Blaise Pascal

“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone”

~ Blaise Pascal

This is the third of my new  series of occasional philosophy blogs.   I started with an Aries, Rene Descartes, a true Aries in every sense of the word, an individual and an initiator.  I then looked at a philosopher of the next sign Taurus, David Hume.  The next sign of the zodiac, Gemini, is one which would seem naturally compatible with the subject of philosophy, being logical and being ruled by Mercury, the planet of thought.  I scoured the   panoply of philosophers, and could find only one prominent Geminian: Blaise Pascal.  He is not even principally known as a philosopher, but as a mathematician.  However, religious philosophy was one of his “hats”, and that is good enough for me!

Birth Chart

We can straightaway see one of his sayings, in the squared relationship between his Sun (conscious mind) and Moon (subconscious mind): “The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of…”.  The Sun is exactly square his Midheaven, showing great individuality in his career and breaking the mould in that respect.  The Sun also exactly trines his North Node, showing leadership and creativity as part of his karmic mission.  In his chart the Moon in Pisces was conjunct his Midheaven and trine closely his Ascendant from the 9th House of Religion (the “religious philosopher”). Mars trine exactly Pluto gave him a powerhouse of energy. Jupiter conjunct Saturn helped to balance his ideas and judgements. Saturn conjunct Uranus in Leo in 1st House meant that he was a groundbreaker: in 1647 he disputed Aristotle’s idea that nature abhors a vacuum, which caused conflict (Mars opposite his Ascendant was prone to this). With Uranus square Pluto he understood the necessity and energy of Change.

Life and Career

Blaise Pascal, born in 1623 in Clermont-Ferrand, was a child prodigy, and  while still a teenager he engaged in pioneering scientific and mathematical work.  One example was a short treatise he wrote aged 16 on a “Mystic Hexagram” (Pascal’s theorem).  Descartes was most scathing about it, claiming that it was written by Blaise’s father Etienne.  Blaise also worked with Fermat on probabililty theory (which led to Leibniz’ work on calculus), and was most prolific in his areas of expertise, until he was changed by a religious or spiritual experience, which caused him to give up work on mathematics.

Religious Philosophy

A profound religious vision between 10.30 and 12.30 on the night of 23rd November 1654 changed the course of his life and thought (Descartes also had an epiphany, as mentioned in the first blog in this series).  Blaise and his sister Jacqueline had subscribed to the Christian movement of Jansenism since 1646 (when he was 23).  But between 1648 and 1654 Pascal had slipped into a more material way of life.  He wrote about the visionary experience in a note, which began “Fire. God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of the philosophers and the scholars…” and kept his memoir of the experience sewn into his coat.

The transits at this time included Saturn sextile his Mercury (a solidifying of thought) and Pluto trine his natal Neptune (deep psychological and spiritual change).  His progressed Sun squared his Nodal Axis, bringing him firmly on his karmic path.

The nature of his work changed after this experience, and he began to write Provincial Letters and Pensees (fulfilling his more literary and poetic side). His style incorporated humour and influenced the writings of Voltaire and Rousseau.  In the Provincial Letters he cheekily apologized for writing a long letter by saying he had not had the time to write a shorter one.  His letters were hailed by one commentator for their purity of language and solidity in reasoning [qualities of Sun in Gemini].

However it is his Pensees, which were unfinished at his death aged 39, which are quotable as being outstandingly poetic.  The work was a defence of the Christian religion.  In a fulfilment of his natal Mercury square Neptune (confusion of thought) he would pit against each other Pyrrohonism and Stoicism until a state of high confusion resulted in turning to God, through the faculty of intuition.  In 1661, Louis  XIV tried to suppress Jansenism, and Pascal wrote a defiant piece on the subject.

Health

Pascal’s health was frail from the age of 18.  Mars seems to have been an important planet in terms of his health; when his progressed Sun opposed his natal Mars (inflammations) in the 6th House of health, at the age of 18.  His illnesses became more extreme, until on 18th August 1662 he experienced convulsions, and died the next day at the age of 39.

“For after all what is man in nature? A nothing in relation to infinity, all in relation to nothing, a central point between nothing and all and infinitely far from understanding either. The ends of things and their beginnings are impregnably concealed from him in an impenetrable secret. He is equally incapable of seeing the nothingness out of which he was drawn and the infinite in which he is engulfed.”

~ Blaise Pascal

Aspects

The aspects will be keeping you busy this week!  We start today with a lovely trine between Mercury and Jupiter, expanding our minds and philosophies.  This is an upbeat vibe mentally, one that takes in great wads of information, produces good ideas and may incline one to travel (except that in the current climate we are being asked to rein in that impulse).  The actor Alan Cumming has this aspect in his natal chart, and in a recent interview said:

“I’m an optimist at my very core…Any time when you’ve got to be away from everybody, to contemplate, meditate and be made to understand how your behaviour affects other people, I just can’t help but think that must be a huge positive.”

Later this afternoon the Sun will be sextile Neptune, another positive vibe.  This confers inspiration and spiritual harmony.  So today could be very productive.

Tomorrow (Monday 11th), Saturn will be Stationary prior to turning Retrograde, the first of several planets to turn retrograde in a season of retrogrades.  Turning inward for contemplation is one of the results of a retrograde period.  Saturn is turning retrograde in the first degree of Aquarius, and we have had to get used to some new social positionings as a result.  But first, we are going to go through a period of revision when it returns to Capricorn: a lesson all about patience and timing, and one of those lessons is that you can’t rush things.

The same morning Mercury will be square Mars, and that is another lesson in not rushing things.  Except that you may want to rush things, because that is the nature of Mercury combined with Mars.  But mistakes can be made under this aspect, and the phrase “more haste less speed” may be applicable.  You may have to guard against minor cuts and bruises, if you are doing some DIY during lockdown.

In the evening, Mercury will enter Gemini (the first of two ingresses this week).  This will quicken our mentality and curiosity, and stimulate our communications during its stay in this sign, which will be a fairly short stay until 28th of this month.

On Tuesday evening (12th) Mercury will be trine Saturn, which will help you apply your mind to exacting tasks and documentation which may be outstanding.  It favours list-making, planning, and practical productivity.  Constructive serious conversations can also take place under this aspect.

The second ingress of the week takes place on Wednesday (13th), when Mars enters Pisces. While its placement in Aquarius was humanitarian, and looked after the underdog (how well we have pulled together since the beginning of its stay there at the end of March), Pisces is even more compassionate, and very empathetic.  Pisces is also a very charitable sign, so we will see more appeals in that respect, and more people attempting feats which stretch them, in order to support the NHS.

There is also a second retrograde event that day, with Venus Stationary prior to turning Retrograde, a fairly rare retrograde.  This may put a question on money and love, a re-orientation or revisioning on these factors in our lives.  You may need to start sifting over old ground, or look inward into your truest and deepest feelings, in order that a relationship may be enriched.

The third retrograde occurs on Thursday (14th), with Jupiter Stationary prior to turning Retrograde.  You may have been working along a particular line and making steady progress, but now have to re-assess.  There is a possibility of a U-turn by the government on the relaxation of rules.

A strengthening trine between the Sun and Pluto ties up the week nicely, on Friday (15th).  It is time to consolidate all the learnings  of the week and construct a new psychological mindset: one which is creative but also bears in mind the changes and cycles which are transforming our lives at this time. You may have felt that you haven’t got very far with a goal, but may receive an indication in this period that you have done better than you thought, your patience is rewarded, or that a pipe dream could become a going concern.

The week in bullet points:

• Today – thinking positively; spiritual inspiration
• Tomorrow – turning inward; trying not to rush; a quickened mentality
• Tuesday – a slowed, more precise, mentality
• Wednesday – compassion in action; revisioning relationships and money
• Thursday – more revisioning
• Friday – consolidation and psychological progress

Tony Lloyd

“It’s the humanity of it, the 150,000 small human gestures every hour that makes the NHS a human institution.”

~ Tony Lloyd

You may not have heard of Tony Lloyd (Labour MP for Rochdale, Greater Manchester) but he gave a poignant and memorable interview to Helen Pidd in the Guardian on Friday following his survival from coronavirus.  The article is eloquent and well enough documented in tracking the course of his experience to make an astrological study.

Tony is a sensitive Piscean, who apparently had been in good health but was nevertheless floored by his experience of the virus.

“I’d been feeling ropey for two weeks when I went into hospital on 2 April, ever since I’d come back up to Manchester from Westminster. I’d woken up really early, about 4am…”

At the onset of the disease, the strongest transit he had was Uranus square closely to his natal Venus in Aquarius, signalling a change in his feelings and values.  Without knowing his Ascendant, we can only guess that something more major was happening on one of the angles of his chart.

On the day he went into hospital, Mercury opposed his natal Saturn in Virgo, a minor enough transit, but definitely health related.

“After two days my temperature was still high – it was nearly 40C at one point – so I was moved to the intensive care unit (ICU).”

At this point, he was put in an induced coma.  Transiting Mars was conjunct his natal Venus at that point, and Mars transits often trigger extreme physical events.  As mentioned, we do not have his birth time or Ascendant, and with Venus featuring significantly in his transits, it may be that he has a Venus ruled sign on the Ascendant (Neptune rules his Sun sign).

One might consider being put on the ventilator and into the coma as being the height of his crisis.  Studied have shown that perhaps 65% of patients put on ventilators can die.  Two days after this, Saturn at 1 degree 0 minutes Aquarius came exact to a quincunx with his natal Uranus in Cancer.  That represents an extremely challenging change, or shock to the system.

“I never considered myself high risk, even though I had turned 70 in February.”

I have to declare a special interest in 70-year olds as it is my peer group year, and I have for about two decades been conducting a special study of this year group!  Looking at his progressions, in his 70th year his progressed Sun was squaring his natal Pluto, indicating the possibility of a life threatening experience.

[For historical context…]  “The day after I was put on a ventilator, Boris Johnson was admitted to hospital in London, I later learned.”

“I was on a ventilator for 10 days and in ICU for 19 days in total. All I can remember from that period is wild dreams….”

 Apparently after a week on the ventilator the doctors were getting ready to wean me off when I came down with a chest infection and my temperature shot back up.”

At the time of the new crisis of the chest infection, new hope of positive change was beginning to show up in Tony’s transits, in the shape of Uranus trine his natal Sun, an indication of a deep change.

The day that he was taken off the ventilator, the transit of Uranus to his Sun was becoming closer.  A week later, about a week before he was discharged, i.e. during his recovery period, the trine between transiting Uranus and his natal Sun, became exact.

“Many of the doctors and nurses were not British-born, which is something we should all reflect on”.

“I was discharged from hospital on Monday [27th April] and on Tuesday I resigned as shadow Northern Ireland secretary, a post I have held for two years. I plan to stay on as an MP”.

At his discharge from hospital, Mars was on his natal Jupiter in Aquarius, and the transiting Uranus trine to his Sun was still close, both transits of liberation.

