Greece is the word…In European affairs this week it has been Greece as the Plutonian influence which has upset the delicate balance of the Saturn-Uranus applecart.  We are told that the whole European economy is threatened by this, and are pinning our hopes on the responsible Saturn structure of the German economy.  Meanwhile the applecart of our hung parliament/coalition line up in the UK as represented by the Saturn-Uranus-Pluto T-square was also upset by what is being called Gordongaffegate, as we come up to the election of Thursday 6 May.  Opinion polls are still recording a level pegging situation, but there is no doubt that the nations’s fortunes have turned on the midweek Full Moon event of Gordon Brown being overheard to call a lifelong Labour voter a bigot.  Does anyone out there have Mrs Duffy’s birth date, please?  In its absence, we can turn to the chart of the moment Gordon emerged smiling from her doorway at 3.02 pm Rochdale last Wednesday, explaining that it had been a misunderstanding (Mercury was at that time semi-square Jupiter at that time, Jupiter being at the mid-point of Gordon’s Venus-Mars conjunction:  I occasionally do jargon inappropriately).  Did anyone else have a sleepless night that night over the humiliation of Gordon Brown and the embarrassment of Mrs Duffy?  What karmic resonances did that speak of?  A Soul Contract for her to bring the government down perhaps?  Consequent to that event, Nick Clegg has spoken of a two-horse Lib Dem/Tory race… Any good news?  Well, there has been a step towards producing an agreement in the postal dispute last week.  And a baby was born at 00.24 Hrs yesterday morning to Denise van Outen (television presenter) and Lee Mead (reality TV winner turned wearer of coat of many colours).  Today we have further precoccupations with Saturn quincunx Neptune, a plummeting in weather temperatures here, rumours of sleaze in the snooker world, and top of the agenda the consequences of the oil spillage in America; where Saturn here = coldness, loss and disappointment, and Neptune = oil, water and scandal.  Some of these conditions will be added to or mixed with the Saturn-Uranus opposition situations of last week, and some will be new situations emerging.   If it is your birthday today, you will be holding a delicate balance for yourself and others throughout the year, which may be through the structure of your work.   Mercury is trine Pluto tomorrow (Monday 3^rd), an echo of Tuesday 4^th April when Mercury was about to turn retrograde.  Now Mercury revisits that aspect as it is about to turn direct and you may be able to tie up important business matters and gain more understanding into psychological processes: it is a good day for cathartic writing or putting into an article your recent psychological insights.  On Tuesday (4^th) Sun squares Mars and the election processes may turn pugilistic in the desperation of the 3 U.K. contenders to earn the public vote.  They may know deep down that the voters are impressed by cool, but won’t be able to resist a pot shot at their rivals, while the voters may be in the mood to throw an egg or two.  John Prescott may be called to play his part.  Thursday Election Day May 6^th dawns, and it is time for the British public to cast their vote.  I am intrigued to know where all the votes on benefits are going to go, because David Cameron has pledged to cut their benefits if people won’t work.  How much effect does this have on European fortunes? – It seems that Germany, the financial strong man of Europe has a strong work ethic, while in Greece there is a softer approach, with workers reportedly retiring in their early 50s. At the beginning of this week, it does look as though David Cameron has the edge, but there is still a chance of a hung parliament and/or a coalition force.  Of the three PM/Chancellor combinations the Nick Clegg/Vince Cable dream team may look the most appealing.  But the astrological picture does still look very even-handed. By Friday evening (7^th) the mood is mellower, almost celebratory, with a sextile between Venus and Mars.  Perhaps that speaks of the harmony of a three-way balance, with the Conservatives and Labour conceding that they would have to now be nice to the Lib Dems again.  If it should mean the demise of our Prime Minister Gordon Brown may I just say he is likely to go down as well-meaning (Sun in Pisces) but a little unlucky (Saturn conjunct the Part of Fortune), having had to wait (Saturn/Part of Fortune) for a chance to prove himself, and being beset by many crises out of his control.  Jeremy Paxman was absolutely merciless in his interview this week, but Gordon did venture a few refrains of “Come on Jeremy, you know full well it wasn’t like that…”  And as for Greece, in the 1974 chart of the country, Pluto is currently squaring their Moon/Pluto in the 4^th House (civil unrest).  When I was a University student in the late ‘60s, early 70s, we used to go around wearing “Free Greece” badges, without necessarily understanding the issues…And what is it with the national karma between us that we are hanging on to their Elgin Marbles…?  One of the most beautiful products of their finest Age, and we can’t let go of them.  Maybe Germany could buy them.

