BE YOUR OWN ASTROLOGER WORKSHOPS
LEVEL 1 – SATURDAY 20 JUNE
LEVEL 2 – SUNDAY 21 JUNE
Thanks to everyone who’s signed up to do the astrology workshops this coming weekend in London. Everyone coming along has either attended previous workshops, has been out to courses in Greece or has a long Facebook relationship with me so I’m really looking forward to catching up with everyone face to face. There are still some places available so if you want to join either group I can guarantee that you’ll have great company!
Both workshops focus on your own horoscope. Level 2 is Planets and Prediction is for those who’ve done Level 1 or any other kind of beginners work.
If you want to contact me to book a place or to ask questions then you can use the sign up box on the right hand side of this page, email me joannaw@otenet.gr or, from Wednesday afternoon, you can reach me on my new UK number:
07835 361 151
The Astrology Blog
It’s always obvious to me when Mercury turns direct (last Thursday at 4 degrees of Gemini) and this time was no exception. From the couple of days before the exact moment everything suddenly feels so much easier to deal with and red lights start turning to green. On my checklist below you’ll find “important information comes to light” – but note that this also includes things that need to be corrected and rescued quickly. It’s interesting how the main stories always seem to come from those of the sign/opposite sign in which Mercury turns. A friend’s Gemini husband had been booked to run workshops abroad, and had booked the air tickets at his own expense, only to be told at the last minute that there were no takers – owing to a marketing mess up, not as a lack of interest in his skills and material. Other travel plans were connected to this and everything had to be rescheduled. A Sagittarian friend found that a usually lucrative source of business on line that had gone deathly quiet was down to the fact that her business wasn’t listed at all – even though she had paid for it and seen the original posting.
On a more cheerful note thanks to Hilary and Emma who did the astrology course together here in Greece last week – great students, and a whole lot of fun, and we had so many interesting conversations.
My flight out is booked – I waited for Mercury to turn direct and right on cue the price went down. I also chose that time to launch a new Facebook page for UK events, it’s already had over 100 likes, and here’s the link –
https://www.facebook.com/workshopsuk
My thanks in advance if you can add your “Like” to the page if you’re interested in these kinds of workshops – the more the word spreads, the more events I can plan!
So, Mercury is now starting to pick up speed again and here are the general themes to look out for, some of which you may already have noticed:
• Breaking news, expected or unexpected, that affects us or someone close to us
• Light bulb flashes of insight
• We stop talking/thinking about something and realize that we need to make decisions
• People get back to us or make decisions
• We feel more courageous or determined to make something happen
• We stop pretending
• We stop avoiding
• We tackle/say the things we’ve been putting off
• We get back to a matter that was first important three weeks ago
• Important information comes to light
• Memory kicks in and we deal with what or who has been off our radar
• Disputes or areas of miscommunication are cleared up
• We find the right person to deal with the problem beyond our own expertise
• Computer glitches/communication technology are solved/sorted
• Secrets are revealed
• Rumours are squashed when the truth outs
• Lost objects are found – or we find what we have been looking for
What else is happening this week?
All times stated in BST
Slow moving Saturn has been in the early degrees of Sagittarius since the end of last December but turned retrograde in the middle of March. He now slides back into Scorpio –
Monday retrograde Saturn ingress Scorpio (01.39)
Saturn will continue to backtrack through the last two degrees of Scorpio until the beginning of August (turning direct on 2 August at 28 degrees of Scorpio) and will return to Sagittarius mid September. If these degrees are significant for you – ie if you have natal planets late Scorpio/early Sag, then Saturn in reverse will be especially important for you. Expect the next stage in any situation that is a long term project, which may involve a lot of waiting or a sense of two steps forward one step back. Under a retrograde Saturn anything related to his symbolism cannot be rushed, some things may need to be reviewed in depth or may simply require a lot of patience. Saturn’s concerns include anything linked to career building, matters in the hands of others, especially authorities, or the denial of wishes or hopes as a result of factors beyond our control or as a result of someone else’s inability to meet those demands. Here’s the usual link for checking the position of your natal planets:
http://www.alwaysastrology.com/birth-chart-calculator.html
However, the general trend is all about things moving on, underlined by this week’s New Moon –
Tuesday New Moon at 25 degrees of Gemini (15.06)
New Moons open new cycles and, again, this one will be especially significant for you if you have planets at or close to 25 degrees of Gemini, or in the opposite sign of Sagittarius. This applies to me and the New Moon falls the day before I go back to the UK to run two (Gemini – the twins, duality!) workshops. This is an important milestone for me as I’ve gradually been offloading media work and delaying writing another book. I’ve known for a while that I need some time away from the ball and chain of written work and constant deadlines! As a Sagittarian – sign of travel and education – it now feels right to shift my focus towards more teaching, and not just at the Summer School here in Greece, but also in the UK and maybe other European venues too. It’s all work in progress!