The interview was given this week, when he was fresh out of hospital.  He still feels weak, but gives valuable insights and reflections about society and the NHS.

“Maybe good old Captain Tom has tapped into something where people will begin to realise that there is more to life than the next parcel from Amazon.”

To read the full inspiring article:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/30/coronavirus-i-feel-a-tremendous-sense-of-humility-mp-tony-lloyd-on-how-nhs-saved-his-life

Aspects

Some reflection on truth and illusion in respect to relationships would not go amiss today, for tomorrow (Monday 4th) Venus squares Neptune and the veils of illusion will test us out in this area.  Paranoia may play a part, but if we are on the positive end of the spectrum we may experience some sublime spiritual experiences in relation to love, and realizations about the relationship between money and spirituality.  Be as clear as you can be emotionally, and help to clear the fog.

In the evening, the Sun conjoins with Mercury at 14 degrees Taurus, and mentally at least you are likely to feel clearer.  You can apply your mind especially in Taurean matters such as art and music, money and gardening.  You’ll be thinking more clearly about the earth, and noticing the improvements that are taking place since we stopped some of our more damaging habits.  You can focus on creating a more positive future condition for the earth, or the New Earth as some New Agers term it.

North Node in Gemini

On Tuesday (5th) the True North Node enters Gemini.  The North Node and Nodal Axis move backwards, and takes 18 months to move through a sign, and 18 years to come full circle in the zodiac.  The transiting North Node and Nodal Axis represents the collective karma, just as the North Node and Nodal Axis in our birth charts represents our personal karma.  Our North Node represents our karmic mission, and the transiting North Node represents our collective karmic mission, in the evolution of humanity.

The North Node will be leaving Cancer, where the last eighteen months have seen the rise in populism, Nationalism, Tribalism and Patriotism, as I mentioned when it was entering that sign.  Brexit took a step forward, for instance.  But we are due for a change, not least because the world is now required to pull together, due to the coronavirus.  The South Node (part of the Nodal Axis, which is opposite the North Node) will be in Sagittarius, which represents a global outlook, and the North Node in Gemini represents friendlier relations with neighbours (whether on a national scale, or over the garden fence).  Gemini and Sagittarius also represent travel (short term and long distance respectively), something which is being affected (to a great extent karmically) at this time.  The last time the North Node switched to Gemini was in October 2001, just after 9/11.  At that time, everyone was wary of air travel, and the war on terrorism was underway in earnest.  Now we are seeing a crisis in the air industry, and being told it will take a long time to recover.  Education is another area of Geminian interest, and our schoolchildren at present are learning new ways of being schooled, mainly at home and online.  Though it is hoped that they will be able to rejoin their schoolfriends as soon as possible, the progress of the coronavirus is such that the process may come in waves, and some aspects of the new technological ways of learning may become more permanent.  As a mindset, the change of North Node in Cancer to North Node in Gemini may bring about a more communicative relating (out of necessity, karma) as distinct from a more emotional and subjective mindset (North Node in Cancer).

Thursday (7th) brings a smooth sextile between Mercury and Neptune.  Sensitivity towards others, and spiritual awareness, inform our minds easily, making delicate conversations and channelling easier.  You can receive inspiration, especially for writing and communication. That sextile takes place at 10.42 a.m. in the U.K.

Three minutes later, at 10.45 a.m. there is a Full Moon in Scorpio.  It’s a time to look within and examine your emotional health.  Another area demanding attention is that of shared finances and an attempt to balance material resources and needs between two people.  It is  one of the most intense Full Moons of the year.  For some there may be a temptation to lash out; some may be prickly about the conditions we find ourselves in, and many are angry.  In the creation of the new conditions, one requirement is the quality of forgiveness, for there is no room for holding onto grievances and blame on the other side of this crisis.  In order to make the best of a new slate, forgiveness is one of the things to cultivate.

We can capitalize on that process on Saturday (9th) when Mercury trines Pluto (the ruler of Scorpio).  That aspect is conducive to deep thought and psychological reflection, and earnest conversations.  Conversations could be life changing: the right word at the right time, striking home in the right place.

The week in bullet points:

• Tomorrow – illusion in relationship; sparkling minds
• Tuesday – communication karma
• Thursday – inspirational thought; emotional high tide
• Saturday – psychological reflection and communication

Donald Trump

“So, supposing we hit the body with a tremendous – whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful light… supposing you brought the light inside of the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way… And then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning?”.

~ Donald Trump, 23rd April 2020

Don’t try this at home!

I will keep this short, but with levels of incredulity rising as fast as the coronavirus graph in the USA in relation to Donald Trump’s pronouncements, I thought I would take the astrological temperature around his transits to see if anything is changing.  It certainly seems that whatever ails the President, whether in his character or in his health, seems to be becoming more exaggerated.

Birth Chart recap

Back in 2015, before Donald was elected President, I wrote about his chart:

“Fortunately, we have a birth time for him, and we see a belligerent Mars conjunct the Ascendant in Leo: power is an aphrodisiac.  His Mars is exactly trine the Galactic Centre, which may also be a power significator.  He has been very inventive lately with his Leo mane.

His Sun is in Gemini conjunct the North Node (Leadership karma) and Uranus (a maverick quality) in the 10th House of Career, ambition, and prominence in the world.

Some of the coldness of his views, e.g. about women, may be down to his Venus conjunct Saturn in Cancer.  He was born on a Full Moon, which makes him a marmite character.”

I would add that he has the Entrepreneur Archetype, Jupiter trine Uranus exactly, in his chart (as does Richard Branson, also exact).

Life and Character, Progressions and Transits

Since he came to power, he has been variously described as a liar, deluded, a narcissist, a psychopath, a sociopath, infantile, suffering from dementia, you name it…Are there any weak tendencies in the birth chart which show possible mental problems arising, bearing in mind that he seems to have got steadily worse, and his pronouncements more and more bizarre?  Could this be a degenerative condition? His natal Mercury square Neptune may signify the potential or possibility of such a disorder.

Progressions show long term changes in the life and character, and he will be 74 in June.  Progressed charts for the next couple of years show two major stress points for him in life and character: Pluto sextile his Mars, and Venus conjunct Chiron.  These two exact aspects may occur around the same time as each other next year, which may be crunch time.  He may realize he can’t play this role any more.  Of course, we have the Presidential election before then, and in my blog about Joe Biden this year (8th March) I wrote:

“Donald Trump at the time of the presidential election will have: Uranus sextile his natal Mercury (surprise), Saturn opposite his Venus (heartache), Neptune square his Uranus (confusion) and Chiron opposite his Neptune (more confusion).  Although this is a mixed bag, there is enough difficulty there to possibly topple him…”

So I think if the election doesn’t topple him, then some personal event or crisis (it may even be a health crisis) may cause him to retire next year.

Transits show literally how things are now, as distinct to some extent his progress (because changes may not take hold in the same way that progressions may; they can be more transient in nature).  His transits now (at time of Disinfectant Gate):

Mars was trine his natal Jupiter and Uranus exact to the day – loosened his energies

Jupiter  opposite his natal Venus – a gaffe

Neptune square exactly his Nodal Axis – karmic confusion

Pluto opposite his Venus – a personal meltdown

Pluto trine his Midheaven – could be a career watershed; he certainly has lost even more credibility

Sound information from the BBC website:

Analysis by Rachel Schraer, BBC health reporter

Using a disinfectant can kill viruses on surfaces. It’s a very good idea to keep clean the things you touch, using products with anti-microbial properties – for example, substances with a high alcohol content….

Not only does consuming or injecting disinfectant risk poisoning and death, it’s not even likely to be effective.

Equally, by the time the virus has taken hold inside your body, no amount of UV light on your skin is going to make a difference.

And since UV radiation damages the skin, using it to kill the virus could be a case of – to borrow a well-worn phrase – the cure being worse than the disease.

Afterthought

Do you remember in 2017 when Donald Trump appeared to fall asleep over his tweet machine, and tweeted the mysterious word “covfeve”.  It was greeted with merriment at the time, but could it have been a premonition of covid fever…?

Aspects

Today promises to be a lively day, so hold on to your hats!

First off, we have a square between Mercury and Jupiter which will stimulate us mentally, almost to the point of too much information!  There may be travel involved, if you are allowed to leave home.  Hubby and I would have been in Cambridge for the first day of Political Philosophy in our ongoing course, but it’s all happening online instead.  The London Marathon would have been held today – perfect for Mercury square Jupiter, too.  It would however be a good day to be out in nature, taking a good stroll as far as the rules allow, and picking up information.  I have become re-acquainted with our garden since lockdown, and just saw a cluster of tiny pale blue butterflies, a very unusual sight.  Mercury square Jupiter is a refreshing aspect, if not a little over-stretching to try to manage.

Running alongside that today, we also have a conjunction of the Sun and Uranus, an expectation of the unexpected (anything can happen!).  It is a good day to demonstrate your originality and inventiveness, and in your leisure time begin a project which is highly creative or benefits society.   If you are operating from your Intuition, you could have a very successful day, but if you are lagging behind backfootedly, you may have a struggle to keep up.  Some tuning in early on may help with this.  Both aspects for today are high energy, so you may need to apply the handbreak from time to time or press the pause button to catch your breath.

Tomorrow (Monday 27th) Mercury enters Taurus which steadies the mind a little, after the stimulus of Mercury in Aries.  The atmosphere may be calmer, with the accent on the word may because of the times we are living in.  This placement (which lasts until 11th May) is good for negotiation and practical ideas.  It is a good time to focus the mind on earth-centred activities and projects, including climate and environmental work.

That evening, Mercury will be sextile the True North Node, increasing the productive element of the day: the karmic wind will be beneath your wings.  Sibling, educational and business karma will be especially well-starred.  Communication is highly significant and imbued with meaning, though subject to differing interpretations according to belief.

The following day, Tuesday (28th) could be more difficult for communication, with Mercury square Saturn.  If you found Saturday’s Mercury/Pluto square challenging (e.g. I heard of telephone and broadband problems), then this could be an echo, though not as challenging.  It is more of a case of frustration or being subject to delay.  More haste less speed may be a useful mantra to follow.   You may need to uncover and work through a mental block.

Friday 1st May will certainly see speedier communication, though with a possible touch of unpredictability, as Mercury conjuncts Uranus.  Again this could be an echo of today’s Sun/Uranus conjunction, so it’s likely to keep you on your toes, but on a mental rather than a creative level.  It could be exciting mentally, and unusual phenomena may happen, such as startling coincidences or undeniable telepathic experiences.  You’ll be thinking inventively and out of the box.  People will realize their connectedness in non-physical ways.

The week in bullet points:

• Today – liveliness
• Tomorrow – mental practicality and good vibrations
• Tuesday – slower connections
• Friday – mental excitation

Tim Brooke-Taylor (1940 – 2020)

Comedian Tim Brooke-Taylor died last Sunday, 12th April, the same day as motor-racer Stirling Moss and footballer Peter Bonetti.  He died, at the age of 79, as a result of complications from the coronavirus.