One effect of the Mercury retrograde last week was the panic of the British newspaper presses (Mercury) after the surge in popularity of Nick Clegg.  Having vested interests one way or the other (Conservative or Labour) it was unthinkable to them that the Lib Dems might be in the running, or that there might be a hung parliament.  They then set out to discredit the Lib Dems and their leader Nick Clegg with outraged headlines easily obtained from the smear campaigns of the Labour and Conservative factions.  They must redress the imbalance!  Meanwhile it is clear that the British public are not at all worried by the idea of a hung parliament, and may even be warming to the idea.  However, Nick Clegg was not able to uphold the huge surge and his popularity has slid back a little, so much so that the leaders are now running almost neck and neck.  This is the state of play as the 4^th Saturn-Uranus opposition kicks in tomorrow (Monday 26^th), the most important astrological feature of this week.  Meanwhile today Venus enters Gemini: perfect for slick and smooth-talking politicians on doorsteps or in the hustings halls.  But as Venus does so, she runs into a square with Chiron, so politicians may express themselves, but find that they manage to offend others even where they hope to impress.  The weaknesses in their arguments may be exposed: for instance a policy purporting to promote a fairer society seems to detract from the poorer element.  In your own life you may be forced to see where in trying to be sensitive to one person, you may be insensitive to another.  This is compounded by Mercury squaring Mars which may force words out of your mouth before they have been duly thought through: a politician may quip about another politician, but throw more light on his own character.  Generally this could be a clutsy day, no matter how well-intended, certainly up to a point.  For a trine between the Sun and Pluto takes over later in the day, which has more clout, and can pull together the threads of people’s sensitivities and enable a larger psychological picture come into view.  Tomorrow is the 4^th pass of the Saturn-Uranus opposition.  I have selected a blog record of the story so far, and also separately blogged about this 4^th phase.  Suffice it to say that consciousness will be stretched tomorrow, and the 4^th phase of dismantling and regeneration is occurring, hopefully by now the balance tipping towards regeneration projects.  On the last Saturn-Uranus opposition a friend of mine launched a knitting circle, which is flourishing and benefitting the community, so if things are done in accordance with the principles of the opposition and nature of the planets concerned, you can meet with success.  The adjustments required for changes occurring tomorrow may add to tensions building to the Full Moon in Scorpio on Wednesday (28^th).  You may feel slightly uncomfortable on Tuesday without necessarily being able to put your finger on why.  The Full Moon in Scorpio requires you to be fully present to your emotions and their effect on others.  If someone doesn’t deserve to be stung, process your resentments on your own.  If forgiveness needs to be involved the excellent book “Radical Forgiveness” by Colin Tipping can have an airing from your bookshelf, or a download from Amazon.  Later the same day, Mercury joins forces with the Sun (and versus the Moon) in Taurus, and a practical plan can be hatched in the mind for the benefit of the body and soul.  As with the Sun trine Pluto today, everything needs to be brought to wholeness from psychological anarchy.  That means British voters need to make up their minds!

If you have read the background in my blog “Saturn opposite Uranus – Phases 1 – 3” you will see that much of the focus of the first three phases, on the world stage at least, was in establishing Barack Obama in his role as U.S. President.  Rufus Wainwright was singing and playing on the Andrew Marr show this morning.  He first came to our notice (well mine at least) when he played “Going to a Town” disillusioned by his American heritage before Obama was elected.  This morning he proudly unveiled the title track to his new album where he is coming back home to New York, after the election of Obama.  Ironically, I missed seeing him perform live in Cambridge in 2007 because I was flying out to New York that evening.  Obama was elected the day of the first Saturn-Uranus opposition and still finding his feet at the second, but at the third opposition he was getting to grips with the Healthcare system reform.  The New York Times said this week: “When he took office last year, President Obama told his foreign policy advisers that he had two baskets of issues to deal with.  The first would be the legacy issues left from his predecessor, like Iraq, Afghanistan and America’s image in the world.  The second would be his own agenda for the future.  After 15 months addressing the vexing matters he inherited, Mr. Obama is now aggressively advancing his own vision of foreign policy and defining himself more clearly on the world stage.”  Having established this man of principle on the world stage, the rest of the world needs to upgrade its political thinking, and at this 4^th stage Europe and the U.K. are in the spotlight for the political upgrade.  The Poles are going to the polls on 20 June, facing elections arising from their national tragedy – let us hope that there is a worthy future president to guide them through this period.  Britons and Poles have had a fair bit of karmic interaction in the last few years with Polish immigrant workers flocking to our shores, but now starting to turn back to their homeland.  Our own election looms large on Thursday May 6^th, and the second televised debate between our three party leaders last Thursday showed Prime Minister Gordon Brown (who had tried to befriend Nick Clegg of the Lib Dems the previous week) fiercely on the attack.  The Guardian asked this week “Is Clegg really the new Obama”?  Well, no more than Raj Patel is the new Maitreya.  But  Clegg and Patel could be reflections of the potential of Obama and  Maitreya.  They have the sympathetic principles and freshness to break the mould of society.  The Saturn-Uranus opposition of this week is now coming more into focus with the square to Pluto (the “Cardinal Climax” or “Cardinal T-square”).  This implies a new force which has to provide co-operation between two or more components.  Voters would have to vote for Nick Clegg in their droves in order for him to be Prime Minister, but a sizeable vote could promote a hung parliament.  And a coalition of the three parties may be the new force of balance which is required.  Gordon Brown has the baggage of Tony Blair and the Iraq War, and David Cameron cannot shake off the inequities of the Thatcher legacies.  A coalition would be difficult, but none of the three have all the qualities needed, and astrological indications support the level-pegging direction of the polls.  In your own life, is there a situation where cooperation is being forced involving two, three or more parties?  And in your own psyche you may have a similar dynamic going on, a delicate balancing but worthwhile in order to bring in new energies and forces which require more finesse and a wider canvas.  For instance, you may recently have been brought together with new acquaintances for new work using your collective expertise.

