{"id":6753,"date":"2022-02-13T12:51:22","date_gmt":"2022-02-13T12:51:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/?p=6753"},"modified":"2022-02-13T13:06:27","modified_gmt":"2022-02-13T13:06:27","slug":"aspects-for-the-week-beginning-13-february-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/?p=6753","title":{"rendered":"Aspects for the week beginning 13 February 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bamber Gascoigne<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

“Your starter for ten…<\/em><\/p>\n

Fingers on the buzzers…<\/em><\/p>\n

I’ll have to hurry you…”<\/em><\/p>\n

The original quizmaster of University Challenge, Bamber Gascoigne, died last Tuesday, at the age of 87.\u00a0 The quiz show began in 1962, and I was an avid viewer before I went to university (the questions were easier, then!) and in our household hubby and I still challenge each other every week (I win about once a year).\u00a0 The gentlemanly Bamber stopped hosting the show in 1987, but it was subsequently revived with Jeremy (not so gentlemanly) Paxman at the helm.<\/p>\n

Birth Chart<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We are fortunate enough to have a birth time for Bamber, and his vital astrological statistics are Sun in Aquarius, Moon in Virgo and Ascendant in Cancer.\u00a0 He had half his planets in Air (Intellectual) and half in Fixed signs (strong willed).\u00a0 With the Sun in Aquarius square to its ruling planet Uranus, he was very independent.\u00a0 His Sun was conjunct the North Node and trine Chiron, so had a strong sense of rectitude.\u00a0 His Moon and Mars were in Virgo in the 3rd House of Intellect and Broadcasting. \u00a0He had the Writer Archetype, in Mercury exactly conjunct Venus – \u00a0and indeed left a serious body of writing, much of it historical.\u00a0 The other archetype he had was the Quizmaster Archetype, in the shape of Mercury trine Mars!\u00a0 He began his career as a theatre critic, and The Critic is another archetype associated with Mercury-Mars.\u00a0 He had a broad depth of knowledge, described by Mercury closely square Jupiter: his wife said that he had a “limitless thirst for knowledge, which he retained like a sponge.”\u00a0 With Mars square the Ascendant, and Pluto on his Ascendant, he sported a red head of hair.\u00a0 He cut a powerful figure with Jupiter trine Pluto, and sustained a successful career (Jupiter trine the Midheaven in the 9th House of University).\u00a0 He wrote books on Christianity, and curiously enough his Neptune (Spirituality) was unaspected – apparently “Gascoigne insisted – in the face of criticism by the church – that his lay status was precisely what was required: he said he wanted Christians to assume he was a believer and non-Christians to assume he was not.”<\/p>\n

Early Life and Career<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Bamber was born in London into a family connected to aristocracy, educated at Eton, and then Magdalene College Cambridge, where he met his wife.\u00a0 The pair were married in 1965, a marriage which lasted 57 years, until his death.\u00a0 He began working as a theatre critic, and then at the age of 27 he was chosen to present the new television quiz University Challenge, never realizing it would have such longevity.\u00a0 For the first series, he set the questions himself, as well as delivering them.<\/p>\n

University Challenge<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

At the onset of University Challenge, on 21st September 1962, Mars was square his natal Mars, and Saturn was trine his natal Chiron in Gemini.\u00a0 The Sun was on his natal ruling planet, Uranus.\u00a0 At the conclusion of that first phase of the show, on 31st December 1987, Bamber had a profusion of transits.\u00a0 Some of them indicated an ending (Saturn square his natal Midheaven or Careerpoint) and Uranus square his natal Moon in Virgo in 3rd House (the end of a way of life in a broadcasting role).\u00a0 Other transits hinted at the release into new pastures for him (Jupiter sextile his natal Mercury\/Venus hinting at future writings) and Uranus exactly trine his natal Uranus (freedom to express his Aquarian nature).\u00a0 The Astrology of the University Challenge chart itself is interesting, too: Uranus squared the chart’s Sun (an ending), and Pluto was transiting the Venus\/Neptune conjunction of the University Challenge chart (also depicting an ending).<\/p>\n

Jeremy Paxman Era<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Seven years later, the show was revived with a new quizmaster, Jeremy Paxman.\u00a0 Jeremy displayed a much more hectoring style towards the students.\u00a0 Jeremy is a Taurean, and also has a strong willed chart.\u00a0 In 1997 he famously interviewed the politician Michael Howard and asked him the same question 12 times, leading to a nickname of “The Rottweiler”.\u00a0 Interestingly, Jeremy has the same Quizmaster Archetype of Mercury trine Mars in his chart as Bamber Gascoigne!\u00a0 The BBC decided to air the new series on 21st September 1994, the anniversary of the original, which meant that again the Sun was on Bamber Gascoigne’s Uranus.\u00a0 However, Bamber stated that he only ever watched one or two episodes of the show with the new host.\u00a0 Mars was prominent again in the transits for Jeremy when he took up the show, in that the planet was exactly sextile his natal Mars to the day.\u00a0 Perhaps that reflects the combative nature of the show.\u00a0 In addition, Neptune was on Jeremy’s Sun, Pluto exactly opposite his Mercury, and Uranus exactly trine his Uranus on the day (the same transit as Bamber Gascoigne had on taking leave of the show).\u00a0 In this case it represented the new enterprise for Jeremy.<\/p>\n

