28 SEPTEMBER 2024
Greetings from Lefkada as another season draws to a close. It’s been a crazy summer but am now focusing on getting back to the usual routine of fortnightly newsletters in addition to the weekly blog, and back to doing readings now that life can actually happen past 11am every day! It’s heaven to be sitting here writing with the windows open instead of in the aircon.
Let’s start with a live demonstration of this morning’s astrology, a rare aspect between Venus and Jupiter – here’s the excerpt from last week’s blog:
Saturday 28 September
- Venus 6 Scorpio sesquiquadrate Jupiter 21 Gemini 04.27
The minor aspect of the sesquiquadrate is one we don’t see very often, partly because it’s quite difficult to spot. All the major aspects are easier to see as they’re created when planets are at the same degree, such as 14 Cancer – 14 Pisces for this week’s Mars – Saturn trine.
The sesquiquadrate is created when two planets are exactly 135 degrees apart – four and a half signs – hence Venus at 6 degrees of her sign and Jupiter at 21 of his. So there’s a bit of a “blind spot” theme or dealing with things which are difficult to see in their true light.
In spite of those kind of difficulties we are nevertheless talking about the “benefics” here – Venus and Jupiter – and even inharmonious combinations of these two planets cannot be said to be bad news. Just look out for the “over the top” activity often linked to Jupiter – eg overpriced, hidden costs, unrealistic – and awkwardness of some kind.
I already know what I’m doing – or planning to do – on Saturday and am praying that the tricky side will be diminishing by the time I start to trap my three mamma cats for their spaying appointments. The aspect will be exact 04.27 BST, so 06.27 my time, and I’ll be aiming to box the cats around 8.00am, so it will be separating but still very close. What’s the betting I catch two of them (Gemini the twins) but can’t get the third!
It’s quite extraordinary how this worked out to the letter. After a very restless night, knowing this was my first job in the morning, I was praying that all the preparation would pay off – ie leaving cat boxes open on the outside table all week, guiding the mamma cats into them to eat tasty morsels so they wouldn’t associate them with being trapped.
It all started like an absolute dream, the three cats in question all present and correct and two of them headed straight into the boxes to eat – but only halfway in – and I was literally on point of closing doors on them when the gardener arrived next door with another truck roaring up behind him, slamming doors, offloading cement bags etc and all of my cats exploded and scarpered. I was nearly in tears. I live in a quiet cul de sac, my neighbours are away (they hadn’t told me about this work happening), and there is NEVER any noise. Argh!!
Miraculously as the menagerie drifted back for their missed breakfast I managed to get Penny and then Lizzie, not the smooth operation it would have been if I could’ve finished the job as planned this morning in the calm and quiet, I just had to grab one desperate moment for each one. They were collected by a friend and I’ll pick them up later, when they’re properly out of anesthesia.
I tried to get Amber again (the most feral one) but she’s so on to me and it will be at least a week if not longer before she trusts eating in the box again, I was so close to getting her, the gardener blew it.
So there was the astrology come to life, the blind spot and the awkwardness – isn’t it always the thing you don’t legislate for, hey ho – and two out of three as the result.
THE CAT SANCTUARY
You might have noticed that I didn’t do my usual fund raiser for Evie Soldatos back on the New Moon in Big Cat Leo at the beginning of August. This is because Evie’s family flew her back to Australia to look after her mum. In her absence she had a team of people, some paid and some volunteers, to look after all the cats (at any given time there are between 40 and 50 of them) and she had to run a tab with the only animal food shop in Lefkas town who would deliver the needed amounts to her very inaccessible house up the mountain.
Evie is now back, and back to coping alone, and on top of her other stresses – like a long way to go with clearing the food bills, over 800 Euros – ended up in an ambulance to the emergency ward yesterday with a bad reaction to a wasp sting. She’s recovering at home now but, if you can help, even the smallest donation is a godsend for her right now.
All details at the end of this post.
SUN IN LIBRA – SOLAR ECLIPSE
This coming week is going to be super important for Librans born at the end of September into the first few days of October, as we start with the powerful cazimi Mercury at 8 Libra on Monday evening and then the Solar Eclipse at 10 Libra on Wednesday.
Anyone with other planets or Angles on or very close to these degrees – especially same sign, opposite (Aries) or square (Cancer – Capricorn) – will also be looking at the unfolding of significant stepping stones in their life events.
