The Astrology Blog 22 August 2022
All times in BST
“Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”
Carl Jung
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Carl_Jung
“Luck is preparation meeting the moment of opportunity.”
Oprah Winfrey
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Oprah_Winfrey
CAT SANCTUARY
Regular readers may remember that back in February I did a fund raiser for our local cat sanctuary. They’ve been reaching out for more help recently as they’re inundated with injured or abandoned kittens, as well as needing to fund the ongoing food and vets bills for the adult cats who’ve gone past the point of finding forever homes. Numbers go up in the summer simply because animal loving tourists find their way to the sanctuary with the cats or kittens that they’ve rescued.
Wherever possible money is funneled into spaying the female cats, the only way to get the kitten population under control, but it’s a huge mountain to climb. This is Callie who’s just been spayed after her last litter all died as she wasn’t able to tend them. So that’s one tragedy that can never be repeated.
So I offered to do another fund raiser for Evie, and am happy to commit to doing this every 6 months, and she’s created our own page so that we can see the results. Last time we raised nearly 1,000 Euros which was amazing and made a massive difference (the food and vets bills alone in the last few months were 4,000).
So here’s the link, and please do share with others wherever possible. You can donate anonymously if you prefer and if everyone put in a couple of quid we’d be sorted. With thanks –
https://gogetfunding.com/joanna-watters-for-cat-sanctuary-lefkas/
RETROGRADE JUPITER – PRICES
I’ve really noticed retrograde Jupiter themes this last week! Jupiter rules long distance travel and everything connected to overseas. He’s the also the planet of education and “the higher mind” – so our philosophy, religion, how we understand life and how we discover meaning. Mercury is “the lower mind”, not in the derogatory sense, but in terms of ruling our early learning, language acquisition, communication skills, and so on.
Jupiter’s top keyword in terms of principles is “expansion” – his job is to make things bigger and better – but that can also show as “inflation”, which we’re all feeling in the cost of living, and which is also definitely showing in flight prices to and from Greece being unrealistically high for the coming weeks.
MORE ON RETROGRADE JUPITER
So last week various travel arrangements unraveled, including flight cancellations not once but twice for a friend coming via Milan. She has Jupiter transiting opposite her 9th House (long distance travel) Pluto (all change, black holes), she’s had to reschedule her whole journey and is now at the mercy of the airlines not pulling any more plugs. We’re pinning our hopes on that lovely Mars – Jupiter sextile on the day she’s supposed to arrive!
Otherwise what can you do to stay one step ahead of retrograde Jupiter? Not a lot. But my top advice on this subject is to allow substantially extra time for your journey if you’re flying anywhere over the next few months, and to have plan B up your sleeve wherever possible. AJupiter answer may include throwing money at a problem rather than trying to do anything on the cheap. Jupiter is rather fond of extravagance! But if we can buy ourselves time/less stress then this is a good investment.
On the subject of what Jupiter is fond of don’t forget that as the planet of luck and opportunity he loves to sow seeds. This plays into the mythology of Zeus being an outrageous womanizer and visiting his goddesses in numerous disguises, but always leaving them pregnant. Might be interesting to think about what your hopes and plans are for 9 months on, ie next spring, and I already have some irons in the fire for the winter months.
I haven’t done a lot of readings in the last couple of months simply because I try to take time off in July and August when it’s so hot. Fortunately the sun comes up behind my house and my study is at the front so I get the cooler hours in the mornings. But the readings I have done in the last few weeks all had the same theme, which boiled down “I want something lovely/exciting/romantic to happen in my life!” It’s not good for us to be stuck in ruts, and if that includes you then it’s even more important to start sowing Jupiter seeds. Hence the choice of quote this week from Oprah Winfrey. Jupiter may rule lucky breaks, but that can take the shape of hard work and preparation paying off, so keep your eye on your goals and desires.
