The Astrology Blog – 9 March 2015
Be Your Own Astrologer – Workshop Saturday 11 April
10.00 am to 5.00pm
£85.00
Rosslyn Hill Chapel
3 Pilgrim’s Place, London NW3 1NG
Hampstead tube
There are 5 of 20 places now left for this workshop
joannaw@otenet.gr
This will be a fun workshop, and a wonderful opportunity to work on your own horoscope. I will be drawing up everyone’s personal horoscope in advance of the event for all participating students. My colleague astrologer Sally Kirkman will be with us for the day to assist with the work on everyone’s charts.
When you book please have ready your personal data – your date and place of birth, and your time of birth as accurately as possible
The workshop Be Your Own Astrologer is based on the material covered in my new book and is suitable for beginners/refreshers to intermediate –
• Gain insights into your natal chart
• Learn how astrology reflects not only your nature but your life experience in the past, present and immediate future
• Learn about retrodiction – how to locate past events in your horoscope – and how to apply the same tools to the art of prediction and understanding your life cycles
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
Private Consultations
I have ONE remaining slot for private consultations on Tuesday 7 April. Please get in touch if you’d like to find out more or book an appointment.
What’s happening this week?
All times stated are in GMT
Regular readers and followers of astrology will know that we are currently being tuned into the bigger picture, the huge backdrop being created by two slow moving outer planets, Uranus (84 year cycle) and Pluto (248 year cycle). As I posted last week 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 (usually outer planets meet 3 times, sometimes 5) 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
So the final square will be exact next Tuesday, so just a week to go, which is a negligible grain of sand amount of time when considering these major aspects between slow moving planets. Dramatic world events have coincided with the list of dates so far but, as I said last week, a lot of it makes harrowing reading. Hardly surprising, given that Uranus rules everything under the umbrella of revolution – drama, change, shocks, suddenness, the unexpected, anarchy or innovation, while Pluto rules everything under the umbrella of evolution – endings, death and rebirth, the use/abuse of power, control issues and change of the slower but grindingly inevitable kind.
At a collective level this long running battle therefore reflects life threatening issues that are beyond our control (the list of political subjects is depressingly endless) or out of control (like the fires in Cape Town). Uranus is the irrepressible force that seems to come from nowhere but once started won’t stop, now in Aries (fire/ego) and Pluto brings the uncompromising, all or nothing factor, now in Capricorn (earth/structure).
My friend and colleague Ingrid Hoffman in Cape Town wrote to me about the fires – her words capture the backdrop image of this final square:
“Enormous tornadoes of flame eating up beautiful protea plantations and wild life on the mountainsides, consuming homes and restaurants and lodges on the coast line, a retirement village had to be evacuated, can you imagine the terror of the old ladies as they watched the smoke and the flames fanned by a powerful wind. The temperatures were 35- 48 degrees… a friend told me that about twenty sun birds flocked to her garden (they are usually solitary and territorial birds ) in search of water and sugar water which fortunately she had in bottles hanging on the trees. People told me snakes and porcupines and mongoose were seeking shelter from the smoke and flames and searching for water in their gardens. The devastation has been horrific – frogs, birds, insects, plant life, tortoises….The skies here heavy with smoke, the sunsets thick and dark orange and ominous.”
It is the power of great writing that takes us there… if you want to read more of Ingrid’s work she is a fabulous and regular blogger and here’s the link –
http://blog.trueheartwork.com/
At a personal level the same elements are at work, but think symbolically – your own “war zone” or your own battle with changes/dramas that have been thrust upon you or those close to you. As these two planets have been meeting up by square (inharmonious) then the tussle between them has been characterized either by acute friction or situations, often of the life changing kind, that have demanded a huge amount of fortitude and adjustment.
