How was the Grand Cross for you yesterday?  I heard reports back from several people flattened on Chaises Longues, tiredness being an undeniable feature of the experience.  Hopefully, today can be a kind of rebirth, and certainly there will be mental challenges today with Mercury opposite Pluto, the results of which may bring a mental reorientation.  You may need to look at where other people’s rules, constructs and constricts are limiting your own beliefs, and keeping you held through fear.  Tomorrow (Monday 28) Sun is conjunct Mercury, so that can bring about a mental rebirth, favouring focus and travel.  Wednesday (30^th) brings a conjunction between the South Node and Mercury in Cancer, when the focus can profitably settle on the past (in this lifetime or previous ones) and insight may come forth in connection with family ties and soul groups.  Mental shifts are supported by the Sun’s alignment to the Fixed Star Alhena in Gemini: *“This star appears to offer individuals the ability to rapidly change modes of thought and to shift context.  This will give them the ability to see things in a whole new way and to utilize the information from a new perspective or to change their minds in a way that is appropriate for their own development.”  On Thursday July 1^st Mercury sextiles Mars, promoting quick thinking and intelligent action – a good day to get things done, and a good day to act on any new ways of thinking which emerged earlier in the week.  Wimbledon matches could be super-efficient.  The Ladies Finals are scheduled for Saturday 3^rd July, coinciding with a conjunction between the Sun and the South Node in Cancer.  The outcome could be karmic!  The aspects look more favourable towards Venus than Serena Williams, contrary to seeding positions, but maybe Serena has the strength to defy astrological odds or the instinct to work with them.  (See  my earlier blog ruminations on Wimbledon).  For life outside Wimbledon, quoting myself from last week regarding the Sun/South Node connection, we are individually and collectively “coming to terms with karmic issues from the connection with the Sun this week, not in the sense of retribution but of looking at causes and what you contributed and why,  so that you can move on.”

*Interpretations from “Starlight Elixirs” by Michael Smulkis and Fred Rubenfeld

As I observed in my radio show with Kim Gould in March (link on my Past Lives page), tennis seems to have come in 3 clear phases astrologically.  The first was before the mid-70s, when the Sun Signs of top players tended to be Cancerian or Libra, both genteel signs responsive to the ebb and flow of the art.  The second phase came in the mid-70s with the advent of the power serve, when the Fire signs were more in evidence; speed, muscle, brawn and athleticism to the fore. Nowadays there is an accentuation of Mercury-ruled signs Virgo and Gemini in the charts of top players, showing that they have added to the responsiveness of the first phase and the athleticism of the second phase, and learned to use the mind and cerebral faculties on top of this.  The amazing longest match took place last week between Isner and Mahut, Isner the enduring Taurean just about winning, due no doubt to his strong serve (Mars conjunct Chiron in Gemini, possibly).  This could have been a pre-birth contract set up, as  Mahut’s Mars (energy) is exactly trine Isner’s Jupiter (enthusiasm and triumph) – sort of pre-birth match-fixing (no karmic repercussions).  At the inception of the match, the Ascendant was on Isner’s Saturn, so this was a test of his endurance which he, just about, passed.  Andy Murray could make it to the final next Sunday, when Venus will be trine his Moon, and Mars on his Ascendant, which will bring out all his fighting spirit.  However, Mercury square his Jupiter could bring unforced errors,  and the Ascendant square Neptune may bring unrealistic hopes surrounding him.  Rafael Nadal has Mercury trine his Jupiter (accuracy) and Mars sextile his Venus (vitality and watchability) but I don’t think these aspects are strong enough for the title.  With the Sun conjunct the South Node, it will be Nodal, not Nadal (couldn’t resist it, sorry).   The finals will be more than usually karmic in outcome under this aspect.  Predictably (?) Federer has good aspects: Mercury sextile his Venus, and Venus trine his Neptune and sextile his Pluto, so he will be in the flow, and could well add to his records.  Andy Roddick could be overwhelmed with Jupiter opposite his Mercury, but Uranus trine his Uranus could give him lucky breaks and some intuitive shots.  Of the top two Williams sisters, surprisingly Venus has the better set of aspects.  Stacked against Serena are Pluto square to her Sun,  Mercury square her Jupiter,  Sun square her Saturn,  North node square her Saturn.  Her game slid a little bit this week (her words).  Can she overcome all odds?  (Probably).    She will be meeting Maria Sharapova in the next round, who has Sun and North Node square her Jupiter – perhaps next year may be better for Sharapova with Jupiter transiting all her Aries planets. Venus Williams (aptly named with Sun conjunct Venus natally) has Pluto trine her Jupiter  (power and luck) – this could be her year.  Another player who may do better next year is Jelena Jankovic, who has Venus/Mars exactly conjunct in Aries . This year Mercury trines her Mercury which is good for focus, but Neptune squares her Saturn , and Jupiter squares her Neptune, neither of which are easy.  I am not a betting sort, but if I were to twist my arm I would go for Venus Williams and Roger Federer as 2010 champions.

