{"id":8577,"date":"2025-09-27T07:31:29","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T07:31:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/?p=8577"},"modified":"2025-09-27T07:33:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T07:33:47","slug":"aspects-for-the-week-beginning-28-september-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/?p=8577","title":{"rendered":"Aspects for the week beginning 28 September 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michel Odent (1930 \u2013 2025)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne could almost say that the root of all anguish is an unconscious memory of birth and its terrors\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

~ Frederick Leboyer<\/em><\/p>\n

We heard this week that Michel Odent died this week, at the age of\u00a0 95.\u00a0 Very much of niche interest (but very much of interest to me), Michel Odent was one of the leading lights of the natural birthing movement at the time I was having my children (late 70s, early 80s).\u00a0 I wrote a blog on 25th<\/sup> June 2017 when Frederick Leboyer died, about these \u201cChildbirth Educators\u201d and innovators, which included Arthur Janov, Thomas Verny, Ina May Gaskin, Leonard Orr and Sheila Kitzinger.\u00a0 If the subject interests you, you may want to revisit it.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, at the time, I did not even have a birth date for Michel Odent.\u00a0 So I wrote:<\/p>\n

\u201cMichel Odent (born\u00a0 1930)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Obstetrician Michel Odent is seen as a disciple of Leboyer, and we do not have a birth date for him, only a year.\u00a0 1930 was the year Pluto was discovered, and it was then found in the sign of Cancer.\u00a0 This reminds us that one of main significances of Pluto in Cancer is the reform and deeper understanding of birth practices.\u00a0 He was born one year after Sheila Kitzinger.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Michel Odent was labelled in the Lancet as \u201cone of the last real general surgeons\u201d.<\/p>\n

He was interested in the birth environment, and has been associated with the rise in popularity of the water birth, although he did not see it as a requisite, but as an alleviating factor for pain to some extent.\u00a0 Nowadays, water births are readily available to women.\u00a0 He was enthusiastic about breastfeeding immediately after birth.<\/p>\n

His book \u201cBirth Reborn\u201d was published in 1984, ten years after Leboyer\u2019s main work.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Michel Odent\u2019s birthday was 7th<\/sup> July, Sun in Cancer being a fitting sign for an obstetrician.\u00a0 That date is also aligned with the Fixed Star Sirius.\u00a0 The Sun exactly square Uranus in his chart marks him out as an Innovator, and a breaker of moulds.\u00a0 He could therefore be controversial, such as in his statement that anxious fathers could stay out of the birthing room.\u00a0 His Sun conjunct Pluto links him profoundly with the life cycle of birth, death and rebirth.\u00a0 And the Sun sextile Chiron suggests the Healer Archetype.\u00a0 He had Mercury conjunct Jupiter, which is a positive mental energy.\u00a0 His Jupiter was sextile his Neptune, which indicates a balanced relationship between religion and spirituality.\u00a0 And Uranus square Pluto marks him out as a fierce advocate for Change.<\/p>\n

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

Odent was born in Bresles, France, and studied at the Sorbonne, training as a surgeon.\u00a0 After this, he did two years of military service in Algieria.\u00a0 He practised at Pithiviers Hospital for 23 years.\u00a0 He was particularly interested in the environment of the birth process.\u00a0 Consequently, he instituted birthing rooms, birthing pools and singing sessions.<\/p>\n

Daniela Drandic (International Confederation of Midwives):<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the 1970s birth was institutionalized and medicalized.\u00a0 Michel Odent reminded us that physiological processes during pregnancy and birth should be respected.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

He retired in 1985, moved to London, and dedicated himself to research, developing ideas around home births.\u00a0 He researched the correlations between the natal \u201cprimal period\u201d and the subsequent health conditions of mothers and babies.<\/p>\n

He was a prolific writer, beginning with the books \u201cBirth Reborn\u201d (1984) and \u201cPrimal Health\u201d (1986).<\/p>\n