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, and you will recognize how this out of the blue, death/rebirth symbolism is playing out in your own life. At least now you are heading for resolution, one way or the other. Here’s the usual link for checking the signs and degrees of your natal planets –
http://www.alwaysastrology.com/birth-chart-calculator.html
Last week this backdrop started to move into sharper focus as Venus played into it, and this week it’s Mars’ turn. Exactly the same pattern is unfolding, with the harmonious aspect to Jupiter first –
Tuesday Mars trine Jupiter (06.05)
Wednesday Mars conjunct Uranus (16.07) Mars square Pluto (22.38)
Amongst the stories I’ve recently been privy to there’s one theme that emerges strongly, and that is how one person can dictate (Pluto) or wreak havoc (Uranus) in another person’s life. Psychologically the Big Issue is how we give our power away. In the past I’ve have had the experience of being in a controlling relationship and, frankly, I still feel that this subject is out of my depth. It’s unbelievable what we do “for security” and “for love” – even though, when under real scrutiny, troubled or abusive relationships are about as removed from real love and safety as we are from Pluto.
Back to Mars – god of war – the risk of violence as he tangles with Uranus and Pluto has the potential to rocket skywards. You only have to scratch the surface to learn that this is a global problem. In the UK alone the police and helplines receive a domestic violence call every two minutes. But what about the invisible numbers who never make that call? Even when existing in a half lived life, or having no life at all, it’s incredibly difficult to break free. If you are in an abusive relationship get help – and get out. It will be the best thing you ever did. If you know someone in an abusive relationship then be on hand to help.
http://www.nationaldomesticviolencehelpline.org.uk/
At a less alarming level this astrological picture is awesome if you actively want to make changes in your life. If you’re a square peg in a round hole, if you want to break free from a job, routine, lifestyle that suit others very nicely but is not that brilliant for you, there could hardly be a more apposite time for rebellion. This doesn’t mean that you have to throw up everything you’ve ever worked for – it just means recognizing where you are trapped, which may even include seeing how you’ve become a victim of your own success. Think about what you really want – and then ask yourself why you are not doing it?
Remember that Jupiter is playing a role in this picture too – planet of opportunity, ruling liberation, truth, justice, education, travel and anything connected to expanding your horizons and creating a better future.
Remember too that Mars is now extra powerful as he travels through his own sign of Aries until the very end of the month. If you want to take a leaf out of his book think direct, purposeful, focused – and “self”ish! Again, this doesn’t mean that you stop caring about your loved ones, but it’s my belief that we underestimate the value of self fulfillment. If you are content and joyfully creating the life that you are supposed to have, this can be only a good thing for everyone close to you. The ultimate message of this complex picture that is now reaching its finale is that there’s no change without conflict – and that there’s no future in the past.
New cycles are already in the making, starting with Mercury changing sign at the end of the week, and Saturn changing direction –
Friday Mercury ingress Pisces (03.53)
Saturday Saturn stationary retrograde at 5 degrees Sagittarius (15.03)
However, again, this is not an easy picture. Mercury is said to be in “detriment” in Pisces, a water sign that is associated more with feelings and instincts than language. Over the weekend the applying aspect will be these planets forming a square –
Monday (16th) Mercury square Saturn (09.42)
The mind planet coming up against Saturn in the process of switching to reverse adds up to an emotional straightjacket or others negating our wishes. Mercury/Saturn contacts are also notorious for lies (blatant or by omission), negative scripts, people changing their minds, disappointments or cancellations. I’m often asked to what extent I use astrology in my own daily life – and no, I don’t consult the Ephemerides every time I go out the door – but it can be an incredibly useful guide. I was planning to have my book (Mercury) launch party this coming Sunday but no astrologer in their right mind would plan any kind of party with any square to Saturn as the dominant aspect! The chances are that the weather will be awful or that key people will be unable to come. So I’ll wait another week, by which time we’ll be celebrating the Spring Equinox – the astrological New Year – which is perfect for “launches” of all kinds, Venus will have moved on into her own sign of Taurus – and bang on next Sunday will be a beautiful Moon – Venus conjunction. And I’ll be talking more about this improving picture next week!
Until then stay safe, brave and keep looking forwards – spring is just around the corner, and in more ways than one,
With love from Greece
Joanna