The Astrology Blog 28 March 2022
All times in BST
“Self-love isn’t just an action of going and loving yourself, it is about stopping beating yourself up.”
Anita Moorjani (16 March 1959) – author of Dying to be Me
“Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.”
“Love liberates. It doesn’t just hold – that’s Ego. Love liberates. It doesn’t bind.”
Maya Angelou
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Maya_Angelou
Anyone can receive their own personalized copy of the weekly blog straight to inbox on Monday mornings. It’s free and also includes all updates on events for the year ahead.
Either send an email address to me to be added to the mailing list or anyone can sign up from the website, here’s the link for the sign up box –
THE WEEK AHEAD
Here’s your “at a glance” rundown of the main features of this week, including three major conjunctions – the Venus/Saturn (once a year), and the Aries New Moon (Sun conjunct Moon) coinciding with the Sun/Chiron (once a year) AND with the Sun/Mercury (6 times a year) –
Monday 28 March
- Moon conjunct Venus 14.49
- Moon conjunct Saturn 15.12
- Venus conjunct Saturn 21 Aquarius 20.29
Wednesday 30 March
- Moon conjunct Jupiter 21 Pisces 18.26
- Moon conjunct Neptune 23 Pisces 22.56
Friday 1 April
- New Moon 11 Aries 07.26
Saturday 2 April
- Sun conjunct Chiron 12 Aries 04.00
Sunday 3 April
- Sun conjunct Mercury 13 Aries 00.12
Monday 4 April
- Venus 28 Aquarius semi-sextile Pluto 28 Capricorn 05.14
VENUS – SATURN
So we start with the tough Venus – Saturn conjunction in Aquarius, which has definitely been making itself felt over the last few days. I think this one has been extra miserable as Saturn is the dominant planet in this union, being in one of his own signs (Aquarius is Saturn’s masculine sign, Capricorn is his better known feminine sign.)
But regardless of signs you can see what a mismatch these two can be –
- Venus is Aphrodite, goddess of love. Your Venus sign tells you about your relating skills, what you are looking for and how you approach relationships. She is feminine and rules women, from mothers to girlfriends, all pleasure seeking, lovemaking, beauty, comfort and luxuries, art, music and the fashion industry. She also rules sustenance, everything from food to the money we make in order to live
- Saturn – known as the Greater Malefic and Lord of Time, the bringer of solemnity, restriction, frustration, obstacles, boundaries, health issues, limitations and endings, ultimately death and bereavement. Strong natal Saturn aspects can also however indicate longevity (eg the Queen). He rules authority, career, duty and responsibility. His nature is pessimistic, realistic and serious, often fearful, but he’s also associated with results that come through being effortful, hardworking, constructive and committed.
As I was writing this blog yesterday it was Mother’s Day. Facebook was full of mum photos but, because my peers are all obviously around the same age as me, in their 50’s/60’s, nearly every single post I saw was about a mother who was no longer here. I found it really sad and depressing. So Venus – Saturn.
Of course I thought about my own mum even though I didn’t post anything. She passed 40 years ago when she was only 51, which inevitably had a massive impact, especially as we were so close, shown astrologically by the “cosmic marriage”. This is a deep soul connection shown when the Sun in one person’s chart conjuncts the other person’s Moon to within 5 degrees. Ours was exact, my mother’s Sun 17 Leo, my Moon 17 Leo. I personally find astrology like this very comforting, I suppose because of the “meant to be” message. She also had a natal Venus – Saturn square and had a hard time in her marriage to my extremely Saturnian father.
So I was forcibly reminded that Saturn links to depression and I’ve done enough horoscopes in the last 30+ years to know that the feminine planets, Moon and Venus, in any relationship to Saturn are arguably the toughest aspects. Individuals with any natal Moon or Venus/Saturn combinations (ie in any sign and linked by either harmonious or inharmonious aspects) all have their own story of emotional hardship.
In celebration of Maya Angelou’s birthday at the end of the week (4 April 1928) you’ll see above that I’ve chosen two quotes from her that touch on the Venus – Saturn symbolism. With her own Venus at 21 Pisces (Venus’ sign of exaltation) square Saturn at 19 Sagittarius she is the embodiment of this love gone wrong theme.
