From my Postbag:

“Oscar Pistorius…Does anything in his natal chart or his chart at the time of the murder connect to the South African chart and if so, how?”

Oscar Pistorius

Oscar Pistorius is currently on bail pending a charge of murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.  He is due to appear in court again on 4^th June.  Only Oscar himself knows the truth of what happened on Valentine’s Day, as Reeva’s father implies, in stating that Oscar must “live with his conscience.“  Can Astrology help us to look inside his mind?

Early Childhood

Oscar Pistorius was born with a congenital defect, an absence of the fibula in both legs.  A physical problem which is congenital usually (but not always) involves a karmic carryover from another lifetime, a problem which needs to be solved in this lifetime.  Whether it has any bearing on his current crisis, is at this point in time unknowable, unless you have a fine access to the akashic records.

The area of the body where this problem is situated is of interest to medical astrology.  At the age of 11 months, his legs were amputated halfway between the knee and the ankles.  Aquarius represents the area between the knee and the ankle, and his Ascendant in Aquarius is almost exactly halfway through the sign, at 12 degrees Aquarius.  Mars is in his 1^st House, and Mars represents surgery (as well as many other attributes he has such as courage, speed and determination).

Birthchart

Mercury at the top of Oscar’s chart on the cusp of his 10^th House would point to an athletic career as a runner.  Saturn late in the 10^th House may symbolize running into later problems in relation to his reputation.

He has the Warrior Archetype, as shown by the Sun in his 10^th House square closely his Mars in the 1^st House, and indeed his warrior must have been supremely self-motivating throughout the challenges of his life.

Three difficult natal aspects may link particularly with his disability: Mercury conjunct Pluto, Jupiter square Saturn, and Chiron opposite Uranus.

Pluto exactly conjunct the Midheaven would indicate a career and a life path which can swing to extremes in fortune and reputation.

Olympic Success

If I had been writing a blog about Oscar Pistorius last summer, it would have been a very different blog.  Scorpio courage defies the odds in athletic success, and makes his country proud.  Pluto was sextile his Pluto – a psychological triumph and overcoming of deep challenges.  Mars was transiting his South Node, so there was a karmic element in relation to using his past life challenges as a spur to achievement.  His natal North Node is in Aries, so the development of his individuality and potential had reached a marking point.  This may have ended a karmic cycle of the development of his male side.  The Paralympic gold medal shows up as an explosive event, in a transit of Mars to his Pluto/Midheaven.

Dating Reeva

Then began a new phase of his life, post-Olympics.  He began a new relationship, with Reeva Steenkamp, in November.  Jupiter was trine his Ascendant on the cusp of his 5^th House, indicating new love, but square his natal Jupiter which may have brought overconfidence.  Natally he has Moon square Venus, which may indicate that he would take time to mature emotionally, and the new relationship would have tested that, beginning around the time that Saturn was transiting his Venus (relationship).  In their synastry (chart compatibility) her Pluto was trine with his Mars, a very energetic connection which may have been difficult to handle.

The Events of Valentine’s Day

This Valentine’s Day, the day that Reeva died, was close in time to a sextile between Mars and Pluto, which again is very energetic but can be explosive and turn to violence.  Saturn was one degree away from an exact square with Oscar’s Ascendant, which may have been exact if the birth time has been rounded out (10.30 a.m.), cusping his 10^th House of Career and Notoriety.  Mars was exactly trine his Scorpio Midheaven, linking warriorship also with his reputation for that time.  Neptune was exactly square Reeva’s Jupiter, representing complex issues about trust and faith.  If she was born at Noon, Pluto would have been exactly conjunct her Moon, but we do not have a birth time for her.  What happened that day, and how conscious was he of what he was doing in the middle of the night?  How much control did he have over his actions and emotions?  The murder was not premeditated in terms of being a carefully executed plan, with clues hidden and alibis.  He has admitted that he killed her.  Deborah Orr wrote in the Guardian yesterday that “Pistorius’ case is an empty vessel into which all our prejudices can be poured… Reluctance  to take his story at face value is driven not by dispassionate examination of the evidence, but by more general views about the vulnerability of women to violence from their partners.”  I will be circumspect about my own views…if I have not already said too much already.

From my Postbag:

“Oscar Pistorius…Does anything in his natal chart or his chart at the time of the murder connect to the South African chart and if so, how?”

And so to the question in hand (from my Postbag), sometimes you just have to ask the right question.  I chose to use the 1994 chart of Mandela’s inauguration, because of the implied emphasis in the email on the development of the new South African state.  What was revealed was an astonishing link between Pistorius’ chart and that of his nation.  There is an exact square between Oscar’s Saturn and the Saturn of the new state (difficult spurs to mutual development).  There is an exact square between Oscar’s Mars and the Pluto of the new state (pressures of the state triggering Oscar’s energies and efforts).  And there is an exact conjunction between Oscar’s Pluto and the Jupiter of the new state (aggrandizement of Oscar’s deeper energies and psychology by the hope, expectations and aspirations of the state).  The handling of the case has already thrown up issues about policing and court procedures, and is putting the state under the microscope, and through fire.  How Oscar handles himself through what is going to be a long process, and how the state shows its integrity in handling this difficult event, may well be an important period of growth for both.

Aspects

There is a Full Moon in Virgo tomorrow, where we will be torn by looking at the minutiae of our lives and the bigger picture.  The Moon at its full always opposes the Sun, so emotionally we will be focused on details that drive us dotty, but in our wider consciousness we will be attuned to its opposite, the wide sea of Pisces and collective issues.  Later in the day, and operational during the Full Moon itself, Jupiter will be squaring the Sun, so making us away of global events and issues, and how they impact our lives, such as ecology and pollution.

On Tuesday (26^th) Venus enters Pisces, and the general feeling will go from Venus-in-Aquarius-mode which is idealistic in an intellectual and theoretical way about relationships, to a more sentimental and perhaps romantically idealized or even rose-tinted perspective.  Later on, but still early in the day, Mars conjuncts Mercury, and the rose tints may be put under the spotlight and analyzed for a while to see if they can stand scrutiny.  Incident-proneness may be operational, especially in relation to travel.  Irritability for some, productivity for others.

On Wednesday (27^th) Chiron conjuncts the Sun, bringing to emphasis healing initiatives, such as government ideas about what we should eat, and what we should weigh, and how much we should exercise.  However, it is a good day for going within to determine what is right and what is healing for ourselves as individuals.

On Thursday (28^th) Venus conjuncts Neptune and the Fixed Star Fomalhaut at 3 degrees Pisces, at best inspiration in the Arts and creative expression.  This benefits some psychological areas of healing and spirituality, such as tackling the issue of addiction.  There may be some confusion in relationships too, or in monetary arrangements.

Friday 1^st March can be extraordinarily constructive, with first a sextile between the Sun and Pluto at lunchtime, balancing hope and realism, light and shade, in your life.  Then in the evening the Sun trines Saturn, revealing the possibility of constructive plans and ways forward.  The prevailing sextile between Saturn and Pluto is highlighted, which is about constructive ways of handling the current huge challenges that we face personally and collectively.

Winners

I do not have a tendency to win competitions, having Saturn in the 5^th House of Speculation square to my Sun.  However, I received a welcome phonecall out of the blue last week from Cygnus Books http://www.cygnus-books.co.uk informing me that I had won a free book order at random, by virtue of the fact that the previous week had been Random Acts of Kindness Week.  Needless to say I was delighted.  It does remind you that every week needs to be a week of random acts of kindness, both given and received.

Which brings me to the winners of the Richard III competition, to revise the mnemonic for the colours of the rainbow, ROYGBIV (Richard of York Gave Battle In Vain) in the light of his recent change in circumstances.  My decision is to award first place to Daphne (a regular commenter) for the new mnemonic of “Richard of York Goes Beyond Immoral Vengeance”.  And there is a runner-up prize for Sandra (a regular reader) for her entry “Richard the Third – unheard?” which doesn’t exactly fit the brief, but is plaintively evocative.  First prize is a Year Ahead for the winner or someone of her choice, and second prize is a Now for the winner or someone of her choice.

http://www.lanawooster.co.uk/blog/2007/11/the-now/ for explanation.

