16 December 2013 – This week’s Astrology Blog

If you want to go straight to this week’s blog just scroll down past the course information and horoscope links.

Courses

If you want to explore the fascinating subjects of astrology or tarot, combined with a week’s holiday on this beautiful Ionian island of Lefkada, The Greek Island Summer School is about to enter its 13th year. Here are the course dates for 2014. Private tuition also available by arrangement:

 

Working with Tarot

Choose either w/c 5 May 2014 (6 of 6 places available) or
w/c 19 May 2014 (2 of 6 places available)
These courses are suitable for all levels. We revise the traditional divinatory meanings of the 78 Tarot cards and contribute our own. You will also learn a variety of spreads so that you are equipped for answering any kind of question. Throughout the week we also explore the nature of working with clients so you will hone both your divinatory and counselling skills, with theory and with practice readings.
More details on the website here

Discovering Astrology – foundationcourse for beginners/refreshers

w/c 2 June 2014 (4 of 6 places available)
Lift astrology out of the Sun sign columns and discover horoscopy, the symbolism of the signs, planets and houses. Take your first steps in chart interpretation and making predictions, for the day do day things of life and for the major cycles that show important life events, such as relationships and vocation. Throughout the week we will work on your own horoscopes as well as celebrities that interest us and case histories from my own practice.
Check out the website for more details…

Astrology & Tarot – how to combine both skills

w/c 8 September 2014 (3 of 6 places available)
This course is suitable for the student who already has a grounding in both tarot and astrology. The aim is improve your tarot skills through deepening your understanding of the card meanings and learning how to engage with the symbolic. We will revise the nature and cycles of the planets and you will learn how to use the Ephemerides – the tables that follow the movement of the planets day by day – so that you can move easily between the past, present and future. By adding the astrological bow to your arrow you can offer your clients extra guidance in terms of their current life cycle, and enrich the accuracy of your readings with key dates for unfolding events.
Details on the website…

Good Timing – Predictive Techniques in Astrology

w/c 22 September 2014 (4 of 6 places available)
This course is suitable for the student who has already completed a beginners’ course or who is familiar with the basic symbolism of the nuts and bolts of horoscopy – signs, planets and houses. The aim is to pull together all the threads of natal interpretation, to deepen your understanding of aspects and to learn how the “natal promise” within each individual horoscope comes to life through the predictive techniques of transits, returns and progressions. You will learn how to use the Ephemerides effectively, to work with “retrodiction” (what has already happened) as well as prediction, what is happening now and in the future.
To read about the week, check out the website…

If you have any queries or would like to reserve a place pleasecontact me direct here

Horoscopes

For an overview of the month and your December horoscope here’s the link to the column on Network She:

http://www.networkshe.co.uk/category/horoscope

 

The Astrology Blog – w/b 16 December 2013

The week starts with Mercury quinqunx Jupiter. Yes, it’s an awkward word and it’s an even more awkward aspect. Sometimes you’ll hear it referred to as the “inconjunct” but whatever you call it, it’s tricky. It’s formed when two planets reach the same degree but five signs apart – and they therefore share no element or mode. In fact, they have absolutely nothing in common. It’s a bit like trying to have an earnest conversation and wondering if you’re talking the same language. Let me answer that for you – you’re not!

Talk-talk Mercury in cheerful but blunt Sagittarius is known for foot-in-mouth disease. With this blind spot link to exaggeration prone Jupiter the risk is even greater of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. In fact, it’s the sort of picture that signals the risk of making something even worse. You could try to put something right, but if you get the feeling that you’re just digging yourself into a deeper and deeper hole it’s probably because you are. Better to draw a deep breath about any sensitive subject and bide your time. Also look out for crossed wires and definitely don’t believe everything you are told. Stories doing the rounds at this time are likely to be the result of one person’s version or even the result of someone twisting the truth to serve their own agenda. This applies to officialdom too so don’t be fobbed off – especially if you’re owed money, read on!

