The Astrology Blog 3 April 2023
All times in BST
“I was a bad student, chronic truant, and all-round incorrigible. I was forever being sent to the principal’s office to be disciplined.”
Marlon Brando – 3 April 1924, New Moon 12/13 Aries conjunct Chiron
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Marlon_Brando
“Your only purpose is to be yourself, otherwise you deprive the universe of who you came here to be. Love yourself like your life depends on it, because it does.”
Anita Moorjani – 19 March 1959, Mercury & Venus in Aries
If you want to see the visual of the wheel with the sign and degree of the planets in your own or any other natal chart, to check against the signs and degrees important this week as outlined in the blog, here’s the link to Astrotheme.
Enter your data into the boxes provided, and you’ll also find an invaluable databank of thousands of celebrities. You can also store up to 200 charts of your own:
https://www.astrotheme.com/horoscope_chart_sign_ascendant.php
SUN IN ARIES
MARLON BRANDO
The quote from Marlon Brando jumped out for me as over the years I’ve heard endless stories from Aries individuals about their rebellious early lives. Things that would flatten a lot of people often turn out to be the catalysts for success for an Aries, many of them have an unbreakable spirit.
Marlon was born on an almost exact New Moon – Moon at 12 Aries applying to conjunct the Sun at 13 Aries. They are both conjunct Chiron at 20 Aries who in turn is exactly conjunct the 5th house cusp, where we locate creativity and, in terms of people, love affairs and children. He was raised by an unconventional alcoholic mother and told by his father throughout his own childhood that he was useless. In his adult life he had endless affairs and marriages, and 11 children, 3 of whom were adopted.
Brando lived to the age of 80 and his whole life story is obviously way too lengthy and complex to go into here but, as I was saying last week, studying the lives of celebrities alongside their horoscopes is a fantastic way to learn astrology. For example, as a “take” on that New Moon, we can see the exalted Sun as the charismatic man with the trailblazing talent who changed the face of acting and the Moon as the “spoilt brat” side to him that drove everyone crazy. He was known for doing things in his own way or not at all.
These days I don’t think that there’s any doubt that he would have been diagnosed as somewhere under the autism umbrella. He refused to learn his lines, instead having them set up on boards around him or even pinned to other actors in a scene, but it may have been “couldn’t” rather than “wouldn’t”. This quote suggests that his mind worked in a different way –
I have never been able to remember the number of my driver’s license, and there have been times when I couldn’t even remember my own telephone number, but when I hear a song, sometimes only once, I never forget the melody or the lyric.
JOE TACOPINA
An Aries in the news is Donald Trump’s newly appointed personal attorney. Joe Tacopina b 14 April 1966 is described also as a media personality and sports executive. He has a Sun – Mars conjunction at 24 – 27 Aries. A Sun – Mars conjunction in any sign is top symbolism for fighting the fight, or sport, but in Aries it’s unmatchable with the Sun exalted in this sign and Mars’ masculine sign of dignity. This morning’s headlines carry his statement that they are “gearing up for a battle, we’re ready for this fight.”
Confused about this case? You’re not alone. Although we all know it’s about hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels (b 17 March 1979) why has this come back to haunt him 7 years later? Not even Tacopina knows what the exact charges are. But he’s now known as the man who takes on high-profile clients in high-profile cases (hear the Aries) and it looks as if he’s already found the loophole.
On 14 March he appeared on The Beat, a top American news and politics program, and conceded that that Trump had lied in 2018 to reporters about the hush money but that Trump’s actions were “legally correct due to the nature of the non-disclosure agreement”. Which presumably means that not even Trump was arrogant enough to think that he could buy extra marital sex without the legal clause that she would never be able to talk about it.
Jupiter rules all things legal and is now on his last leg through Aries. Jupiter will be at 20 Aries tomorrow for the preliminary court hearing, and will transit Tacopina’s Sun and Mars over the next few weeks, ending 6 May. If nothing else his worldwide fame will be assured, but I think he’ll win his case. He’s taking on a “first” – Trump is the first US president – sitting or former – to be charged with a criminal felony.
Stormy has natal Jupiter at 29 Cancer which means that Pluto has already transited opposite that point and will do so again twice more, in June and January. No time of birth for her but she has natal Moon in Scorpio, apt symbolism for a sex worker of course.