Don’t forget to claim your prizes, ladies!

The week in bullet points:

• Tomorrow – attentions stretched
• Tuesday – rosy dreams, then attention to productivity
• Wednesday – healing focus
• Thursday – idealism
• Friday – getting to grips with problem-solving

Pisces 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 one of the culminating articles in an occasional series written about the expertise of each Sun Sign. The articles will be found under the category “Zodiac Masterclass” and eventually there will be 12 such articles, e.g. “The Gemini Guide to Communication”, “The Leo Guide to Leadership”etc. each by someone who has the Sun Sign in question and published in their season. I am still looking for the final piece in the puzzle, the person who can write “The Capricorn Guide to Ambition”…

Here guest blogger and Yoga teacher Alison Charles writes her own story of the Piscean guide to Compassion, which is an archetype for both the sign and its quality, as it interweaves dimensions of truth and poetry and the wisdom of life. Alison is a family member!

This component of the  Zodiac Masterclass has an interesting history: it just missed the deadline for last year, but I am sure you are reading it exactly when it is meant to be read.

A word about the mandala: I often give dusky pink as a colour for Pisces because comes between the Magenta of Aquarius, and softly links the colour spectrum with the Red of Aries.

The Pisces Guide to Compassion

by Alison Charles

‘Seek to know the universe and you will know nothing at all……..seek
to know yourself, and you will know the universe’

‘Seek to know the universe and you will know nothing at all……..seek to know yourself, and you will know the universe’. I first saw this probably ten years ago, and it has resonated more and more as the years have progressed.

For some reason I come with a harsh inner monologue – a lifetime of constant ‘that’s not good enough’, ‘one day you will exposed and humiliated’, ‘you are selfish’ etc, etc. Baffling. Whilst I heard this voice and reacted to it, on one level I had no conscious idea that perhaps it could change and that perhaps there was another way.

I struggled. Life was a puzzle that had to be solved, put right and perfected, and I experienced the world as hostile.

My inner world reflected the outer world and for a long time I was filled with righteous indignation and anger at others. I was an angry child and a very angry teenager. Although this was also coupled with a deep desire to change others, the way they thought, talked, behaved and to relieve their suffering, but really that was only because I found other’s suffering unbearable, I would see another suffer and I genuinely felt that I was suffering too (sometimes even more so!). My desire to help them stop suffering was in order to relieve my pain. Years and years of self-help books and constant frustration ensued.

I had no compassion for myself and I certainly had none for anyone else. I lived a fearful existence, and an ambivalence at my existence at all, almost as if my place on this earth was not secure and really, if I chose to I could leave at any time, if it really became that painful.

The difference today is that I have tools to soothe this anxiety with which I meet the world, and I know that I am not alone; every day I endeavour to tell myself that it is one foot in front of the other and that it’s important that I turn up, and that usually works.

It’s knowing these things about myself, the way my mind works, hearing the now audible inner monologue, that there are days when I can feel devastatingly vulnerable, that make me the human being that I am. The knowledge and experience of my own humanity opens my eyes and my heart
to others.

In 1996 I started the practice of Yoga and soon trained to teach it. Physically able, I grew physically strong, and I associated myself with my physical strength. At the time, my desire was to teach people to bring them to the place where I was. I was not really taking into account anything about them, reluctantly modifying the practice for those less able. It took time, a broken ankle, various back problems and neck problems to cut myself a bit of slack. Through learning to teach people yoga who were debilitated by cancer and the treatment for cancer, I realized that the most powerful thing I could do was to meet someone exactly where they were. That sometimes people cannot be brought back to full health, and that the practice for them was to work on acceptance for where they are, and even more so, that this practice is actually universal. That there as a respect in that, love in that, and with love so very much more is possible.

I began to practice a type of meditation called Antar Mouna – for so long the meditation I would practice would take me to a faraway place, an escape. I was shown that through the practice of Antar Mouna I simply sat and watched, my anger, disappointment, joy, frustration, avoidance and of course the spectrum of all human experience.

In February of 1999 my father died suddenly, from pneumonia, as a result of lung cancer, and just a few weeks later my brother Andrew began to show symptoms of the development of a disease that would lead to his degeneration over the next few months and subsequent death in October 1999. I struggled with accepting Andrew was dying, more so, it would seem, than he did. I read the book “The Tibetan book of Dying” by Sogyal Rimpoche. In it one image stuck with me, that if I were to clutch something tightly in my hand, my fingers would be broken if I was forced to release it. The most loving thing to do was to open my hand and release it. It wasn’t just what I wanted. Again I had to work on my acceptance.

My journey feels like it’s been slow, however I realize that there is a divine timing, and compassion for me today is in action. A realization that every thought, word and deed has a consequence, ripples and repercussions. It really is my desire to make those ripples loving. Being human I will stumble . These days, mostly, the world is a beautiful place. I am surrounded by love.

“We all live in a Yellow Submarine” ~ The Beatles

This week’s blog concentrates on the Pope’s resignation, and the Sun’s conjunction with Neptune, which are closely linked in nature.

From my Postbag:

“I 1der if u will b bloggin re Pope’s abdication? on sun. I do hp sum1 mre enlitened in the ways of the world (ie contraception) will cum along. Perhaps all the paedo scandal in the church was jst 2 mch 4 a v old man!  U always hve so mch wisdom in ure views, I wud b interestd 2 no wat u think. Lv & hugs – jxxx”

(No it’s not Mediaeval Latin)…

Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict’s resignation came as a shock, except to some Astrologers who had predicted it.   8 pm on 28^th February would seem a good choice for a planned retirement, since Uranus (change) will be trine his natal Saturn (planning).  The last Pope to have given up serving before he dropped was Pope Celestine V in 1294, who lasted only a few months.  It is amazing that they continued for 600 years without any Pope giving in.

His Taurean predecessor Pope John Paul II was more cuddly than the Aries Pope Benedict, who also has the Warrior Archetype (North Node conjunct Mars).  His role for many years was as aide, protector and confidant to the previous Pope.  Ariens and Taureans are often found together, but it is usually the Taurean supporting the Aries.  However, this is an example of how it works the other way round.  I suspect that his support to John Paul II was a major part of his karmic mission, being in his prime, and that to be a Pope was not suited to his natural tendency of being an academic (his ruler Mars being in late Gemini).

Pope Benedict has not been known for his modernism, but in one respect he follows the modern approach and breaking with tradition, and that is in the manner of his leaving.  Modern views of compassion for the self (Age of Aquarius), not taken lightly, but going against conditioned thought, as against the Piscean view of self-sacrifice which will have been motive for previous Popes serving to the end.  He must have had many a conversation with God before taking such a step.

The Prophecy of St Malachy from the 12^th Century indicates that the next Pope may be the last.  Ariens and Taureans are not known for their reforming zeal, but an Aquarian Pope may fit that brief, as many feel reform is what is required.  I am looking out for an Aquarian candidate, but no luck so far.

Aspects

On Monday at 12.02 hrs the Sun enters Pisces, and we begin to taste the essence of Pisces. I will be posting the penultimate in the Zodiac Masterclass series, the Piscean Guide to Compassion, by Yoga teacher Alison Charles.  Look out for that!

It is indeed Essence of Piscean Week, more than usually so for this time of the year, with Neptune in its own sign and several (Sun, Neptune, Chiron, Mars and Mercury) planets in Pisces.

The themes are not unrelated to the Pope’s resignation, for Pisces represents aspects of renunciation, surrender and divinity come with this, and the story will be current for the whole of this week and beyond.

Pause for a moment, the question is: have you enjoyed all the planets being direct?  Did you even notice?  We tend to notice when they go retrograde, and two will do so this week, the first being Saturn later on Monday.  Saturn going retrograde may mean that you may have to retrace your steps on a project.

With planets going retrograde, and the only aspect this week being Sun conjunct Neptune, the tone of the week is quite passive.  Non-action will possibly achieve more than action, so brush up your copy of Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, and follow the natural, organic processes of life.

