The Square Background

The Uranus-Pluto square is still prevalent, slightly waning now until its next phase in September.  It was exacerbated yesterday by Venus square Chiron, an aspect I hadn’t mentioned, but which seems to have brought up relationship crises.

Global Round-Up

The global issues which are linked in my view with the Uranus-Pluto square continue to concern the world:

Syria: The slaughter continues, and Hilary Clinton gets tough with Russia and China for their obstructiveness towards intervention.

Eurozone: The Uranus-Pluto square seems to have highlighted tensions between Austerity Merkel and Anti-Austerity Hollande, while Greece struggles to fulfil its pledges with new Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.

Climate: More extreme weathers: record heatwaves in the Eastern U.S., flooding in the U.K., and in Russia where 150 people have died in floods in Krymsk.

The Aspects

Friday the Thirteenth

We have all week to prepare for Uranus turning retrograde on Friday (13^th). This is not an aspect, the aspect of the week itself occurs on the evening of Saturday (14^th), the very end of the week.  Uranus tends to turn everything on its head at the best of times, but when it is turning retrograde even more so.  Coupled with friggatriskaidekaphobia, fear of Friday 13^th, some people may create their own dramas through fear.  While I would never tempt fate, it has always been my attitude and policy to debunk superstition.  A lot of people meeting me are puzzled by that, because they regard Astrology itself as a superstition.  But, never mind, eh?  What I would like to say about the prospect of change and turning moments next Friday, is do not panic.  Spend the whole day on Thursday meditating, and you’ll be really chilled…

The Aspect

This week’s aspect in question is Mercury sextile Venus and it occurs late on Saturday (14^th) in the U.K.

“Er hang on…? Didn’t we have that one last Wednesday?” You might ask.  The cause is Mercury slowing down preparing to turn retrograde, so that Venus catches up with him.

Last Wednesday, the world of Science (Mercury and Uranus) was happy with the discovery (Uranus) of the God particle.  Mercury was trine Uranus that day, signifying scientific discovery, but the day started with Mercury sextile Venus, the announcement of the discovery.

The chart of Professor Peter Higgs who lent his name to the Higgs Boson particle has a very tight, almost exact fire trine, between Venus, Neptune and Saturn.  I had a spooky thought when I saw it: “What if that was the signature for the God particle? With Venus providing the human glue of love to balance the more Saturnian structure and scientific element, and Neptune representing the boundlessness of the Universe.”  This could provide the basis for new research.

Seriously though, in last week’s Comments to the blog, Sinhagupta pointed out: “I’m still suspicious of the Higgs Boson ‘discovery’ – it would seem with all that money and technology, they would be bound to find something – and all that fudging about whether they have enough evidence to call it a discovery or not – either they have or they haven’t! I’d keep it as one of the myths of the 21st century. Begs the entire question of ‘what is matter’?”

So what can we expect from Saturday’s sextile?  Announcements, engagements, and cultural developments.

This week is a creative space in which to develop your own art and culture.  I suggest you write chapter notes for your blockbuster sensation before Friday, write the first three chapters on Friday before 4 pm, then send it off to the publisher.  Mercury with Venus favours the combining of art and writing, such as more often found in children’s books, but sometimes in adults’.  If you have Mercury sextile Venus natally, this may be one of your talents.

Café Culture

You don’t have to be in a café in Café Culture Week, but it helps.

Every city has its equivalent:

Champs Elysees in Paris…Dizengoff Street in Telaviv…Brooklyn in New York…

We did go to the Café frequented by Jean Paul Sartre when we paid a visit to Paris, but all we got was a surly waiter…the aspects must have been against us that day.  I had hoped for a glimpse of the Café culture of the Rive Gauche.

When we were first married we lived near the Finchley Road in London, and there was a Café called Dorice…there was a high elderly proportion of clientele, and you could sit and listen into stories of the Holocaust, and philosophy debates going on.  It was as if you were being transported to Central Europe in the 1920s/1930s.  Hubby says: “Having coffee with Kafka came to mind”.  This was the early 1970s, mind.

Cafes if visited on one’s own are a chance to let the pen loose in a notebook, writing poetry or even channeling or automatic writing.  Other alternatives include poetry circles, or Cream Tea Shoppes in the West Country

The Signs in Café Culture

Here is a sample of what you may expect, sitting in cafes or in reading rooms, or both

Aries

You might find them still talking about the football.

Most likely line: “In the Euros England were technically inept!”

Reading:  “What you see is What you Get” by Alan Sugar (Sun in Aries)

Taurus

You might find them talking about their next meal.

Most likely line: “I don’t agree with Michael Gove’s latest initiative on school dinners”

Reading:  “Jamie’s Italy” by Jamie Oliver

Gemini

You might find them talking about talking.

Most likely line: “That Higgs-Boson particle – Have they really found God?”

Reading “Thinking about Thinking” by Antony Flew

Cancer

You might find them talking about family news.

Most likely line: “Girls just want to have fun, that’s all they really want, when the working day is done”

Reading “Bring up the Bodies” by Hilary Mantel (Sun in Cancer)

Leo

You might find them talking about the Olympic Games.

Most likely line: “Does all power corrupt in the banking sector?”

Reading “The Prince” by Niccolo Machiavelli

Virgo

You might find them talking shop, especially if accompanied by a fellow worker.

Most likely line: “It’s definitely a Health and Safety issue…we ought to do something about it.”

Reading: “Mars and Venus in the Workplace” by John Gray

Libra

You might find them, not talking, but just placing an art book on the table.

Sample conversation: “Was Yoko Ono (Libra rising) before her time in the 1960s?”

Reading: “An Autobiography” by M.K. Gandhi (Sun in Libra)

Scorpio

You might find them psychoanalyzing the other.

Sample conversation: “Are my borderline personality features showing?”

Reading: “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath (Sun in Scorpio; Mercury sextile Venus)

Sagittarius

You might find them discussing the meaning of Life, or Liff.

Sample conversation: “Why are we here?”

Reading: “The Book of Why” by Judy Hall (Sun in Sagittarius; Mercury sextile Venus)

Capricorn

You might find them discussing politics and accountability.

Sample conversation: “How long can the coalition hold out?”

Reading: “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens

Aquarius

You might find them discussing Utopian societies.

Sample conversation: “Have you tried Future Life Progression?”

Reading: “The Time Machine” by H.G. Wells (Mercury sextile Venus)

Pisces

You might find them discussing Euthanasia.

Sample conversation: “That programme about ageing had me in tears”

Reading: “The Long Earth” by Terry Pratchett

Wimbledon Watch

I am feeling epic this morning, as for two years running I have correctly predicted the Wimbledon Ladies’ Champion.  Scientist hubby, however, is unimpressed: he says he doesn’t know what the odds are for that.  The basis of my prediction was that Serena Williams had the least worst aspects of all the ladies, and that she wore the power colour of magenta in her bandanna and pants.

I would love Andy Murray to win the Men’s Final today, and fervently hope that he does!  However, I predicted that Federer would win (on the basis of his good aspects for the Final) before the start of Wimbledon.  So if Murray doesn’t win, that would be a double whammy for me, and for Astrology.

The week in bullet points:

• Friday – Keep Calm and Carry On
• Saturday – Announcements, engagements and cultural achievements

Uranus square Pluto Aftermath

Life is for learning, and we certainly learned a lot last week.  How was it for you?  I found new chambers of the heart last week, new aspects of the Inner Healer, and new depths in relationships.  I have always felt that if you are following the yellow brick road, you need to keep your heart open, and that worked for me last week.  It has been a dramatic week for many, which included sudden deaths, and so it was I found myself attending a funeral.  The congregation took their lead from the widow, and the widow expressed boundless love, even after losing a wonderful companion.  She was an inspiration.

Celebrity Report

Katie Holmes, with her Jupiter at 8 degrees Leo was able to turn the square to her advantage.  It brought emancipation for her with the Uranus of the Uranus-Pluto square trining her natal Jupiter at 8 degrees Leo.  During her difficult birth experience with Suri, she had been trapped, with Pluto exactly on her Sun in Sagittarius (at the powerful Galactic Centre to boot), both in a relationship and in a religious cult.  This square has given her the opportunity to break free.  Tom Cruise has an 8 degree planet too, Pluto in Virgo.  This is trined by Pluto, so in some ways his own psychology had reached a powerful peak, and this may have been the spur or signal for Katie to act in her own interest.

Global Issues

The Middle East was mentioned in my Uranus-Pluto picture last week, but in Syria there were no new significant developments, just a further slide into more killing and no resolution of the conflict.  There were more rumbles about Iran, but no firm news.

In Finance, the European Union were cornered into making an agreement this week after months of prevarication, agreeing to iron out flaws in their bail out arrangements.  A new scandal erupted in relation to the global banking scam, centring around Barclays plc.  The RBS and Nat West Banks were continuing to grapple with the crisis caused by a computer glitch, which had occurred just before the Uranus/Pluto square.

