{"id":8793,"date":"2026-04-26T12:57:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T12:57:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/?p=8793"},"modified":"2026-04-26T13:20:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T13:20:53","slug":"aspects-for-the-week-beginning-26-april-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/?p=8793","title":{"rendered":"Aspects for the week beginning 26 April 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Desmond Morris (1928 \u2013 2026)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was only one thing that drove me on \u2013 insatiable curiosity.\u00a0 Quite simply, I wanted to know everything there was to know about every mammal in the world.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

~ <\/em>Desmond Morris<\/p>\n

Desmond Morris may not mean much to younger generations, but he was a household word when I was growing up.\u00a0 In the 1950\u2019s Zoo Time was a stand-out television programme, and Desmond Morris an early titleholder of the word \u201ccelebrity\u201d.<\/p>\n

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

Desmond Morris had both the Sun and the Moon in Aquarius, and in many ways was ahead of his time.\u00a0 We do not have his birth time\/Ascendant sign, but he was triply Aquarian by virtue of the fact that his Sun was sextile with Uranus, the ruling planet of Aquarius. In addition, he had Mercury (his mental capacity and antennae) in that sign, so he was futuristically orientated.<\/p>\n

He admitted to having a great sense of curiosity, \u201cinsatiable\u201d he described it.\u00a0 This is one of the qualities of Aquarius, but also of his North Node sign, Gemini the Monkey.\u00a0 He was linked with a few animals, but of course principally with chimpanzees.\u00a0 His North Node was trine with his Mercury (again, the Monkey), re-emphasizing the point.\u00a0 So the legacy of his main karmic mission (North Node) was fulfilled.\u00a0 Mercury sextile Saturn meant that he could apply himself mentally.<\/p>\n

Another feature of Aquarius is the Inner Rebel, and Desmond Morris railed at the fact that his father sustained lung damage in World War I:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026a lifelong hatred of the establishment. The church, the government and the military were all on my hate list and have remained there ever since.”\u00a0<\/em>~ Desmond Morris<\/p>\n

The other main preoccupation of his life was Art, and his Venus (Art) is well connected in his chart:\u00a0 she squares Jupiter (sociable, sometimes inappropriately so),\u00a0 Venus squared Uranus (eschewing norms of society), Venus trine Neptune (a highly refined aesthetic sense), and finally Venus trine Chiron (healing art as therapy).<\/p>\n

Desmond was nothing if not sensual \u2013 he was intensely observant of the mating rituals of the animal world, and the combination of a strong Venus and a strong Mars gives testimony to this: Mars squared Jupiter in his chart (over-the-top enthusiasm), he also squared Uranus (electric energy), Mars trined Neptune (a sensuous sensitivity) and also trined Chiron (healing energy).\u00a0 Mars, Chiron and Neptune formed a Grand Trine, providing a powerful and charismatic force in his personality.\u00a0 Neptune trine Chiron also elevated his healing energy.<\/p>\n

Other points of interest in his chart: Jupiter was exactly<\/em> conjunct Uranus \u2013 an intense expression of the Entrepreneur Archetype.\u00a0 He wrote about 50 books, and that was just one area of his success.\u00a0 Saturn exactly conjunct his South Node in Sagittarius, possibly indicated work with animals in past lives (through Sagittarius).<\/p>\n

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

Desmond was born in Purton, Wiltshire, which is near Swindon.\u00a0 His great grandfather was the socialist and artist William Morris.\u00a0 He was educated at a boarding school in Wiltshire.\u00a0 After two years of national service, he then studied Biology at Birmingham University.\u00a0 The early years of his career were based in the Art world: he taught fine arts, and held a surrealist art exhibition with Joan Miro.\u00a0 He was, himself, an accomplished artist, in the manner of Salvador Dali.\u00a0 If you are not familiar with the quality of his work, look it up and see for yourself \u2013 he could have made it his main career, but instead, the chimps came a-calling\u2026<\/p>\n

