That was the Year that Was \u2013 Selections from the blogs\u2026<\/p>\n
January<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 7th:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Karma Chameleon No. 1<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Emily Bronte\/Kate Bush<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Emily Bronte was in the news this week, so that\u2019s my opportunity to launch the first in a new occasional series \u201cKarma Chameleons\u201d!\u00a0 She is in the news because it is the bicentenary of the year of her birth.\u00a0 A row has erupted about the appointment of supermodel Lily Cole to the Bronte Society in order to assist this celebration.<\/p>\n The reason I have chosen Emily Bronte for the first \u201cKarma Chameleon\u201d, apart from the fact I have always been a fan of her novel Wuthering Heights and her poetry, is that she bears a remarkable resemblance to Kate Bush, whose big hit single of the 1970s bore the name \u201cWuthering Heights\u201d.\u00a0 It is tempting to think that she may, just may, be a reincarnation of Emily.<\/p>\n February<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 25th:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Billy Graham (1918 \u2013 2018)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy home is in Heaven. I\u2019m just traveling through this world.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n ~ <\/strong>Billy Graham<\/p>\n The Archetypal Evangelist Billy Graham died this week, on Wednesday 21st February.\u00a0 He was revered by many, but my first impressions of him in the early 1970s were that his rallies were a scary display of hypnotic power.<\/p>\n Birth Chart<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n If ever a birth chart suited its subject to the letter, Billy Graham\u2019s does to an amazing degree.\u00a0 I am fascinated by the interplay of religion and spirituality in a chart, and this chart does not disappoint.\u00a0 All roads lead to religion in his chart, and his personality is a force to be reckoned with.<\/p>\n Firstly, he has half his planets (5) in the element of Water, so his power is on an emotional level.\u00a0 Curiously, one of his health ailments may be linked with this, as he suffered from hydrocephalus from 1992.<\/p>\n He had 0 planets in the element Earth, and may have been ungrounded, as evinced by the quote \u201cMy home is in Heaven. I\u2019m just traveling through this world.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n 6 of his planets were in the Fixed signs, depicting a very strong willed individual, and this quality he undoubtedly used in his persuasive preaching, and in his adherence to his ideals.<\/p>\n The Sun conjunct Venus in Scorpio gave him charisma and magnetism.\u00a0 You can see the Sun in Scorpio in those mesmeric eyes.<\/p>\n March<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 11th:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Russia<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n (A tale of two Russian fathers and daughters)<\/em><\/p>\n Salisbury is a wonderful place, close to my heart.\u00a0 I visit family there once a month.\u00a0 It is utterly bizarre to be watching it on the news daily, in the context of a Russian spy mystery.\u00a0 Father and daughter Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found last Sunday in an extremely distressed condition on a bench near the centre of the city.\u00a0 The cause of their physical distress was a nerve agent, which apparently could only have been developed by a state.\u00a0 The police officer who first rendered aid to the pair was also affected, and is in hospital in serious condition.\u00a0 A passing doctor also tended them, but was not affected.\u00a0 They have been praised for their incredible courage.\u00a0 Like Amber Rudd, our Home Secretary, it is not for me to point the finger until the truth has been established.<\/p>\n Sergei Skripal<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Sergei Skripal is a former military intelligence officer from Russia, who acted as a spy for Britain.\u00a0 He was imprisoned in 2004 for such activities (with a dangerous transits of Pluto opposite his natal Mars); and then released in 2010 as part of a swap between Russia and the U.S. and allowed to live in Britain.\u00a0 At his release transiting Uranus was square his Sun, a sudden freedom but probably bringing difficulties in adjustments to change.<\/p>\n Last Sunday (4th March 2018) was an extremely Neptunian day. \u00a0\u00a0The Sun was exactly conjunct Neptune in Pisces, Neptune\u2019s own sign.\u00a0 One side of Neptune is glitz and glamour (as in the Oscars) but the more sinister side can be poisoning, as Neptune rules such substances.\u00a0 As a peculiar aside, I find it interesting that the French word for fish, poisson, (linking it with Pisces) is similar to the English word for poison \u2013 but there is no etymological basis for that peculiarity. Sergei had the transiting North Node exactly quincunx his natal North Node, a karmically based event, plus Neptune (poisoning) on his North Node. Father and daughter remain critically ill in hospital.<\/p>\n April<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 15th:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Mark Zuckerberg<\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n On Tuesday (10th April) this week, with Venus square the Nodal Axis, the social network Facebook came under the karmic microscope, as its founder Mark Zuckerberg appeared before Congress to answer questions regarding recent misuse of data.