The Astrology Blog 22 November 2021
All times in GMT
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”
Helen Keller
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Helen_Keller
“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”
Nelson Mandela
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Nelson_Mandela
LAST WEEK – THE LUNAR ECLIPSE
You may remember that the big theme of last week is that it was packed with major aspects, something every day all stacked up either side of the Lunar Eclipse, which itself was exact first thing on Friday morning. I don’t know anyone who didn’t have some major issue or news.
Much of it was about health, some related to Covid, some to other serious issues. Our community lost another valued member, Anja, to breast cancer that she’d been coping with for several years, a third lovely friend to pass over this year. On the Mars – Uranus opposition on Wednesday another friend had the shock (Uranus) of police (Mars rules military( turning up to tell her that her brother (Mars is men) had died unexpectedly (Uranus). The Mars-Uranus was 12 Scorpio/12 Taurus, exactly her own horizon of her Ascendant/Descendant. This, tragically in this case, proves the point about current aspects being extra relevant for you if they align with Angles or planets in your natal chart.
Covid cases surging throughout Europe have also brought states of emergency and civil unrest, and are relentlessly affecting personal plans and mood. When this all started we were all made aware of the risk of a pandemic’s second wave, but nobody ever mentioned a fourth or fifth. Everyone’s hanging onto their Christmas by their fingernails.
To recap from last week, Eclipse essential symbolism includes –
- Being overshadowed, feeling in the dark
- Themes of empowerment – disempowerment
- Themes of loss/endings that change your life and set you on a different path
- Themes of symbolic death/rebirth – out with the old, in with the new, literally or psychologically
- Sorting winners from losers between twos or threes (Sun, Moon, Earth), eg affairs, job applications, house buying, any competitive situation. One person’s loss is another person’s gain
- Dealing with that which, until now, has been hidden from us in some way
- Revelations – sometimes on the run up to the Eclipse, sometimes even exactly on the day, or at a later date we learn what happened when we weren’t looking, when we were in the dark or “when the light went out”
- Tipping points of change – no going back to something belonging to your old life
PENG SHUAI
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Peng_Shuai
So any situation that unfolds under an Eclipse carries the hallmarks of something in the highly sensitized department. Covid stuff aside, with last week’s Lunar Eclipse (the Moon rules women) the deeply disturbing disappearance into the shadows of Peng Shuai in China gathered pace.
Alarm bells started clanging as her allegation that she was forced into sex with former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli was to date the most high profile case in China’s #MeToo movement. Her post on Chinese social media was removed within minutes.
It was quickly obvious that the outpouring of concern was international and at a high level, unless of course you’re China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian. He declined to comment on the whereabouts of the missing tennis star, saying it is “not a foreign affairs matter” and even added that he was “not aware” of the situation when questioned by a reporter.
If this whopper wasn’t so alarming it would be funny. He told this bare faced lie within hours of the approaching Eclipse. You would literally have to be living under a rock not to be aware of this story and given this guy’s status his comment is nothing short of ludicrous.
It totally backfired. The consequent scrabbling together of photos and videos released by state media, offered as “proof” that she is not under any form of duress, only added to the glaringly obvious massive cover up –
” … they’ve only raised further questions, over apparent editing and their seemingly staged nature, and so far there’s been no let up in the calls from the Women’s Tennis Association, a number of global tennis stars as well as governments, for proof that Peng Shuai is genuinely free to speak and act as she chooses.” (BBC China Correspondent, John Sudworth)
There’s one obvious way to show that someone is safe …. let them speak for themselves! Anything else simply isn’t sufficient. By yesterday (Sunday) it was becoming clear that she’s just too high profile for the authorities to do what they’d hoped for, keep her under some kind of arrest while the hoo-ha dies down.
Another report appeared of a 30 min video talk with the head of the IOC (International Olympic Committee) including a screenshot of her wearing her brightest and obviously false Oscar winning media smile. Happily the WTA (Women’s Tennis Assoc) are not fooled.
“And later on Sunday, the WTA said in a fresh statement that the recent videos “don’t alleviate or address the WTA’s concern about her wellbeing and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion”.
There are unmistakable parallels with Princess Latifa (born a month before Peng, 5 December 1985), whose supposed safety and freedom was also protested through obviously faked photos. She’s never actually been seen in person since her disappearance hit the headlines, her true whereabouts remain shrouded in mystery while the Free Latifa campaign was officially closed in August. The UN was reported as continuing to monitor the situation but we’ve heard nothing since.
