Aspects for the week beginning 29 December 2013

What did we learn from 2013?

January

13^th: (from the blog)

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.

…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.

Hindsight from 18^th May:

 The tension rose to such a degree that Andrew Marr had a stroke, and he recently divulged that it took place when he had been exercising too vigorously on the rowing machine.  He was overdoing things in his life physically and mentally.  This is something to be observant about during the course of this square.

February

10^th: (from the blog)

Richard III

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 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).

…The next question on the agenda was where he should be laid to rest.  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.

Hindsight from 18^th May:

Richard III managed to emerge after centuries under a car park in Leicester and initiate a continuation of the Wars of the Roses.  That is quite a feat.

Consequences

High Court proceedings have been adjourned until the New Year.  York lays a claim for a re-burial from the current Leicester location of the skeleton, and descendants of the relatives of  Richard III (under the Plantagenet Alliance) have got involved as interested parties. Unburying him was the easy part.  The current tussle could run on and on.

March

17^th: (from the blog)

Tony Blair

Many of my friends marched in London hoping to prevent the Iraq War, and I did write a letter to Tony Blair which he ignored.  I never bought into the Weapons of Mass Destruction idea!  I have to document the 10^th Anniversary which occurs on Wednesday 20^th, because I believe the Iraq War was a collective wound and we are still suffering collective post-traumatic stress syndrome from it.

The Legacy

Iraq was destroyed, with no planning having been given to its reconstruction.  The way of life, both good and bad, for the Iraqi citizen was destroyed.  The fine antiquities of ancient Mesopotamia were also destroyed.  That is on top of all the lives lost…Tony Blair certainly continued his interests in the Middle East, having a special peace envoy role, and many have wondered what he has done with that.  It is also the second anniversary this week of the Syrian uprising (15^th March), and the Middle East is still in turmoil, with the added threat of Iranian nuclear weapons and the lack of counterbalance to Iran which was formerly provided by Saddam Hussein.  Now of course we face the dilemmas over intervention in Syria, and further afield in Africa.

A Lesson not Learned

Involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan among other  causes, and the history of the involvement, seems to even recently be a cause for confusion in the mind of our PM David Cameron.

On 16 December he made a public statement saying that our troops in Afghanistan had accomplished their mission, assuring us that a “basic level of security” had been achieved.  Afghanistan seems as unstable as ever, and there are still frequent bombings in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

April

14^th: (from the blog)

Margaret Thatcher

She became the first female Prime Minister on 4^th May 1979, which is still a remarkable achievement even seen from the hindsight of the 21^st Century, though she was always surrounded with men in her cabinet.  This was a validation and expression of her karmic mission, as transiting Jupiter was exactly conjunct her North Node in Leo, fulfilling her destiny of Leadership.  She would re-define leadership, and Tony Blair styled his leadership after her model.  Other supporting aspects at the time were Jupiter trine her natal Venus and Sun ruler, and Neptune sextile her natal Sun.

…Unfortunately, our society is still debating what she did do.  She ignored the poorest strata of society, declaring there was no such thing as society, and encouraged self-serving.  But there were many changes whereby she wrought transformation, and some of those might be seen less negatively, or be more easily debated.

British Politics still in turmoil

With Tony Blair (New Labour) having emulated her, and David Cameron (Conservative) admiring her style, Nick Clegg (Lib Dems) having kowtowed his party almost to oblivion as scapegoat for the current government, and Ed Milliband (Old Labour) still not finding his feet, or the way ahead, British politics is as much in turmoil as ever.

More Disillusionment later in the year

From 10 November blog:

“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.

…A few days later he [Jeremy Paxman] 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.”

June

9^th: (from the blog)

The Turkish Spring

Turkey, a country which holds a crucial position in the world, in relation to the EU and in relation to the Middle East, is at a crossroads now.  It has had the same leader at the helm for 10 years, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, democratically elected, but now a rebellion is under way, triggered by the proposed building of a mall on park land in Istanbul.

…What may mark out this Turkish Spring, starting as it does in the midst of the Uranus-Pluto square series, from the Syrian situation, may be Erdogan’s grasp of what is needed in the democratic process if he can turn round his thinking, as he has engaged with it already, and listen to his people.  He is in the unique position of being able to learn what not to do in the region, from previous examples.

…Celia Fenn, an Earth Healer has recently written about the situation in Turkey, saying: “It’s about a generation of Indigos standing up and saying “This doesn’t work for us!…This is the Indigo Revolution.  It is young people who have said ‘no…it is enough’ and who will stand calmly in the face of aggression because they are light warriors and systems busters.”

More Lessons Unlearned

Protests are still going on, amid calls for Erdogan’s resignation.  Only yesterday it was reported that he remained defiant, amid allegations of corruption which have resulted in three members of his government departing from office.  Erdogan does not seem to be able to think outside the box in relation to his own leadership, let alone learn from the lessons of other Arab spring revolts.