Birth Chart

Tim had the Sun conjunct Chiron in Cancer, depicting a kind, caring healer of sorts (healing through emotion and comedy).  Chiron is strongly aspected in his natal chart, with in addition three sextiles, to Uranus, Neptune and his Ascendant.  As an actor as well as a comedian, he played many roles, some pompous, but the vulnerable, self-deprecatory persona felt very much like the true Tim Brooke-Taylor, and that shows up in his combination of Cancer Sun with Ascendant in Virgo and Neptune rising.

He was highly intelligent (Sun conjunct Mercury), and came from the same stable (i.e. Footlights at Cambridge University) as his contemporary John Cleese.  He was actually president of Footlights for a while.  What is distinguished in his chart is an exact sextile between the Sun and Uranus, which shows a brilliance of sorts.  Uranus is strong in his chart too, as it is also exactly sextile his Ascendant, showing he had the power of surprise, essential in comedy.  Mercury conjunct Mars in entertaining and performing Leo conferred a quick wit, situated in the 11th House of Groups and Friendships (i.e. The Goodies being his group).  In fact Mercury was also conjunct exactly with Pluto there, an ability to be profound, and forming with Mars a triple conjunction (standing for a trio of energetic comics). Venus was in Gemini in the 10th House of career, at the top of his chart, close to the Midheaven, earning for him a huge popularity and likeability.  Mars squaring Jupiter in his chart constitutes over the top humour and energy, with Mars square Saturn showing a clumsiness, which is helpful for slapstick skills.  Last but not least, Sagittarius on the I.C. (imum coelum) tells us that humour was a foundation for his life.

Life and Career

Tim was a regular on our screens (e.g. remember the brilliant At Last the 1948 Show?) before he teamed up with Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie as the madcap trio The Goodies from 1970 – 1980.  But he was also known on radio as a panellist on I’m Sorry I haven’t a Clue (an “antidote to panel games”) and I’m Sorry I’ll read that Again, a long service stretching over 50 years.  I’m Sorry I haven’t a Clue epitomizes his type of humour, which could be described as general silliness!  Something people need in times of trouble…letting go into silliness, rather than mental gymnastics.

Partners in Comedy

The Guardian obituary by Anthony Hayward describes the roles within the Goodies as “The pompous Brooke-Taylor, the professional Garden and the untidy but raffish Oddie”.

In the mysterious alchemy which makes a trio workable, we find the following interaspects for Tim and his partners:

With Graeme Garden, there was an exact opposition between their Mercuries, complementary mindsets under Leo (Tim) and Aquarius (Graeme).  Plus Graeme’s Jupiter was exactly square Tim’s Nodal Axis (comic karma! – maybe they were a performing troupe in the Middle Ages).

Like Tim, Bill Oddie is a Cancerian, so they may to some extent have shared biorhythms.  There was a definite karmic relationship, with Oddie’s Sun square Tim’s Nodal Axis.  Mental and physical energy and stimulus came from Oddie’s Mars trine Tim’s Mercury/Pluto.  The power of humour is represented by Oddie’s Jupiter sextile Tim’s Mars.  And inspiration is represented by Oddie’s Neptune conjunct exactly Tim’s Ascendant (we do not have Oddie’s birth time/Ascendant).

In the third side of the triangle: Oddie’s Venus sextiles Graeme’s Saturn (loyalty in friendship), Oddie’s Mars sextiles Graeme’s Mercury (sparking wit), but Oddie’s Saturn squares Graeme’s Nodal Axis and Chiron (a serious Soul Contract).

Death

The tragedy of being a victim of coronavirus is being replicated all over the country and the world, and I cannot see any astrological patterns so far.  Though the transits may not tell us anything about the nature of his death, for the record, Mars was exactly opposite Tim’s natal Mars (a battle fought and lost), and Pluto (the ending of the life cycle) was exactly opposite his natal Sun.  He was by all accounts, a very nice man.  Here is his tribute from comedian David Mitchell:

“He was a wonderful comedian and a really lovely man and I feel honoured to have known and worked with him.”

Aspects

Today, Mercury is sextile Mars: as we have seen above, this combination can spark wit!  So sharpen your pen, and if appropriate, loosen your tongue!  Physical and mental energies can co-ordinate.  If you are cycling a great deal to keep fit in these challenging times, you may find the wind behind your sails.  You may be able to cycle just that bit faster or longer, and your fitbit may register record stats. There may be shortcuts to your usual way of doing things.

At the same time, you may also be able to slow down and manipulate time today, because the Sun moves from quick-acting Aries into chilled out Taurus today.  So it is also a good day for gardening, if you would prefer that to cycling.  Taurus is a sign which fosters a whole host of talents: cooking (ingenious lockdown recipes from the stock cupboard), nurturing seedlings, expressing art and music (a friend of ours is teaching his grandson to play the recorder on Zoom), and creative management of money.  So the coming month is a favourable climate for learning to breathe and blossom in whatever talent you wish to nurture within your repertoire.

Tomorrow, Monday (20th), the Sun is sextile the North Node, which also favours forging on with creative plans.  It is a good day to settle on your direction in life, or for the week at least.  You may find that everything falls into place.

Tuesday (21st) is more difficult.  Saturn squaring the Sun can produce delay and frustration.  The slowing of rhythm in Taurus may look more like a standstill.  This is an opportunity to think through what you are doing, and your strategies.  If you are making economies, are they the right ones, based on your optimum values?

A New Moon at 3 degrees Taurus on Thursday (23rd) may enable a fresh new start, and that may be in the realm of cooking, gardening, art, music or money.  If you know the House which it falls on in your birth chart, you can further refine the area of your intentionality.  Make the most of this wishing Moon.

Further setbacks may be likely on Saturday (25th), so don’t be too ambitious about what you want to fit into your plans and cram into your diary.  Allow spaces for psychologically digesting your experiences.

First, Pluto squares Mercury, so you may encounter awkward communications or travel (if you are allowed to travel).  Some ‘me space’ could enable the depth of thought you need to see things clearly, and put your priorities in order.   Statistics around the pandemic could seem dispiriting, but every day in every way we are getting closer to the sense of an ending.

In the early evening, Pluto is Stationary prior to turning retrograde.  Put your psychological house in order, e.g. with a spot of re-aligning meditation, ready for the challenges of this retrograde period.  The challenges may be more wearying than acute, but you need to keep up your vitality and reserves, and try to keep on top of day-to-day challenges.  Alternatively, if you find yourself in overwhelm, surrender is equally effective as a spiritual strategy towards a sense of peace and acceptance, and new insight to inform your next steps.

Captain Tom Moore

I can’t leave this blog without a look at the birth chart of Captain Tom Moore, an unintentional hero of the pandemic!  Nearly 100 years old, he set out on 8th April to walk 100 laps of his garden before his birthday on 30th April.  He was aiming to raise £1000 from family and friends for the NHS (in gratitude for earlier treatment for skin cancer), and to date he has now raised more than £25m and made a chart topping record with Michael Ball.

What special qualities mark out his chart for success and longevity?  Sun in Taurus has great stamina and endurance, as well as a strong will of course.  But a wonderful feature of his chart is Neptune conjunct exactly with Jupiter (extreme idealism) and together they trine Chiron (the healer and solution to problems).  Chiron exactly trines Neptune and closely trines Jupiter.  That is an amazing planetary line up!

In his transits, we have a Uranian story:  On 8th April Uranus was trine his natal Saturn; Uranus was sextile his natal Uranus (the power of surprise) and Uranus was sextile his natal Pluto – a big change in his life, suddenly bringing out his power.

Michael Ball, who has made the most of the opportunity by making a record of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” with Tom taking part, also has the power of Uranus working for him at the moment, with Uranus exactly sextile his natal Sun.  Do they have a link, karmic or otherwise?  Yes, Tom’s Uranus trines Michael’s Sun exactly, Tom’s Mars sextiles Michael’s Uranus (they galvanize each other), and Tom’s Pluto is exactly conjunct Michael’s Sun (Tom makes a profound impact on Michael’s life and psyche).

By this time next week, I imagine Tom’s adventures and exploits will have grown exponentially…!

The week in bullet points:

• Today – brisk action, but also relaxation
• Tomorrow – karmic reward
• Tuesday – frustration
• Thursday – new beginning
• Saturday – psychological wrangles

Keir Starmer’s Shadow Cabinet

Keir Starmer, Leader of the Oppositon, put together his Shadow Cabinet this week.  Some of these I have already written about, and some are new to my researches.  There are nearly 100 listed, so I can only write about a few this week, and maybe come back to this theme another time.  Among the top members, Keir has tried to incorporate a spectrum from the left to the right of the party.

Keir Starmer – Leader of the Labour Party

I last reviewed the Labour Party at the time of the commencement of the Leadership Election in January.

I wrote in 2017:

“Keir Starmer, the Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, has been a solid presence by Jeremy Corbyn’s side since 6 October 2016, having previously established his integrity in the role as Director of Public Prosecutions.  With Sun exactly conjunct Pluto in Virgo, he has great depth of character …Keir Starmer has a quiet but determined air about him which conveys confidence.  One of the greatest assets he has in his chart is Mars exactly trine Jupiter, action combined with confidence and enthusiasm…Starmer also has a Grand Trine in the Water element, of Mars, Neptune and Jupiter/Chiron, which can bring healing to situations.  Pluto on the Sun is not easy, however, and Saturn on the South Node means he has brought some difficult karma in with this incarnation, but so far in his career he has performed well and overcome obstacles.”

I wrote in January that he had some challenging squares in his transits for 4th April, and “This may mean he does not win, or it may mean that he wins and is faced with enormous hurdles.”  Now of course, he is not just the Leader of the Opposition, but also charged with the responsibility of co-creating a constructive response to the coronavirus epidemic.  He has promised to collaborate in this effort, while also holding the government to account, a much more complex role than is usual.

How does he square up to Boris Johnson (Prime Minister) and Dominic Raab (Foreign Secretary, currently standing in for Boris)?  Keir’s Uranus squares Boris’ Mars, which can be quite a confrontational and sparky relationship, but we don’t know when Boris will be returning to work.  He is currently making good progress in his recovery in hospital, but may need a long recuperation period.  Boris’ Uranus sextiles Keir’s Mars, so that is a similarly energetic dynamic but not so harsh. Keir’s Jupiter opposes Boris’ Uranus, so again high energy, and challenging.  And Boris’ Pluto sextiles Keir’s Neptune, working together at a deep level, but with Boris actually wielding the power.

With Dominic, Keir has his Mars exactly trine Dominic’s Sun, again some conflict but can be constructive, and certainly high energy.  Keir’s Jupiter is on Dominic’s Sun, and so he is in a position to help him.  Raab’s Neptune squares Keir’s Sun, so he may hold back secrets from Keir.  Raab’s Neptune squares Keir’s Pluto, and Keir’s forensic nature may see through more than Raab realizes.  Raab’s Pluto trines Keir’s Saturn, so they can work together constructively on matters of grave importance, and Raab’s Pluto sextile Keir’s North Node, so they may be karmically destined to work together on such grave matters.

