All sorts of side stories have had to be pushed aside this week, in order to look at the all-encompassing story of the dissolving empire of media mogul Rupert Murdoch.  A generation of minds have been infiltrated by the culture of sensationalizing the news which certainly was the style of the now defunct News of the World.  In a world where over the centuries power was associated with politics (temporal power) or religion, he found a way to general domination through a new source: the modern media.  His Sun/Mercury in Pisces shows his self-expression through the genius of that sign (working its way through the fabric of the collective unconscious) in the 3^rd House of media, and this trine Pluto (power) in the 7^th House and sign of the general public (Cancer), with Jupiter and Mars also in that sign and House for back-up.  The Empire Mogul has Capricorn rising with Saturn in the 1^st House trine Neptune, adding shape, discipline and authority to the Piscean emphasis in his chart.  Karmically, North Node conjunct Uranus in Aries will have used a great deal of intuition in building his karmic mission, and squaring his Jupiter/Pluto in Cancer suggests power abused in past lives.  The Soul Group around him, the members of his family, plus Rebekah Brooks, may have practiced holding power in societies in previous cultures.  Rebekah Brooks, now stood down as Chief Executive of News International, has been called the fifth daughter of Rupert Murdoch, and certainly has a family aspect in her Sun trine his Venus.  There are a lot of karmic Nodal aspects between members of the group.  There is an exact conjunction between Rebekah Brooks’ North Node (karmic mission), which is in Aries (16 degrees) exactly conjunct Rupert Murdoch’s North Node (15 deg 56) – certainly partners if not partners in crime.  Her karmic mission joined and strengthened his.  At her resignation this week, the North Node was trine her Saturn and the Nodal Axis squaring her Pluto, invoking a recognition of karmic necessity.  Rupert Murdoch’s son James natally had a protected and privileged conjunction of his North Node with Jupiter, but currently has Neptune squaring his Mercury, effectively a rabbit caught in headlights.  Andy Coulson who has taken the rap and a pivotal role for years for the phone hacking scandal, had Saturn trine his North Node (similar to but the reversal of Rebecca Brooks’ resignation aspect) when he resigned as Editor of the News of the World.  Then further along the chain, Andy Coulson has a family-style link with David Cameron’s natal chart, but you have to stop somewhere…The power of Rupert Murdoch, as with the dictators in the Middle East, is beginning to unravel through the breaking of the spell of fear.  The injection of courage into the human race has come into the equation in a big way since the entry of Uranus into Aries, squaring and challenging the authorities of Pluto in Capricorn.  The period of this square over the next three years is likely to see some chaos and anarchy before the desired goal of freedom is won.  But in the case of the media battle, a start has been made in seeing through the deception and manipulation: it seems that this will all take a while to unravel.  At the age of 80, Rupert Murdoch is approaching his Neptune (sleaze) half-return.  His natal Neptune, also the ruling planet of his Sun sign, is at 3 degrees 59 minutes of Virgo.  Neptune almost reaches the half-return, at 3 degrees 9 minutes of Pisces, in June 2012, but then turns back.  It is not until 24/25^th March 2013 that he will experience the half-return, when all may be revealed about what was concealed.  The stress by that time may take a toll on his health.  In the meantime we need to visualize the sort of society we would like, free of sleaze and violence.  I would like to see a ban on violence in film, for instance – is that too much to ask?  There are few aspects occurring in the coming week, and the first not until Thursday.  If you would like a cosmic focus for the first half of the week, the Fixed Star Procyon is aligned with our Sun today.  This star in Canis Minor traditionally has mixed reviews (e.g. Bernadette Brady hints at sudden success followed by failure).  The emphasis from “Starlight Elixirs” by Michael Smulkis and Fred Rubenfeld is on the translation of incoming light into clarity of thought: “Procyon can enhance the direct transference of light into consciousness.  Procyon will beneficially influence all capacities of thought”.  The aspect occurring on Thursday (21^st) is in fact a minor one: that of Venus semi-sextile Mars, which is about the nuance of a minor shift in perception of male-female relations or internal male-female balancing.  Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg for instance has been criticized for doing the school run, so fine-tuning about such debates may be going on.  On Friday 22^nd Mars conjoins the South Node at 21 degrees Gemini: There may be a harking back to past wars, including past newspaper wars (Gemini).  Prepare for some role play with your Inner Warrior, using the opportunity to find the right role for this in modern times.  On Saturday 23^rd the Sun leaves the sign of Cancer and enters Leo.  If you have been concentrating on DIY around the home lately, your focus may turn to outdoor leisure, holidays and Sun seeking.  If you want to continue with the DIY, it may take a more creative turn, but it is a good time of year to get your dose of Vitamin D, so do consider outdoor possibilities.  Now that I am retired I sometimes have to force myself away from the computer or daytime TV cookery programmes, by auto-suggestion that there are some enticing opportunities for photography in the garden, which hubby Mike kindly tends.  It’s always worth a stroll.

