{"id":6807,"date":"2022-03-26T08:39:21","date_gmt":"2022-03-26T08:39:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/?p=6807"},"modified":"2022-03-30T10:50:49","modified_gmt":"2022-03-30T10:50:49","slug":"aspects-for-the-week-beginning-27-march-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/?p=6807","title":{"rendered":"Aspects for the week beginning 27 March 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

Female War Reporters<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I am always amazed at the bravery of war reporters, but in this current conflict between Ukraine and Russia, two female war reporters stand out: Orla Guerin and Lyse Doucet.\u00a0 They share a few similar aspects in their charts, not always the aspects you would expect for war reporters.<\/p>\n

Orla Guerin<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I almost can’t remember a time when Orla Guerin wasn’t reporting on wars for us…<\/p>\n

Her birth chart is very grounded, with half (5) of her planets in earth, and 0 planets in Air, making her operate in a very instinctual way.\u00a0 She is fifty-five years old, which makes you wonder when war reporters retire.\u00a0 Jeremy Bowen is also in the Ukraine, and he is sixty-two, a year older than Fergal Keane who too is reporting in Ukraine.\u00a0 Orla was born under the indomitable sign of Taurus, and her Sun is conjunct the North Node, giving her a strong sense of destiny and individuality.\u00a0 She has the Sun exactly sextile Chiron, making her a Healer of sorts.\u00a0 She has Mercury trine Uranus, so is quick thinking, and able to think outside the box.\u00a0 But at the same time, she is also a deep thinker, with Mercury trine Pluto.\u00a0 Mars trine Uranus gives her electrical energy, and possibly engineering talents.\u00a0 In considering the question how she does it, the answer may lie in her Mars trine Pluto, a powerhouse of energy.\u00a0 Another planet conjunct with her North Node, Mars, carries the Warrior Archetype in relation to her karmic mission, forming a triple conjunction with her Sun.\u00a0 Stating the obvious, she takes an interest in matters of war.\u00a0 She also has another triple conjunction, that of Chiron\/Moon\/Saturn at the end of Pisces, signifying compassion and service.\u00a0 This triple conjunction sextiles her other triple conjunction, adding a combination of stoicism and sensitivity.\u00a0 Another high energy focus is Uranus exactly conjunct with Pluto, an anarchic conjunction of the mid 60s (she was born in 1966).<\/p>\n

Orla was born in Dublin, and has worked for the BBC.\u00a0 She started working for RTE News in 1987, and became their youngest foreign correspondent in 1990.\u00a0 She moved to the BBC in 1995, and reported from Kosovo, among other places.<\/p>\n

Interviewed in the Evening Standard, she described the requirements of her attire:<\/p>\n

“I got my first flak jacket from the Irish Army but they did not give me the armour plates that you slip into the vest.\u00a0 Without them the jacket was about as much use as a white handkerchief.\u00a0 I’m a bit more knowledgeable now [2002] and luckily the armour plates have become lighter.\u00a0 You cannot run very fast with a flak jacket on but sometimes you have to wear one.\u00a0 I have known colleagues who have died without them.”<\/p>\n

She was awarded an MBE in 2005.\u00a0 She has been reporting directly from Kyiv in this last month of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.<\/p>\n

Lyse Doucet<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

As mentioned, there are similarities between Lyse’s chart and Orla’s.\u00a0 One of the most striking of these is that they both have Mars (war) in Taurus (within three degrees of each other).\u00a0 Taurus is not a particularly warlike sign, but I associate Mars in Taurus with pugilism.\u00a0 Lyse is older than Orla, having been born in 1958.\u00a0 She has the Sun conjunct Saturn in Capricorn, so bears a great sense of responsibility.\u00a0 She is a woman of immense strength, with the Sun\/Saturn trine Pluto.\u00a0 This also gives her a tremendous strategic sense.\u00a0 Like Orla, she has Mercury trine Uranus (quick thinking, able to think outside the box) and has in interview expressed the need to always be open to the unexpected.\u00a0 She too has electrical energy, though with Mars exactly square Uranus, it is less organized than Orla’s.\u00a0 A T-square between Jupiter, and Chiron opposite Uranus, means that she is someone willing to take risks (despite her strongly Capricornian nature).\u00a0 Her North Node is exactly trine her Chiron (a strong healing nature), whereas Orla’s North Node is exactly sextile Chiron.<\/p>\n