If you don’t know anything about Maya Angelou her story is an extreme example of the kind of abusive experiences indicated by an afflicted Venus and also an afflicted Moon (in a T Square involving Pluto). She was raped at the age of 8 by her mother’s boyfriend who only spent only one day in jail but who was murdered a few days after his release, allegedly by Maya’s uncles. For the next five years she was an elective mute, choosing silence because in her child’s mind she had believed that the power of her own voice had killed her abuser.
This was obviously the crucial event of her formative years but the trauma had other consequences –
According to Marcia Ann Gillespie and her colleagues, who wrote a biography about Angelou, it was during this period of silence when Angelou developed her extraordinary memory, her love for books and literature, and her ability to listen and observe the world around her. (Wikipedia)
She is also known for her invaluable campaigning for women, of all races, and for promoting courage and empowerment. She recognized themes of anti-love – as her quotes capture, how ego can pass for love, one partner holding the other hostage, or the emptiness of craving love from someone who will never be able to supply it. This is Venus (love) Saturn (unavailable). Take a long hard look at any relationship of your own that is a thankless task. Remind yourself that you have choices.
THE OSCARS
So the Oscars ceremony came back after two years of Covid restrictions. For those of you who see my Facebook group The World of Astrology this was the feature that I posted on Saturday morning from my friend and colleague Sally Kirkman who is brilliant at events astrology, everything from the Oscars to grand slam tennis –
https://www.sallykirkman.com/who-will-win-at-the-oscars…/
Sally certainly kept up her track record with 5 of her 6 predictions for the main categories being spot on. And as I said on the FB post don’t be fooled at how easy she makes it look. This kind of work is hours of research, finding and studying all the horoscopes of the nominees, looking at the current astrology for each individual and then relating all of that activity to the bigger picture. It’s a fabulous way to learn about astrology in action.
Otherwise the event itself was seriously Venus – Saturn. The fashion choices were mostly dire – or is that just me? – but the big event was Will Smith marching up to the stage and punching presenter Chris Rock after he made a joke about Will’s wife Jada’s hair loss.
The loss (Saturn) of hair beauty (Venus) has got to be absolutely devastating for any woman, and yes, Jada natally has her dignified Venus in Libra conjunct Pluto and square Saturn. It was a horrible “joke” at her expense and I personally wish that Will had knocked him out. Yes I know that violence is never the answer, but he deserved what he got. Serves him right I’d say.
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-60897004
WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING THIS WEEK?
I’ll be glad when today (Monday) is over and the Venus – Saturn square starts to separate. Note that I’ve listed the Moon’s aspects this afternoon, also being in Aquarius and conjuncting Venus and then Saturn within half an hour of each other, paving the way to when Venus and Saturn make their own conjunction this evening. Pay close attention to what unfolds for you today especially if you have planets or Angles at or very near to 21 Aquarius or 21 degrees of the other Fixed signs – Taurus, Leo or Scorpio.
I don’t usually mention lunar aspects as there are so many of them but there are two more worth noting, on the same theme, as the Moon (changes sign approx every two and a half days) moves on into Pisces and conjuncts Jupiter and then Neptune on Wednesday evening. This is paving the way to the massive Jupiter – Neptune conjunction that will be exact 12 April at 23 Pisces and which happens only once every 13 years. More on that next week. But again, take notes, especially if you have natal planets or Angles at or very near to 23 Pisces or the other Mutable signs – Gemini, Virgo or Sagittarius.
We’ll then be travelling towards the New Moon at the end of the week, which turns into a lineup of the Sun, Moon, Chiron and Mercury all in Aries –
Friday 1 April
- New Moon 11 Aries 07.26
Saturday 2 April
- Sun conjunct Chiron 12 Aries 04.00
Sunday 3 April
- Sun conjunct Mercury 13 Aries 00.12
I’d normally be waxing lyrical about the Aries New Moon, a kind of extension of the Spring Equinox spring fever, but I think it has to be said that Chiron in the mix is an added complication even though it can swing either way. The Wounded Healer can, for example, bring health issues to light or it can bring the healer.