The 4th Saturn-Uranus opposition is on Monday 26th April.

Selections from my blog may trigger your own memories and impressions and enable you to see the flow and currents of this opposition.

14 September 2008: It is less than 2 months until the Saturn-Uranus opposition, on the day of the US Elections.  This is being seen by Astrologers as a close contest between the New (as represented by Obama and Uranus) versus the Old (as represented by McCain and Saturn).  I feel inadequate to see past the posturing, and do not feel qualified to comment about this unprecedented line-up and crew of candidates…

1^st November 2008: I don’t have the facilities for sound on this website but if I was playing a song to accompany this update on Saturn’s opposition to Uranus and its dismantling of structures, it would be “Something’s gotta Give?” sung by Frank Sinatra, which starts: “When an irresistible force such as you…”  Please hum along as you read.  The Saturn-Uranus opposition arrives on Tuesday 4^th November, and the next two or three days we have left is a space for plea-bargaining with the Universe…

2^nd November 2008: Citizen Smith, and the Tooting Popular Front, your time has come!  Actor Robert Lindsay, who played Wolfie Smith in the TV sitcom back in the 1970s, has (like me) his second Saturn Return this week, and his past role may come back to haunt him (pleasantly I hope).  For the Saturn-Uranus opposition which has had us all in a nutcracker grip for some time finally reveals on Tuesday the nut or fruit within, the truth behind the form.  We can see this squeeze at work in our lives, in the lives of those around us, and of course in the fascinatingly-staged US Presidential Election…

1st Saturn opposite Uranus: Wednesday 4^th November 2008

8^th November 2008: A new US President necessitates a new blog.  I haven’t written any analyses of his chart yet, because I have been hedging my bets.  So please forgive and excuse anything you may have read ad nauseam in other astrological blogs about the man.  Sun in Leo in his chart represents his power and charisma and the influence of the dreams of his father…

…Future aspects of his work will require different dimensions of his character to be brought into being – words will not be enough – and he needs worldwide good will to achieve the next stage.  His election was the manifestation of Saturn opposing Uranus.  The rest will be his and humanity’s initiation of Pluto into Capricorn.

29^th January 2009: It is no ordinary week because on Thursday (5^th) Uranus makes its second opposition to Saturn.  If you have been following the process, you will know that the first time was on the U.S. Presidential Election Day (November 4^th).  If you haven’t, then try to get the gist.  So just remember when and where you were and what you were doing on that day, and what issues were in your life (other than the Presidential Election.)  The same principles apply: “groundbreaking change” being a good summary.  Whatever was going on at that time, will come up again for consideration and the next phase of change…

2^nd Saturn opposite Uranus: Thursday 5^th February 2009

8^th February 2009: Are you reflecting today on the impact of last week’s opposition between Saturn and Uranus?  Some will have experienced a window of opportunity for change and others will have had the way cleared for a breakthrough.  Some will have been shown the way to go, and others will have been shown clearly what was not the way forward…

13^th September 2009: A new world order was ushered in on November 4^thth House)…. last year when President Obama was elected by the American people desiring real change, on the very day of the first Saturn-Uranus opposition.  If there is such a thing as a world horoscope, this was a defining moment in relation to it.  There are 5 passes altogether for this stand-off between two planetary giants: a duel between Saturn which holds the structure until the time is right for Uranian liberation.  The second pass of the opposition took place in early February, during the honeymoon period when the freshly-twice-sworn-in President of the United States was establishing his new position.  Saturn-Uranus tussles were happening all over the globe, but what of our own politics in the U.K. in relation to this opposition?  Our Prime Minister Gordon Brown was trying to take the lead (his Ascendant in Aries) on the world economy (a Pluto in Capricorn issue) and climate change (one of the issues of Saturn in Virgo), and convening world leaders to this end (the triple conjunction of Jupiter-Neptune-Chiron in his 11th House)…

…American Astrologers are agreed, and rightly so, for it is as plain as day, that the current pass of the Uranus-Saturn opposition represents Obama’s thrust to bring in a new health care system.  It represents the human right to health without which quality of life cannot be lived, and protection for those in poverty.  For Saturn is in Virgo (the sign of basic physical health and healing, general practice in community health) and Uranus in Pisces (the sign of compassion, mental health, chronic health conditions and palliative care).  There does not need to be a comparison with the National Health Service in the U.K. for that is a national treasure on which we have relied, and often taken for granted, a real responsible and committed Saturn Institution…

13^th September 2009: The major aspect this week occurs on Tuesday (15) with the third pass of the Saturn-Uranus opposition.  This is the aspect responsible for the dismantling of Institutions which first occurred on 4 November last year, then returned on 5 February.  I have blogged on the bigger picture separately, but in your own life what issues were current around those times and how did you deal with them?  The issue now may be a continuation, or it may be a fresh strand to work on.  The good news is that you will have been feeling the changes for some time, and will have some idea of what is going on for you, and aware of the need to access your intuition.  Know what you need to keep in your life, and why, and what you need to change, and why, and how that can constructively be achieved….