We won’t have long to wait, however, before new information or other options come flooding in. Tuesday morning brings the Full Moon in Gemini – the sign that rules the spoken and written word, and communication in all its guises. This of course is also the sign of The Twins so look out for themes of doubling up – two versions of a story, choices to be made, decisions that will require debate, problem solving of the two birds with one stone variety, how to keep both sides of a family happy – and so on.

Listen out especially for news that will get the grapevine humming as Uranus, planet of surprises, turns direct early Tuesday evening, having been retrograde since the middle of July. Even a matter that you thought was hopelessly stuck can suddenly spin around and changes can happen in a heartbeat. Note also, however, that some matters may appear to happen out of the blue but they are probably the result of events that have been unfolding since the summer, or even longer. Uranus going direct at the time of the Full Moon is a bit like the lid blowing off the pressure cooker. Something you’ve been putting up with may suddenly become unbearable or a situation/person you’d given up on could suddenly spring back to life, and into your life, with a vengeance.

By comparison the rest of the week is more low key. It’s as if we are being allowed a few days to let the dust settle, to regroup and to make plans in the light of new circumstances. This is underlined by the Sun entering goal orientated Capricorn early Saturday evening, closely followed by Venus switching to retrograde also in this sign.

Regular readers will be familiar with the phenomenon of retrograde Mercury as this happens three times a year, for three weeks at a time. Venus turns retrograde less frequently, approximately every 19 months (March 2009, October 2010, May 2012 were the most recent retrograde dates) for approximately 6 weeks at a time. This current retrograde period will end on 31 January 2014.

So, what can we expect? Firstly Venus is Aphrodite, planet of love, so relationships already in trouble will be facing a very testing time. The qualities of Venus being expressed through Capricorn are those of endurance, responsibility, hard work and generally taking love very seriously. While she is retrograde in this sign then, all of these issues become even more poignant. If you are in a totally joyless relationship you will be asking yourself why. Misplaced loyalty? Going above and beyond the call of duty? Feeling trapped by your responsibilities or shared assets? If a relationship is floundering but the love is still there you will need to get right back to basics, strip away all trivia and irrelevant issues, and restructure. Capricorn needs to know where the goal posts are and to play by the rules.

Retrograde Venus in this sign will want to rewrite the rule book, to find out how much love matters and to put commitment and intimacy issues under the microscope. Relationships that are unlikely to stand up to this kind of close scrutiny could crumble, especially over the notorious holiday “make or break” season. January is not the top business month for divorce lawyers for nothing!

Ok, that is worst case scenario. Other possibilities to look out for in your love life – meeting someone who is unavailable or who will be absent for the next six weeks, getting back with an ex and trying to make it work, delaying tactics from one partner if you’re talking of getting married or moving in together, reasons beyond your control that will delay such matters, a feeling that you’re constantly having to learn the same love lessons twice – or more. Attached, separating or single, there will be many serious questions to ponder over the next six weeks.

Venus also rules money. Do not be foolish with finances! If you’ve already overspent for Xmas now is the time to tie up the purse strings, to rein in your spending and to stick to a strict budget. Resist buying on credit or committing to anything that you suspect is going to prove too expensive. It’s the time to pull out of deals that are designed to benefit only the other person or to question any matter in which you feel that you’re missing the point. For many it will be a fallow time as companies trim back budgets further, so unfortunately pay cuts or redundancies are in there too. In essence, if money is an issue, it fits the bill of a retrograde Venus in Capricorn to impose your own austerity measures and to make your hard earned cash go a lot further, to put bills and debts first, pleasures second.

There is a big question mark hovering over values – at a personal and emotional level what/whom do you really love, and at a practical level, where is money being wasted, how can you meet expenses, or make something pay? If you’re getting a property valued I would strongly recommend getting at least two valuations (supported by Full Moon in Gemini) and ideally waiting until Venus goes direct at the end of January before accepting any offers. Waiting games of many kinds lie ahead, but this doesn’t mean that everything will grind to a halt. However, business dealings will need a lot of patience and negotiation. Retrograde cycles favour going “back” – to the drawing board, to former employers, to ideas. Waste no time in sowing seeds if you want to reap a bumper harvest in February.

Above all Venus is desire so guard against the classic “be careful what you wish for”… you might change your mind!