The week in bullet points:

• Today – Mental focus and concentration
• Thursday – Minor male-female adjustments in perception
• Friday – Old scores to settle, hopefully peaceably
• Saturday – Do something Outdoorsy

On Thursday, the day that Jupiter trined Pluto (huge endings) it was announced that the last ever edition of the News of the World would be published this Sunday, it was the premier of the last in the Harry Potter series of films (transiting Jupiter squaring the magical Mars/Neptune conjunction of the natal chart of the first film), and the final launch of the space shuttle Atlantis marking the end of the space shuttle program(me) a day later.  Like the square between Jupiter and Pluto last year which brought revelations from Wikileaks, last week’s trine between Jupiter and Pluto uncovered other revelations from other sources, most notably the phone hacking scandals by the News of the World to innocent victims of murder and terrorism.  These started to emerge in the few days leading up to the Jupiter-Pluto trine.  By the anniversary of 7/7 it had emerged that victims of that event had been subjected to phone hacking. It was announced on the day of the Jupiter-Pluto trine that as a result of these disclosures the News of the World was to close.  Neptune was trine the Mercury in the natal chart of the paper, and the North Node (karma) trine its Pluto (death of the newspaper, but possibly also a reinvention).  Even the Wikileaks story re-emerged that day, because Julian Assange is shortly to appear at the High Court, but also has his 40^th birthday (Saturn is currently square his Sun, and Neptune squares his Neptune so it is not an easy time for him).  In the huge recycling of energy within these events, what will replace the newspapers, films, and space shuttles, to name but a few manifestations?  Perhaps something similar transpired in your own world, a power play, or an exchange of funds, the ending of a commitment.  What new forms can be created now in your life?  The birth of a new country is an amazing new form for energy, and South Sudan has pulled it off, its constitution being ratified on 7 July, so the trine will be part of its nature. I would like to wish a happy birth day to South Sudan! The consequences of the Jupiter-Pluto trine will be with us for some time, but in this time period we need to look at new forms for our energies and new pathways.  I apologize in advance for the length of this preamble about the momentous past week, but as if to balance this there are fewer aspects this week.  In the early hours of this morning, Uranus came to a standstill, preparing to go retrograde. Last night or this morning may have brought new surprises (euphemisms for slight shocks) for you to deal with today, but if there weren’t any then it may be time to look at some reorientation which is needed now, or some going over old ground in an alternative way, finding new solutions for long term problems, or new ways of doing things, like teaching an old dog new tricks.  All the aspects this week take place early morning, so some of their influence will emerge in interesting dreams in the U.K.  In the U.S. they will produce interesting late night suppers, and in Australia mid-afternoon capers.  The next aspect is Mercury sextile Mars on Tuesday (12^th).  This is a good aspect for rigorous communication, getting your thoughts down on paper, and you can apply this to any new embryonic projects emerging.  Criticism can be constructive at this time, and new ideas can be based on the knowledge of what needs to be corrected.  If you would prefer to channel your energies through sport, power-walking, Ashtanga Yoga, jogging and fencing are suitable outlets, or verbal banter at the breakfast table behind the scrunching of newspapers.  On Wednesday (13^th) Venus squares Saturn and you might need to resolve relationship issues, or if there is nothing you can do, just lie back and do nothing:  resolve it in your own heart, to save getting drained if the other person is not likely to help.  The final aspect of the week is the Full Moon in Capricorn on Friday (15^th) at 6.40 a.m. in the U.K.  Full Moons always require a balancing from us, based on the formation of the Sun opposing the Moon, and if you do not know which House this falls in natally, then taking the nature of the signs you will need to look at work/home dilemmas or struggles between the state and the citizen.  Your loyalties may be divided, e.g. you may be caught up in Institutions which are corrupt and find it difficult to decide where your loyalties lie.  Friday can be used to adjust your lifestyle and the structures of your life.  The Full Moon is not as potent as the previous eclipsed version, just as this week is tamer than last, but then we need a rest, don’t we?

For busy readers, the week in bullet-points:

• Today – Reorientation
• Tuesday – Vigorous Communication
• Wednesday – Gentle Reframing of Relationships
• Friday – Restructuring of Daily Life