3rd Saturn opposite Uranus: Thursday 15^th September 2009

18^th October 2009: There is also the delicate balancing going on with Uranus and Pluto demanding their share in a T-square with Saturn.

14^th March 2009: It would seem that the symbolism of the T-square is encapsulated in the current political situation in the U.K. coming up to the election with the Conservatives (Saturn) opposite the Labour Party (Uranus, Old Labour in its close-to-Socialism purity, and New Labour dislocated from its moorings) squared by the Lib Dems (Pluto, now holding the balance, and the balance of power).

4^th Saturn opposite Uranus: Monday 26^th April 2010

Last week was an exercise in finding your European gene.  As we are confronted with Mercury retrograde today, we struggle to make sense of the Polish plane crash which was in the news at the start of the week and the grounding of planes in Europe by the end of the week due to the eruption of Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull.  Has she spoken for Gaia (yes), and is there any connection with the financial relations between Iceland and the UK, given the wound sustained to Iceland’s banking system? (maybe).  Starting with Poland’s  tragedy,  Uranus was opposing the natal Mercury in Poland’s 1989 chart, an indication of an air accident.  The poignancy of the event for the nation could not be ignored, and even Russia rallied to the cause.  In the UK on Thursday as we struggle to find our political identity Nick Clegg surprised the political pundits by forging ahead in the polls after his performance.  The North Node was transiting his Sun, bringing a moment of destiny but we do not have a birth time and do not know in which house of his chart this is placed.  Katherine Whitehorn states in the Observer this morning: “I want a hung parliament.  Then laws will actually have to be passed because parliament has so decided, not because they seemed a good idea on the sofa in 10 Downing Street.” And as for the Icelandic saga, both charts I looked at for Iceland have significant Saturn transits.  Throughout all these difficult events this week, Saturn has been sitting on the Ascendant for the chart of the European Union.  So the question to put to Mercury if you were interviewing him this week, would be: “Is there  any way things can get better while you are retrograde?”  How much of the phenomena we ascribe to Mercury retrograde is due to the fact that we now have Mercury Retrogradophobia, now that it is almost a colloquial term?  Mercury represents communications and weather, and we need to own our personal contributions to unclear communications and global warming, starting with the things we can change.  Also today the Sun sextiles Neptune, and we can acknowledge the fog in our collective psyche, as we look at its current symbol in the form of the volcanic ash cloud.  Looking at your own illusions can be a near-impossible task, but like the cloud we know it is there even though we can’t actually see it.  So give a nod to the inner illusion and/or the volcanic ash, and keep asking “Why are you here?”  On Tuesday the Sun enters Taurus, the sign of determination, and is sextile Chiron, so more of the same questions, but problem-solving and healing could become closer, for instance on the restoration of air flight in Europe.  Thinking outside the box may produce answers, and according to some ephemerides Chiron enters Pisces that day so the waters contain the answer for some.  The collective psyche becomes an answer for many questions, where people had looked to their own lives and localities as the be all and end all.  There will be much more of a feeling that we are all in this together during the era of Chiron in Pisces.  Venus squares Neptune on Friday 23^rd, and the waters are muddied by financial scores to be settled.  In our personal lives we take another look at romantic illusions, on the way to seeing the real value of relationship and friendship.  Efficient handling of this square could reap rewards for Saturday 24^th, when Venus restores good relations with two of her heavenly compatriots: Saturn and Uranus.  She first sextiles Uranus, which allows an intuitively led turnaround in relationship and finance, and seeing these in a higher way.  Then she trines Saturn, bringing about a balance which includes reality, but may exclude romanticism.  At the end of the week, loyalty wins the day.  Despite this, can Nick Clegg hold on to his lead after the second televised debate on Sky on Thursday?  A Hung Parliament and Vince Cable for Chancellor are still on my wish list.

So we have an election in the UK very shortly…It became clear 31 years ago I did not have a talent  for correctly predicting the outcome of an election.  I was writing a column for “Good Life” magazine (circa 1977-1980) and was invited to an Editorial luncheon at the Café Royal near Piccadilly (circa 1865-2008) where Astrologer Roger Elliot (1937-1993) was giving a talk.  He said Sagittarians would have airline tickets in their handbags, and I wondered if he had x-ray vision, because I did have.   Afterwards the Editor of my magazine asked me who I thought would win the forthcoming election.  I plumped for James Callaghan, on the grounds that Saturn would be going through Margaret Thatcher’s Sun sign the following year…Thirteen years later I watched an Astrologer friend very meticulously analyse the election prospects and technically argue that a Labour win would be written in the stars.  The Conservative stronghold was to continue another five years…Since then, I have just left it to the experts in Mundane Astrology.  Marjorie Orr writes on all sorts of subjects, but has a high degree of accuracy in political assessment in her “Astrology of Today’s News” and Political section of her website.  Whatever you are analyzing in your life you may see the intricate interweaving of events and perhaps even gain an overview on Tuesday (13^th) with a semi-sextile between Uranus and Neptune.  This semi-sextile has been around us for at least a year, but this is one of those times we can see it with something approaching crystal-clear precision.  It is one of those times that you can appreciate how much the larger plans of life can be dependent on small details or the roles of folks who keep a low profile, and even any creature down to the tiniest insect.  You can see the orchestration of the Universe under such an aspect.  Wednesday (14^th) brings a New Moon in Aries, and you may be able to trust that the new season and the new astrological year is here, and hear the songs of Spring.  It is a new beginning in nature, and in our experience of ourselves.  We see ourselves anew, and envision the possibilities for the new year, make plans, and obtain glimpses of where we are going and growing.  Between Masterchef series, we may be at a loss for television viewing, but if we are interested in the future of our country Thursday (15^th) brings a live debate at 8.30 pm on ITV for the three who are hoping to become Prime Minister, and of course it is a first in terms of emulating the American style of debate.  Will any of them exhibit oratorial skill?  I could not possibly say.  If you have a special social event to attend on Saturday 17^th, you could not have much of a greater blessing that the Venus sextile Jupiter which graces the evening.  Jupiter in Pisces could add a touch of magic, while Venus in Taurus ensures warmth and affection.  You could get swept away by new acquaintances.