Lyse was born and educated in Canada, though she has an intriguing soft drawl which does not sound unlike Orla’s Irish tones!\u00a0 She is fluent in English, French and Arabic.\u00a0 Lyse began reporting for the BBC in 1988, reporting from Pakistan and Kabul, but has reported from all over the Middle East.\u00a0 She once accompanied President Karzai of Afghanistan to a family wedding, which turned out to be an assassination attempt on him!\u00a0 She is a founding member of the Marie Colvin Journalists’ Network, in honour of the war reporter who died in Syria.\u00a0 The plight of children in the midst of war is a particular interest of hers.\u00a0 She gained an OBE in 2014.<\/p>\n

She too is currently reporting from Kyiv.<\/p>\n

Other notable female War Reporters<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Kate Adie<\/u><\/p>\n

Kate Adie was a household name in war reporting for many years (as Chief News Correspondent for BBC News between 1989 and 2003), retiring after she had written her autobiography “The Kindness of Strangers”.\u00a0 She had the Sun in Virgo, but like Orla Guerin had Mars conjunct the North Node (warriorship as part of the karmic mission).<\/p>\n

Marie Colvin<\/u><\/p>\n

Marie Colvin died in 2012 while reporting from Syria, assassinated by the Syrian government itself.\u00a0 The Syrian Civil War had begun the year before, in a similar fashion to the other rebellions of the Arab Spring, but with even more disastrous consequences.\u00a0 I wrote at the time:<\/p>\n

“<\/em> Last Tuesday evening we could not help but be moved by a news report from a woman\u00a0in an eye patch in Syria, telling us of a baby who died that day. As\u00a0always when watching these foreign correspondents, we marvelled at their\u00a0bravery. Tragically, it was to prove her swan song, whilst also\u00a0ensuring that no one forgets what she was highlighting: the unspeakable\u00a0cruelty of the Syrian regime.\u00a0 The world took note.\u00a0 It seems to me that Marie Colvin\u2019s death brought about a surge in rescue efforts and international deliberations, at least in the short term.\u00a0 With the Sun in Capricorn, Marie Colvin had an acute sense of responsibility, and Kate Adie this morning called her a \u201cserious journalist\u201d.\u00a0 The Guardian obituary stated: \u00a0\u201cShe was not interested in the politics, strategy or weaponry; only the effects on the people she regarded as innocents. \u2018These are people who have no voice,\u2019 she said. \u2018 I feel I have a moral responsibility towards them, that it would be cowardly to ignore them.\u2019 \u201d\u00a0 She had a very interesting chart, and her extraordinary courage is shown natally by Jupiter\/Pluto squaring Mars\/Saturn.\u00a0”<\/p>\n

Lindsey Hilsum<\/u><\/p>\n

Lindsey Hilsum, also prominent in war reporting, was born in the same year as Lyse Doucet.\u00a0 She has Mars in Taurus, just like Orla Guerin and Lyse Doucet.\u00a0 With Lyse Doucet, she was a founder member of the Marie Colvin Journalists’ Network, and wrote a book about Marie Colvin in 2018 (“In Extremis: The Life of War Correspondent Marie Colvin). \u00a0In an interview about the book in the Observer, she said “Marie took a lot more risks than I did and if one puts it crudely that’s why I’m alive and she isn’t…\u00a0 I’m glad that I have a more stable personal life than she did, because it caused her so much pain”.\u00a0 Marie had Mars exactly square Pluto, while Lindsey has Mars trine Pluto.\u00a0 Lindsey has the North Node conjunct Jupiter and trine Chiron, a feeling of being protected.\u00a0 Like Lyse Doucet, she has Mars square Uranus (electrical energy).<\/p>\n

