The Astrology Blog – 23 March 2015
Just to start by clearing up some confusion about the Soul and Spirit magazine Annual Awards 2015. I posted last week that they’re compiling their categories but you don’t have to vote for everything. Every box requires an answer but you can write N/A alongside the topics that you’re not voting for. Amongst the categories are:
• Most inspiring spiritual blog
• Best retreat/healing centre
• Best-loved astrologer
• Best-loved psychic
• Best spiritual book of the year
• Favourite mind, body, spirit author
• Best spiritual course/workshop provider etc
A big thank you to those who have already voted. If you want to give me a shout I’m looking for nominations for:
• Be Your Own Astrologer – book
• The Greek Island Summer School – retreat
• The weekly blog
• Astrologer
• Author
Here’s the link:
http://www.soulandspiritmagazine.com/awards/
Answers need to be submitted by 17 April 2015. You will then be entered into a prize draw to win various goodies. The magazine then draws up a list of finalists and from 15 May 2015 you’ll be able to vote for your winners. I’ll post the link for that when I have it.
Be Your Own Astrologer workshop Hampstead Saturday 11 April
The 20 places are booked so this workshop is now full, along with all appointments for private consultations.
• If you would like to be contacted in the event of any cancellations just reply to this blog with Cancellation place on the workshop please OR Cancellation place for a consultation please
• I already have a list on the go for the next event – date to be decided – but again if you’d like to be contacted about this directly reply to the blog with Information for future workshops please
Last week’s Eclipse
Well astronomically it was a non event here being in southern Europe but the pictures on the BBC etc were stunning. Just thought it was worth commenting on this amazing phenomenon, that the Sun is 400 times larger than the Moon, but 400 times the distance from Earth, so they appear to be the same size, hence at Eclipse time the discs slot over each other to perfection. This is astonishing mathematics but also powerful astrologically in that it reminds us that the “lights” – Sun, light of the day and Moon, light of the night – carry equal symbolic weight in the horoscope. You are so much more than your Sun sign, which is the thesis of my new book, Be Your Own Astrologer.
Also regular readers will remember that I commented last week about the eclipse falling at the very difficult degree of 29 Pisces, the position of a Fixed Star called Scheat that is associated with intense suffering. On that note, and in the warrior spirit of the Spring Equinox, it would be a great start to the week if you would take just a few seconds – that’s all it takes – to like and share this Facebook page for fellow blogger Raif Badawi. Amnesty International is keeping up the pressure – and so can we. We only have to imagine if this were someone we loved…
https://www.facebook.com/free.badawi
Last week we also had some difficult Mercury aspects – which I have said before but forgot to say last week, often show as if Mercury were retrograde. Mercury is currently travelling through Pisces, sign of mutable water, and two people managed to put their mobile phones through the washing machine… astrology can be very literal sometimes, thank you Mercury, very funny… while another sent her phone off to have the back replaced and it was returned with the part replaced but wiped clean of a huge archive of her photographs and videos (Pisces’ planet Neptune rules film). Many of her faves are posted on her Facebook albums but the rest are gone… forever.
What’s happening this week?
With that warning in mind, note that Mercury has one more week to go on the journey through Pisces, and one more aspect to form before moving on into Aries next Tuesday. The last aspect happens tomorrow –
Tuesday Mercury conjunct Chiron (13.07)
Mercury as always is the news bringer – the planet he is aligning with indicates the kind of news. Chiron is the wounded healer but, as with all the outer planets, he is very much a double edged sword. On a positive note this aspect can indicate finding cures, healing experiences or bonding very deeply with someone special. Take note of what you hear about or whom you meet at this time. On the other hand this can also signal the arrival of emotional or sad news.
This aspect coincides with another major aspect just three hours later –
Tuesday Venus sextile Neptune (06.27)
This rather softens the possible blow of the Mercury – Chiron, being a very powerful aspect as both planets are dignified – Venus now being in her own sign of Taurus and Neptune being in his own sign of Pisces – and the sextile is arguably the most harmonious aspect of them all. So this is absolutely fabulous for falling in love, acts of great kindness and compassion, spiritual experiences, quality time with loved ones, especially girlfriends and children.
This is Venus’ first aspect since changing sign at the beginning of last week and in relationships the need for real empathy, not paying lip service, rides high. If you’ve been waiting to have “that conversation” then don’t put it off any longer. The early part of the week and especially Monday is definitely the best for heart to hearts, for getting someone to understand your feelings/point of view or vice versa.
Venus is also beauty and as she’s now in the tactile earth sign of Taurus this is also the ideal aspect for salon visits, massage, aromatherapy and so on. Venus, known as the lesser benefic (Jupiter being the greater one) also rules everything connected to life’s pleasures and the sweet things of life. Do whatever makes you feel good.
The flipside to look out for is anything connected to fantasy or unnecessary martyrdom. It’s too easy to dream on and on about something without actually doing anything about it, or checking out the facts, or believing oneself to be trapped or blighted! Love of course is top of the list. If you want to find out how someone really feels about you then this is a great time for testing the water – you could be pleasantly surprised.