<\/p>\n Mark\u2019s Birth Chart<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Mark Zuckerberg\u2019s birth chart bears many hallmarks of a shy but socially minded individual with technical skills, who has made a fortune through the creation of a social network.\u00a0 First of all, he has the North Node (karmic mission) in Gemini (communication) in the 9th House of wider communication networks.\u00a0 The North Node conjuncts his Chiron, so that his work is healing or problem-solving for him.\u00a0 The 9th House contains his Sun and the Midheaven, too, making it a major focus of his life, with global interests.\u00a0 The other House of great emphasis is his financial House, the 2nd, containing Pluto (finances on a grand scale), plus Saturn and an exact conjunction of the Moon and Mars (quick emotional reactions, confidence, and a keen interest in finance). His Moon conjuncts Saturn (loneliness) and that conjunction opposes his Venus. He was born on a Full Moon in Scorpio, and arouses strong emotions in others.\u00a0 Not only are his female planets the Moon and Venus in opposition, but so are his male planets (the Sun and Mars) so he is equipped to be combative.\u00a0 Mercury trine closely Neptune delivers mental inspiration, and Venus trine Jupiter provides a love of human interaction.\u00a0 Uranus on the South Node suggests a past life connection with technology in Atlantis.<\/p>\n May<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 13th:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Uranus Enters Taurus<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a long time, a long time coming<\/em> ~ Sam Cooke [Sun in Aquarius]<\/p>\n This week\u2019s arrival of Uranus in Taurus on Tuesday 15th May has been widely broadcast of late, and it probably hasn\u2019t escaped your notice, especially if you use Facebook.\u00a0 Uranus\u00a0 takes 84 years to tour around the zodiac, and 7 years per sign and House.<\/p>\n Nature of Uranus in Taurus<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Uranus, an Air planet is the planet of sudden change, sees no ideological reason why change should not take place, and the Earth sign of Taurus is resistant to change as it registers the practical obstacles and ramifications.\u00a0 Thus, the combination of Uranus and earth can sometimes result in earthquakes, both climatic and personal.<\/p>\n Historic Considerations \u2013 Finance<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n On its last entry into Taurus, in 1934, we were in the throes of the Great Depression, a financial crisis which began in 1933 when Uranus was still at the end of Aries.\u00a0 But Taurus is equated with finance, which is why many Astrologers predict a major overhaul in the area of finance. They also equate it with the rise in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.<\/p>\n June<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 10th:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n G7<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n An extraordinary photo was shared on instagram by Angela Merkel yesterday from the G7 summit, of a seated Donald Trump (arms folded) being confronted by Angela Merkel with the other members of the summit looking on, with Japan\u2019s Shinzo Abe\u2019s arms also folded.\u00a0 You didn\u2019t need to be able to read body language: the unsmiling looks told all.\u00a0 Later, Donald Trump left the summit early to engage with Kim Jong Un in Singapore.\u00a0 The main bones of contention were trade tariffs and relations with Russia.\u00a0 But President Trump is also at odds over climate agreements.<\/p>\n The Group of Seven<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The membership of the Group of Seven, representing more than 62% of the global wealth, consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.\u00a0 The European Union as a whole is also represented.\u00a0 Meeting to discuss joint economic policies, the concept of the G7 was founded in 1973.\u00a0 Russia joined in 1998, when it formed the G8.\u00a0 But following Russia\u2019s annexation of the Crimea, the Russian Federation was ejected.\u00a0 This 44th summit was hosted by Canada.<\/p>\n Heads of State<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The summits are attended by the heads of government, and I will look at the countries in alphabetical order.<\/p>\n Canada<\/u>, represented by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.\u00a0 Geographically and traditionally, Canada is a natural ally of the United States, but like the U.K. and France there is also a neighbourly rivalry.\u00a0 He delivered the joint communique for the summit advocating a \u201crules based trading system\u201d, which Trump rejected. Trudeau stated \u201cCanadians are polite and reasonable but we will also not be pushed around.\u201d\u00a0 The transits for Canada at the moment include Neptune squaring its Venus (bizarre developments in relationships). For Capricornian Trudeau, who has a patriotic chart, his transits include two difficult aspects from Chiron, bringing crisis and possible health challenges.<\/p>\n …<\/p>\n July<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 1st:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Wimbledon 2018 \u2013 Week 1<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Here we go again!