The Astrology Blog 20 October 2019
“I believe in intuitions and inspirations… I sometimes FEEL that I am right. I do not KNOW that I am.”
― Albert Einstein, b 14 March 1879
What’s Happening this Week?
When I delve into the themes for a week I start with the astrology at an objective level – ie what is actually happening astronomically – and I’m then interpreting the planetary activity as a symbolic language. This is based on my knowledge of traditional craft and also on my own objective and subjective observations of how the themes are showing – in the world at large, for my clients, friends, family and in my own life. I often refer to myself as a textbook Sag – living abroad, teaching esoteric subjects etc – but this is all filtered through my Scorpio Ascendant/Jupiter and it’s here that I locate the “witchy” bit. When I’m writing the blog there’s also most definitely another factor in play, words or messages that I had not formulated in advance but which seem to form themselves as I write, sometimes to the extent that I wonder if I’m channeling. So what starts in the “scientific” mode always evolves into something else.
The same is true for any astrological consultation. It evolves into a reading when the astrologer is fluent in astrological symbolism, listening closely to their client speaking their chart, constantly locating their words in their horoscope and converting them into meaning. Just as romantic relationships are sealed in the act of listening, when every word uttered by our beloved is enthralling to us, so is the bond between astrologer and client forged. It is a unique relationship that somehow exists in that twilight world between the therapist’s couch and the psychic’s crystal ball. Listen well – and the cosmos listens straight back.
As a professional with years of work under my belt and books to show for it I now very rarely come up against the scientific response in terms of scorn. I used to get, “You don’t really believe in all of this do you?” My students however, those starting out as I once did, ask me how to handle this. I pass on the answer that always worked for me, which I pinched from Jung in his interview with Joan Bakewell. She asked him if he believed in God and he said, “No, I don’t believe. I know.” I don’t “believe in” astrology. It’s not a faith. I know it works because I’ve seen it work thousands of times. Writing this blog is one way of demonstrating this “bigger than we are” world.
When I looked for a quote relating to the Scorpio/water theme of instincts the one above from Einstein was the first to pop up. This was deeply satisfying to me, to be reminded that possibly the greatest scientist and physicist ever known was also an empath. You can be both! My doctor friend, so a man of science, once told me that if anything ever went wrong with a patient it was because he hadn’t listened closely enough to his instincts. Einstein was a Piscean and, if you ever want to debate the issue of instincts, talk to a Piscean. As the sign of Mutable Water (the feeling element) their emotions are always in flow and they can read between the lines better than anyone.
My good friend psychologist Paul Hitchings sent me this article recently, which sums up the conflict between the scientific v spiritual ways of looking at the world. It’s a little too long to quote in full so have edited the main points –
Materialism vs. Panspiritism
Taylor, S. (2018) – Spiritual Science London: Watkins
MATERIALISM
- Life came into being by accident, through the interactions of certain chemicals. The driving force of evolution is competition, or the “survival of the fittest”.
- Human beings are purely physical creatures, or machines. As result, there is no such thing as a “soul”, “spirit” or “life force”. These are superstitions that have been dispelled by science.
- Living beings consist of “selfish genes” whose goal is to replicate themselves. Human beings are merely vehicles for the propagation of our genetic material.
- All mental phenomena can be explained in terms of neurological activity.
- Because consciousness is produced by the brain, and we are nothing more than physical stuff, there can’t be any life after death. When my brain and body cease to function. Consciousness and identity will disappear just as the picture on a television screen disappears when the plug is pulled out.
- As Living beings we are isolated individuals, moving through space in separation to one another.
- The world exists “out there”, separate from human beings. It is independent of us, and it would exist in the same form even if we weren’t here to be aware of it.
- Our normal state of awareness is fairly objective and reliable, and shows us the world as it is. Any other states of awareness – altered or so-called “higher” states of consciousness – are hallucinations that can be explained in terms of aberrational brain activity.
- Paranormal or psi phenomena cannot be genuine because they contravene the fundamental laws of nature.
Contrasted with:
PANSPIRITISM:
- Life did not come into being through the accidental interactions of certain chemicals, but did so as the result of the innate tendency of the universe – propelled by consciousness itself – to move towards greater complexity.