“When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.” ~ Lao Tzu

Sun conjunct Neptune

On Thursday (21^st) we have the aspect of the week, Sun conjunct Neptune, an aspect which comes once a year.  It represents riddles, mystery and wonder; complexity and possible confusion.  We may reach the centre of the labyrinth.  Our actions may grind to a halt, and we may be forced to go into our inner resources and processes.  This aspect represents the deep reaches of the sea, and coincidentally Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is launching sea ecology projects (with Neptune sextile his Mercury-Venus conjunction).  Immersion under water, or emotion as its psychological counterpart, is the feeling under the influence of this aspect.  This may be reflected in the day’s weather or climate too, but rest assured neither the Boxing Day Tsunami (2004) nor the Japanese Tsunami (2011) took place under this aspect.  It is a pause for thought.  Past-life phobias, such as from drowning, may come up, and addictions may be highlighted.  The conjunction happens be aligned with the star Fomalhaut in Pisces Austrini.  “Starlight Elixirs” by Michael Smulkis and Fred Rubenfeld states:

“This star has an excellent ability to release addictive states by bringing to consciousness the purpose of addictions…The awareness of past-life connections that create the necessity for such addictions also comes to one’s consciousness with repeated use of this star.” 

Sun conjunct Neptune in the birth chart

Paul McKenna

Paul McKenna, who works through hypnosis,  has Sun exactly conjunct Neptune plum in the middle of Scorpio.  It could be that he sometimes feels submerged in the collective unconscious, taking people into the depths of their minds and Unconscious. The deep nature of his work may weigh on him to an extent, and he revealed recently that he has been battling with depression, which is probably linked with his natal Mercury-Saturn square.  At the beginning of his public career, there was an attraction to the glamour and illusion of the game, and stage hypnotism.  Then he gravitated towards using his gifts for healing.  His new book “Hypnotic Gastric Band” takes the success of his “I Can Make You Thin” work a step further.  I have known people who have benefitted from his approach.

John Keats

John Keats also had this aspect in Scorpio, and was among the greatest of the English poets, channelling the depth of his feeling into classical poetry, seeing deeply into nature, and the dilemmas of human existence.

On the sea, he wrote: “It keeps eternal whisperings around desolate shores”, and he penned his own epitaph as “here lies one whose name was writ in water.”  He died 192 years ago this week, on 23rd February.

The current Sun-Neptune conjunction is in Pisces, even more nebulous, mysterious and overwhelming, and in terms of human evolution a more advanced initiation than that of Sun-Neptune in Scorpio.

Mercury Retrograde

On Saturday (23^rd) Mercury goes into Retrograde mode.  What does he think of his latest photo, which has been spiced up from the natural beige tones to blue-green, to look more interesting and to provide us with information on its geography?  It is a beautiful photograph, but will we experience Mercury Retrograde any differently?  It may generate more love for the planet possibly, and that may mitigate some of its usual bad press in relation to communication during its retrograde run.

Competition still open

The competition for the new mnemonic for Richard III to reflect his changed circumstances will be held open for another week.  The prize is a Year Ahead for you or someone of your choice.  ROYGBIV, Richard of York Gave Battle In Vain, used to remember the colours of the rainbow in order, needs to be revamped, and who better than the readers of my blog.  I know that some of you out there have a way with words…!

Here’s the link, in case you missed it the first time round:

http://www.lanawooster.co.uk/blog/2013/02/richard-iii-1452-1485/

The week in bullet points:

• Tomorrow – A good day for swimming, and retracing your steps
• Thursday – Perfect your swimming strokes
• Saturday – A challenge to perfect your communications; love your Mercury

Jupiter in Gemini – A Review

Jupiter has been in Gemini since last June, and will be there for a few more months: time to review its performance, before it goes into the sign of Cancer.  Like the Chinese New Year signs, Jupiter moves one sign per year, and sometimes it coincides with its Chinese animal, and sometimes it doesn’t.  Today is the beginning of the Year of the Snake, and neither Gemini nor Cancer correspond.  The Year of the Snake, animal totem speak wise, would be Jupiter in Scorpio.

Blogging on 10^th June 2012 my hopes were:

Jupiter in Gemini

New ideas will be coming in, though not necessarily of the economic variety just yet, and new ways of thinking.

Communication will also be stimulated, both in your personal life and in the Communications Industry.

Publishing too may have a revival, and initiatives in Education.

If you are a Gemini you can look forward to growth this year, with a special surge when Jupiter transits your actual natal Sun.

The Reality – Jupiter’s Report Card

The reality has brought changes in the areas governed by Gemini, but not as positive as is usual for Jupiter’s influence.

Leveson

Newpapers, media and broadcasting have had to become more aware and responsible, but the Leveson Enquiry and its findings have not yet delivered optimum results.  Jupiter was retrograde, and still has a few more months to run forwards.  That may be an opportunity to deliver some positive change in these areas.  The prevailing view is that there has not been enough government-backed change, and the moral pressure has been left to the self-regulation of the press.  A new campaign backed by Gerry McCann has been reported, to push forward initiatives.

Michael Gove

Michael Gove might be the wrong person at the right time, for he has tried to bring change in this period to Education, the area which Jupiter would benefit now.  But his changes have been retro in nature, not futuristically visionary.  The interesting thing astrologically about this is that he announced his U-turn (about overhauling the GCSE system) just after Jupiter turned direct!  Neptune is currently exactly opposite his Sun this year, so he is confused.  Today’s Observer leader writes “At heart, the problem is that Gove is trying to make an education system fashioned out of his own education experiences”.

Personal Applications

In previous sojourns of Jupiter through my 2^nd House of Finance in Gemini, I was invited to write a magazine column, and had a major influx of work (my day job was always secretarial, a province of Gemini). So far, I have not noticed any major effect on my earning ability, so I am hoping that I can do better before Jupiter leaves this House and sign.  The daughter of some friends took an exam (again, Gemini) when Jupiter transitted her natal Sun at the beginning of Gemini last summer: normally this would indicate a guaranteed success, but she did not pass the exam.  Jupiter is not easily coming up with the goods at this time, for some reason.

Campaign for Supporting Jupiter!

It is possible that Jupiter’s push to achieve its aims socially and personally have been cowed by the Uranus-Pluto square.  But it would be helpful to polish your own Jupiter principle and make headway in the area of your life covered by the sign of Gemini in the next few months.  If you know the House it falls in within your own personal chart, then you can focus more accurately than just upholding the principles of clear communication and progress in education.  Use it, or lose it, I say!

Aspects

With a New Moon in Aquarius today, and the beginning of the Chinese New Year of the Snake, it denotes new beginnings all round.  This website was launched on the Aquarian New Moon of 2006, and the blog followed on a year later.  So what would you like to begin this Aquarian New Moon, bearing in mind that computers and technology have an affinity with Aquarius?

As for the Year of the Snake, I know nothing, other than its characteristics correspond to the western zodiacal sign of Scorpio, sizzling with mystery.  The main aspect to Scorpio’s ruling planet Pluto this year is the continuing square with Uranus, which adds shock and awe to mystery.  Either way doesn’t make for smooth sailing.

We had some squares yesterday, and the beginning of the week brings another two to contend with, after which it is plainer sailing.  Mars squares Jupiter today, which can bring a flare up of over-the-top enthusiasm, which is OK unless you don’t know when to stop.  If you are a Sagittarian, you may not.  There may be a lot of hot air for the fire signs generally, so the cooler earth and air signs could need to bring out the equipment to fan the flames.

Tomorrow Venus squares Saturn, so if we are going to have emotional disappointments we might as well have them right at the start of the week, so that we can deal with them and put them behind us, and clear our minds for the more constructive aspects to come.

Tuesday’s (12^th) sextile between Mercury and Pluto is important for settling medical and psychological issues.  Scan your body and mind and get to the heart of things.

Mercury also trines Saturn on Tuesday, and that is the formulation of plans based on your researches and findings.

Friday (15^th) is the day of the fly past of asteroid 2012 DA14 at 7.24 pm GMT.  We have been reassured that the asteroid will miss planet Earth by 17,100 miles.  As it is a unique event, we have no way of knowing what impact it will make on our consciousness, but I personally found that Halley’s comet in 1985 and comet Shoemaker-Levy’s collision with Jupiter in 1994 were profoundly felt experiences.  So if you experience anything unusual that day it could be due to the asteroid passing through the aura of our Earth.  Asteroids generally have become high profile in modern astrology, so it is your chance to find out how much power they exert.