Apologies to those who like their blogs freshly laid on a Sunday morning.  I am writing this two days in advance as I will be away for a short break.   Some of you may be surprised at the moment to be feeling exhaustion as a result of the demands of the Jupiter-Uranus buzz.  If you are, try to restrict your activities to things you want to do, and cut out activities that drain you.  I hope you benefitted from the superb aspects early last week.  On the Venus trine Jupiter-Uranus last week, I had the good fortune to win an ebook of Chironic poetry , Poems to Heal the Healer: The 12 Chiron Signs by Joyce Mason on her website http://radicalvirgo.blogspot.com/ Joyce had asked for a name for a new species of human, and  I can reveal  that the next stage of human will be Homo Astrolopithecus.  I know many of you out there love to explore the healing dimensions of Chiron and poetry, and can recommend this book as a creation of beauty and inspiration.  There’s something happening every day next week!  Sunday (20^th) brings a spiritual tone to Father’s Day with a trine between Neptune and the Sun.  This may bring up a theme of the “absent father” which concentrates on the spiritual link between you.  There is a link between your father and the sea, so a good book title for the day is “The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway (or better still, the film).  On Monday (21^st) the Sun enters the sign of Cancer, ushering in the Summer Solstice, and conversely bringing a link with the sea and the mother, which may be archetypal or symbolic if you can’t actually take your mum to the seaside.  A minor step forward may occur in the oil situation in the Gulf of Mexico, but the situation will still be in the forefront of our minds while Saturn is quincunx with Neptune.  There is a square between the Sun and Uranus on Tuesday (22^nd) which adds an element of surprise to your seaside break with your parents.  This is followed by a square between the Sun and Jupiter on Wednesday (23^rd) so any surprises from the day before can be seen as silver linings.  The first half of the week’s activity is all based around the Sun, so Leos will be prominent this week, and possibly calling the shots.  The second half of the week sees much activity around the planet Mercury, highlighting the activities of Geminis and Virgos.  Thursday 24^th brings a square between Mercury and Saturn, which may be tedious for travelling (e.g. the threatened tube strike in London for that day) and for having to catch up with the detail of paperwork and documentation.  It’s just something that has to be done.  If you are still fatigued, do the paperwork then resume your position on your chaise longue.  This will be an advantageous position from which to enjoy the ensuing trine between Mercury and Neptune later the same day, which favours bringing dreams and inspiration into the conscious mind, and writing poetry.    For those who have advanced beyond the stage of the chaise longue, a spot of dancing may be enjoyed.  The Sun also aligns with the star Tejat in Gemini which “can gently and easily increase the ability to bring spiritual ideas into clear and expressible form as mental concepts and direct ideas to be shared with others”* This reinforces the action of Mercury trine Neptune.  On Friday (25^th) Mercury enters Cancer, presenting a united front with the Sun, increasing focus in some ways, but then Mercury squares Uranus which could produce mental overwhelm.  Added to this the same day Pluto opposes the Sun, and that is emotional and psychological overwhelm.  Keep up your meditational practice…The tension is building to the Full Moon the next day.  A more lighthearted square between Mercury and Jupiter on Saturday (26^th) may help us to see things philosophically, and someone may refreshingly play the Joker (there’s always one).  Shortly after is the eclipsed Full Moon in Capricorn, whose purpose is to help us to effect a turning point in emotional and social structures.  In the news, there may be an emphasis on Institutions which provide social services, and questions and answers as to how they may be improved and what changes need to be made.  It will be a busy week, so if you are a bit tired already, you need to have a chaise longue ready in between aspects.