He wanted to deepen his work as a naturalist, and to this end he undertook a doctorate in Zoology at Oxford University, on the subject of animal behaviour.\u00a0 His thesis was on the reproductive behaviour of the ten-spined stickleback.<\/p>\n

As a teenager in Swindon, he had a relationship with the blonde bombshell Diana Dors (who he painted in 1964), but while at Oxford he met his future wife, Ramona Baulch.\u00a0 They married in 1952.<\/p>\n

1956 proved an important year for Morris, as he moved to London and took up the post of Head of the Granada Television and Film Unit for the Zoological Society of London.\u00a0 At that time, his progressed Sun was sextile his natal Chiron in Taurus, and he was undergoing his first Saturn Return on his South Node (continuing intense work begun in previous lives).\u00a0 At the same time, his television programme Zoo Time began to be shown, and had children and adults enthralled for many years.\u00a0 He generally focussed on apes, and linking his original career, encouraged chimpanzees (one in particular, named Congo) to paint.<\/p>\n

The interest in apes in that period was becoming celebrated, with Jane Goodall travelling to Kenya in 1957, and beginning her life work with them.\u00a0 I wrote in her astro-obituary:<\/p>\n

\u201cShe discovered many ways in which chimpanzees were like humans, from their emotional range, to their capacity for toolmaking and warriorship, as well as community life. \u00a0She established that they were meat eaters, contrary to the established thinking that they were vegetarian.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charles Darwin would have been looking down, smiling, at the pair of them!\u00a0 It happens often that pioneers incarnate as pairs, helping each other to get the job done\u2026<\/p>\n

Desmond Morris\u2019s seminal book \u201cThe Naked Ape\u201d was published in 1967.\u00a0 We all read it!\u00a0 A description of the book, which became a gargantuan success, reads:<\/p>\n

\u201cMeet man as he really is: relative to the apes, stripped of his veneer as we see him courting, making love, sleeping, socializing, grooming, playing.\u00a0The Naked Ape\u00a0takes its place alongside Darwin\u2019s\u00a0Origin of the Species.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Body Language<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In the 1970s and 1980s, Desmond Morris introduced us to a new phrase, \u201cBody Language\u201d.\u00a0 It was not an unknown concept, but the phrase did not become mainstream until he published \u201cManwatching\u201d in 1977 (more precisely 1st<\/sup> January 1978).\u00a0 The first we (hubby and I) heard of it, was when an Aquarian<\/em> colleague bought the book and trumpeted its contents.\u00a0 We perked up at this new type of study.\u00a0 We are all people watchers, but body language is an Aquarian province: a dispassionate observation of humans in society.\u00a0 It was an exciting concept to get our teeth into, and it seems absurd now to think the term was not used before that time.\u00a0 Living well into our 70s gives us a unique chronology into etymology! – I remember that demarcation so clearly, interested as I always was in related subjects.\u00a0 The book \u201cBodywatching\u201d by Morris appeared subsequently in 1985, followed by many others on that theme.<\/p>\n

What was it about that moment in time, which was so significant as a watershed?\u00a0 Personally, for Desmond Morris, it was his exact<\/em> Chiron Return (the emergence of the Inner Healer) at 1 degree Taurus, the fulfilment of his healing mission.\u00a0 For the collective, a new insight (Chiron\u2019s ingress into Taurus) into the earthly human condition.\u00a0 Pre-publication would have also coincided (1st<\/sup> November 1977) with the new discovery of Chiron the \u201cwounded healer\u201d asteroid itself.\u00a0 Fascinating, or what?!<\/p>\n

He died at the ripe old age of 98, with Neptune sextile his natal Sun, indicating a sense of serenity and satisfaction.<\/p>\n

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

Early morning started with an explosion \u2013 did you hear it \u2013 of Uranus entering Gemini, the most important astrological feature of the week.\u00a0 I originally wrote about it in early July last year:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a new era\u2026bringing innovation in thought, which can be initially perplexing.\u00a0 Uranus spends 7 years in one sign.\u00a0 Science and technology are going to advance exponentially\u2026we are of course seeing it in the explosion of Artificial Intelligence.\u00a0 If you have planets at the beginning of Gemini you will be especially affected over the course of the next year, but it can bring some surprise revelations and talents to the fore in your life and personality.\u00a0 You\u2019ll need to be on your mettle if you are a cautious type, but roll with the punches if you embrace change.\u201d<\/p>\n

