The Astrology Blog – 3 August 2015
The Greek Island Summer School 2015
Just a quick reminder that there’s only course left to run this year in Greece, which is Synastry – The Astrology of Relationships starting 7 September. This has proved to be an exceptionally popular week and there are only 2 of 12 places remaining. Let me know asap if you’d like to find out more and go to the end of this newsletter for more info about the course.
All times posted in BST
There’s an important week ahead, with especially strong themes of transition – significant milestones, endings and beginnings. In terms of the major planets the big event is happening this morning –
Monday Jupiter square Saturn (11.38)
So by the time you receive this blog the aspect will already be “separating” – past its moment of exactitude – but nevertheless these big aspects tend to make themselves felt for several days either side, which is why I first mentioned this aspect at the end of last week’s blog. To recap –
This is clash of the giants – a square between two major planets and in fixed signs – that smacks of intransigence and situations that can’t be resolved, easily or at all. Look out for a clash of values/beliefs or for a major milestone in any situation that has been very slow moving and drawn out. Saturn tends to plonk roadblocks in front of us and for reasons that are not immediately apparent. Patience is paramount, as is acceptance.
For my dear friend Lindsey the roadblocks were literal as, at the end of her week’s holiday, we got to the airport yesterday in soaring temperatures only to find that her flight (Jupiter) had been delayed (Saturn) by four hours as Easy Jet had to replace the plane at the last minute. Thank heavens for air-conned departure lounges – and of course, air safety. Sadly for others there was bad news with regard to more serious things that couldn’t be changed – my heart goes out to you, you know who you are.
Jupiter and Saturn make this square at the end of Leo and Scorpio respectively, which is part of the theme of old/new cycles. Jupiter is getting ready to change sign next week (an event that happens only once every 12 months), and Saturn will change sign in the middle of September (an event that happens only once every two and a half years). The extra thread in the weave at the moment is that this is all happening against the backdrop of a retrograde Venus, and the week starts with Venus playing into this major aspect –
Tuesday Venus conjunct Jupiter at 28 degrees of Leo (22.48)
Wednesday Venus square Saturn (16.09)
Note that as Venus is currently retrograde – appearing to travel backwards through the heavens – she’s now repeating aspects for the second time. (The first conjunction with Jupiter was at 21 degrees of Leo on 29 June, Venus will turn direct again at 14 degrees of Leo on 6 September, and the third and final conjunction with Jupiter will happen on 25 October at 15 degrees of Virgo. Venus’ first square to Saturn was on 14 July at 28 degrees of Leo/Saturn and the third and final square will be at 2 degrees of Virgo/Sagittarius on 11 October.)
Here’s the usual link for checking the position of your natal planets:
http://www.alwaysastrology.com/birth-chart-calculator.html
What does all of this add up to?
Regular readers will know that I usually do an all-dancing and all-singing number about any Venus – Jupiter double act. Both of these planets are “benefics” – they bring the good things of life such as love, money, luck, opportunity and the expanding horizons of the future – but with Venus in retrograde motion and Saturn throwing a huge spanner in the works such themes are either working in reverse or they’ll be slow to unfold or will be marked with heavy price tags. Personal desire v responsibility is a theme that is very much in the mix, as is anything connected to personal boundaries. Generous Jupiter gives freely, optimistically and without strings, but Saturn is the voice of realism and wants to know how you are going to make something work out in the real world. If you’re in the process of going through major changes, especially in connection to your love life or to finances, then this week will be packing a big punch. Look carefully at the issues that are coming to light and, above all, try not to make decisions that are based on the wrong reasons.
What are the wrong reasons? The big one is fear – do you feel inclined to shy away from something because the changes involved are too scary? – and the other big one is guilt. My colleague Ingrid Hoffman calls this one the most toxic of emotions. Guilt can keep us trapped in the wrong relationship or stuck on the treadmill of lifestyle patterns that are fabulous for everyone else but definitely not that brilliant for us. Guilt can be a helpful emotion sometimes – it tells us if we’re doing something wrong – but more often than not it’s simply a ball and chain that we drag around with us, sometimes for years. If you don’t essentially believe that you have a right to be happy or a right to be solvent, or if you essentially believe that keeping the “peace” (a far cry from peacefulness) is better than ever asserting your own feelings or wishes, then this is the week when these issues are likely to be staring you in the face, and you need to stare right back at them. Retrograde Venus joining up with Jupiter is the time to get back to the future.