But the day’s main aspect Mars sextile Pluto is a very strong and energetic one, so you may have difficulty distinguishing the experiences.  Some serious work can be accomplished, and shifting of energies experienced with Mars engaging with Pluto in this way.  You can knuckle down with others to long term projects, but others may prefer to lock horns.  If Sunday’s cooling equipment is still serviceable, time to bring it out again.

Last but not least, Mars trines Saturn on Saturday (16^th) and on the ground much laying of foundations can be successful, at the end of what looks like a productive week.

Richard III

When I was a student in the History Department of Nottingham University back in 1969, the History Society Christmas party was a cosy fireside chat with our Medieval History lecturer about the Princes in the Tower…Richard III has haunted me for most of the week, and I dare say I am not alone.  So read the blog I posted earlier, to find out why!

The week in bullet points:

• Today – new beginnings, and new enthusiasms
• Monday – letting go in relationships
• Tuesday – examinations of a deep nature, and plans
• Friday – strong energies and shifts
• Saturday – laying foundations

“Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this sun of York”

Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain

Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet

Now that we have stared into the reconstruction of Richard III’s face thanks to the finding of his skull, he has become a modern celebrity, and we feel that we know him.

Monday 4^th February was the day of unveiling the DNA results produced from unearthing his bones, and also the matching TV programme.

The television programme was fascinating, especially the role of his advocate, Philippa Langley, of the Richard III Society.  She became intensely involved after reading a biography of Richard III 15 years ago, and while standing in a car park in Leicester identified the spot where he had been buried.  Thus began a chain of events leading up to first his unearthing, and then the confirmation of his identification.I was very moved by her faith in him, and her own faith in her intuition.  She must have a very special karmic link with him.

The identification of the spot in which Richard was buried may have been through the astral emanations on the site, but clearly there was more at work.  Philippa was led to that spot, and that may have involved some telepathic connection with his Soul.

Several issues were raised by the programme, and his disability (scoliosis) was confirmed and highlighted.  According to Louise L. Hay the dis-ease of scoliosis is related to issues of responsibility.  I do not (yet) have a sufficiently extensive set of charts to identify an astrological signature for this, but it does seem to me that his Mercury conjunct Saturn square to his Chiron is a contributory set of aspects.

Another issue arising was his effeminacy.   Rather than having an effeminate chart, I see him as graceful with four planets in the sign of Libra.  The bone expert on the programme actually used the term “gracilis” as an alternative to feminine.

The day he was unearthed last September was a good day in relation to the aspects in his natal chart:  He had Jupiter exactly trine his Mercury, Saturn exactly trine his Jupiter, and the North Node (karma) exactly trine his Uranus (surprise).

Monday’s confirmation of his DNA was also a very good day in relation to the aspects to his natal chart, among which the North Node exactly conjunct his Venus (his feelings honoured by karma)

The next question on the agenda was where he should be laid to rest.  Should he go to York Minster, Leicester Cathedral, or Middleham Castle where he lived peaceably early in life ?  Or even Fotheringay Castle, where he started out that life. There is evidence to suggest that he wished to be buried at York Minster, according to the historian A.J. Pollard. The Soul that was or is Richard may have incarnated in between that lifetime and this, but it is clear that he has literally moved heaven and earth to rescue that portion of his soul which was trapped and restless under the Leicester car park.

I am sure that this event is the beginning of the restoration of his karma, but it has taken centuries to unravel, and could take a while longer.

If you were viewing the event solely on this lifetime, there might be a case for saying it is a cut and dried matter of Leicester getting to keep Richard, having done all the work to unearth him.  They have promised full honours in Leicester Cathedral, but will that be enough to pacify him so that he does not wish to be unearthed again?  It is important to get it right.

But if you believe in reincarnation and karma, you would have to take account what he would have wished, and the sufferings he endured as well as those he gave out.  And factor in that his sufferings in his life during the Wars of the Roses may have been karmic from earlier lifetimes. Whether or not he was responsible for the fate of the Princes, it is not our place to judge and we do not know the whole picture.

The karma directly affected the history of our U.K. royalty, and did not only involve Leicester and York, but Lancaster, and many other places too.  Richard’s story changed the course of history, but Shakespeare may have distorted his account of Richard’s history, perhaps unnecessarily vilifying him

The ensuing storm of where he should go and dispute about his character may seem unsettling, but I feel strongly that the force of his character or the wish of his Soul is that this should happen, for karmic clearing purposes.

The story rattled on through the week, and on Thursday it came to light, after over 11000 people had signed a petition on his behalf to be buried at York Minster, that York did not want him…There was also a petition for him to stay in Leicester.  A new War of the Roses was well under way.  Westminster Abbey was mooted as a possible way of averting confrontation.

Richard III and U.K. Karma

The U.K. chart has powerful links with Richard’s, showing the karmic importance of his life.  The U.K. Jupiter is exactly square his Pluto, depicting the huge symbolism of his (unprecedented) unearthing.  Richard’s Pluto is sextile the U.K. Ascendant, deepening the meaning and significance of his death.

The chart of his death at Bosworth Field takes on a huge significance as being the turning point of the continuation of the royal line (not his).  It is a real what-might-have-been moment.  Fittingly, Pluto at his death was exactly sextile the U.K. Sun, indicating a complete change of course for the royal line (Sun).

Conclusion

For me the process of choosing his final resting place should go to Philippa Langley, who found him.  She clearly has a special connection with  him, and the capacity to find out his true wishes.

With special thanks to Janet Leng and Daphne Charles for some of the information provided

Hilary Mantel wins again

Was Hilary Mantel deserving of a second (or third) prize for her Tudor novels?  Don’t ask me, for I am constitutionally incapable of reading fiction (let alone gargantuan works), but ironically I did manage to finish a work of fiction this week (my first in years): “The Ladies Paradise”, by Emile Zola, a writer favoured in this household.

Fortunately, I do know many people who have read “Wolf Hall” and a few who have read its sequel “Bring up the Bodies” (which may have inspired the disinterring of Richard III last year from a Leicester car park).

Hubby writes:

“Man for All Seasons painted a picture of ‘Saint’ Thomas More, whilst depicting Thomas Cromwell as a nasty villain who only wanted to wield power and totally lacked integrity. Hilary Mantel gave a picture of More as rather cruel, observed as wearing a hair shirt, and alternatively showing Cromwell as loyal to Wolsey and to the King, but with some integrity and acting with good intentions”.

Mantel certainly has turned the Tudor tale on its axis, and turned the current literary scene too.  The Guardian printed an article last week imploring that she didn’t receive the award, and to let someone else have the opportunity!  She won the Man Booker prize for “Wolf Hall” in 2009.  Her second book “Bring up the Bodies” won the 2012 Man Booker prize, and the Costa Book of the Year award last week.

What has interested me about Hilary Mantel since I first set eyes on her is her astrology, and her past lives!  As soon as I saw her on television, I was hooked.  With her round face and big blue eyes, she looked like the textbook Cancerian which she is.  Moreover, she had Cancerian health issues, centring around the female reproductive system (endemetriosis).

These issues may also have stemmed from past life patterns, according to an account she gave of a regression that she had, although she did feel ambivalent about it.  Her friend, the novelist Adam Thorpe (author of “Ulverton”, a work of English rural history) also seems to have an interest in past lives, and may well be a member of her Soul group.

The brilliance of her intuition and spellbinding storytelling is shown in her chart by Sun exactly conjunct Uranus in Cancer (a sign associated with literature and imagination), and her success assisted by an exact sextile of Jupiter to this conjunction.  Her dramatic perception and depiction of the past and historical power play is shown by Pluto on the South Node.  That she can sustain her writing almost in the manner of a Russian novelist, is enabled by an exact sextile between her Mercury and Saturn.