*Interpretations from “Starlight Elixirs” by Michael Smulkis and Fred Rubenfeld

There is an emphasis on the constellation Orion this week, and particularly today.  Earth civilization has had a close relationship with Orion, and it is one of the most identifiable constellations in the sky.  Spiritually, there are both positive and negative forces involved with Orion, and therefore it is a good week to be aware of negative forces, and how they come into your life, and what part your own shadow plays.  But also then to balance that and take advantage of the higher spiritual energies available.  Today the Sun is aligned with the other two stars from Orion’s belt (continuing along from last week) and they are  Alnitak and Alnilam.  Alnitak is the left hand star of Orion’s belt, and our Sun’s current alignment with that star can increase telepathy*.  Alnilam enables us to work with the issue responsibility, an issue that we all have a relationship with in past lifetimes if not in this lifetime.  Mintaka, another star from Orion, also features today, and this star teaches about balancing aggression.  And the Great Orion Nebula (M42) draws threads of your life together today: “Meditating on this nebula or using the elixir will increase one’s ability to incorporate change and to extract from various thought forms, even negative thought forms, certain aspects that one may find valuable and useful.”  If experiences from the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction last week have left a lot to digest, you can combine them or take an overview, with the help of this star.  Some people work well with crystals in connection with Orion.  Tomorrow Venus enters Leo, and a domestic vibe from the Venus sojourn through Cancer, gives way to a more showy mood, more expression, life and colour coming into our lives.  Some of us have been reluctant to get out their summer colours, wardrobe-wise, and this will be enough to bring them out.   Later in the day Venus trines Uranus, and a socializing, party mood takes over, and inhibitions are thrown off.  A real buck’s fizz moment.  The party season continues on Tuesday (15^th) with Venus trine Jupiter, and the vibration graduates to celebration, not just any old party but something really special and meaningful in your life.  A romantic high is possible, too, for those who are seeking.  It is one of those days when everyone’s a winner (except in the World Cup), for Mars trines Pluto too.  The aggressive side of Orion can be balanced, and channelled constructively.  Footballers can give it their all, and the outcome may be a stalemate but it will have been a good competition.  There is an alignment with the star Alhecka in Taurus that day, which favours self-forgiveness.  The Venus-Jupiter trine brings social harmony, and the Mars-Pluto trine brings psychic harmony and balancing, and expressive forces in co-operation.  On Thursday (17^th) another Orion star is highlighted, Saiph, and your perception of time may be altered.  Friday 18^th brings an alignment with the Pole Star, Polaris, so you may feel you are aligning in some way with your life path.  The approach and books of Martha Beck “Steering by Starlight” and “Finding your North Star” may be relevant to you at this time.  Do take stock of your alignment, physical, mental and emotional, on that day, for the next day (Saturday 19^th) brings a square between Sun and Saturn, and that may bring another cycle or re-alignment which is started by some awkwardness or dislocation.  Balance is always temporary until the next learning.  Another connection with another star in Orion also takes place on Saturday, and that is with the well-known star Betelgeuse (“Beetlejuice”).  Sun square Saturn can bring up our fears to be looked at, and Betelgeuse can play a part in healing: “Fears are lessened and insight into the source of the fear is strengthened.  An awareness of the purpose of such fears in one’s own life path is enhanced” says the book “Starlight Elixirs”.  Often, especially when we look into the hidden past-life fears we have, the source of fear is not what we thought it was.

