\u201cWe all live in a Yellow Submarine\u201d<\/i> ~ The Beatles<\/p>\n
This week\u2019s blog concentrates on the Pope\u2019s resignation, and the Sun\u2019s conjunction with Neptune, which are closely linked in nature.<\/p>\n
From my Postbag:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI 1der if u will b bloggin re Pope’s abdication? on sun. I do hp sum1 mre enlitened in the ways of the world (ie contraception) will cum along. Perhaps all the paedo scandal in the church was jst 2 mch 4 a v old man!\u00a0 U always hve so mch wisdom in ure views, I wud b interestd 2 no wat u think. Lv & hugs \u2013 jxxx\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n (No it\u2019s not Mediaeval Latin)\u2026<\/p>\n Pope Benedict XVI<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Pope Benedict\u2019s resignation came as a shock, except to some Astrologers who had predicted it. \u00a0\u00a08 pm on 28th<\/sup> February would seem a good choice for a planned retirement, since Uranus (change) will be trine his natal Saturn (planning).\u00a0 The last Pope to have given up serving before he dropped was Pope Celestine V in 1294, who lasted only a few months.\u00a0 It is amazing that they continued for 600 years without any Pope giving in.<\/p>\n His Taurean predecessor Pope John Paul II was more cuddly than the Aries Pope Benedict, who also has the Warrior Archetype (North Node conjunct Mars).\u00a0 His role for many years was as aide, protector and confidant to the previous Pope.\u00a0 Ariens and Taureans are often found together, but it is usually the Taurean supporting the Aries.\u00a0 However, this is an example of how it works the other way round.\u00a0 I suspect that his support to John Paul II was a major part of his karmic mission, being in his prime, and that to be a Pope was not suited to his natural tendency of being an academic (his ruler Mars being in late Gemini).<\/p>\n Pope Benedict has not been known for his modernism, but in one respect he follows the modern approach and breaking with tradition, and that is in the manner of his leaving. \u00a0Modern views of compassion for the self (Age of Aquarius), not taken lightly, but going against conditioned thought, as against the Piscean view of self-sacrifice which will have been motive for previous Popes serving to the end.\u00a0 He must have had many a conversation with God before taking such a step.<\/p>\n The Prophecy of St Malachy from the 12th<\/sup> Century indicates that the next Pope may be the last.\u00a0 Ariens and Taureans are not known for their reforming zeal, but an Aquarian Pope may fit that brief, as many feel reform is what is required.\u00a0 I am looking out for an Aquarian candidate, but no luck so far.<\/p>\n Aspects<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n On Monday at 12.02 hrs the Sun enters Pisces, and we begin to taste the essence of Pisces. I will be posting the penultimate in the Zodiac Masterclass series, the Piscean Guide to Compassion, by Yoga teacher Alison Charles.\u00a0 Look out for that!<\/p>\n It is indeed Essence of Piscean Week, more than usually so for this time of the year, with Neptune in its own sign and several (Sun, Neptune, Chiron, Mars and Mercury) planets in Pisces.<\/p>\n The themes are not unrelated to the Pope\u2019s resignation, for Pisces represents aspects of renunciation, surrender and divinity come with this, and the story will be current for the whole of this week and beyond.<\/p>\n Pause for a moment, the question is: have you enjoyed all the planets being direct?\u00a0 Did you even notice?\u00a0 We tend to notice when they go retrograde, and two will do so this week, the first being Saturn later on Monday.\u00a0 Saturn going retrograde may mean that you may have to retrace your steps on a project.<\/p>\n With planets going retrograde, and the only aspect this week being Sun conjunct Neptune, the tone of the week is quite passive.\u00a0 Non-action will possibly achieve more than action, so brush up your copy of Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, and follow the natural, organic processes of life.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen nothing is done, nothing is left undone.\u201d ~ <\/i>Lao Tzu<\/p>\n Sun conjunct Neptune<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n On Thursday (21st<\/sup>) we have the aspect of the week, Sun conjunct Neptune, an aspect which comes once a year.