From the beginning, I had thought her level of interest and the detail plus the imagination of her original book “Wolf Hall” must have been written with some level of past-life recall, with an interplay between her conscious and unconscious mind. She may well have observed the material she writes about at close quarters, at the time it was played out.  And that is how I feel about several writers of the historical genre (fiction or non-fiction) who tend to write about and specialize in a particular era.

Hilary Mantel and Regression

Hilary wrote about her “brush” with regression in a Guardian article of January 2010.  She was not comfortable with her practitioner (you do need to choose a practitioner you are comfortable with), but did experience enough to grasp the issues involved and own her feelings about it.  She writes about being aware of her own current life at the same time as experiencing the past life (which is what I aim for when working).

In her own words:

“…I was aware of everything around me…yet I was on board ship, I was in a railway car, I was in an alien land.  I was still inside Sara, or she inside me, when she reached her 70s and her heart failed”.

I am including this post loosely under the category of “Book Review”.  Perhaps any readers who have read the books can provide their impressions under “Comments” in order to actually shape it into a book review!  I say bring on the third in the trilogy, for it’s good to see someone make the most of their astrological potential, and make a fine art of winning literary awards.

Aspects

The aspects start tomorrow, with a conjunction between Mars and Neptune.  Never does action get so complicated than under a conjunction of Mars and Neptune.  It demands that you use every ounce of sensitivity to get it right.  If not, there can be complications, such as hurt feelings, and issues arising seemingly from nowhere which you would never have dreamed of.  Of course, no matter how much thought you could give, you might never encompass all the possible issues, so it may be necessary to go into mystical mode and see things from a larger perspective, where you might pick up some clues to how to handle a situation.

Mercury enters Pisces on Tuesday (5^th), enabling you to sustain a mystical perspective, perhaps informed by the previous day’s tussles.  This may enable you to work further on the activity or issue, and refine your understanding.  Mercury will be going back and forth in Pisces until 13^th April, which is a long stay for quicksilver Mercury.  Therefore, these two months are perfect for establishing a regime of meditation, or working along a spiritual line.  If new to mysticism, you can study the poetry of the famous mystics such as Theresa of Avila and St John of the Cross (Salvador Dali thought he was a reincarnation of St John of the Cross and claimed to have clear memory of his life, so that is an interesting study in itself).  You may already be established in your own spiritual or mystical path, in which case your own Soul will inform the route, but these two months will be good for such contemplation.

Venus sextiles Uranus on Wednesday (6^th), and this is one of two aspects which I have already written blogs about, so I will include them under further reading at the foot of this post.  I associate this aspect with exciting and special meetings.  Although it occurs twice a year, sometimes these meetings can be life-changing.

Late on Wednesday evening, Mercury conjuncts Neptune, so the meditational and mystical thread is strengthened.  It is the sort of aspect where, if you are dropping off to sleep, in that hypnagogic state, you may receive a major insight into a problem you have been turning over, or your guides may drop in some helpful imagery or information.  Even if you are not a channeller, you may find yourself channeling.

Then on Thursday (7^th) Venus trines Jupiter, the second aspect this week which I have written about in a particular blog, and therefore referenced below.  Both these aspects involve Venus, both are extremely positive, and both are very social aspects.  So if you are having any special social arrangements this week, they will feel as though they are meant to be, and are likely to go with a swing.  Venus trine Jupiter is romantic and celebratory, associated with engagements among other affairs of the heart.

Apart from today, which seems to be a day of rest for you and the aspects, there is an aspect every day of the week.  On to Friday (8^th): Mercury conjuncts Mars, and this could be an ideal day to ditch the contemplation and go all out for action, if you are in a positive frame of mind.  If angry or negative, accidents could happen.  If you are working mainly on the intellectual plane, it is a good day to write a critique or review, or a short sharp article for a magazine on a topical subject.  It’s very much a case of how the moment takes you, so keep your thoughts and feelings positive while you work and much can be achieved.  Transport and cycling are zippy too.

And Saturday (9^th) brings two more aspects to work with, of a slightly more challenging hue (both squares).  The first square is between Mercury and Jupiter.  If you were successful and productive yesterday, you might feel you can zip along the same way, but won’t find the same support from the Universe.  Yesterday’s activities may have generated too many interests, and you may find yourself over-stretched, with your mind scattered.  If you are working globally, you may feel (temporarily) that you have taken on too much.  Make sure that what you do tackle, you engage with thoroughly, and prioritize so that you identify components or issues which can wait.

The second square is actually a T-square between the Sun and the Nodal Axis, so you may be working in a group to bring coherence to a project, or trying to adjust power issues.  If working creatively, you may be working on a higher level, and accessing past life connections.  You will at any rate, need to ensure that all karmic requirements are satisfied.  Leos may be at the centre of this interconnection.

Further related reading:

On Venus sextile Uranus

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

On Venus trine Jupiter

http://www.lanawooster.co.uk/blog/2012/11/aspect-for-the-week-beginning-4-november-2012/

The week in bullet points:

• Tomorrow – finely tuned action at best
• Tuesday – a mystical perspective
• Wednesday – special encounters; then mystical attunement or confusion
• Thursday – celebration
• Friday – brisk business
• Saturday – mental overstretching; balance power in groups

“The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.”

~ Moliere

Sun square Saturn

Sun square Saturn is the only main aspect on the menu this week, one that comes around approximately twice a year.  All other astrological features are not aspects as such, though the Full Moon is an opposition between the Sun and Moon.

What to expect

This aspect will be a good opportunity to turn round or review your Victim Archetype.  Everyone has one, according to Caroline Myss (in her system, there are 4 main Archetypes which are in everybody’s repertoire).  It is not the only indicator of the Victim Archetype, but an important one.

Victim archetype

The Sun square Saturn this week may alert you to where you may be playing out the Victim, which is one step towards healing it.  According to Myss: “Shadow Victim shows you that you might like to play that role because of the positive feedback you get in the form of sympathy or pity”.

In its resolution she advises: “The goal is always to learn how to recognize these inappropriate attitudes in ourselves or others, and to act accordingly.”

Caroline Myss has a new book out, entitled  “Archetypes – who are you?”, where she concentrates on modern, empowering Archetypes.  It’s a worthy sequel to her earlier book “Sacred Contracts”.  She has furthered the work of Carl Jung in this field.

In Global Affairs

In his article this week “Perpetuating Historic Victimhood breeds New Victims” Alon Ben Meir, Professor of International Relations at New York University argues that the victimhood of both the Israelis and the Palestinians are holding back the peace process.

He writes “The sorry truth is that while polls consistently show that a majority of Israelis and Palestinians believe that only the co-existence of two independent states offers a viable solution, they still refuse to divorce themselves from a deep sense of victimhood.  Both parties continue to define themselves as historic victims, and to nourish a kind of vicarious victimhood which ultimately serves to justify the policies and goals they pursue, however counterproductive they may be to a solution.”

If you have Sun square Saturn natally

You may have had a difficult start in life, and felt reluctant to take on responsibilities.  You may find it hard to get things going, needing everything to be tried and tested. The Sun square Saturn dynamic feels like you are pushing against something, but paradoxically it can give you the energy to push, if you decide to move beyond self-defeatism.   The problem may be a health handicap which manifests early in life according to the health associations of the Sun sign, e.g. childhood asthma for Sun in Gemini, or depression for Sun in Capricorn.  If you have this aspect natally, ask yourself  “What in your life have I most had to overcome?” and the answer may lead you to what you need to work on, if you haven’t already dealt with it to your satisfaction.  The goal is liberation into your true Self.

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey, who has the aspect of Sun square Saturn exact in her birth chart, offers an example of one who had a very difficult childhood, then reached a turning point in her teens and turned her life around spectacularly.  This was with the help of other attributes in her chart, such as the karmic mission of Inner Healer (North Node exactly conjunct Chiron in the 1^st House), the Sun exactly conjunct Venus in her 2^nd House (success through the warmth of the Heart Chakra, with financial benefits) and Part of Fortune exactly conjunct Neptune in 10^th House (joy in Spiritual pursuits contributing to success).