Melanie Reinhart is a recognized Chiron expert and says that his importance lies in how “he points to the issues that accompany the path of awakening, such as health crises, life-changing experiences, meetings with teachers, recapitulation of old trauma or major insights”.
As with any of the other planets, studying the particular transits in your own chart or in any other chart of interest to you, is the way to learn. I’ve noticed in my own chart that Chiron transits really do link to healing moments of all kinds.
THE SUN – MERCURY & CAZIMI MOMENT
This lineup of planets may well be working as a team but Mercury in the mix is good news (the Winged Messenger) and worth considering in his own right. Remember that whenever Mercury is in a retrograde period there’s always an exact conjunction with the Sun somewhere roughly in the middle, which is called the inferior conjunction, and this is followed two months later by the superior conjunction, when Mercury is moving direct. As Mercury is retrograde three times a year then it follows that we get Sun conjunct Mercury 6 times a year.
This means that we also get a Sun – Mercury cazimi 6 times a year. To explain that further, any planet conjunct the Sun to within 17 minutes of arc (ie just over a quarter of a degree) is said to be “cazimi” – defined as being in “the heart of the Sun”. The symbolism of this is about the other planet drawing strength from that heat instead of being burned up by it. It’s a window of opportunity, the stuff of light bulb moments, vital information or having the chance to get your point across exactly in the right way and at the right time. In that hot spot is a golden nugget of truth or a lifeline of help.
- The Mercury cazimi lasts approximately for 8 hours, about four hours either side of the exact conjunction
- This cazimi will therefore be from approx 8pm Saturday through to 4am on Sunday in the UK. Adjust to your own time zone – eg Greece 10pm through to 6am
- Look out for that Mercury moment, especially things that shine a light into your understanding, help you to make a decision, negotiate a deal or find the right words to get a heart to heart started
- Any 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.
- All of these themes are hugely underlined by the fact that this moment coincides with the New Moon in the first sign of the zodiac – hardly a better moment for fresh starts or new beginnings of all kinds
As with all aspects these carry universal significance, but will be of particular significance for you if you have planets of Angles that match the signs/degrees in question. Here are the dates and positions for this year, so you can look back as well as forwards –
2021
- 8 February – 20 Aquarius, Mercury retrograde
- 19 April – 29 Aries
- 11 June – 20 Gemini, Mercury retrograde
- 1 August – 9 Leo
- 9 October – 16 Libra, Mercury retrograde
- 29 November – 6 Sagittarius
2022
- 23 January – 3 Aquarius – Mercury retrograde
- 3 April – 13 Aries
- 21 May – 0 Gemini – Mercury retrograde
- 16 July – 24 Cancer
- 23 September – 0 Libra – Mercury retrograde
- 8 November – 16 Scorpio
Finally it’s worth noting that Aries is the sign of the Ego and again it’s a double edged sword. Defending the underdog or your loved ones who are vulnerable (Will Smith’s acceptance speech) is a big theme. So are inflammatory (Aries is fire) remarks (Mercury) that are ego based without impulse control (eg unscripted, Joe Biden, idiot, not going there …) So think before you speak and focus on what you want an outcome to be, not just from the perspective of personal gratification moments but for the future too.
Going full circle back to the Venus – Saturn theme there’s a link to healthy ego, self (Aries) love too which is why I also chose Anita Moorjani for one of this week’s quotes, and here’s the full version –
Self-love isn’t just an action of going out and loving yourself, it is about stopping beating yourself up. It’s about knowing: I don’t need to do or be anything. It’s about breathing and being okay with where you are right now.
For most of us this is definitely easier said than done, but we can’t argue that it rings true. I often recommend her book Dying to be Me, her account of her near death experience, what happened to her when she “died” from advanced cancer but was returned to Earth with a stack of messages. One of her strengths is the ability to describe the vital importance of self love in a way that reveals to us how this is the opposite to “selfish” as we understand that word. She’s well worth listening to. After all, she should know.
Wishing you a healing week,
With love from Greece
Joanna