At a universal level this New Moon is likely to be characterized by themes of duality and choices. Also look out for other Gemini related themes, especially as Gemini’s planet Mercury has just turned direct. At the top of that list are all things related to communication and travel matters, important decisions and issues connected to your neighborhood and local community.
With regard to love issues note that this New Moon is preceded by the love planet Venus in a deceptive aspect –
Tuesday Venus quinqunx Neptune (7.23)
This is a “blind” aspect that occurs when planets align five signs or 150 degrees apart. This one happens with Venus at 9.48 of Leo and Neptune at 9.48 of Pisces, and virtually at a standstill as this very slow moving planet turned retrograde just last Friday.
Venus is women and lovers so for some this marks the transition of leaving one relationship for another, or it can signal meeting someone who is still involved. Look out for “it’s complicated” love scenarios, deception or discovering where you’ve picked up the wrong message, or vice versa, where someone has misinterpreted you. If you are in any love situation that is currently confusing, especially if there’s a triangle involved, the astrological picture would suggest that events unfolding this week will have a significant say in how things are going to pan out.
The rest of the week is quiet but the weekend brings two major events, starting with the Summer Solstice –
Sunday Sun ingress Cancer (17.39)
This is the moment when the Sun (Sol) appears to stand still (from the Latin sistere) as we mark the transition from the days getting longer, back to the days getting shorter. This longest day of the year is especially associated with mindfulness and rituals of related to religion, spirituality and fertility. In astrological terms note that anything at 0 degrees is especially poignant as it’s loaded with symbolism connected to seed moments.
The second big event in the making is actually exact on Monday but as it involves two major planets this aspect is already very close to being exact and is an important backdrop to the Solstice weekend –
Monday Jupiter trine Uranus (14.45)
This alignment happens with Jupiter at 20 degrees of Leo and Uranus at 20 degrees of Aries. I’ll be in London on that day and already know what I’ll be doing – having dinner with a much loved friend who lives abroad as I do, we haven’t seen each other for ten years, but by magical coincidence we’re going to be in London at the same time! That captures the symbolism perfectly – Jupiter ruling all things foreign, long distance travel, fun and opportunity, Uranus ruling spontaneity, things happening suddenly, unexpectedly and with a great deal of excitement. This is also a fantastic picture for social and group events of all kinds and for meeting new people – perfect astrology for my workshops this coming weekend!
Note that this is the third and final trine (harmonious aspect) between these two planets. The first one happened 25 September 2014 at 15 degrees Leo/Aries, the second one happened 3 March 2015 at 14 degrees Leo/Aries.
Next week there are just two other events to note –
Tuesday 23rd Mercury square Neptune (19.10)
This aspect happens with Mercury at 9 Gemini/Neptune 9 Pisces. Difficult Mercury aspects tend to bring the themes we normally associate with a retrograde Mercury, and especially so as tough aspects to Neptune tend to signal confusion, crossed wires or upsetting news. Emotional concerns of all kinds will be sensitized so tread carefully, and if something isn’t adding up then dig a little deeper and check out your facts.
Wednesday 24th Mars ingress Cancer (14.34)
Mars starts his winding journey through the sign of the Crab that will last until 8 August. Traditional astrology states that Mars is “exalted” (at his most powerful and effective) in Capricorn, and he is therefore in his sign of “fall” (at his least effective) in Cancer. This is all too easy to see when we compare the nature of Mars – the planet of war, loving directness and purpose – to the water sign of Cancer, associated with evasiveness, sideways movements, caution and protectiveness. Putting the two together creates an instant struggle! This Mars requires a lot of care and strategy, and I’ll be talking more about this over the coming weeks.
I’ll be blogging again when I get back from London, for the week beginning 29 June,
Until then take care – and Happy Summer Solstice!
Joanna