The Astrology Blog – 2 March 2015
All times stated are in GMT
ASTROLOGY WORKSHOP, LONDON
Saturday 11 April 10.00am – 5.00pm
Suitable for beginners to intermediate
Be Your Own Astrologer – Unlock the Secrets of the Signs and Planets is the title of my new book and also of the workshop in London on Saturday 11 April. The venue is the beautiful Rosslyn Hill Chapel in Hampstead.
Learning more about your own horoscope – If you’d like to learn more about how to interpret your chart and how to make your own predictions, for yourself or others, then this is the workshop for you! Please have your personal data to hand when you book your place so that your horoscope can be drawn up in advance – date and place of birth, and time of birth as accurately as possible.
My colleague astrologer Sally Kirkman will be joining us for the day to assist with the work on everyone’s charts. Scroll down to read further details after the blog. If you’d like to receive more information about this workshop just reply to this newsletter or start a new email joannaw@otenet.gr with London workshop, please add me to the mailing list – in the Subject box.
If London is too far away for you then do note another date for your diary the following weekend in the northwest. The Bolton conference is an annual event and here are the details for this year:
BOLTON ASTROLOGICAL SOCIETY SPRING CONFERENCE 2015
18th APRIL 2015 10.30 – 4.30
£35 (Including Lunch)
Venue : Over Hulton Conservative Club, Bolton BL5 1AA
Speaker – Jane Ridder-Patrick
Morning session: Saturn in Sickness and in Health
Afternoon session: The IC and the Fourth House
For more information please contact: Jennifer Staveley-Hall boltonastro@yahoo.co.uk
What’s happening this week?
The first word goes to Mercury who reaches the end of what his called his “shadow” period tomorrow. To remind you of the sequence that has led up to this moment –
• 21 January Mercury turned retrograde at 17.04 Aquarius
• 11 February Mercury turned direct at 1.18 Aquarius
• 3 March Mercury reaches 17.04 Aquarius for the second time
In other words, after the usual three week period of being retrograde 11 February marked the turning point, Mercury then started to gather speed but stays in “shadow” until reaching the same degree at which he turned retrograde, so is back up to full speed as of tomorrow.
In the last couple of weeks I’ve suggested looking out for something picking up speed in your own life and, whatever the key issue may be, you should now get results or have a sense of being firmly back in the driving seat. More energy, a clearer sense of direction, a renewed determination, taking ideas off the drawing board and putting them into action, making definite plans or decisions, shaking off hesitation or doubt, receiving long awaited news or goods, information that makes a difference, things generally happening in a much more hassle free way – these are the kind of things to expect.
You may already be experiencing some of the above as the messages or events signaled by major astrological activity often kick in during the 48 hours beforehand. Regular readers will remember the fiasco of the first author copies of my books being couriered out here only to end up at the top of the wrong mountain, but over the weekend my big box of copies arrived safely and easily with a haulage company. I met the truck, a friend happened to be meeting the same one, my boxes came out immediately and he lifted them straight into my car. Thank you Pedro! From leaving home to returning with books was 20 minutes. Result! Book launch party here we come – just waiting for it to stop raining…
On that subject you may remember also that last week we had the Sun – Neptune conjunction in Pisces (sign of mutable water) and I said look out for plumbing or water related problems. We’ve had both – a blocked drain in the drive and in the early hours of Thursday morning (I realized the next day it was almost to the minute of the conjunction being exact) we were awoken by a huge storm which Sue described as someone throwing huge buckets of water against the windows every five minutes. Throw into the mix a very nervous little dog (mine, Coco) who is terrified of storms … for those of you old enough to remember the original cartoon Scooby Doo, the image of shaking dog clinging to owner’s head … that was me with Coco. Fortunately she weighs only 7 kilos. Did I mention that I’ve found many times that Neptune aspects often relate to sleep – or lack of it??
Back to this week, the picture of onwards and upwards is hugely supported by the astrology in the first half of the week, starting with a harmonious aspect between two major planets –
Tuesday Jupiter trine Uranus (12.28)
This aspect happens in the proactive and vibrant fire signs of Leo and Aries respectively and has already formed once (25 September 2014) and will form for a third and final time on 22 June. In a nutshell Jupiter rules good fortune and expansion – anything that makes your world bigger and better is his job – and Uranus rules the unexpected and innovation. In particular then look out for events that are linked to travel, education or any opportunity to make positive changes in your life.
For some this will come along in the shape of a stroke of good luck, and many good things will be characterized by rapidity, spontaneity or excitement. There’s a sense of, oh finally, I can do this or that etc, and you’ll be able to swing into action. Psychologically look out for breakthroughs and light bulb moments. If you’re tied into any kind of arrangements that suit others but are not that brilliant for you now’s the time to break free. Jupiter and Uranus are both liberty lovers. Also look out for a kind of midpoint theme with major plans or projects, or for the chance to put irons in the fire that will sizzle in June.
Love issues are a part of this picture as Venus – also currently travelling through Aries – plays into this major aspect –
Wednesday
Venus trine Jupiter (15.15) and Venus conjunct Uranus (18.47)
This is the stuff of whirlwind romance, meeting someone when you least expected it and when romance was the furthest thing from your mind, or a casual romance suddenly taking off and moving to the next level. Conversely, if you’re in the wrong relationship or if you’ve been battling with unrequited love, you’ll find that there’s no way that you can continue to paper over the cracks. Either way changes are for the better, even if it doesn’t feel like that at the time.
Apart from love, Venus – Jupiter aspects are fantastic for lovely opportunities of all kinds. Venus rules money and all of life’s sweetest pleasures. Almost without exception my best work moments happen on Venus – Jupiter contacts.
