planets this coming week, but have learned how valuable such a space can be.  On Sunday 17^th Sun conjuncts Mercury at 24 degrees Libra, perfect for concentration on legal forms, or equal exchanges of information such as through conversation.  Monday 18^th brings a trine between Neptune and Mercury and inspiration may flow, plus it’s a good day for dance training (take note contestants of Strictly Come Dancing).  Neptune is still in a tight conjunction with Chiron, and therefore there is also a trine between Mercury and Chiron, making it easy to access information about alternative healing, and bringing together different types of healing.  On Tuesday 19^th the Sun trines Neptune, and inspiration allies with creativity.  Perhaps the inspiration which occurred earlier translates into a creative project.  Following on, the Sun also trines Chiron, enabling more healing to come through from whatever source. I am currently reading about “Theta Healing” subtitled “An Introduction to an Extraordinary Energy Healing Modality” by Vianna Stibal.  I am finding it an enjoyable, though slow read, worth looking into.  There are 3 Chiron aspects altogether in this week, so such explorations may be assisted and enhanced.  Mercury enters Scorpio on Wednesday 20^th, and the day sees an intensification of mental processes.  Another are of cosmic activity is provided by Green Comet Hartley that day.  The Guardian reports: “It is only a small comet and lacks any appreciable tail.  Instead, a small knot of greenish luminosity surrounding its icy nucleus is set within an extensive circular glow.  The latter is hard to see unless the sky is free of light pollution and moonlight.”  Comets were always regarded with awe and wonder in previous centuries, and to some extent still are, and if you experience a state of awe and wonder that day you may possibly re-trace it to comet Hartley.  On Thursday 21^st Mars trines Jupiter, a wholeheartedly positive aspect, especially if you need energy to get things going.  If you have been trying to get a project off the ground, or wonder why good quality sleep is eluding you, you may wake up on that day raring to go and finding others also bubbling with energy (Mars) + enthusiasm (Jupiter) = the green light.  Mars squares Neptune on Friday 22^nd, and it is “hold on there is something not quite right here, we need to investigate”.  A red light in some cultures, or maybe amber, or blue.  Not a day to continue rushing ahead, but a day to sensitively feel your way through and take account of any interpersonal complexities, or even any extraterrestrial information which may be coming through your antennae.  Mars also squares Chiron, so healing initiatives may also be problematic temporarily, and energies will be awkward.  However, later that day assistance is provided by Mercury sextile Pluto, important information coming through and important conversations, real communication being exchanged.  A Full Moon on the border of Aries and Taurus occurs in the early hours of Saturday 23^rd (and the evening of Friday 22^nd for the U.S.).  This may provide understanding about the intensity and complexity of the build-up in energies of the last few days, and you may feel a sense of relief like a cool gentle shower of rain after mugginess.  The Sun then enters Scorpio and we feel that we are on track, what we are doing is important and has meaning, and that more people are singing from the same hymn sheet.  Just refer back to the Chilean miners if you need perspective.