Time travel is a regular feature of my work as a past-life therapist, but I couldn’t help being fascinated by the metamorphosis from one Dr Who to another.  I have been fascinated ever since I incidentally saw David Tennant transform into Matt Smith at 9 pm on New Year’s Day…David Tennant at that moment had the North Node on his Moon/Mars and so fate decreed that he relinquish his title.  Matt Smith was of course destined to succeed with Pluto the planet of transformation opposite David Tennant’s Sun.  So when Matt (he of the Scorpio deep-sunken eyes) began his mission on our screens at 6.20 pm last night Saturn (the Lord of Time) was exactly on the Ascendant trine the Part of Fortune on the cusp of the 9^th House (the Joys of Time Travel)…It is a week of metamorphoses, with major movements from some of the heavier heavenly bodies.  First of all, Chiron changed signs over Easter, from Aquarius to Pisces.  What was Chiron through Aquarius all about?  Chiron entered Aquarius in 2005 which laid out new patterns of working in groups to achieve healing.  What will Chiron in Pisces be about? It is about working in a deeper way to achieve healing, rippling out from the group consciousness and taking the explorations to a deeper level.  Often healing is achieved on one level, then the experience returns to be healed at a deeper experience. On an individual level, there will be an examination of the issue of selfishness vs selfishness because Chiron in Pisces is about giving oneself; how much one is prepared to give, how much one needs to give, and whether that is healthy.  If you were reading last week, you may be wondering how Venus is doing.  We last left her dallying with the gardener in Taurus, and promised to catch up.  She is in a respectful trine with Pluto tomorrow (Monday 5^th) when balance can be achieved on a deeper level in relationship.  Metamorphosis and transformation come up again, specifically in relationships.  An hour later Mercury squares Mars, so the relationship shifts trigger an effort to understand by the rational mind, and in the frustration, hasty words could ensue.  Geminis and  Ariens may need to process before they react, and listen to the understanding of Pisceans and Scorpios.  By the end of the day, most signs will have a fuller picture to draw upon.  On Tuesday 6^th the mental understanding catches up with the emotional understanding, with Mercury trine Pluto, and may even be in a position to write a thesis or dissertation on the subject.  “Eureka!” will say the Gemini scientist.  A metaphorical light bulb will shine on some scientific mysteries.  Having beamed its searchlight up to 5 degrees of Capricorn, the next day (Wednesday 7th)  Pluto turns retrograde, and it may be a good time to survey the themes of Pluto in Capricorn in your life. What has Pluto in Capricorn been about?  Pluto entered Capricorn in January 2008, and now is the time to do your review.  The area of your life in which the transit of Pluto falls has given you a chance to really understand, and test out your understanding in a particular area of your life, and now it’s revision time.  Going over old ground can seem like a chore, but if you want a second chance, it is a good opportunity.  Time travelling, and reframing earlier decisions and contracts, and changing old patterns of perception, will benefit from this retrograde phase of Pluto.  Later the same day Saturn, having toured Libra to the 4^th degree and squared Pluto, now re-enters Virgo in its retrograde motion.  What has Saturn in Libra been about for you?  Again, it may be a good time to survey the themes of Saturn in Libra in your life, and its karmic dilemmas in relationships. Saturn entered Libra in late October 2009, and you may have noticed understandings and traditional models of relationship being tested by the square to Pluto and the loose opposition to Saturn from Uranus.  These are long-term processes and part of the Cardinal T-square we are working with over the next two years.  The first step is understanding the problem, and that is the phase we are now in.  With Saturn now turning retrograde, we look to the past to see what was wrong with the old models and why they don’t stand up.  In this lifetime, outside forces such as economics may have shaped a relationship.  In a past lifetime there may have been pressures from the karmic group.  If you are searching for more authentic relationships, a little time travel wouldn’t go amiss here.