I redeemed my Wimbledon blogging reputation slightly yesterday at the Ladies Singles Final, by remarking that Sharapova’s aspects were not too good, and that Kvitova (who won) would be inspired.  Sue Barker, on interviewing Sharapova afterwards, stated:  “You came across a player who was inspired today”.  Due thanks goes to last week’s commenter who pointed out that I had originally chosen Serena Williams, which encouraged me to look into the remaining players. Meanwhile the International Monetary Fund came back into prominence in the news last week. The natal Venus (which represents money) of the International Monetary Fund lies exactly at the Galactic Centre, which is very appropriate for such an Institution.  This week Christine Lagarde was appointed the new Head of the IMF, close to the New Moon eclipse which fell exactly opposite her natal Sun.  Transiting Saturn was exactly trine her natal Venus (ability to handle money).  Her predecessor, Dominique Strauss-Kahn was released from house arrest, with Jupiter transiting his Sun (a transit which often coincides with a liberation of sorts).  Strauss-Kahn has a powerful chart, but will not be looking after our money any more, so Lagarde is the one to watch now.  She has her Part of Fortune in the 8^th House of Other People’s Money, so enjoys looking after it for us, and I will be watching that space.  We have a huge aspect this week in the trine between Jupiter in Taurus and Pluto in Capricorn, and that will dominate the week’s proceedings, giving us the sense of balancing two huge forces in our lives.  We are assisted in seeing its healing potential in having Chiron placed between them forming a sextile to each.  So bear this in mind as you proceed through the week, so that you are better placed to catch the wave on Thursday and capitalize on the trine.  But today is a different mindset because Saturn squares the Sun.  Think structure and limitation, caution and plugging loopholes.  Before a big enterprise, you have to attend to the details, or something small can throw the whole thing out.  What do you need to attend to today, in all seriousness?  Even if you are having a fun day out, there may be serious issues to think about which lie behind it.  Any conclusions now will contribute to your Jupiter-Pluto performance later in the week.  Venus enters Cancer tomorrow (4^th) and it’s Happy Independence Day to my American reader(s)!  Venus entering Cancer is always a nice interlude for Americans, who have a few planets in Cancer in the natal chart of the U.S., and will bring heart as it tours through that sign. The aspect of life it brings out is making sure everyone around you is comfortable, nostalgia such as working on your family tree, home-making, baking apple pies, plumping pillows, gardening by the Moon, for enjoying all Cancerian aspects of life.  A good website to follow this month if you want to get into that groove (whatever sign, or country you are in) is http://auntiemoon.wordpress.com/ the website and blog of cjwright who conveys that mood among other moods and wider issues.  She has the knack of asking interesting questions and thinking outside the box, too.  It should be a Happy Independence Day whether or not you are American, for the day basks in happy aspects.  Venus trines Neptune, bringing inspiration to home and family activities.  Then Mercury trines Uranus so any good ideas can go global on the internet.  If you are wanting to stay away from the internet tomorrow, then try sending and receiving ideas by telepathy.  All you will need is at least one pal, to play this, and conduct such experiments.  A pack of Zener cards are optional, but by no means necessary.  Mercury squares Jupiter the next day Tuesday (5^th) and by that time you may have experimented, and enjoyed the fruits of your telepathic experiments, but may be feeling mentally overcrowded, hyped up, overwired, and a bit of a space cadet.  Maybe you were contacted by Aliens the day before, and have too much to think about now.   If you can’t handle all the resulting creativity, just scale down your focus and get back to simple basics for a while, watch a candle or watch paint dry, or watch asparagus grow (if that is not too fast-paced).  Then reassess which of your new projects to follow.  Balance can be achieved the next day (Wednesday 6^th) with Mars trine Saturn.  It may not be as exciting as the first half of the week, but it does allow for more common sense and sensibility.  Action and practicality succeed, where earlier in the week ideas and inspiration were to the fore.  All this before the main feature of the week, Jupiter trine Pluto on Thursday (7^th).  This will be balancing power in one area of your life (Pluto in whatever natal house) with opportunities for expansion (Jupiter in another area of life).  High energy, high jinks.  When Jupiter was square Pluto last year, the first set of revelations by Wikileaks appeared.  Some resolution on these issues, e.g. information and suppression of information, High Court injunctions and the like, may emerge.  Also religious issues around faith versus agnosticism may come a step closer to understanding (Richard Dawkins meets the Pope?).  In our own personal lives we need to see how we use our power, and celebrate positive applications of that power.  Motto for the day is taken from Del Boy: “He who dares, wins” .  The rest of the week may seem an anti-climax, but even anti-climaxes need to be managed and observed carefully.  Venus squares Uranus later on Thursday, so be wary of social misuses of power, and new personalities emerging in your life who may not be all they seem, who may have agendas counter to your own and be peddling red herrings.  You can enjoy the novelty, and take ideas from other ways of being, but need to calm and centre down.  On Friday (8^th) Venus trines Chiron in a small healing interlude, practicing the breathing, calming, centring and alignment, and remembering who you are.  Saturday (9^th) may test you on that alignment with Pluto opposing Venus: being true to yourself even if you are tempted to please the other.  Once that test has been mastered, more enjoyable waters are reached with Venus sextile Jupiter favouring parties and barbecues, followed by Mercury sextile Saturn which would be best employed in a cool assessment of the challenges and achievements of the week.  You can put this in graph form, or on an excel spreadsheet, or just file it away under experience, but duly note it.  If you need the week in bullet points, please apply separately by email.

Victoria Azarenka

Azarenka is a Leo with a fiery Mars in the same sign.  She will be fired up with Mars sextile her Sun this weekend, but may be disappointed by Saturn squaring her Neptune.  Self-doubt may creep in and take the edge off her performance.

Playing

Petra Kvitova

Imaginative Piscean Petra Kvitova has some solid planets in Capricorn which help her focus. Her nerves could get the better of her at the weekend (Mars squaring her Mercury), but her inspirational streak is likely to be her most helpful factor with Neptune trine her natal Jupiter at the weekend.

Kvitova has Uranus conjunct Azarenka’s Saturn, which can produce shocks for Azarenka, though Azarenka can wear down Kvitova.  The edge would likely to be with Kvitova though.

Kvitova’s Uranus trines Azarenka’s Venus so they might get on well socially off court.

