The Queen

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Aspects

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Transit of Venus

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

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

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

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

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

The week in bullet points:

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

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

VENUS AND THE BEARS
©ASIA HALEEM 2012

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Disco Giants

Donna Summer

In the week or so coming up to the glorious mediocrity that is Eurovision, we lost two disco giants, capable of inducing nostalgia in many hearts: Robin Gibb and Donna Summer.  Their musicality is portrayed very differently in their charts.  Donna in life and in personality tended to swing between two extremes, the full blown licentious emotional self-expression (Sun conjunct Jupiter in the 5^th House) and the puritanical (Saturn conjunct the Ascendant in Virgo).  She had several planets in the 5^th House of Disco and Hedonism.

Robin Gibb

Robin Gibb’s exuberance was firmly rooted in his family connections, especially with his twin Maurice and his older brother Barry.  This is shown by the Moon conjunct Jupiter in his 4^th House of Home and Family (he was ever grateful for these connections, apart from a short spell finding himself after some sibling rivalry).  Venus (Song) was exactly conjunct his I.C.  (Security and Roots) in the 4^th House, so that his song writing was to a great extent inspired by the family connection.  He was, as Paul Gambaccini intimated, a musical genius, and this Venus/I.C. conjunction was blessed by an exact sextile with his North Node (karmic reward).  He was able to take advantage of this karmic grace in his career, with the exact trine of the North Node to his Midheaven (Careerpoint).

Eurovision

The musical nostalgia we resurrected for our U.K. Eurovision entry did not make an impression on the judges this year, giving us penultimate place in the vote.  This is because the acts that did well this year impressed by their visual performance (Sweden, who won, and the Russian Grannies notably).  Engelbert Humperdinck sang well and his song was no worse than average, but there were no hi-jinks or spectacular Kate Bush style gyrations from him.

If you followed the adventures in this blog of the phobic four who went off to Duesseldorf for last year’s extravaganza, you might wish to know that we decided at the time not to follow on to Azerbaijan this year, just as well considering the political climate.  We had one on the way, for little Roxanne signalled her pleasure from the womb, at Jedward’s performance.  So we did gather again from the comfortable atmosphere of Cambridge, but then there were five. We did wave our flags again for Jedward (the Irish entry) but though their performance was up to its usual standard, the song was not as catchy as last year’s. And we did sample some amazing flavoured ciders, such as strawberry (to be recommended), so a good time was again had by all.  Just a footnote: the Eurovision cure for the phobias did work.

Engelbert did have a reasonable transitting sextile of Saturn to his natal Jupiter to make the event happen for him, but though an accolade at his age (76, about the same age perhaps as the Russian Grannies) the performance did not distinguish him in that setting. Although I carried out my threat to walk out of the room at his performance, my feelings gave way to compassion when country after country refused to give him any points.  Maybe it was my own 17-year old angst which was at fault, for his 1967 hit “Release Me” was a painful expression of his progressed Sun reaching his Chiron (Wounded Healer) in the 5^th House of Self-Expression.  The prevailing transit to the U.K. chart was not looking bad yesterday: Pluto sextile the U.K. natal Jupiter. Maybe that will translate into other benefits for the U.K. around this time.  The winning country Sweden (who may just about be able to afford to stage the 2013 Eurovision) have a powerful transit of Pluto sextile the natal Saturn at this time.  And their winning performer Loreen Talhoui, who fulfilled the brief of visual performance, hi-jinks (expressing the song lyric Euphoria) and spectacular Kate Bush style gyrations, was actually under the constraints of a transitting Saturn to her Sun in Libra, so it was a very studied performance, and  consistently touted beforehand as a favourite.  Ah well…the mysteries of Eurovision are now behind us for another year.

The Aspects

All eyes are again on Mercury this week, starting with a transit of Mercury conjunct the South Node this weekend, causing us to revisit old events and patterns: in my case, as mentioned above, I was reunited with the crowd I went with to the Eurovision Song Contest last year in Duesseldorf. Mercury is also conjunct the Sun, providing a focal point of consciousness and intellectual energy in whatever natal House the conjunction falls. Late in the day Mercury sextiles Uranus and a bright idea may come to you, possibly as a result of revisiting old events, and constellating your consciousness. The power to change circumstances or thinking is coming from the house which contains transitting Uranus.

Tomorrow the Sun sextiles Uranus bringing co-operating between the same combination of Houses, but instead of ideas (Mercury) creativity (Sun) will be born. However, later on Mercury squares Chiron, and mental strain could be in evidence, or health issues challenging, so pace yourself – don’t overreach yourself, but do honour your creativity, inventiveness and originality.

By Wednesday (30th) health issues may continue to be a pre-occupation. You may solve one area of healing (e.g. The mental component) only to find there is a deeper level ( that of the Soul) to explore, with the Sun square Chiron.  The Soul of course does not need healing, your connection to it just needs strengthening.

In the early hours of Thursday (31st) Mercury squares Mars and you may be woken with a physical discomfort e.g. slight tummy troubles, headache or inflammation. Alternatively you may experience a conflict type of dream, in an effort to resolve a healing crisis.

The good news is that there is every chance of health or conflict resolution by the end of the week, due to Friday’s (1^st June) conjunction between Mercury and Venus: a dialogue of reason and the heart. Writers, negotiators and peacemakers come into their own. Cafe culture thrives: with decaff and gluten free options available in most establishments these days there is no reason to fret or experience guilt these days.

The week in bullet points:

• Today – re-visiting the past; crystallizing consciousness; mental leaps
• Tomorrow – brilliant ideas and creativity, then mental strain
• Wednesday – health pre-occupations
• Thursday – health and safety issues
• Friday – cafes, and notebooks at the ready

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

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

Here guest blogger Janet Leng writes about Gemini as teacher. Janet is a schoolfriend, and also happens to have been born 3 days before my husband in the same year, so I have been able to track their astrological parallels over the years, e.g. my husband is also a teacher. The blog was written under the aegis of a “writing” aspect: Venus sextile Mercury.

Two other fascinating facts about Janet: In the late 60s she negotiated her own dual degree course (Biology and Language) which was unheard of in those days, and the subjects reflect Gemini very well. The other fascinating fact is that she is a competition champ: her Gemini mental agility, which she demonstrates in this guest blog, has seen her through life manifesting what she needed by winning the relevant competitions. Another fact (possibly only fascinating to me) is that she introduced me to mandalas.