It’s obvious that Peng has been overshadowed by the men in power, as has Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. I think there’s more to come. Eclipses work in pairs, the Lunar Eclipse is therefore followed two weeks later by the Solar Eclipse. This will fall on 4 December at 12 Sagittarius –
- Latifa – Sun at 12 Sagittarius opposite Chiron 12 Gemini
- Nazanin – Mercury at 12 Sagittarius
- Peng – Moon close to this degree of Sagittarius, most probably conjunct it, opposite Chiron 10 Gemini
- Chiron the Wounded Healer – at some level these girls are carrying the wounding of women in their respective cultures
So many readers clicked on the link last week to sign Nazanin’s petition, thank you, and it goes to show how strong the feeling for her really is, and how important it is to keep these women in the glare of publicity. If you didn’t get to it here’s the link again, the petition is still active and being signed by the minute, it literally takes a few seconds to add your name and/or share to social media –
HOW ASTROLOGY WORKS
There is no known time of birth for Peng but we can look at her Noon chart – ie where the planets are at midday so the positions are all pretty much exact for that day with the exception of the fast moving Moon who can be up to 6 degrees either side of the noon position.
Without the time of birth we also can’t know the crucial sign and degree of the Ascendant, the beginning of the 1st House and therefore the front door into the houses of the horoscope. I wouldn’t mind betting that either Peng’s Ascendant/Descendant horizon or the other two major Angles, the MC/IC axis, is close to the Lunar Eclipse degree.
However we can see major planetary alignments, and the ones with the smallest orbs (ie the least degrees apart from each other) are very often the most important. Look at your own horoscope and find the two planets with the smallest orb and you should be able to verify this.
For example, In my own chart the tightest aspect is Jupiter (conj Asc) square Chiron in the 3rd House (where we locate siblings). This square is almost exact, the two planets being only 17 minutes of arc apart, ie just over a quarter of a degree. The most important relationship in my life was with my twin sister, and my most important job in this life was to care (Jupiter) for her when she was terminally (square) ill (Chiron).
In Peng’s case she was born on a Mercury – Neptune exact conjunction at 3 degrees of Capricorn –
- Mercury – the Winged Messenger, rules absolutely everything under the huge umbrella of communication, such as news, media, information etc. He’s the archetype of the magician or trickster/thief
- Neptune – god of the seas and psychologically his realm is fusion, the boundless watery world of the emotions, ruling the fuzzy world of falling in love right through to the suffering of loss, grief or personal sacrifice
All personal planets combined with outer planets are double sided coins. The Mercury – Neptune combination amounts to –
- Imaginative, empathic, instinctive and insightful
- OR mysterious, confusing, deceptive and disorientating
Planetary aspects are NOT just about our personal characteristics. In that sense our horoscopes are not just about us, they also show everyone else in our world and what happens to us. In Peng’s case her Mercury – Neptune may reflect her quick instinctive feel for tennis, a level of talent that can never be taught, she was born with it (a hallmark of Pisces/Neptune themes).
But it’s also Mercury (language) conjunct Neptune (illusion) in Capricorn (Saturn’s sign of officialdom) as a clear showing for the telling of whoppers by the powers that be. She’s also Sun in Capricorn, as is Nazanin, and they’ve come up slap bang up against authority in the worst possible way.
Even more importantly, this tragedy has not befallen Peng because she has a Mercury – Neptune conjunction, or because her disappearance and China’s denial of it hit the headlines on the Lunar Eclipse.
Astrology works the other way around. In other words her story is reflected and indicated by both the natal picture and the current astrological picture. Through the nature of both of these strands – the “natal promise” (for the conditions that would fit any given event) and then the current picture – is how we locate what’s happening to her. As above, so below. In some mysterious unknowable way the heavens are like a massive celestial mirror, reflecting back to us our lives on Earth.
JOE BIDEN
The US President has his Sun at 27 Scorpio, therefore exactly opposite the Lunar Eclipse at 27 Taurus –
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Joe_Biden
On Friday, the day of the partial Lunar Eclipse, Joe Biden went under anesthesia for a colonoscopy and VP Kamala Harris was granted presidential powers for 85 minutes – the Eclipse lasted a lot longer than that! – but in this case it was an interesting showing of a partial shadow being cast over the President, thereby bringing Kamala into centre stage.