Sabine Lizicki

Lizicki has a deeply emotional chart, with Venus conjunct Pluto in Scorpio, and  Jupiter with Chiron in Cancer possibly joined by the Moon there.  This will be the source of much of her energy.  Uranus, Saturn and Neptune sit in stoical Capricorn in her chart.  Her Sun is in Virgo, a sign which figures heavily in this generation of tennis players, both as Sun and Ascendant.  Mercury (her nervous system) and Mars (her physical energy, as distinct from her emotional energies) are in the traditional tennis sign of Libra.   Without knowing her Ascendant (from her birth time) Mars and Mercury represent important elements of her physicality and there is a gracefulness and elegance there, but not as much robustness as some other signs.

Playing

Maria Sharapova

In contrast to Lizicki, Sharapova has several planets in the very physical sign of Aries.  The Wimbledon website states: “Sharapova’s serene image hides a street-fighter”.  It is possible that her Ascendant is something contrasting and therefore hiding the street-fighter.  She has a tender side: Venus in Pisces and Moon conjunct Neptune, and that may be something she reserves for her private life.  The street-fighting image is also shown in a quincunx between Mars and Pluto.

Neither Lizicki or Sharapova have great aspects this weekend, but one of them has to go through to the final, and with Sharapova being on good form it is likely to be her.

Andy Murray

Have been avoiding looking too closely at Andy Murray’s chart.  It would be lovely for a Brit to win Wimbledon for the first time since I think Virginia Wade…

He has got some very favourable aspects in his natal chart, such as the Part of Fortune conjunct his North Node (he does aim to please his fans) and Venus in Aries trine Moon/Uranus in Sagittarius (energy and the power of surprise).  I am surprised that with the latter aspect he does not have more popularity.  The Moon also conjunct with Saturn may create the dour Scot side of his personality.  During the final Saturn will be on his South Node and Mars will be sextile his North Node.  Part of him will be go-ahead and another part of him will be held back.

Playing

Rafa Nadal

Rafael Nadal has an expansive energy in his Jupiter-Mars sextile, and may have healing hands (Sun conjunct Chiron).  His Moon is possibly conjunct his North Node, allying his emotions with his karmic mission.  It is possible that later in life he may reorientate his career, and work in connection with say sports injury.  On a personal, spiritual and emotional level he looks happy and peaceful this weekend, but he also has some difficult twists and turns with Jupiter opposite his Pluto and Uranus square his Neptune. I wouldn’t rule him out of the final or as a winner.  However, in his personal aspects with Murray, the latter has some strong suits: his Mars conjunct Rafa’s Mercury can unsettle him; Uranus opposing Rafa’s Mercury means that mentally Nadal has to stay strong.  Undoubtedly Nadal does have the mental strength required, as he has shown in the past.

Novak Djokavic

With the Moon sextile his Sun he knows his own mind, however he has a lot of both emotional tension (Moon square Mars, hence the temper tantrum the other day) and mental tension (Mercury conjunct Chiron) which may be manageable at certain times and difficult at other times.  At the time of the finals, heavyweight Pluto trines his Mercury giving him more mental stability and emotional energy.   Neptune trines his Mars, making his energies very sensitive – if he can handle that, he’ll be a fine finalist!

Playing

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Sun in Aries is pure energy, and Mercury is conjunct Venus in that sign (good with words!) but square Neptune which can fritter away his energies at times, or cause him to spin the truth.  The Moon may be in Pisces, or in Aries – Aries would be happier for a sportsman.  The North Node conjuncts Mars so his karmic mission in this (lifetime) round is that of a warrior.  The aspects between his chart and finals weekend are underwhelming, so he isn’t likely to go through (unless he is able to take advantage of the vacuum).

Tsonga and Djokovic also have antagonistic aspects between them natally.  Djokavic’s Neptune squares Tsonga’s Venus – he may be able to sway his feelings or confuse him with diversionary tactics.  On the other hand Tsonga’s Uranus opposes Djokovic’s Mercury (exactly the same aspect as Murray has towards Nadal) which can unsettle Djokovic mentally.  That is probably an aspect which counts for more on the tennis court.

I know who I think in both cases will go through,  but I am not going to commit this time,  unsurprisingly!