He was concerned about lower back pain in women giving birth, which was one of the reasons for the concentration on water births.\u00a0 I am not sure what he would have made of Donald Trump\u2019s urging pregnant women to put up with pain and forgo paracetamol.\u00a0 Of related interest, he posited that some autism could be linked with some artificial inductions and caesarians (an idea met with scepticism), so that\u2019s another possible conversation he could have had with Donald.<\/p>\n

But on a serious note, I was a tremendous fan of his work, and all of those mentioned at the top of the page, back in the day\u2026<\/p>\n

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

At his death, Jupiter was transiting his natal Sun in Cancer, often a sign of release for the elderly.\u00a0 In addition, and very much worthy of note, the North Node was exactly trine his natal Pluto in Cancer: he had completed the most profound missions of his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne could almost say that the root of all anguish is an unconscious memory of birth and its terrors\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

~ Frederick Leboyer<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cUnconscious birth memories bar the way as a closed portal on the path back to bliss\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

~ Fredric Lehrman<\/em><\/p>\n

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

It\u2019s a long time since we had a One-Aspect-Week!\u00a0 But this one, coming on Wednesday, the First day of October, is Mercury square Jupiter.<\/p>\n

You can work on this one of two ways: use it as a general guide to the week, or forget about it the other days, and just focus on it on Wednesday.\u00a0 The actual time of the square is 20.59 Hours.\u00a0 You may even see it as a starting theme for the month of October.<\/p>\n

This aspect will stimulate us mentally, almost to the point of too much information!\u00a0 There may be travel involved or planned.\u00a0 It would be a good day to be out in nature, taking a good stroll, and picking up information.\u00a0 Mercury square Jupiter is a refreshing aspect, if not a little over-stretching to manage, so you may find yourself travelling a little bit further than your comfort zone.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The outcome of this mindstretching square may be within your control, through your response.\u00a0 Certainly you can exercise choice \u2026You may have far to travel, or a lot to learn, but may enjoy the ride nevertheless.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, the week beginning 10th<\/sup> March 2013 also had one Aspect, and it was the same aspect, Mercury square Jupiter.\u00a0 I decided to link it to the Explorer Archetype:<\/p>\n

\u201cExplorer Archetype<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Explorer Archetype relates to our aspect this week of Mercury square Jupiter\u00a0(It\u2019s a close relative but distinct from the Pioneer Archetype, which combines Mars and Jupiter).\u00a0 Jupiter square Mercury relates to physical and mental travel, but being square it can lead to overstretching.\u00a0 The square can propel into other dimensions, for both Mercury square Jupiter, and its related Mars square Jupiter, but usually only if we are travelling spiritually.\u00a0 For instance, if you are travelling in regression say, to a lifetime on another star system you might suddenly turn left in a corner of the Universe and find yourself on a distant home star destination.<\/p>\n

Ranulph Fiennes, who just recently gave up an expedition to the Antarctic, has the natally robust sextile of Mars and Jupiter (the Pioneer Archetype) but was defeated by transiting Jupiter squaring his natal Mercury, frostbite putting an end to this ambition, overstretching himself being part of the problem.<\/p>\n

Marco Polo, the Explorer, combined the two Archetypes successfully: Jupiter trine Mars with Mercury at the midpoint sextile both planets.\u00a0 Christopher Columbus, another prominent Explorer, also had Jupiter-Mercury in a favourable sextile.<\/p>\n

Adventurous minds and visionaries also come under Mercury square Jupiter, and some can be very successful in this field of human endeavour. Mercury-Jupiter of itself does not predispose to higher consciousness necessarily, but does lead to the sharing and exchanging of information, and does favour communication and publicity.<\/p>\n

For channelling and interdimensional work there does need to be a significant presence of Neptune or Uranus with Mercury.\u00a0 However, Mercury and Jupiter in combination do cover a lot of global ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

I then wrote a little about three pioneers who had this square natally, Alice Bailey, David Spangler, and Derren Brown, again if you wish to revisit this subject.<\/p>\n

So, have a good Mercury square Jupiter week, folks!<\/p>\n

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