The Astrology Blog 23 May 2022
All times in BST
“We must stop regarding unpleasant or unexpected things as interruptions of real life. The truth is that interruptions are real life.”
C. S. Lewis – 29 Nov 1898, Sun conjunct Uranus in Sagittarius
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/C._S._Lewis
“I don’t look my age, I don’t feel my age and I don’t act my age. To me age is just a number.”
Happy Solar Return (Birthday) to Gemini “puer eternus” (the eternal youth) Joan Collins – age 89, 23 May 1933
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Joan_Collins
JOHNNY DEPP & CAMILLE VASQUEZ
An ongoing story, Johnny Depp is suing ex wife Amber Heard for defamation of character as she claims that she was a victim of domestic violence, claims that he denies. Lawyers are making a fortune out of this ridiculously wealthy squabbling ex couple and the story has taken a Hollywood turn as Depp’s lawyer is now more in the limelight than either of them.
Johnny Depp could have chosen any lawyer he wanted, money is no object. He chose Camille Vasquez, who looks about 25 but is in fact 37, and the news is now full of photos of the beautiful Camille, especially ones that show her beaming at her client or even hugging him in rapture. It’s as if she’s already won the case.
Maybe she has. She’s still very young but already a “One to Watch” attorney according to Best Lawyer magazine last year. She specializes in arbitration and particularly in representing the plaintiff in defamation cases. The media of course is less fascinated with her professional expertise than they are with the apparent flirting going on.
It puts a whole new spin on Depp’s 2nd Saturn Return – at 23 Aquarius in the 7th House of partnership. This indicates a very strong possibility of meeting a serious “significant other” this year while still sorting out the car crash of his marriage to Amber Heard.
Camille’s role definitely falls into the “one to one” relationship category of the 7th, but she’ll also be ruler of his 9th House, where we locate legal matters of all kinds. With Aries on his 9th House cusp this picks out his attorney as Mars (ruling planet of Aries), conjunct Uranus in the early degrees of Virgo.
So of course the astrologer is also quick to check out their synastry, as this could also reflect the outcome of the case. Quick reminder of the Synastry rules that I posted a couple of weeks ago, the top things to look for in serious attractions and connections –
- One person’s Sun conjunct (same sign) the other person’s Moon (to within 5 degrees) – this is known as the Cosmic Marriage
- One person’s Sun or Moon conjunct one or more of the other person’s personal planets (Sun to Saturn)
- One person’s Sun or Moon conjunct the other person’s Ascendant – Descendant (Angles marking the beginning to the 1st and 7th Houses of me/you)
- Sharing the same Ascendant – Descendant horizon
- The Benefics – one person’s Venus or Jupiter conjunct the other person’s natal planets or Angles, especially the Ascendant or Descendant, Sun or Moon
- A positive relationship between the rulers of the two Ascendants (the planets ruling the sign on the Ascendant, the rising sign) – and even more importantly, the rulers of the two Descendants (the two planets ruling the sign on
No time of birth for Camille so we don’t know her crucial Ascendant – Descendant, the horizon of “you and me”, but from the above list we can tick points 5 – her Venus the love and money planet slap bang on his Asc, and her Moon in aspect to his Jupiter – and probably 1, the cosmic marriage –
Johnny Depp | Camille Vasquez | |
Ascendant 12 Leo | Conjunct | Venus 12 Leo |
Sun 18 Gemini | Conjunct | Moon – between 8 and 20 Gemini |
Jupiter 14 Aries in 9th House | Sextile | Moon |
Uranus 1 Virgo/Mars 3 Virgo | Conjunct | Mercury 28 Leo |
Johnny Depp also has what is called a Natural House Jupiter, this planet being in the 9th (the 9th sign is Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter) so the chances of his coming out well in litigation are extremely high. Also the case has run on into retrograde Mercury and there appears to be a lot of hearsay and accusations that can’t be proved either way.
Neither side seems to have produced anything that amounts to proof and Depp’s other ex wife and father of his children Vanessa Paradis made a witness statement last month, saying that she’s known him for more than 25 years and described him as “a kind, attentive, generous, and non-violent person and father”. Whatever the truth might be of his behavior towards Amber Heard, and it’s probably not that pretty, I surmise that this case will be a massive feather in Camille Vasquez’s cap.