Top Customer Service complaint of the week goes to a long-standing reader who complained there was too much preamble to the actual aspects of the week.  I have devised a simple solution, so please be patient.  Second place goes to a reader who pointed out that I did not correctly predict the Wimbledon winners last year.  I didn’t get a lot of time to watch Wimbledon last week, but half way through I will stick with Roger Federer and Serena Williams for my chosen winners (I don’t want to sound vacillating).  Gemini Serbian Novak Djokovic sounds like my kind of feller, though…He is winning on a gluten-free diet, and is a peace campaigner.  But it hasn’t been all complaint this week: I have increased my Australian readership by 50% (a cheery wave from me to all my Australian readers!) and the long-standing reader who complained there was too much preamble actually won £200 worth of vouchers courtesy of the Sun-Jupiter sextile as I had predicted.  Enough preamble, though I might get back to it.  The Sun squares Uranus today, so surprises are afoot, and some of those could be tricky.  With the Sun being in Cancer, home appliances could go on the blink, for instance.  The Sun trines Chiron tomorrow though, so some of these home appliances could just as suddenly come back to life.  Tomorrow is a good day for energy medicine and miracle healings in general, with Mars also sextile Uranus.  It is a good day for buying new appliances, if it turns out that your appliances are not going to make it through.  Be sure to draw up a chart for the buying of the appliance, so that you can follow its progress for the duration, and track those times when it might not be performing up to scratch.  Tuesday 28^th – uh oh!  There may be a blip with the new appliance, and you may even have to take it back, with the Sun being opposed by Pluto.  Or it may seem so, for the problem may lie within you and your own psychological issues.  Perhaps you have an attitude problem, or need to shift the perceptions you have in relation to the said appliance.  If you bought it on Monday, it should be sound, especially if it has an electronic component.  Appliance aside, just focus on getting your own psychology as aligned correctly as possible, and you will understand all the issues your appliance has.  Think of it as you would a pet, and your relationship as one of pet and owner.  So if the appliance is designed to work on its own, you may need to look at your dependency issues.  Tuesday in fact can be a whole healing journey on its own, because there are three other aspects arising: Mars squares Chiron, so energy and mechanisms which were operating smoothly the day before may seem awkward or clumsy today.  You may need to separate out the electrical component from the energy and mechanism, heal the mechanical side, then put it back together with the electrical component.  But your job will not be finished, because next up is a semi-sextile between Jupiter and Uranus, which could be the crux of the week’s problems, involving two of the larger planets.  Uranus, a wilful planet, is being particularly cranky this week, in a good mood one day then awkward the next.  It is determined to move the goal posts at every step, so you may find it difficult to settle, especially if you are in the middle of a major project such as a home refurbishment.  However, good old Jupiter is doing its best to keep things buoyant by directly engaging with this process.  So there may be a pattern of problems arising within a major project, followed by breakthroughs and adjustments.  The last aspect on Tuesday is a conjunction between Venus and the South Node, focusing on relationships and the reasons for how they are now, which can go back to earlier in this lifetime or further back dipping into past life causations.  You’ll be saying “Phew. What a day!” but hopefully also knowing why it was such a day.  On Friday 1^st July there is another Solar Eclipse and New Moon, reminiscent of 1^st June, but this time in the sign of Cancer.  Another turning point, but with issues of Home and Family to the fore, and especially potent for those born around 1^st July.  On Saturday 2^nd July Mercury enters Leo and that may mean a sunny finals’ day or weekend at Wimbledon.  Mental focus will start to move on from home and family to leisure and holidays.  Of course for leisure and holidays you need expendible earnings, and European finance is now under threat of further chaos because of the instability of the Greek economy.  I have an oft-stated fondness for the Elgin Marbles and ancient Greek culture, but the modern state has a couple of very difficult conjunctions: Mercury/Saturn/Ascendant, and Moon exactly conjunct Pluto.  When these complexes are under fire, there is a pulling towards the underworld or a drag towards the underpsyche to coin a phrase.  Both these points are being currently assailed: the Mercury/Saturn/Ascendant squared by Saturn (intractable problems) and the Moon/Pluto caught up in the current square between Uranus and Pluto.  It is my prayer that the collective Greek psyche can harness the ancient mythological power for its own healing.  Somehow the way has been lost, and the heart needs to be found again.  So I have managed to bring some of the preamble to the conclusion.  And in a further nod to the long-standing award-winning and voucher-bearing reader (and any other busy reader), the week in bullet-points:

• Today – be on your toes
• Tomorrow – healing and dynamism
• Tuesday – it’s a journey
• Friday – turning point
• Saturday – have fun in mind

