Aspects for the week beginning 24 May 2015

Ireland

All eyes have been on Ireland this week, from a historic visit by Prince Charles, to a groundbreaking referendum.

Ireland chart

The 1949 chart for Ireland (in the year the Republic was proclaimed) is dominated by Aries (Mars/North Node/Sun/Venus), and you have to take a closer look to get a feel of the Emerald Isle, the Earth based green planets.  This is provided by a close trine between Mercury in Taurus and the Moon in Capricorn, plus the Midheaven in Virgo.  Venus is exactly conjunct the Sun, and also trines the Moon (this is the laid back quality in the Irish character, and the love of song).  Strangely, there are no water planets for this Emerald Isle.

Prince Charles

Prince Charles has not had a close relationship with Ireland, but this week chose to tackle his relationship with the place.  The wound occurred when his close great-uncle  and mentor (“the grandfather I never had” Lord Mountbatten, was killed by an I.R.A. bomb in August 1979.  This week, Prince Charles travelled to Ireland to meet Gerry Adams, terrorist turned respectable politician on Tuesday (19^th May), and visit the site of his uncle’s murder on Wednesday (20^th May) at Mullaghmore.

The Prince has a lot going on, transit-wise, at the moment, and arrived in Ireland fresh from the revelations of his Black Spider letters.  But, with Jupiter sextile his natal Neptune, he has been laying to rest some ghosts in his life.

Gerry Adams

There was potential for peacemaking in Gerry Adams’ chart, with the Sun in Libra conjunct exactly Neptune (a complex inner journey).  Venus is conjunct Saturn in his chart, which may have closed his heart early in life.  We do not have his birth time, but if born around Noon he will have had the Moon square this conjunction, a very sectarian set of feelings.  He also has Mars conjunct Chiron, a woundedness, which may have in early life led to a belief in a “wound or be wounded” mentality, then later at some point switched to looking at a more healing approach.

Gerry Adams has some surprisingly good connections in his chart with Prince Charles, but tellingly his Sun/Neptune conjunction (confusion) falls exactly on Prince Charles’ I.C., a point in the chart which represents roots and security.  Here are Charles’s own words on the effect of the bombing in his life:

“So it seemed as if the foundations of all that we held dear in life had been torn apart irreparably.”

For this historic meeting of reconciliation and forgiveness, Mars was square Prince Charles’s Saturn (a difficult confrontation), but Mars was sextile the Prince’s Ascendant (courage displayed).

For Gerry Adams, his perspective was Saturn squaring his natal Saturn (again a difficult confrontation, perhaps facing up to his own weaknesses of the past), but Neptune trine his natal Mercury (mental peace) and Neptune square his natal Venus (a confusion of the heart).

Lord Mountbatten

Lord Louis Mountbatten, who played such an important role in Prince Charles’s life, has a very unusual chart.  A lot of planets are crowded into 3 zodiac signs, save for the planet Saturn, a singleton at the beginning of its own sign of Capricorn (a profound sense of responsibility), and Mars at the end of Taurus.  He was a double Cancerian, having the Sun and Ascendant in this parental sign (indicative of the important family role he played), but also the Part of Fortune, Venus and Mercury in the clandestine 12^th House.  He also had a conglomeration of planets in the globetrotting sign of Sagittarius, including its own ruling planet Jupiter.  The importance of his death as part of his karmic mission is shown by Uranus, a planet of explosions and the ruler of his 8^th House of Death exactly conjunct his North Node.

His deep psychological connection with Prince Charles is shown by an exact sextile between their Plutos (a bridge for the generations for each other), and the wounded element of their relationship history shows up with Mountbatten’s Mars opposing Prince Charles’s Chiron (the triggering of his own “wounded healer”).  On the day of Prince Charles’s visit to the place where Lord Mountbatten died, Neptune was squaring Lord Mountbatten’s Nodal Axis, a karmic opportunity for an act of spiritual peace on the world stage.