In-between times, it turned Retrograde and spent time in Taurus, but has finally said goodbye to that sign.\u00a0 The current entry into Gemini is a potent moment for registering the new vibration and possibilities of the Inner Rebel (Uranus) entering the sign of Communication (Gemini).\u00a0 All insights, gratefully received!<\/p>\n

On a personal level, although Uranus represents the upredictable, its sojourn these last seven years in my 1st<\/sup> House (my Ascendant is 0 degrees Taurus) has been most welcome, bringing new experiences and new consciousness unexpectedly.\u00a0 For those wary of its energy, roll with the punches and feel the cosmic wisdom behind the changes.\u00a0 I wish I could be so upbeat about the world situation, which seems to have ever-deteriorated since last July, dominated by Donald Trump\u2019s whims, and Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s legacy, among other people and things.\u00a0 But we have to hope that there is a method in the madness of raking up these undesirable elements, for clearing and finally healing.\u00a0 Some Astrologers have tracked previous eras of Uranus in Gemini with world wars, but again it is important to see the current climate of war as solvable.<\/p>\n

Late afternoon brings a sextile between Venus and Neptune, which can bring soothing waves of serenity, which hopefully may balance out some of the over-excitement of Uranus entering Gemini.\u00a0 There\u2019s an element of people becoming more into tune with each other (especially added to Uranian manifestations of telepathy).\u00a0 New artistic avenues may flourish, too.\u00a0 You may be inspired to paint, like Desmond Morris who had Venus trine<\/em> Neptune in his natal chart \u2013 surrealist style, or not.<\/p>\n

Early evening adds a square between Mercury and Jupiter, making it a full-on type of day. 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.\u00a0 I associate this square with the Explorer Archetype, so if the cap fits, you may choose to wear it!<\/p>\n

Tomorrow (Monday, 27th<\/sup>) features a sextile between the Sun and the North Node, which favours right action and expression on a karmic level.\u00a0 It is a good day to look at your life path as a whole, your creativity and self-expression and where you would like it to go.\u00a0 Visualize your best possible path.<\/p>\n

We have a trine between Venus and Pluto on Tuesday (28th<\/sup>).\u00a0 It is a profound, powerful and likely successful vibe.\u00a0 This aspect can settle your deepest feelings into a more comfortable psychological context.\u00a0 It helps us through changes and transformations on a human level.\u00a0 Venus in harmony with Pluto benefits both love and money.<\/p>\n

The next day, Wednesday (29th<\/sup>) challenges us a little more, with a square between Venus and the North Node\/Nodal Axis.\u00a0 This aspect challenges us to take note of the karma of personal relationships, and group dynamics.\u00a0 You may work with past life patterns, or present life practicalities.<\/p>\n

Towards the end of the week, and at the beginning of a new month, Friday (st May) begins with a Full Moon at 11 degrees Scorpio in the late afternoon (U.K. time).\u00a0 You may feel the emotional intensity build throughout the day: the Scorpio Full Moon is one of the most heightened of its kind.\u00a0 It’s a time to look within and examine your emotional health.\u00a0 Another area demanding attention is that of shared finances and an attempt to balance material resources and needs between two people.\u00a0 For some there may be a temptation to lash out; some may be prickly about the conditions they find themselves in, and may be angry.\u00a0 If so, forgiveness can be a key.<\/p>\n

Early evening the tension may dissipate, and we have a more mellow sextile: that between Venus and Saturn.\u00a0 Things may look much more in proportion.\u00a0 This is a constructive aspect, a re-affirmation of where you are going, especially in terms of relationship, or art (particularly drawing or sketching).\u00a0 In the realm of human relations, it is about steadiness and loyalty: cementing commitment.<\/p>\n

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