Astrology Courses & Workshops
There are two big events still to come for this year, the first in Greece the week beginning 7 September and the second in London over the weekend of Halloween, 31 October/1 November
The Greek Island Summer School 2015
Synastry – The Astrology of Relationships is running the week beginning 7 September – just as Venus turns direct! Flights in Sunday 6 September, flights home Sunday 13 September. This course is designed to show you –
• How to assess the nature of relationships indicated in an individual horoscope
• How to compare two horoscopes to reveal areas of compatibility or incompatibility
• How to describe the type of relationship someone will experience
• How to use the timing measures of transits and progressions to map meetings, marriages and also times of stress or possible separation
• You’ll have the chance to work on your own horoscopes and others of your choice
There are 2 of 12 places remaining, and for the first time since the Summer School started 14 years ago there is a discount on offer, from £295.00 to £250.00.
The course fee includes 17 hours of tuition, all course materials, transport and a fabulous buffet lunch on the four study days. Let me know asap if you’d like to find out more and you can also go to the end of this newsletter for more info about the course. You can reply to this newsletter or start a new email joannaw@otenet.gr
Astrology workshops London
Lust, Love, Loss and Longing
Saturday 31 October & Sunday 1 November
10am-5pm
£85.00 per day, or £150.00 for both
Venue – The Astrological Lodge of London, 50 Gloucester Place W1U 8EA
If Greece is too far for you to come the good news is that I can now confirm an exciting weekend of relationship astrology in London, running the weekend of Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November. Suitable for all levels.
The two days are completely different but are designed to complement one another. This means that you can choose to do either day, or both. I’ll be joining forces with Ingrid Hoffman – astrologer and Imago Practitioner, founder of Trueheartwork, for this magical weekend http://www.trueheartwork.com/
Ingrid will be leading the therapeutic Saturday workshop, designed to explore Venus and Mars through the signs, and to show you how to:
Understand the wondrous duality of male and female, within yourself and in your relationships
Revisit and connect with the powerful attractive energy of Venus in your psyche
Step into the assertive Mars energy that is being sapped by stress or financial worry
Bring attraction and assertion into balance so you can begin to manifest the love you desire
Learn new ways of connecting and communicating with you partner or partner-to-be
I will be leading the Sunday workshop, in which I’ll be teaching how traditional horoscopy lies at the heart of assessing and understanding the synastry between two individuals:
What kind of partner do you attract and why?
How can astrology tell you when an attraction is mutual and beneficial, and whether or not you are compatible?
What is a “cosmic marriage” and how do you know if you’re with a true soul mate?
Why can you live easily with one person but not another? How to compare the all important Moon signs in terms of emotional natures and needs
How to use astrology to answer all types of love questions, including how to handle conflict
How to use the timing measures of transits and New/Full Moons to predict dates for meetings, marriages and significant milestones within a relationship
You’ll be working on your own horoscope on both days so please have your data to hand when booking – your date, place and time of birth. Your own chart will be drawn up by me in advance but you can also bring along one other horoscope of your choice, either a partner or a key person in your life, if you wish.
You can reply to this newsletter or start a new email joannaw@otenet.gr if you have any questions or if you’d like to book your place.
The Astrology Blog – 17 August 2015
All times posted in BST
We’re halfway through the 6 weeks of Venus’ retrograde journey – here’s the sequence –
• Ingress (entered) Virgo on 18 July
• Turned retrograde a week later on 25 July, at 0 degrees and 46 minutes of Virgo
• Re-entered Leo 31 July
• So the retrograde journey is from 0 degrees of Virgo back to the middle of Leo
• Will turn direct at 14 degrees of Leo on 6 September
If any one of these degrees are relevant to your own horoscope then this time scale will be of especial significance, notably in connection to Venus’ main themes of love, money women and children. Here’s the usual link for checking the sign and position of your natal planets:
http://www.alwaysastrology.com/birth-chart-calculator.html
One of the retrograde Venus stories that grabbed my attention this week was about women’s health. The astrological “as above, so below” rings out loud and clear as Venus rules women and love – including self love and how we value ourselves – and the news story about literally thousands and thousands of women skipping their smear tests was alarming. I recently lost a very dear friend from cervical cancer but, in reality, she died of avoidance, which is one “take” on the meaning of retrograde, and also ignorance – ie she hadn’t understood the implications of her symptoms. She was only in her young forties.