As a card-carrying member of CND in an earlier incarnation, I was very pleased to hear that Barack Obama announced Friday that he and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had agreed to nuclear cuts.  The Sunday Observer this morning is full of praise for Obama, on this and other issues: “suddenly the rest of the enormous canvas on which the modern US president operates seems broken with shafts of light”.  Over on that beacon of astrological rigour “Nancy’s Blog” she comments: “Nothing like a Mars station to make Obama seem really tough and on top of his game to the world: first opposite his Jupiter for the first three weeks of March and then slowly all this week through next Tuesday conjunct his Mercury.”  Saturn is also trine his Jupiter, cementing his reputation as a man of principle.  What President Obama brings to the U.S. chart is that his Mars stimulates the Neptune (spirituality) of the U.S. chart.  It is interesting that the proposed plan was announced on Friday when the Sun was square to Pluto (which represents nuclear energy).  That is a good example of turning around a difficult aspect to bring it up to its highest expression.  Life goes on, and tomorrow Venus is sextile Neptune which is good for setting social and romantic ideals, fine-tuning what you believe in heartwise.  The Moon is at the full in Libra in the early hours of Tuesday (30^th), when you may be able to keep things on an even keel, and take one step towards peace, with whoever else is attuned and staying up to watch her.  This Moon aligns with two fixed stars in the constellation of Virgo: Vindiematrix and Porrima, both of which relate to the assimilation of new ideas, according to “Starlight Elixirs” by Michael Smulkis and Fred Rubenfeld.  The light of stars is further illuminated in my interview this week with Kim Gould who works with the Human Design System.  The link to her website is currently down, but do persist as it will be well worthwhile. On Wednesday Venus glides into Taurus, leaving the wrangles but also the passion of Aries behind her.  She will be on home territory, home and dry and earthed.  She will be relieved, but some might find her more dull and boring.  She will be able to get on with her gardening, and moneymaking, and doing things in her own groove in her own patch.  It will be easier for her to focus on what matters to her.  If you are strongly Venusian you will enjoy the naturalness and harmony of Venus in Taurus.  On April Fool’s Day Thursday 1^st,  Mercury sextiles Neptune, not a good day to try any tricks because it’s a sublime day to reveal truth and separate it out from illusion.  The antics of Derren Brown, David Blaine and other illusionists would be irrelevant.  On Friday 2^nd, Mercury enters Taurus, so Venus acquires a helper in tending her garden, and one who can help her to articulate her feelings.  Good influences for writing nature poetry, documentation, public speaking or anything which allies feeling and written or verbal expression.  Things may get a little out of hand on Saturday 3^rd though, with Venus squaring Mars.  There may be some tittle tattle about Venus and her gardener, and Mars may experience a little jealousy.  The tabloids will have a field day.  Can Venus redeem her reputation?  Tune in next week to find out.

It gives me great pleasure to present an interview from that fount of Human Design knowledge, Kim Gould, whose website “Love Your Design” is such a refreshing running resource to read and enjoy.  The Human Design System is an amalgam of 4 spiritual systems: Astrology, Kabbalah, the Chakra System and the I Ching.  It’s still very new to me, and I hope you find it just as fascinating!  I like the philosophies behind Human Design, and particularly its unconditional nonjudgemental approach, which gives you permission to be yourself.  There’ s nothing like beginner’s enthusiasm…

Lana:  Kim I love the approach of your blog.  It seems to have a lot of old baggage swept away and is very futuristic, and has drawn me to investigate the Human Design System. As Astrology is amalgamated with other esoteric systems, how do you feel that changes the Astrological picture?

Kim: Astrology gives me an immense wisdom bank to draw on when looking at how the archetypes play out in the Human Design Chart.  I draw from sources like Martha Lang-Wescott’s research on the Asteroids.  It’s great to know that there’s some solid observation behind the interpretations given.

My own observations of how a planet plays out in various Gates and Centres could expand our understanding of the meaning of that planet.  As we find links between Astrology and the I Ching, Tarot, the Kabbalah and other systems, we begin to see new links, new ways of thinking about the planets.

A great example is the new Dwarf Planets. We can see what energy centre they were in at the time of their discovery and what specific hexagrams of the I Ching (Gates Human Design) they have moved through since then.  For slow moving planets like Eris and Makemake this brings clarity to the newly arising archetype.  Makemake has been in the Solar Plexus Centre/Chakra since the middle of 2006, in a gate that connects our emotional and sexual energy.  Since Makemake was only discovered in March 2005, knowing about its placement in this Gate helps us understand that some of the foundational archetypal meaning of Makmake must be about the emotional and sexual experience, and how those two energies interact in a person’s life.

Lana:  That’s fascinating, especially about the dwarf planets.  Could you tell us a little of the background and origins of the Human Design System, and how you relate to that, e.g. how it has evolved for you.

Kim: The Human Design System was originally revealed in 1987 to a man by the name of Ra Uru Hu.  The original elements have been evolving ever since, with various people taking them in different directions.

The underlying ‘system’ is a precise correlation between the hexagrams of the I Ching and the horoscope.  Each hexagram is 5°37’30” of horoscope arc.  Each hexagram in the I Ching has 6 lines each of which is 56’15” of horoscope arc.

So for example, today (22 March) the Sun is at 1 degree Aries 31’32”.  In Human Design that would be Hexagram 25 line 4, except we call them Gates rather than Hexagrams.  To take it a step further, we then place that Sun position on the chart and Gate 25 is always found in the Heart Centre, in a position that relates to a connection between Ego and Innocence / Unconditional Love.