But taking on Trump? Powerful Pluto might wipe the floor with her, especially as the Lunar Eclipse at 15 Scorpio falls on 5 May, exactly the same time as Tacopina’s Jupiter transits reach their finale. Scorpio is the Moon’s sign of “fall”, most difficult placing. So the most likely outcome is that she’ll be portrayed as the fallen woman and eclipsed by the powerful Trump machinery.
At least she’ll come out rich(er) – plutocracy, wealth of the individual – through her merchandise as both she and Trump are cashing in. “I stand with Trump” t-shirts raised more than $4m in the first 24 hours after news of the indictment, while reportedly orders pour in for Stormy’s “Team Stormy” t-shirts, signed posters of herself posing in lingerie, and a $30 dog chew toy that looks like Mr Trump. What a circus!
HUMZA YOUSAF
And another Aries in the news, last week it was announced on 27 March 2023 that 37 year old Yousaf had won the leadership race to replace Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party. This makes him the youngest and first Scottish Asian and Muslim to hold office since it was created in 1999. Aries are great at “firsts” as well as being leaders.
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Humza_Yousaf
As he was born in Scotland there will be an exact time of birth on his birth certificate but nobody has posted this info as yet. I have a Scottish friend who’s the only person ever to give me her time of birth recorded not just to the minute but also to the second!
But we can see from his horoscope that this week’s Full Moon at 16 Libra lights up his Sun at 17 Aries, which is exactly trine Uranus at 17 Sagittarius. Uranus planet of both revolution and the collective often looms large in the charts of politicians or activists.
Also transiting Uranus at 16 Taurus was exactly conjunct his Mars, the planet that rules Aries, for the third and final time. This is a transit of dramatic developments, and it can’t happen again because Uranus has a cycle of 84 years. Big life events are nearly always shown by the close combination of a major transit and a lunation, as illustrated above with Stormy Daniels.
Going forwards it’s not an easy picture as, with his Moon in Scorpio (opposite sign to Taurus), he may have current or ongoing Uranus transits there, but without the time of birth we can’t know the exact position of the fast moving Moon. And he also has Chiron transiting his Sun throughout the rest of this year –
- 1 January – Chiron started the year at 15 Aries
- 24 July – will reach 20 Aries and then turn retrograde
- 28 December – will turn direct again at 15 Aries
Chiron the Wounded Healer often figures in health matters so this may be crucial symbolism for his work, he has already been described as socially progressive – which captures his natal Sun – Uranus – and he’s already emphasised the need for a wellbeing economy, including the proposed introduction of a new wealth tax in order to raise money for more welfare benefits. Good luck with that one! Watch this space.
WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK?
Here’s your “at a glance” look for the coming week and we can see immediately that Mercury is stealing the headlines, all wrapped around the very sensitive Libra Full Moon in an exact opposition to Chiron. The sweet spot is the Venus – Neptune link at the end of the week –
Monday 3 April
- Mercury ingress Taurus 17.23
- Mercury 0 Taurus square Pluto 0 Aquarius 19.54
Wednesday 5 April
- Mercury 3 Taurus sextile Saturn 3 Pisces 17.22
- Sun conjunct Chiron 15.51 Aries 23.00
Thursday 6 April
- Moon 15.52 Libra opposite Chiron 15.52 Aries 05.07
- Full Moon 16 Libra opposite Chiron 16 Aries 05.36
Friday 7 April
- Mercury enters Shadow – 12.00
- Venus 25 Taurus sextile Neptune 25 Pisces 19.00
Saturday 8 April
- Mercury 6 Taurus sextile Mars 6 Cancer 07.30
MERCURY INTO TAURUS
Mercury at full speed can travel through a whole sign in two to three weeks but that current top gear journey has now got only a few days left to go. Today Mercury will leave Aries and move on into the next sign of Taurus, but on Friday Mercury will move “into shadow”, which means that he arrives at the exact position at which he’ll turn direct after completing the next retrograde loop. Here’s the sequence that lies ahead –
- 3 April – Mercury enters Taurus
- 7 April – Mercury enters shadow 5.52 Taurus
- 21 April – turns retrograde at 15.36 Taurus
- 15 May – turns direct at 5.52 Taurus
- 11 June – leaves Taurus and enters next sign of Gemini
There are several points which are worth noting –
- Mercury is going to be forwards, backwards and forwards again in Taurus for just over two months, instead of the usual few weeks