Lindsey reports for Channel 4 News.\u00a0 She started out as an aid worker, and has covered wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and other parts of the Middle East over the last twenty years.<\/p>\n

Whether it is a desire to help, to bear witness, or to experience the adrenalin rush of that environment, it is a rare quality to have such a degree of courage, and it is a special kind of service, without which we could not imagine what is really happening in war, and especially now, in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

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

Early on Sunday (27th), Mercury enters Aries.\u00a0 You might need to be prepared for plain speaking, whether your own (perhaps without engaging the brain!), candid words from others, or unpalatable government announcements. You will need to get to the point much more directly in your communications, and there is more sense of urgency about paperwork.\u00a0 So, more direct communication is on the cards.<\/p>\n

Monday (28th) presents us with a conjunction of Venus and Saturn at 21 degrees Aquarius, not an easy prospect in terms of relationships or economics.\u00a0 You will be looking more seriously at your close relationships, and evaluating what is important to you.\u00a0 The care of the elderly may be a particular preoccupation.\u00a0 The optimum condition for this conjunction would be loyalty and commitment, but there may need to be some letting go before that can be arrived at.\u00a0 Finance too may be a cause for concern, especially in the wake of Rishi Sunak’s Spring Statement last week.\u00a0 The implications may be sinking in.<\/p>\n

On the same day, Neptune will be sextile with the True North Node.\u00a0 Those in a more contemplative mood may be able to use their higher imagination to receive inspiration on a range of issues, especially concerning spirituality, or the sea.\u00a0 You may be able to sense the finer feelings of your compatriots.<\/p>\n

The North Node (collective karma) is involved in another aspect on Wednesday (30th), this time a square between the Nodal Axis and Venus.\u00a0 This focuses on karmic relationships, particularly in relation to groups.\u00a0 You may find yourself within a group situation which seems predestined, or pondering the significance of your relation to a group, possibly linked with past life experiences.\u00a0 On the other hand, Nodal Axis square Venus can be quite helpful in rebalancing, and helping to find small steps to solutions in wider problems, after some struggles.<\/p>\n

A fresh start is possible on Friday (1st April), with a New Moon at 11 degrees Aries, which may bring cheer and vigour, and a renewed sense of purpose.\u00a0 It is a time to look to the future, as much as is possible.\u00a0 It can certainly be a new beginning for you, being the first New Moon of a new astrological year, even if it is just about re-organizing your lifestyle.\u00a0 If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well…The New Moon in Aries is one of the brightest of the year in terms of its potential.<\/p>\n

Later on Friday, the Sun conjuncts Chiron at 12 degrees Aries, and this may bring a focus on healing, and problem-solving in relation to crisis management.\u00a0 Ingenious minds are often born with this conjunction, and so it is possible to reach out for solutions and obtain them under this influence.<\/p>\n

This is followed on Saturday (2nd April) by Mercury conjunct Chiron, also at 12 degrees Aries.\u00a0 This is a day you can focus on problem-solving.\u00a0 If you don’t have a problem pre-prepared, the Universe will kindly oblige by alerting you.\u00a0 There may also be a high degree of mental tension or anxiety in the air.\u00a0 But use what comes up to find solutions, at whatever depth you need to engage with them.\u00a0 One area which is especially suited to this conjunction in Aries is finance and economy.\u00a0 Chancellor Rishi Sunak may have an important announcement.<\/p>\n

Late on Saturday, Mercury goes on to conjunct the Sun (at 13 degrees Aries), so it would be good to round off the week with\u00a0 concentration and focus,\u00a0 and putting out any important statements.\u00a0 The focus may be on your own growth and potential and physical wellbeing.\u00a0 Mentally you may see things clearly, if egocentrically.\u00a0 Creatively, this is a very helpful conjunction: If you are writing a play, for instance, the perfect line could come to you.\u00a0 It also supports global vision and interests.<\/p>\n

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