I spent last week filling in at my old Office, and it’s funny the conversations that take place on the train.  Some of my various fellow commuters informed me that they didn’t like tennis, cats or biographies – all subjects I was planning to write about in my blog.  But first, the eclipse last week was definitive at least for Alkaida (my preferred spelling because of the Fixed Star Alkaid in Ursa Major), who appointed a new head last week: Ayman Al -Zawahiri.  He was born on a full moon, with the Moon and Sun in the same positions as on last week’s full moon eclipse.  It seems he was born to take over that role at that time.  It does make me wonder whether the appointment was deliberately planned according to astrological information.  Weather permitting, Wimbledon starts tomorrow, and I was hoping to blog about shining stars coming out for Andy Murray, but I can’t find any at a glance though I will keep looking, and hopefully updating as they arise.  Predictably, Roger Federer and Serena Williams’ stars are looking good (again).  This despite, in Serena’s case, Saturn moving through her 6^th House of Health.  Just after Wimbledon last year, she cut her foot on glass in Munich (with Pluto transiting the cusp of her 9^th House of Foreign Lands and squaring her Sun right at the beginning of her 6^th House of Health.  Then in March this year, she suffered a pulmonary embolism, as Saturn transiting her Jupiter in the 6^th House.  She and Federer were born a few weeks apart in 1981, and both have the transiting North Node transiting their Neptune (feet) by the culmination of Wimbledon.  They both have health issues, and North Node transiting Neptune could bring up issues of vulnerability, but I will plump for them doing well (and going for the record of unsuccessful Wimbledon predictions).  At the end of last week I reported that Mercury, and therefore our nervous systems, would be a little vulnerable during the first half of this week.  Today Mercury is opposed by Pluto, and re-wiring of communication equipment, both human and mechanical, will be going on.  However, there are mitigating circumstances and spiritual reinforcements coming to our assistance, in the shape of Mercury trine Chiron.  We are having sensitizing crises over the next few days, in order to find alternative new healing solutions arriving at more complex understandings, especially about health and communication.  Mars enters Gemini on Tuesday (21^st) which would be complex enough (your energies split into two directions) but for the fact that Mars is working its way towards a square with Neptune.  During this period you need to be very, very, aware of both your energies and your communications, in order not to create messes which you then need to find the time and energy to clear later.  A little mindfulness and thoughtfulness will go a long way to avoiding problems, and keeping in the forefront of your mind what you are doing, why, and what the consequences will be.  Meditate in between, and you’ll be fine.  Fortunately, I am not going to be working in the Office this week, and can apply these practices in the safety of my own home.  The Sun enters Cancer later on Tuesday, and officially Summer starts, though there has been talk that Spring and Summer have switched places this year.  Certainly Spring felt like Summer.  Following that, Mercury squares Saturn, and there may be a certain stuckness or inertia in relation to communication.  This can be related to travel, but also to verbal and written analysis.  You may be in conversation with someone and both sound like a stuck record: you’ve been round and round with the same conversation ad nauseam, and have to leave the conversation there and retire to your individual corners of the boxing ring.  According to the Observer this morning, tennis star Andy Murray has been taking advice from boxer David Haye, and he feels that it has helped his attitude.  Conversations on Tuesday will reveal that no two people can think exactly alike or see exactly eye to eye, everyone’s spiritual path differs slightly from everyone else’s, and this is a point when we need to retire to our own thoughts and see where our thinking takes us.  You will need that fine tuning for Wednesday (22^nd) when Mars squares Neptune.  This time it is not our thinking, but our energies and actions, which will reveal struggles for comprehension and where we need to understand complexities.  It is a time to become in tune with our physicality in order to understand how we interact with our world.  There are likely to be outbreaks of clumsiness, but also sensitive lessons learned.  If there are upsets, solutions may be forthcoming later with the Neptune trining the Sun.  There is a chance to integrate the lessons, e.g. the old chestnut that mobile phones and water don’t mix (how many times…?).  Saturday (25^th) gives us a lovely sextile between the Sun and Jupiter.  Could be a winning moment for some.  As Lot Pod Cod (short for Lottery Pod Co-ordinator) for an officially registered syndicate of three, will I be able to inform the others that their lives are about to change?  Sun sextile Jupiter isn’t a life-changer, but it will help.

From “Elizabeth” by Alexander Walker:

“I realize that my whole life is being in motion pictures.  For me to quit would be like cutting away the roots of a tree…I’ve made up my mind for myself and I’ll take all the hardship and everything else that comes along.”

(from a note to her mother in her early teens)

This is the first of an astrobiographical series about the life of Elizabeth Taylor, in which I hope to cover various aspects of her life, such as health, relationships and her work.  I am starting with the birthchart.

Film stardom is a province of Sun in Pisces, through its ruling planet Neptune, and Elizabeth Taylor was the film star par excellence.  She also had chronic health conditions, which can sometimes beset Sun in Pisces in difficult aspect.  Thirdly, she was outstanding in her charity work (also Pisces/Neptune) in her chosen field of AIDS.

J. Randy Taraborrelli describes in his entertaining biography “Elizabeth” some quintessential Piscean traits: “Though she could be tremendously self-absorbed, she could also be a good and loyal friend, especially to the downtrodden and confused people in her life – as she would demonstrate countless times”.

Moon in Scorpio gave her the ability to feel and portray in-depth  emotions, and a penchant for drama.

Mercury in Pisces in her chart is exactly opposite natal Neptune (channelling but also obfuscation) portrays the fact that she would dip in to the collective unconscious with her mind and her heart.  Pisces is one of two main signs of acting talent. Leo is the other, home of showmanship and drama. Pisces represents the sensitivity and fluidity which allows the self, chameleonlike, to almost become the character one is portraying.

Venus is in Aries conjunct Uranus in the house of lovers.  One would expect a woman of legendary beauty to have something special going on with her Venus. Elizabeth’s Venus in Aries is selfishly demanding in love, and is conjoined with Uranus giving her tremendous personal social magnetism.   A trine with Jupiter proliferated and magnified all these qualities, social skills and abundant jewels.

Her Ascendant was in Sagittarius exactly sextile Midheaven in Libra, so she was able to combine her lifestyle, character,  and career more naturally than most.  It was the film with the horse (Sagittarius), “National Velvet”, which made her famous.  She had a lucky Sagittarian streak of being in the right place at the right time, reinforced by the Part of Fortune conjunct Jupiter, though would not be considered lucky in health matters or marriages (these are other stories, for later in the series).  The exact sextile of her Ascendant with the Libran Midheaven (persona in the world) shows that she was born to make a career or reputation out of her beauty and artistry, a career which was forged very early on in her life.