The reasons for this avoidance are totally understandable – embarrassment, fear of pain and the “it won’t happen to me” syndrome – so if this applies to you or anyone close to you now’s the time to make that appointment. Exchange those few moments of discomfort for peace of mind and the gift of life! And if you can’t summon up the courage alone then go in a group…. this week’s astrology is perfect for gathering your female friends around you, the more the merrier!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3196849/Four-women-explain-REAL-reasons-skipping-smear-tests.html
There are only two major aspects being formed this week and Venus is the lead player –
Wednesday Venus 20 degrees Leo trine Uranus 20 degrees Aries (17.45)
Note that as Venus is retrograde she’s travelling back to repeat these aspects to the slow moving outer planets – the first Venus trine Uranus was the end of June and the third and final one will be 23 September. So if these degrees are relevant to your own horoscope look out for a longer sequence of events that fit the symbolism and time frame.
Obviously I relate the world and my own life to astrology all the time but that doesn’t mean I check the Ephemerides (astrological tables) every time I go out of the front door! However, sometimes “elective” astrology – which means choosing a date for an occasion – is useful and so I’ve organized a girl’s night with a small group of my closest friends. Retrogrades are good for getting “back” in touch, the astrology is perfect for a lively night out and because of it I changed the suggested evening from the Tuesday to the Wednesday – Venus (women) trine (harmonious) Uranus (groups) in fire signs (energetic, warming). The retrograde may however also show as not everyone being able to make it.
There is a line of thought in astrological practice also that says that if a current aspect reflects your own horoscope – ie if you have the same aspect natally – then it will be especially significant for you, and I have Venus trine Uranus in fire signs in my own horoscope. So it may be that daytime events on Wednesday will also bring news for me that is pleasure or group related – such as hearing from those who want to do the London workshops in the autumn, or those who’ve been waiting for flight prices to come down to fly over for Summer School next month will find the bargains!
At a universal level though, whether you have this aspect natally or not, anything connected to group events or your social life gets a big tick midweek, so say yes to invitations or send out your own, or join a group if there’s something you want to learn more about or if you need support. Also listen out for surprises, especially in connection to your love life or your girlfriends – Uranus often signals the unexpected or the things that raise everyone’s eyebrows. It’s also surprising how often aspects to the outer planets can bring news of the people of the Sun sign to which they relate – Uranus for the Aquarians in your life, Neptune for the Pisceans and Pluto for the Scorpios.
The Venus – Uranus is the applying (in the making) aspect throughout the first half of the week so you don’t have to wait until Wednesday to get sociable or proactive. Teamwork is hugely favoured, so pick other people’s brains shamelessly and let them pick yours. Uranus loves lists too so if you’ve got a lot to do then get systematic – seeing where to prioritize and where to delegate are two skills that could save you a lot of time and stress.
Talking of time and stress… the second aspect of the week is the perfect recipe for just that!
Saturday Sun square Saturn (00.41)
This signals that the second half of the week will be slower and, if you have a particular problem, this is when it will grow arms and legs – all the more reason to get list ticking in the first half of the week.
The Sun is the life giver, Saturn by tough aspect delays or denies. He is Lord of Time itself and he is also the enemy of the Lights (the Sun and the Moon) as he is weak in the signs that they rule – ie Sun rules Leo and the Moon rules Cancer, and these are Saturn’s sign of “detriment”. Unsurprisingly then, the Sun squaring up to Saturn can indicate a milestone in any situation related to health, or it will throw up roadblocks between you and a specific desire. All you can do is to bear in mind that a roadblock is there for a reason, maybe to protect you from an ill advised move or even danger. So avoid trying to force round pegs into square holes.