A word about the mandala: It is orange, which is in the portion of the colour spectrum I associate with Gemini, and that is uncomplicated. But, maybe due to the fact that it was painted on last’s year’s Gemini New Moon Eclipse, it has led us a merry dance to get it here. The paper the watercolour was applied to was the crinkliest of all the mandalas, and eventually, after many efforts including an unsuccessful repainting, we obtained a photograph of it which might work. A slippery Quicksilver Geminian customer, if every there was one. And it was painted by Geminian Sarah on her birthday. Do let us know if you have any unusual experiences with this mandala. Some background history: this line drawing from Barry’s colouring book was based on an early ‘70s line mandala inspired partly by cruciform mandalas found in churches, drawn at a time before he was painting mandalas, so it was not painted.

Revolving Doors, or “The Gemini Guide to Communication and Teaching”

by Janet Leng

I love being a Gemini. It’s a life of few disappointments . Who could stay miserable for long when lost opportunities simply bring the freedom to look for the next open door and when you can wonder what you’ll be when you grow up – right to the very end. You probably haven’t built up a huge pension pot but you’ll be rich in experience and boredom will be a foreign word. You might have to keep on working past retirement – but who wants to pass up all those new experiences just waiting for you out there on the horizon.

So, where does this Masterclass start? It probably starts out on the Somerset Peat Moors where I had a fixed term contract as Field Archaeologist on the Somerset levels , living in an isolated cottage with only the owls, the buzzards, the shrews, rats and weasels for company in the midst of the peat fields. Now this, I have to admit, remains my dream job but notice I said “fixed term” so the dream couldn’t go on.

Instead of moping I thought to myself “What would I like to do next?” The answer was “I’d like to go and live in a Moslem country.. Somewhere the very opposite of the Somerset Levels. Just to see what it’s like. Now how can I do that?” It wasn’t difficult to find myself on a TEFL training course through International House leading to a placement in noisy, busy, exuberant Cairo.

I can’t say I had any great wish to be a teacher having fallen into it in true Gemini fashion via the quest for change and new experiences . But once I was in Egypt I loved it. It wasn’t the subject and wasn’t the syllabus or the work per se. As with all my future drifting in and out of teaching, I couldn’t pretend to have any great passion for the subject . It was the people who mattered. I’ve never been able to stand up and spout in front of a class but running an interactive , mutually beneficial learning process is one of the most fulfilling things you could wish for. And in Cairo, I felt I learned more than I taught.

Back in York some years later, as a single parent, I needed to find a way to support myself and my four old daughter. Once again I thought “Now how can I do this?” and once again I fell into teaching, taking a PGCE Secondary level. I can not claim any lofty ideals. The grant I received was more than I’d been earning in part time work and the timetable fitted in with my daughter’s school times and holidays.

Once again I could not pretend any great passion for the subjects I took. Unsurprisingly I gravitated into special education where on and off over the years I’ve worked in the old style sin bins (the class of naughty boys), autism units, and become deeply involved with pupils with profound and multiple learning disabilities and those with severe physical disabilities.

I loved them all. You might think that a Gemini driven by the need for communication and mental agility would find such work frustrating or even boring but that never happened. In fact it was the reverse. The more disabled children are, the more locked up in their own little words, the more sensitive you can become to them . You become aware of such tiny little things and tiny little changes that communication occurs at a very deep and satisfying level. And in York, as in Cairo, I felt I had learned much much more than I taught.

This type of work is also physically exhausting. Heavy wheelchairs, children who cannot move their own bodies; a constant need to be fully alert to every little thing going on, alert to any sign of physical distress in a child, alert to signs of imminent seizures …. It isn’t a job for the feeble but I got to the point where the physicality was too great for me and my own health was being compromised.

The thought of going back into mainstream education was horrific. Children in mainstream these days don’t really NEED you. There is none of the deep communication and the strong relationships between teacher and pupil. The possibility of relationships with your class are minimised by the day to day struggles with discipline and order. No self respecting Gemini has any interest in imposing restraints, discipline and order!

I still had no great drive to change the world or pass on love for any particular subject – so what next? How would I find new excitements and new paths?

I had done some casual spells of work for a training company as an instructor in business English delivering individualised one to one courses to business people from abroad. I could only handle short bursts of this of I would have died mentally and emotionally. Despite the need for building good relationships in one to one training, a clientele of largely workaholic Germans from Deutsche bank and VW, left me feeling as if in a straight jacket. It certainly wasn’t the same two way enlivening process as in special education and going down this route permanently was never an option . Sadly I did not feel I learned more than I taught in this post HOWEVER I heard that another of their trading arms was developing BTEC courses within the Kuwaiti oil industry.

A little flash of inspiration hit me and I went to see the boss, suggesting that if he included me in the Edexcel training for BTEC assessing procedures, I would be ready and available if he needed to send anyone out to Kuwait at short notice. And that’s exactly what happened. I had the training. Two weeks later whilst visiting in Manchester I got a call on a Sunday – could I fly out on the Tuesday? Could I? Of course I could.

And that is how at the age of fifty six I considered myself very fortunate to set off on a new adventure. The revolving door spun and I was back in the Middle East.

Here at last I did feel a greater connection with the subject matter had to deliver training in essential soft skills such as Interpersonal Skills, Team Building and Team Working (and many more) , to groups of very bright young Kuwaiti s on the graduate development programme and in addition provide continuing professional development courses to larger groups of older employees from right across the oil industry .

Can you imagine, there I was in the training centre in the middle of the desert, arthritis vanished, working within a very strict Islamic culture with employees at every level, engineers, geologists, doctors, nurses, lawyers, refinery workers, firemen, storemen, IT specialists, from the highly educated with their doctorates to the teams of very young and very wild Bedu tribesmen. Heaven!

Yes it was heaven although at the beginning I was faced with the daunting sight of a formal U shaped room set up, tables covered in starched white cloths Realising this was another potential Gemini straight jacket I soon sought the biggest rooms available and had the room attendants arrange tables cafe style so I could waft around the room at will, put the trainees into teams, constantly shuffling them into new teams for every task.

In this job I’ve had the freedom to the present the training in my own way, almost 100% interactively and fun! NO death by Powerpoint here but lots of physical activity in the kinaesthetic learning style I prefer.

How lucky I was to spend a part of my working life surrounded by lively, responsive young Arabs, absorbing their mental and intellectual energies. To say I felt it kept me feeling youthful is an understatement. In a desert culture with a strong oral tradition, the relationship is everything . And so it was in Kuwait that I felt I learned one thousand times what I taught.

Now we are up to May 2012. I’ve spent the last six years leading a double life. Very Gemini! I compare it to walking through C.S. Lewis’s wardrobe into another world and then back again four or five times per year. Some might find that disorientating but not a Gemini.