*Interpretations from “Starlight Elixirs” by Michael Smulkis and Fred Rubenfeld

Since Uranus moved into Aries you may have noticed signs of change and movement in various ways.  A couple of trends I noticed last week were a lot of troupes (Uranus) acting as One (Aries) on Britain’s Got Talent, and two members of my circle changing (Uranus) their identities (Ascendants).  I mustn’t labour any points today because there are many aspects to get through, including the whopper Jupiter conjunct Uranus.  Today Jupiter jumps into Aries, a fire sign with whom Jupiter has a natural affinity.  It is a good day, and year (Jupiter stays a year in a sign, roughly), for expressing the fire of the human spirit.  Aries is great ground for giving birth to new ideas and feeling your enthusiasm, but there is a danger of riding roughshod over other’s sensibilities.  So feel the enthusiasm, and don’t do it anyway…look around to see what others are feeling and thinking.  Mars enters Virgo tomorrow, so there will be an opportunity to explore how your energies and enthusiasms translate into service of some kind.  Some of you may have experienced being overstretched or actual burn-out while Mars was in a long stay of Leo.  Tomorrow can be an opportunity to quietly take stock of your energies, and see how they are best used.  Economy is the watchword, for Virgo does not waste anything, including energy. Tuesday (8^th) is the big day, for the likely lads Jupiter and Uranus are conjunct in Aries.  Time for the new ideas,  re-inventions and enterprise.  Jupiter and Uranus have a natural affinity, being adventurous and freedom-loving.  They can express themselves fairly uninhibitedly in Aries, but the sign increases their selfishness.  Dynamic shifts can happen in the house area this conjunction occupies in your natal chart, but there may also be disruption.  If there is a long-held cherished dream, you may get the green light.  But also be on-guard for the unexpected.  You could be walking along a particular highway, and Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda may whizz past…It may be the time to seize a dream, for it is the best thing to happen this year in terms of aspects.  However, it does link in with the Cardinal Climax, so you can’t separate what you are doing from the general problems occurring in the world.  If your pet project is along the lines of re-building from the rubble of ruined economies or environments, it is more likely to get the universal blessing, for instance.  Your individual personal growth is important though, and that too may be honoured.  Human potential is definitely a province of Jupiter-Uranus in Aries.  Coming as it does at the very beginning of the astrological wheel, the 0 degree Aries point, it is a very physical manifestation, so don’t be surprised if there is a very concrete and symbolic event in your life on that day.  Perhaps supplies of concrete may reach Gaza, for instance.  Mercury trines Saturn also on Tuesday, which is another concrete, and additionally practical aspect, especially for planning.  Mars also opposes Chiron, which may bring back some of the paranoias of last week’s Mars opposite Neptune…Derrick Bird’s last words apparently before his shootings were: “Am I being paranoid?”  We all need to be aware of our paranoia, and work with it in constructive ways.  Mercury squares Neptune on Wednesday (9^th) which refocuses the paranoia from an energetic level to a mental level.  Paranoid thoughts could be channeled into gently-teasing poetry, or you could talk them over with someone you trust.  Mercury enters Gemini on Thursday (10^th) so you can freely and easily articulate, and it is also a good day for travel.  Mercury in Taurus represented thought driven by feeling, but the mind can roam more freely and lightly, or flit like a butterfly under Gemini.  It is a day that mind and travel can really take wing, because Mercury then sextiles the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, so any of those big and bold ideas which entered your psyche early in the week, can catch fire and explode into imagination and activity on Thursday.  It will be difficult to find restraint, so like fireworks some sparks may delight and some may land in slightly dangerous places.  Hopefully Mars in Virgo will be ready to take proper health and safety measures if required.  Mercury squares Chiron too, so health issues may flare up, possibly caused by over-excitement.  On Friday (11^th) Mercury squares Mars so there could be cross words or irritability on that day, as again someone may be overwrought from all the excitement. I would several years ago have recommended herbal tranquillizers at this point, but I am a recovering addict of these, and have resolved not to use them again.  The end of the week on Saturday (12^th) brings a New Moon, symbol of new hope, in Gemini.  Our Sun is aligned with three fixed stars on that day: Mintaka from Orion’s belt (channeling aggression safely), El Nath in Taurus (multidimensional awareness) and Capella in Auriga (family interconnections)*.  So you could be aware of an ongoing complexity, and again you cannot take a blinkered approach in your activities.  We are learning to take global issues into account on so many levels, when shopping in the supermarket, when sifting through our recycling, when watching the news and sending out prayers, etc…The last aspect of the week, also on Saturday, of Venus sextile Saturn, illustrates just that, for it speaks of relationships with responsibility.

