The Astrology Blog 7 February 2022
All times in GMT
“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted in important affairs.”
Albert Einstein
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Albert_Einstein
“The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.”
James A. Garfield (20th US President)
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/James_Garfield
MERCURY HAS TURNED DIRECT – TRUTH TIME
Mercury turned direct at 24 Capricorn at 04.14 on Friday morning, having been retrograde since 14 January. During that three week period the usual retro Mercury themes abounded (unraveling, confusion, deception, unreliability, wrong information, silences and so on, everything that the communication planet stands for but upside down).
Matters were further compounded by the fact that Venus was retrograde at the same time (extremely rare, last time that happened was 1999) but the payoff is that both planets turned direct within five days of each other (Venus turned 29 January) so it’s double whammy in terms of turning points and starting to move things on in the right direction.
This doesn’t however usually amount to magic wands or instant results, although such wonders are not unknown, as both planets have now got to pick up speed and get back to the positions at which they originally turned retrograde.
This is known as coming “out of shadow” and, as the name suggests, those are the moments when matters are more likely to move fully into the light, at a practical or at a cognitive level, the moments when we get the whole picture, wrap something up and move on.
Another complex and heavy component is that both Mercury and Venus make a series of three conjunctions to Pluto (use or abuse of power/control, loss, endings, total change) on their respective journeys. Both have the third and final conjunction to make, Mercury’s being at the end of this week.
Here’s the sequence of the relevant dates for both planets –
Mercury conjunct Pluto
- 30 Dec 25.54 Capricorn
- 29 Jan 26.51 Capricorn (Mercury retrograde, same day as Venus turned direct)
- 11 Feb 27.16 Capricorn
- 24 Feb returns to 10.19 Aquarius – out of shadow
Venus conjunct Pluto
- 11 Dec 25.18 Capricorn
- 25 Dec 25.43 Capricorn (Venus retrograde)
- 3 March 27.50 Capricorn
- 2 March returns to 26.29 Capricorn – out of shadow
Anyway, back to the moments when these planets turn direct (29 Jan for Venus, 4 Feb for Mercury) it’s vital to pay close attention to what surfaces for you personally at these times, events are nearly always packed with clues which often turn us onto the right path, including what or who to believe. This also shows out in the world and, on this occasion, it’s no surprise that we start with the ongoing hoo-ha about the Downing St parties.
So the first headlines after Mercury turned around were on Friday morning, blaring out that Boris Johnson was being rocked by a string of resignations from his team of aides. The new name on the list on Friday morning was Elena Narozanski, a chief policy adviser, following the exit of four senior staff members the day before.
The next day, Saturday 5 Feb, it was reported that Nick Gibb, who has served under three prime ministers but lost his position in Boris Johnson’s reshuffle last September, was the latest Tory to submit a letter of no confidence in the prime minister, and he rather nailed the point –
“Some argue that eating a few canapes with a glass of prosecco is hardly a reason to resign. But telling the truth matters, and nowhere more so than in the House of Commons where, like a court of law, truth must be told regardless of the personal consequences.”
Hence the choice of quotation this week from Einstein – could’ve been written for now. I said a few weeks ago that I thought BoJo would survive this, that he would do the Gemini (element of mutable air) trick of wriggling out of tight corners, but that he’d be out by May when Uranus the rug puller reaches his Jupiter in Taurus.
This week I thought I must have been wrong on that, it was hard to see how he could survive this loss of confidence and credibility, but at the time of writing he’s still hanging on by his fingernails ….
WINTER OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY – PENG SHUAI
The other headlines on Friday morning were about the opening of the Winter Olympics, reporting in particular the words (Mercury) of International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach to the athletes. Interestingly his address to them was in keeping with the theme that we’ve been noticing around the world for many weeks, no special treatment for any individuals, just unity in everyone abiding by the same rules –
“You will show how the world would look if we all respect the same rules and each other. Over the next two weeks you will compete with each other for the highest prize. At the same time you will live peacefully together under one roof in the Olympic Village. There, there will be no discrimination for any reason whatsoever. In our fragile world, where division, conflict and mistrust are on the rise, we show the world: yes, it is possible to be fierce rivals, while at the same time living peacefully and respectfully together.
“This is the mission of the Olympic Games: bringing us together in peaceful competition. Always building bridges, never erecting walls. Uniting humankind in all our diversity.”
Mmm, John Lennon’s Imagine is ringing in my ears. Wonderful words, but an ideology immediately called into question by the inevitable reappearance of tennis star Peng Shuai as China hosts the Winter Olympics.
Her social media post (2 November, and not one sentence, a post of 1,600 words) accusing the former Vice Premier of forcing her into sex was taken down within minutes, but not before it went viral, and was followed by her disappearance.
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Peng_Shuai
French newspaper L’Equipe was granted an interview with Peng this weekend following permission from the Chinese Olympic Committee, whose representative, guess what, also sat in on the hotel room meeting. In the interview she’s quoted as saying –
“This post has given rise to a huge misunderstanding from the outside world. I hope that the meaning of this post will no longer be distorted. And I also hope that we don’t add more hype to this.”
As opposed to her original post which included, “Why did you come back and seek me out, take me to your home, and force me to have sex with you?”
Note in Peng’s horoscope the exact conjunction of Mercury – Neptune (cover up, shrouded in sea fog) in Capricorn (the authorities). The censorship (Mercury = words, Pluto = control/wipeout for the third and final time this week) is so screamingly obvious that it makes you wonder how they can for one moment think that the rest of the world would believe it.
