The Astrology Blog 13 January 2020
All times in GMT
“ Don’t let the expectations and ideas of others limit who you are. If you let others tell you who you are, you are living their reality — not yours.”
― Roy T Bennett, author of “The Light in the Heart”
Feedback from the Lunar Eclipse 20 Cancer and the Saturn – Pluto Conjunction
Let’s start with a recap as this week starts with clear repercussions from the big events that have just played out. In last week’s blog I wrote –
This is a huge week astrologically and for many this is the stuff of transition, a time of endings and beginnings, involving big decisions or serious commitments, either concerning us directly or those closest to us. The message about consequences is possibly the most important as this week carries a “no going back” theme, so think carefully about what you want an outcome to be or how you’re going to wrap something up with the best possible damage control.
Eclipses work in pairs so remember too that we had the Solar Eclipse a couple of weeks ago, 26 December at 4 Capricorn. See how these align with the younger royal generation –
- Solar Eclipse 4 Capricorn conjunct Prince Harry’s natal Jupiter 3.33 Capricorn
- Solar Eclipse 4 Capricorn opposite William’s Sun 0.07 Cancer and Moon 4.57 Cancer
- Lunar Eclipse two weeks later at 20 Cancer (10 Jan) fell conjunct Meghan’s Ascendant 24 Cancer
- Kate, who was born on a Full Moon and Total Lunar Eclipse AND on the last Saturn – Pluto conjunction of 1982, has her Sun at 19.24 Capricorn and Moon at 21.30 Cancer.
The tabloids are already calling this “Meghxit” and, whether the word “eclipsed” was used deliberately or not, that is exactly what happened on Kate’s birthday 9 January –
The Duchess of Cambridge’s 38th birthday was completely eclipsed today after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex quit as senior royals having defied the Queen’s plea to delay announcing their ‘nuclear’ plans. (Daily Mail)
Talk about being overshadowed! The word “nuclear” also applies as Pluto was discovered in 1930 and rules atomic power. And as I wrote on my Facebook The World of Astrology page this astrology is a stunning example of the “as above, so below” principle. As I always say the heavens are like a huge cosmic mirror, we don’t do things because of the astrology, the heavens simply reflect back to us what is happening. In this respect astrology is not causal. As the Eclipses came to pass, coinciding with the major Saturn – Pluto conjunction (once every 34 years) this symbolism clearly shows in harrowing world events and, as so often happens in the UK, in the lives of the royal family.
If you want to understand how astrology works this is such a crucial point to appreciate, that the heavens do not MAKE us do, say or be. This most recent eclipse didn’t MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN – it shows what IS happening. Why this should be is the big mystery of the universe but it leads us away from “does astrology work?” to “how come astrology works?” which is an infinitely more fascinating question.
Meghxit fits the eclipse and the Saturn/Pluto (Saturn hierarchy and responsibility, Pluto power and endings) symbolism exactly. From Eclipses new landscapes emerge and the way forwards changes forever. Pluto, planet of demolition jobs, is also associated with no going back.
More about Eclipses
Eclipses occur when a new or full Moon is also conjunct the Moon’s nodes, the imaginary points at which the Moon cuts across the Ecliptic. Eclipses can be partial or total, the latter considered to be the most potent in terms of astrological symbolism.
- A Solar Eclipse – occurs when the Sun is obscured by the shadow of the Moon at the time of a New Moon.
- A Lunar Eclipse – occurs when the Moon is obscured by the shadow of the earth at the time of a Full Moon.
In a Lunar Eclipse the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon (known in traditional astrology as the Lights or the Luminaries) and steals the Sun’s light. This is why the Full Moon turns a darker colour, sometimes completely red. All eclipses point to such symbolism as a light going out, the throwing of shadows, a loss of power or being overshadowed by another. There is also a flavour of death and rebirth symbolism – the light disappearing and coming back again.
The story now unfolding inevitably reminds us of the abdication of Edward VIII, again for the sake of a woman, Wallis Simpson. The eclipse symbolism in the horoscope of his brother, George VI, who had kingship thrust upon him, is unmistakable –
- Edward VIII officially abdicated on 10 December 1936
- A Solar Eclipse fell at 21.49 Sagittarius just three days later, on 13 December 1936
- His brother George VI was born on the 14th December, with his natal Sun at 21.55 Sagittarius – as you can see, almost exactly conjunct the eclipse degree
- The Sun (who incidentally rules kingship at a universal level) in his natal chart is conjunct the third house cusp – the beginning of the house of siblings
- His brother is eclipsed, and in fact spent the rest of his life in the shadows of exile, and George is crowned in Edward’s place
- Note also that, at the time of the abdication, Pluto was in the middle of a long transit over Edward’s Mercury – a final, uncompromising and irrevocable decision
There’s certainly a flavor of history repeating itself as this current news involves the tale of two brothers, William accepting the mantle of responsibility and Harry abdicating from his royal life, at least partly for the sake of his wife who’s obviously discovered that she doesn’t like the commitments of royalty after all.
It seems that Harry and Meghan will both have an uphill climb in terms of regaining their popularity and this is an extremely common component of Eclipse symbolism – who rises and who falls, winners and losers, who is empowered and who is disempowered. Triangular situations are at the top of the list – ie we have the three bodies of the Sun, Moon and Earth battling it out – so affairs are super sensitized at these times. Who will end up with whom?