On the Climate Change front, in the U.K., Northern Counties and the Midlands experienced flooding and tornadoes. On a personal note, a close relative was caught in a storm in Leicester, with giant hailstones, and literally had to be plucked from the maelstrom (Uranus square Pluto). She described the hailstones as being the size of £2 coins.  Elsewhere they were described as being the size of golf balls.  Storms also lashed the Eastern Coast of America, causing power outages, and hailstones were reported as being the size of 10p coins by Sky News.  I don’t know how that translates in U.S. coinage.

Obamacare

The surprise passing of the U.S. Healthcare bill also seems connected with the shock factor of the Uranus-Pluto square.  The Observer this morning welcomed it, dubbing it Obama’s gift that will keep on giving.  Our girl in the U.S., commenter Dia, who is herself a health worker, sees the pitfalls (the Jupiter square Neptune illusions of last week) and in the comments to last week’s blog provides some links to help you see through the complexities of the issue. Obamacare also benefited from last week’s conjunction between Jupiter and the South Node, more of which later.

If you are wondering what on earth this section is about, and have not been following the Uranus/Pluto square, read last week’s blog dedicated to this subject.

The Aspects

Tomorrow Jupiter at 4 degrees Gemini conjuncts the True South Node, and we might expect a connection with some past life karma.

Last week I wrote in the Comments box:

Extra Aspect:

On Thursday 28th Jupiter is conjunct the Mean South Node in Gemini – a chance to call karmic favours or be called to them! This will be on a more material basis, for Jupiter will be conjunct the True South Node next week, which will apply more on a spiritual basis.

If you noticed what happened last Thursday, events tomorrow may take them a step further.  Commenter Dia observed that the Obamacare bill went through in America, and Jupiter/South Node was transiting Obama’s Moon.  However it is to be noted that Neptune is also still square Jupiter at this time, and further complications are likely to ensue.

On a personal level, you may be going back into an old karmic situation, for all players to update their awareness.

Mars enters Libra on Tuesday (3^rd), which is the sign of Peace, but the God of War is not sailing into peaceful waters (or Airspace) because it will encounter the Uranus/Pluto square in the first decanate of the Cardinal signs later in July.  So it is imperative now to cultivate your Inner Peaceful Warrior Archetype and hone that skill before the middle of July. You may not have an effect on the world situation, but you will have an effect on your own patch of the world.

In the early evening there is a Full Moon in Capricorn, which may accentuate awareness of responsibility and relations with authorities.  Some of this awareness you may be able to apply to situations connected with the Uranus/Pluto square, as the Moon and Sun are at 12 degrees of Capricorn and Cancer respectively, and not so far away from the 8 degree Cardinal action.  The Full Moon is likely to highlight divisions and responsibilities in society between the haves and the have nots.

On Wednesday lunchtime (4^th) there may be start to be a lighter mood, and an upswing to the week, with the waning of the Moon, and a sextile between Mercury and Venus.  This aspect will be good for writers, artists and writer-artists.  It will be good for reporting your recent experiences, and discussing and negotiating harmoniously.  It is an aspect I also associate with the thriving of Café culture.  Try out a new Café which might have sprung up since the last Mercury-Venus teaming.  My old office used to try out every new local Restaurant in turn once a month – maybe your office could start such a policy for Cafes, on Wednesday.

You’ll be rewarded because at tea-time Mercury will be trine with Uranus, and perhaps efforts and discussions earlier in the day will have stimulated new ideas of the way to proceed.  You may have a preconceived idea of how a negotiation will go, and be surprised that it is likely to proceed better than expected.  I usually suggest space in your diary, but if you have a full diary on Wednesday, you’ll be on a roll rather than flat out.

Thursday (5^th) brings a recurrence of Venus sextile Uranus, because Venus has turned direct and is retracing her path.  I have dubbed this the aspect for exciting meetings (and have had good feedback on it), and you could meet your future or someone influential to your future on that day.  The link to my special blog on this is:

http://www.lanawooster.co.uk/blog/2012/04/aspect-for-the-week-beginning-8-april-2012-venus-sextile-uranus/

Mid-Wimbledon Report

SHOCK EXITS

Venus Williams

Venus had been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease Sjogren’s Syndrome, and lost to Elena Vesnina of Russia. Venus has Pluto rising in Libra in her natal chart, and had been ill with a virus from August 2011 at Cincinnati, when Saturn was exactly on her Ascendant, and square to her Midheaven.  Then Saturn transited the Pluto in her first house.  She was pleased to have been at Wimbledon, and her current transits reflect this, with the intense Saturn transits behind her.

Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal has his Part of Fortune at 8 degrees of Libra and this formed a T-square with Uranus and Pluto.  He was beaten by the 100-ranking Lukas Rosol.  Last week it was wishful thinking of me to have interpreted the square of Saturn to Nadal’s Mars as being a minor injury.  I remember registering at the time that it could be more than that, but even with the Uranus-Pluto square, I did not envisage such an upset (the first time in 10 years that a player of his ranking hasn’t made the third round).

STILL IN

Roger Federer: He was looking good at the start of the tournament, as I wrote last week that with “Mars sextile his natal Uranus (tensile strength) and Venus trine his Jupiter (mellow relationships), plus Saturn sextile his Neptune (realism and clarity).”  Saturn was however conjunct his natal Pluto at that time, and some part of him may have been feeling a little downbeat.

Dare I sustain my prediction of an overall win for Federer for the (I believe) third year running? I have been wrong before…but I have a stubborn Taurean Ascendant.

By the end of the tournament, Jupiter will be trine his Saturn, so his confidence will be much reassured, and that downbeat feeling vanquished.

Andy Murray

Andy Murray produced an amazing victory last night against Bhagdatis, a Cypriot who sustained his dazzling Jupiter trine Moon smile even in the fourth set of the match, even with the crowd against him, and up against the clock (deadline 23.00 Hrs).  The match ended at a historically late hour (23.02 Hrs).  Andy displayed weak ankles, falling over a record number of times.  His natal weakness of the ankles is shown in his chart by Mars opposing his Uranus (ankles) and Mars is currently squaring that opposition, in a T-square.  But Jupiter is transiting Murray’s Mercury at this moment of time.

By the end of the tournament, he is left with the heavyweight aspects of Pluto sextile his Pluto, and Pluto conjunct his Neptune, which is not likely to distinguish him enough from the crowd at the top, though he will have shown some steel.

Novak Djokovic

The end of Wimbledon looks strong for him: Uranus conjuncts his North Node, which could bring out his brilliance, Pluto sextiles his Pluto so he is in touch with the depths of his being, and Pluto conjuncts his Neptune, so he will either be overwhelmed or find his mastery.  He was born exactly a week later than Andy Murray in the same year.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Tsonga is a tough opponent, and may well endure to the final.  Natally he has an opposition between his Mars and Saturn which runs in conjunction with his North Node and South Node axis.  Like Djokovic, Murray and Bhagdatis he was born in 1985!  A good vintage year for tennis players.

Petra Kvitova

She is a favourite to win, but at the end of Wimbledon, Uranus squares her Uranus, so she may play well but not quite reach the final.  There may be an upset along the way. I will continue to look at her chart for nuances, as she did me proud last year.

Victoria Azarenka

As reported last week, there are going to be flashes of brilliance for Azarenka at the beginning of Wimbledon with Uranus trine her natal Sun, but at the same time Uranus squares her natal Saturn and Pluto transits her natal Saturn, so the Uranus-Pluto square affects her chart strongly.  Similar conditions prevail at the end, though the Pluto influence wanes slightly, so that does not look promising.

Serena Williams

Serena is playing well, and intends to play doubles with her sister at the Olympics, but the astrological picture is one of light and shade: Jupiter is trine her Sun (personal triumph) but Saturn is conjunct her Pluto (a great stress). My feeling is that despite her Jupiter aspect she will not make the final.

Maria Sharapova

Maria, a finalist at Wimbledon last year, currently has Uranus squaring her natal Neptune (complex ongoing issues) plus Pluto conjunct her natal Neptune (more complex ongoing issues) so the aspects could show internal distractions and perhaps a loss of concentration at some point.

I haven’t identified a winner among the ladies, yet, but will work hard to do so before the final!  I am not used to this sports pundit lark, and hubby says I had better hurry up and identify a winner.

I hope to update the Wimbledon picture throughout the week, as I did last year, so tune in from time to time if it interests you.

Cancerian Season

Another friend June has written for the Zodiac Masterclass Series, the story of how she formed her family.  It’s a longer read than usual, so I suggest you print it out as holiday reading, and pack a box of tissues.  Somewhere along the story, when you’re least expecting it, you will crumble.

The week in bullet points:

• Tomorrow – karmic rewards
• Tuesday – war and peace; to have and to have not
• Wednesday – Café culture; invention and originality
• Thursday – exciting meetings

Cancer New Moon Mandala painted by Sarah Berry
Line Mandala from Mandala Colouring Book by Barry Stevens
available at http://www.mandalas.freeserve.co.uk/colouringinbook.html

This is the eighth piece in an occasional series written about the expertise of each Sun Sign. I am still looking for the Capricorn who can write a guide to Ambition, and a Libran who can write a guide to Relationships. If you think you are the person I am looking for, please get in touch. Or alternatively if you should know the ideal person. The articles will be found under the category “Zodiac Masterclass” so that eventually there will be 12 such articles, e.g. “The Gemini Guide to Communication”,”The Leo Guide to Leadership” etc. Each article will be written by someone who has the Sun Sign in question.