Wikipedia quotes her as saying: “The reason I gained so much weight in the first place and the reason I had such a sorry history of abusive relationships with men was I just needed approval so much. I needed everyone to like me, because I didn’t like myself much. So I’d end up with these cruel self-absorbed guys who’d tell me how selfish I was, and I’d say ‘Oh thank you, you’re so right’ and be grateful to them. Because I had no sense that I deserved anything else. Which is also why I gained so much weight later on. It was the perfect way of cushioning myself against the world’s disapproval.”

Is it possible to eliminate the victim altogether?

Oprah’s tale went from rags to riches, although riches are not a definitive indicator of success or happiness; a rich man or woman can be a victim of their own success.  She has worked phenomenally on her spiritual issues, including victimhood.  Sun square Saturn offers the opportunity to identify and work on our Inner Victim.  I am not sure whether you can totally give it up, but certainly life doesn’t have to be an endurance test.

Interplay with other Archetypes

There is enough work to do on one’s own Victim Archetype, but there is often interaction with other Archetypes, with others as well as within oneself.  A Victim Archetype often needs to set up with others to play: with the Tyrant and the Rescuer, for instance.  This may be the subject of another blog.

“The victim and the victimizer are one, and we don’t need to attach ourselves to either of those polarities.  Rather, we need to free ourselves from the grip and the limitations of each of these roles, because they are simply roles decided upon freely by all the players – agreed upon unanimously.”

~ Chris Griscom from “Ecstasy is a New Frequency”

The Aspects

If working on your Victim Archetype doesn’t tickle your fancy this week, there are other forms of spiritual and mental exercise on offer.

Today we have a Full Moon in Leo, which opposes the Sun in Aquarius.  This is a more creative Full Moon than say the passive Full Moon of Cancer, and more playful.  What needs to be developed is an awareness of your individual emotional make-up and how that can interact with a group situation (the Sun in Aquarius) without feeling threatened.

The Alice Bailey seed thought for the Leo Full Moon is: “I am That and That am I”, something to bring into your meditations.

If a more active exercise is desired, then some psychodrama would be suitable, with a group of like-minded people, if you can achieve that.

On Wednesday (30^th) Jupiter goes Stationary prior to moving direct, so any form of spinning exercise, such as dervish whirling, would be suitable.  I once found myself being stopped in my tracks and turning round on such an occasion, which was very memorable, and not too surprising given that Jupiter is my ruling planet.  Depending on the House that Jupiter currently occupies in your chart, you may be able to make more progress on the related area and issues of your life.

Later the same day, the Sun squares Saturn, and something may remind you to knuckle down and see what your Inner Victim Archetype has to say, what you want to say to it, and what you want to do about its role in your life.  You may decide to pass, until another suitable occasion, or you may indeed decide that once and for all this is the moment to turn it around, especially as Jupiter is moving forwards and certain philosophical issues can become clearer.  But an Archetype is a deep inner energetic force, and though it can work with the higher mind, it doesn’t always respond to reason.  You may decide this is not the time, and go and do something else, like bake some cakes or biscuits to raise money for The Great Comic Relief Bake Off, such as Claudia Winkleman’s red nose cake.

Fresh fields again on Saturday (2^nd Feb) as with Saturday 19^th, for two planets are changing signs that day: Mars enters Pisces, and Venus enters Aquarius.  Mars entering Pisces from Aquarius creates a new emotional field which you may experience as though you have been travelling along in a detached way, and suddenly you are plunged into a more emotional context and set of purposes and desires.

Venus entering Aquarius from Capricorn will take your feeling nature from a very practical, dry state (e.g. you may have been performing out of duty) into a more idealistic, humanitarian and socially orientated heart focus.

Use the challenge of this week to liberate and empower yourself.

The week in bullet points:

• Today – Full blown creativity
• Wednesday – a U-turn in the right direction; then the Victim Archetype may crop up
• Saturday – Deepening passion, and heightened idealism

Sometimes when I sit down on a Sunday morning to blog, I do not know what I will write about.  Some subjects that I would like to write about, are not easy to investigate astrologically.  Take the example of this week’s scandal about horsemeat being in beefburgers.  As a vegetarian, I would love to write about this, but the astrological data seems lacking: would it were as easy as “Jupiter (horse) being in Taurus (beef)”, which it is not…

Algeria

Some subjects are governed by an astrological imperative.  Take this week’s crisis over Algeria, and the hostage rescue mission.  This coincided with the transit of Venus to the Uranus-Pluto square.  A transit to the Uranus-Pluto square is always important, always a crisis (in personal lives too), and always shows us more about what this Uranus-Pluto square is flagging up and trying to teach.

The crisis was serious enough to cause David Cameron to cancel an impending speech about Europe, on the very day of the Venus-Pluto conjunction.  This blog could have been about Europe…

The crisis in Algeria may or may not be directly linked with the French intervention in Mali the week before.  Suddenly we are all poring over maps of parts of Africa we had barely heard of, and I never knew Timbucktu was in Mali.  Why has Mali become the new focus of world issues? The tie between France and Mali is an interesting one, as their Suns are exactly conjunct, and Mali’s Saturn squares their Suns, a cause of difficulty.  Jupiter is squaring the Mali Pluto at this time, exaggerating its deep-seated problems.  The Nodal Axis (karma) is squaring France’s Pluto and Neptune, and conjunct its Mars – it can’t help getting dragged in!

Astrologer Marjorie Orr wrote last Wednesday: “There are two possible charts for Mali – 22 Sept 1960 12pm Bamako, Mali or 20 Aug 1960 2 am. Both charts have Saturn at 11/12 Capricorn suggesting that this already poor country will be facing greater hardship over the next two years with 2014/15 being worse than this year.”  [Pluto would be transiting 11/12 Capricorn and Uranus squaring that point].

Barely had France asked for help from the international community, and obtained a cautious level of help from the United Kingdom, than a new crisis came almost simultaneously out of the blue, in neighbouring Algeria, with an international focus – the many foreign workers whose lives were threatened.

So this week, new focus and old issues come to bear on a section of Africa, the Sahal.  Even the primitive tribal population, the indigenous people of the Tuareg tribes, are involved in this story, from their uprising a year ago, wanting their own autonomy from Mali.  The instinctual earthy element of our global psyche has spoken, and made its mark.

As for the Algerian-British relationship, Algeria’s Uranus (surprise) opposes our natal Mars (attack), a potential ignition point.  And Algeria’s Sun is conjunct our Pluto (the potential of power play). Jupiter now squares Algeria’s Pluto, as it does Mali’s Pluto.  Pluto is now opposing the United Kingdom Pluto (dangerous power play).

One of the main considerations now is that the nations of the world are looking at another potential abyss in the shape of a new area of terrorism and Al Quaeda nest in this part of Africa, analogous to Afghanistan and Iraq.  So the question which has come forward again intensely at this time is, should nations intervene and how much?  Can similar past scenarios be avoided?

“This Week”

Michael Portillo was last seen roaming the railways of Europe with a book under his arm, sporting a divine wardrobe of pink, turquoise and lilac jackets and shirts (my favourite colours).  On “This Week” with Andrew Neil, the dress code for him on the sofa next to Alistair Campbell and opposite Andrew Neil has been “how dishevelled can we look?”, with shirts studiedly open and casual, and not a tie in sight.  On Thursday night, however, with the Algerian crisis deepening, what was going on?  Michael, Alistair and Andrew (Neil, not Marr – who we have learnt is doing well) all appeared in uncharacteristic brown suits and brown ties (hubby says they were grey)…They had been joined by no less a figure of respect than Kofi Annan, and the programme took on much more gravitas.

Michael Portillo outlined the countries where intervention had taken place and failed: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya.  Our intervention had not worked, he was saying.  We supported regime change in Tunisia, and Egypt, and the outcomes are uncertain.  We have not intervened in Syria, but it is an unholy mess (my words).

Kofi Annan is a global treasure, and has the “Diplomat Archetype” in his chart (Mercury conjunct Venus).  Regular readers will know it is also the Writer’s Archetype, but that is for another blog, about Archetypes.  His gently spoken words amounted to a view that regrettably the loss of life in Algeria could be viewed as collateral damage.  According to the BBC website “The Algerian action to rescue hostages was “well intended” said Kofi Annan, adding it was “the sort of action, I would have expected them to take”.