She had Saturn in the 2^nd House of Finance, which is often found in charts of millionaires who attend to their pennies.  That should give hope to those who have that placing natally!  But money was more complex for Elizabeth, as she did like to spend freely, and more telling was Pluto in the 8^th House of Money and Jewels from Others, which meant that emotionally she invested heavily in those resources, with great rewards.  Alexander Walker writes, in his definitive biography “Elizabeth”: “Money was for impulsive spending; that’s what money was for – though on scenting a bargain, Elizabeth’s face would set hard,  her eyes narrow suspiciously and ‘then she became a pirate, proud of her high art as a chiseller.’ “

In the 3rd house of Siblings and Communication she had Mars, and the Sun with Mercury, stressing the importance of the male principle in her sibling relationship.  Her brother Howard was a loyal stabilizing factor in her life.  With these planetary placings too, she was forthright in her verbal expression, and to some extent was self-educated.

In the 6^th House of Health and Working Conditions she had Chiron (the Wounded Healer) opposing the Moon in the 12^th House of Chronic Health, and squaring her Part of Fortune.  Her delicate health affected her on a daily basis, as well as working schedules and the lives of fellow employees.  She had an extraordinary capacity for battling through these conditions, with Pluto closely sextile her Chiron assisting her recuperative powers.

The 7^th House of Marriages is ruled by Gemini, which indicates the multiplicity in this area of life!  The stories of her relationships are fascinating, and I hope to devote one Part of this series alone to her relationship with Richard Burton, a legendary union.

She virtually created the mould for that all-encompassing fame and film stardom, which has become an obsession in our society.   Elizabeth’s life story is extraordinary in that she seemed to live several lives in one.  Pisces is the zodiac sign which aims to perfect a round of lives, or even step off the wheel of rebirth.

In Part 2, I aim to record her early life and relationship with her parents, and look at this theme in more detail in relation to her birth chart.

This week has seen further international pressure for Syria’s government to stand down or at least stop killing its own citizens.  President Bashar Al-Assad heads another dictatorship in the Middle East, but one being treated very differently than that of Muammar Al-Ghaddafi in Libya. Bashar has a very different personality than the colourful Ghaddafi, and has quietly gone ahead destroying human rights in the tradition set by his father Hafiz Al-Assad, who died 10 June 2000 after 30 years in power.  There have been many possible reasons put forward for the difference in treatment by the international community but the aim of the country rebels is the same as those of other countries in the Arab uprising.  The natal chart for Syria shows a combination of Mars conjunct Uranus volatility and North Node conjunct Pluto shadow expression of power.  Currently the Nodal Axis squares Bashar’s Moon (international karmic pressure) but only if he was born at Noon (we do not have his exact time).  He is married to a British wife Asma, and I often wonder of her role in his life and whether she has any emotional input.  She herself has a warrior past life pattern of Mars conjunct the South Node, and her connections with Bashar are quite Neptunian – a veiled relationship possibly.  Bashar had a veiled relationship with his father too, in that his father’s Neptune was conjunct his Mercury, imbuing him perhaps with mythology about life, family and the world.  It was originally thought that he might be in a different mould from his father, but he has not stepped out of the patterning, neither family nor regional. The chart of his father’s regime shared and reinforced the volatile Mars conjunct Uranus which is in the natal chart for Syria, so this may be part of the entrenched way of being, and of meeting resistance with force.  With a lunar eclipse possibly squaring Bashar’s Moon and trine Syria’s Jupiter, it could be a key week for the beleaguered people of that country.  It could be a key week for us all with another eclipse, and several  assorted aspects to get our teeth into.  I need to focus.  You need to focus.  He, she and it needs to focus.  And we have just the aspect today, Sun conjunct Mercury in Gemini.  So today is for focus…Tomorrow Venus sextiles Uranus, and you may receive interesting social invitations or go to some extraordinary meetings, or experience exciting synchronicities.  Tomorrow (Monday 13^th) also sees Saturn stationary about to turn direct, which is good news for turning round projects which almost seemed to stall.  You may have lost all your energy with them, and be about to give up, and can now see what is salvageable and viable.  Mercury is situated at the South Node, and information comes through karmic sources, e.g. old teachers from our youth, or even from past lives may surface.  Their message will not be new, but may need to be updated.  Lastly for tomorrow, Venus squares Chiron and it may be time to give up longing for old forms, and accept they are just not coming back.  Energy is recycled and the new space will bring new interests.  Conversely, on Tuesday (14^th) the Sun conjuncts the South Node, and there is emotional power in some of your memories, and in remembering who you are.  You may be able to pick this up, before renewing your mission to find your potential, and what you can be.  Wednesday (15^th) brings the lunar eclipse in Sagittarius, a good day for meditating on the state of your life, the state of humanity, and the state of the world.  That’s a tall order, so just start by meditating through your current issue or issues, and see how far you get.  Thursday (16^th) brings a change of mental focus as Mercury enters Cancer.  If your brain was on overload with the previous day’s eclipse, you can soft focus and bring a little imagination, dreaminess, and even emotion into your reveries and meditations.  If you have maintained your focus since Sunday, you will naturally drop it on Thursday, and look at your emotional needs and immediate family considerations.  Friday (17^th) brings a reward of Mercury trine Neptune, a chance to focus and soft focus all at once, combining the left and right brain, and seeing how your inner focus and outer focus can be harmonized, e.g. you may see just the exact expression of a design which your imagination first brought to your attention or created.  The time may not yet be for implementation, but just the recognition that your dream is possible will be a step forward, and may lift the spirits.  Further progress early on Saturday (18^th) as Mercury sextiles Jupiter: favourable to sales and information exchange.  Lucky for some.  You can utilize some of the spiritual, religious or compassionate insights of the Jupiter-Neptune sextile which peaked last week.  Then Venus trines Saturn, consolidating some artistic or relationship aims.  But a blip later on Saturday as Mercury squares Uranus: a deal maybe falling through, possibly due to nervous overload by one of the partners.  People need tender loving care to see them through the temporary crisis.  If someone around you is feeling fragile, advise rest as much as possible for the next few days, until the middle of the next week, as Mercury’s aspects are very tense.  Not the best place to end the blog, but have to love you and leave you!  Hope to report good prospects for Andy Murray at Wimbledon when I blog next Sunday…