Saturn is often linked to taboos, the ultimate one being death. Why as a culture do we still struggle with so much terror around the prospect of shuffling off our mortal coil, why is death still such a stigma? A friend of mine who went through cancer a while back recently told me that so many of her other friends dropped out of her life – they simply didn’t know how to cope with it. Jung said that there is a part of the human psyche that “disregards death”, we compartmentalize it and put it in the furthest away corner of our minds, but we surely shouldn’t disregard it in others. I can’t think of anything more important than being there for someone I loved.
Saturn having just turned direct at the end of Scorpio – sign of the 8th house of death – and in conflict with retrograde Venus has already been expressed in the death of loved women and beautiful animals. The world has been saddened by the loss of Kristina Bobbi Brown at age 22, “national treasure” Cilla Black at age 72 and Cecil the Lion – the ultimate Leo tragedy, with Venus still conjunct the magnificent fixed star of Regulus at 29 degrees of Leo, known as the Heart of the Lion. All of these deaths are iconic in their own ways. In particular there’s a huge message around our responsibility to children and animals – those who absolutely depend on us for safety or who are at risk when a human turns predator. I would like to address those words to the man who assassinated the majestic Cecil and who offered the defence that he had practiced his “sport” (beggars belief) “responsibly”. At a deeper level we can only draw on the hope that the laws around big game hunting will now change forever.
So there are times when Saturn puts life and death issues high up on the list and this week is one of them. Whether it’s coping with loss, or waking up to the symbolism of where your life is “dead”, or whether you’re in the process of closing an old cycle in your life and preparing for the new, either emotionally or practically, there’s a lot to be processed as Saturn continues to be a key player right up until the end of the week –
Thursday
Mars trine Saturn (09.30)
Mercury conjunct Venus (15.26)
Mercury square Saturn (21.20)
Note that these Saturn aspects bracket the Mercury – Venus conjunction. In the midst of challenges lies the chance for a heart to heart, second chances connected to saying what needs to be said or looking again at advice or decisions, news that may change the way you’ve been looking at something, changes of heart or getting “back” (retrograde) in touch with girlfriends or anyone important to you.
The themes of transition reach a finale at the end of the week as Mercury and Jupiter unite – at 29 Leo, again the degree of Regulus – and it’s the last aspect that either planet makes before changing sign –
Friday
Mercury conjunct Jupiter at 29 degrees of Leo (08.10)
Mercury ingress Virgo (20.16)
These aspects bode well for brilliant results and good news, and for understanding and planning ahead as Mercury is “dignified” in Virgo. From my book Be Your Own Astrologer – to give you a taste of this combination!
Most people associate Mercury with Gemini, his masculine sign, but here is his lesser known strength, the feminine earth sign of diligent Virgo. The planet of the mind in the sign of discrimination makes for an awesome combination – insightful, precise and observant. These individuals put two and two together and always make four. If something doesn’t add up they want to know why and they won’t rest until they find out. They would never be so brash as to ask direct or impertinent questions but the polite smile masks a brain that is working at the speed of sound. Nothing escapes their attention and their power of analysis is second to none.
Finally we see Mars also changing sign at the end of the week –
Sunday Mars ingress Leo (00.33)
This is also good news as it signals the end of six weeks of Mars meandering through Cancer, his sign of “fall”. Mars is not said to be dignified in Leo but, generally, Mars is much happier in the fire signs and this transition takes Mars out of passive/avoidant mode and into wholehearted and passionate mode. Jupiter will be changing sign next Tuesday and I’ll be talking more about this next week.
Wishing you strength and fearlessness,
With love from Greece
Joanna
Thank you for sharing your astrology knowledge, very interesting so much going on with the planets, I’m very aware of all the 29 degrees aspects. I’ve always known any 29 degree to be karmic, xxx????