Angela Rayner – Deputy Leader

Angela Rayner was successful in her bid to become Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.  She proved a popular candidate, without the controversial baggage which some of the Leadership candidates brought to the table.

It is the first time I have looked at her chart.  She has a strong individuality, with her Sun unaspected, or untramelled if you look at it from another angle.  Mercury only has an exact sextile to Chiron, which gives a problem-solving mind.  She has good values, with Venus closely trine Saturn.  Mars conjunct Jupiter produces super energy allied with enthusiasm, and a can do attitude.  Mars closely square Uranus gives a sparky energy, and Mars trine Neptune sensitivity in action.  Mars exactly conjunct the North Node in Leo and trine the Galactic Centre produces a powerful Inner Warrior, especially combined with Sun in Aries.  Jupiter square Uranus is entrepreneurial.  All that Mars gives her the red-headed image, too!  A flat mate of Rebecca Long-Bailey, her politics is described as “soft left”.

At the announcement of the result of her appointment, Jupiter was sextile her natal Uranus (success and breakthroughs), and Pluto was sextile her natal Uranus (big changes in her life).

Anneliese Dodds – Shadow Chancellor

Anneliese has the plum role of Shadow Chancellor, and hers is another fresh chart to view…Anneliese has 0 Earth planets, but she does have the asteroid Chiron (Inner Healer) in the sign of Taurus (finance).  Her Sun in Pisces has a trine to Mars in Cancer, so she has plenty of emotional energy.  She has writing and speaking ability, in a conjunction of Mercury and Venus in Aries.  With Jupiter sextile Saturn, she should have a fairly balanced judgement.  Anneliese is the first woman to hold this important post.

Her main transit this week was Jupiter/Pluto sextile her natal Sun (success and power).

Lisa Nandy – Shadow Foreign Secretary

I wrote in January:

“Of all the charts, Lisa Nandy’s inspires me the most.  She is a strong willed Leo, a sign known for leadership.  She was born a month before Rebecca Long-Bailey in the same year. Whenever I have watched her, say on Question Time, she has seemed eminently sensible, and just nice (and that’s her Sun conjunct Venus).  I hadn’t thought of her as leadership material, until looking at her chart. With the Sun conjunct Jupiter, she could get lucky.  She has certainly surprised many with her success in impressing MPs in the initial weeks of her campaign.  Another surprise is that she has the Sun square exactly Uranus – The Rebel Archetype.”

She has landed a good, meaty role in that of Shadow Foreign Secretary, and I think she will shine.  I wrote for this period: ” But with Mars opposite her natal Mercury at the final, this does not seem momentous or  helpful enough to indicate a win.”  But she was one of the first appointments Keir Starmer made, and that is testimony to the good campaign she fought.

Nick Thomas-Symonds – Shadow Home Secretary

Born two months after Angela Rayner in the same year, that may bode well for their work together.  He has Sun square Mars, a strong Inner Warrior, which he may need for squaring up to his Conservative counterpart Priti Patel.  Like Angela Rayner, he also has the conjunction between Mars and Jupiter (super energy allied with enthusiasm, and a can do attitude).  He has a couple of challenging aspects to his Mercury (mind), but a superb exact trine between his Mercury and Pluto, which may overcome them, and produce work of forensic depth.  Priti Patel did the daily briefing on the coronavirus yesterday for the first time (which was interesting!), and hopefully he will find the right way to approach the challenge of holding her policies to account.  He should be fairly affable and conduct good relations, with Venus exactly sextile Jupiter.  Like Angela Rayner and Anneliese Dodds, he has Chiron in Taurus, so between them they may have a sound economic overview.  He previously worked as a chancery and commercial barrister.

This week he had Neptune square his natal Mercury and opposite his Saturn, so he may initially feel a bit thrown in at the deep end.

Rachel Reeves – Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Rachel Reeves now holds the counterpart role to that of Michael Gove in the Conservative Party.  Michael Gove’s role includes advising the Prime Minister on policy development, in particular in relation to Brexit.  Rachel’s has a Sun/Mercury conjunction in Aquarius, an ability to focus on social issues.  Mars is also conjunct the Sun, so we have another Warrior here.  Uranus (her ruling planet) squaring those three planets means that she will be very strong willed and individualistic in her style, and increases the Aquarian quotient in her chart.  She has a helpful Sun/Pluto trine, giving her some grit and more determination.  Her Mercury squares Uranus, so she is not afraid to be controversial (and has already been involved in some controversies).  Mars trines Pluto, giving her a powerhouse of energy.  The question is: is she an intellectual match for Michael Gove?  Sun conjunct Mercury in Aquarius is a pretty good credential, and the fact that at school, she won a British under-14 chess title.  She became a member of the Labour Party at the age of 16.

Her transits last week show Saturn opposite her natal Jupiter (responsibility, restricting movement), and Neptune square her Neptune (she may be initially confused and unprepared for her role).

Jess Phillips – Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding

I wrote in January:

“With Sun in Libra, she has a strong drive for justice.  She has great energy allied with enthusiasm (Mars sextile Jupiter), the sign of a Motivator Archetype.  Her second book… is very much a motivational, self-help book.  The Moon in Aquarius gives her future vision, especially about society matters, caring about the underdog.  Mercury in Scorpio adds a forensic mind.  Venus conjunct Uranus makes for a social reformer, and her Uranus trines her North Node exactly, giving her a karmic mission as a Reformer.  Her Mars sextiles exactly Pluto, giving her a storehouse of energy which can move mountains, but her Mars is quite complex, as it squares Uranus and Chiron!”

The role she is now taking up has been highlighted since lockdown, because domestic abuse has been on the rise, for obvious reasons.  Therefore, she is the right person at the right time – she certainly has the character for this, and a record of standing up for the underdog and women’s rights.  My observations for her chances in the Leadership contest were:

“The planetary positions continue to make life difficult by the end of the game: Pluto still squares her Pluto (which may spell conflict), and Jupiter also squares her natal Pluto, which is unhelpful in seeking power.”  Although she does not hold a top post, she will give it all she has got.

Seven Shadow Cabinet members down, only 91 to go.  Sorry if I have missed out your favourite.  Oh well, I will have to save the others for later…bear with!

Aspects

Happy Easter to all my readers!  Mercury squares the Nodal Axis today, and it is an opportunity to tackle your karma!  With lockdown, we are able to give thought to a lot more of our processes and actions.  As a human race, we are waking up to what we neglected to do, perhaps, and the revival of nature without our pollution and consumerism is showing us that very clearly.  So whether it is personal relationship karma or environmental karma, we can put our minds to what needs to change for the future.  A phrase we are hearing a lot is “After this is all over…”  It is time to make a list!  And put into practice what we can do now.

Tuesday (14th) is more challenging, with a square between the Sun and Pluto.  That brings up the darkness for healing with the light.  This is a deep soul searching aspect.  It is the sort of day which can be looked upon as a gamechanger, or watershed.  So if you are in integrity, you may be able to influence what side the coin lands on.

The aspects on Wednesday (15th) may also be challenging, but much more easily constructive than the previous squares.  With Mercury conjunct Chiron in Aries, this is a day you can focus on problem-solving.  If you don’t have a problem pre-prepared, the Universe will kindly oblige by alerting you.  There may also be a high degree of mental tension or anxiety in the air.  But use what comes up to find solutions, at whatever depth you need to engage with them.  One area which is especially suited to this conjunction in Aries is finance and economy.  Chancellor Rishi Sunak may have an important announcement.  Another is in the area of alternative health – G.P visits are down as people are hesitant to engage outwardly in bringing their symptoms to the medical profession, and try to find their own path to healing.

On the same day, a square between the Sun and Jupiter may make things more tricky than they need to be, as that aspect exaggerates everything it comes into contact with.  It may make it more difficult to focus on the solution-making from Mercury/Chiron than it would normally be, but it may also suggest extra avenues of thought and ideas you could consider while you focus.  Just try not to get side-tracked.  There is also a joyful, humorous side of Sun square Jupiter, so try some laughter-yoga from time to time during the day!

The most congenial aspect of the week comes on Saturday (18th), when Mercury sextiles Venus.  It is a very social aspect, so it may take some ingenuity to work out how you will socialize while social-distancing.  Some of you will have regular Skype or Facetime slots with friends, or are cultivating over-the-fence relationships with neighbours, for instance.  This week our neighbour handed over a coronavirus poem he had written over the fence, to hubby.  We are living in unusual times!  The other main strand of activity for this aspect is writing, so get down to your writing projects, be it a poem, a journal, or a novel.

The week in bullet points:

• Today – mental focus on karma
• Tuesday – dealing with deep issues
• Wednesday – problem solving; finding the funny bone
• Saturday – socializing while distant; writing

Albert Camus

Author of “The Plague”(“La Peste”)

Essayist, Novelist, Dramatist, Journalist, Philosopher

Sales of Albert Camus’ novel of 1947 have rocketed these last few weeks, because of how much it says about our current struggle.  Though he lived much of his life in France, Camus was born in Algeria, and drew inspiration from episodes of plague (cholera) which had taken place in his home town of Oran.  Not only does the book take us through all the different phases of the epidemic, but it examines the psychological struggles of many different characters in their response to the plague and its phases, in both their efforts to help their fellow man, and their guilts.  Ultimately he concludes that the goodness in them outweighs the bad.  The tale is informed by his philosophies, chief of all being absurdism, and his explorations of morality.

Birth Chart

Our own reactions to reading this type of material differ in this climate.  Some would run a mile rather than dwell on what would seem such a depressing read.  Others would read it in order to arm themselves and steel themselves psychologically.  In the years since 1947 dystopian novels and films have undoubtedly been popular, and there would be different motives for confronting such material.  So it is no surprise to find that Albert Camus had his Sun in Scorpio, the sign most likely to look at worst case scenarios and try to make sense of them, and even prepare for them.  I am not going to spell out the many ways in which his life, character and creations resonate to this sign.  But his chart is also rich with Archetypes, which is interesting.  His Ascendant is in Virgo, one of the signs associated with The Writer, square exactly the Midheaven (Careerpoint) in Gemini, another sign which holds that archetype.  He is a Leader, with Sun trine closely the North Node and 5 (half) of his planets in the Cardinal signs: certainly a leader in terms of being prescient, ahead of his time, and being a wayshower.  He was a Philosopher, with the Sun exactly sextile Jupiter, the planet of philosophy.  He was a Healer, with the Sun trine Chiron.  He had Moon trine the Midheaven, an aspect I associate with novelists (Stephen King has this).  Mercury sextile Uranus in his chart suggests a brilliant mind, with futuristic tendencies.  However, Mercury square Chiron which he also had can bring mental crises.  His Mars is strongly placed, being sextile his Ascendant and exactly trine his North Node, bringing in the Warrior Archetype, and also a lifelong passion for football.  He also had a strongly Saturnian side (Saturn square the Ascendant, conjunct the Midheaven and square the Nodal Axis and Chiron): this may show the political interests he had, especially his interest in the country of his birth.  The aspects to Saturn may also reflect the poverty of his childhood.