The Eclipse fell conjunct her Jupiter at 24 Taurus and square her Saturn (on the Midheaven) at 28 Aquarius. She was the first woman ever to be granted presidential powers. I think this might be an indication of a future presidency for her. Coming events do cast shadows.
IT’S RAINING CASH!
The funniest story happened in San Diego on a freeway on the Friday morning. Remember that the moment of the Eclipse was preceded just three hours earlier by the Venus (money) trine Uranus (the unexpected) and the door of an armoured vehicle popped open.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59358070
Bags of cash flew out of the open door and broke apart, scattering dollar bills everywhere. Of course there was chaos as people stopped and started scooping them up. Some were arrested, some of the money was returned later, but I think some people probably profited from this windfall!
WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING THIS WEEK?
The main news is the return of the element of fire as we’re now into that Sag time of year, the Sun having entered this sign in the early hours of this morning, to be followed by Mercury two days later. The two meet up in an exact conjunction just as we tip into next week –
Monday 22 November
- Sun ingress Sagittarius 02.35
Wednesday 24 November
- Mercury ingress Sagittarius 15.38
Monday 29 November
- Sun conjunct Mercury 7 Sagittarius 04.41
We still have Mars halfway through the preceding sign of Scorpio (will enter Sag on 13 December) but the Sun and Mercury in Sag (until 21 December and 13 December respectively) turn up the heat. Fire is the spark that’s all about getting “fired up” and therefore symbolizes passion, warmth, vision and that “can do” attitude that turns negatives into positives.
The essence of Sagittarius – intuitive, spontaneous, optimistic, friendly, enthusiastic, honest, ethical, visionary, generous, restless, prone to claustrophobia. Sign of the Higher Mind and exploration, literally (travel) or metaphorically (education)
As a Sun sign – Friendliness is their hallmark, they expect to be liked and they’re puzzled or hurt when they’re not. They can put even the most uncomfortable person at ease. Unfortunately they can also unwittingly create discomfort when their arrows of truths hit the mark with a stinging accuracy that can leave their target speechless. They usually dig themselves into an even deeper hole when trying to explain or apologize. However, there is no malice aforethought. They simply speak as they find and they can dish out compliments with the same outspokenness.
Consecutive signs work as opposites so we’re moving away from the dark, secret and intense Scorpio world and into the Sagittarian one of openness. This coincides with the Jupiter (Sagittarius) – Pluto (Scorpio) finale.
To recap from last week they are slow moving – Jupiter (12 year cycle) and Pluto (248 year cycle) – and both loop backwards and forwards for long periods of time, so the first aspect was in April, the second one was in September and the third and final one is at the end of this week –
- 20 April – Jupiter/Pluto 27 Aquarius – Capricorn
- 11 September – Jupiter/Pluto 24 Aquarius – Capricorn
- Saturday 27 November – Jupiter/Pluto 25 Aquarius – Capricorn – 15.45
This combination isn’t easy but it speaks for itself when you consider that Mr Big Jupiter is about freedom and Pluto about power, control and darkness, the loss of things that eventually lead to change – or the much loved textbook keyword of transformation, but am always wary of this word as it has magical connotations. Sadly Pluto as god of the underworld can be hellish.
SUN – MERCURY
However, as the Sun – Mercury conjunction falls just 36 hours later, there is still a message here of change (Pluto) for the better (Jupiter the Greater Benefic) if only if it’s reaching that point of understanding of the tough issues in your life, of accepting what has had its day and has to go, of making necessary adjustments and most crucially doing it all with as much fearlessness as possible. As I said to a client last week, what are you really afraid of? An honest (Sag) answer (Mercury) to that question can be life changing.
Otherwise at a general level the Sun – Mercury conjunction can often bring the kind of themes that we experience when Mercury turns direct – understanding, revelations, news, information, key conversations etc that make a difference or enable you to make a decision. Or you’ll find that decisions are made for you by others or by outside factors.
Either way pay close attention to what unfolds for you over the coming weekend as events are likely to bring tipping point moments of closure/new beginnings, some of which may be linked to the next Eclipse on Saturday 4 Dec, which I’ll be talking about next time,
Until then, with love from Greece
Joanna