After University Challenge<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

After leaving the show, Bamber Gascoigne continued to write books, on mainly historical themes.\u00a0 His television series “The Christians” had been followed by a book on that theme accompanied by photographs taken by his wife, and was republished in 2003.\u00a0 In 1979 he had been involved in writing Quest for the Golden Hare, about Kit Williams’ book Masquerade. In the actual year he left University Challenge (1987) he presented a documentary series on Victorian history.\u00a0 He was later involved in a study of the Mughal Empire of India.<\/p>\n

In 2014, his great aunt died and left him an estate at West Horsley, Surrey, which included a country house, a home once owned by Henry VIII.\u00a0 He and his wife decided to restore the house, and later built an opera house on the grounds.\u00a0 The house has been used for the filming of television comedy “Ghosts”.<\/p>\n

With his high forehead, he always did seem the epitome of intelligence.\u00a0 There was also an untouchable aloofness about his character, often the result of a combination of Sun in Aquarius and Moon in Virgo.\u00a0 But the original face of University Challenge is always remembered with a palpable affection.<\/p>\n

“…He was so kind and warm to us students who sat nervously at those desks.\u00a0 Such an elegant, intelligent man”<\/em><\/p>\n

~ Stephen Fry<\/p>\n

Aspects<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, but really it’s Valentine’s Week this year, because Venus will be conjunct with Mars all week<\/u>, which rarely happens.\u00a0 So get in the zone straight away, even if it is self-love which you are aiming for.\u00a0 It’s hearts and flowers, all the way!<\/p>\n

On the day itself (Monday, 14th), Pluto will be trine the North Node, an important recognition of the roles we play in each other’s lives.\u00a0 It is a good time to appreciation who is in our life, and to ponder on the reasons why.\u00a0 Whether you take a this life approach, or a more long term view of past and future lives, we can on that day gain insight into the law of cause and effect, as it applies to our relationships.\u00a0 We can ask profitably ask the question: how can we best evolve our relationship(s). The day, and the aspect, is not only about relationship, it is about our own deepest psychology and the meaning of life itself.\u00a0 It is up to you how deep you go with that!<\/p>\n

In the evening, Mercury enters Aquarius.\u00a0 That increases the balance of planets in Aquarius to three, with the Sun and Saturn already there.\u00a0 The asteroid Juno is also currently in Aquarius.\u00a0 The Aquarian energy is gathering…though the love birds Venus and Mars are still in Capricorn, giving an old-fashioned quality to romance itself.\u00a0 But soon you may see a surge in space-age related news items and influences.\u00a0 Technology, too will flourish.<\/p>\n

The Sun squares the Nodal Axis on Tuesday (15th), challenging us to stay on our karmic path even if group pressure tries to sway our individuality.\u00a0 We have to find a way to honour our own way, while staying in integrity with society or outside pressures.\u00a0 It may present as a power struggle, but can be an opportunity to find higher solutions.<\/p>\n

Wednesday (16th) is the day when Venus and Mars actually catch up with each other.\u00a0 Maybe your Valentine celebration was delayed, or that special online gift purchase finally arrives at the doorstep.\u00a0 At any rate, this is the most romantic day of the week.\u00a0 Tell those you love how you feel about them, and tell yourself how you feel about yourself (hopefully that will be a positive!)\u00a0 Some celebrity (whose name escapes me) said last week that he tries to treat every day as Valentine’s Day.\u00a0 Well, this is certainly a week when that idea can be put into practice.<\/p>\n

Of course, not everybody likes Valentine’s Day.\u00a0 For those that don’t Venus conjoining Mars on this day can be a hedonist’s dream, revelling in your own sensuality. What’s that I hear?\u00a0 Not everyone likes hedonism?\u00a0 I am running out of options, in that case, but perhaps try just enjoying the moment.<\/p>\n

Wednesday also offers a Full Moon at 28 degrees Leo, which will produce some emotional tension, possibly around the question of romance itself: did the Venus-Mars conjunction meet your expectations?\u00a0 Moon in Leo can be dramatic, and bring about power struggles.\u00a0 But Leo is creative, and can write its own screenplay, especially if working in a balanced way within a group.\u00a0 Do your best to create your own reality your own way.<\/p>\n

However, the climax of the week comes on Friday (18th), with a harmonious sextile between two big hitters, Jupiter and Uranus.\u00a0 It happens in the first hour of the day, so you could experience the wow factor at the end of Thursday evening.\u00a0 It may be exciting enough to keep you awake!\u00a0 If you have a pet project or enterprise on the go, there may be a sudden success attached to it.\u00a0 Or your positive future focus may suddenly be firing on all cylinders.\u00a0 It is a good time to seize the moment, the day or the week.\u00a0 Entrepreneurs often have this sextile\u00a0 in their natal chart.\u00a0 I only hope that, with the build up of troops on the Ukrainian border, Vladimir Putin does not read this…<\/p>\n

Last up this week, in the afternoon of Friday, the Sun will enter the sign of Pisces.\u00a0 We become more introspective and aware of our deeper emotions with the Sun in Pisces.\u00a0 We become more aware of the sentience and oneness of all life.\u00a0 The Sun in that sign shines a light on such matters.\u00a0 It is our final stage of quietude and incubation before the Spring arrives in a month’s time.<\/p>\n

The week in bullet points:<\/p>\n