I’ll be looking at the awesome Maggie Smith’s horoscope, who passed to spirit in Eclipse season. She had Mercury/Sun at 4 – 6 Capricorn square Mars at 8 Libra. I’ll also be looking at William and Kate as they both have Mars conjunct the Solar Eclipse degree, his Mars at 9 Libra (square his Moon 5 Cancer) and hers at 10 Libra.
If you want to check the position of any planets in any horoscope here’s a quick and easy link for a look-see, just fill in the data of date, place and time –
https://www.astrotheme.com/horoscope_chart_sign_ascendant.php
Last Sunday 22nd was the Autumn Equinox when the Sun arrived in Libra. Here’s my write up on Librans, taken from my book Essential Astrology –
To what extent does this fit the Librans you know?
LIBRA
THE SCALES
CARDINAL AIR
Spot the Libra
Venus’ first sign is Taurus, who embodies the earthy sensual nature of this planet, and her second is Libra, the sign of the Scales. The obvious themes of balance and symmetry often show in the physical appearance and, as Venus rules beauty itself, many Librans are real good lookers.
The chief characteristics are well proportioned faces, regular features, a full sensual mouth, a seductive smile and sometimes dimples in the cheeks or the chin. The eyes are usually large, almond shaped and beautiful, whatever the colour.
Librans are natural socialites, but they tend not to play to the gallery and can find the role of social butterfly tiring or superficial. You are more likely to find them engaged in earnest, one to one conversations.
Librans also have an eye for fashion and can pick out the right outfit at twenty paces. Casual or dressed up to the nines, the look is stylish and perfectly coordinated.
The Libra Nature
The constant weighing of the scales, listing the pros and cons, considering all angles and the desire to arrive at a balanced judgment all lie at the root of Libra’s reputation for dithering and indecision. When you have a conversation that is peppered with “on the other hand”, “all things considered”, “to be fair” and “what do you think?” you’ll know you are talking to a Libran.
As with all the air signs they love to chat but they especially love to bounce their thoughts and ideas off others and collect different views and opinions.
The famous Scales also symbolize the two sides to a partnership and most Librans are natural diplomats. They have huge amounts of charm and their powers of negotiation, arbitration and compromise are second to none.
On a good day they are sweetness and light personified. However, when ruffled, tired or unfulfilled Librans suffer from a lack of purpose or sense of urgency and can be seriously cranky, argumentative and chaotic. Their opposite sign of Aries embodies the directness and immediacy that Libra struggles to acquire.
Love & Relationships
Relationships are of course important for everyone but for a Libran they amount to life support. A one sided set of scales is of no use, to anyone, so Librans are wired for partnership and generally dislike doing things solo. Loneliness can be their biggest fear, sometimes to the extent of spending time with people that they don’t especially like.
Conversely, they may find themselves saddled with difficult people because they find it so hard to say no and dread giving offence. It takes a lot for a Libran to reject. They are the ultimate people pleasers or rescuers and easily fall into the trap of trying to be everything to everyone. However, they have a shy streak and often find it hard to ask for what they want in return.
Unsurprisingly it is rare for a Libran to be without a relationship for any great length of time. The next partner seems to materialize with surprising ease, much to the chagrin of their single friends. They make it look very easy.
The flipside of the coin is the “someone is better than no-one” trap, over dependency or neediness, but ultimately they value mental chemistry. Of all the signs they are the most likely to make a success of a platonic relationship, especially if there is a meeting of minds and enjoyable companionship.
Vocation
As one of the Venus ruled signs many Librans are found in the beauty industry and all jobs that relate to makeup, perfume, lotions and potions. Anything that makes you feel good and look good is the Libra domain, so here we also find the fashion designers and jewelry experts of the zodiac.
If you want to dejunk and revamp your wardrobe enlist a Libran. Apart from the fact that they love to be needed and take pleasure in helping you they have a natural feel for style and fabrics. This is where their indecisive streak disappears. They have very definite tastes, they know what suits them – and you – and they can put the perfect outfit together in a matter of minutes.
This talent also extends to interior design and a typical Libran home will be a place of great beauty, comfort and luxury. A bed is not a bed unless it’s piled high with cushions, a living room is not a living room unless it is rich with soft furnishings and objects of art.
Libra’s sociable nature and ability to charm, smooth and soothe can also lead to great success in the diplomatic and business worlds. In addition to a definite taste for the high life they excel at wining, dining and PR. The fair minded nature of this sign also lends them to legal careers, such as judges, magistrates and any work in a court of law.