*Interpretations from “Starlight Elixirs” by Michael Smulkis and Fred Rubenfeld

The term “planet” is Greek for “wanderer”, and this week two of them plus an asteroid change direction in their wanderings.  I have just a few hours ago returned from four days in Venice, so this blog may sound like a travelogue, or I may have total writer’s block.  The first day of my holiday I realized I had put a “typo” (too kind a term) in my last blog, writing quincunx instead of semi-sextile, and would not be able to correct it until I got home…Meanwhile I saw the Full Moon on the Grand Canal, wistfully reflected in the eyes of the Gondoliers.  The next morning business was brisker, and their eyes were glinting sunlight instead.  And where were you when Uranus went into Aries?  I was asleep on the Rialto Bridge (a very complex bridge with a Hotel which was hard to find).  But on the day of Uranus entering Aries, two volcanoes erupted in Guatemala and Ecuador in South America, much to the suffering of humans, but nature needing to let off steam again.  Today Saturn goes stationary at 27 degrees Virgo prior to going direct and travelling back towards Libra.  Saturn went back in a particular area of our charts for some clutter-clearing, and I hope you were able to achieve some.  When it goes back into Libra there will be more earnestness about making relationships or coalitions work.  My blog of 18 October 2009 entitled “Saturn in Libra – Karmic Dilemmas” looked at the issues highlighted when it first entered Libra.   We now have  a coalition government in the U.K. led by a Libran Prime Minister.  Delicate “proximity talks” are going on in the Middle East as Barack Obama seeks to make his mark on this age-old search for peace.  Saturn does not reach Libra until 21 July, but the period in between is important preparation, as well as there being more Saturn-in-Virgo cleaning up, notably the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  To keep astrologically up-to-date on this situation, read Nancy’s Starlight News Blog (link on my Contact page) and the comments to it. Tomorrow (Monday 31)  Neptune goes stationary at 28 degrees Aquarius prior to going retrograde.  Neptune ruling oil and water will in retrograde motion show up more problems in connection with the oil spillage.  Complex interconnections need to be understood and worked with in this retrograde phase.  Neptune does not turn direct again until November, but some aspects of the oil spillage, or your own life complexities and clearing up operations, may hopefully gain ground by the time Saturn completes its mission in Virgo in July.  Saturn direct in Virgo favours the practicalities, while Neptune retrograde highlights the emotional and compassionate needs of the weaker elements in our society (Neptune in Aquarius) or the animal kingdom which need our help.  Saturn going and Neptune coming back meet up again in a quincunx (yes that really is one) at the end of June, and though it’s an uncomfortable aspect, it may be what is needed for people to work together on complex operations, and also to prepare for future ground.  On Friday (4^th June) Chiron goes stationary at 1 degree of Pisces prior to turning retrograde.  This is the researching phase of a healing crisis, in your own life or out there as on the coastlines or the waters (Pisces).  Later as Chiron retrogrades back into the sign of Aquarius, there may be more scrutiny of the problems in air space.  All the elements are vying for our attention at the moment, it seems.  In the retrograde phase, diagnosis of the problem has been identified, and causation is what is being looked at.  If you are reviewing your life, turning out the closets could reveal some causations, e.g. an old postcard could bring back a state of mind you had forgotten, and re-tell a story whose nuances you might have missed.  On Friday too there is an opposition, between Mars and Neptune, so something may need to be looked at which you would have preferred to avoid, and there are more stories to be revealed on the themes of water and oil.  Coming back so recently from Venice, reading a biography of the scientist Galileo, I appreciate so much the depiction of the play of light on water by the different Venetian artists old and new, but realize that we need the ingenuity and research of the scientists now to help achieve the healing and balance of our environment for its survival, but also that we can continue to enjoy the beauty of the planet.  While away, I managed to offend one artist near St. Mark’s Square.  “You like only my water?” He asked.