Unlike Astrology, a Human Design chart uses two sets planetary activations.  The standard chart uses the Natal Activations plus an additional Pre-Natal Activation, taken at 88 Solar degrees prior to birth.  This Pre-Natal Activation gives us access to a simple, natural self that operates under our conscious awareness.  We can literally see our sub-conscious at work in this layer of the chart!

I believe Human Design is a unique tool that brings us a whole new way of thinking about who we are, and how the human race is evolving.   There are many ideas in Human Design that are quite different to astrology.  Like, astrology though, each chart has its own very unique flavour and exploring that uniqueness is very liberating and empowering.

My personal journey has involved a lot of time spent alone contemplating what the transits reveal about the elements of the System.  I’m very tuned into the collective consciousness, and I pick up the subtle shifts and can then share that information with others through writing in my blog and doing readings.   It has always been very important to me that the person I’m working with has some sense of recognition of what I’m telling them, even if sometimes the new concepts of self take a while to sink in.

Lana:  Yes, I have recently realized that if you make a statement about something someone hasn’t yet experienced about themselves it makes no sense to them!  Right now I have a queue of people with a host of basic questions about Human Design …What would be the best way to start learning about it?  And as a question, to kick-off, many people are curious to know if there is any advantage to having centres filled in, or blank?

Kim: Well Lana let’s organise a Q & A webinar or blogtalkradio show with talkback and they can ask all the questions they want.  I’m writing a series of courses at the moment – some free some paid – which will be available soon.  There’s quite a bit on the web.  People can get a free chart on my site.

In answer to that last question, there is no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in any element of the system.  A coloured centre has a different quality to an uncoloured centre.  We call the coloured centre ‘defined’ and they have a constant way of operating in the world.  When a centre is not coloured, or undefined, it is always being affected by the people around you.  There is perhaps a bias towards the coloured or defined Centres, but I don’t share that view and often approach the chart by focusing on what’s not defined since that is where we are most sensitive and can develop the most wisdom in life.

Lana:  Are you trying to drag me into the world of 21^st Century technology with talk of a Webinar?  In that case, I can’t say no!  Here’s my next curiosity: Of the four systems used within the Human Design System (Astrology, Kabbalah, the Chakra System and the I Ching)  I am most puzzled about how the I Ching is used.  Could you explain the use and value of it in the evaluation of a chart?

Kim: I had never even read the I Ching when I first discovered Human Design.  And you don’t need to know anything about any of these other systems – Astrology, Kabbalah, Chakras and I Ching – to understand your design.

When I evaluate a chart, I start out by looking at the Centres – what’s defined, what’s connected, what’s conscious.  This is a level of evaluation that can easily be overlooked when people want to gain as much information about their charts as possible.  But the Centres alone can reveal an astonishing amount of information.

After that I begin to look at the detail of planets and gates.  The Gates are the same as the Hexagrams of the I Ching, so it’s important to observe where the personal planets are, they give great meaning to our lives and can be a wonderful source of contemplation.  They are often quite startling accurate.

A great example is Princess Diana, who had her Sun in Gate 39 line 1, the commentary for which reads:

“When one encounters an obstruction, the important thing is to reflect on how best to deal with it.  When threatened with danger, one should not strive blindly to go ahead, for this only leads to complications.”

Well Princess Diana certainly did encounter an obstruction that was very dangerous!

As well as the actual commentary that we can find in any I Ching book, we can also look at the structure of the hexagram – is it ying or yang, shallow or deep, how do the trigrams relate to each other?  For example, Princess Diana’s Gate 39 is a yang hexagram, it’s trigrams are Water and Mountain, giving a quality of letting go of impatience (water) and struggle (mountain) and allowing time to properly understand a situation – this takes us from a shallow understanding to a deep understanding so that we can move forward with the natural flow (water).

Lana:  You seem to use a huge number of asteroids and other heavenly bodies in your work, and enthrallingly so!  How important are they, and could you let us know a little about your view of the meaning of Chiron?

Kim: Well firstly Lana let me say that we can tell a huge amount just from the mechanics of the design.  As I’ve said, just knowing what’s coloured in your chart, which centres are connected to each other, what reaches the Throat Centre for expression, where there’s gaps between Centres, etc.  These ‘mechanical’ aspects of interpretation are so important.

I use the asteroids to bring a more subtle flow to the energy of the chart.  For example there may be quite a difficult gap between, say, the Heart and the Throat. These gaps are often places where people struggle immensely in life and they often have physical symptoms in that precise area of the body.  When I look at the asteroids I might find that there is a Dwarf Planet that bridges the gap.  This gives us a way to explore how we could create a bridge between those two disconnected parts of a person’s energy field.  I also look at fixed positions – fixed stars, the Galactic Centre, black holes, etc, when there is an important connection with personal planets.

Chiron is the one asteroid included in the standard chart.  In my work, Chiron is a place in the energy field where we may have specific sensitivity.  That sensitivity is always a place of great power, but to begin with we may need to examine the possibility of wounds that need to be addressed. In Human Design we can see which energy centre Chiron falls in, and we also get to see the Pre-Natal Chiron in the chart as well, so we can track family patterns of wounding.  I find working with Chiron extremely powerful.

Lana:  That spurs me on to use Fixed Stars and deep space objects such as Clusters in my work more.  How much of your work is mental analysis, and how much of it is spiritual intuition?  And though it is not written yet, how do you see your work evolving?