In the current story it’s the triangle of Harry, Meghan and the Royal Family. Interestingly, Kate is already becoming more powerful, as Meghan’s star falls, her star rises. Kate is the ultimate dutiful hardworking Capricorn and also family orientated (Moon Cancer), she’s taken to royal life as if she were born into it (she was certainly born for it), she’s both elegant and down to earth, she never creates a drama and she never puts a foot wrong. With her Sun 19 Capricorn conjunct the Queen’s Ascendant 21 Capricorn, both on the Eclipse degree, her closeness to the monarch is there anyway but is now being played up big time by the press. And whether or not you’re a monarchist, the human factor is poignant. With the Lunar Eclipse falling conjunct the Queen’s Ascendant she too has been overshadowed and we can only imagine the sense of betrayal she must be feeling. And regardless of where your sympathies may lie, I expect any kind of sisterhood between Kate and Meghan is over.
What’s Happening this Week?
The huge Saturn – Pluto conjunction was exact yesterday (Sunday 12th) at 22.45 Capricorn. We start the week with the Sun catching up with both of these planets –
Monday 13 January
- Sun conjunct Pluto 23 Capricorn 13.19
- Sun conjunct Saturn 23 Capricorn 15.18
I’d love to be a fly on the palace wall as Harry meets with his grandmother today, head of the Firm! The Sun illuminates, and as the eclipse shadows lift the whole story, which must have been a long time in the planning, will be brought to light.
From the main news stories to our own lives, the beginning of the week then is ideal for information gathering, reaching a deeper understanding of something or someone, putting energy into the things that matter to you, getting new projects up and running and especially for ditching something that is no longer viable. If you’re going through a relationship breakup the message is clear, best to let go no matter how hard it might be. The truth is that it will be easier than what you’ve been doing and the same applies to anything that has gone wrong or clearly had its day.
In some ways this week feels like the real New Year. With the heavy “end of the road” stuff now out of the way, or at least clearer in terms of what needs to be done, we can start to welcome in new cycles, starting with Venus the love and money planet changing sign, just a few hours after the Sun’s aspects to Saturn and Pluto at the beginning of the week, and aligning with Uranus midweek –
Monday 13 January
- Venus ingress Pisces 18.40
Wednesday 15 January
- Venus 2 Pisces sextile Uranus 2 Taurus 23.19
This is good news as Pisces is Venus’ sign of “exaltation” – her best placing, the sign in which all the Venusian qualities are most easily expressed. Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Sun Pisces with Libra rising, Venus in Pisces her ruling planet, wrote the most famous love poem in the world How Do I Love Thee? You’ll find the poem in its entirety at the end of the blog. This is a combination known for empathy and gentleness, but also self sacrificing or vulnerability. From Be Your Own Astrologer here’s my description of this Venus as a natal placing which will give you a flavor of the themes to look out for –
Venus in Pisces (exaltation)
Venus in Jupiter’s feminine sign is compassionate, empathic and imaginative. In many ways these individuals are the ultimate romantics and they can be blissfully happy if they are lucky enough to find their soul mate. However, they are also extremely vulnerable and, more usually, the quest for love brings a much higher than average rollercoaster of emotional highs and lows. As with the Sun in this sign their feelings are easily crushed and the art of self protection does not come easily. Co-ruled by Neptune their feelings can be positively oceanic and personal boundaries are a struggle. They are driven by the urge to merge but are secretive when insecure. Escapism can blossom into phenomenal creative achievement when it is channeled into the arts but the other extreme is to anaesthetize pain through alcohol or drugs. Both Heath Ledger and Kurt Cobain had this Venus.
So Venus’ first aspect is to Uranus. It’s a sextile, a harmonious aspect formed when planets are exactly two signs apart, but even good aspects to Uranus don’t guarantee an easy ride. This aspect is especially electric as rebellious Uranus has only just turned direct (Saturday 11th) so this is the stuff of surprises or the unexpected in the love and money departments, and it can swing either way – such is the erratic nature of this planet. Whatever your own personal scenario, and there will be one if you have planets or angles at or close to 2 degrees of Pisces or the opposite sign of Virgo, or 2 degrees of Taurus or the opposite sign of Scorpio, the main hallmark is change. Go with the flow, think on your feet, and trust that it will all make sense when the dust settles.
Harmonious Venus – Uranus aspects are however great news for your social life and anything that involves groups as Uranus rules the collective. If your New Year has started off with a flat battery now’s your chance to grab some jump leads. Romance can spring from the most unexpected quarters or from meeting someone on line as Uranus also rules technology.
All of this is underlined by the fact that Mercury follows suit, changing sign and also making his first aspect to Uranus towards the end of the week –
Thursday 16 January
- Mercury ingress Aquarius 18.32
Saturday 18 January
- Mercury 2 Aquarius square Uranus 2 Taurus 08.33
Squares generally point to friction, so this combination is textbook for all the things that we would normally expect to encounter when Mercury is retrograde – top of the list being communication breakdowns, issues with travel, computers or phones, changes of plan, changes of heart, and so on. Also listen out for news/information that rocks the boat and, as this is also Mercury’s new cycle, this may connect to breaking news, something that happens out of the blue or a major rethink about something that up until this point had seemed certain.
At the beginning of next week the Sun will also move into Aquarius and head straight for the square with Uranus so this is very much an ongoing theme and just about anything could happen, but at least it’s not boring. But don’t be complacent, check your facts and have plan B tucked up your sleeve!
Above all, the positive side to Uranus is to honour your uniqueness. Be yourself, don’t live your life according to other people’s rules, be curious, be inventive and get rid of whatever isn’t working in your life. Try something different and don’t worry about raising eyebrows. History is full of names of those who flouted convention or who were called crazy,
Until next week
With love from Greece
Joanna