The even bigger picture also includes Uranus, as we have the huge backdrop being created by two slow moving outer planets, Uranus (84 year cycle) and Pluto (248 year cycle). These two giants have been in square to each other for several years, ie three signs apart, as Uranus travels through Aries and Pluto travels through Capricorn.
The square aspect between these two has been exact an astonishing six times with a seventh and final one to come, as they’ve travelled backward and forwards from 8 degrees to 15 degrees of their respective signs – here are the dates:
• 24 June 2012 at 8 degrees
• 19 September 2012 at 7 degrees
• 20 May 2013 at 11 degrees
• 1 November 2013 at 9 degrees
• 21 April 2014 at 13 degrees
• 15 December 2014 at 12 degrees
• 17 March 2015 at 15 degrees
As above, so below. I started researching the top news items for the first date on this list but, unsurprisingly, it made rather harrowing reading. Uranus is change and drama (revolution), Pluto is endings and power (evolution), but in the difficult square formation more often than not the showings at a global level are alarming, sickening or frightening. Harking back to political unrest, atrocities or typhoons is not what this blog is about. However, neither is alarmism, so don’t panic! If you have planets or angles at between 8 and 15 degrees of the cardinal signs (the Aries – Libra polarity, or the Cancer – Capricorn polarity) then you have already gone through a long period of great turbulence, with every step as part of the journey that will reach a dénouement in a couple of weeks’ time. Here’s the usual link for checking the signs and degrees of your natal planets –
http://www.alwaysastrology.com/birth-chart-calculator.html
I’ll be talking more about this big event over the next few weeks but the reason this square is already important this week is because Venus is playing into it (it will be Mars’s turn next week) with the conjunction to Uranus on Wednesday as listed above and then the square to Pluto –
Thursday Venus square Pluto (03.16)
This also coincides with the Full Moon which, in turn, also falls in aspect to Pluto –
Thursday Full Moon at 15 degrees of Virgo (18.07)
Friday Sun sextile Pluto (00.17)
This all adds up to a “something’s gotta give” feeling. Re love stuff this will especially apply if you’re caught up in any kind of triangle. Venus – Pluto contacts are notorious for endings/beginnings with all affairs, putting an end to pretence or subterfuge, and sounding the death knell for relationships that are already unhealthy, unhappy or impossible. For some this will bring the moment of realizing that walking away with nothing and starting over is the only life saving option. Pluto is all about the process of change and is ultimately about rebirth. Plutonic transformation is tough though, the real ordeal by fire, and something has to be wiped out or killed off first. One of his symbols is the phoenix –
“In Greek mythology a phoenix or phenix is a long-lived bird that can regenerate or be reborn. Associated with the sun, a phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor.” (Wikipedia)
Along with the Full Moon’s reputation for domestics (as I’ve mentioned before, police stations and A&E workers know to expect their busiest times on full moons) there’s no getting away from the fact that this is a highly sensitized picture. The difficult characteristics of love gone wrong or any other kind of relationship that is causing grief – such as abuse of power, control issues, the corrosion of resentment, jealousy, contempt, fear – could all too easily come crawling out of the shadows. They need to, so don’t ignore them. The Full Moon’s job is also to illuminate so at least you’ll know what you’re up against. Remember too that Pluto is the god of the underworld and there’s nothing like an emotional crisis for that journey to hell and back, but if the destination is redemption then it’s time to pack your bags. If this is ringing bells for you then muster your courage. Anything that moves you out of a disempowered state (in love, work or any other untenable situation) is the way forwards. No one says this is easy, but it could be the best thing you ever did. If this is ringing bells for someone close to you then be ready to play the supporting role.
So, the combination of the Full Moon and the Venus – Pluto square is the chance to address anything that’s not working in your life. Venus in Aries – her sign of detriment – has to struggle in the pursuit of self affirming (Aries) love (Venus) and it’s important now to separate out the difficult feelings (eg guilt) that are helpful and telling you something, from the ones that are constructed by others in order to have their own way. If you’re in any situation that’s compromising your self esteem then this week is the time that you’ll be staring it in the face.
Apart from the world of key relationships and issues of self worth also tread carefully around financial concerns. This is not the time to throw good money after bad, or to pursue anything that you already suspect is going to cost you heavily.
The final event falls at the weekend –
Sunday Sun conjunct Chiron (04.21)
Chiron is the most recently discovered (1977) of the outer planets and is slow moving (51 year cycle). The Sun’s conjunctions with all the major planets happen once a year and this one with Chiron falls at 17.16 Pisces. I am by no means an expert on Chiron as I haven’t done anywhere near enough research of my own but, as I quoted recently, I consulted Melanie Reinhart for the Chiron section in my book –
“His importance lies in how “he points to the issues that accompany the path of awakening, such as health crises, life-changing experiences, meetings with teachers, recapitulation of old trauma or major insights”.
Chiron is the archetype of the Wounded Healer, the god who gave up his own immortality in order to heal an agonizing wound to the flesh. Mmm, Freudian slip… as I wrote that I missed out the “t” and was looking at “immorality”. Interesting. The most beautiful essence of the sign of Pisces is that connection to one’s own spirituality, the discovery of meaning at a soul level and alignment with the mystical and magical. Chiron’s discovery coincided with the rise of the holistic health industry and the spiraling awareness of the mind – body – spirit connection. So maybe there’s something in this wrapper that is also deeply connected to staying true to your own ethics and values as you look at what needs to be sacrificed for the sake of your own healing journey.
Until next week,
With love from Greece
Joanna
Thank you Joanna… Great read! XX
Thanks Rosa 🙂