Here guest blogger June Chase writes about a Cancerian experience of motherhood. I first met June at the beginning of 1976 when she was the first port of call, the receptionist, at Watford’s Shrodells Psychiatric Unit, and I arrived to take up the post of the best job I ever had, as Secretary to one of the Consultant Psychiatrists. I must take this opportunity to hand over a rosette to June, as my best customer, as over the 36 years I have known her she has provided me with about 300 clients and commissions for Astrology and Regression! Her Uranus (Astrology) is in my 2nd House (Money) exactly opposite my Sun. June is a powerful Healer, and her website is http://www.protea-aromatherapy.co.uk/

A word about the Mandala, one of Sarah’s best: note the prominence of Silver, one of the Cancerian colours, associated with its ruler the Moon, and the symbolism of the Lotus associated with Birth among other things.

A Cancerian Experience of Motherhood

by June Chase b. 6/7/47

My daughter Marianne, who is now 25, said I would be a good person to write this, so here goes!

When I was a little girl, I didn’t really care much for playing with dolls. I found I liked the company of small children and they related well to me (I am the younger of two girls).

In my early twenties I was told by a doctor that my womb tilted backwards and I might have difficulty having children. I was enjoying my life, and was not too bothered by this statement.

I loved folk singing and met Mike at a restaurant in Cape Town at the end of 1971 where he was doing a solo folk (contemporary) gig. I was very skinny in those days and wearing a granddad T-shirt I had made into a mini-dress. Mike told me he did a whip round to buy me a bra. He said he fell in love with me from the start! I was with another guy at the time.

Mike was an only child, and when we decided to get married, he announced he would like six children, and I was happy with that. He had been told that as he was slightly overweight, conceiving children might be a problem (I eventually had 6 pregnancies).

After a couple of years of marriage, I came off the pill and fell pregnant straightaway! Three months later I miscarried and was utterly devastated. I later named the child I would have had Michaela (November 1975).

I quickly fell pregnant again and our first son darling Greg was born in November 1976 (a double Scorpio). I was so thrilled and, although a complete novice in motherhood, lovingly undertook my new role. I loved him so much I had the urge to breastfeed him and care for him properly as he was so precious. He had had such a traumatic birth – posterior facing and forceps delivery – that he slept long hours. The Health Visitor told me that sleeping babies, like dogs, should be left to lie (wrong advice). I was deeply saddened as my milk dried up after three months and I had to bottle feed Greg thereafter! Maybe this was a mixed blessing as we were told you couldn’t fall pregnant while breastfeeding. Mike was desperate to have a little friend for Greg. As it happened, I turned out to be super fertile!

Dearest little Suzanne was born 16 months after Greg (March 1978). My world was complete for the time being. I breast-fed her for three years…! I always assumed (and was told) that babies would give up the breast by themselves – mine didn’t.

My older sister had been treated unfairly when I was young (she was four and a half years’ my senior). I was determined to bend over backwards for Greg and not let Suzie’s presence mean he took a back seat. Suzie (a Piscean) was also determined not to be overlooked (they both have the Moon in Aries). I would breastfeed her and read to Greg at the same time. I tried to equally divide my attention between them or to make sure Greg was given priority. I believed that if a baby is loved, breastfed and held close, they are OK while very young, but the older child could feel left out, and I didn’t want this to happen. They became firm friends, shared a room, bunk beds and their toys, but Greg was always very much the older brother. In my ignorance, I thought a 16 month-old was quite grown up!

My babies completely filled my life; I didn’t realize until afterwards that Mike felt quite left out, though he was working very hard in London at the time. He left child-rearing to me. I did my housework at night so that my days could be spent looking after the two of them. We read, played, made creative things, and went out. I was having a wonderful time.

Mike’s mum had had a stillborn son at eight months of gestation, when he was about two years old. He was determined to have a brother for Greg, and I had the coil removed. In January/February 1982 another planned baby was due. By now I could always sense immediately when I was pregnant. I eventually figured out that I felt nauseous in the evenings with the boys, but wasn’t sick, and vomited in the mornings with the girls!.

I contracted chicken pox very early in this pregnancy (before it was confirmed). The local doctor’s surgery told me there was no cause for concern. A few years ago (2006) I was told in an Aromatherapy Seminar that chicken pox is extremely dangerous in pregnancy. Towards the end of “my time” my blood pressure shot up, and I was sent into hospital, while Mike looked after Greg and Suzanne. I was told I had to be induced (which I hated) and have an epidural (ditto). My blood pressure dropped too low. Our beautiful second son, Jody, arrived at 9.15 p.m. on 30th January 1982. I had the worst night of my life, in telepathic rapport with Jody, couldn’t breathe, and panicked. They had taken him away from me for the night.

The night before his birth I had read a newspaper article about neo-natal death, and how they photographed the tiny babies at risk for the parents. I was presented with a photo, and when Jody was rushed to Hammersmith Hospital for a Blalock by-pass operation, I feared the worst. He had a Pulmonary Atresia, from which nowadays I gather babies can recover. He did not. I had to wait to be discharged from Watford General Hospital, as my blood pressure was high, and Mike and I raced to Hammersmith, only to arrive too late. We kissed our baby son goodbye. At his funeral, Mike insisted on family only and I was too distressed to argue. When I saw his little white coffin, I felt as though he had been wrenched from my womb.

I carried on with life for the sake of my little ones, but felt very sad for a long time. I knew I was so lucky to have a boy and a girl. I ploughed my love and energy into Greg and Suzanne, as I slowly came out of my state of shock and my body recovered.

It dawned on me that Jody had helped to open me up to my Spirituality. I had been an Atheist for some years before his birth.

Mike was adamant that he did not want any more children. He had been very badly affected by Jody’s death. We had many an argument on the subject, but I was equally determined to have more. I knew that no child could replace a dead sibling, but I still had a lot of mothering to do and knew that more babies would help to heal the wounds of loss.

I finally got Mike to grudgingly agree to have another child. Just over four and a half years later, our gorgeous Marianne was born, weighing 8 lbs 2 oz (our heaviest babe). I had an organ scan in London because of Jody’s condition. By that time the Radiographer routinely asked if you would like to know the sex, but we declined. Mike was convinced he would have another son and for a few years it put a strain on his relationship with little Maz, though it was never verbalized.

Marianne came into the world after an easy labour (I was aged 39 at the time), in a family room at the hospital, with Lana looking after the older children. Maz was born at dawn, a Virgo with Leo rising, and gave a loud cry. She meant business and was adored and spoilt by her two older siblings, and 3 adults (including Mike’s mum). She adored being the centre of attention! I felt on top of the world. This birth fitted well with the family pattern: it was 2 days after Mike’s 40th birthday in late August, and I have Virgo rising (hence the pedantry you might have noticed!).

I breastfed her without any other foodstuffs for 6 months, and finally weaned her at two and three quarters, when I was six months pregnant, at 42 years old. Mike had allowed another birth, as he was still determined to have another son, and a brother for Greg, a small friend for Marianne, and another baby for Suzie to love and help care for.

Our precious son Kyle was born 3 days and a year after Marianne, at the end of August 1989 (another Virgo!). Our family was complete and my cup overflowed! Again, the older children were in the hospital with us, waiting to hold their new baby brother.

Life had been busy up to then and became even more hectic! Mike’s mum was very good with all the children and helped when she was in England. She had moved to Spain to live before Grandad passed away in 1978, and divided her time between the two places. The older children were at primary school, then secondary, the youngest ones being at playgroup and nursery.

When Greg went to college I had the four of them in a different place every day, but coped. I breastfed Kyle until he was 3 years and 3 months old. When I finally weaned him, he tried to run away, and I stopped him at the back door. He declared “I am going to find a new mummy”.

While I was still breastfeeding him, the “night sweats” began for three months. I had started the menopause and was tested at 48, to be told I had come through it. At 41 I had thought of having another daughter (my pattern was girl/boy, girl/boy, girl/boy) but I changed my mind. When Kyle was four, I enrolled on an Aromatherapy Course and my life took on a new direction. I could never throw myself into it completely, as my children have always been my main priority. To be learning again was great fun!

I had gone everywhere with two or three of the children always in tow. I had carried them all in a baby sling at the front, and then transferred them to a canvas papoose on my back. I had cooked and served the older children’s meals like this when Marianne and Kyle were little. I loved my role as mother and had more or less abandoned my own creativity. My new course, which involved one whole weekend a month for 13 months, started to give me back my independence: with Moon in Aquarius, I was able to detach for that weekend, and leave the children to Mike.

I have always wanted my children to follow their own paths in life, and tried not to place limitations or fears onto them. They have all loved to travel (as Mike and I do) and have been bold and carefree. Lana had given me a copy of Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet” when the older children were young. The verse on “Children” had struck a chord with me, and I wanted to allow my children, like arrows, to fly free, and tried to be courageous enough to do so.