July

7^th: (from the blog)

Nigella Lawson

We were forced into the prurient act of seeing what seemed like a public near-strangling by Charles Saatchi, when pictures of Charles Saatchi at the throat of his wife Nigella Lawson outside a London restaurant  were displayed all over the media last month.  This morning it was announced that he is to divorce her, citing the damage to his reputation as one of the problems.  She has since been taken up, unwittingly and possibly reluctantly, as a poster girl for domestic violence.

Hindisght from 22^nd December:

Drugs

I had been pondering the true meaning of Neptune by transit squaring Nigella’s natal Venus at the time of the original story: there was a mystery which was enveloping the relationship.

What the trial revealed was an alleged culture of drug taking, and Nigella herself admitted to an occasional use of cocaine and cannabis, at odds with the Grillo sisters’ account of more extensive use.  This is the Neptunian secret which was behind the transiting square of Neptune to Nigella’s Venus, where Neptune = secrets and drugs and Venus = relationships and money.

Can she make a fresh start in the New Year?

At this point, Nigella needs to pick herself up and dust herself down, and her chance comes on 7 January 2014 at 9 pm (Channel 4) with the first screening of the British version of this show.[The Taste]/

August

25^th: (from the blog)

Martin Luther King

Yesterday Americans celebrated 50 years since the “I Have a Dream Speech” by Martin Luther King, which was actually spoken on 28^th August 1963.

Oratory is shown in Martin Luther King’s natal chart by Ascendant in Gemini, Mercury its ruler on the Midheaven, and Mars (warriorship) in Gemini (through oratory).

North Node close to the Ascendant often indicates one who is a leader, bringing a group of people into incarnation for a specific work.  His karmic leadership role is also emphasized by a trine of the Sun to his North Node.

Continued theme on 8 Decembre 2013

Icons

Growing up, my icons were Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King (see my blog under the category Icons), the Dalai Lama, and later I became aware of Nelson Mandela (who passed away this week).  If all politicians carried on according to their example, the problems of the world would be greatly lessened.

Conclusion

Political icons are as rare as comets.

September

15^th: (from the blog)

Obama and Putin

It is easy to be cynical about the current engagement of the U.S. and Russia over the Syrian dilemma, but I welcome it as a change of energy in the situation, a diplomatic effort rather than a military one.  So I thought I would just look at the current situation with regard to Obama, Putin and Syria to see if there is even the slightest hint that the current proposal to deal with Syria’s chemical weapons could be a helpful way through.  The deal, brokered in Geneva, is to give Syria one week to comply with conditions which would enable the accounting of its chemical weapons.  Bashar Al-Assad, allied to Russia,  has agreed to this plan.

29^th: (from the blog)

Hassan Rouhani of Iran

Is President Rouhani sincere or just extra clever?  A focal point of his chart is an exact conjunction of Venus and Neptune in Libra, the sign of diplomacy and sweet words.  He certainly knows the truth of what he is saying, and has many years of experience in Iranian politics making him a shrewd realist. In another life, with that conjunction, he could have been an inspirting musician.

Dilemma

To trust or not to trust, that is the question.

October

20^th: (from the blog)

On the Brink

U.S.A. Chart

This week’s U.S. crisis and deadline was averted in the nick of time.  Of course the crisis did not only belong to the U.S., it had implications for the world economy.  On Thursday, the day of the deadline and the day a temporary resolution was made Neptune from Pisces in 3^rd House of the U.S. chart (communicated uncertainty) was trine the US chart Venus  (finance) in Cancer in 7^th House, indicative of a place of rest in the situation.  It was the day before an eclipsed Full Moon in Aries (itself a threshold) positioned in the U.S. 5^th House, squaring its natal Pluto (high finance) in the 2^nd House and creating a T-square with its natal Mercury/Part of Fortune in 8^th House. in Cancer (financial House connected with other parties).

Ongoing Financial Crises and the Uranus-Pluto square

From Raymond Merriman 23 December:

“Still, within the context of the greater Cardinal Climax (2008-2015), we are nearing its end. It is simply amazing, in my humble opinion, that Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve Board, along with other central banks of the world,  have been able to steer the economy away from a Great Depression through their clever engineering of monetary policy over the past six years. Yes, the middle class – savings class – has been devastated. But it would have been worse had they not “put the pedal to the metal” in terms of their dramatic monetary easing policies.”

November

17^th: (from the blog)

Over the last week images of the devastation in Tacloban in the Philippines have dominated our screens.

Typhoon Haiyan

Some of the astrological signatures of this typhoon were Moon conjunct Pluto in Capricorn squaring Uranus (coming quite close to the exact square between Uranus and Pluto), and Sun conjunct Saturn.  Also of significance may be North Node conjunct Mercury (weather karma).

