The Astrology Blog – 2 February 2015
All times stated are in GMT
Just a reminder that this year’s Greek Island Summer School will start with The Crystal Zodiac week beginning 11 May with visiting author and tutor Judy Hall. It’s a beautiful time of year to be in Greece, sunny days and the magical fireflies out at night. Go straight to the page on this website on this link to read more –
https://joannawatters.com/greek-island-summer-school/astrology-courses/
Well, if there were ever any doubt about how disruptive retrograde Mercury can be here are some of my favorite stories from the feedback this week – not favorite in terms of what has happened to people, but in terms of the symbolism! Remember that everything that comes under the large umbrella of “communication and transport” is Mercury’s domain, so here are some quotes, my notes in brackets –
– I have been off work since pulling the ligaments in my ankle (Aquarius rules the ankles in the physical body), went back to work too soon, had a massive row with my new bully of a boss, got signed off sick with ankle and work related stress. I have had HR on my case contacting me asking to meet me to discuss row with boss every week since. (Aquarius as organizations/humanitarian concerns, but Mercury retro in this sign can lose sight of the personal – here showing as Human Resources department who just want to fill in their forms, and legally speaking this is not seen as harassment because the absence is partly work related)
– My husband asked me if Mercury was retrograde as our computer mouse had stopped working and I’d left my phone at the gym
– (One of my students trying to book to do a course here in Greece starting on 11 May) I’ve been on the website and have now just spoken to Olympic Holidays to try and ascertain flight details etc but they said they aren’t running flights to Preveza until June! (This was cause for panic as I already supposedly had about 8 students booked with Olympic Holidays for this date! The website came up as blank for May availability. However if you called up June options first, the May ones then came up, and a second phone call to a different staff member confirmed all was ok….)
– What a week this has been! Clients in melt down, power cuts, my computer which was working perfectly well at six this morning suddenly “died”… then my husband backed our car into a wall and the whole side is crunched up, so a huge bill and no car for three days, so literally grounded, then a huge bill from the physio charging me for things that I did not even have…
The strangest event of the week here – make of this what you will – happened in the house early in the week. I grabbed a good weather moment and gathered up all the cats’ bedding from the boxes on the porch (cat hotel!). Came back to the washing machine later but the digital display said still 15 minutes to go. I stood there for a couple of minutes, musing on how wonderful washing machines are and how much work this would have been without one, feeling grateful to the friend who had recommended this particular brilliant machine which has worked perfectly for the past few years (I realise that probably sounds batty but it’s the kind of thing you do when you try to practice mindfulness!) when it suddenly stopped, in front of my eyes. The digital display then changed to 19 minutes. I left it for a while but nothing happened. I tried the time honoured method of switching it off and back on again. Nothing. A friend of mine who I stay with in London swore blind that we went through a period when every time I stayed with them something blew up or broke down and that this was definitely linked to me! Now why, at the precise and only moment that I was marveling at my washing machine, would it stop working and start counting backwards?? In the end I had to put it on a different program and it’s been used several times since and of course is working fine. Paul, I am sure you have an answer!
So, retrograde Mercury can speak of strange occurrences so maybe there’s something in there about thinking outside of the box, and for being reminded that life doesn’t work just at a physical or technical black and white level. “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
“Foot in mouth” disease is a symptom of retrograde Mercury (someone should have warned Kim Sears) as are events that are entirely out of our control – like power cuts. But it can also bring events in our lives that knock us off centre, make us lose confidence and start to doubt ourselves. So it’s timely now to remember that we are supposed to be questioning things far more than usual, from the minutiae to the bigger issues, and that this is “astrologically normal” until Mercury turns direct again next week. In the meantime, keep your wits about you, especially midweek when Mercury makes the second of three contacts to Saturn –
Thursday Mercury sextile Saturn (11.40)
The first sextile was 5 January and the third and final one will be 19 February. Here’s a reminder of the write up for this aspect that I posted on 5 January –
Mercury in good aspect to Saturn augurs well for firm decisions, agreements, putting things down in black and white, establishing your goal posts and mapping out work that is governed by deadlines. Just be careful not to bite off more than you can chew!
Mercury – Saturn aspects are normally conclusive but, because of the backwards and forwards movement to come, there will be some element at work that will make you realise at a later date that something was not as cut and dried as it seemed. Or, you may already realise that a situation is not going to be as easy as you would wish, and the February dates are ones to circle for an ongoing debate, project, plan etc when you’ll be looking at matters in the light of new information or having to rework things in a way that you couldn’t have anticipated earlier.
Saturn is Lord of Time itself – and he’s also a “malefic” – so be prepared for “bad timing”, don’t over commit yourself, or accept that a heartfelt wish is one that cannot be instantly gratified. However, whatever your main concern may be at the moment, the bigger picture suggests that it will be worth the effort and the wait. It’s a good time to remember that success usually comes after hard work and not the other way around!
So, look out for developments with anything that is work in progress and which reflects these themes.
What else is happening this week?