Sadly, my company doesn’t have any Kuwaiti contracts at the moment . I could moan and complain about the loss of my other life in the Gulf but I won’t. I don’t feel I am done with Kuwait just yet and anyway the lack of work gives me the freedom to accept just about anything else that comes my way.

So there we have it: a life of travel, communication, never standing still and spinning that ever revolving door.

I wonder what’s next?

The Aspects

On Sunday 20^th May the Sun enters Gemini at 15.15 Hrs in the U.K.  You may have been communing with the Pleiades on Saturday 19^th, but a new mental focus will come about on the Sunday.  I am planning for the latest in the Zodiac Masterclass series “Revolving Doors, or the Gemini Guide to Communication and Teaching” to magically appear at that time, written by a special Geminian and accompanied by a mandala painted by another special Geminian: a double act.  The New Moon in Gemini follows in the evening, and is an eclipse.  The New Moon in Gemini last year was also an eclipse, and the mandala was painted on that day, so there is something of a resonance.  Eclipses are especially important for people who have planets near that degree (0 degrees Gemini), and can be turning points, or can just be tricky to negotiate.  The trick that you, if you are affected, may need to negotiate, may be a turnaround in your thinking.  For example, you may start out irritable about something, until you understand the cosmic significance of what is being asked of you.  Geminis particularly, could find themselves having to make an important decision.  If all goes to plan for me, the Geminian Masterclass article could eclipse this Aspectarian.

Tuesday (22^nd) is good for business and sales, travel and learning.  Your mind will be elastic and safely stretched today, even if it is not normally…(see my section on Phone Apps to test out how stretchy it is at the moment).

Wednesday (23^rd) however, is a different kettle of fish, with the Sun squaring Neptune.  If you have been travelling the day before, try and make it to dry land by Wednesday, for you could feel at sea with this aspect.  You may feel foggy or confused, and need special x-ray specs to see through the illusions of the day.  Not a day to tackle a task which needs precision and attention to detail – best save that job for tomorrow.

Mercury goes into Gemini on Thursday (24^th) and the spiritual fog and mental dullness may subside and give way to clearer thinking, and better communications and travel, but this may only be a brief interlude, unless you have achieved enduring clarity on the Gemini New Moon.

For on Friday (25^th) Mercury squares Neptune, so you will need to use your mind to negotiate another swathe of fogginess.  The spiritual lessons of Wednesday may enable the mental lessons of Friday, again if painstaking attention has been paid.  The mind needs to be a tool honed to perceive whether or not something is an illusion, even though the “mind is the slayer of the real” (Helena Blavastsky) and some spiritual teachers advocate “having no head” etc.  We need all our faculties: if some truth resonates with your heart, your mind, your soul and your body, then trust it.

Smart Phone Apps

Some people are obsessed with their Apps, and those I do have I enjoy.  But my i Phone is too antiquated to receive some of the new Apps. Here’s a wish list:

The Mandala Meditation App

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mandala-meditations/id447475759?mt=8

I have had a glimpse of this App, and would have one if I could…It is a moving mandala meditation, named Luminescence and produced by Meditation Oasis featuring Barry Stevens’ mandalas.  Click on the link above to find out more.

If you have an i Pad you can obtain the following version:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mandala-player-visual-meditation/id512339348?mt=8

The Spiritual i Phone Apps

1.  Past Life Pets
2.  Future Life Pets
3.  Past Life Lovers

These Apps have been created by Anne Jirsch, pioneer of Future Life Progression, to enable you to discover your past and future life links with pets, and past links with lovers.  Irresistible!

For more information, have a look at Anne’s website:

http://www.annejirsch.com/

Book Recommendations

The winning of Britain’s Got Talent by Ashleigh and mongrel Pudsey last weekend just proved how deep a bond can be between a pet and his or her owner.  If you recognize this phenomenon you may want to read a book by healer Madeleine Walker entitled “Your Pets’ Past Lives and How they can Heal You”.  It is profound and heartwarming.  As a result of reading it, and training with Anne Jirsch, I am now intending to offer Past and Future Life sessions in relation to pets, in addition to my existing services.  I mentioned this casually to a friend, who thought I was going to regress the pets themselves, which caused a bit of mirth.  So just to clarify: if you have a deep bond with a pet which you would like to trace in the past, or look forward to in the future, you would have a chance to experience that in regression or progression.

The second book, which I read this week, and highly recommend, is “Dying to be Me” by Anita Moorjani.  It is about one woman’s near death experience.  If you wonder what is different about Anita’s experience which you might not have read about in other books on the subject, it is that after all her bodily organs shutting down after 4 years of decline from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, she had a near death experience and realized what the psychological causes of her illness had been.  She then decided to come back, and she brought back the healed consciousness patterns. Within days her body had healed itself, and the surgeons were confounded that all the tests showed there was no trace of the cancer.  This is a book of universal significance, for the central issue was that in her life she had not been able to be herself.  Her story is amazing, and her subsequent philosophies expounded after the event ring so true.  The moral of the tale is that we all need to live that level of authenticity, now.

The week in bullet points:

• Sunday – Communication, Communication, Communication!
• Tuesday  – Mind-broadening
• Wednesday – Spiritual fog or confusion
• Thursday – Mental recuperation
• Friday – Mental fog or confusion

Leveson Inquiry

Who is Lord Leveson, astrologically?  Brian Leveson was asked by David Cameron on 13 July 2011 to conduct the Inquiry into the actions of the British Press, as a result of the phone-hacking scandal.  Natally he has the Sun exactly conjunct Uranus (insightful) at the beginning of Cancer.  He also has the critic’s inquiring mind in the shape of Mars closely conjunct Mercury in Gemini.  At the time of the choice, Neptune by transit was exactly trine Leveson’s Sun/Uranus conjunction, requiring his expertise in a sensitive large scale project.  The Nodal Axis (karmic accountability) was squaring David Cameron’s Uranus (need for a sudden decision).

Andy Coulson Update

It emerged in his appearance this week at the Leveson Inquiry, that Coulson was introduced to David Cameron by George Osborne.  At the time Andy Coulson was brought into the Government as Director of Communications, it was his Uranus Opposition, a mid-life crisis point.  He may not have realized it at the time.  Uranus is currently shaking up his natal Saturn at the moment, but one of the questions dominating the minds of the media at the moment, is: “How good is his memory?”  Those questioned at the Inquiry, especially this week, seem to have fading memory syndrome.  I associate the Moon (emotional memory) and Mercury (concentration) with memory in the birth chart, and he has these two planets in trine.  Usually for poor memory I prescribe a combination of ginseng (for concentration) and gingko biloba (for memory), but astrologically he would not seem to need them.