This event, and its implications, may well form part of my blog next May when the Uranus-Pluto square rises up for the third time, but in the meantime it illustrates the fact that it is emphatically clear now that the old ways of nations working together over these issues does not work, and the problem needs a new vision and spiritual overview.  A new approach is needed too in whatever collective or communal efforts you may be currently engaged in, which may have come up for you in this week’s Venus-Uranus-Pluto test.

Lance Armstrong – Part 2

Another way of choosing a blog subject is for someone to ding the bell on the Customer Service desk, and demand that I write about Lance Armstrong in a threatening, drug-induced stupor, which is virtually what has happened here.

I did start to write about him in my blog of 14 October 2012, under the subject of the Moral Compass.  But the subject has moved on, and my customer has a point, there is more to write about.  This week, he appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show, confessing to his doping activities, a confession he has hitherto denied the legal authorities.

But first a playback of some of my original observations:

“…he is strongly Mercury-ruled through Virgo, and Mercury is associated with bikes (more usually through Gemini).  He has a warrior North Node/Mars conjunction which is exact in Aquarius, which gives him lightning speed with or without the drugs.”

We are painfully deprived of a birth time for his chart, which might provide us for clues about the masks that he may employ, such as the Midheaven.  Watching the clips of his interview, I was struck at how frozen he was, as though he was holding almost all of himself back, and employing an automaton to speak, as though we were literally seeing just the tip of the iceberg.  One wonders about the long term effect of the drugs on his consciousness and psyche – what has been repressed, deadened or distorted by them.

The interesting slant that this moment in time offers, the time he has chosen and the opportunity to do the interview, is that there is a transit of Jupiter to his Saturn.  This represents the fact that Oprah has thrown him a lifeline, an attempt to bring in a little light, into the darkness that is his situation.  Saturn represents a part of his psyche where he might have failed in the past to open his heart, and slim though it is, there is an opportunity to open a chink of his heart.  Many believe that it is too late, and he has failed.  But he may have opened a dialogue with his version of God, and the judgement of the people, and his own karma.

I often wonder about his relationship with Sheryl Crow, partly because she is one of  Hubby’s favourite recording artists, what she knew, and what did she think…But the blog is running on and on, and that again is food for thought for another time.  Hubby did dig out for me a quote from the Observer Sport section this morning (I never open it).  It quotes his mother, years ago, in an interview from 1993 with Greg LeMond:

“They sat on the porch for a while and then moved inside to the kitchen.  Linda had something else on her mind: ‘How do I make him less of an a**hole.  He doesn’t care about anyone.’

‘Well,’ LeMond replied. “I can’t help you there.’ “

The only redeeming feature in the current situation I can think of, is that while Jimmy Saville has escaped before he can be confronted by his victims, Lance Armstrong has stayed to face his karma.

Aspects

Mainly good aspects this week, with a karmic challenge on Thursday and a blip and a dip at Friday tea-time, but the general planetary energies supportive of progress.

We start with Mercury sextile Uranus on Tuesday (22^nd): a dynamic, mentally stimulating time, where bright new ideas can spring forth, such as how we find new approaches to old problems.  There is an air of excitement.

Wednesday (23^rd) brings a trine between Mercury and Jupiter, which coming after the launch pad of the week, could really bring lift off!  Travel is wonderfully supported (which looks unlikely at the moment in the U.K. with entrenched snow).  Certainly armchair travel could be incredibly successful, you may even levitate as you stare at a photograph of the Potala Palace in Lhasa in your favourite book on Tibetan Buddhism.  You could practise astral travel, though I wonder – is that terribly passé these days?  Now it is more in vogue to travel in your merkebah with your lightbody…Enough reverie, this can be a very practical aspect, bringing communication to a high level of satisfaction, and disseminating ideas worldwide, or communitywide.  Any good ideas from Tuesday will receive further validation from others.  Humour could also be a winning theme of the day.

Mars squares the Nodal Axis on Thursday (24^th), and Warrior Karma will come to the fore.  This can be negative, as in terrorism may come to the fore in world troublespots.  However, if you are working in your own life on your Inner Warrior, and tracing those you warred with in order to make reparation or harmony, earnest efforts could be rewarded karmically.

The Sun sextiles Uranus on Friday (25^th) and further opportunities arise for invention and new ideas, and for combining these with creativity.  If you have a brilliant new idea, it’s a good time to approach authorities, or your local patent office.  If a brilliant new idea is only just emerging, it’s a good time to let your creativity flow with it, certainly early in the day.

At tea-time, Mercury squares Saturn, and there may be a teensy weensy deflation in your ideas or plans.  Perhaps you have discovered something in the idea that might not work on a practical level.  You may have temporarily to go back to the draught board, and tell the authorities to hold the page, while you work things out.  You can do it!  Every problem contains its own solution, if you can but find it.  Ignore the negative voices which may say you won’t find a solution.  Keep working on it, and consign it to your subconscious in dreams…

…Because on Saturday (26^th) there is extra back up for your purposes in that Jupiter trines the Sun, and you could strike gold, especially if you have worked on your new design or idea for international co-operation all week, with continuity of purpose.  It is a lucky day for some, and coincidentally a lottery draw day (although we can’t all win, can we?).  You could get your design for a snow sledge off the ground today, or whatever has occurred to you as the solution to your current problem; your New Year’s resolutions may be holding up spectacularly, and the ruminations of your Soul could yield an epiphany.  I am sorry that this week’s blog has been so long, but I couldn’t hold back any of it, including the aspects for what looks like an exciting week!

The week in bullet points:

• Tuesday – mental excitement!
• Wednesday – joyous communication!
• Thursday – War, or Pow Wow between Warriors
• Friday – creative originality! Then a reality check
• Saturday – lucky stars!

An appreciation of Andrew Marr

Andrew Marr needs to be appreciated this morning for his services to this blog.  Andrew, who suffered a stroke last Tuesday, is the presenter of “the Andrew Marr show” which has been broadcast on Sunday mornings since September 2005.  I had noticed that his new book was quite prominent in the bookshops early last week, before I learned the news, but did not have any presentiment that all was not well.

So back to his relevance to this blog!  He has been part of my Sunday morning routine for years.  Every Sunday morning,  I read the Observer newspaper, then watch the Andrew Marr show with its current affairs and political interviews, after which I feel sufficiently up to date to begin working on my blog! Sunday morning wouldn’t seem like Sunday morning without Andrew…

I also have a friend, a text mate, who exchanges views (e.g on his sartorial elegance and orange ties teamed with purple socks) on Sunday mornings.  Last Sunday I had noticed a small article in the paper reporting unfortunately that he had been included in the top 10 worst dressed list. I was concerned how he might feel about that.  So you see, I have a bit of a fan club outlook on Andrew, and this is why I am writing this appreciation.

Andrew has a high wire nervous system (Mercury exactly conjunct Uranus in Leo) and high stress workaholism  (Mars conjunct Pluto in Virgo).

He has the Interviewer Archetype in the Mercury-Uranus conjunction, as distinct from the Critic Archetype, which is Mercury conjunct Mars.

Stroke

At the time of his stroke Jupiter was exactly squaring his natal Mars, stoking up energy and activity in his system. However, in his favour Jupiter was sextile his Sun and trine his North Node. I am hoping this might mean that he will make a good recovery.

We don’t have a birth time or Ascendant for him, but the prominent “ginger” aura would point to Aries rising  (Scorpio is auburn) or Mars rising. As his Mars is in Virgo, and he is fairly lean physically, Virgo rising would make sense. The ginger tone can derive from his Sun in Leo but is not as likely as the Mars connection.

We hear that he is making progress, though his family understandably wish for privacy. And I imagine that many people who like me value his part in their lives, are sending healing thoughts his way.  Transitting Neptune exactly sextiles his Saturn today bringing sensitization, but with the possibility of reconstruction.   The Mean North Node will reach his Jupiter on 24^th/25^th January, which I hope will be another stage in his rehabilitation.  Further, more refined healing, may take place on 30^th January when the True North Node reaches his Jupiter.