Life and Career

At the age of 17 he contracted tuberculosis.  He went to live with his uncle, and began to take an interest in philosophy – his progressed Sun was just moving into Sagittarius, the sign of philosophy.  He attended the University of Algiers, and gained a B.A. in Philosophy, with the subject of his thesis being Plotinus.

He wrote several novels, including “The Outsider” (“L’Etranger”), and his essays included the philosophical work The Myth of Sisyphus.  He started The Plague in 1942, and it was finally published in 1947.  People have been able to read it on several levels, and some have thought it to be an allegory of the French Resistance, in which he took part during the war years.  He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957.

“The Plague”

Camus organized his work into cycles of three parts.  Each cycle contained a novel, an essay and a play.  The Plague was the first part of the second cycle he wrote, under the theme of the revolt. In this novel he analyses this theme from various different angles.

Set in the Algerian city of Oran, the plague is spread by rats (bubonic), and affects the characters (which include a doctor and a cleric) in different ways, showing the morality of their choices or otherwise in the face of suffering and death.  The effects and course of the plague are eerily similar to the insidious encroachment of the coronavirus epidemic on our lives, e.g. the gradual stringent measures which have to be taken. Some people shine in their selflessness (like our keyworkers) and some sink to a lower form of behaviour (those who flout the social distancing rules deliberately).  Camus shows the “absurdity” and randomness of the human condition, in line with his philosophy.  His style contains multiple layers and meanings.

Personal Life

Camus married twice, but had numerous affairs, in a turbulent and passionate love life.  His first wife was Simone Hie; his second wife Francine Faure suffered from mental illness, partly caused by the anguish of his infidelity.  The higher purpose of their relationship was about healing, with her Chiron trine exactly his Sun and sextile exactly his Jupiter. Their union produced twins, Catherine and Jean.  Camus also had a long term mistress Maria Casares (a Scorpio), who was an actress. His daughter devotedly manages his estate, and has some interesting things to say about his work in an article in the Guardian:

“Perhaps with the lockdown we will have some time to reflect about what is real, what is important, and become more human,” she said.

Philosophy

Philosophy is full of -isms, and Camus is associated with his fair share.  Top of the list is:-

Absurdism:

Definition(s) from the Oxford book of Philosophy:

“In  existentialism, a term for the pointless or meaningless nature of human life, and action”.

Next in line is Existentialism: he was a friend of Jean-Paul Sartre.  They fell out at some stage, but Sartre was magnanimous on his death:

“A loose title for various philosophies that emphasize certain common themes: the individual, the experience of choice, and the absence of rational understanding of the universe with a consequent dread or sense of  absurdity in human life”.

Anarcho-Syndicalism: (definition from Wikipedia)

“Anarcho–syndicalism is a political philosophy and anarchist school of thought that views revolutionary industrial unionism or syndicalism as a method for workers in capitalist society to gain control of an economy and thus control influence in broader society.”

[I once travelled to the Eurovision Song Contest with a Sagittarian Anarcho-syndicalist, and mentioned it in a blog, but that’s another story…]

Other -isms associated with Camus are:- Pacifism,  Surrealism, Libertarian Socialism and Humanism

Death

Camus died in a car accident on 4th January 1960.  At the time, Pluto was exactly square his Mercury (literally death while travelling).  I hasten to reassure that this transit does not always manifest so dramatically, but it is interesting that it is a rare transit because Pluto takes so long to travel round the zodiac.  No one would experience this transit more than twice in their lifetime.

In the car was his latest manuscript, an autobiographical work, unfinished, titled “The First Man” (“Le Premier Homme”).  The book was published posthumously in 1995, so if you thirst for more meaning behind the man, it is another book to order at this time.

Aspects

A huge conjunction of Jupiter and Pluto occurred in the early hours of this morning – did you experience a shift of any kind?  Often described in dramatic terms, because Pluto is drama and Jupiter expands everything it touches, I tend to see it as a symbol of hope.  As I have been doing this blog since January 2007, and a Jupiter cycle is every 12 years, I actually encountered this in my first year as a blogger.  So I have had a chance to review my material (which also had a separate “Jupiter-Pluto Extravaganza blog”!).  I was quite optimistic about it at the time, and did not see any dark happenings arise during that actual time, though Financial Astrologer Raymond Merriman says it presaged the 2008 recession.

We are living in a much different time now, and of course, it behoves me to be more cautious and realistic!  This conjunction would bring out extremes, e.g. of behaviour.  It mainly relates to power, and the expansion of ambitions.  But with Saturn in Aquarius, our wings are clipped.  Our aims in some ways are more modest, but inwardly there is a far greater potential for growth.  So if you feel you are on a good path in your life, despite the prevailing challenges, then it is a time you can expand and test your own power.  If you feel you are out of kilter or out of balance, then be extra cautious (you could be hoisted by your own petard!).  It is clear that as a country the U.K. is still gathering apace on the number of coronavirus deaths, and Jupiter-Pluto is not likely to ameliorate that.  But I do think the conjunction helps to bring out the best in human nature (which is the message of Albert Camus’ “Plague”).

On Tuesday (7th) Mars squares Uranus, which is a warning for caution, as it can be explosive, especially at a time when people are frustrated and unable to go out, or let of steam in some of the ways they are used to (such as barbecues in the sunshine with gatherings of more than two).  So the best you can do is chill out, and urge others to stay safe and stay at home, and hope the message radiates.  This square can also be accident-prone, so if you are out riding your bike, make sure your helmet is firmly held on.  If you have elderly relatives, make sure they are wearing their alarm pendants [this from personal experience…].

A more constructive aspect occurs that evening, in the shape of Mercury sextile Pluto.  It may be instrumental in regaining balance, if that was overturned by events earlier in the day.  Mercury in harmony with Pluto in this way can produce profound thought and communication,  honouring the gravity of a situation if necessary, and enabling meaningful debate to occur.  It may provide an opportunity for Keir Starmer to establish some good ground rules for his new role as the Leader of the Labour Party, both in his relations with the government in a concerted effort to steer the course of the coronavirus crisis, and in forming a strong shadow cabinet, and forging a new vibe in the party to attract back the disaffected.

Some good news may be possible on Wednesday (8th) – we can but hope!  Mercury sextile Jupiter favours communication, sales and travel.  Some worries about business may be alleviated.  Higher learning is also a benefit – I know many people are learning new things on the internet in their isolation, including foreign languages.  It’s a good time to practice your new language skills!

The Full Moon in Libra also on Wednesday has been dubbed a “Pink Supermoon”, which is a sight worth looking out for!  Normally the Full Moon brings a lot of emotional tension, but the bubbly mindset of Mercury sextile Jupiter which accompanies it may steady the mood somewhat, and Libra is a more equable sign than most.  This Full Moon is emotionally dedicated to relating, while the Sun which opposes it in Aries wants its own way.  Thus a delicate balance operates, which may be resolved in common aims, e.g. in a united effort.

Mercury enters Aries on Saturday (11th) and you need to be prepared for plain speaking, whether your own (perhaps without engaging the brain!), candid words from others, or telling it like it is from the daily government briefing (which may be a shock to some). You will need to get to the point much more directly in your communications, and there is more sense of urgency about paperwork.  Of course everything is now being done online; even our local post office has closed down.  So more direct communication is on the cards.

And at the very end of this week, at 23.58 Hrs on Saturday, two minutes before midnight, Mercury sextiles Saturn.  This favours exacting mental work and documentation: you may get out of bed just to write that definitive email!  Otherwise it is helpful for focussing your late night intentions for a dream of guidance about an issue currently on  your mind, and the result may be a detailed and straightforward dream, without too many frills in the symbolism or interpretation.

The week in bullet points:

• Today – grandiose
• Tuesday – dramatic
• Wednesday – good news; heightened emotion
• Saturday – straight talking; mental focus

Julie Felix (1938 – 2020)

Folk singer Julie Felix, who died this week, was prominent in the culture of the late 1960s, and continued working into her 80s.

Birth Chart

As a Gemini, she stayed “Forever Young”, which is the title of one of the songs she covered from fellow Geminian Bob Dylan.  The Sun and Mercury in her chart square Neptune, giving her a super-sensitivity.  Mercury also sextiles Saturn, which helps to steady all that nervous energy.  Venus was conjunct Pluto, hinting at some tumult in her close relationships, but Venus also trines exactly her North Node in Scorpio, so she will have understood the karmic lessons.  Mars trines Jupiter in her chart, enthusiasm working well with energy, reflecting the wonder of “daddy taking us to the zoo tomorrow” (her best known song, written by Tom Paxton).  She also has Mars conjunct Chiron in Cancer in her 8th House, increasing her sensitivity to wounding, especially in relation to family and females.  She was interested in healing, with Jupiter trine closely Chiron.  And her wider planetary connections (higher consciousness) were sound: Uranus trine Neptune, and Pluto trine the North Node, indicating a deep understanding of life.

Life and Career

Julie Felix was born in America, but because she was for so long a resident of the U.K. she is thought of as a British artist.  She was very much a part of the folk singing protest movement of the 1960s. She came to prominence on our screens in 1966 as resident singer on “The Frost Report”, hosted by David Frost.  She subsequently gained her own TV series.

David Frost

I am always interested in how people who are destined to play an influential role in each other’s lives meet.  The story of how Julie Felix met David Frost is recounted in the Guardian Obituary by Derek Schofield.  She had been signed to Decca records, and “Living on the third floor of a Chelsea block of flats, she was on her way to her debut album’s launch when she met Frost, a fifth-floor resident, in the lift.  Frost tagged along and, impressed by her singing, persuaded the BBC to engage her for his forthcoming television series.”  She sang a relevant song on each programme.  Frost also was responsible for her landing her own series.

Her Synastry with Frost included her Saturn on his Sun, her Pluto trine his Moon (both quite serious connections), her Sun square his Jupiter (more upbeat), their Uranuses and Plutos being exactly conjunct (he was born the year after her). A more esoteric connection is her Jupiter (humour) conjunct exactly his natal Part of Fortune in Pisces (philosophy of being).

Leonard Cohen

Julie met Leonard Cohen while he was on the Greek Island Hydra (where he spent time with the legendary Marianne).  He appeared on her TV show and she introduced him to a British audience.  They duetted on “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye”, and she popularized his songs here.

Her Synastry with Cohen is vast and deep.  To give you a flavour of it, his Sun was sextile Julie’s Pluto (profound interaction).  Leonard’s Moon was trine Julie Mars (emotional), Leonard’s Mars was sextile Julie’s Mercury (stimulating), and his Pluto trine her North Node indicates a deep karmic effect in their lives.  Adding to that depth of interaction, her Pluto was sextile his Ascendant, and his Venus/Neptune conjunction in Virgo (representing his musical genius) was conjunct her Ascendant exactly.  Interestingly, his Part of Fortune was close to that of David Frost’s, conjunct Julie’s Jupiter.