Rebekah Brooks Update

Second up for the Leveson Inquiry this week was Rebekah Brooks, former newspaper Editor and CEO of News International.  You would think that the high-powered positions, and the requirement of quick-thinking and being on top of the news would require a good memory (how could you do the job without it?), but she too appeared to be suffering from the same condition (FM syndrome) as Andy Coulson.  Rebekah Brooks was born on a New Moon conjunct Mars in Gemini, the sign of newspapers.  Uranus currently sextiles her Sun/Moon, keeping her smiling during the Leveson Inquiry, though she was under pressure from Mars at the same time squaring her Sun/Moon.  The position of her natal Mars gives her Aries traits, including the trademark red hair, and with the Moon and Mercury in the sign of Gemini there is a superficial “here today and gone tomorrow” attitude towards information and memory.  This is coupled with the Mars quality of living for the moment.  Her chart would lend itself to letting go of information in her mind, but nevertheless she would have known what was important and held on to that.  Her imagination (Moon conjunct Mars) is the type that would retain sensational highlights – a recipe for selectivity, perhaps? LOL ;-}

The Aspects

Chiron is sextile Pluto now, which is very helpful in getting at those stubborn, deep-seated healing and psychological issues from early on in the day. Root out and inspect those fears first thing.  At lunchtime, a lucky Sun-Jupiter conjunction may grant you your wishes e.g. A spell of sunshine if you are hosting a barbecue. It may also be materially lucky, being placed as it is in Taurus, the sign of money. Take heed Jessie J (kerching!) or anyone inclined to mixed or half-hearted messages on the subject. It’s a clarion call, in whatever house it falls in within your birthchart, and that may not be about the money. But wait! There’s more that this day has to offer. For in the evening Mercury trines Mars, so you may act mentally or physically in the wake of the day’s good news or fortune. If you have won the lottery, you will know what to spend it on. If not, you need to see your life in a more positive and expansive context now. If you have a healing breakthrough, you may want to write about it. If it’s a great love that you have found, you may want to radiate that out to others.

Tomorrow Mercury trines Pluto in the morning, and you can take the action and thought from the previous day and turn it into a deeper awareness, and sense deeper possibilities.  Later tomorrow Mercury is sextile with Chiron, so you have a complete set of healing tools that day: both physical and psychological. It’s a good day for Homeopaths, dear reader.  If you succeeded in healing missions on Sunday, you can take these a step further.  It is a particularly good day for Geminis and Virgoans to co-ordinate their nervous systems and take the helm of new initiatives.

On Tuesday (15^th) Venus turns retrograde, and that is a signal to examine the past history of relationships.  Perhaps someone is acting oddly around you, and you need that extra insight!

Mars trines Pluto on Wednesday (16^th) and this may provide the extra oomph you need to complete or continue a project.  Certainly this completes a Grand Earth Trine of Mercury-Mars-Pluto, and may provide some with the excuse to strut their stuff a little too exuberantly, but Mind-Body-Spirit need to be balanced for the best results.

The next day (Thursday, 17^th) provides possibly the most challenging aspect, with Mars opposing Chiron.  Chiron the Healer may be able to handle it, but Mars (the warrior, youngster or teen) may go off the rails a little, and need to be shown the woundedness in their interaction, so that they can make more conscious choices.  Show the warrior, youngster or teen a peaceful space in the heart.   If you are undergoing a medical procedure that day, hold in your mind the highest healing outcome.

The week in bullet points:

• Today – Healing, then Luck, then Action
• Tomorrow – Deep thinking, and healing theories
• Tuesday – Examining relationships
• Wednesday – Energy and Action.  Good results with care.
• Thursday – Healing required

Winners and Losers

It has been a week of winners and losers, starting in football with Monday’s match between Manchester United and Manchester City in the Premiership. On Wednesday evening on The Apprentice teams Sterling and Phoenix went head to head  selling fake tan in Essex, and in the losing team one of them had to be fired (Azhar, Aged 33, no birth date available).  On Thursday evening Labour beat the Conservatives in the Council elections, while very late on the evening of Friday Boris Johnson won the Mayorship of London, over Ken Livingston. Yesterday Chelsea beat Liverpool in the F.A. Cup Final, and on The Voice U.K. the contestants on team Danny O’Donoghue and team Jessie J sang their hearts out. Danny’s team had a stronger showing, but they are competing against themselves, and the results show is tonight.  And last but not least, today is the second round of the French Presidential election. What astrological features accompanied the wins, and are there any patterns we can draw information from?

I always say that I haven’t got a competitive bone in my body (I have Saturn in 5th house amongst other detractions from sport), but over the last 3 years have followed the ranking of this blogsite on PostRank. PostRank as far as I can tell was taken over by Google a year ago, but this week Google pulled the
plug on the astrological bloggers’ ranking site. At close of play, this blog was number 7, having been number 4 for several days. I didn’t  originally enrol for PostRank, and there are other ranking sites which require signing up, but for now I am going back to being  a non- competitor.

Roberto Mancini vs Alex Ferguson, Managers of Manchester City and Manchester United Football Clubs respectively

Neptune is currently trine Roberto’s Venus in 9^th House (bliss), and Jupiter is trine his Moon (euphoria), plus Uranus is trine his Midheaven (Career success).  Saturn is currently opposite Alex’ Mars (frustration) and Pluto is currently conjunct his Sun (chickens coming home to roost).

Ed Milliband vs David Cameron, leaders of the Labour and Conservative party, respectively

Saturn currently sextiles Ed’s natal Venus (a steady triumph) and Neptune sextiles his Sun and Saturn (giving him a spiritual lift).  Jupiter opposes Dave’s  Neptune (illusions shattered).

Boris Johnson vs Ken Livingston, Conservative and Labour contenders for London Mayorship respectively

Both are Geminis, but Boris is more popular with the added allure of Venus conjunct his Sun.  Mars is currently conjunct Boris’ Uranus – he is obviously a man who can handle that excitement! Pluto is trine Ken’s Venus – The ending of an attachment, for him.

Roberto Di Matteo vs Kenny Dalglish, Managers of Chelsea and Liverpool  Football Clubs respectively

Uranus currently sextiles Di Matteo’s Sun (victory), and Pluto currently squares Kenny’s natal Venus (defeat).

Francois Hollande vs Nicolas Sarkozy, Socialist candidate and Right-Wing candidate for Presidency of France respectively.