- Any issues that arise for you as Mercury enters this new sign, and especially when turning retrograde, are likely to be of the kind which will need time to resolve or play out, so don’t expect immediate results
- Taurus is the sign of Fixed Earth – nothing can be rushed, especially with financial matters
- This sequence will be especially significant for you if you have natal planets or Angles at or very close to 5 or 15 degrees of Taurus, or the opposite sign of Scorpio. These degrees will continue to be extremely important for the rest of this year
- If you have any planets or Angles anywhere between 5 and 15 degrees then you will get Mercury transiting those positions three times rather than once
- 15 Taurus is an especially sensitive degree at the moment as it’s the degree at which Mercury will turn retrograde, and then the Lunar Eclipse in a month’s time 5 May will fall at 15 Scorpio (as noted for Stormy Daniels above, and note that 15 Taurus is also the position of Boris Johnson’s natal Jupiter)
- Jupiter is still whizzing through Aries but enters Taurus 16 May, and will make the turn for his long retrograde loop at 15 Taurus (4 September) and will turn direct again at 5 Taurus (31 December, New Year’s Eve)
In terms of what’s happening this week note that Mercury’s series of aspects are to Pluto, Saturn and Mars – the heavy mob. In traditional astrology all of these planets are considered to be “malefics” which we don’t have to interpret as evil but we do have to concede that they are serious or challenging. Mercury the Winged Messenger often signals important news or information, which can make a difference to the decisions that you’re currently facing.
FULL MOON OPPOSITE CHIRON
Full Moons bring things full circle, illuminate or agitate. Things can go crazy, hence “lunacy”. Either way look out for themes of things coming to light and, in terms of learning from world events, it’s worth noting that this Full Moon is only 1 degree away from Trump’s natal Jupiter at 17 Libra. He’s also born on a nearly exact Full Moon (Sun 23 Gemini, Moon 21 Sagittarius). Any current planetary configuration that reflects a natal one carries extra weight for the individual.
Here’s the path to this Full Moon, with the Sun meeting up with Chiron first – a once a year event – then the Moon opposing Chiron, then the Moon opposing the Sun to form the Full Moon –
Wednesday 5 April
- Sun conjunct Chiron 15.51 Aries 23.00
Thursday 6 April
- Moon 15.52 Libra opposite Chiron 15.52 Aries 05.07
- Full Moon 16 Libra 05.36
So Libra is the sign of relationships, with both small r and big R, and this lunation swings the spotlight onto our love lives and own concerns, but also onto issues for those closest to us. In terms of playing a supportive role keep a close eye on anyone close to you who is going through wounding experiences in any sense and also keep your focus on healing, physical or emotional.
Remember that we have Mercury in practical Taurus in the background, great for things like making appointments, dealing with admin, making dietary or logistical changes, and generally for unearthing info and answers. And as Mercury’s journey through Taurus is only just starting we’ll be making a lot more sense of this combination in the coming weeks.
VENUS – NEPTUNE
Overall this week feels rather stressful so the Venus – Neptune alliance on Friday evening is a welcome sight and may be something of an oasis. They come together by sextile (two signs apart) which is harmonious and they are also both strong by sign, both being in their signs of dignity. If you’re at the beginning of a new relationship, or if you’re single and searching, this aspect is great for easy connections and compatibility. If you’re in a long term relationship I would opt for Friday as a date night.
It’s also a promising picture for sorting out any money worries, including giving or accepting help, or anything which has your imagination working overtime. With Chiron in the frame so strongly this week then personal fears may loom larger than usual. Just this morning I wrote these words to a friend on the subject of procrastination and avoidance – knowing what’s going on is always a thousand times better than imagining (Neptune) all kinds of worst case scenarios.
But bigger issues aside the Venus – Neptune combination is things like a girls night out, a romantic night in, favourite food and wine, movies and music, or enjoying your preferred way of unwinding and relaxing, whatever that might be.
Next week Venus changes sign and moves on into Gemini, and we’ll also have the fabulous annual Sun – Jupiter conjunction, so these are the things that I’ll be talking about next time,
Until then, with love from Greece
Joanna