Judy Hall

The prolific writer and groundbreaking Karmic Astrologer Judy Hall was a close personal friend of Julie Felix, and writes about her in her 1990 book “The Karmic Journey”, one of my bibles.  In her book, she publishes the lyrics to a song Julie wrote about jealousy “Graduation Day”, written at the time of Julie’s Chiron Return (if you recall, her natal Mars is conjunct Chiron in Cancer, so the song represents that wound).  Judy reveals that Julie’s Ascendant is Scorpio, which is helpful to understanding the total shape of her birth chart.

Here is an interesting astrological insight from the book:

“Singer/songwriter Julie Felix, who has never had a music lesson in her life and cannot read music, but to whom it just came, and Bob Dylan, her contemporary and fellow protester, have Uranus inconjunct Neptune/North Node, and Neptune/North Node square Mercury.  They set out not only to communicate with the world through their music (Mercury in Gemini) but also to change it (Uranus) by pointing out its injustices and failings and, in Julie Felix’s case, by taking a very active part in marches and demonstrations for peace and developing an interest in the healing power of music, thereby incorporating the subtle awareness of vibration which Uranus offers to Mercury in aspect to Neptune.”

I met Judy at a Sacred Contracts workshop some years ago, and she said that the 1990 edition of her book had been superseded by another version because of problems with her publisher, so I hope that she would not mind me quoting from the original book.  I myself also met Julie Felix on two occasions in my life.  The first was in the early 1990s, when some mutual friends of hers and Judy Hall’s set up a healing workshop in Watford.  I found Julie to be very warm and approachable, personally.  The second time I met her was at a concert in King’s Lynn in 2009.  I wrote in my blog:

“I am, however, a member of ipeace, and after listening to an evening of peace and anti-war songs from a delightfully vibrant 71-year old Julie Felix last night, I invited her to join.  She had recently sung “Forever Young” at David Frost’s 70th birthday party, and is a Geminian herself, the sign of eternal youth.”

After the concert, I was able to talk to her of the workshop nearly 20 years earlier, and of the mutual friends, some of who had passed away in the intervening time. Again, she was warm and approachable…I am sure she created many such fond memories, wherever she went.

Aspects

In the early hours of this morning Venus was trine Pluto.  You may have seen Venus allied with the Moon spectacularly in the night sky.  I even took a photo of them the night before last, my first venture into night sky photography!  Venus making friends with Pluto in this way is a deep friendship, and if a relationship has been disrupted there may be a reunion of sorts (though not literally physically in the current climate).  It is the depth of friendship which has been through substantial testing, and come through stronger.  Money, art and music also flourish under this trine.

Tomorrow (Monday 30th) Mars enters Aquarius, giving us a push to do all we can to improve the conditions of our society, currently beset by the biggest crisis in living memory.  Mars in Aquarius is about team spirit, and supporting the underdog.  It will provide us with a very helpful spirit for what may likely be the “height of the curve” during its transit in Aquarius up to 13th May, providing a sense of community and pulling together, and a sense of hope that it will all be worth the effort.  A Mars motto is “never say die!”  And while sometimes we may need acceptance and surrender, we all need to keep going and keep strong, and be there for each other.

On Tuesday (31st), Mars meets Saturn in a conjunction at 0 degrees Aquarius, which some may find tough.  It can be a frustrating conjunction, especially if you are not used to your wings being clipped, or your will or energies encountering obstacles.  It can however bring an inner steel to concentrate on the job in hand, and even perhaps to live in the moment.  In a birth chart this conjunction can describe someone “driving with the brakes on”, but in the context of our current restrictions, it may enable us to focus inward, economize on energy and thought.  You may then discover a new personal meaning in your stay at home status, and a new occupation which does not expend or over-consume.  However, the government(s) may introduce new stricter measures around this time, which for some may feel more burdensome or harsh.

On to Friday (April 3rd) and there is another sign change – this time Venus moves from Taurus to Gemini.  While Venus may have loved being in the comfort zone of her own sign, she is being required to take on the role of social butterfly while in Gemini, while socially distancing of course.  Keeping communication going, and adding the warmth of companionship, will be her job as far as practicalities will allow, so the internet and social media will be a boon.  This will be helpful for those who have signed up to make telephone calls to those isolated, under the new NHS Voluntary Responders scheme.  We are all now in the business of making sure that no one is left alone without company in this way, keeping the collective mental health buoyant.  Venus in Gemini will help us to do just that!  Venus in Gemini can do the small talk, any chit chat will do, it doesn’t have to be profound, it just needs to keep contact going.

There is another conjunction on Saturday (April 4th), and this time the pairing is Mercury and Neptune, at 19 degrees Pisces.  This conjunction can link you mentally with your spiritual sources, and provide the inspiration much needed at this time. It occurs in the early hours of that morning, so if you retire on the night of April 3rd with a request for dream guidance, it may be particularly forthcoming during that night.  We need to keep asking for the best way to negotiate the current times, and for the best way to help the current efforts, especially if we are at home and not in the category of key workers.  We need to keep searching for the right way to think of this crisis, in terms of perspective and consciousness.  I am continuing to ask, and the answers are not flooding through, but if you only ask about that day’s tasks that can be more productive.  People are asking me the wider question of “when will it end?”, and I am not sure, astrologically, and I haven’t read anything yet which is able to satisfactorily address this.  I have learned from Future Life Progression that the future is more malleable, so it does depend on our individual efforts and those of society to keep everyone safe.  And things may become clearer as we go on.

We have a trine on the same day, late afternoon, between Venus and Saturn.  This trine is quite stoical and productive, and stabilizing in terms of feelings.  It would be a good aspect for a plateau in a curve, and while it may be too soon for us in our process, I hope at least that the beleaguered European countries of Italy and Spain can find some relief after weeks enduring their lockdown.

Staying Alive

The U.K.’s oldest man and woman are 112 today, amazingly!  Bob Weighton, interviewed this morning, basically said that his philosophy has been to roll with the punches of life…Joan Hocquard, who lives fairly nearby in Poole (though they have never met) shares the same noon birth chart.  They are both Aries, a sign which generally speaking does look after itself.  The most striking thing in their charts, for me, is an exact square between Venus in Taurus and Chiron in Aquarius.  That fixed sign square may be one of their secrets.

As mentioned, last week, “I meditate at 3 pm every day, and am currently dedicating my meditations to visualizing light dissolving the epidemic, if anyone would care to join me.”

I would like to leave you with the Physical Immortality affirmation from my Rebirthing days, which was written by Leonard Orr, the founder of that movement.  I checked in with an old friend this week, who told me she still says it every day after I gave it to her in the late 1980s!

“I am alive now.  Therefore my life urge is stronger than my death urge. As long as I continue strengthening my Life Urge and weakening my death urge, I will go on living in increasing health and youthfulness forever!”

Aum Namaha Shivaiya!

The week in bullet points:

• Today – deep friendship
• Tomorrow – team spirit
• Tuesday – frustration
• Friday – social butterfly (at a distance)
• Saturday – spiritual channelling; loyalty

Chris Whitty

Chief Medical Officer

In a week when our lives have changed out of all recognition, the goalposts have been moved each day, day by day we are learning more about ourselves and about life.  I am going to look at the chart of the man whose role it is to look after the health of the nation at this critical time, Chief Medical Office in the U.K, Chris Whitty.

Coronavirus

Astrologers vary slightly in their interpretation of what represents the Coronavirus pandemic.  For what it is worth, my own take has always been that the Saturn/Pluto conjunction in Capricorn in January (roughly when it started) is grave enough to be the culprit.

In Astrology everything has meaning, and I am sure that there is an evolutionary message for us as a species in this global crisis.  On a personal level, we are learning to be more frugal, to share and co-operate; the skies and seas are becoming less polluted, without aeroplanes and ships.

We are all having to review strategies for keeping calm and holding our nerve, and for connecting more deeply with our higher spiritual sources.  On this most poignant Mother’s Day, many are having to rely on Skype to connect with loved ones.

One of the most important astrological features of the year occurs today, that of Saturn entering Aquarius, where Saturn = isolation and Aquarius = society. The instruction to self-isolate is being stepped up a gear.  We are being urged to look within for our inner resources.  The Soul’s journey (as represented by the Sun and Leo in exoteric astrology) is an individual and often solitary one, while we know paradoxically that we are all interconnected (the polarity with Aquarius) and each person contributes something unique and necessary to the whole.  One of the important lessons of the coronavirus may be to intensify that learning.

Birth Chart

Chris Whitty is a Taurean, with 5 (half his planets) in Earth; he is very grounded and supportive – he flanks the Prime Minister in some of his new daily briefings.  One can almost feel the strength that Boris derives from this.  As a New Mooner, Whitty is able to pick himself up, dust himself down, and start afresh on a New Moon.  His Part of Fortune sits on his Ascendant, symbolizing this eternal sense of renewal.  He is also a Warrior, albeit a very calm one, with Sun conjunct Mars.  Added to that a sextile to his Sun from Jupiter, which confers a positive outlook. Moon conjunct Mars depicts quick emotional responses.  Not much is known about his personal life, and with Venus opposite an exact conjunction of Uranus/Pluto, there is a certain detachment, which may be a quality and strength he needs at the level he is working, though Venus trine Neptune points to compassion.  We do know he has a fondness for music, which is a Taurean trait.  The Uranus/Pluto exact conjunction in Virgo, a feature of the mid-1960s when he was born, can create a personality who works extremely hard.  Taurus is a patient sign, and added to that he has Saturn trine Neptune which accentuates that.  With Saturn sextile the North Node, he is capable of taking on great responsibility in his karmic mission.  Working in the area of epidemiology is the perfect vehicle for his conjunction of Saturn and Chiron in Pisces.  Indeed with Neptune on the South Node, he may have built up expertise in this line in past lives, e.g. overseeing and organizing victims of the Plague.  He is a Healer, with Neptune trine Chiron (spiritual as well as physical) and healing is part of his karmic mission also (North Node sextile Chiron).

Life and Career

We may not know much about his personal life, but the known facts about his life and career are very interesting.  His father was killed by Palestinian terrorists when he was young, in 1984.  Such a severe trauma so early in life must have affected him deeply.  He took a degree at Pembroke College, Oxford, and also studied at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.  He was influential in the management of the U.K. response to the Ebola outbreak, writing a paper entitled: “Infectious disease: Tough choices to reduce Ebola transmission”.  He was also Government Chief Scientific Adviser when the Skripals were poisoned in Salisbury with Novichok.  You could say he has been destined to be the right man at the right time…In addition to his current role as Chief Medical Officer (since October 2019), he is also a consultant physician.

Transits and Synastry

The transits for the start of the current daily briefings are largely constructive: Jupiter sextile his Neptune (able to transmit a calmness), Pluto sextile his natal Saturn (also constructively getting the serious message across) and Pluto sextile his Chiron (the power of his healing knowledge and expertise), though Saturn squaring his Sun depicts the responsibility he is carrying.