Unsurprisingly, the BBC China correspondent Stephen McDonell accuses L’Equipe of being involved in a propaganda exercise rather than an “interview”. The bottom line is that power prevailed. The perpetrator walks free and will never be brought to account. Unlike Ghislaine Maxwell who will spend the rest of her life in prison. So “justice” is only ever an expression of how any particular culture operates.
PRINCE ANDREW
So another obvious Mercury turning point (at 24 Capricorn) involves Prince Andrew. He has natal planets Mars and Venus at 27/28 Capricorn, which means that Mercury is heading back over those planets for the third and final time, indicating the protracted correspondence between his lawyers and those of Virginia Giuffre.
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Prince_Andrew,_Duke_of_York
She is suing him in the US (not the UK) and he will now face a deposition, which means giving evidence to lawyers for use in court.
A date has been set for 10 March in London. Interestingly that is the exact day that Mercury arrives in Pisces and Andrew’s natal Sun is 0 degrees of Pisces.
This is a detrimented Mercury (as it’s the opposite to Virgo, one of the signs that Mercury rules) and there are echoes therefore of Peng’s Mercury – Neptune (the latter co-rules Pisces). Distortion, cover ups, perjury (cf Jeffrey Archer with his natal Mercury in Pisces opposite Neptune in Virgo) are all possibilities as another person in a position of great power has his story called into question.
WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING THIS WEEK?
The Mercury – Pluto finale is dominating the week but it’s preceded by one other aspect, a positive alliance between Mars and Uranus –
Tuesday 8 February
- Mars 11 Capricorn trine Uranus 11 Taurus 14.58
Friday 11 February
- Mercury conjunct Pluto (third and final) 27 Capricorn 14.00
Monday 14 February
- Mercury ingress Aquarius 21.55
How important are the aspects? The trine is created when two planets are exactly four signs (120 degrees) apart, which is easily spotted by the fact that the two planets will share the same element, in this case both Mars and Uranus being in earth signs. If you join the dots of the three signs of any element on the wheel of the horoscope you’ll find an equilateral triangle – hence the name “trine”.
The trine is recognized as being a harmonious aspect but, even so, we still have to assess the extent of that benefit in the light of the two planets involved. For example a Venus – Jupiter trine is going to be gorgeous, but any combination of Mars (action, but also the Lesser Malefic) with all change Uranus is always going to be something of a loose cannon, good for some but disastrous for others, depending on which side of the fence you’re on.
For example, if BoJo is going to get kicked out tomorrow will be a high risk day for him. Mars is men, authoritarian Capricorn is Mars’s sign of exaltation so it’s a clear symbol for a male prime minister. But Uranus is the rug puller, totally unpredictable beyond saying change of the unexpected or shocking kind.
If the harmonious aspect delivers then it’s a fantastic combination for rallying support amongst his remaining team or the ones who’ve been dithering in the background. Uranus is the planet of the collective and rules everything to do with groups and organizations.
At a general level though I’d say that this Mars – Uranus is great for riding on the recent turning points of Mercury and Venus, for focusing on anything that is moving your life in the right direction. Identify what is important to you and put some energy into it. You could be amazed at what happens, especially as we’re now on the path to the huge Jupiter – Uranus alliance next week. More on that next time.
MERCURY – PLUTO
Last words on this finale is – look out for last words. This is the End (Pluto) of a Story (Mercury). This is why I think Peng’s story will disappear down a deep black hole. The unbearable tragedy of the five year old child who fell into a well in Morocco is a literal showing of this, despite the heroic efforts to rescue him they just couldn’t reach him in time.
Don’t underestimate the power of this finale. I didn’t keep a note of the source but by accident, when I was researching something else over the weekend, I came across this quote from a psychologist which caught my attention as it captures Mercury (communication) going direct –
“A closed mouth doesn’t get fed,” says Dr. Childs. “We’re not mind readers. If you want something from your partner, be able to ask them for it.”
So if you want anything from anyone, if you’ve got something important to say, if you need a serious heart to heart, if you need to say something you’ve been putting off, even or especially the questions to which you fear the answers, if you need to address “the elephant in the room”, if you need to bring a matter to a negotiated close, make a final decision or if you simply want to know the truth, this is the week to do it. Grab your moment.
The finale to Pluto is also underlined by the fact that it’s Mercury’s last aspect before changing sign. Mercury originally entered Aquarius on 2 January but only got as far as 10 Aquarius and then turned retrograde, ending up sliding back into Capricorn – which is why he turned direct in that sign.
So this is enter Aquarius Take 2 but this time he means it, it’s for real. This is good news for all things Mercurial but this particular combination is also great for team spirit, technology, your social life and groups. Cultivate your friendships and make a point of arranging to see someone who’s been off radar.
At a universal level the connection to truth finding is a strong one and, back to the quote at the top about it setting you free but first making you miserable, there can be a lot of truth in that! But so often what feels like devastating news at first can actually turn out to be an important milestone on your personal journey, one that changes your direction and leads to things you could never otherwise have experienced. Like liberating you from the wrong relationship and setting you on the path to the right one.
I never tire of quoting psychotherapist Lena Hjeltman who said to me, Something magical happens when you work with the truth. Guess what, she’s a truth freak Sagittarius like me, but she’s so right.
There’s a definite feel of rejoining the world as many countries are now able to demote the pandemic to the level of a serious flu as it’s followed the recognized path of mutating but weakening, ie becoming more infectious but less life threatening, and combined with the vax not providing immunity but clearly lessening symptoms, we’re on track for one of the showings of the Jupiter (liberation) Uranus (the collective) that’s exact next week, along with the Leo Full Moon, more about this picture next time,
Until then, with love from Greece
Joanna