{"id":7361,"date":"2023-04-02T07:22:26","date_gmt":"2023-04-02T07:22:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/?p=7361"},"modified":"2023-04-02T07:30:23","modified_gmt":"2023-04-02T07:30:23","slug":"aspects-for-the-week-beginning-2-april-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/?p=7361","title":{"rendered":"Aspects for the week beginning 2 April 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

Paul O’Grady (1955 – 2023)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

“<\/em><\/strong>…<\/em>funny, fearless, brave, kind and wise”<\/em><\/p>\n

~ Lorraine Kelly<\/p>\n

The nation had many reasons to love Paul O’Grady: from those who loved to be entertained, to dog lovers, to the LGBTQI community.\u00a0 He died at the age of 67 this week, unexpectedly, but peacefully.<\/p>\n

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

Paul O’Grady had the Sun in Gemini conjunct Mercury, which accounts for his tremendous versatility: he was a “Jack of all trades” in early working life, with a huge variety of jobs to make ends meet before he hit the big time as an entertainer.\u00a0 Sun\/Mercury in this sign also accounted for his quick wit.\u00a0 There was also a multidimensional side to Paul: there was more depth to him than at first glance, with the Sun\/Mercury conjunction being\u00a0 trine his Neptune and sextile his Pluto.\u00a0 He will have been a performer in past lives, with the Sun conjunct his South Node. His North Node was at the Galactic Centre, which is a powerful position for his karmic mission.\u00a0 His caring side (he worked in several “social work” scenarios before he was famous) came from his Ascendant in Cancer, which was exactly conjunct Uranus (the Activist Archetype, always sticking up for the underdog).\u00a0 His Moon in Aries ensured he was always straight talking on an emotional level.\u00a0 His ruling planets Moon and Mercury were square to each other, and coupled with the Gemini emphasis, meant that he had a strong alter ego needing to be expressed, i.e. Lily Savage.\u00a0 But with the Moon exactly sextile Venus, there was great gentleness and affinity with women, and that was very much expressed in the care work, the observation of female family members, and his work with dogs.\u00a0 The Moon closely trine Jupiter kept him positive and emotionally buoyant.\u00a0 Jupiter joined Uranus on the Ascendant, and gave him the Entrepreneur Archetype, which helped his success (trining his Midheaven or Careerpoint), and defined an effervescent personality.\u00a0 He had Venus exactly sextile Jupiter, a very sociable sextile, with a love of humanity.\u00a0 Even so, it was often said, that he loved animals more than humans.<\/p>\n

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

Neptune was exactly square his Ascendant, on his 4th House cusp, suggesting a secure, cloistered, childhood, which he described thus:<\/p>\n

“When I look back on my childhood I have no bad memories. Our family was loving and full of affection. I never knew what divorce was until I moved to London. I was an indulged child and completely protected from anything bad.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Paul was born near Birkenhead, to an Irish family, the youngest of three.\u00a0 He left school at 16, and worked at various jobs (including the civil service), before getting involved in Liverpool’s gay scene, at a time when homosexuality was still illegal.\u00a0 He attended meetings of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality.\u00a0 While still uncertain of his sexual identity, he fathered a daughter Sharon, who was born on 16th May 1974.\u00a0 She has her Mars conjunct his, in their synastry.\u00a0 Among his jobs, he worked in that period in a care home for disabled and abused children. He also lived in London part of the time, and worked for Camden Council as a live in carer for the elderly, and for dysfunctional families.\u00a0 All the while, he practised the art of performance in working men’s clubs.<\/p>\n

Lily Savage<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The birth of his alter ego, drag act, Lily Savage, took place on the afternoon of 7th October 1978, inspired by his Aunt Chrissie, and Marylin Monroe.\u00a0 Virtually the only precedent at the time for his type of act, was Danny La Rue.\u00a0 His transits at the time included Mars exactly trine his natal Mars (an expression of his sexuality), Jupiter\u00a0 opposite his natal Chiron in 7th House (his alter ego) and Uranus on his natal Saturn, (a daring act).\u00a0 Lily Savage herself, in her own chart, had Sun\/Pluto in Libra, with Mars\/Uranus in Scorpio, two highly charged conjunctions.\u00a0 When his career progressed, around 2004, he hung up his drag act, around the time of his Chiron Return in 7th House – Lily had achieved the healing for him he had needed, for his life.<\/p>\n