In his ability to work with Boris Johnson, we find a surprisingly high compatibility: Chris’ Jupiter is closely conjunct Boris Sun, buoying him up for his prime ministerial briefings; Chris’ Sun opposite Boris’ Moon, a balancing act; Chris’ Uranus/Pluto trines Boris’ Jupiter – can give strength to his ebullience and confers more weight and credence to the latter’s performance; Chris Venus’ trines Boris Neptune (a congenial relationship), and Chris’ Neptune sextiles Boris’ Uranus/Pluto conjunction (working together at a profound level). The planets seem to indicate that this double act is meant to be, possibly a Soul Contract.

Evaluation

If that all seems naive, trite even, in the face of the enormity of this crisis, and the suspicion that the measures are too little too late (and that Boris should have acted earlier), we are where we are with it.  The rest, to a great extent, is up to us as a collective: reminding each other to self-isolate, bearing in mind the incubation period is up to 14 days (or even more) with people being infectious during that period.  And the mutual support people need to give each other is already happening in so many ways (excepting those who take more than they need, and the scuffles I have heard of in supermarkets).  We must continue to thank those workers who are propping up society, and looking after our needs, such as NHS workers and supermarket workers.  Keeping up each others’ spirits is vital, and we have many ways to communicate in this day and age.

To all my readers:  Light and Love! Live Long and Prosper x

Aspects

Saturn went into Aquarius in the early hours of this morning.  If you were wakeful, this may have been down to its new and unusual stimulus.  As mentioned above, Saturn = isolation and Aquarius = society.  We are challenged to a new way of being.  In society but not of it?  Certainly the combination of Saturn and Aquarius is a cool energy; Saturn was the old ruler of Aquarius before Uranus was discovered.  At that time Saturn also ruled Capricorn, as it still does, so the winter months were dominated by Saturnian energy, slow and cautious.  But Saturn’s entry into Aquarius quickens the pace slightly from Capricorn, and may introduce a more telepathic element to communication.  There is also a sense of necessity being the mother of invention (where Saturn = necessity, and Aquarius = invention).  We are entering the most significant new phase since the coronavirus entered our lives and consciousness.  The sense of responsibility has been widened, and may be open to higher ways of manifestation.  If you find yourself having ingenious ideas in the middle of the night for how you can cope, or how you can help others, that will be down to Saturn in Aquarius.  It’s much more “we are all in it together” than “every man for himself”.  So this is such an important day in our history.

As if to underline the message, and help us get underway with our new mindset, at lunchtime Mercury sextiles Uranus, like a free extra package to help us on our way.  It encourages us to use all the new technology for our communications, such as for our Mother’s Day greetings.  Bright minds, and bright ideas feature today, and Intuition is heightened.

Tomorrow (23rd) will be spreading the love, with Venus sextile Neptune.  There’ll be an extra afterglow from Mother’s Day, perhaps.  Venus sextile Neptune can bring a beautiful expression of spirituality and the Arts.  New artistic avenues are flourishing, ingenious ways for people to share art, music and performance over the internet with the closure of theatres etc.

Sadly, extra caution needs to be taken the same day, with Mars conjunct Pluto (at 24 degrees Capricorn).  We may hear of devastating spikes in figures of the coronovirus.  If so, it will act as a salutary message perhaps to those who are unnecessarily foolhardy.  Definitely a day to skirt round those scuffles in the supermarket.  It would be a good day to organize a remote group meditation if possible.  I meditate at 3 pm every day, and am currently dedicating my meditations to visualizing light dissolving the epidemic, if anyone would care to join me.

The New Moon arrives on Tuesday (24th) at 4 degrees Aries, and may bring cheer and vigour, and a renewed sense of purpose.  It is a time to look to the future, as much as is possible.  I have a Future Life Progression scheduled by Skype in the morning, and that may be very revealing, hopefully shedding light on the future.  Tuesday can certainly be a new beginning for you, even if it is in organizing your new self-isolating lifestyle.  If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well…The New Moon in Aries is one of the brightest of the year in terms of its potential.

Lastly, we end the week on Saturday (28th) with one of the loveliest aspects of the year: Venus trine Jupiter.  It may make up for one of the most difficult, the Mars/Pluto conjunction of early this week.  In normal times, it would be party time, but we will have to celebrate in ingenious ways.  I hear that people are having virtual dinner parties now, so that is a thought.  There may be some better news on the coronavirus figures…China now seems to be coming out of the gloom, and it is hoped that Italy might see some improvement.  It would be good to see signs of progress here, too, with better practices followed.  Close relationships are favoured, and love may flourish even on your desert island!

The week in bullet points:

• Today – splendid isolation
• Tomorrow – spread the love; stay away from conflict
• Tuesday – new beginning
• Saturday – good for relationships

David Hume (1711 -1776)

This is the second of my new  series of occasional philosophy blogs.  As regular readers will know, I am studying for a certificate in the subject this year.  I started with an Aries, Rene Descartes, a true Aries in every sense of the word, an individual and an initiator.  I will now look at a philosopher of the next sign Taurus, whose philosophy is as Taurean as Descartes’ was Arien!  David Hume’s work was known as Empiricism, based on the evidence of the senses, a counterpoint to rationalism as expounded by Descartes.  Together they form two basic pillars of modern philosophy.

Birth Chart

Hume had half his planets (5) in Earth, and over half his planets (6) in the Fixed signs, so you could describe him as very grounded and strong willed.  His Sun was in Taurus, and he argued that rather than reason the questions of existence through the mind (as Descartes had done) it was important to trust the evidence of the senses (Taurus).  As with Descartes, we do not have a birth time, and so our information is incomplete.  But his Moon was also in an Earth sign, again emphasizing the material.  His Mercury was closely sextile with his Saturn, indicating mental focus.  Descartes had Mercury trine Saturn, and Nietzsche had Mercury trine Saturn – I have not yet undertaken an exhaustive study of this feature, but it seems to be an advantage in an analytical philosophical perspective.  Hume had lovable Venus (his ruling planet) trine his natal North Node (karmic mission), and is one of the most likeable and popular of the modern philosophers.  Jupiter trine Uranus gave him the Entrepreneur Archetype, and he was very prolific and successful and varied in his activities.  Jupiter trine Pluto gave him a sense of power and confidence, too.  Uranus exactly conjunct Pluto in Leo produced a great deal of intense energy.  He was very Taurean (Sun, Mercury and Neptune in Taurus) in another particular respect: he was portly in build in his adult years, and had a fondness for port and cheese!

Life and Career

David Hume was a philosopher from the United Kingdom (Scotland).  France and Germany also produced prominent philosophers in the early modern era.  German philosopher Immanuel Kant was quoted as saying that Hume aroused him from his “dogmatic slumbers”.  His first work was “A Treatise of Human Nature”, written 1739 – 1740.  He posited that all human knowledge derived from experience, and thus pitted him against the philosophical rationalists, and Descartes in particular. Philosophy was moving on by one sign!  He admitted that sentiment played a part in the thinking process, whereas for Descartes it played no part.

History and Freedom

The concept of freedom was important to David Hume, as an intrinsic part of human life and make up, and makes up a complex theme in his discussions.  Freedom is an important part of the process of self-realization.  The term free will is often referred to in relation to self-determination, and in many instances in relation to the presence or absence of a deity. The associated concept liberty tends to refer to the more outward experience in relation to society.  Liberty as an outward expression especially related to society and politics, was largely a later expansion of Hume’s work into the themes of history (his History of England established his success), politics, and social science.

Hume was heavily influenced by John Locke (1632-1704), and both had an influence on the ideas which lead to the American (1776) and French (1789) Revolutions.  He was also a great friend of Adam Smith.  Locke was himself influenced by Hobbes (1588-1679), particularly in his assertion that the power of will is desire.  Locke’s own work on freedom was entitled An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, so even in the title of his work Hume was continuing the discussion. Locke looked at issues of volition and free will before Hume, and distinguished between voluntary and involuntary actions, but continually revised his work on the subject of freedom.  Hume took up the baton, and further defined the line between voluntary and involuntary action in describing what is free and not free: “By liberty, then, we can only mean a power of acting or not acting, according to the determinations of the will; that is, if we choose to remain at rest, we may; if we choose to move, we also may.” ((Enquiry, Pg. 85).  He shows that there are many complex factors which go to make up volition, including the passions, and looks at motives.  In this again he departed from the purely rational outlook of Descartes.

Though Hume tended to an atheist view, he recognized that the concept of freedom, particularly in relation to free will and determinism, has to be considered in relation to the concept of a possible Creator, and tried to remain neutral in that discussion, though did not give it central stage in his considerations.  His views on freedom held solidly for a considerable time in the history of philosophy making, and were dignified by Wittgenstein as late as the 20th Century.  There is some modification in the view of his work in the more modern era, but he was as groundbreaking as Descartes in the sense that he held the empirical counterpoise to rationalism, and maintained that passion needed to be acknowledged as well as reason.

Now I am off to find a Geminian philosopher, to represent the next sign of the zodiac!

Bibliography:

1. Hume. Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge; 2017.
2. The Cambridge Companion to Hume. Ed. John Cottingham. 10th printing, Cambridge; 2005.
3. The Cambridge Companion to Hume’s Treatise. Eds. Ainslie and Butler; 2015.
4. Paul Russell. Freedom & Moral Sentiment. Oxford University Press; 1995.
5. Simon Blackburn. How to Read Hume.
6. Dan Garrett. Hume. Routledge ; 2015.
7. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, online
8. A.J. Ayer. Hume, A Very Short Introduction; 1980.
9. Thomas Pink. Free Will, A Very Short Introduction; 2004.

Aspects

Mercury Direct re-enters Pisces tomorrow (Monday 16th), until 11th April.  The mental focus is on compassion, as applied to the most vulnerable in our society.  At this time, the elderly are most at risk from the coronavirus, and there is a lot of focus on areas which have a large elderly population, as well as the elderly members of our own family.  Plus those who have underlying health conditions such as asthma are also extra vulnerable.  There are signs already that hearts are going out to help, and there is much talk about communities coming together, and world nations co-operating.  Pisces and its ruler Neptune represent isolation and self-isolation, but they also represent hearts blending and barriers dissolving, paradoxically.  The brother and sister duo on Gogglebox this week commented that we’ve exchanged an insular focus (Brexit) for a global worry (coronavirus), which they thought was cool.  Australian healer Charlie Goldsmith on Facebook live says that the current crisis is teaching us to go back to basics, and is an opportunity for mass change.

Skip to Thursday (19th) and there is a stabilizing sextile between the Sun and Saturn.  Practical initiatives and the laying of foundations thrive under this sextile.  Perhaps there are ideas you have had which were more suited to the springtime, and you can prepare for them now.  What new routines and traditions would you like to initiate now in  your life?