Both have Saturn currently squaring their natal Uranus, as they are born within a year of each other.  But in addition Hollande has Saturn sextile his Pluto (a difficult but steady state), whereas Sarkozy has Pluto squaring his Mars (danger).

As you can see, there is no conformity about the winning aspects.  More research needed.

The Aspects

In the early hours of this morning Mercury opposed Saturn.  The first four astrological features take place during sleep time this week, so happy dreaming!  Perhaps you had two memorable dreams this morning, for the Full Moon in Scorpio occurred a couple of hours later. The first aspect may have induced a dream of frustration: perhaps trying to get to a place, and never quite managing it.  The second dream may have been combative in nature, such as trying to overcome a dragon. The night may have been restless, for many people sleep very lightly on a Full Moon, let alone the Supermoon it was.  If you feel that you have got out of the wrong side of bed, it might be worth a try to go back to bed for a lie in.  Or have a strong cup of ginger tea, write the dreams in your dream book, and mull over the dreams with a companion.  If you are one of those people that never remember your dreams, then examine your mood, write the mood in your mood book, and mull it over with a companion.  What do you feel you processed during dreamtime?  You might find this a bit of a bore, but it is the sort of week where this reflection could pay dividends.  Particularly if you are living in the U.K. you can programme your dreams this week, and receive inspiration from your superconscious mind.

Alternatively, if you live in the States, you will be having lively evenings the night before, with much happening and florid emotions.

And if you live in Australia or New Zealand, you may live through interesting lunches.

On Tuesday (8^th), dreamtime (U.K.), evening (U.S.) or lunchtime (Australia) you might suddenly see the other side of the fence, with Jupiter semi-sextile Uranus.  A glimpse may appear to you of the light at the other end of the tunnel, or the Sun bursting through cloud (U.S. and Australia), a shooting star (U.K.)  So the dream might be about flying through the sky on a Unicorn or Spaceship, and the reality may be about perceiving an issue from a completely different perspective.

Mercury enters Taurus on Wednesday (9^th) and this will help the new vision to find a practical manifestation.  Vision and ideas give way to methodical application.  In your dream life (another early aspect in the U.K.) a more earthly activity may present itself, and inspire you to some early morning gardening if you are retired, or to pick up a plant or flowers on the way to work to brighten up the Office.  In the U.S. the evening may turn out to be more tranquil than of late, and in Australia healthy lunch options (such as an alkaline meal followed by fashionable coconut water) may be thought through.

On Thursday (10^th) evening we have our first daytime aspect in the U.K. this week.  It is at the other end of the day, in the evening in fact.  Mercury sextile Neptune, rather than being about concrete activity, is about taking our dreams from earlier in the week and integrating them mentally.  Meditation may be a good way of doing this, but if you have been dreaming your way through the week you may prefer to be more active.  In that case, dance is a way of expressing this aspect, or communing with the sea.  If the dreamwork has been particularly successful however, you can channel this aspect into some powerful creative visualization.

In the States this aspect will provide inspiration for an afternoon activity.  If you are at work, you may pluck solutions out of the ethers.

In Australia you might be dreaming your last dreams of the night (early on Friday 11^th), often those we remember most vividly, and they may contain inspiration or guidance.

It is interesting, to me, how the time of day we experience the aspect will affect our experiences, and vary around the globe.  However, you can often choose whether to experience an aspect more inwardly, or base an external event upon it.  Happy aspecting!

The week in bullet points:

• Today – effort needed to overcome inertia or inner fears
• Tuesday – surprise solutions or seeing problems differently
• Wednesday – a more practical mindset
• Thursday – mental inspiration

I don’t think I shall be asking David Cameron to write the Libran Guide to Relationships now.  His choice of nearest and dearest (apart from Sam Cam, of course) seems to have been a little misguided over the last two years.  The main development of the week has been the focus on the Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s relationship with News Corp, and what may or may not be revealed once he is called to the Leveson enquiry, whenever.  This is a sub-plot of the main news story which has been running for decades, the Murdoch Empire, which has been unravelling over the last year or so.  Another intriguing subplot was the undoing of Vince Cable’s role in preventing News Corp from taking over BSkyB.  All these interwoven stories have been playing out, as the wide ramifications of each interconnect and spread outwards.   In no particular order, here is an astrological update on the major players:

Rupert Murdoch

He has natally, a hard-nosed Capricorn Ascendant trine all-pervading and often subversive Neptune.  Emphasizing the Neptunian flavour of his birthchart, his Sun conjuncts Mercury in Pisces.  Then showing the strength of his karmic mission, and the fact that so often he has been ahead of the game throughout the last few decades, his North Node conjuncts Uranus in Aries (the sign of Self).

What astrological factor is now changing his fortunes? Rupert Murdoch is fighting back at the moment, assisted by a few well-placed transits, but he is currently facing a long-term opposition of Neptune to his natal Neptune, which demands the unraveling of the threads of truth from untruth.  His natal Neptune is at 3 degrees Virgo, and transiting Neptune will be undertaking this task intensively over the next couple of years.

Jeremy Hunt

Jeremy Hunt has Sun conjunct Venus in Scorpio: he likes to get close in relationships, and some might say that he was a bit too close to various people (Adam Smith and Rupert Murdoch for starters).  Scorpios also like to be in integrity and he may well see himself as such, although before we hear his story we may be judging him for not being in integrity.  Within the field of politics, Scorpio does conjure up a scene of the intrigue in the corridors of power.  But the Scorpio path is sometimes a difficult tightrope, especially when wearing moccasins… Scorpio does not choose the easy path in life.  We the jury are still out and shall see hopefully the eventual truth of the matter.  He does not have an easy chart, with Chiron conjunct Saturn creating a whirlpool of pressure in Pisces as well.  The Guardian leader points out: “Were he an ordinary politician ruling on an ordinary business, he would immediately have stepped back from the fray. ..Instead of seizing this chance, however, Mr. Hunt clutched intently on to the problem inviting News Corp to provide undertakings in lieu of a reference to the commission.”  He acted like a true Scorpio in that respect.

David Cameron

I have touched on David Cameron’s birth chart from time to time, but the interesting feature highlighted in this time period is his love of inappropriate party going, and his relationship with Rupert Murdoch.  Librans do like to socialize, but his relationship with Rupert Murdoch shows up karmically as David Cameron’s Sun conjunct Rupert Murdoch’s South Node, a definite past life relationship, as with Rebekah Brooks who is linked with Rupert Murdoch through her Nodes – a power network originating before this lifetime.  Rebekah Brooks’ horse could also have been involved (read healer Madeleine Walker’s book “Your Pets’ Past Lives”).  I mentioned the close connection between Rebekah Brooks and Rupert Murdoch last July (“There is an exact conjunction between Rebekah Brooks’ North Node [karmic mission], which is in Aries [16 degrees] exactly conjunct Rupert Murdoch’s North Node [15 deg 56]”) but David Cameron is also well connected.