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

The truth of this quotation was brought poignantly home to me in 2001. On 15th May of that year lovely Suzie Sunbeam (as she liked to be called) died suddenly as a passenger in a car crash in North Western Australia. The other five youngsters in the car survived with minor injuries. I felt as if my world had come abruptly to an end! Greg (who had returned from Australia two weeks’ before) had to break the news to me, and Mike, who had been alerted to the accident, fetched me from work. I had to tell Marianne and Kyle when they returned home from school. Even writing about the event over 11 years on, the same sensations come back to me. I couldn’t cry and tried to carry on. Mike was a broken man, and blamed himself for letting Suzie travel to Oz at 23.

Greg was devastated and said that it should have been him instead of her (survivor’s guilt is a difficult one). Maz and Kyle were 13 and 10 at the time, and tried to cope with losing their adored older sister – it was difficult for them to know how to mourn.

Family and friends were wonderfully supportive. My sister flew here from Johannesburg to help “hold the fort”. My blood pressure shot up, and I had to rest. All my foreign friends filled the house and brought food and cheer. My English friends knew to let a little time elapse before visiting, but soon the house was full every day!

After 3 weeks, when Suzie’s body had returned home, we had a funeral attended by over 300 people. It was a non-religious affair and the Humanist minister described it as quite unique. Suzie would have been proud! After a sumptuous spread prepared and donated by all our friends, the day culminated in a disco for the youngsters. I had used the informal service as a platform to spread my belief, thanks to Kahlil Gibran, that children have to be let go. I read it out with Lana standing by in case my voice, or knees, gave way. Several people asked for a copy of it afterwards.

I finally went back to my part-time job in a day centre, as well as massage and Yoga classes. Life did go on! I tried to hold it all together for the sake of the family and my sanity. My philosophy of life, based on my Yogic and Reiki teachings as well as spiritual beliefs, sustained me. I found I could totally forgive the driver of the car, a girl I knew. I believe that everything happens for a reason and tried to make my own sense out of it. I had had a premonition about the accident 3 weeks before, and this had helped me on one level. Suzie and I had been very close and even telepathic, and I was so glad we had had such a loving relationship. I tried to have no regrets.

As the years pass, life has carried on for me with its ups and downs. I have taken many courses: in healing, Reiki, Yoga and massage, etc. I found that once I was away from home on courses, I could have a jolly good cry. My Cancerian “hard outer shell” would always go up when I was with people I knew well.

I have watched the other three children grow to maturity and each one try to cope with their loss in their own way. Of course, I wanted to take away their pain. I found that Family Constellation Therapy was very helpful, and gave me great insights, allowing me to cry buckets when other people went through their traumas, which were often so similar to mine!

Greg moved out of the family home six months after Suzie died. I feel it is hard for him to visit as the place is so full of memories. He works very hard and plays hard! Marianne left home for a couple of years and returned two months after Kyle went to University. Kyle came back last year, and he and Marianne cannot yet afford to leave for now. They would rather have their own homes, but life is amicable here, and they do their own thing.

Home is still a very busy place – lots of young people coming and going, and I find I get on very well with all their friends. I have no grandchildren on the horizon, but enjoy my friends’ grandkiddies, and hearing tales about them and seeing photos (from Lana and other friends). I have plenty of patience and my yoga teaching, aromatherapy and healing work to do…

The Aspects

First up on Sunday morning we have a mellow trine between the Sun and Neptune enabling us to take advantage of the night’s guidance.  We will be primed spiritually, preparing us on some level for Uranus square Pluto, though it is relatively not as powerful an aspect as Uranus square Pluto.  It will help us to set our psychological tone.

At 9.12 a.m. (UK time) on Sunday the first square between Uranus and Pluto (Change vs More Change) becomes exact, and perceptions and courses of action may be required.  I have prepared a separate blog for this event, so if you want to know more, read the full blog at http://www.lanawooster.co.uk/blog/2012/06/uranus-square-pluto-a-guide/

The monumental square between Uranus and Pluto is followed on Monday (25^th) by another only slightly less monumental square between giants: Jupiter and Neptune (it’s very unusual to have two such events in one week).  This I equate with a struggle of understanding between religion (Jupiter) and spirituality (Neptune). Thus you may see wrangles between different sections of the clergy intensified over  issues of current contention  such as homosexuality and gay marriage.  The aspect brings confusion on such matters.

I remember very well the last occasion that Jupiter was square to Neptune in January 2006. It was a big time for me. I was launching this website (the blog came a year later).  Eternal gratitude goes to Felicity Cook (the hostess with the mostest) who very kindly offered to host an Astrology & Past Lives workshop for me in Cambridge.   I was intrigued to see that Jupiter would be squaring Neptune.  I looked upon it as an opportunity to work with religion and spirituality together.  In preparation I created a set of past life cards for each sign of the zodiac – the Jupiter-Neptune square unleashed a lot of creativity in me.  Ideas proliferated (as they did in the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction of 2009) and like an overgroaning buffet table I prepared too much material for the workshop.  Both Jupiter (expansion) and Neptune (nebulosity) are proliferators, and so one of the things I learned not to do under this square is to overcomplicate things, but that ideas could be synthesized.

Jupiter and Neptune together can also bring spiritual meetings and magical experiences.  I was fortunate to meet, among other wonderful people, at that first Astrology & Past Lives workshop, Sinhagupta (who recently wrote a guest blog “Towards a Scientific Meaning of Past and Future Life Work” available under the category Future Life).  She had been billed as a Buddhist, a Psychotherapist, and an Astrologer, and I was fully prepared for the possibility that I might have to hand the whole workshop over to her! …But instead, when I shook hands with her I immediately felt the connection that we had trained together on aspects of the Buddhist path in Lhasa a few centuries ago, and this knowledge supported me through my task.

Also in that group was our very own Sarah Berry, who talked openly, maybe for the first time, about her channelling, with her guide Hendry.  Neptune rules channelling, and Jupiter provides openings.

Other issues which may be highlighted in a challenging way that day are legal issues (Jupiter) and oil (Neptune).  Which is why we need a remake of the series Dallas…

At 8 a.m. (four minutes after the Jupiter-Neptune square),  Saturn turns direct, enabling us to ground any changes we feel to be sound.

Mercury enters Leo on Tuesday (26th) and we will be communicating and debating with more confidence and creativity that day.

The next day Wednesday (27th) Venus makes progress, turning direct.  Relationship issues will start to make headway again.

You can’t afford to rest on your laurels for more than a day though for on Friday afternoon (29th) Pluto opposes the Sun in Cancer making emotional issues difficult.  Situations in connection with home and family may force decisions, possibly as a result of directives from authorities.

Thirty five minutes later, at 15.37 hrs, there is light relief (or black humour) as Mercury and Jupiter team up in a double act to quicken business deals, broaden the mind through travel, or simply produce some cheap laughs such as slapstick humour (a Miranda Hart DVD will do nicely).

We need that restorative interlude, for another surprise twist in the proceedings occurs in the evening courtesy (or discourtesy) of Uranus squaring the sun, highlighting again perhaps some of the life material  which surfaced on Sunday, or an innovation required on an ongoing project.

Saturday (30th) ends the week with a beneficent trine between the Sun and Chiron, bringing out the healing potential from the week’s proceedings and enabling us to catch up with ourselves.  As a Water sign trine, it will also enable us to shed a little emotion.

Pre-Wimbledon Report

Wimbledon runs this year between 25 June – 8 July.  I hope to watch some Wimbledon next week, and will blog as and when.  Last year, after an appalling record of trying to track and predict, I finally redeemed myself (see below, under Sharapova).  Though the draws as I go to press have not yet been announced, I will kick off with a few, and then update my Wimbledon Watch throughout the tournament.

Here are a few tasters:

Novak Djokovic: At the start of Wimbledon Mars squares his Uranus, so he will need to keep his temper under control in order not to upset his applecart.

Rafael Nadal: At the start of Wimbledon 2012 Saturn squares his Mars, so it is possible that some awkwardness may result in injury, though maybe not serious in nature (something that if he rests for a day or so it may pass).

Roger Federer: He is looking good at the start of the tournament, with Mars sextile his natal Uranus (tensile strength) and Venus trine his Jupiter (mellow relationships), plus Saturn sextile his Neptune (realism and clarity).  Saturn is however conjunct his natal Pluto at that time, and some part of him may be feeling a little downbeat.

Dare I predict an overall win for Federer for the (I believe) third year running? I have been wrong before…

Sharapova: From my 2011 blog: “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’.”

At the start of Wimbledon 2012 Sharapova has Uranus square her Neptune (confusion), and like Djokovic Pluto sextiles her Pluto, and Pluto conjuncts her Neptune, which does not seem very promising.

Azarenka: There are going to be flashes of brilliance for Azarenka at the beginning of Wimbledon with Uranus trine her natal Sun, but at the same time Uranus squares her natal Saturn and Pluto transits her natal Saturn, so the Uranus-Pluto square affects her chart strongly.  She will be spirited at the start, but may not be able to overcome conditions which are not to her liking.

Kvitova: At the start of Wimbledon, Saturn squares her Saturn, but Pluto sextiles her Mercury (acute concentration).  From her natal chart we know she has good powers of concentration generally, so that is enhanced.  Jupiter also trines her Venus at this time (gracefulness) and North Node sextiles her Venus (karma in harmony).  Not bad.