He presented various television shows, including Blankety Blank and Blind Date, before landing his own Paul O’Grady show, which ran for several years in different forms.\u00a0 The show which he was most known for in this decade, was “For the Love of Dogs”, in which he was instrumental in re-homing numerous pooches from Battersea Dogs Home, a role he took on around the time of his Second Saturn Return.\u00a0 Such was the response of the British affection for Paul and for dogs, that in the few days after his death, Battersea Dogs Home has been overwhelmed with donations.<\/p>\n

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

In the first decade of this century, Paul suffered a couple of heart attacks.\u00a0 But his death was unexpected.\u00a0 His partner Andre Portasio described it as peaceful – Paul had six Neptune transits at the time.\u00a0 Paul had only a couple of days beforehand appeared on stage in the musical “Annie” as Miss Hannigan, enjoying the part with great zest.<\/p>\n

“I think I could lie there on my death bed and say, ‘Well, I’ve had a good time and filled a book. I’ve done everything I wanted to do’.”<\/em><\/p>\n

~ Paul O’Grady, 2017<\/p>\n

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

Today promises to be most dynamic, with a sextile between Mars and the North Node.\u00a0 This is a positive expression of Warrior karma.\u00a0 You may be able to get your message across directly and actively, in speaking your truth or setting an example.\u00a0 Lines may be drawn (Mars has a short fuse at times, and is not suited to long-drawn out debate).<\/p>\n

Tomorrow (Monday 3rd) sees Mercury enter Taurus, and the quality of the mental energy may become steadier and calmer than the fieriness of the last two weeks or so when Mercury has been in Aries.\u00a0 This placing is better for negotiation, which is something much needed at the moment in this climate of strikes.\u00a0 Practical ideas will be the order of the day.\u00a0 Mercury will stay a while in Taurus, as at some point it will turn retrograde, but enters Gemini on 11th June, so this could be a productive time mentally.<\/p>\n

Tea-time tomorrow could be stressful mentally, however, as Mercury makes a square to Pluto.\u00a0 We have a great deal of travel disruption in the U.K., with Easter holiday traffic stuck in queues at Dover.\u00a0 It is a square which requires you, among other things, to rise above negative thinking, or to get to the root of it.<\/p>\n

Some of Monday’s issues may be cleared by Wednesday (5th), with a more user-friendly sextile from Saturn to Mercury.\u00a0 This practical, studious, and ideal for planning.\u00a0\u00a0 This favours exacting mental work and documentation.\u00a0 Progress can be made, including possibly for health related checks.<\/p>\n

If you experience emotional tension on Wednesday evening, this could be due to the advent of the Full Moon at 16 degrees Libra in the early hours of Thursday (6th).\u00a0 The Libra Full Moon entails a balance between the needs of two people in partnership, and hopefully works towards harmony.\u00a0 This is the most equable of the 12 Full Moons of the year.<\/p>\n

Friday (7th) has a most pleasant sextile, between Venus and Neptune.\u00a0 It’s a delightful aspect – a beautiful expression of spirituality and the Arts.\u00a0 New artistic avenues can flourish, ingenious ways for people to share art, music and performance can ensure the Arts are kept alive.<\/p>\n

Finally, another sextile on Saturday (8th) this time between Mercury and Mars. \u00a0Physical and mental energies can co-ordinate.\u00a0 If you are cycling a great deal to keep fit, you may find the wind behind your sails.\u00a0 You may be able to cycle just that bit faster or longer, and your fitbit may register record stats.\u00a0 You may also find shortcuts to your usual way of doing things.<\/p>\n

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