AUSTRALIA’S NEW PRIME MINISTER – 2nd SATURN RETURN
So Anthony Albanese has been sworn in as new prime minister in Oz. Clear and simple astrology at work. No time of birth known as yet but born 2 March 1963, just turned 59, so we know automatically that he’s bang on or very close to his second Saturn Return as this planet has a cycle of 29.5 years.
- In a Noon chart he has Saturn at 17 Aquarius conjunct Mercury at 19 Aquarius
- Saturn is now stationing in order to turn retrograde 25 Aquarius 4 June
- Saturn turns direct again at 18 Aquarius on 23 October
- “All change” Uranus transiting 15 Taurus almost exactly opposite (to within a fifth of a degree) natal Neptune 15 Scorpio – first of three transits between now and beginning of next year
1st Saturn Return – age 29 and a half, during the run up to our 30th birthday. This is a hugely formative time and is commonly referred to as the astrological coming of age. Saturn is Lord of Time. Suddenly we are not going to be 20-something anymore, a sobering clock is ticking and we sense the importance of getting our act together. We can expect events of a Saturnian nature to unfold at this time.
Make or break is a strong theme. Many people “settle down” under the first Saturn Return, through commitment either to marriage or career, or both. Conversely, relationships that are not working come to an end, especially between couples who married young and who find at this stage that they have outgrown one another.
2nd Saturn Return happens at roughly age 59, often coinciding with actual or plans for retirement. Women in the UK used to be able to draw their pension from age 60, but now it’s age 66/67. So the start of Saturn’s third cycle can be the beginning of the journey into old age and indeed often coincides with a major bereavement. It can be dealing with old age in the family and all the responsibility that brings. It can be that “job done” moment OR it can mark the “gravitas” of promotion and recognition/respect in work, hard won through experience, the setting of goals for serious achievements out in the world.
RETROGRADE MERCURY …. THE STORY SO FAR …
Am surrounded by the usual retrograde Mercury stories, winged messenger of the gods delighting in his trickster outfit, textbook definition “problems with communication and transport”. Here’s a taster –
- A friend here helping another friend set up a new home is running around in ever decreasing circles as OTE (the equivalent of BT in the UK and whatever your national telephone company might be) have failed repeatedly to turn up for appointments to connect the phone line and the internet. They now say there’s no record of the original application
- In the physical body Mercury links to breathing and the lungs. Someone else turned up at the pulmonologist with his ct scan on a disc – the disc was blank, instead of the one with his results
- A woman set up a business with a friend she’d known for years and would’ve trusted with her life. They’d even worked together in the past. As Mercury switched direction the unraveling she’d suspected became clear and it’s all fallen apart. She’s now lost the thousands of pounds invested into the business, including personal loans to the friend, all done on trust without anything being written down. Now it’s a bitter split with “your word against mine” …
IN THE NEWS THIS MORNING … 🙂
Retrograde Mercury personified, a stunt has been claimed by YouTube prankster Max Fosh, who apologised if “anyone has been seriously thrown”. Anyone flying into Gatwick and looking out of the left window about 90 seconds before landing will see a 60m (197ft) sign saying “Welcome to Luton”.
WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING THIS WEEK?
