Aspects for the week beginning 10 November 2013

From my Postbag:

“For the next blog can I request a focus on Russell Brand who in my opinion has articulated what many of us feel.”

Russell Brand is no stranger to controversy, and has recently upped his political profile by appearing on Question Time and then being interviewed by Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight.  Our querent refers to the interview with Jeremy Paxman in which he ranted about the population being completely disillusioned with politicians.  He does seem to have touched a nerve.

I meet up regularly (once a fortnight) with a friend for an early morning coffee, aiming and failing to set the world to rights.  We usually end the hour by agreeing to disagree.  At least once in every meeting she expresses the fact that she does not trust Politicians, Policemen, Journalists and Psychiatrists.  Russell is avant-garde, but maybe she is even further ahead.

Russell Brand

Russell Brand, who sports a medieval attire and speech, and may have been a soothsayer in those times, was born on exactly the same date as Angelina Jolie, and they share a raunchy image at least.  We are fortunate to have birth times for both, and Angelina’s Cancerian Ascendant (focusing on children) opposes Russell Brand’s Capricorn Ascendant (focusing on politics, although Angelina is politically minded too).  What is it in his chart that makes Russell so outspoken?  I feel that his conjunction of the Midheaven/North Node/Part of Fortune makes him compelled to be authentic, to his own ears anyway.

At the time of the Paxman interview Uranus was trine his Neptune, so he was stimulated to make an announcement on complex social phenomena.   Venus was also trine his natal Jupiter/ Moon conjunction in his 3^rd House of broadcasting, giving him an ideal outlet for this.

Jonathan Freedland commented in the Guardian:

“The success of Brand’s ‘Don’t vote’ riff probably frightens some in the political class.  Perhaps a luckless special adviser is drawing up bullet points for a PowerPoint presentation on the ‘Brand demographic’ as I write.”

Jeremy Paxman

Jeremy Paxman is a solid Taurean who never backs down during an interview, although in this case he partly backed down after the interview.  At the time of the interview, Jupiter was sextile his Sun.  He has changed since he “seriously considered” quitting Newsnight over the Jimmy Savile scandal.  He became blasé and grew a beard.  Jupiter sextile his Sun by transit would make an arrogant interviewer extra confident, magnanimous enough to concede a point to his interviewee a little further down the line.  Other transits for him were Saturn sextile his Saturn (a feeling of internal stability), Neptune trine his Uranus (other way round from Russell) and Mars opposite his Jupiter (in the mood for a little jousting).

A few days later he confessed that he didn’t vote in a recent election because he himself was a little disaffected.  By this time the transiting Neptune trine Uranus came more into focus, and allowed a response which overlapped with Russell’s views.  Neptune transiting would allow more sensitivity in relation to some of his entrenched (Uranian) views.

Paxman said:

“At the next election we shall have a choice between the people who’ve given us five years of austerity, the people who left us this mess, and the people who signed public pledges that they wouldn’t raise student fees, and then did so.”

Nick Clegg

I have more sympathy than most for Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, viewing him as Capricorn scapegoat to Cameron’s Libra charm offensive.  But even I have to concede that he did not have the kudos to weigh in to this argument.  In his LBC phone in, he argued: “Here is a guy [referring to Paxman]…he lives off politics and he spends all his time sneering at politics” treating all politicians as “rogues and charlatans”.  While Russell Brand has Uranus the Rebel at the top of his chart squaring his Capricorn Ascendant, Capricornian Nick Clegg is seriously trying to uphold the Capricorn institution of Politics.  Transiting Pluto sextiles his Jupiter, making him feel epic enough to say this.

Political Implications

Rebels rarely have the stamina to actually implement their cause, theirs is to do the shouting.  We are in an era of Uranus in Aries (the Arab Spring and Occupy Movements) and Aries starts a thing, Aries does not finish it.  I think Russell intends for someone else to do the implementing, or for ourselves as members of society to take individual responsibility.

Did I answer the question?

Aspects

There may be a sense of relief today, with Mercury turning Direct, that at last things can be said without their being misconstrued.  A friend has realized that every time Mercury goes retrograde, her technological systems require and receive an upgrade, which is a useful addition to the wisdom around this subject.

Tomorrow sensitivities can be opened out and communication can go that bit further, with Mercury trine Neptune. It’s an aspect we enjoyed on Saturday night because now Mercury is going the other way.  It may have been an evening to remember, and accordingly some of the sparkle may be revived tomorrow. Again it occurs in the evening, so the mood may be similar.

On Tuesday (12^th) the Sun trines Jupiter, so some of the sensitivity will have been absorbed and integrated, and a feeling of spaciousness can emerge.  The Soul can be given free rein, and awareness can expand; philosophical avenues can be explored. Visions of the future look rosy that day.

Wednesday (13^th) has another planet turning direct: Neptune.  That will bring more understanding of complexity, sensitivity and spirituality, as these qualities and directions will be reinforced.  You feel you are swimming more with the tide intellectually (Mercury’s movement forward) and spiritually (Neptune’s).  This may constitute a shift on the spiritual path.  Even if your concerns are centred on practical matters, the spiritual implications will be clearer.  There may be a marker to show how far you have come on your journey.  Then you will realize there is a new stage to the journey.

On Friday (15^th) it will be harder to hold things together, so you will need to keep the spiritual perspective.   Venus engages with the Uranus-Pluto square.  Feelings and relationships will be deeply experienced at the cellular level.  We make the mistake sometimes of thinking we are not connected with events and people.  Sometimes in our disconnection we can realize our connectivity, and vice versa.  It’s that sort of day.  First Uranus squares Venus at the beginning of the day, producing the sense of isolation or alienation, then at the other end of the day Venus conjuncts Pluto, bringing a sense of finality or closure.  There’s no escaping the import of the day, but between these two events Venus sextiles Chiron holding a healing space for us as we process.

We are working our way towards a Full Moon in Taurus (not eclipsed) on Sunday.  So any residual emotion from Friday may reach a peak then.  I will expand on this next week.

The week in bullet points:

• Today – green light for communications
• Monday –  mental inspiration
• Tuesday – hope
• Wednesday – spiritual reinforcement
• Friday –  disharmonious