\u00a0 It\u2019s the height of summer, and the tennis season here in the U.K.\u00a0 We can manage without the carbonated drinks in this time of shortage, but it looks like we\u2019ll have the vitamin D from all the sunshine of the next fortnight, while enjoying the tennis.<\/p>\n As usual, I will set off by outlining the top 4 women\u2019s and men\u2019s seeds, and then comment here and there as the tournament progresses.\u00a0 For the first round, I will not look at the opponents for the top seeds, as they should be expected to go through.\u00a0 I will, as usual, endeavour to answer any questions about your favourite players as we go along.<\/p>\n Women\u2019s <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Simona Halep \u2013 No. 1 Seed<\/u><\/p>\n Earlier in June, Simona won her first grand slam at the French Open, against Sloane Stephens.\u00a0 She had lost the first set (Mars was opposite her Chiron) but Jupiter was sextile her Neptune (a dream come true) and Jupiter was sextile her North Node (her time had come).<\/p>\n How do her transits fall during Wimbledon fortnight?\u00a0 At the beginning of Wimbledon, she still has Jupiter sextile her Neptune, so she still has dreams, but not the karmic back up of the previous line up of transits.<\/p>\n At the end of Wimbledon Mars (having retrograded) is again opposite her natal Chiron (causing some nerves), Jupiter is till sextile natal Neptune (keeping alive the dream), but Saturn squares her natal Sun (some self-doubt perhaps creeping in), and Uranus is trine her natal Jupiter (she can still pull the rabbit out of the hat if she gets there).<\/p>\n …<\/p>\n August<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 5th:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Fleetwood Mac \u2013 A Soul Group \u2013 Part 3:\u00a0 Christine Perfect\/McVie<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf you wake up and don\u2019t want to smile<\/em> from \u201cDon\u2019t Stop\u201d by Christine McVie<\/p>\n Christine McVie<\/strong><\/p>\n Time to introduce the first female member of the band, but before Christine\u2019s arrival, they had to deal with the loss of founder member Peter Green.\u00a0 The band were doing well, releasing two albums in 1968, \u201cFleetwood Mac\u201d and \u201cMr. Wonderful\u201d.\u00a0 They continued to increase their fan base.<\/p>\n Although he had founded the group, Peter Green, was becoming increasingly unhappy with the way of life.\u00a0 Belonging to the band gradually became dissonant with his developing philosophy of life.\u00a0 He told Mick:<\/p>\n \u201cMick I don\u2019t want to waste my life.\u00a0 That\u2019s what I\u2019m doing.\u00a0 I\u2019m wasting my life.\u201d<\/p>\n He was becoming increasingly sensitive to the suffering in the world, and wanted to give all his money to the poor.\u00a0 He was obsessed with his search for God.\u00a0 Mick described the reaction of the rest of the group: \u201cWe agreed with the beauty of his idealism, but we were practical.\u201d<\/p>\n …<\/p>\n September<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 2nd:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n U.K. Politics \u2013 Autumn Term 2018<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n With both our main parties tearing themselves apart at this point in time, and the country still divided over Brexit, I thought I would take a look at the current state of play astrologically in U.K. politics.<\/p>\n U.K. Chart<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Neptunian confusion reigns supreme in the (1922) U.K. chart at the moment.\u00a0 So it is no wonder we are in the state we\u2019re in.\u00a0 Jupiter from Scorpio in 6th House squares its natal Neptune in Leo in 3rd House, so its communications are unclear or exaggerated.\u00a0 Neptune from Pisces in its 10th House squares its natal Sun and Mercury in Sagittarius in 7th, so its reputation and relationships are unclear. There is a sense that it has \u201clost its way\u201d.<\/p>\n Theresa May<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Aside from practising her dance moves in Africa, she is limbering up for the challenges of a new term, walking a tightrope with Brexit, trying to maintain her Chequers proposal, and staving off a challenge to her leadership.\u00a0 She is ready for the fight, with Mars trine her natal Mercury, Jupiter sextile her natal Jupiter (still smiling), and Mars sextile her natal Saturn.\u00a0 However, with Mars square her natal Neptune, she is facing subversive factions.<\/p>\n October<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 14th:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Jamal Khashoggi<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi seemingly within the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul remains a mystery.\u00a0 It has been claimed that the Saudi Arabian journalist was killed inside the embassy, as he did not emerge.\u00a0 Khashoggi was a long term critic of the Saudi regime, on issues such as women\u2019s rights and the intervention against Yemen.\u00a0 The U.K. government continues to profit from arms trade deals with Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n Family<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n His surname was made famous by his uncle, Adnan Khashoggi, who was an arms dealer on behalf of the Saudi government, and who led a luxury lifestyle.\u00a0 Dodi Al-Fayed was Jamal\u2019s cousin, and their Marses are exactly conjunct.