Friday (20th) sees the start of Spring itself, the Spring Equinox.  New life and green shoots may start to appear, though the date itself is a day or two earlier than usual for the calendar.  Happy Astrological New Year!  And Happy Birthday to all Ariens for the coming month – we celebrate your life force.  For the population generally, if your energy has been a little low lately, you may feel revived.  When I was last in Salisbury, I attended a talk on wildflower meadows and their importance to cultivating different insect species, as well as their obvious beauty.  So it’s a good time to sow…

Late morning, Mars conjuncts Jupiter at 22 degrees Capricorn, bringing the combination of energy and enthusiasm to a peak.  There’s a lot that can be achieved by this high energy, combined with the Spring Equinox.  It is worth planning something special to begin on this date, though of course we are restricted in our activities currently by the social rules imposed to keep the coronavirus graph low.  If you have to stay local or self-isolate, use your ingenuity to cultivate a new hobby or project.  The exuberance of this conjunction when found in a birth chart can give rise to comedy genius (in the case of Tracey Ullman) or an upbeat song such as “Happy” (in the case of Pharrell Williams).

The week in bullet points:

• Tomorrow – mental focus on compassion
• Thursday – a foothold on stability
• Friday – new beginning; exuberance

Democratic Leadership Contest

On “Super Tuesday” last week, the search for a hopeful to oust Donald Trump from office took an unexpected turn, when candidates pulled out and gave their backing to Joe Biden, and he experienced a huge upturn in his chances against Bernie Sanders.

Bernie Sanders

Bernie has often been described as the U.S. counterpart of our Jeremy Corbyn, a genuine socialist with special appeal to young voters.  But as a country, the U.S. is even less likely to vote in a left leaning government.

The Sun in Virgo suggest a purist in some form, in this case in ideology.  It is situated in his 10th House of Career and Politics, and he has been unwavering throughout his life in his ideals.  The Sun is loosely conjunct the North Node too, indicating a leader.  The North Node also conjuncts Neptune, adding the flavour of a spiritual leader. With the Sun (self-expression), the Midheaven (Careerpoint), and the North Node (karmic mission) all in Virgo in his 10th House, his path has been clear and certain, but not supported enough by the voting population to put him in power (as yet).  His bid for leadership against Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election was defeated.  He is a cheerful and enthusiastic warrior, with the Moon conjunct Mars in Aries sextile exactly with Jupiter.  He has a keen mind, with Mercury trine Saturn (mental application), Mercury trine Uranus (mental briliance), Mercury sextile Pluto (a deep thinker) and Mercury conjunct Neptune (oratory, perhaps even channelling).  He has popularity and social skills (Venus trine Jupiter), and is peace-loving (Mercury and Venus in Libra).  He is able to combine sensitivity and practicality (Saturn trine closely Neptune), and able to take in complexity (Uranus trine Neptune).

He was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, who lost several members in the Holocaust in Poland.  Early in life he joined peace, non-violent and anti-war movements, and attended the march where Martin Luther King’s delivered his “I have a dream” speech.  While at Chicago University (studying for a degree in political science) he joined in various protest movements, and helped to end some racial segregation.  Building a political career after University, he took various jobs, including carpentry, which is a Virgoan skill.  He became Mayor of Burlington Vermont in 1980, a post he held until 1989, achieving a great deal in that time.  He went on to become a Senator in 2007.  Although not achieving high office directly, he has been known to be able to influence various amendments to legislations.  He opposed the Gulf War in 1991 and the Iraq war in 2003.

At the age of 78, his health has been of concern recently.  On 1st October 2019 he experienced chest pains and was hospitalized.  It was later apparent that he had had a heart attack (Uranus was square to his natal Pluto in Leo in his 9th House at the time), but by December he had produced a clean bill of health.

His transits for the leadership election in June include: Mars opposite his natal Sun (will need to look after his heart), Jupiter trine his natal Neptune (some uplift), Uranus trine his natal Midheaven (an unexpected opportunity), but with two squares.  They are Uranus square his natal Chiron (again, a health caution), and Pluto square his natal Mars (again some physical danger).  There is also some strength and protection from Pluto sextile his Ascendant, so a mixed bag, and a set of extremes.  His transits for the Presidential election in November show Jupiter square his natal Venus (some social awkwardness), Saturn trine his natal Neptune (as at birth, showing poise), Uranus still trine his natal Midheaven (a turning point in fortunes), Pluto square his natal Venus (difficulty in his private life) and Pluto trine his natal North Node (an important moment karmically).

Joe Biden

Joe Biden has many points of similarity in his chart when compared to Bernie Sanders, and some of those are due to his being a similar age (now aged 77, he was born 14 months after Bernie).  One way in which he is opposite in nature is that Bernie has 0 planets in the emotional Water element, while Joe has half his planets (5) in Water. Joe also has over half his planets (6) in  the Fixed signs, giving him a very strong will.  He has the Sun plus three other planets in the sign of Scorpio in his 12th House, and has had more than his fair share of drama during his life.  He has endured much hardship, but with the Sun trine Jupiter he has been strong and positive.  Both Joe and Bernie have the groundbreaking Saturn/Uranus conjunction in Taurus of their time, but Joe’s is wide, and Bernie’s is close (iconoclasmic, as applied to his revolutionary political views). However, Joe has the Rebel Archetype (Sun opposite Uranus), though he is seen much more as a tried and trusted figure (having served successfully under Barak Obama as Vice President).  With the Sun sextile Neptune, Joe is compassionate.  He definitely has power issues, with the Sun conjunct the Ascendant in the 12th House (he has certainly acted the role of the power behind the throne), but the Sun squaring the Nodal Axis means he has power issues to work through from past lives.  His North Node in powerful Leo is exactly conjunct Chiron, which suggests a karmic mission involving healing – has he come to heal the Democratic Party at this point in time?  Like Bernie, he has the Midheaven in Virgo in 10th House, and they both have the social graces of Venus trine Jupiter in their charts.  They both have Saturn opposite the Ascendant (a struggle for recognition, perhaps?).

Biden hails from Scranton in Pennsylvania, and served as U.S. Senator for Delaware from 1972.  Like Sanders, he opposed the Gulf War of 1991, but in contrast he voted to authorize the Iraq War of 2003.  He became the running mate to Barak Obama in 2008 and served as Vice President until 2016, serving two terms.  He announced he would run for president in this present contest on 25th April 2019, with Saturn trine his natal Midheaven in Virgo in 10th House (slow and steady wins the race?).

Joe married his first wife at the age of 23, but she was killed in a car accident in 1972 together with their daughter, and he was left to bring up two sons as a single parent, while juggling his political career.  Shortly afterwards, in January 1973, he became a Senator.  He met his second wife, Jill, in 1975 and they married in 1977. In 1988 Joe suffered two brain aneurysms, necessitating brain surgery, and made a full recovery.  As mentioned, Joe Biden’s life has not been easy, and in addition to the earlier tragedies, one of his sons, Beau, died in 2015 of brain cancer.

Writing yesterday in the Guardian, Jonathan Freedland described Biden: “… the face it chose was a familiar one, belonging to a man whom Democrats feel they’ve known for ever, whom most of them trust and like. Even the voters I met who were not backing Joe Biden described him the same way: as a ‘good man’, as a ‘really decent person’, as someone of warmth and ’empathy’.”  However, there has been some concern for his health, as with Bernie’s, especially in terms of his rambling speech and gaffes, tripping over his tongue.

As to his transits, before we even get to the leadership contest, Biden has Saturn squaring his Moon around 6th April this year, which may be connected with his wife or domestic life.  This difficult personal square recurs around 26th December.  He also has Neptune opposite his Midheaven in April and in the Summer, which may make him feel at sea.  Uranus squares his Pluto in May and again in December, which is additionally disruptive.  So the campaign trail is going to be arduous for him.  At the time of the choice of leader, Pluto will be opposite his natal Jupiter (a bid for power) and Saturn will be trine his natal Neptune (which Sanders has at the time of the presidential election).  At the time of the presidential election, Joe Biden has Jupiter sextile his natal Mercury (which is mentally upbeat) and Chiron trine his natal Pluto (which is profoundly helpful).  Neither Sanders nor Biden have glowing transits, but Biden has slightly better transits.

Donald Trump at the time of the presidential election will have: Uranus sextile his natal Mercury (surprise), Saturn opposite his Venus (heartache), Neptune square his Uranus (confusion) and Chiron opposite his Neptune (more confusion).  Although this is a mixed bag, there is enough difficulty there to possibly topple him…

Aspects

We start the week with today’s conjunction between the Sun and Neptune at 18 degrees Pisces.  We may wonder where we are, struggling to get our bearings.  If we can establish where we are, we may be able to access higher inspiration for whatever we are engaged upon.  It is a day when progress can be made on subtle and spiritual issues, with memorable ephemeral experiences.

Another conjunction follows this evening, which is convivial and socially stimulating: Venus conjunct Uranus at 4 degrees Taurus.  If you have been working over the weekend, you can let your hair down this Sunday evening!  It is a vibrant social aspect, which may carry an element of serendipity.  People may question your sanity, however, or you theirs.

Tomorrow (Monday 9th) there is a Full Moon in Virgo, so again there may be some strangeness in the air, building up to early evening.  Things may not be all they seem, and emotions may be running high.  Or people may be looking industrious, but underneath their desks they may be doing a riverdance (!). If you have health issues, or ecological interests, focus on your best outcomes, and release negativity and paranoia.

For some Tuesday (10th) will be a saving grace, as Mercury will be stationary, prior to turning Direct.  You might actually be able to sit at your desk, concentrate, and achieve something.  Forge ahead with your paperwork and documentation, and with regard to transport know that you will have more chance of arriving on time.

Wednesday (11th) brings the brightest aspect  of the day, and one of the brightest of the year: Sun sextile Jupiter.  Where there has been dejection, it is time to let in hope, or even celebration.  It will certainly be lucky for some.  Focus on what makes you happy, and make more of that.

We finish the week, on Saturday (14th) with a sextile between Mars and Neptune, which favours the combining of spiritual focus with the physical exercise.  A moving meditation, yoga, Qijong and Tai Chi are some ways in which you can achieve the most from this combination.

But the planets have not finished with us, for mid-afternoon on Saturday the Sun sextiles Pluto, so we have two sextiles on that day.  This finishes the day and the week on a profoundly satisfying note in some way.  Delve deep into your psyche and into the issues which need solving in your world, and find holistic solutions.  Then perhaps apply your solutions to the wider concerns in the world.  There is a You Tube video available by Chris Griscom on how to deal with the coronavirus, from a spiritual perspective.  She makes a few useful recommendations, which you might like to try out.

The week has two conjunctions, which may make it an intense week, mainly in a good way.  The two sextiles at the end of the week could leave you feeling you have accomplished something of lasting value.

The week in bullet points:

• Today – spiritual focus; sparkling social life
• Tomorrow – emotional high tide
• Tuesday – improved communications
• Wednesday – lucky day
• Saturday – combining the spiritual and the physical; profound work