Also be prepared to admit defeat with regard to any plan that is simply not working out, no matter how hard you may tried to make it do so. The writing will be on the wall for anything that is A Bad Idea or for any relationship that smacks of “ne’er the twain shall meet”. Endings of some kind are likely to be a noticeable theme as this is Saturn’s penultimate aspect before he changes sign (which happens only once every two and a half years) in the middle of next month.
This is also the Sun’s last aspect before a change of sign, which is the last event of this week –
Sunday Sun ingress Virgo (11.38)
Here in the northern hemisphere the Sun’s exit from Leo (fire) and ingress into Virgo (earth) often signals the change of season from summer to autumn. Here in Greece, and in many other parts of Europe, we’ve had a very hot summer and we’ll be welcoming cooler climes – ie temperatures staying under 35 degrees, bring it on! The shift from Leo to Virgo is also great for adopting a new approach, notably from big/dramatic/lavish to realistic/workable/efficient.
To give you a flavor of the Virgo archetype here’s an excerpt from the Sun signs chapter 1 of my book Be Your Own Astrologer –
Virgo is Mercury’s feminine sign which is expressed through brain power of a more subtle and exacting kind. Virgo’s primary task is to evaluate and analyze. Information, feelings and decisions are all fed through some kind of mental sieve, separating fact from fiction and isolating essential details. If they ask you a question, which they generally love to do, they’ll pick apart your answer to find out exactly and precisely what you mean.
This sign is not given to extravagance or lavishness. Virgo is economical with all resources and can be frugal to the point of extreme self denial. They can be fanatically tidy and fussy, with a place for everything and everything in its place. However, the goody two shoes image is frequently a cover for inner turmoil and a wonderfully whacky streak which most certainly does not tally with the somewhat dry and boring image often ascribed to this sign.
Finally I’m indebted to Venusian Kim Bennett of Serenity Retreat (http://www.serenityretreat.co.uk/ ) here on Lefkada for posting the following over the weekend on Facebook. For me it’s the perfect mantra for the gentle Virgo energy and for honoring Venus in retrograde motion. As she points out this is originally from AA, but you don’t have to be a recovering alcoholic to see the beauty and wisdom in this mantra. We’re all addicted to something – whether it’s substances of drink, caffeine, nicotine, or ways of living/operating – such as stress, worry, martyrdom, work, the computer, being “good”, the list is endless…. It’s the sort of thing to print out and stick on your fridge door as I imagine that trying to observe this even for just one day is quite a challenge, the first demand or distraction of each day would be enough to send it flying out of our heads, but it’s well worth coming back to as many times as possible.
JUST FOR TODAY
Just for today I will try to live through this day only, and not tackle my whole life problem all at once. I can do something for 12 hours that would appall me if I felt I had to keep it up for a lifetime.
JUST FOR TODAY
Just for today I will be happy. Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.
JUST FOR TODAY
I will adjust myself to what is, and not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my luck as it comes, and fit myself to it.
JUST FOR TODAY
I will strengthen my mind.
I will learn something useful.
I will not be a mental loafer.
I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.
JUST FOR TODAY
I will exercise my soul in three ways, I will do someone a good turn, and NOT get found out. If anybody knows of it, it will not count. I will do at least two things I don’t want to do just for exercise. I will not show anyone my feelings are hurt, they may be hurt, but today I will not show it.
JUST FOR TODAY
I will be agreeable, I will look as well as I can, dress becomingly, talk low, act courteously, criticise not one bit, not find fault with anything, and not try to improve or regulate anybody except myself.
JUST FOR TODAY
I will have a program. I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it. I will save myself from two pests, hurry and indecision.
JUST FOR TODAY
I will have a quiet half hour all by myself and relax. During this half hour sometime, I will try and get a better perspective of my life.
JUST FOR TODAY
I will be unafraid. Especially I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful, and to believe that as I give to the world, so the world will give to me.
Wishing you many successful “todays”,
With love from Greece
Joanna