The week in bullet points:

• Sunday – Spiritual reminders; Conflicting forces
• Monday – Spirituality and Religion: a regrouping; Grounding
• Tuesday – Debate and creative thought
• Wednesday – Green light on Relationships
• Friday – Psychological challenges; business deals; surprises
• Saturday – A Healing balance

24th June 2012, 09.12 Hrs in the U.K.

Astrologers have been giving out intimations about this square for some time, and it is now almost upon us.  So I am gathering my thoughts together and hopefully something I write will be relevant or useful to what is going on in your life.  Pluto and Uranus will be at 8 degrees 24 minutes of Capricorn and Aries respectively.  This is the first pass of the square, which will recur several times between now and March 2015.  This square was prevalent during the Great Depression of the 1930s, so economically we are seeing a parallel as well as in other ways.  It is a different time though, and the purpose of the square is to shed old forms to eventually make way for new forms.  With that in mind, you may start to see new and higher ways of doing things, and new pathways.  If not now, then be open to the possibility.

Identifying the Square

First you need to identify the action of the square in your life, if it is not glaringly obvious.  Basically two different energies in two different areas of your life have been building up a storm.

Knowing your Chart

If you know which areas Pluto and Uranus are currently transiting, it is easier to make sense of how they are affecting you, and your nearest and dearest.

Not Knowing your Chart

If you do not know which areas Pluto and Uranus are currently transiting, you may be able to sense which area is being affected by Pluto energy, and which area is being affected by Uranian energy.

Pluto

The area containing Pluto is the more passive but psychologically demanding area, and the area in which you will by acceptance and absorption achieve the most work over a long period of time.  (Pluto and Capricorn the sign it is transiting are both slow and deep-seated).

Uranus

The area containing Uranus will be the ignition or trigger for events and the surprise factor, as well as the rebellion.  It will make more noise and be more active (Uranus and Aries the sign it is transiting are both active and volatile).

Degrees of Involvement

If you have a planet or planets at 8 degrees of a sign, you are more likely to be involved in events, and the effect of the square will be enhanced.  You may feel some benefits to the square if Uranus or Pluto are trine one of your natal planets, or at least a mixed influence.  An example of this is Aung San Suu Kyi whose natal Pluto at 8 degrees Leo is currently receiving a trine from Uranus in Aries, and is now touring and expressing her physical freedom.

Meditation

Meditating on the Uranus-Pluto square is very beneficial.  Both planets can topple the existing order, and tuning in gradually through meditation helps you to understand and anticipate each twist and turn, and reveal their meanings.  You can meditate on bringing Uranus and Pluto together in harmonious ways, seeing them working together to create change in a meaningful way with minimum suffering.  Create a balance between them.

Health

Many of you have health issues or know someone in a long-standing health situation.  Go within to find the causes, but use everything you need:  bring together conventional and the unconventional medicine if necessary.  Everything plays a part, and more than one person may be of help, or a certain person will be the right one at a particular point in time (e.g. a dentist!).  Above all, be kind to yourself.

Space

We need to co-operate but equally we all need our individual and authentic space and integrity.  Leave space in your diary for digestion and meditation.  Many of us are getting cranked up to achieve more and more, and working half-tired and not achieving our full potential, ironically.  Some of us, conversely, are zonked out, on benefits, possibly feeling worthless, and could do with some work and money and a little activation delegated by those who are overworked.  The Uranus-Pluto square is like a mechanism to shake the system in order to ultimately produce a new order, and this applies socially as well as in other fields.

Resistance to Change

Those with mainly Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces) will take to change more easily.

Those with mainly Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius) may feel more innately opposed to change (though Aquarians less so, being ruled by Uranus).

Apparently, you cannot put new wine in old bottles, and like many people, that is what I often try to do.

Apparently, you cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs either, which is what I also try to do.

I have always been in favour of evolutionary change rather than revolutionary change, feeling that it involved less suffering.

However, this square is a test of the maxim “Where there is no resistance, there is no harm.”

Chaos and Creation

Something which may not appear to be connected directly with this square, but which in the last year and more intensively recently, is the phenomenon of people talking to me about ownership of their ideas.  In stories in some cases going years back, people have been saying their ideas were stolen or they do not how to achieve boundaries about the protection of their own creations.  The book “Energetic Boundaries” by Cindi Hale deals with this in a useful way.

I myself have had experience of this recently, and wonder if it is to do with our Creativity being challenged by the current Chaos.  So we might expect to see in this period issues about ownership of information.  Julian Assange’s twists and turns (currently he is seeking asylum with the Ecuador Embassy in London) seem to mirror the big squares in recent years, so in some way he may be playing out a collective karmic issue.  Though not directly related to the issue I have highlighted here, there is a subtle link in that he was giving out information which in many cases was personal to people.  In your own case, if it is relevant, you may want to look into copyright and patency issues at this time.

It may be worth thinking about that often when ideas are seeded from the Unmanifest worlds they are seeding around the same time in several different places, and then take root where they can.

Archetypes

I have identified a gap in the market, for those able and willing to take it up.  We have the wonderful work on Archetypes by Carl Jung.  We have Archetype cards by Caroline Myss.  What we could do with are Archetype models, like model soldiers, we can push around and play with in on a board representing our Psyche.

Suggested Archetypes

Knight

Inner Warrior

Goddess

Priestess

Inner Child

Peacemaker

Archetypes to take a back seat

Victim

Saboteur

Tyrant

Judge

How to Play.      

1.Assemble pieces if you have a set, or in your imagination.      

2.We need Harry Hill or his model to bring them all to life and announce the start of the game.   

3. Shuffle the Archetypes around until they form a sensible working model of how life should be

 

Do’s and Don’ts

This is not a time to be trying to initiate something new, or purchasing anything new, unless it has presented itself as a necessity.  It is a time of trying to deal with present realities.  It is a time describable as “Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold” (Yeats and Chinua Achebe).  So depending whether, to skip to Hindu terminology, you are the Shiva (Destroyer), Brahma (Creator) or Vishnu (the Preserver) you will try to deal with this in different ways and have different roles and aims.  To take an example, the NHS:  If you are a Conservative politician (maintaining you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs) you may try to destroy the NHS, if you are an NHS worker you may try to preserve, nurture and cherish the NHS, and if you are an old-style Labour politician and upholder of the original Nanny State which created it, you may do all you can to save it.

Do Exercise your Free Will

[Apologies for mixing Archetypes and Hindu Gods in one blog]

The Global Picture

The global picture of the Uranus-Pluto square looks quite stark at the moment.  As I put it in a recent blog about the intractability of three key issues (10 June):

“You may have an idea of how clashing forces in your life are squaring up.  In the world situation, it relates to the dilemmas and intractable complexity of the Euro (to bail out or not to bail out), the Syrian Question (to intervene or not to intervene) and the climate issue (climate change or climate change denial).”

These issues could reach a peak this week.

Finance

All have been affected by the 2008 credit crunch through the 2009 recession denial , the 2010 wobble and the 2011 double dip and now the acuteness of the 2012 Euro crisis, from the rich man counting out his money and thinking he hasn’t got a big enough bonus to the single parent on the breadline counting each penny, some obviously more than others.

We are on the possible brink of a huge collapse economically, with all eyes on whether or not Greece will leave the Euro, and fears of the consequences.  For the moment, they have voted to stay in.  Even President Obama has urged Europe’s financiers to act, with the global economy balancing on this situation.

Eventually, the money system may have to change altogether.

Syria

Another key cause for concern at the moment: Bashar Al Assad is intransigeant in the face of civil war and almost universal condemnation.  The world is horrified at the suffering of the Syrian people, but Russia and China refuse to sanction any outside intervention or humanitarian relief.

The Middle East in general is in turmoil.  Foreign troops are still in Afghanistan, Iraq has never recovered from the Western intervention of 2003, and Israel and America are nervous of Iran’s nuclear capability.

But the most pressing situation, the one which could erupt further at the time of the Uranus-Pluto square, is the Syrian question.  The Iran question may wait at least until the next pass of the Uranus-Pluto square in September.

Climate

The question is whether it is nobler to act to alleviate climate change, or deny that climate change exists.

James Lovelock

James Lovelock, who formulated the Gaia theory, is one of those we automatically think of in relation to the climate, has Uranus exactly square his Nodal Axis, which is symbolic of the fact that he has done a U-turn from his original position that we must save the planet.  He now takes the position that she can and will save herself, and never mind us.  According to an interview in the Guardian by Leo Hickman he is relaxed about this change of mind (as befits one who has Uranus square the Nodal Axis): “But Lovelock is relaxed about how this reversal might be perceived.  He says being allowed to change your mind and follow the evidence is one of the liberating marvels of being an independent scientist”.  He dislikes wind turbines.

Other players voicing opinions on climate change include:-

George Monbiot (pro-nuclear and pro-GM crops) and Nigel Lawson (climate change denier)

Al Gore (in favour of saving the planet), Jonathon Porritt (against nuclear reactors) and Caroline Lucas (against nuclear power and pro-wind turbines)

It is possible that Gaia may have something to say on the subject this week.

Last Word

If in doubt, and if the going gets tough, remember you are a multidimensional being and have access to spiritual help from many sources in the Universe.