Regular readers or students of astrology may be familiar with the phenomenon of the “mutual reception” which occurs when two planets occupy each other’s signs – eg at the end of last year we had the Sun in Sagittarius (Jupiter’s sign) and Jupiter in Leo (the Sun’s sign). We currently have what is called a “mixed reception” – the Sun in Aquarius (Uranus’ sign) and Uranus in Aries (the Sun’s sign of exaltation). Receptions symbolize moves that can be made, a swapping over, exchanges that can lift us out of a weakened state/place/relationship/job etc and into one that is much stronger, one that brings out the best in us and which has that “meant to be” quality. The reception must express the symbolism of the planets involved – in this case the Sun (the life force, health, sense of self, identity and purpose) and Uranus (the rebel, breaking free, the dramatic, unexpected or innovative).
This particular reception will be in operation until the Sun moves on into Pisces (18 February) but is most likely to show, or show at its most meaningful, when the two planets in question move into alignment which is actually now –
Monday Sun sextile Uranus (12.30)
This harmonious aspect (two signs apart) happens when both planets reach 13 degrees of their respective signs. As always, with any major aspect, it will be significant for you if you have natal planets at or close to the same degrees, in this case 13 degrees of any sign but especially in Aquarius (or the opposite sign of Leo) or Aries (or the opposite sign of Libra). You can check out your natal planets on this link –
http://www.alwaysastrology.com/birth-chart-calculator.html
You will see the visual of your horoscope, all the planets positioned on a wheel. By hovering your mouse over the glyph (symbol) for each planet you’ll be able to see which planet it is, what sign it is in and what degree of that sign it holds.
The big event of the week is the Full Moon –
Tuesday Full Moon at 15 degrees of Leo (23.10)
Full Moons illuminate or bring matters full cycle. This one is pretty dramatic, not only because it falls in Leo (big bold fire sign of drama, creativity and love of life) but because both Uranus and Jupiter are in on this act. This Full Moon falls within a couple of degrees in sextile to Uranus (13 Aries) and also within a couple of degrees conjunct Jupiter (who is currently also retrograde, hence the degrees and minutes of his exact placing below are decreasing rather than increasing). The exact Moon – Jupiter conjunction happens 6 hours after the Full Moon, and the Sun opposite Jupiter falls on Friday –
Wednesday Moon conjunct Jupiter at 17.58 degrees of Leo (05.32)
Friday Sun opposite Jupiter at 17.38 degrees of Leo (18.21)
If you have clear skies – disappointingly not here, the weather is vile as we’re in the middle of severe storms, it’s a total myth that Greece is warm all year around btw, but I’ll be keeping fingers crossed for a break in the clouds – you’ll see the beauty of Jupiter sparkling away next to the Full Moon. Don’t forget to make a wish, regardless of whether you have Leo planets or not! Jupiter is the planet of luck and good fortune, and is the opportunity maker. Jupiter in Leo, astrological royalty, says be regal and claim your sense of entitlement.
A Sneak Preview – as Jupiter and Uranus are both in aspect to the Full Moon it follows then that they are in aspect to each other as well. Both in fire signs of Leo and Aries respectively these two major planets made a “trine” (harmonious) to each other in September of last year but then Jupiter turned retrograde early December, so is on his way back to repeat the pattern. The second trine will be exact next month, the third and final one will be in June. Jupiter – Mr Big of the skies – and new age Uranus are therefore working as a dynamic team. It’s the stuff of glorious revolutions or life changing events. If these aspects link into your own chart it’s a bit like winning the lottery – but not necessarily a financial one! Watch this space.
The final aspect for now sets the tone for the weekend –
Sunday Venus sextile Pluto (05.52)
You may remember that Venus changed sign last week and is now travelling through Pisces, her sign of exaltation. This doesn’t, unfortunately, mean that all love issues suddenly become easy but it does signal a stronger likelihood of feelings being more intense and more important. The emotional tides run high at the time of a Full Moon and also with any planet in Pisces being part of the picture. Throw Pluto into the mix, who just loves to strip everything right back to basics and the result is, well, emotional! Pluto is “death and rebirth” stuff so this is a wonderful aspect if you’re in love, but a painful one if you’re breaking up or missing someone. If you have a relationship to rescue now’s the time to put in the work. Either way it has an all or nothing quality.
At a less psychological level Venus – Pluto combinations are notorious for losing things – Venus being loved objects and Pluto being black holes. Along with Mercury still being retrograde the risk is doubled. As I’ve been saying this last couple of weeks, be vigilant when you’re out and about. It’s a bit like that travel announcement at the end of a journey, “make sure you have all your belongings with you.”
Overall I do like the feel of this week, it feels more cheerful than last week and there is a sense of things gathering momentum or at least the chance to sow a lot of seeds. I’ve started to put things to look forward to in my diary which always lifts my spirits. Mercury will be turning direct again 11 February so I’ll be talking about this event in detail next week. Until then, whatever is unfolding for you, don’t take your eye off the ball,
With love from Greece
Joanna