Kim: Great questions Lana.  I have Mercury and Uranus creating one channel from the Crown to the Ajna, and another with Moon and Ceres.  So I work with an inspired creative mental energy.  The connection between the two centres means that I can’t separate the Crown from the Ajna – they always work together as a team.

My work is all about evolution.  You would be aware of the idea of the archetypal expression of the planets evolving.  Saturn is a great example.  I also see the I Ching, the Kabbalah and Chakras evolving.  As these elements shift, so does our understanding of the Human Design System and therefore our understanding of our energy fields.

For example, my Moon is in a Ajna Gate that says I’m oppressed and exhausted and that’s all there is to it.  Not very cheery!  When I work with people with this gate in their personal design, I know that they have a role to play in helping people shift the way they think.  When we think in the wrong way we create a life that can feel oppressive and exhausting.  When we think in a more natural way we create a whole different life.  If someone has this Gate in their personal design I can support them to be more empowered by explaining that this evolution in their thinking is actually part of their role in the evolution of all humanity.

I work specifically with helping people to understand themselves in this new reality we are entering.  Most of what we know about how to be happy and successful isn’t working anymore.   Using Human Design I can show people a whole new way to experience themselves and a whole new way to make decisions that is really unique.

My main focus is to help people to recognise more subtle layers of self that have gone unacknowledged, and to support them to bring them into their daily reality.  I do that through exploring the different layers of the multi-dimensional charts and the archetypal layer of the natal chart and then helping people to anchor it through the main integrative layer.  It sounds complicated, but when it’s your own chart it just flows so easily and naturally because the recognition is there for you.

Kim’s Blog:

http://www.loveyourdesign.com/blog/

Kim’s Website is also a mine of information:

http://www.loveyourdesign.com/

Kim’s BlogTalkRadio Show:

http://www.loveyourdesign.com/radio.php

E-mail me from my Contact page if you would be interested for a Webinar to take place ~ Lana

As a non-sporty Sagittarian (excuse: Taurus Ascendant) I took a glancing interest in sport this week.  First came the upsetting news about David Beckham (he’s a double Taurean, so there’s my excuse gone).  His injury (Mars) shows up as the red planet squaring his Achilles heel (Uranus in his 6^th House of Health and Safety). Friday night I watched Sport Relief and yesterday I accompanied my daughter to a Sports Shop.  That is 3 times my usual involvement in such matters.  Today continues to support the efforts for the various projects in Sport Relief, with Mars trine Sun.  All systems go, especially for those born under Aries and Leo.  It’s a day of firsts and records may be broken.  It’s a Now sort of day, and very suited to Yang or Macho energy.  It’s the third day of the first Blog-a-thon, concentrating on the Uranus leg of the Cardinal T-square with Saturn and Pluto.  Skip over to cj wright’s website, but not before reading my interview of this week which serendipitously  happens to be cj wright herself.  On her site (named “Auntie Moon”) you will learn about the surprises that Uranus can bring to our lives, and her conclusions about that based on her experience as an Astrologer and her readers’ experiences.  Tomorrow (Monday 22^nd) in contrast the Sun opposes Saturn, so it’s more of a grinding-to-a-halt day.  We have talks ongoing in the U.K. about air and train travel strikes which are proposed and ongoing.  Athletes may be nursing blisters, those who are driven by nature may need to watch their adrenal energy levels if they overdid the weekend activities. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.  Mars has been stuck at 0 degrees Leo for three weeks, and depending on how that shows up in your chart you may have been suffering a recurring stress during that time, or have been waiting on the starting block of a project for all that time raring to go.  If so, things may now be starting to shift.  It was during this period that little Sahil Saeed was kidnapped on 4 March, with Mars at around 0 degrees 30 minutes of Leo, then 6 days later Mars turned direct, and 6 days after that on 16 March when Mars was at the same point, he was joyously returned to his family.  That must have been a highlight of news viewing for many people this week.  Tuesday (23^rd) brings more recovery, and more re-balancing in our lives.  Mars sextiles Saturn in Libra, so we may have knocked ourselves out at the weekend, had an enforced rest on Monday, and now (Tuesday) are picking ourselves up again, and assessing what we gained/what we lost.  We may conclude it was equal, but with no regrets, especially if it has all gone to a good cause.  Tuesday is a particularly good day for deliberate, pre-planned action, and for taking the next logical step on your journey of the week.  If it’s your birthday, give yourself a pat on the back for the fine balance you have currently achieved in your life.  People generally may take time to savour the concept of “balance” as it applies in their life and what it means to them.  Being centred is important at this time, as the tension begins to build towards Friday (26^th) when Sun in Aries squares Pluto in Capricorn (the individual versus authority).  The balance sways towards excess, and someone or something may demand your extra attention.  The Pluto articles of the Blog-a-thon are archived on Donna Cunningham’s blog (Sky Writer) if you are trying to cope, or working towards mastery.  If you are meeting a friend for coffee that day, you’ll put the world to rights working out where it all went wrong, set up your own political party or TV channel over the table, and then maybe reverse the process and dismantle the whole thing, emerging a few calories heavier, a little lighter in the pocket, but an hour wiser.