Jupiter opposes Saturn today, and you may notice another facet of the Cardinal T-square being highlighted in your life.  The situation would be characterized by opposing interests, stuckness and impasse, and difficult negotiation.  Normally, Jupiter opposite Saturn would have a discrete effect identifiable on its own.  But at this time it is only a part of the effect of a web of major aspects which include Saturn opposite Uranus, and Pluto square Uranus and Jupiter conjunct Uranus.  The dilemmas facing an individual or a nation could be illustrated by the responsibilities currently faced by Angela Merkel in Europe at this time.  Her natal chart shows an interest in personal finance (North Node and Chiron in the 2^nd House) and public finance (Jupiter, Uranus and the Sun in 8^th House).  Currently, her responsibility for the fate of the Euro is illustrated by the fact that Pluto (representing the wider economy) is now trine her Venus (financial expertise) in the 9th House of foreign interests. The Jupiter-Saturn opposition runs across her 4^th-10^th House, showing a fair degree of popularity at home (Jupiter in 4^th) and a tough stance in the world (Saturn in 10^th) but with each side of this opposition impinging on the other as to make difficult choices.  For example, the popularity at home has taken a dent because she took the decision to prop up the Greek economy.  The Observer leader says this morning: “It has not escaped Ms Merkel’s notice that many of the creditors who now demand extreme fiscal austerity of European citizens would be out of business had they not last year been rescued with European taxpayers’ money.  The German chancellor’s leadership in shoring up Europe’s finances is commendable.  Her anger is also wholly justified.”  Maybe you can draw parallels in your own life.  Tomorrow (24^th) Venus opposes Pluto, which is not a good day for finance, Angel Merkel’s, Sarah Ferguson’s, or anyone else’s, as there are opposing factions of interest.  This includes emotional currency too, if you are engaged in a relationship struggle.  It is best to hold fire and balance your own process for the time being.  You may need to hold fire for a few days because tension then builds to the Full Moon on Thursday 27^th.  This Moon is in the sign of Sagittarius, opposing the Sun in Gemini, so that is 3 sets of oppositions so far in the catalogue of the week’s aspects.  There will be tugs of opposing interest all the way through, and if nothing can be gained in confrontation, then again it is best to work on your own process until it is clear that something has shifted.  The Full Moon could support some communication, as long as it is not too emotionally-laden, because the Gemini-Sagittarius polarity is at least communicative.  The energy around the struggles of these oppositions which dominate the week will suddenly be overtaken by the important astrological event on Friday (28^th) of Uranus entering Aries.  Suddenly, a whole lot of things will become clear.  Evidence will come to light, motives will come to the surface.  If you are wishing to work positively with the upcoming conjunction of Jupiter and Uranus at the 0 point of Aries on 8^th June, you will see at least one component of this fall into place for you on Friday.  If you know what house the conjunction will fall in natally, you can apply your work even more consciously.  But as ever in this climate of complex major aspects, as one thing becomes clear you see a whole lot of underlying complexities, and that is  Jupiter semi-sextile Neptune which follows on the same day.  It is as though you can establish one huge principle, but then need to negotiate the details which are another world of thought on their own.  There are worlds within worlds to be discovered and learned about, and even enjoyed, right now.

After a week where I found that some political animals lost interest and others suddenly found their inner political animal, where we have a new government of a blue-yellow coalition in the UK, and two sets of twins being paraded in the political arena, it is time to take a rest from politics here.  Besides, there are no less than 14 astrological features to report on this week, after only 2 last week.  In order to help you digest the contents of next week, I think it best to present the material as an astrological diet menu.  Where I have skipped meals, do feel free to substitute with pure clear water or your favourite indulgence.

17^th – Monday brunch: Venus square Jupiter – You may have been out late, be hungover at the office, or have eaten inappropriately.  You feel restless, and start the working week with a coffee and croissant.