An Unlikely Combo

The Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama has very kindly agreed to grace the United Kingdom with his presence during the Uranus-Pluto square.  That truly is a blessing on proceedings. If you need spiritual inspiration over the next week, you can turn to Tibetan Buddhism knowing that he is on our turf.  He is here to promote his message of dialogue, peace and compassion.

Russell Brand

Russell Brand, who introduced the Dalai Lama to an audience of under-25s in Manchester last night, has found some inner peace through Tibetan Buddhism.  The position of the upcoming Uranus-Pluto square in his birth chart is interesting:  Pluto is in his 12^th House of Unconscious, urging deep inner change, and this is square to Uranus in his 3^rd House of Communication, leading to the urge to express his new ideology.

He expresses the inner conflict produced by the Uranus-Pluto square nicely:

“I’ve made mistakes in the past, I won’t lie to you, but this one I’m on my game.  I’m going to behave.  He’s a holy man, it’s not pretend authority, it’s proper authority of God.  I’m going to improvise and I am going to be playing for laughs, but I’ve got to be entirely respectful of his holiness and that’s going to be no problem because I’ll tell you why, genuine respect.”

The Aspects

We are working our way towards a New Moon at 28 degrees Gemini on Tuesday (19^th).  If you know which House that falls in for your personal chart, then you know where to channel that energy.  If you don’t know your birthtime or chart, then Communication is the watchword: It’s zippy for emailing poetry, visiting elderly relatives, or just using your Senior bus pass.

Keep the essence of that experience in mind, for on Wednesday (20^th) almost the opposite applies: Communications fall flat, trains get delayed, the weather is a nuisance, with Mercury squaring Saturn.  Knowing how communications should be, from Tuesday’s template, may help you to forge your way through these inconveniences.  Just bear in mind, with the patience of the Dalai Lama, that if you send a text arranging to meet in an hour, the text may not arrive until the next day.

In the evening the Sun enters Cancer and it’s the Summer Solstice, and normally it would be a good time to picnic under the stars, but the conditions may not be conducive.  You will need to create an indoor equivalent, or a virtual one, to mark the occasion.

In the early hours of Thursday (21^st) it’s a case of:“Wait a minute, it stopped hailing, Guys are swimming, guys are sailing, Playing baseball, gee that’s better, Muddah Fadduh kindly disregard this letter”(Allan Sherman).  The rain may only stop metaphorically, but the aspects certainly brighten up.  First Venus sextiles Uranus, which is socially upbeat and full of surprises, meetings and invitations.  There is a whole blog about it under the category Aspects if you would like to explore further.

Later in the morning Mercury sextiles Mars, and it’s back to zipping around and communicating, only with even more gusto than on Tuesday!  If you are well-versed in the language of Astrology, and are short of a conversation piece but provided with like-minded friends, your topic will probably be the Pluto-Uranus square.

Uranus square Pluto

The square between Uranus and Pluto, a mandatory transformation, becomes exact for the first time next Sunday, so I will be posting some sort of guide to this aspect on Friday.  Read it then if you would like two days’ preparation time.  Until then, try to make sure your own Inner Uranus and Inner Pluto are in tip-top condition!  Both planets are pushing for change – urge them towards a constructive direction. More next week…

The week in bullet points:

• Today and Tomorrow – Prepare for communications; write drafts
• Tuesday – A new start in communications; two steps forwards
• Wednesday –  One step back in communications
• Thursday – Thrills, followed by another forward step in communications
• Friday and Saturday – Prepare for the Uranus-Pluto square; revisit this blog

~ A time and Motion Study

[The Uranus-Pluto square is almost upon us and next week I will be putting on a suitable gruff voice.  So I thought this week I would put on a hysterical falsetto voice…]

8 a.m. – Arise and have breakfast, read the Guardian

According to Sabra Ricci in “Lobster for Leos, Cookies for Capricorns” Sagittarians do well to have apples (for detox) and cinnamon (for lowering blood sugar), so I put them into porridge.

9 a.m. –  Reply to daily email inbox: This takes half an hour because the computer is getting doddery, and keeps seizing up.  This is distressing, knowing that all the research is stored on it.

9.30 a.m. – Cold Call no. 1:
“Hello this is just a courtesy call about your PPI…”
Me: “More like a discourtesy call.  I don’t have a PPI” (Moon in Libra graces have just gone out of the window)

10 a.m. – A trip to the locally sourced Supermarket for provisions.  Imagine my surprise when opening the vegetarian cabinet I find that Linda McCartney has produced some “fish free” king prawns!

10.30 a.m.: Cold Call no. 2:
“This is an Insurance Company. What would you do if the sky fell down?”
Me: “You are trying to employ fear  tactics. I am trying to eliminate fear from my life!” (panicking at standing up to a Cold Caller).

11 a.m. –  Start work on a new baby chart.  Receiving a text about a new baby being born – There is definitely some sort of baby boom going on.  Babies are being born at a faster rate than I am able to do their charts…

11.30 a.m. – Cold Call no. 3:
“Hallo Mam (a call from Mumbai) I am phoning about your credit card”
Me: “I have never had a credit card”

12 Noon – Break for lunch. A yoghurt designed to lower cholesterol

1 p.m. – Resume work on said baby chart

1.30 p.m. – Cold Caller no. 4 sounding like the same person as the 3rd call:
“Hallo Mam.  I am worried about your computer”
“Well I’m not” (I am actually, but I am not going to admit it to him)

2 p.m. – Research the latest celebrity in the news just in case it is the hot topic next Sunday

2.30 p.m. – Cold Call no. 5:
“Is that Lana?  How are you today?  Are you aware that the government can help you with Solar Panels?”
Me: “Thanks. I already have Solar Panels.  Can you help me with my obsession with Wind Turbines?”

Cold Caller: “Uh?  That’s not on the script”

3 p.m. – Daily Meditation

3.30 p.m. – Cold Call no. 6:

“Hello Lana, or can I call you Lan for short?”

“Is that Jade from the Apprentice?  I can honestly understand why Sir Alan fired you…And before you ask, I don’t have a credit card or a computer you’d be interested in, and I have Solar Panels.”

4 p.m. – Filing all the paperwork generated today

4.30 p.m. – Tea and Cake

5 p.m. – Research astrologically why so much paperwork was generated today

6 p.m. – Cook a gourmet meal of fish free king prawn curry

Hubby: “I’m sorry, I can’t possibly – “ (rushes out to the kitchen to make himself a cheese sandwich)

7 p.m. – Research why I received so many cold calls today.  Thinks…Might do a blog about researching.

8 – 10 p.m. – Watch reality television (anything will do, I am a captive audience by then)

10 p.m. – Retire to bed, pondering the reasons for unproductiveness…

[I am sure other Astrologers are more efficient and I would welcome suggestions for improvement!]

Prince Philip

As it is his 91^st birthday today, and as I looked at the chart of his wife last week, I thought it only fair and balanced to look at his chart this week.  There are a couple of breathtaking features in common between the Duke of Edinburgh’s chart and his wife’s binding them despite being opposites in many ways.  He has the Sun in Gemini, and so all that he processes is through his intellect and the mental plane.  He is known for his witty, acerbic comments, which sometimes hit the mark (Sagittarius Archer ascending) and sometimes emerge as gaffes (Sagittarius rising again).  Sagittarius is very different from Elizabeth’s Capricorn rising.  But he knows his own mind (Moon closely sextile to the Sun), and he undoubtedly came into this world to play a specific role.  One of his main roles is as a spiritual bodyguard to the Queen.  He has a warrior’s chart (Sun conjunct Mars trine his North Node) and karmic mission.  Mars conjunct the Sun in Gemini indicate a more verbal than physical style of warriorship.  The stunning similarities with the Queen’s chart are his Moon in Leo (born to rule) and his Saturn exactly conjunct the Midheaven just as she has (defining his Career Path as one of duty and discipline, and showing just how close his path has been to hers).  Also worthy of mention is his sextile between Mercury and Jupiter (a much travelled life).  Uranus is square to his natal Pluto (bladder) at the moment, which gave rise to the stress of last weekend on the Thames Pageant, being denied proper human loo break rights for senior citizens. So it is good to see that he has been able to return home from hospital in time for another celebration.  Happy Birthday, Prince Philip!

The Aspects

Jupiter in Gemini

The week could begin tomorrow with a surge of optimism, as Jupiter changes sign at 17.22 Hrs (U.K. time) from Taurus to Gemini.  A change is as good as a rest, at this point.  However, it may come with a certain realism about finance.  Today is a good time to review investments, at the end of Jupiter’s sojourn through Taurus, and even cut your losses.

Raymond Merriman on his financial astrological blog says of this last week of Jupiter in Taurus:

“Both the Federal Reserve and ECB (European Central Bank) pleaded with politicians to start doing their share of supporting a growth-oriented economy with sensible fiscal policies and not to rely so heavily upon them to continue with monetary stimulus policies.”