- Rather than being just biological machines, human beings are both mentally and physically, expressions of spirit, or consciousness. What we normally think of as “spirit” is universal consciousness as it is expresses itself inside us. Therefore – although in slightly different senses – both body and mind are “spiritual” .
- As the previous point suggests, our personal consciousness – our subjective or inner life – is not generated by the brain. It is a fundamental universal quality, which our brains “receive” and canalize into our individual being.
- Mental phenomena cannot be reduced to neurological activity.
- In a similar way, the mind exerts a powerful influence on the body. It can bring about healing and illness, and even the structure of the body.
- Because we are more than just physical stuff, we should be open to the possibility of some form of life after death. Consciousness will not come to an end when our brains and bodies die. In fact, evidence (for example, from near-death experiences and after-death communications) suggests an afterlife in which we continue to have a sense of individual identity.
- Human beings are not isolated entities. We express (and become aware of) this connection through empathy, compassion and altruism.
- The world does not exist “out there” in separation to us. Our own consciousness is deeply interconnected with it. We share the same essence as all things, and are therefore one with all things.
- Our normal state of awareness is limited and delusory. In higher states of consciousness – or awakening experiences – we gain a more expansive and intense awareness, and attain a fuller and truer perception of reality.
- Paranormal phenomena such as telepathy and precognition do not contravene the laws of science.
Scorpio – and all its Taboos
We’re now up to our necks in the sign of Fixed Water. Mutable Pisces is like the babbling brook or the endless ocean, Pisceans are those glimmering fish, graceful, elusive or slippery, but Fixed Scorpio is the pond with life teeming in its unseen depths, it’s the hardness and resilience of ice, it’s the Scorpion with the deadly sting in the tail. There is nothing wishy-washy about this sign. From Be Your Own Astrologer –
Even if they come across as easygoing or flippant don’t be fooled. Emotional intensity is the hallmark of the Scorpio nature and they rarely register indifference, to anything or anyone. You can often sense hidden depths and an iron will behind the mask, and when they fix you with that intense, probing gaze you have good reason to feel slightly uncomfortable. Very little escapes their notice and if you feel as if your every word is being analyzed it’s because it is. A Scorpio loves nothing better than to find out what makes you tick but at first it’s a one way street. It takes time to get to know a Scorpio to the extent of being allowed into their private world in return.
Scorpio is also associated with so called taboos – ie the things we don’t talk about. As the sign of the life/death/rebirth cycle death and sex are at the top of the list, followed by all the feelings that we would rather not have to admit to – jealousy, vengefulness, despair, blackness, fear, loss of control, powerlessness, guilt and shame. But there’s plenty of beauty in this sign too, the passion for life, the power of unconditional love, the healer and the ability to regenerate and start over when life goes horribly wrong.
So we start the week with a Scorpio – Pisces combination –
Monday 21 October
- Venus 16 Scorpio trine Neptune 16 Pisces 20.42 BST
It’s hard to imagine anything more emotionally charged. In a good or bad way? Let’s start by saying that this combination isn’t black and white. Venus the love planet is in detriment in Scorpio, but Neptune is strong in his own sign, and runs the whole gamut of the emotional spectrum from starry eyed romanticism to grief. In short, whatever you’re feeling, now is not the time to minimize it. My gut feeling is to throw off the life jacket and dive deep. Love with your greatest passion, grieve with your fastest flowing tears. Get into that water and feel. Also put compassion at the top of your list and look out for those in need. Don’t forget to include yourself.