I have become fixated about cucumbers lately.  If you have been following this blog, you’ll know that a phobic party of four went to the Eurovision Song Contest in Duesseldorf in mid-May, at the time of the E-coli outbreak in Northern Germany.  So we had a lucky escape, considering we all had a salad at Cologne Airport on 15^th May before flying home.  As the only vegetarian, I was presented with a huge Greek Salad dominated with huge chunks of what must have been a whole cucumber on my plate, which I did my level best to do justice to.  As an aspiring raw-fooder, this E-coli crisis has been a blow to my aspirations, and how much I can trust the raw food I have come to regard as the pinnacle of my daily intake.  This week I have been haunted, and pursued in my dreams, by raw foods and in particular cucumbers.  I have scanned the website of Karen Knowler (dubbed “The World’s Premier Raw Food Coach”) http://www.karenknowler.typepad.com/ to find her take on this dilemma, but cannot find any guidance there on the matter, despite some interesting articles on her blog.  I need to know how to reorientate myself spiritually on this issue.  Mercury is square to Chiron today, so healing dilemmas continue, in search of that spiritual reorientation which will reward the effort and settle the personality, until the next crisis which might be Wednesday.  The next two days is suitable for finding the right consciousness to match a new level of physical and mental health, for Mercury represents conventional healing (as represented by the Caduceus symbol) and Chiron represents alternative healing (as represented by the symbol of the Centaur).  These two may be at odds over the next two days, and our task is to bring them together.  A new plateau of stability is reached on Tuesday (7^th), when Mercury (representing conventional healing) trines Saturn (representing stability and consolidation).  This is a foothold on the new reality that you need right now, which appeals directly to your left brain rationality and to your practicality.  For instance, you may find a reliable local source of cucumbers, which comes as a relief.  If you are meeting over coffee or tea on that day, suitable conversations on the agenda would be serious topics, e.g. about coalition politics and its effect on the NHS, or how to proceed with your new healing philosophy recently hatched from the struggles of Mercury square Chiron.  Wednesday (8^th) brings a reorientation of Chiron, going stationary prior to retrograde.  There may be U-turns in the area of alternative health, which is unusual.  We have U-turns and contradictory research all the time in the area of conventional health (this is good for you, this is not good for you, this is now good for you again).  But alternative health is often based on ancient and intuitive wisdoms, which don’t change much, except in their modern application.  So this is part of the process of a shift, which happens from time to time, to incorporate the new energies and vibrations and update alternative views and our spiritual systems.  Keep your inner and outer ears pealed for new information or the recycling of old information, on the subject of healing.  By far the most important aspect of the week occurs on Thursday (9^th) and here, with a sparkling sextile between Jupiter and Neptune, there is a real opportunity for a spiritual shift.  If you are involved in any religious ceremonies, you will see the spirituality behind them.  If you are involved in any spiritual ceremonies, you may be able to see how the religious structures sit within them.  This major aspect is an exchange of unity on a higher level, and a vision of hope.  If you are not involved in any spiritual or religious ceremonies on Thursday, anything you are engaged in can be used to sense the energies of hope, unity and spirituality.  If you are celebrating a birthday, you can ponder and wonder at the mysteries of bringing a soul into incarnation.  If you are wandering around an art gallery, you can see the connection between the inspiration of the soul of the artist and the practical production and depiction in colour and form on canvas.  Preferably do this in the morning, while Venus is still in Taurus, for in the afternoon in the U.K. (with respectful mindfulness to my U.S. and Australian readership) Venus (art and harmony) enters Gemini.  You could go round the art gallery again, and see it from the Venus in Gemini perspective, less on the feeling plane and more analysis on the mental plane (“What was the artist trying to achieve?  But is it art?”).  You may evolve a more rounded perspective that way.  So whatever you were doing in the morning, if you have the time and leisure to repeat the performance in the afternoon, you’ll end up with a holistic perspective.  Feelings could change during the course of the day, and different social scenarios and populations could emerge later.  If you are a tour guide, you would be herding buffalos in the morning, and butterflies in the afternoon and will need a different approach.  Finally, by Friday, socially and artistically, you’ll be confused by a square between Venus and Neptune.  You’ll find a flaw in the painting you bought yesterday, you’ll be pondering an artistic dichotomy digesting your activities of the previous day.  And as Venus also represents food and cooking and Neptune represents toxins, you need to select carefully what you are putting on the menu.  The cucumber question remains.