A change of tack may be due…

We are moving on, philosophically.  New ideas will be coming in, though not necessarily of the economic variety just yet, and new ways of thinking.  My Gemini hubby, who’s had a lifelong interest in philosophy, has had a book ever since I’ve known him, entitled “Thinking about Thinking”.  That’s what we’ll be doing this week.  We’ll be thinking deeply about the processes of our thoughts, and receiving insights.  Communication will also be stimulated, both in your personal life and in the Communications Industry.  Publishing too may have a revival, and initiatives in Education. During Jupiter’s last transit of Gemini in mid-2000 there was a sense of a new start: we had been reprieved from Millennium apocalypse fever.  Now we are tussling with the End of the Mayan Calendar, but even those who had proclaimed 2012 as “End of Times” are soft-pedalling now and seeing it as a change of consciousness.  If you are a Gemini you can look forward to growth this year, with a special surge when Jupiter transits your actual natal Sun.

Other Aspects

19 minutes after Jupiter enters Gemini (in the U.K.) Mercury squares Uranus, so the whole tea-time period could be experienced as a “sea-change”, e.g. you may decide to go vegetarian.  Mercury square Uranus brings a change of thought, or a surprise which affects you on the mental level.  Imagine my surprise this week when opening the vegetarian cabinet at my local supermarket I found that Linda McCartney had produced some “fish free” king prawns!  It is this sort of change which could greet you at tea-time tomorrow.  I haven’t had a prawn curry for over 25 years…Make sure you read the instructions on the packet though, for in the early hours of Tuesday (12^th) Mercury also opposes Pluto and changes/surprises could be unpalatable or indigestible, under a T-square of Mercury-Uranus-Pluto.  It is an important time to grasp certain issues in your life, though, because it will relate to and prepare for the actual square of Uranus and Pluto later this month (the first pass is 24^th June).  You may have an idea of how clashing forces in your life are squaring up.  In the world situation, it relates to the dilemmas and intractable complexity of the Euro (to bail out or not to bail out), the Syrian Question (to intervene or not to intervene) and the climate issue (climate change or climate change denial).

Mercury goes on to trine Chiron on Tuesday, affording some healing and protection to the nervous system after the jangling of the T-square.  We will recognize the need for rest and space in our diaries, and may recoup a little.

Wednesday (13^th) brings another trine, between Saturn and the Sun this time, at lunchtime.  This assists the stabilization of thoughts, ideas, plans and creativity, and helps you work with the promises of Jupiter in Gemini more easily.

On Saturday (16^th) Venus squares Chiron, and problems arise and solutions are sought in affairs of the heart, and in the realms of art and music.  If crises arise, know you can turn them around and find extra meaning, for Chiron helps us to think outside the box.  Opening at the Hayward Gallery this week, on the entry of Jupiter into Gemini, is an Invisible Art Exhibition of blank canvasses and plinths, many by famous artists, such as conceptual artist Yoko Ono (who also has a retrospective at the Serpentine Gallery).  Some might find the exhibits relaxing, some might find them irritating, and some might find them bizarre.  But it will get people thinking about thinking.

Transit of Venus Aftermath

I watched the Horizon programme about the Transit of Venus, which was not what I was expecting to see (and others had yet other ideas).  A biologist on the programme was explaining how the research may lead to us finding out if there is life on other planets, and we were also shown a reconstruction of Captain Cook’s travels in the 17^th Century to ascertain the exact positioning of the event, which led to being able to size up the solar system.  In our imaginations about it, we each go on a different tangent.

Thanks for all those who sent in your reports of your experiences during the Transit of Venus. I will put them all in a file. Then I will transfer it to the Akashic records, so that if I am an Astrologer in the next century, I will retrieve the research when Venus next transits!

The week in bullet points:

• Tomorrow – A new outlook; some uncomfortable ideas
• Tuesday – Mental stress, then some mental healing
• Wednesday – Some stabilization
• Saturday – the heart needs healing; some uncomfortable art

The Queen

The stoical virtues of earth signs Taurus (her Sun Sign) and Capricorn (her Ascendant) have been very evident in the hard work the Queen has put in to making her own Jubilee year a success.  She has the South Node conjunct her Ascendant, and that is often seen in one who puts their own wishes aside for others, i.e. in this case for public service.  These qualities are reinforced in her chart by Saturn on the Midheaven (Careerpoint) defining her Career Path as one of duty and discipline.

The wealth that has accompanied this destiny is very simply portrayed by Jupiter at the beginning of her 2^nd House of Finance.  Often you will find with millionaires that they have had Saturn in the 2^nd House, and their means of acquiring and holding on to their millions has been a matter of keeping track of every penny.

Her Jupiter is in conjunction with Mars at the end of her 1^st House, which gives her indefatigability, but also I think reflects her love of horses and corgis too.  Jupiter rules horses and Mars rules dogs.  Her Jupiter is exactly opposite her Neptune, which I think highlights the separation of religion and spirituality.  This is symbolic of her role, but also reflected in her character and personality: something she has taken on karmically with the role.  These form a T-square with her Saturn/Midheaven, so she has to compartmentalize parts of her psyche in order to play her role or roles.  This may have held her back from expressing her spirituality, but may have earned her karmic brownie points.

She has the Moon in regal Leo, and so to dominate emotionally comes naturally to her.  This is a role she doesn’t have to feign.  Her other female planet Venus trines Pluto, which as her ruling planet, gives her considerable strength and fortitude.  Venus is in Pisces, and this gives her the Vision required to carry out such an all encompassing role.  Especially when the Commonwealth was inherited by her and the size it was then, the trine gave her empathy with the Third World (Pluto in Cancer, the sign associated with the African continent).

Uranus (the capacity to support change) trines her Saturn/Midheaven, and her grandchildren have been praising her this week for her ability to adapt the monarch into the 21^st Century.

She also has Chiron at the end of Aries conjunct the Sun at the beginning of Taurus, and the life role designated to her will have been a tremendous challenge to her individuality, and a test of her strength and steadfastness. The Sun/Chiron conjunction is in the 4^th House of Home and Family, thus showing her to be the upholder of tradition and her genetic heritage.  I have not yet examined the charts of future contenders to see who might be carrying this baton.

For now, this Jubilee weekend Saturn transiting in her 10^th House trines her Jupiter (recognition and good will) and Jupiter from her 5^th House of Pageantry sextiles her Uranus (a right royal celebration), and I hope you all have a good time.

Footnote: Let me make my own un-bias clear (much like Jeremy Hunt at the Leveson this week).  On the matter of the monarchy I am neither pro- not anti-royalist (though I think I was on the side of Charles II in the 16^th Century).  I am live and let live, except for issues such as Prince Charles’ carbon footprint.  I am not keen on pageantry, pomp and circumstance, nationalism and patriotism (in whatever country).

The Aspects

Tomorrow Mercury trines Saturn, a sober but productive aspect.  It is particularly good for preparing documentation, and getting down to serious tasks.  It is vital to get such activities under way early, as you will have other astrological features to attend to later.  You have to pace yourself, on such days.  Late morning (in the U.K.) there is a lunar eclipse which is a Full Moon in Sagittarius.  Your mind may be full of global issues, or at least full of issues.  Look for the highest and widest solutions, the philosophy which will encompass all things, and which may turn out to be simplicity itself.  In the evening Neptune goes stationary, prior to turning retrograde.  If you are not a fan of Neptune, this may throw you into confusion, perhaps even when you thought you were beginning to master the sorting of reality from illusion.  Sigh…as always there is more to learn, over the horizon.  Another level mastered? You are obviously ready for another shift.

As you retire for the night (morning of Tuesday 5^th), your head full of complexities and puzzles, the very early hours just over the threshold of midnight, brings a new conundrum: Venus square Mars.  This may be a social or personal issue, which has its own fine lines to decipher.  Where do you cross the boundary between friendship and intimacy, what is the protocol when greeting someone (e.g. is cheek kissing acceptable?)  You may be pondering some issue in connection with a meeting later that day.  What will someone else think?  Should you say what you think?  It could be a real dilemma, and better put out that bedside lamp and ask the Universe to solve it while you are asleep.  The actual meeting might prove a little awkward, but hopefully no more than that.

It is while you are falling asleep the next night (early hours of Wednesday 6^th) that the answer to yesterday’s conundrum may fall into place, and you will find in your mind and heart that all is unity, and love is at the heart of the question.  For the Sun conjuncts Venus at this time.  Yes, this is the Transit of Venus, or the occultation of Venus, the rare and long-awaited event.  It occurs at 15 degrees of Gemini, so if you know what House that falls in within your birth chart, it will give you some idea of its application.  It may give you the chance to solve an emotional or artistic riddle, though it may throw up even more questions.  Either way, it will be some sort of watershed, as the Universe surely doesn’t waste its time and energy on such displays to no avail.

I am still reeling from Engelbert’s penultimate placement at the Eurovision Song Contest last week.  My insight that his great hit “Release Me” represented his Chironic wound (as his progressed Sun at that time was conjunct his Chiron) then led to an insight that the same issue was recurring in a song title with a similar theme “Love will set you Free” in his struggle to find the right note.  His natal Chiron is close to the degree of the Transit of Venus, in Gemini (which needs freedom to breathe), and the current position of Chiron is Pisces (which represents inner freedom).  The current world wound is the struggle to find the freedom of the Soul within the imprisonment of society’s forms.