\u00a0 It represents riddles, mystery and wonder; complexity and possible confusion.\u00a0 We may reach the centre of the labyrinth.\u00a0 Our actions may grind to a halt, and we may be forced to go into our inner resources and processes.\u00a0 This aspect represents the deep reaches of the sea, and coincidentally Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is launching sea ecology projects (with Neptune sextile his Mercury-Venus conjunction).\u00a0 Immersion under water, or emotion as its psychological counterpart, is the feeling under the influence of this aspect.\u00a0 This may be reflected in the day\u2019s weather or climate too, but rest assured neither the Boxing Day Tsunami (2004) nor the Japanese Tsunami (2011) took place under this aspect.\u00a0 It is a pause for thought.\u00a0 Past-life phobias, such as from drowning, may come up, and addictions may be highlighted.\u00a0 The conjunction happens be aligned with the star Fomalhaut in Pisces Austrini.\u00a0 \u201cStarlight Elixirs\u201d by Michael Smulkis and Fred Rubenfeld states:<\/p>\n \u201cThis star has an excellent ability to release addictive states by bringing to consciousness the purpose of addictions\u2026The awareness of past-life connections that create the necessity for such addictions also comes to one\u2019s consciousness with repeated use of this star.\u201d\u00a0 <\/i><\/p>\n Sun conjunct Neptune in the birth chart<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Paul McKenna<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Paul McKenna, who works through hypnosis,\u00a0 has Sun exactly conjunct Neptune plum in the middle of Scorpio.\u00a0 It could be that he sometimes feels submerged in the collective unconscious, taking people into the depths of their minds and Unconscious. The deep nature of his work may weigh on him to an extent, and he revealed recently that he has been battling with depression, which is probably linked with his natal Mercury-Saturn square.\u00a0 At the beginning of his public career, there was an attraction to the glamour and illusion of the game, and stage hypnotism.\u00a0 Then he gravitated towards using his gifts for healing.\u00a0 His new book \u201cHypnotic Gastric Band\u201d takes the success of his \u201cI Can Make You Thin\u201d work a step further.\u00a0 I have known people who have benefitted from his approach.<\/p>\n John Keats<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n John Keats also had this aspect in Scorpio, and was among the greatest of the English poets, channelling the depth of his feeling into classical poetry, seeing deeply into nature, and the dilemmas of human existence.<\/p>\n On the sea, he wrote: \u201cIt keeps eternal whisperings around desolate shores\u201d, and he penned his own epitaph as \u201chere lies one whose name was writ in water.\u201d\u00a0 He died 192 years ago this week, on 23rd February.<\/p>\n The current Sun-Neptune conjunction is in Pisces, even more nebulous, mysterious and overwhelming, and in terms of human evolution a more advanced initiation than that of Sun-Neptune in Scorpio.<\/p>\n Mercury Retrograde<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n On Saturday (23rd<\/sup>) Mercury goes into Retrograde mode.\u00a0 What does he think of his latest photo, which has been spiced up from the natural beige tones to blue-green, to look more interesting and to provide us with information on its geography?\u00a0 It is a beautiful photograph, but will we experience Mercury Retrograde any differently?\u00a0 It may generate more love for the planet possibly, and that may mitigate some of its usual bad press in relation to communication during its retrograde run.<\/p>\n Competition still open<\/span> <\/b><\/p>\n The competition for the new mnemonic for Richard III to reflect his changed circumstances will be held open for another week.\u00a0 The prize is a Year Ahead for you or someone of your choice.\u00a0 ROYGBIV, Richard of York Gave Battle In Vain, used to remember the colours of the rainbow in order, needs to be revamped, and who better than the readers of my blog.\u00a0 I know that some of you out there have a way with words\u2026!<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the link, in case you missed it the first time round:<\/p>\n