This week is a creative space, and could be anything you make of it…There are no major aspects (I considered having the week off) and you may fall into a natural rhythm.   Meditations this week may be very spacey, light-filled but non-specific in their messages.  Today is Sun Day, for the number 10 is the number of the Sun, and may be a day of renewal, or at least transition into newness.  So, there being no substance to grasp in terms of interaction between the planets (aspects), I will follow the Moon’s aspects this week, the fluctuation of our emotions, plus some semi-sextiles.  Today the Moon is conjunct Mars (initiation, new energy) then trine Jupiter (hope for the future) then square to Neptune (possibility of delusion) and lastly trine Uranus (vivid imagination, hopefully not in combination with delusion).  All the while, the Moon is in Scorpio, providing a background of emotional intensity.  Before the evening is out, the Moon enters Sagittarius, lifting the mood again and keeping it buoyant for the next few days.  Mercury also forms a minor aspect, a semi-sextile, with Venus, so there may be some playful communication, a few lines of poetry written (but not likely a whole poem).  For the new working week sport Sagittarian colours: purples and turquoises, but not necessarily together unless you are very subtly able to combine different hues.  If you are working in an office, you might find that people turn up in the same colours on the same day, and this is often the colour associated with the Moon sign of the day.  Tomorrow the Moon is sextile Saturn (constructive emotional restraint) but the Sun is semi-sextile Mars, so male energy may be fiery.  Talking of the red planet, last week’s terrible ecological disaster in Hungary coincided with Mars transiting the natal Pluto for the 1989 chart of Hungary.  Saturn is also squaring Hungary’s Saturn (testing times) and the North Node transiting the Ascendant of this chart (a karmic element).  For the 1918 chart, the North Node is conjunct the natal Pluto (soul-searching).  However the Mars aspect for the later chart is more graphic for its destructive effects and the connection with the colour red, rendering the use of the 1989 chart perhaps to be more accurate.  On Tuesday 12th (still on Sagittarian colours) the Moon sextiles Mercury, the Sun and Neptune (mental alertness, harmony and emotional sensitivity) but squares Jupiter (exaggerated emotions).  On Wednesday you can wear your Sagittarian colours and cheerfulness up until  4.17 a.m. UK time (so that’s florid nightwear), then switch to a more sober mood and earthy colours for the next few days while the Moon is in Capricorn.  Wednesday also brings a square of Uranus to the Moon (unpredictable emotion) followed by a conjunction of Pluto to the Moon (emotional depth and seriousness) continuing by ending the day in a similar vein with the Moon squaring Saturn.  After a night’s sleep in your beige nightwear the mood is more congenial on Thursday morning with Moon sextile Venus (good for ladies who lunch), then the Moon squares Mercury (conflicting the imagination with the rational point of view).  Ladies may have agreed at lunch but at tea time their views may be more at variance with their companions at table.  Some fiery but harmonious debate (Moon sextile Mars) is later followed by disagreement (Moon square Sun) by bedtime (still wearing neutral nightwear, pale green at best).  Agreeing to differ would be the way to go, but the next morning there is a brighter outlook with the Moon sextile Jupiter (buoyant emotions) topped up with the Moon sextile Uranus (new tricks).  Another lunchtime, not just ladies, definitely divisive with Mercury semi-sextile Mars, with possibly memorable soundbites.  If you’re out, take a change of costume as early afternoon the Moon enters Aquarius and the colours and styles become more adventurous, a bit like Cheryl Cole’s contestants on the X-factor.  You’ll be very “current” and “relevant” and possibly sport amazing eye-catching futuristic headgear.  Clothing by the Moon can be quite exhausting…Even with Moon still in Aquarius you will be wanting to tone it down a little by Saturday (16^th) and eyeshades might be appropriate with Moon trine Saturn and squaring Venus.  You might want to shop for a new batch of nightwear on Saturday, too.  You may also want to tune into a couple of prominent and bright Fixed Stars which are aligned with our Sun at the end of the week:  Spica (from the constellation of Virgo) and Arcturus (from Bootes).  According to Michael Smulkis and Fred Rubenfeld (authors of “Starlight Elixirs”) these two stars represent clarity (including lucid dreaming) and healing respectively.  For recommended reading Jose Arguelles wrote a book “The Arcturus Probe” in 1996 which contains a fascinating map for those who wish to explore such pathways.  In the nature of Arcturian healing there is a resonance with that of Chiron, and I would like to end this somewhat skittish account of the week with a look at a more spiritual representation of Arcturus from “Starlight Elixirs”:

“The Arcturians had discovered that a question and its answer being separate was an artificial condition.  For this reason they also influenced the way in which the Law of Help is modulated and worked out for humanity.  It is as if the angelic beings, many guide beings, and many non-physical  beings have studied and worked with Arcturians specifically to know this deeply so that when it is time to work with someone asking for help, these guides will be aware that a question and its answer are created together, and that this help will be given in great amounts”.