Referendum

The referendum vote on same sex marriage which took place on Friday (22^nd) and whose resounding result of a 62% Yes vote was announced on (23^rd) represents a world first in terms of the population of a country (and a small one at that) voting on this issue.  The breaking of a taboo is shown in the transits by Neptune from Pisces in the 4^th House (an expression of the sensitivity of its people) squaring the Irish Chiron in the 1^st House in Sagittarius.  Ireland has the potential for being a groundbreaker, in its natal aspect of Sun exactly sextile Uranus.  There are also several natal aspects to Ireland’s North Node, so karmic events and responses are very much a part of its pattern.  Uranus is travelling towards its Mars in Aries, coming up close in July before turning retrograde, so when it does reach Mars next year there is likely to be some explosiveness when the revolutionary planet inflames the passion of the nation.  For the other side of the coin is Saturn at the top of the chart, representing the reactionary forces and the more traditional values, and this vote is one in the eye for the Catholic Church, which has sought to determine the country’s sexual mores.

Pope

Pope Francis does have other countries to attend to, and other fish to fry, and his transits at the moment have some harmonious elements, such as the North Node trine his natal Venus.  However, there is some aggro going on for him at the moment with Uranus (rebellion) opposing his Mars (will), so perhaps that is the Irish issue showing up.

Aspects

You may be feeling a bit jangled this weekend, as we are in the middle of a T-square between Venus in Cancer, Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn – Taureans and Librans may be feeling this especially.

So on Friday we had Venus opposing Pluto (emotional wrangles) and yesterday we had Saturn opposite the Sun (deflation for some) and we start the week on Bank Holiday Monday (25^th) with Venus square Uranus (the second leg of the T-square).  Tomorrow could find us on the hop or wrong-footed.  Still feeling jangled, you may be struggling to find your footing emotionally or spiritually.  It is the search for the right feeling tone for what you are experiencing, and what you hope for, in relation to what might not be going your way.  Relationships may be under strain, but more importantly, you may need to address your relationship with yourself in order to produce the smooth week that you might desire.  If you have a break from working, use it to devise the best possible strategy for yourself in the near future in order to pick up any pieces which may have got scattered over the last few days.

Any clarity you achieve will be tested on Monday evening, with a square between Mars and Neptune.  Having got things straight with yourself, you may then have to address the use of your energies in relation to others in your life, particularly the men in your life (whether same sex or not!).  Some extra confusion could be thrown up on this subject, and you may not know where you stand.  More re-assessment, re-evaluation, and piecing together your feelings may be necessary.  You may have a sense of being at sea again.  Try not to act while in this state (which may be due to over-imbibing alcohol over the Bank Holiday weekend!) and wait to sober up after the Bank Holiday.

Wednesday (27^th) is the perfect opportunity to sober up, because Mars will be conjunct Mercury and you will need to think on your feet, act quickly to catch up on tasks which you haven’t quite been up to for a week.  So a splash of cold water on the face on Wednesday, and onwards and upwards!  Geminis and Virgoans especially will be nifty, but most people will be in a position to be  on the go, and on their bikes, or skateboards, or their chosen vehicle (Mercury retrograde notwithstanding).  Communication will be zippy, and conversations gabbled at the rate of knots.

Later that day, Venus trines Chiron, a real opportunity to re-group your healing energies and feel harmony within your being.

Friday (29^th) reverts to confusion and tangled communication, with Mercury squaring Neptune.  Emails may be exposed, deceptions come to light, journeys undertaken may prove more complicated than anticipated, and there is a general foggy feeling.  You might be able to ascertain whether or not this aspect would be able to affect you, if you remember back to just after the General Election when Mercury squared Neptune before it turned retrograde.  Some of us were shell-shocked by the result, others not affected.  So, more re-grouping may be necessary, depending on how sensitive you are to this aspect. Disorientation and re-orientation being the watchwords.

Saturday (30^th) gives us an opportunity for clarity, when the Sun conjuncts Mercury at 9 degrees of Gemini.  Super concentration and insight are possible, but because the Sun also squares Neptune the next day it might be like trying to get a crisp photographic image, a matter of trial and error, and perseverance and watchfulness.  Eyes wide open will help on Saturday.

The week in bullet points:

• Tomorrow – twists and turns, and fuzziness
• Wednesday – getting ahead, coming to a place of peace
• Friday – some confusion
• Saturday – in the midst of some fine-tuning