Getting your act together in any sense is the subtext to all emotional or practical matters – Venus after all rules money too – as is underlined by arguably the most important aspect of the week –
Wednesday Sun trine Saturn (19.26)
This powerful aspect happens in fire signs, the Sun in Aries and Saturn now backtracking through the early degrees of Sagittarius. This is text book for licking things into shape – Saturn loves structure and closure. He’s incredibly difficult to argue with though, bit of a last word freak, so look out for events of the fait accompli kind or solutions to which there are no obvious alternatives. Especially look out for sorting a matter that has dragged on as Saturn has been very slow moving recently, finally turning retrograde on the 14th of this month, and will be backtracking until the beginning of August. Along the way he will in fact slide back into the previous sign of Scorpio in the middle of June so some thorny issues may easily come back to haunt us. All the more reason to be especially vigilant and conscientious about the things you’re currently putting in order.
Even by good aspect like the trine note that Saturn does have the tendency to delay things, especially as he’s not moving at full speed. He is also Lord of Time – he rules those ticking clocks and is the Grim Reaper, when earthly time itself runs out – so it’s the ideal “time” to treat “time” as a valuable commodity and resource. We’re all guilty of letting it slip through our fingers, and sometimes that is appropriate, but with a little extra effort or discipline a great deal can be achieved.
The machinery of authority is in there too – especially in connection to the Sagittarian issues of legal concerns, your rights and freedom of movement/expression – and the Sun/Saturn alliance marks a definite milestone if you’re involved in any kind of proceedings. Similarly, if you’ve been delaying travel plans, umming and ahing about whether to go ahead with a plan or not, feeling constrained by the needs of others or having to put duty before pleasure and so on, this is the week that you can expect resolution or at least pointers as to how to proceed.
Psychologically one of the messages here is to be honest in self examination. Are you hiding behind something? Are you using other people or situations as an excuse to avoid a step that you would take if you could muster some courage or more self belief? Many things come down to confidence or entitlement issues. If ever there was a week for “feel the fear but do it anyway” then this one seems to fit the bill.
Venus definitely supports the fundamental principle that life is to be enjoyed rather than endured. She continues to dominate the picture for the rest of the week, forming two more aspects that take shape in time for the weekend and over the weekend –
Saturday Venus square Jupiter (02.12)
Monday Venus trine Pluto (07.46)
As mentioned earlier Venus and Jupiter are the “benefics” – they’re good for us. Even coming together by difficult aspect such as the square there’s still nothing malefic between them. As Venus’s job is to bring love and pleasure, and Jupiter’s core principle is expansion, there is rather an over the top/let your hair down quality at work when these two come together, so Friday night out should be a blast! Can you get too much of a good thing? Depends on your nature! But if you need cheering up then get together with those who know how to have fun, the Jupiter people in your life being a good place to start – the Sag’s and Pisces by Sun sign – the ones you would pay to come to your party, and go for it. My top party pal has a very powerful Moon in Sag.
Jupiter has the “ex” factor – extravagance, excess, exuberance – you may eat too much, drink too much or spend too much, but every now and then the sensible option is the boring and antisocial one. If you’re a party animal at heart, or if you’re ready to meet new people, especially a new lover, then don’t even think about staying in. After all, nine times out of ten if you ask couples how they met the answer is in the pub, at a bar, at a party – somewhere sociable, mixing and mingling, so don’t be a hermit. Forget Valentine’s Day for new romance, the spring fever of the Equinox followed by a stack of Venus aspects beats that hands down.
Venus trine Pluto is the dominant aspect for the weekend itself, which is in many ways the total opposite to “in your face” Jupiter. Pluto is dark, quiet, mysterious and restorative. The positive side to Pluto is regeneration and, with this trine in the earth signs of Taurus and Capricorn, this feels like coming back down to earth and finding your bearings again. Also if you need to put any relationship back onto an even keel then this coming weekend should provide the opportunity.
Otherwise, this harmonious aspect speaks of good endings, or of endings that are good for you. Not quite the same thing as the former is amicable on both sides, the latter may be contentious but you’ll know that it has to be done, but the end result is the same. If you’re going through a break up this coming week is the time to tie up any loose ends, or if you’re leaving a job you’ll know that it’s the right decision. Venus – Pluto aspects are ideal for clean slates of all kinds and all you have to do is stay resolved.
Note that this is in fact Venus’ last aspect as she travels through Taurus (until 11 April) and that Pluto is the planet of rebirth and transformation, but these words are too often bandied about in astrological literature as if there is a fairy godmother waiting on every street corner. I personally use them with great caution. Plutonic change is not generally of the overnight sensation type, but much more of a process, and one that often takes a long time. Pluto transits in the natal chart often last nine months, reflecting a gestation period.
Even as a one off aspect Pluto is hugely tied up with issues around personal power and how we handle fear – fear of being alone, fear of starting a new job, fear of confrontation and saying what we really feel, fear of failure, and even fear of success – so if there is something in your heart that you know is right for you then now’s the time to set out your stall. Don’t let others put you off, even if they tell you that you’re crazy. History is full of achievers who started their journey to success by going out on a limb. Keep your true friends close and your self-belief closer.
New cycles are a growing theme – both Mercury and Mars will be changing sign next week, followed by the Lunar Eclipse in Libra, with the backdrop of Jupiter slowing right down in readiness for turning direct again 8 April – and I’ll be talking about all of these factors next time.
Until then may Venus bless all your desires,
With love from Greece
Joanna