Mercury enters Libra today so the day may start with a cool rational look at life.  Certainly our Libran Prime Minister David Cameron appeared on our screens this morning ahead of the Conservative Party Conference urging a cool rational approach to politics.  That may at least get us through the major part of the day.  This evening however there is a conjunction between Venus and Mars at 12 degrees Scorpio (people with birthdays on 5 November be particularly aware).    This aspect is about balancing our male and female sides in the best of zodiac signs, but in Scorpio it is positively tantric or even gender-bending.    If the question a couple of weeks ago was “Who do you think you are?”, today’s question is “What is your sexual identity?”  First time regression clients are sometimes surprised to have found themselves in a session in a body of the opposite sex.  They may not have thought deeply about that possibility before.  Feminists may find they have contributed to the oppression of women in past lives, and peacemakers may find they were conscripted onto battlefields before.  For men are from Mars and women from Venus, aren’t they?  And if Mars = Red and Venus = Blue then Mars + Venus = Purple, and purple can come in different shades depending how pink or blue the emphasis is.  We lost Geminian Tony Curtis this week whose most famous role was as a cross-dresser in Some Like it Hot.  In his private life he was a womanizer who later in life went to Hawaii for inspiration as a painter.  Thus he blurred in my mind this week with Paul Gauguin whose new exhibition opened at the Tate Modern this week, who was also a Geminian, a womanizer,  a big drinker, and who loved and painted in Hawaii.  Art is one of the main expressions for the planet Venus, and you could do worse than take to the paintbrush this evening, and forego the absinthe.  On Tuesday morning Mercury squares Pluto, and later in the week it conjuncts Saturn: a mental mirror of last week’s aspects with the Sun.  The Venus/Mars conjunction and the New Moon lift this week, and though we have repetitions from last week, the energy is not as stagnant (hands up anyone who found last week stagnant!  I found the exercises in Anne Jirsch’s book “The Future is Yours” helped me out of it).  If you are buying and selling, you’ll find things easier to understand this week, though there may still be difficulties moving merchandise.  Mercury squaring Pluto will urge you to look at the meaning and ethics of your business practices.   Tony Bennett’s voice has been hauntingly blaring from our televisions this week as he sings “I walk along the street of sorrow The boulevard of broken dreams Where gigolo and gigolette Can take a kiss without regret So they forget their broken dreams” all to advertise the glorious return of “The Apprentice” with Sir Alan Sugar on Wednesday.   But the Mercury square Pluto will be too late to inform the hapless contestants as the series was filmed a while ago and delayed because of a political controversy just before our Election this year.  The New Moon in Libra takes place on Thursday 7^th at 14 degrees Libra (people with birthdays on 7 October itself be particularly aware).  In relationship, it could be a day to propose or renew vows, if romance has not been vanquished.  One’s relationship with oneself of course is of utmost importance, and will also be renewed that day.  Renewals of love and gestures of affection are especially urged for action on Thursday, as on the morning of Friday 8^th Venus stands stationary, prior to moving retrograde.  This means that Venusian activities (love, art and money) could take a turn backwards from Friday, and until 19 November.  It depends how securely rooted in reality the love actually is.  Whether it is coming from the heart, the mind, or elsewhere.  The second setback on Friday comes from a conjunction of Mercury and Saturn at 8 degrees Libra (people with birthdays on 1st October be particularly aware).  The conjunction of the Sun and Saturn last Friday encouraged us to concentrate and train our consciousness, and this conjunction highlights a need for mental focus.  If there is a skill which has eluded us in the past, it urges us to keep at it and keep working on our blocks until we “get it”.  We may not necessarily “get it” on Friday, but our steps will be part of the process.  In contrast, the evening gives us a semi-sextile between Jupiter and Neptune.  This signals a change of emphasis philosophically, seeing things differently and in a wider way which may not initially be comfortable for us, until we realize we are adjusting to the bigger picture.