Aspects for the week beginning 3 May 2009

Few aspects this week, but that will give you the space to work with what there is, and even the chance to master a couple of perennial chestnuts: the Mercury Retrograde and the Full Moon.  But first, the bigger picture, which is getting more colourful by the minute.  By now hopefully you will be able to identify the influence of Pluto in Capricorn in your life (the really heavy stuff), the Saturn-Uranus opposition (the dismantling) and the Jupiter-Neptune-Chiron (the qualified euphoria).  You may be finding extremes: laughter and tears, serotonin-rushes and adrenalin-rushes, all designed to make you more adaptable and open to change.  If you are following my souffle recipe, you may at this stage find a little egg on your face.  Just wipe it off, gently and discreetly, and carry on with the appointed task.  If you are eager to know more about the swine flu crisis, there are many Astrology blogs out there analysing the situation as it unfolds and examining the implications of each significant timing.  At the time of the bird flu epidemic a couple of years ago Neptune and Chiron were already in Aquarius (the sign of the bird totem and element).  It looks to me like the Neptune-Chiron conjunction in Aquarius represents the nature of the current crisis, with a semi-sextile from Uranus providing the out-of-the-blue element.  The current swine flu outbreak erupted around the time of the Taurean New Moon, Taurus representing the pig totem and element.  Back to the week ahead, and Mercury Retrograde which occurs on Thursday.  Be ahead of the game, and get going with your communications from the outset of the week.  In fact, I should have been ahead of the game myself last week and recommended this, but there is still time to do as much talking and travelling as you can muster before Mercury goes retrograde.  You can also do some homework by reading “Mercury Retrograde” by Chrissie Blaze or “Mercury” by Pamela Tyler.  Needless to say, don’t count on smooth-flowing communications towards the end of the week.  The books may help you build fortifications for the week ahead if you so require.  The first aspect of the week comes on Tuesday (5th), with Sun at 15 degrees Taurus trine Saturn at 15 degrees Virgo: more hard graft, and perhaps building up of fortifications.  If you want to build cast-iron structures, fortresses or defences this week, Tuesday is the day to do it.  Liz Greene’s book on “Saturn – A New Look at an Old Devil” is still possibly the classic on the subject.  The Mercury retrograde arrives next, on Thursday (7th).  Remember that the outer reflects the inner, so centre yourself, be calm and clear in your communications (if you still have a backlog, don’t worry about it) and let everything flow from that.  Mercury is revolving in the first degree of Gemini all week…of course my Mayan friends remind me that a week is an artificial construct and does not actually begin on a Sunday morning.  The last feature of the week is the Full Moon at 18 degrees Scorpio on Saturday (9th), which could be hair-raising if you have a fear of Scorpions.  Recommended reading for the run-up to this in order to build your spiritual muscle is “The Labours of Hercules” by Alice Bailey,  something to wrestle with and when you have stopped wrestling everyday cares will seem like a breeze.  Centre yourself again, breathe deeply…and relax.  The Full Moon is a time when even if you are centred there can be panic in groups, especially when there is talk of a pandemic.  The Louise L. Hay affirmation for ordinary flu applies even more here: “I am beyond group beliefs or the calendar.  I am free from all congestion and influence.”  That doesn’t mean you won’t need masks as well.  The Full Moon in Scorpio may put you in touch with some of the issues surrounding Pluto in Capricorn.  Someone recently asked when the Pluto transit finishes, and I said that it doesn’t, if you are continually working on it, and especially while Pluto is in Capricorn.  If you want to get to grips with this aspect of our current experience, three books stand out: first “The Astrology of Fate” by Liz Greene, philosophical but not for the faint-hearted.  For the faint-hearted I would recommend Donna Cunningham’s “Healing Pluto Problems” full of practical and alternative health wisdom, such as flower remedies.  My favourite is “Pluto: The Evolutionary Journey of the Soul” by Jeff Green, who was taught Astrology in his dreams, a book which provides spiritual uplift and gently elicits your own insights.  Just going for a nap…