Midweek the Sun enters Scorpio too and we’re heading for a Scorpio New Moon – the moment each month when the Sun and Moon arrive at exactly the same degree and minute. This will be exact in the early hours of next Monday so am including it here. As you may remember when Mercury and Venus recently entered this sign they both then made the opposition to Uranus, currently retrograde in the early degrees of Taurus, and this is an aspect that the Sun and Moon will repeat at almost exactly the same time as the New Moon. Here’s the sequence –
Wednesday 23 October
- Sun ingress Scorpio 13.21 BST
Monday 28 October
- New Moon 4.25 Scorpio 03.40 GMT
- Moon 4.37 Scorpio opposite Uranus 4.37 Taurus 03.59 GMT
- Sun 4.37 Scorpio opposite Uranus 4.37 Taurus 08.16 GMT
We had Mercury opposite Uranus on 7 October and Venus opposite Uranus late on 12 October. The next day, at the urging of a friend, I adopted a new kitten who was never going to survive the winter where she was. I was resistant to the idea at first but when I went to collect her my heart melted immediately. Tragically she lasted only 24 hours before my big dog killed her. It was the shock of Uranus in the worst possible way. How many times have I written that Uranus signifies the thing you couldn’t possibly have seen coming. Zindzi has lived with a whole series of cats throughout the 8 years we’ve had her and although she was displaying signs of jealousy I thought I was dealing appropriately with that. Too late, I realized I hadn’t listened closely enough to my instincts. I seriously underestimated the situation and it cost the kitten her life, I was completely devastated and am still finding it very hard to forgive myself for not being more aware.
I don’t wish to be alarmist but I do feel that I want to pass on the message of being extremely watchful this week and especially at the time of the New Moon. The Moon rules babies and small children, and although none of us have eyes in the back of our head there is always room for extra safety checks, especially in the home. Stop, think and have a good look around.
What else does the New Moon Signify?
New Moons open new cycles, and as this one aligns with Uranus the winds of change are blowing hard and strong, especially if you have planets or angles at or close to 4 degrees of Scorpio or the opposite sign of Taurus. As I’ve said before Uranus is basically the astrologer’s nightmare simply because he’s got the unpredictability factor, especially by opposition. But if you’ve been in any hopelessly stuck situation there’s every chance that that the “something’s gotta give” will now actually happen.
Love stuff! If you’re in a rocky relationship be aware that Uranus rules splits of all kinds and is therefore also known as the divorce planet. If you want out, that’s good news! If you don’t, it’s time to heal rifts and especially to revitalize your sex life. The flip side of the coin is that Uranus can signify instant and electrical attractions. New relationships starting at this time are therefore likely to be of the exciting and rollercoaster kind, such as meeting someone when and where you least expected to.
At a less dramatic level this New Moon is promising for spontaneity, especially with regard to groups and your social life. Doing things that are different, unusual, breaking with a boring routine, being adventurous all get a tick, but look out for the financial factor. Taurus rules money and all our resources so any kind of extra expenses need to be weighed up.
The love and money issues are reiterated at the end of the week when Venus in Scorpio aligns with Pluto, Scorpio’s planet –
Friday 25 October
- Venus 21 Scorpio sextile Pluto 10.51 BST
Again, look out for the classic Scorpio/Pluto themes of deep connections, emotional healing, and anything connected to love or money changes of the serious and lasting kind.
The weekend isn’t exactly cheerful as the run up to the New Moon brings Mars squaring up to Saturn –
Sunday 27 October
- Mars 15 Libra square Saturn 15 Capricorn 14.32 GMT
Mars is the other love planet but also rules action, physical energy, the “can do” attitude and the fighting spirit. Currently in his sign of detriment – Libra being Venus’ sign associated with keeping the peace and avoidance rather than confrontation – it’s as if all of Mars’ natural ways of doing things are already in trouble. The square (friction, speed bumps) to Saturn (delays, blocks, barriers, brakes) slows things down even further and often reveals what is not going to work or what is not worth fighting for. The only way forwards is patient negotiation or changing tack altogether. Also look out for cancellations and have plan B tucked up your sleeve for anything important to you. The helpful bit is that we still have a mutual reception between Venus and Mars (as they’re in each other’s signs until 1 November) which is great for finding mutually beneficial solutions and for being open to options that you hadn’t previously considered. Let’s see what that New Moon springs on us!
Next week Mercury is going to turn retrograde in Scorpio so there’s even more change in the air. I’ll be talking more about this next time and in the meantime I’ll leave you with words from a book I’m reading at the moment by the brilliant late Dr Wayne W Dyer. He passes on advice that he was given, to “have a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing”, and that, “in an infinite universe, all things are possible”.
Until then take care,
With love from Greece
Joanna