On Thursday (7^th) Mercury enters Cancer, so whereas you may have been feeling super-logical and goal-orientated in your mental processes earlier in the week, you will suddenly go soft focus and take a side-step, like the crab.  You might approach a mental problem from a side angle, for instance.  Or you may take into account feelings into a logical argument, which will be more realistic if the issue is not black and white.  You may turn your attention to a home project which has been in your mind for some time, but can now start to plan and implement.

Again, as you are falling asleep or tossing and turning in the early hours of Friday (8^th) you will be feeling restless, but this time it is more connected with the energy influx of Sun square Mars.  You may be experiencing anger, or the need to stand up for yourself, and be trying to resolve this within your sleep time so as not to act it out too literally in the day time (by confronting someone without having thought through your own responsibility in the matter).  It may be a good idea to check home safety before retiring, such as closing windows and extinguishing lights.  Reduce stimulation generally that day, and calm down energies.  This will ensure that over-stimulation does not cause events to spiral out of hand.

Mercury trines Neptune in the early hours of Saturday (9^th) morning (Aah, those Summer Nights…) and if you are still awake, it will be a much more pleasant experience.  You might try your hand at Lucid Dreaming, which will be easy under this aspect.  Any vision which arises in dream or half-awake state, can be engineered and crafted and re-moulded to your liking.  If you are doing a spot of Future Life Progression on yourself at 1.49 a.m. when this aspect occurs, you might experience your Optimum Future!  You can project your ideal days onto the forthcoming weekend, and see how effective that is.  If you are having a late night, you may be dancing to the early hours, for Mercury and Neptune could produce some fancy footwork.  If you are just plain awake and itching to do something, give yourself a pedicure and use some peppermint balm to soothe those extremes of your anatomy. And if you are a fantasy writer, use a notepad to record your ideas in advance of the day.  Leisure and luxury could be prominent features of Saturday’s activities.

Transit of Venus

The Transit of Venus that occurs on Wednesday morning highlights changes of perception about Money and Love.  Please see Asia Haleem’s blog on a historical slant to this astronomical phenomenon entitled Venus and the Bears http://www.lanawooster.co.uk/blog/2012/06/venus-and-the-bears/

Another friend who has input this week, and who has been tracking the Universal story with her own inner process, is Laura (of the Interview Series no. 3) http://www.lanawooster.co.uk/blog/2010/02/interview-series-no-3-the-spiritual-world-of-laura-dane/  In relation to the current financial crisis, rising panic and austerity, she states this morning:

“The crises are really about the nature of mankind’s beliefs about life and its purpose to which money has become enslaved and consequently reduced to merely supporting these limiting, limited and cruel beliefs. They are, in reality, crises of liberation from enslavement.”

With the internet, we don’t need to make any effort to find out when there is an astronomical phenomenon in this day and age.  Last word goes to Peter Aughton describing in his book “Transit of Venus” how the efforts of Jeremiah Horrocks (“Father of British Astronomy”) were rewarded in the 17^th Century:

“When he returned to his room and his telescope, he was overjoyed to see a large, dark, round spot already full entered upon the image of the Sun.  It was without doubt the transit he had been waiting for, the marvellous reward for all his hours of observation.  He did not want to be accused of seeing no more than a sunspot, even though it would have put him in the company of Kepler.  He would go to great lengths in his treatise to explain that Venus appeared on the Sun’s disc as a perfectly circular dark spot.  He was overjoyed with the spectacle.  It was an event which he knew had never been seen before in the history of astronomy…”

The week in bullet points:

• Monday – practical considerations, then global emotions, then a spiritual U-turn
• Tuesday – social faux pas
• Wednesday – changes of perception in love and money
• Thursday – a mental step sideways
• Friday – energetic conflict
• Saturday – finding the right note

With the anticipation and atmosphere hotting up towards Wednesday’s Transit of Venus event (1.09 a.m. in the U.K.) and in the throes of Jubilee and Olympic fever, we have another scholarly piece from Asia Haleem. Asia is no stranger to this blog, indeed I think of her as our resident Astro-Archaeologist…! Asia started out as an Art Historian (London University) but when embarking on a doctorate to explore the roots of astronomical imagery in the ancient near east, got sidetracked into writing two books using the information she came across, about priestesses and goddess festivals in the ancient world. For more information about her background, please refer to her very popular guest post (Babylonians, Mexicans and the Total Count), and interview (No. 1 in the series). For my penny’s worth on the subject, I would recommend reading ‘Transit of Venus’ by Peter Aughton about an English Astronomer Jeremiah Horrocks. If you are interested in 17th Century astronomical history, it’s a must-read!

VENUS AND THE BEARS
©ASIA HALEEM 2012

At the heart of ancient near eastern art 3000-500BC lies a visual language expressing the passing of cycles of time, actively used to keep abreast of the calendar in centuries long before clocks. Astronomer priests’ main role was to measure time (tempus/temple) by direct observation of the planets against the backdrop of the stars. As we come up to the Transit of Venus – which will occur during the evening of 5 June up to the early hours of 6 June* – I would like to pinpoint one interesting aspect of Venus that appears on Mesopotamian seal designs during the Second Millennium which is intriguing because it links in to our own Glastonbury Zodiac in Somerset. Due to space constraints I can only give a brief summary of what I explain with full references in the Lion and Prey Rear Attack Catalogue at www.layish.co.uk – relying on the pictures to speak for themselves.

* See my earlier blog on this website about the 2012 Venus Transit in the Mexican calendar.

In the seal impression below, Venus stepping up onto the back of a lioness holds a double lion-headed mace in her right hand, and in her left a dog-leg shaped weapon (harpé) which I believe deliberately refers to the outline of Ursa Major. Behind her, a king offers respects to the Sun, Shamash, rising over the back of a lion.

Miniature harpé (top) as held in the left hand of Ištar on a seal from Tell Asmar (bottom)

I see the scene as referring to Venus and Sun rising together – but what may the role of Ursa Major be?

Ill.19- 219 Ursa Major’s position on any one night gives the time of year and the sidereal time for that day

One answer is that it is possible to tell the time of year not only by the rising of the Sun against the Signs of the Zodiac, but at a higher level of the sky – as a double-check – by the degree of turn of Ursa Major from a fixed viewpoint at the same time (midnight) every day (this is a different matter from the 360° circuit Ursa Major makes every 24 hours – for at each round there is a slight slippage backwards).

We know that because 5 Venus cycles equal 8 Earth years (almost to the day), the Venus cycle was important for cross-checking New Year Day – hence for the Babylonians ranking with the Sun and Moon. When Archaic Greece adopted the eight-year cycle for their calendar they instituted athletic Games at key temple sites such as Delphi and Olympia as a reminder, and to celebrate it – later making them every four years to mark the half-way point also. But a cross-check to the cross-check was to notice the position of Ursa Major in the sky and the fact that Venus holds it downwards points to the time of year the Year Start would be measured from. There are Mesopotamian texts that specifically link Venus to the Sibitti (the Seven-star group which can refer not only to the Great Bear, but also to the Seven-day week which the Mesopotamians lived by (inherited by us).

A Syrian king pays respects to Venus with dove on her shoulder and holding a seven-fold mace (one merges with the flower on the border)

Above is a drawing of a 2M seal from Alalakh, Syria where Venus has a square hat. Apart from the Ankh signs referring to her, she holds in her upheld right hand a symbol of the Sibitti (Seven-Star) but she also has a pigeon or dove on her shoulder – a well-known symbol for Venus.

At this point we jump briefly to look at the main outline of the Glastonbury Zodiac (I have reversed the image to our more habitual Earth-view). It is said to date at least to the Second Millennium BC, if not to the late Third Millennium – and clues that it was inspired by Sumer come from the word Somerset itself, as well as other place-names – the River Parrot in the county is the name of the Euphrates for example. At the centre of this land zodiac is a bird – which we could call a dove – marking the Polar Centre.

Ill.7- 40 Mary Caine’s reworking of the Glastonbury Zodiac (1989), reversed (the addition in red of the head to the Aquarian Phoenix is mine)

Does the Dove here mark the position of Ursa Major – or Ursa Minor? Anyone ignorant of astronomy today still knows how to find the Pole by using the stars at the side of Ursa Major to run a line up to the tail of Ursa Minor at the Centre. Let us not get into the displacement of the Polar Centre over the millennia – the basic indicators of that fixed zone of the sky have since the Second Millennium been the Two Bears – and it is feasible that Venus’s dog-leg weapon refers as much to Ursa Minor’s seven stars.

I have a sense of several calendrical dovetails coinciding in the first week of June when not only Is the Queen’s Jubilee Bank Holiday of Tuesday 5 June marked by the Transit of Venus with an Olympic celebration in London following, but also a lunar eclipse the day before (4 June, reconciling lunar and solar years), accompanied by a cumulative gathering of nations in the Capital that starts with the performance of all Shakespeare’s plays in different languages at the Globe Theatre (a circular building representing The World) and ends with the Games after a Grand Eight-Year cycle of Venus marked by rare Transits of Venus (2004 and 2012). I recommend you on June 5 at midnight you check the position of the Great Bear and then wait up for the end of the Transit of Venus at dawn on June 6 (via its reflection in a bucket of water) – and you should have lined up the benchmarks for the World to make a new beginning! I deal you The World Tarot card!