18^th – Tuesday early hours of the morning: Sun sextile Jupiter – You are hyped up from the coffee, and can’t sleep for vibrant new ideas going through your head.  The toaster beckons, topped with soya marge and honey dripping over the edges.  So far, so unhealthy…

Breakfast: Venus square Saturn – Oh the regrets at the diet so far…better skip breakfast altogether.  You have had a misunderstanding with one of your favourite friends, and are waiting for a reply from your apologetic text.  However, duty calls and you have missed the early morning commuter train and risk being late for work.  You are hoping that the roller coaster is due to smooth out.

Late Night Supper: Venus trine Neptune – You got to work late and worked through your lunch hour, skipped lunch, hypoglycaemia kicked in on the way home as you failed to get a seat on the train.  But now you are feeling light-headed, and virtuous, almost saint-like.  Channelled music was filtering into your head, or was that the sound of someone else’s ipod?  No matter, you feel serene and ready to have that perfect late night snack: Home made butternut squash soup, with a thin slice of gluten free bread if you must.  You are doing well.

19^th – Wednesday early hours of the morning: Sun trine Saturn – Awake and aware, when you should be asleep.  You have been up and down with your astrological diet and now feel ready to stabilize and build a more sensible approach.  You realize that the ultimate in see-saws, Jupiter opposite Saturn, is occurring at the weekend, so now is the time to lay down sensible regimes and routines (if you believe in regimes).  Another round of toast while you plan this, or if you are already implementing the sensible regime perhaps a banana, if you don’t have a banana allergy.

Tea-time:  Sun square Neptune -You couldn’t sleep again, woke up late again, missed the early morning train again, had to work through lunch again, have the opportunity to make the tea but because of the erratic habits you have developed this week find yourself unable to focus, and even fantasize about eating fish again after so many years of being vegetarian.  You are split between the totally ascetic path of taking a fast, or just cramming the first thing that emerges from the fridge.  Doesn’t seem like a sane evening’s eating is going to be achieved.

Tea-time Part 2: Mercury trine Pluto – But half an hour later the picture looks different.  The moment of confusion has passed, and you receive a clear and deep insight into your eating habits, and your psyche.  You may even have the bones of your next book.  The way to go, of course, is not to revert to pescetarianism, but to pursue the raw food path you always really wanted to achieve.  You take out all the organic vegetables from your fridge, slice and chop them all finely together, and allow the juices to form a natural dressing for the salad.  Eat, and enjoy…(warning: potatoes are the only vegetable too toxic for you to eat raw).

Tea-time Part 3: Venus square Uranus – An hour later, you still feel virtuous, if a little flatulent.  What’s this?  A little tummy ache…?  You perhaps ate too much of a good thing, and have a little trouble digesting.  A drop of peppermint tea will go down a treat now.  You have been good, your karma surely must be on the up?  An old friend calls you up to tell you they have lost 2 stones.  You tell them they have done well, and their karma surely must be on the up.

20th – Thursday early hours of the morning: Venus enters Cancer – Your body clock is out of synch again, and there are still rumbles in the digestive department but Venus entering Cancer is much more conducive to natural nurturing.  If the peppermint tea isn’t working though, seriously I recommend sipping plain boiled water, and if you are into crystals, tiger’s eye applied to the solar plexus.

Venus trine Chiron in addition ensures that you are well on the way to your healing path for the week.  You are coming into synchronicity with your own cosmic food plan.

Evening Meal: Sun sextile Uranus – You are eating late tonight because you’ve had the day off work, have spent the day in nature, re-establishing your own natural rhythms, and were waiting until you were really hungry until eating.  This is the natural way of things.  Oh if only you had known at the beginning of the week what you know now.  What you know now could lay down the foundations for the perfect astro-nutritional lifestyle.  What is more, you feel perfectly in tune with your intuition.  With the intuitional diplomas you are holding in your hands right now, you feel you could heal anything.  Make a note of what you do eat tonight – your intuition will have led you to the perfect meal.