<\/p>\n Birth Chart<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Khashoggi is, or was, a Sunsign Libran with Venus, the North Node, Mercury, and possibly the Moon also in that sign.\u00a0 He was reported to have visited the Saudi Arabian Consulate in order to obtain documents to marry his Turkish fiancee, who waited for him outside, and who reported him missing after the consulate closed for the day.<\/p>\n Mercury is conjunct his North Node, so it is part of his karmic mission to be a journalist, and speak out.\u00a0 Jupiter conjunct Neptune will have given him a strong conscience.<\/p>\n He has, or had, Mars square closely to Pluto, indicating that he could be a victim of violence.<\/p>\n November<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 25th:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Protests in France<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere is no place for violence in the [French] Republic.\u201d ~ <\/em>Emmanuel Macron<\/p>\n French citizens have had enough this week of footing the bill over fuel, and keeping Emmanuel Macron in the luxurious style of a would be Napoleon IV.\u00a0 Even acknowledging the justification of their cause, and knowing the propensity of the French for revolution, it was still shocking to see the Champs Elysees ablaze last night.\u00a0 It was also startling to see the water cannon employed for crowd control.\u00a0 [A fun fact<\/em> about water cannon is that Boris Johnson bought \u00a385,022 worth of water cannon for London a few years ago, and it has just been sold off at \u00a311,025 possibly to\u00a0 be placed in a museum.]<\/p>\n Emmanuel Macron<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n I devoted a blog to Emmanuel Macron in April last year, and analyzed his birth chart to an extent:<\/p>\n \u201cThe Sun is conjunct exactly with Mercury, giving him the capacity for concentrated thought, at the end of Sagittarius in his 12th House of Inner Vision. He studied Philosophy (Sagittarius) at University, and in debate has a considerable mental agility.\u00a0 The capacity for application and hard work is further accentuated by the Sun\/Mercury trine Saturn.\u00a0 His Ascendant is in Capricorn, the sign of Politics.\u201d<\/p>\n This was at a time when he was seen as the most centrist candidate for the French election, and an acceptable swerve from the right wing Marine Le Pen.\u00a0 Much has been made since of his presidential style and penchant for pomp, and he gave an interesting interview with Andrew Marr in January, describing himself as a Jupiterian (whatever he meant by it).\u00a0 Certainly, his Sun is exactly conjunct Mercury in Jupiter\u2019s sign of Sagittarius and opposes Jupiter closely.\u00a0 That makes him Jupiterian by any astrological standards.\u00a0 But his popularity ratings have been consistently low and plummeting during his \u201creign\u201d (recently standing at 21% in September), and his public are not amused.<\/p>\n December<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 2nd:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n George H.W. Bush (1924 \u2013 2018)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Another former president of the United States of America died this week: the elder Bush.\u00a0 Contemplating his life takes us nostalgically back to an era when progress seemed to be happening in the world\u2026<\/p>\n George Herbert Walker Bush was well prepared for his role as president, having built his character and life experience through service in the second World War, as a businessman in the oil industry, as a Congressman and as a Vice President.\u00a0 Then as fate would have it, his period of office as president coincided with important world changes.\u00a0 His Ascendant was exactly conjunct the North Node, indicating that he was a karmic catalyst.<\/p>\n Birth Chart<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n George had the Sun in Gemini, the Moon in Libra and\u00a0\u00a0 his Ascendant in Leo.\u00a0 His Sun was exactly square Uranus, so he was strong willed and not afraid to be controversial.\u00a0 He had Venus conjunct Pluto in Cancer, so he was a man of deep feelings and patriotism.\u00a0 Mars was exactly trine Saturn in his chart, indicating measured action, and he was described as a \u201cpragmatic caretaker\u201d which is descriptive of that trine.\u00a0 He found strength through his religious faith, and that is reflected by the positive interaction of Jupiter trine Neptune in his chart.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" That was the Year that Was \u2013 Selections from the blogs\u2026 January 7th: Karma Chameleon No. 1 Emily Bronte\/Kate Bush Emily Bronte was in the news this week, so that\u2019s my opportunity to launch the first in a new occasional series \u201cKarma Chameleons\u201d!\u00a0 She is in the news because it is the bicentenary of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-astrology"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5176"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5177,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5176\/revisions\/5177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nBut I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will\u201d<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n
\nIf it takes just a little while<\/em>
\nOpen your eyes and look at the day<\/em>
\nYou\u2019ll see things in a different way\u201d<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n