Vince Cable

Polly Toynbee has made much this week, both in the Guardian, and on Question Time (by the way, what a great multi-coloured jacket she was wearing!) about the turn of events around the sixpence of Vince Cable’s sacking for the BSkyB negotiations and the Guardian’s role in preventing this crucial expansion of the Murdoch Empire at the eleventh hour.  Vince Cable, like Barack Obama (though maybe not quite in the same league) is a politician of principle and insight who struggles to fulfil his potential within the existing political systems.  Cable was forced to take part in the coalition and try to serve within its impossible framework.  He was caught out, some think framed, by unguarded comments about the negotiations for News Corp’s bid to take over BSkyB.  He was then replaced by Jeremy Hunt.  Polly Toynbee writes about the events: “Jeremy Hunt was within days of giving Murdoch everything, because the government wished it…If Nick Davies had not exposed the hacking of Milly Dowler’s phone in the nick of time, all would have been lost.”  I wrote about Vince Cable’s birth chart in April 2009 (“He has a breadth of mental vision which is down to his Mercury sandwiched between Saturn (the old style of thought) and Uranus (the new style of thought)”).  Vince Cable is not a prominent player in the current twist of events, but his slip up had a role in Jeremy Hunt’s emergence and current role.  I think it highlights the catalytic role of his natal karmic mission (North Node conjunct Chiron natally), and that he has an unusual path in political life.

The Aspects

It’s a good start to the day and the week, for consolidating psychological gains, for the Sun trines Pluto. You can go that extra mile to test your mettle!  You’ll find, if you’re climbing a mountain, that the rope, crampons and other equipment will hold, you’ll be relieved to know ( not sure of the mobile phone reception up there though).  Efforts you have made in recent days may have cemented group relations, such as your mountain-climbing team, but there may also be some psychological issues to pick over.  Tomorrow there may be some minor discomforts, such as pulled muscles from the mountain climbing. In fact the whole of the middle of the week may be characterized by a series minor irritations. The first aspect tomorrow is a square between Mars and the Nodal Axis, bringing about some past-life war re-enactments, such as medieval jousting, or Civil War parties. Not everyone likes their re-enactments to be graphic. So they may be wars of words, or psychological battles. And not everybody likes conflict. So some may be desperately seeking peace.  Later in the day Venus semi-sextiles Jupiter and there may be a spot of socializing, such as fraternizing with the enemy, or perhaps Avon calling at your door.

On Tuesday (1st May) Mercury semi-squares Neptune. There may be a little confusion to process from the previous day’s proceedings e.g. which side were you on in the Civil War or the Napoleonic War, and can you be a conscientious objector? Did you really need the Avon products, especially the preventative over-70s anti-wrinkle cream… or were you just trying to please a friend?

Thursday (3^rd) will bring another minor wrangle: Mercury semi-sextile Jupiter. A recent purchase may need to be returned, or the negotiation of a sale may be touch and go, but it’s a good day for recycling.

If the sandwich fillings of the week were not completely to your liking Friday (4th) provides a delicious end crust in the shape of Venus sextile Mercury. Communication can flow congenially and you can proceed with writing or illustrating your novel – yes that pipe dream, don’t give up on it, pick up those threads, keep it alive! This sextile is good, too, for meeting friends, such as old workmates, and for starting new dietary regimes.

The week in bullet points:

• Today – firming up psychological foundations
• Tuesday – sorting truth from untruth
• Thursday – be cautious in your judgement(s)
• Friday – love and harmony in communication

The French Presidential Election

The French Presidential Election gets under way today, and though it is also the London Marathon today that’s not so easy to analyze astrologically.  Here is an overview of the four main contenders:

Sarkozy – Right-Wing President

With Moon conjunct Mars in Aries, he is emotionally flamboyant and showy (Mr “Bling”).  His Ascendant is in late Virgo (and incidentally both those signs tend to give shortness of stature, but he has a tall Sun Sign representing his inner self, Aquarius).  Natally he has the entrepreneurial Jupiter conjunct Uranus in Cancer at the end of his Career House.  He is idealistic about finance, with Neptune in 2^nd House and Saturn conjunct Part of Fortune in the same House.

On 1^st/2^nd June Uranus transits his Moon in 7^th House which represents his relationship with the public, so that is set to change, but there may also be changes in his relationship with his elegant wife Carla Bruno at that time, and/or home changes.  In a year’s time Uranus transits his natal Mars in the 7^th House which could be a challenging time for him.

But the main transit today for him is a square from transiting Pluto to his natal Mars, which he could experience as a shock result.  He also needs to look after his physical vehicle, as it could be pelted with eggs or tomatoes.  The unprecedented sprees of violence recently in France have shaken him more than he would like to say.

Hollande – Socialist Candidate

With Capricorn Moon sandwiched between the North Node and Chiron, plus a section of his chart completely blank, he is aware at some level of how his destiny is shaped by forces such as karma and the need for healing, and I would imagine that there have been times which it has been very much circumscribed with lines drawn out of his control, which he has accepted and worked with.  Interestingly, like Sarkozy, he also has Saturn conjunct the Part of Fortune in Scorpio, but in his 5^th House of creativity and children, rather than the financial House as in the case of Sarkozy.  This would give him a sardonic sense of humour and attitude to life. He also has the entrepreneurial Jupiter-Uranus conjunction but much more loosely than Sarkozy, and that is in the financial sector of his chart so he is able to generate an upbeat and individual approach to finance which may translate to his public work.

At this time, he has a square from transiting Jupiter to his Sun, which is much more upbeat than Sarkozy’s transiting picture, but can bring over-confidence, e.g. he can win, but the job may be more difficult than he has imagined.  However, he has the sort of chart of someone who would grimly set about such a thankless task conscientiously.

There is a fear abroad, especially in Germany, about the effect his premiership might have on the Eurozone, and the upset to Angela Merkel’s established path with Sarkosy (Merkozy).