Mercury stays retrograde until the morning of 3 June, so there’s about another week to go before he starts stationing to turn direct, but is extra important right now because of also changing sign this morning. The “love planets” Venus and Mars both also change sign this week, both entering their signs of dignity – Mars arriving in Aries, Venus arriving in Taurus – and the finale is the most important aspect of the week, Mars conjunct Jupiter (once every two years) –
Monday 23 May
- Mercury (retrograde) ingress Taurus 02.16
- Sun 2 Gemini sextile Jupiter 2 Aries 12.06
Tuesday 24 May
- Mercury 29 Taurus sextile Mars 29 Pisces 04.28
- Venus 25 Aries semi-sextile Neptune 25 Pisces 11.31
- Venus 25 Aries sextile Saturn 25 Aquarius 12.07
- Moon conjunct Neptune 25 Pisces 13.43
- Moon semi-sextile Saturn 25 Aquarius 13.46
Wednesday 25 May
- Mars ingress Aries 00.19
- Moon conjunct Jupiter 2 Aries 03.29
- Mercury 28 Taurus trine Pluto 28 Capricorn 22.57
Friday 27 May
- Venus 28 Aries square Pluto 28 Capricorn 07.27
Saturday 28 May
- Venus ingress Taurus 15.47
Sunday 29 May
- Mars conjunct Jupiter 3 Aries 11.32
MERCURY BACK IN TAURUS & CRITICAL DEGREES
Mercury got as far as 4 degrees of Gemini before turning retrograde on 10 May, and this week starts with Mercury sliding back into Taurus in the early hours of this morning. The turning direct moment will come at the end of next week, so I’ve only just realized that by then we’ll have had a retrograde Mercury for 24 days, a bit longer than average (the Jan/Feb one was 21 days, the next one Sept/Oct will be 22 days). Great! A couple more days thrown in for good measure! I’ll repost the list of things to look out for at the end of the blog.
Monday 23 May
- Mercury (retrograde) ingress Taurus 02.16
Tuesday 24 May
- Mercury 29 Taurus sextile Mars 29 Pisces 04.28
Wednesday 25 May
- Mercury 28 Taurus trine Pluto 28 Capricorn (2nd of 3 times) 22.57
Friday 3 June
- Mercury turns direct at 26 Taurus 09.01
Several points about Mercury returning to Taurus –
- Look out for being taken back to issues that were first important during the last few days of April
- The transition from sign to sign means that a planet is moving from 29 degrees of one sign to 0 degrees of the next, or the other way around when a planet is retrograde. Either way these are “critical degrees”, sometimes literally but usually more in the sense of being important and highly sensitized, especially in terms of beginnings and endings/closure or sequences
- On this occasion as Mercury slides back into Taurus he meets Mars coming the other way, at the end of his journey through Pisces. So the Mercury – Mars alignment happens on the critical degree of 29
- Furthermore 29 Pisces is the degree of a Fixed Star called Scheat associated with suffering. This is a red flag for any relationship in conflict – the war of words
- Because of going backwards and forwards Mercury’s retrograde phase often involves repeating an aspect to a slower moving planet. This time it’s to Pluto who is currently at 28 Capricorn. Mercury made the trine to Pluto first time 28 April and will make the third and final trine 10 June
- Often it’s a middle contact that reveals “the heart of the matter” and the third and final one the outcome. As Pluto himself is about endings of the no going back kind look very carefully at what you’re wrapping up/ending in your life, especially if you have planets or Angles at or very close to 28/29 degrees Capricorn (or opposite sign Cancer), Taurus (or opposite sign Scorpio)
VENUS – THE LOVE & MONEY PLANET
Venus is on the last leg of her journey through Aries, one of her signs of “detriment” as this is a Mars sign, linked to action, single mindedness and independence, whereas Venus rules relating and doesn’t like doing too much alone.
If you’re getting out of a relationship (of any kind) or if you’re single and sick of it this change of sign is really important as Venus plays into the heavy mob as she closes this tough cycle, firstly the Saturn – Neptune link – note that the Moon in Pisces picks up these planets at almost exactly the same time which is another sensitizing point – then the square to Pluto, and then her critical degrees of 29 – 0 on Friday/Saturday. For some this will be about healing, licking wounds, ending the wrong relationship before being free to go ahead with the right one/find a new one. But wherever you need to forgive yourself or someone else or wipe the slate clean, now’s your chance –
Tuesday 24 May
- Venus 25 Aries semi-sextile Neptune 25 Pisces 11.31
- Venus 25 Aries sextile Saturn 25 Aquarius 12.07
- Moon conjunct Neptune 25 Pisces 13.43
- Moon semi-sextile Saturn 25 Aquarius 13.46
Friday 27 May
- Venus 28 Aries square Pluto 28 Capricorn 07.27
Saturday 28 May
- Venus ingress Taurus 15.47
Venus also rules money and so does Taurus. So this new journey is also very promising for earning power and also for spending something on life’s pleasures as well as all the bills.
