The Astrology Blog – 27 April 2015
I can now confirm the dates for the next London workshops. The Chapel in Hampstead is booked solid throughout June, with weddings! So there’s a change of venue, and I’m delighted that I was able to book The Astrological Lodge, which is housed at –
The Theosophical Society
50 Gloucester Place
London W1U 8EA
http://www.astrolodge.co.uk/location
Saturday 20 June
Level 1 Be Your Own Astrologer
Sunday 21 June
Level 2 Planets and Prediction
As with the first workshop the hours will be from 10am to 5pm, fee also the same, £85 for the day, non returnable deposit of 35 payable at the time of booking, or as close to as possible. If you are a new student you will need to send me send your data – date, place and time of birth – as I’ll be drawing up everyone’s horoscope as usual in advance.
Level 1 is suitable for all levels from beginner to intermediate. Level 2 is suitable for refreshers and intermediate. Email me joannaw@otenet.gr if you’d like to reserve a place or if you have any questions that you’d like to discuss.
Greek Island Summer School
CHANGE TO SCHEDULE
8 June – Discovering Astrology
This was originally scheduled as a tarot week but this year the demand for astrology is much higher! This course is suitable for beginners/refreshers. Lift astrology out of the Sun sign columns and discover the world of horoscopy. We’ll be working on your own charts, from understanding the natal picture to taking your first steps in prediction. There will be 10 places available for this group.
The other two courses currently scheduled for the Summer School are –
11 May 2015 – The Crystal Zodiac
The Greek Island Summer School welcomes visiting and internationally acclaimed mind-body-spirit tutor and author Judy Hall. In this course Judy will be teaching how crystals and astrology can help you to understand and heal the past and move forward into the life your soul has planned.
Suitable for all levels. 6 of 20 places available.
7 September – Synastry: The Astrology of Relationships
Discover how your horoscope holds the keys to understanding the nature of your relationships. What type of partner will you meet and when? Why do you connect with one person but not another? Learn how comparing your horoscope to another’s describes your points of both conflict and compatibility.
Suitable for students who have completed any kind of beginners astrology course. 7 of 10 places available.
Travelling to Greece
The tour operators have suddenly hiked up their prices for Judy’s week starting on 11 May. This isn’t unusual – they are trying to pick up some last minute business – but if things go according to past patterns these prices will come down again when they’re ready to sell their remaining flight seats and rooms. This is good news if you’re a last-minuter!
In the meantime absolutely the best way to get a deal is to do the old fashioned thing of ringing them up. Finding travel on line can be incredibly time consuming and many travel websites are notably user unfriendly – so the short cut for Olympic Holidays (Demetra Studios) http://www.olympicholidays.com/greece/ is 020 8492 6868
Cosmos Holidays http://www.cosmos.co.uk/greece/holidays (a whole list of options, best deal usually Costas and Sophie’s studios, or the Avra Beach hotel) – this site is out of action this morning which means they’re probably updating it, but you’ll find their phone number on the home page.
The other option is to do flight only which, as the date draws nearer, becomes an increasingly attractive option. The return flights for Sunday 10 May have already come down from over £300 pounds to £229 – which includes 20k of baggage:
http://search.charterflights.co.uk/fusion/flexiflights.pl?sessionkey=8F14831C-A0B7g4BC4-BBD3-8A1E47763B47&resultkey=default
I can arrange transfers for around 25 Euros per person and there is a variety of accommodation to choose from. Seafront rooms or apartments can be booked on request. As a rough guide these cost between €30 to €65 a night, depending on number of rooms and time of year.
EMAIL ME IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE KEPT INFORMED ABOUT THE BEST BARGAINS WITH THE TOUR OPERATORS OR FOR FLIGHT ONLY PRICES.
What’s happening this week?
At first sight the answer is – not a lot. Things are very quiet in the heavens as the week gets underway but don’t be lulled into complacency. There’s a lot simmering under the surface which becomes more apparent as the week goes on. Also note that there are still three weeks to go before Mercury turns retrograde and the more you can get list ticking now and the further ahead you can get with any important issue, the better.
The Sun in hands-on earthy Taurus supports the “roll up your shirt sleeves” approach, especially as the Sun is the prime mover in the first half of the week, travelling steadily towards a harmonious aspect with Neptune, currently at home in his own sign of Pisces:
Thursday 30 April – Sun sextile Neptune (00.12)
This bodes well for things sliding easily into place and also favors any kind of reality check. All things Neptunian can prosper when handled with lashings of common sense and a steadying hand. Such as? The Neptunian world is the sea, the boundless realms of feelings, imagination and dreams. All visions need an action plan if you’re going to get them off the drawing board. Emotions need to be framed and contained rather than being allowed to escalate out of all proportion. If you have sensitive issues to deal with then your top tip is to anticipate what’s brewing and to create a calm environment in which they can be addressed. Neptune rules alcohol – if you’re partying then drink sensibly and avoid touchy subjects when the wine is flowing. Save them for the cold sober light of day. Neptune also rules sleep – make plenty of shut-eye a top priority during the first half of this week.