21^st: Friday early hours of the morning: Sun enters Gemini – There is a pattern this week of early waking or late sleeping.  This is because your guides want to keep you awake in order to inform you of the nature of these early morning aspects, and to bring you ideas to enhance your life.  Especially this morning, as the Sun enters Gemini, stimulating your mind.  If you are a teacher, a writer or a scientist, you may need to jot down ideas and will definitely need a notepad by your bedside.  By this time you may be so exhausted, that you might not have the energy to run downstairs for the toast.  You may fall asleep with exhaustion, or have too much on your mind to think about food.  Just visualize the toast and honey you had earlier in the week.

To sum up: a busy week around the clock, no respite for aspect-watchers.  Some challenging aspects, with a few highlights.  It’s all teaching us flexibility and seeing things from different angles, preparation for Jupiter opposite Saturn on Sunday next (23^rd) when we are being required to hold a balance in our lives and to understand the forces which constitute the checks and balances.  That includes the dynamics of our own psyches, and how we hold situations while staying open to new information which would re-arrange things.

With Mercury retrograde until the evening of Tuesday 11^th, parliament in the U.K. may continue to be hung until that time or beyond.  The next hope for a fresh start after that is the New Moon on Friday 14^th, but there are no guarantees of resolution this week.  The thoughts and will of the British people have created a no-win situation for any of the parties, and that may be what is right and necessary.  The blinkered approaches of the two main parties which exclude other voices have failed to prove themselves, and people did not have the confidence to vote for the approach of the Lib Dems.  Our politics had to change, even though we need strong government and we know financial hardship is to come.  Polly Toynbee wrote hopefully yesterday in the Guardian: “The buzz among cabinet ministers and others yesterday was of a coalition of the heart, not of mere opportunism.  Take the best of the Lib Dem and Labour manifestos and they blend well, better than either on its own.”  The people of Brighton did have the courage of their convictions however, and voted in a first, a Green MP, the emerald gem of Caroline Lucas, who proclaimed: “Thank you so much for putting the politics of hope above the politics of fear…It’s where a whole political party takes, for the first time, its rightful place in our parliament.” The Earth is the Esoteric Ruler of Sagittarius (her Sun Sign) in the Esoteric Astrology of Alice Bailey.  Caroline’s astrological chart shows  a fine exact powerful trine of Jupiter and Pluto, balanced by a spiritual sextile of Neptune between the two.  She will serve with dignity and integrity, and though her influence is not wide, it will be powerful  by example.  And if you look at her Human Design chart, you find that she has all her centres filled in, which is the first chart of its kind I have seen since I started to look.  I wonder what Kim Gould of Love Your Design  http://www.loveyourdesign.com/blog/ would make of that?  Anyway I am sure that politics isn’t your whole life, and this hiatus in your own life before Mercury turns direct can be used as preparation for all systems go, for the green lights of the Mercury switch and the New Moon later in the week.  What would you like to move forward with in your life, and what can you let go of in the interests of change?  As with the government and other crises around the world, you may have complicated crises going on in your personal life, and need to  expand your perspective  to see what your highest good would look like.  Would it look like a hung parliament?  Would it look like you would need to negotiate with two other parties?  Does it look like you need to take a hard look at your finances?  Where in your life can you vote green?  Mercury is strictly speaking stationary on 11^th and turns direct on 12^th, so by then you should be able to see your way to turning around some issues which have been plaguing you for the last few weeks.  The New Moon in Taurus on Friday 14^th focusses on the Earth, and the beginning of any projects linked with it.  Take a walk in your garden or local park and enjoy what is there, cultivated or wild, and find inspiration for your New Moon wishes.  This New Moon aligns with the double star cluster H and Chi Persei, also know as Capulus.  According to one of my favourite tomes “Starlight Elixirs” by Michael Smulkis and Fred Rubenfeld: “This can give some remembrance of past lives and some awareness of the time before birth in which contracts were made with individuals one is yet to meet”.  It is a time of soul searching, but specifically in connection with this incarnation on this Earth.  So can Nick Clegg, David Cameron and Gordon Brown work together for the good of the nation?

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