Melenchon – Left Party

Like Hollande, he is a Sunsign Leo with a wide conjunction of Pluto to his Sun.  That gives them enough gravitas, without it swamping their Leo exuberance.  He has had a strong showing in the campaign.  Luckily, we have birth times for these French politicians, unlike for most of our English counterparts.  In England unlike in many other coutnries, we do not have our birth times printed on the birth certificate, which can cause all sorts of problems for Astrologers.  Like Sarkozy, he has 26 degrees Virgo rising, Virgo being a sign I associate with France and its expression.  But he has Saturn rising, representing a more extreme political stance.  He has Mercury/Venus conjunct in his 12^th House in Virgo, so he is very much a thinker, and at some point in his life would express that conjunction by hiding away in seclusion writing an intense work, a classic even.  With Mars, Pluto and the Sun in his 11^th House of Groups, he would be passionate about what can be achieved by social unions, but the European Union is something which brings out the combative side of these planetary placings.  Transiting Saturn sextiles his Sun at this time, bringing him a dignified and satisfying result, but not likely the main prize.

Marine Le Pen – National Front

Astonishingly, we have another Leo in this competition!  The National Front is a relatively spent force in Britain (though its relation UKIP isn’t), but in France Marine Le Pen who was handed the baton by her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, is still going strong.  Certainly, she has had to tone down her politics a little, as in the recent race-linked violence at a French synagogue.  Her father created and founded the party out of a hard-line but deeply patriotic mindset of Mercury-Pluto conjunction in Cancer.  There are congenial personal astrological bonds between father and daughter, but the baton was passed on through some tight karma: her Mars conjunct his Moon,  her Saturn conjunct his Mars, and her Nodal Axis square his Mercury.  The Guardian wrote last year that she has inherited his bigotry and intolerance, but she still has a great following in France.  She has a wide anarchic conjunction between Uranus and Pluto, and in her own way wants to overturn the existing order.  With South Node conjunct the Ascendant in Libra it is likely that at certain times in her life she will have to give way to others, for karmic reasons.  The Guardian also commented “Some political analysts have noted that her real aim is to bring the party into coalition with the mainstream right and close to the centre of power”.  Pluto is currently trine her Jupiter, so it is a strong time for her.

The Aspects

This morning you can bask in the spiritual ambience of Sun sextile Neptune.  Reminds me of a Frazier re-run I watched this week, where Frazier and Niles joined a health spa and enjoyed it until they saw there was a Gold door for more exclusive patrons, and they enjoyed that until they saw there was a Platinum door…But really it is a day for sensing mystical realities and letting your imagination roam free, or spiritual climbing in meditation.  Just don’t go through the Platinum door…!

The Sun sextile Neptune also brings dreams, and I dreamt last night of the Consultant Psychiatrist who headed the Psychiatric Unit I worked at in the 1970s.  The reason I mention it is that I realized on waking, that he was uncannily like Frazier Crane…!

At tea-time the Moon conjuncts Jupiter, giving you an extra fillip of good humour, prior to the evening which brings surprise communication via Mercury conjunct Uranus. Taken together with the morning’s aspect this could bring some exciting telepathy or innovative ideas, and may follow on from the morning meditation or mystical attunement.  There may be surprise information resulting from the Marathon, or the French Presidential Election.

However, in your personal affairs you need to be grounded because not all communication may be kindly.  When Frazier and Niles went through the Platinum door they were so excited and at first were blinded by the light, and praising the glory of their vision.  Then they realized it was just the back yard of the health spa…(I wasn’t intending to give away the ending in case you were watching it, but it seems relevant).  So consider all possibilities before weighing up any whacky ideas.  You may have struck gold, or even platinum, but you do need to think ideas through thoroughly.

One reason you need to proceed with caution even if you have brilliant ideas today, is that the Mercury contact with Uranus is linked with the square of Uranus with Pluto in the summer, so all ideas will be tested, and will need to incorporate all angles of vision and sensitivity to be workable.  For instance if a government is thinking of taxing the rich, or taxing the poor, they need to see that one impinges on the other and the whole structure needs to be served, taking into account divine law and karmic law, and justice.

There is all the more reason to keep your feet on the ground because then the excitement builds on through the early part of the week, until Tuesday (24^th) with a Sun trine Mars.  For most people this will be a chance to get things done (e.g decluttering), act on their enthusiasms, pursue active projects, and express their male energy.  However some people who are already suffused with anger or anti-social sentiments, may express this positive aspect in a negative or anti-social way.  The exuberance may spill over into petty crime or violence, and possibly even spiral out of control, as for instance in the summer riots.  So make sure that you are one with your own energy, and that your energy is aligned with your own constructive sense of purpose.  And be aware of others, especially in groups.  If you are experienced in working with energy or groups, you can help realign others or the group if needed.  If not, then just centre and align yourself, and make life a meditation in movement, for this is an aspect of movement, and stagnation may not be an option but lack of control a possibility.

On Wednesday (25^th) lack of control could result in a problem, as we are faced with a square between Mercury and Pluto.  Perhaps there was too much action yesterday, and not enough thought, because it is thought and communication which are in trouble on this day.  Perhaps in action, much was assumed about the intent and thoughts of others, and this could cause friction.  Or in action, you might have carried on without sensing the incoming impact of the Mercury-Pluto square which needs more caution, particularly in health and safety.  Somewhere between Tuesday and Wednesday, you need to stop and think.  Look at possible loopholes and safety angles, simmer down from the Mars/Sun high, and also be in touch with your own depth psychology, e.g. what your Inner Saboteur might be up to.  Proceed with caution on Wednesday, don’t overstretch yourself, especially if you are over 60 (remember that you might not be able to do everything you used to!).  The link between Mercury and Pluto may bring up a fuller picture for you about the summer square.

Thursday (26^th) may still be a little dodgy, but it may also swing your way with the minor aspect of Sun semi-sextile Uranus, which holds little surprises, and could make a difference to the overall tone of a week, which will be anything but boring.

Saturday (28^th) brings some form of healing, with the Sun sextile Chiron.  This may be a long-standing matter of bringing to a whole disparate areas of your life, such as through a family gathering.

The Past and Future Life Society

I attended a gathering yesterday of the Past and Future Life Society.  The atmosphere was buzzing with ideas and future possibilities.  It was good to re-connect with the whole Future Life movement, and realize the infinite possibilities of application of this wonderful work.  I would like to dedicate more time to exploring this. Sinhagupta’s recent article “Towards a Scientific Meaning of Past and Future Life Work” is available for pondering the mechanism of this, and I have posted it under the categories “Karma”, “Future Life” and “Guest Post”, in case you want to read, re-read or add to the debate.