Aspects

This is a week to examine our feelings:  you may be feeling alienated but this may give you the detachment to look at relationships honestly.  However, don’t turn this into a negative (which may be the line of least resistance) and throw the baby out with the bath water. Today this temptation may apply, with Venus squaring Uranus.  There is a hint of separation about this aspect.

Tomorrow, Venus is sextile Chiron, so there is a possibility of healing some of the separation, and understanding the reasons for it.

On Tuesday (15^th) Jupiter squares Chiron, so there may be a setback in the healing, and some aspect of the problem may be exaggerated.  You need to find some appropriate mental or physical balm, as you would find skin cream for sore skin, or dock leaves for nettle rash.

The theme of early week separation continues and intensifies by Thursday, when Venus is conjoined with Pluto at 9 degrees Capricorn, adjusting the microscope lens on relationships and money to a closer or deeper setting.  It may also be decision time, e.g. If you are an employer you may find that you have to let someone go. You may point the finger, like Alan Sugar , and say “With regret, you’re fired!”   You may find yourself reluctantly appearing as the bad guy, or pantomime villain, but deep down you’ll feel it, just as much as your victim. …”The victim and the victimiser are one”, so says Chris Griscom. Except that often this concept can only be accepted and understood in a multi-incarnational context, such as looking from the perspective and overview of past or future lives, and karmic processes.

It will prove to be a new start for both of you, as the space is protected and stabilised by a sextile of Saturn to the Venus/ Pluto. Therefore it may become immediately clear to each of you what to do.

When I left a job in King’s Lynn in 2001, I “saw” a golden light above the city of Cambridge, and have not looked back since.  There was a future waiting for me there.  If you have to move on, where is your golden light?

Thought crystallizes, perhaps about your career or life direction, on Friday (18th) with Sun conjunct Mercury at 28 degrees Capricorn.  You may employ this time, and this aspect, with some valuable writing.

And the end of the week, Saturday (19th) may see changes implemented, for the same two planets change sign on that day, from the more institutionally retrenched sign of Capricorn, to the revolutionary road of Aquarius.  From a difficult position at the beginning of the week, entangled in the Uranus-Pluto square, you should begin to see your personal way more clearly by Saturday.

The week in bullet points:

• Today – a hint of separation
• Tomorrow – subsequent healing
• Tuesday  – inflammation
• Thursday –  confrontation, followed by some stabilization
• Friday – clear thought
• Saturday – ch ch changes

Dante Gabriel Rossetti

I have been here before,
But when or how I cannot tell:
I know the grass beyond the door
The sweet keen smell,
The sighing sound, the lights around the shore.

You have been mine before,–
How long ago I may not know:
But just when at that swallow’s soar
Your neck turn’d so,
Some veil did fall,–I knew it all of yore.

Has this been thus before?
And shall not thus time’s eddying flight
Still with our lives our love restore
In death’s despite,
And day and night yield one delight once more

“Sudden Light” by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Pre-Raphaelite Exhibition at Tate Britain

12 September 2012 – 13 January 2013

Note:  I will be honest.  This Pre-Raphaelite series of blogs is one of my least popular and successful, but I am continuing because I enjoy this topic.  The Exhibition ends tomorrow.

From Italian stock, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the physical lynch pin of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood (where Ruskin was the Aquarian ideas man) had several planets in Taurus, the sign of the painter.  More than a double Taurus (Sun and Ascendant in that sign) he also had the Moon (his emotional tone), Part of Fortune (his joy of life), Chiron (his inner healer) and Mercury (his mentality) in that sign.

All the above planets appear in the 12^th House of the Unconscious, and so he was very much fed by his inner imagination and vision.

Taurus rules the neck, and Dante Gabriel was definitely a neck man.  His beauties display long, swan-like necks!  His déjà vu (of the poem Sudden Light) turns on the neck.

Melanie Reinhart writes of his Chiron placement:

“He was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite movement in nineteenth-century art, which sought to reconnect with the simplicity (Chiron in Taurus), purity and idealism (11^th House) of earlier art (12^th House), and to convey spiritual realities through skilled representational painting (Chiron in Taurus, conjunct 12^th House stellium).  He usually chose mythological or pastoral subjects, both of which are symbolized by his Chiron configuration.”

With his Venus sextile Mercury/Chiron/Part of Fortune, he was also an adept poet and the Pre-Raphaelite movement in general combined art and writing well, e.g. William Morris’ illuminated manuscripts.  Dante Gabriel and William Morris both have Venus trine Jupiter, denoting success in the Arts.

With his Nodal Axis square to his Midheaven/I.C. Axis, his was a fateful existence, and especially in his karmic connections with others.  In his romantic life especially, there seems to have been a sense of compulsion, and in the case of his foremost and primary love Lizzie, a tragic outcome reflecting his Venus square Pluto (the connection between love and death).

I am hoping to write a separate blog about Lizzie, but will outline a brief astrological history of their relationship:

With Sun/Saturn/Mars and Venus in Leo, golden-haired Elizabeth Siddal had a very creative chart, and some of her sketches are exhibited in the current Pre-Raphaelite exhibition at Tate Britain.  She also loved poetry, and wrote poetry herself.

Lizzie met Dante Gabriel in 1849, sat for numerous works, and developed her own artistic talent under patronage from John Ruskin, but was ill for much of the time of her relationship with Dante Gabriel Rossetti.  She famously lay in ice cold water for Millais’ painting of Ophelia (in 1852), and suffered a health crisis from that.  She was described by Dante’s brother William Rossetti as having a “lofty neck”, so perhaps her Ascendant was Taurus (we do not have her birth time).  In Dante Gabriel’s mind and vision (his 12^th House planets) they played out mythological roles, most notably Dante and Beatrice.  He resisted marriage for some time (Her Sun opposite Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Uranus brought out his need for freedom) but they eventually married in 1860.

One of the most poignant episodes of his life was after her death which occurred in 1862,  when he had buried some of his poetry with her, and then later attempted to have the poems exhumed with the help of a friend.  However, they had sustained damage from a worm.  This was a fraught process which took place when Mars was squaring his Nodal Axis, a transit which can coincide with risky ventures.

Beata Beatrix

There were other women and artists’ models in his life, such as Fanny Cornforth, whose affections he toyed with.  Also prominent in his romantic history was Jane Burden (another swan-necked beauty), who, like Lizzie, sat for many of his paintings, such as Guinevere.  William Morris became engaged to Jane in 1858, but later the three were involved in a “Menage a trois” situation.

Astarte Syriaca

By 1969, writes Franny Moyle: “Rossetti’s preoccupation with the love poetry he had written at the height of his infatuation with Lizzie had been resurrected by Jane.  His obsession with his latest conquest was returning his thoughts to his long-lost verse.  What is more, Jane was encouraging him to publish his work.”  The poetry assumed more importance for him during this period.  His poetry, like his painting, displays the richness and sensuality of Taurus.  Although he alludes to reincarnation in the poem above, I have not been able to find information about his beliefs on the subject.

Towards the end of his life, Rossetti departed slightly from the original aims of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, veering away from truth and realism, and more towards beauty and decoration.

He died in 1882:

“Guardian obituary

The death of Mr DG Rossetti

We regret to announce the death of Mr Dante Gabriel Rossetti, which occurred on Sunday [9^th April 1882], at 9.27 p.m., at Birchington-on-Sea, to which place he had gone some weeks ago for the benefit of his health.”

At his death, 6 planets had gathered in his sign Taurus, and Scorpio was rising.

I hope that I have done justice to the subject.  It is interesting to note that Rossetti had Ascendant and Sun in Taurus, and Ruskin Ascendant and Sun in Aquarius, strong signs in square to each other.  They may have been grist to each other’s mill.

Bibliography:

“Desperate Romantics” by Franny Moyle

“Chiron and the Healing Journey” by Melanie Reinhart

“The Pre-Raphaelites” by Tim Hilton

Other blogs in this series:

The Pre-Raphaelites: A Soul Group

http://www.lanawooster.co.uk/blog/2009/09/the-pre-raphaelites-a-soul-group/

The Pre-Raphaelites: John Ruskin

http://www.lanawooster.co.uk/blog/2012/10/the-pre-raphaelites-john-ruskin/