Health
In the physical body Libra rules the kidneys. With their love of good living Librans need to flush out the old and to keep their lives moving. Illnesses may arise from over indulgence or inactivity, or the inertia of depression.
They also invariably have a sweet tooth and need to control their sugar intake to ward off the risk of diabetes. They tend to have extremely sensitive blood sugar levels and their energy can plummet without regular fuel.
Find me a Libran who doesn’t love a bath. This is where they soak away the tensions of each day and quiet the noise in their busy heads. Here they find solitude rather than the dreaded loneliness, the oasis in their constantly interactive world. Librans have to learn firm boundaries to protect themselves from other people’s stress and not feel guilty about it.
In a nutshell: sociable, charming, indecisive, diplomatic, discursive, fair
Textbook Librans
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow, named by People Magazine in April 2013 as “Most Beautiful Woman”. She announced her separation as “conscious uncoupling”, the practice of ending a marriage in a cooperative and respectful way.
Television and music entrepreneur Simon Cowell, best known for his role as talent judge on The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent series, and for the fact that his entourage includes all his ex partners. His feedback comments nearly always include the words, “to be fair”.
One of the original pinups and best known sex symbols of the 1950s and 1960s French actress, singer and model Brigitte Bardot was considered to be the ultimate in feminine beauty.
GEOFFREY CORNELIUS
Regular blog readers will know that Geoffrey Cornelius, my very first tutor and a leading light in astrology at an international level, passed away 27 August. Geoffrey was an extraordinary man of unsurpassed wisdom, knowledge and kindness. He’s completely irreplaceable and I find myself thinking and remembering a lot about my early days of astrological discovery, under the guidance of Geoffrey and his partner astrologer Maggie Hyde. Bereavement is the pits, for anyone, but this is a massive loss and these are very dark days for Maggie.
In the blog I referred to Geoffrey’s major work The Moment of Astrology – a must have on your bookshelf if you’re serious about learning how this craft really works – but his legacy also includes this work. An updated version of the original book is being reissued at the end of the year. I’ve already done my advance order on Amazon – https://tinyurl.com/mr2k4dkx
Starlore of the Constellations: The Astronomy, Myth and Symbolism of the Night Sky
- Illustrated with stunning artwork and detailed star maps: This is an essential guide for both beginner stargazers and experienced astronomers.
• Embark on a celestial journey: From Babylonians to Native Americans to Ancient Greeks, learn how humans have connected with the cosmos throughout history, shedding light on our continuing fascination with the heavens.
• No prior knowledge needed: This book focuses on aspects that can be seen with the naked eye or binoculars. It’s also the ideal companion for mobile star-viewing apps.
• All 88 major and minor constellations, plus the planets, are included: Through the starlore of hundreds of individual stars, lose yourself in the magic of the night sky.
THE CAT SANCTUARY
€700 has been paid off in the last week through donations, which leaves the amount outstanding at €848.60. Evie writes –
My gratitude to and great appreciation for Julie and her ongoing fund raising efforts as well as Sunvil villa guests who Julie collects donations from.
I’m indebted as well to the folks that support me, near and far, and help me keep making payments on the significant expenses associated with caring for this feline mob!
Anyone wanting to help can donate to –
https://gogetfunding.com/lets-get-through-winter/
OR
If you prefer to make a donation directly to me then my own PayPal link is on the home page of my website, or ask me for bank details, and I will transfer to Evie for you – with thanks.
THE WEEKLY BLOG
Goes out every Monday and is still at last year’s rates, still haven’t sorted out the PayPal link just for new subscribers, so it’s still £5.95 monthly (not £6.45) and £57.00 for a year (not £62.00) for the time being, probably another couple of weeks. Options work out at just over a pound a week.
If you don’t want to use PayPal just reply to this newsletter and let me know so that I can give you the other options.
NEXT WEEK’S BLOG –
Sun conjunct Mercury – that Cazimi moment – what’s that? And how can we make the best of it?
The Solar Eclipse in Libra – what can we expect?
Mercury racing through Libra
Venus in Scorpio trine Saturn
Horoscopes – Maggie Smith, William & Kate
There’ll be a separate mailing soon for Summer School 2025 courses which are booking up fast. Let me know if you want to be pencilled in, doesn’t commit you, it just means you won’t miss out as the June courses in particular are nearly full
With love from Lefkada
JOANNA