The Taurean Guide to the Inner Artist

And it is Spring, season of clarity and budding fruitfulness.  Take out your easel to the meadow or riverbank, or click on the latest in the Zodiac Masterclass Series and discover your Inner Artist:

http://www.lanawooster.co.uk/blog/2012/04/zodiac-masterclass-series-the-taurean-guide-to-the-inner-artist/

The week in bullet points:

Today – a day of dreams and surprises

Tuesday – dynamism

Wednesday – thoughtlessness could prevail, so make sure you are on the ball

Thursday – a hint and a twist of ingenuity

Saturday – for healing

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

This is the sixth piece in an occasional series written about the expertise of each Sun Sign. I am still looking for the Capricorn who can write a guide to Ambition, and a Libran who can write a guide to Relationships. The articles will be found under the category “Zodiac Masterclass” so that eventually there will be 12 such articles, e.g. “The Cancerian Guide to Parenting”, “The Gemini Guide to Communication”,”The Leo Guide to Leadership” etc. Each article will be written by someone who has the Sun Sign in question.

Here guest blogger Georgie Cowan writes about unearthing the Inner Artist. I have known Georgie since ante-natal classes in the late 1970s and we explored past, present and future lives together until I left Watford in 1992.  Georgie holds an M.A. in Fine Art, and has taught art in schools and tutored individuals in the subject.

A word about the mandala: The line drawing in Barry’s colouring book which Sarah has interpreted in colour was originally painted as a mandala on Mull of Kintyre, around the time that Paul McCartney recorded the song of the same name. Here is a link to some of Barry’s early mandalas – see if you can spot which one Sarah has painted!

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

The Taurus Guide to the Inner Artist

by Georgie Cowan

The Bull is often perceived as a loner. It is left in a field isolated from others. It is a creature throughout history that has been venerated, feared, tormented and to this day treated as dangerous and unpredictable. But is also very much grounded to the land.

What makes an Artist

Due to an illness at a very early stage in my life I was separated from my family for over a year. A separation at this critical point leaves the individual a vacuum in which experiences are often transmuted. At what point did my imagination take root sprouting into creative thought. I only know that it seemed to have always there. I was given time on my own to escape into my invented world. With each book I read, each story of classical history, each piece of artwork that I was attracted to, with each colour that spoke to me my inner life grew. I remember dreaming and being discontented that the dream wasn’t doing what I wanted and began to change things, heighten colours, change backgrounds. As each fragment informed the next and the next the artist in me began to flourish.

Silences and War

But one needs silence also to have the space to speak to oneself. As a Taurean artist I am in touch with the ability to develop ideas, imagery and form abstract concepts. Like the Bull I can buck and leap to salient points of a developing theme and still have the space in my head to ruminate until the theme is fixed. The artist in me has no trouble relating to this world.

When I am painting I am in this world. I have dialogues with myself. I am at war with my work, struggling against the odds, overdoing certain colours, or the thickness of paint, losing the original theme – finding it again. Within this unpredictability I am looking for the moment of acceptance. Sometimes like the Bull I can be energetic or clumsy but sometimes I can catch glimpses of that ethereal magical world that is called art. And then my inner artist is at rest.

I caught up with Georgie at the British Library to ask her further questions on the subject:

Lana: How aware are you of having the Soul Lineage as an Artist honing your skills through several lifetimes? (my standard question to Artists!):

Georgie: It depends what you call a lineage, but I am aware of a line right through which is the love of nature. Certain lives relate to that in a larger form.

• My Native American lifetime connected to nature to a great extent
• The Orkney lifetime (in covered darkness) was blinding to the extent that I couldn’t relate to life on a visual level – I felt that loss very keenly. Eyesight, heart and nature are always there and connected with Vision.
• My life as Greek ship designer too, connected with the sea and nature

Art has a lot to do with how you relate to a subject matter, and how you approach or manage something.

Lana: How much do you think that Permission comes into being an Artist?

Georgie: Absolutely, it does!

I can think of 2 episodes from my own life which illustrate this.

• As a child, a teacher was putting me down, because other children imbued me with importance on account of being seen as the best artist in the class. No one should be thought of as superior. Some people feel they need to give you permission – I didn’t need it. I accepted it as a natural thing. There should be no ego involved.
• At one of my exhibitions an ex-Police Inspector in his early 60s told me that he had always wanted to draw and paint. I asked: “What’s stopping you? I give you permission to go to the nearest Art College and enrol!” You could not believe the expression on his face!

So there are examples of a negative and a positive expression of the Law of Permission regarding the Inner Artist.

Lana: What advice would you give to someone wanting to develop their Inner Artist?

Georgie: The first thing I would ask is “What do you enjoy doing?” And the second thing I would say is that Everyone is an Artist.

To develop the Inner Artist immerse yourself in other artists’ work. Not to copy, but to dip yourself in the essence of what it is to be an artist, or what it means to be an artist.

Everyone is, and you have to decide to be an artist.

The last lesson is to leave ego at the door. It is not about who is best at what, or better than someone else.

If someone tells me “I am not an artist” I start by saying “Can you draw a line? Then draw 2, then 3. Trace over that, then trace over the tracing…” and so the Inner Artist is born, or recognized.

Lana: Going back to your original introduction about Taurus the Bull: how important is the symbolism of the bull in understanding your inner artist?

Georgie: There are times when it has been nearly impossible for the Self to do something, but my stubbornness and need to explore something forces me through a kind of wall, and I think that’s true of a lot of artists. Art is hard work, hard graft. You need a lot of inner strength to survive as an artist. There can be a need to detach, too. I have read a lot of artists’ lives, and often they have to detach from their family or background. That is sometimes very necessary to build up “artistic muscles” and for the imagination to flow independently.

Lana: That I feel leads on to the question of what do you feel about the Archetype of the Artist starving in the Garret. Is it outmoded?

Georgie: Totally outmoded. Art is so universal now – so many millions of people have access to it. Of course the artist in the garret cannot afford the paint…but you can use any materials: objects, newspapers, anything to make Art. How you place the objects in your room is also Art. Bedsits can be Studios.

Lana: Lastly, could you imagine yourself doing anything else in this lifetime? Being anything other than an Artist?

Georgie: No.

I have done other things, but I could never resist picking up that pencil. The eyes are the extension of the Self. The Inner Artist cannot help it!

Lana: As a second part of this question, what is the earliest memory in this lifetime that your Inner Artist surfaced?

Georgie: At the age of two-and-a-half, in the back garden…I came from a large family, and spent hours in the sandpit or building yard making sandcastles. My sisters would jump all over them, but I would be driven to start again with my hands, creating shapes. I was in a romper suit with a teddy design on it, a hood with fake fur…I would be there for hours. They say you can leave artistic babies on their own to play a lot longer.

Lana: Well there you have it, the Inner Artist Child, to coin an Archetype

Note:  Georgie does not currently have her work available to view online, but if at some future date it becomes available, I will post the link