Climate Change

The aid effort has raised huge sums from the public and contribution from the  government in Britain, and it will of course take years for the area to recover.  Supplies are only just now getting through, over a week after the typhoon.  One of the questions raised is how much the phenomenon is due to climate change, and how responsible we are as a species if so.  I don’t think the general thrust of responsibility for the welfare of the planet is helped by climate change deniers such as Nigel Lawson, who waded into the argument again on Question Time this week, as Jupiter was plumping up his natal Pluto (power).  In his chart he has a loose conjunction between Mercury and the North Node, giving him a vested interest in the karma of weather.

December

1^st: (from the blog)

Mary Berry

What is her enduring appeal?  She has the resilience and energy of Sun in Aries, and its directness and simplicity, a real English rose (she was brought up in the quintessentially English city of Bath).  Aries is not traditionally associated with baking, but we do not have her birth time and Ascendant, which could sway her towards baking (a Taurus or Cancerian Ascendant would suit the profession).

…When the Great British Bake Off was launched on 17 August 2010, Mary was ripe for the opportunity, with Jupiter exactly transiting her Sun.  Her partnership with Paul Hollywood has been described by The Guardian as the best ever TV judging partnership.  A nice lady…

Moral of this Tale

Blogs on more light hearted topics do better.

Aspects

“There is no astrological event so baleful that creativity, intelligence, and honest self-appraisal cannot turn it to constructive uses – and there is no configuration so glorious that laziness cannot sour it” ~ Steven Forrest

At the moment, in the heavens, we have a Grand Cross.  The Mars-Uranus opposition of Christmas Day was our first intimation of it, and by and large the coming week is dominated by it, apart from a couple of oases.  The Grand Cross consists of Uranus in Aries opposing Mars in Libra, and Jupiter in Cancer opposing Pluto in Capricorn.  These points are activated by Mercury and the Sun in Capricorn this week.

With the Sun conjunct Mercury in the planning sign of Capricorn today, it is a good time to take a cool look at the past year, and where your life is headed.  This analysis will be useful when it comes to deciding on the final line up of your New Year’s Resolutions.  What worked for you in 2014, and what did not work?  How will your best interests be served in 2014?

The energy changes towards the evening when Mercury squares Uranus.  The Universe will be urging a change in mental direction.  Your earlier deliberations may have highlighted perhaps an attitude that needs changing.  There may be disruptions.

In my case, I began a blog, then had to change direction completely.  Halfway through, I needed to go and order a new washine machine (our old one just gave up, after 21 glorious years of service).  Then as you can see it proved to be a long blog!  So a disruptive Sunday…and hence the unprecedented lateness of my blog.

The theme of change continues tomorrow with the Sun squaring Uranus.  That may force changes past the planning stage and through to action, or creative originality at best, or unexpected change which is not usually so welcome.

Mercury also sextiles Chiron tomorrow, which favours healing insight,  seeing the metaphysical cause of a problem and constructing a suitable affirmation, or strategy to overcome this.

If at this time you are implementing changes, be aware that your Inner Rebel may be making them too radical, trying to throw the baby out with the bathwater.  Do try and tone him or her down.  This could become a critical issue on Tuesday (31^st) when we experience a square between Mars and Pluto.  It is the sort of aspect which may produce a political coup in an unstable regime, or even direct conflict or conflagration.  It is not an easy energy with which to enter the New Year.

Two young women asked me excitedly on Boxing Day: “Oooh what will the New Year be like?”  It was an unguarded moment, in which I could only gulp.  But difficult aspects at the New Year do not taint a whole year…We still have the Uranus-Pluto square to contend with through to 2015, but there will be other aspects we can work with more constructively.

Moving on swiftly, Mercury then conjuncts Pluto, entering the fray.  There is much information to be digested: news reporters may be kept busy and on the alert.

Mercury then goes on to square Mars, so more fractiousness and irritability into the mix.

Wednesday (1^st)  may be a Happier New Year’s Day.  With a great deal of conflict coming up to the New Year, the day itself holds the possibility of a fresh start in the shape of a New Moon in Capricorn (at 10 degrees).  You may be able to see a new plan, a New Vision, though the time will not yet be right for forging ahead, as the next aspect upon us that day is Sun conjunct Pluto, and ramifications of the pre-New Year period may have to be dealt with, or new considerations may insist on solutions.  The Sun also sextiles Chiron, enabling some healing to take place and some solutions to be found.

The Sun then squares Mars on Friday (3rd), producing more subjects and incidents of contention, though maybe not as deep seated as the previous batch.

Finally, Mercury opposes Jupiter that same day, so there may be some light relief – it may all end in laughter, not tears.  The horizon brightens, and the following week looks much easier.  It reminds me of the lines of “Hello Muddah Hello Faddah” by Alan Sherman: “Wait a minute, it stopped hailing, guys are swimming, guys are sailing, playing baseball, gee that’s better…”

HEARTFELT WISHES FOR A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!

The week in bullet points:

• Today – Concentration and then Disruption
• Tomorrow – More Change and then Healing
• Tuesday – Conflict, deep thought, and Irritability
• Wednesday – Happy New Year and a New Beginning, but also Realism and some healing
• Friday –  minor Skirmishes and Laughter