Relationship issues are in the mix as the Sun – Neptune alignment is followed by the alignment of the love planets:
Thursday 30 April Venus semi-sextile Mars (16.15)
This is a minor aspect, created when two planets reach the same degree but one sign apart, as we now have with Venus in Gemini and Mars in the preceding sign of Taurus. As each sign is very different from the one that precedes or follows it look out for compatibility issues. If you meet someone at this time this aspect signals a definite connection and liking, but you may be better off as friends, or you may need more time to discover how much you really have in common. Even in a secure relationship this aspect favors doing your own thing, each playing to their own strengths or following personal interests rather than thinking that you always have to do everything together.
In rocky relationships the “simmering under the surface” issues may well start coming to the boil at this time. Remember that Gemini is the sign of the twins – Venus in this sign is so often an indicator of affairs, the other man or woman, choices that need to be made – and so on.
The second half of the week is not the easiest of picture. Mercury moves into his own sign of Gemini which in itself is good news, but his first aspect is a tough one to Saturn – planet of obstacles and restrictions:
Friday 1 May – Mercury ingress Gemini (03.01)
Sunday 3 May – Mercury opposite Saturn (09.36)
Mercury/Saturn conflicts spell bad news, a disappointment, a “no” when you were hoping for a “yes”, coming up against the brick wall of authority, problems with no immediate answers, and communication problems of a wide variety. Difficult Mercury aspects often reflect the themes that you would normally expect to deal with when this planet is retrograde, so it’s helpful to operate by the checklist that I normally post for those times. It won’t hurt to get into practice for the next retrograde coming up in three weeks time!
• Try to operate by “re” words – review, revise, research, reappraise, rethink and so on
• Write things down – forgetfulness, being distracted, inattention etc can be a troublesome theme
• Don’t throw anything away
• Back up all your computer work, and don’t delete any emails or documents
• Rest and relaxation, give the brain some time off
• Keep options open
• Assume nothing, double check everything
• When in doubt, check it out – second hand opinions are a dead cert for getting hold of the wrong end of the stick – and don’t believe everything you hear
• Keep a close watch on all belongings – especially keys or anything linked to communication such as phones, laptops, cameras etc and don’t even think about buying new ones for the time being
• The same for cars – never buy a car or any kind of technology under a retrograde or ill aspected Mercury
• Plan any journey with extra care and don’t trust to luck
• Take extra care with form filling/signing on dotted lines
Note that weekend events are also building up to peak with the Full Moon that falls in the early hours of Monday:
Monday 4 May – Full Moon at 13 degrees of Scorpio (04.43)
This is arguably the most difficult Full Moon of the year as Scorpio is the Moon’s sign of “fall” – the sign in which the softer and receptive lunar qualities struggle for expression. Scorpio belongs to Mars in traditional astrology, and any Moon/Mars combination is difficult (as indicated the other way around too, the Moon is “exalted” in Taurus, which in turn is Mars’ sign of detriment). So, we can expect an intensifying of the emotional tides that rise high at the time of any Full Moon. Beware domestics (that means with anyone close to you, not just partners), especially anything linked to the more difficult Scorpio issues, such as jealousy, power or control. This Full Moon falls in square to Jupiter (at 13 degrees of Leo) which is a classic “over the top” hallmark.
On the plus side Full Moons signal a cycle coming to fullness and they bring things to light. Just be careful about what you take on at this time – with the Jupiter square in action it would be all too easy to over extend yourself or over commit. However, Jupiter also loves enthusiasm and passion, and as he’s now picking up speed in wholehearted Leo, an all or nothing policy may well be the fuel that’s needed to drive a plan forwards.
This Full Moon will be especially significant for you if you have planets or angles at or close to 13 degrees of Scorpio – or the opposite sign of Taurus. Here’s the usual link for checking the signs and degrees of your natal planets –
http://www.alwaysastrology.com/birth-chart-calculator.html
The last word goes to my niece Sara who has just introduced me to the “go fund me” website and I posted her link last week. There was a lot of interest in this and I know that some people have passed on the idea. In terms of the discussions about the concept of raising funding in this way I found that most people thought that this was a brilliant idea and it’s sparked a lot of generosity and support. I love the fact that her fund so far is made up of plenty of fivers and tenners – every little helps in the mission to keep her business alive in the middle of a divorce.
From a self esteem point of view this is a positive option for those who need to create resources without having to go into debt in the process, especially as there is an exchange involved – every level of donation comes with some kind of offer or gift. Most importantly, does this reflect the astrology of the moment? Yes – with the backdrop of this Sun in Taurus time of year (sign of resources and all things material) now is the time to build security and find the means to do so. The Sun’s positive aspect to Neptune this week says get creative with money and support the spirit of enterprise! If you’d like to learn more here’s the link again:
http://www.gofundme.com/innerspiral
Until next week,
With love from Greece
Joanna