MARS & JUPITER
-
MARS – ACTION, DOING RATHER THAN THINKING, EGO, CAN-DO ATTITUDE
-
JUPITER – OPPORTUNITY, BLESSINGS, TRAVEL, LEARNING, LIBERATION
Mars’s transition from 29 Pisces to 0 Aries is fantastic for fresh starts of any kind, moving from the last degree of the zodiac to the first, from misery to optimism, from inertia to energy, from the past to the future. This is a bit like having another spring Equinox, fired up even more by the fact that Mars is in dignity in this sign and again the transition is being underlined by lunar aspects –
Tuesday 24 May
- Moon conjunct Mars 29 Pisces 22.35
- Moon ingress Aries 22.41
Wednesday 25 May
- Mars ingress Aries 00.19
- Moon conjunct Jupiter 2 Aries 03.29
Sunday 29 May
- Mars conjunct Jupiter 3 Aries 11.32
So it’s a week full of changes but also of achievements I think. Retrograde Mercury will obviously still be throwing his spanners in the works along the way so don’t assume that anything is in its final version, but that’s life – hence the choice of quote this week from C.S. Lewis. But for now the destination is that glorious Mars – Jupiter union that happens only once every two years, so keep your eye on the end of the week.
Next week will be the last leg of the retrograde Mercury cycle and will start under the breath of fresh air of a Gemini New Moon,
Until then, here’s your Mercury checklist again for heightening your awareness,
With love from Greece
Joanna
Regardless of what is going on in the world, here’s a reminder of the usual checklist of the kind of themes to look out for when Mercury is retrograde, compiled from my own observations over the years.
You may already be experiencing some of these themes while others or similar may yet unfold during the next two weeks –
- Be cautious or at least selective in your use of social media. Avoid posting anything too personal or getting involved in any kind of angry debates. Also check privacy settings
- Guard against trying to construct situations or distressing yourself with regard to anything beyond your control. Forcing any kind of round pegs into square holes won’t be worth the effort and could cost you dearly
- Adopt the mantra of one day at a time … going too far ahead creates anxiety, especially with problems which have no clear or immediate answers
- Know that there are things you don’t know – yet
- Try to operate by “re” words – review, revise, research, reappraise, rethink, repair, redress the balance and so on. Also remember rest and relaxation, give the brain some time off and try not to put yourself under unnecessary pressure
- Expect cancellations or rescheduling of appointments or personal arrangements
- Buy yourself time wherever needed – keep options open
- When in doubt, check it out – second hand opinions are a dead cert for getting hold of the wrong end of the stick – and don’t believe everything you hear
- Write things down and double check everything – forgetfulness, being distracted, inattention etc can be a troublesome theme
- Back up all your computer work
- Don’t delete any documents – you may need them at a later date
- Getting back to ideas on the back burner
- Getting back in touch with those who’ve been neglected or important to you in the past – let them know how much they matter
- Keep a close watch on all belongings – especially keys or anything linked to communication such as phones, laptops, tablets, cameras etc and don’t even think about buying new ones for the time being
- The same for cars – it’s best to avoid buying any mode of transport under a retro Mercury BUT it’s the ideal time for doing all the hunting and research
- Plan any journey with extra care, don’t trust to luck or to fine timing, and make sure tickets are covered on your insurance
- Kill your speed when driving – allow extra time for getting there slowly but safely
- Take extra care with form filling/signing on dotted lines – paperwork and admin of all kinds are a minefield
- Decide to ease the pain or cool the resentment. Write the letter you can’t send or you’ll never send – whether it’s to someone you’ve lost or to someone you want to strangle it’s great therapy
- Turning this the other way around you can also write a letter to yourself from someone you’ve lost – which is even greater therapy. I’ve done this in the past, from my twin Sue, and it was unbelievably powerful
- Stop trying to fix others – just focus on yourself. Changes starts with us, and within us, from the inside out, not the other way around
- Assume nothing. No matter how certain a situation might seem there is a good chance that it will morph into something else over the next couple of weeks – the “x” factor is at work …
- Reserve the right to change your mind/keep an open mind. As you start to see something from a different angle the truth, reality or logistics will evolve in a way that you couldn’t possibly have planned or expected
- KEEP A SENSE OF HUMOUR 🙂