It’s also timely to remember that Jupiter being retrograde doesn’t put the brakes on everything, but the questions and issues that arise about our plans and our future are well worth tending to. Nurture and nourish them. Jupiter’s other title is the great Protector.
Jupiter turns retrograde every 13 months and backtracks 10 degrees during the following four months, so these themes especially apply to you if you have planets or Angles in that 10 degree corridor.
This can happen in the same sign or it can happen across the early degrees of one sign and the latter degrees of the previous one, as is the case now. Jupiter starting the backwards loop at 8 Aries at the end of last month means that he’ll retrograde back into Pisces (23 November) and then turn direct in that sign. Here’s the pattern for the last few years –
2018 | ||
9 March | 23 Scorpio | |
10 July | 13 Scorpio | |
2019 | ||
10 April | 24 Sagittarius | |
11 August | 14 Sagittarius | |
2020 | ||
14 May | 27 Capricorn | |
13 September | 17 Capricorn | |
2021 | ||
20 June | 2 Pisces | |
18 October | 22 Aquarius | |
2022 | ||
28 July | 8 Aries | |
23 November | 28 Pisces | |
2023 | ||
4 September | 15 Taurus | |
31 December | 5 Taurus |
This week it’s Uranus’ turn to switch to retrograde, joining all the other bigger, slow moving planets already making their backwards loops. They’ll all turn around again at the end of this year, beginning of next.
2022 | Turns Retrograde | Turns Direct |
Jupiter | 28 July 8.43 Aries | 23 Nov 28.48 Pisces |
Saturn | 4 June 25.15 Aquarius | 23 Oct 18.35 Aquarius |
Uranus | 24 August 18.55 Taurus | 22 Jan (2023) 14.56 Taurus |
Neptune | 28 June 25.26 Pisces | 3 Dec 22.39 Pisces |
Pluto | 29 April 28.36 Capricorn | 8 Oct 26.07 Capricorn |
WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING THIS WEEK?
Here’s your “at a glance” of the celestial calendar for the week ahead –
Monday 22 August
- Mercury 26 Virgo trine Pluto 26 Capricorn 22.57
Tuesday 23 August
- Sun ingress Virgo 04.17
Wednesday 24 August
- Uranus turns retrograde 14.54
Friday 26 August
- Mercury ingress Libra 02.04
Saturday 27 August
- Venus 18 Leo square Uranus 18 Taurus 05.34
- New Moon 4 Virgo 09.18
Sunday 28 August
- Venus 20 Leo opposite Saturn 20 Aquarius 19.29
MERCURY
So for the sake of time here’s a quick look-see at a busy week. We start with Mercury finishing his journey through Virgo, picking up a trine to Pluto in fellow earth sign Capricorn late last night before changing sign and moving on into Libra in the early hours of Friday.
Mercury’s link to Pluto is important because it’s the first of three, here’s the sequence –
- 21 August Mercury trine Pluto
- 26 August Mercury enters Libra
- 10 Sept Mercury turns retrograde at 9 Libra
- 23 Sept Mercury slides back into Virgo
- 27 Sept Mercury trine Pluto 2nd time (retrograde)
- 2 Oct Mercury turns direct 24 Virgo
- 7 Oct Mercury trine Pluto 3rd and final time
- 8 Oct Pluto turns direct 26 Virgo
- 10 Oct Mercury enters Libra 2nd time
Note that the third and final link to Pluto coincides with Pluto turning direct so that is being heavily underlined as a grand finale and turning point. More on this thread in the weeks to come. But if anything significant happened for you yesterday, especially in terms of news or decisions, then there’s definitely more to come.
NEW MOON VIRGO & A STRESSED OUT VENUS!
So the Sun entered Virgo in the early hours of this morning and we’re heading for the New Moon at 4 degrees of Virgo – the moment when the Sun and the Moon unite – at the beginning of the weekend. Watch out for new cycles that carry Virgo hallmarks, such as matters related to work and health. Virgo is ruled by Mercury so again Mercurial themes are strongly indicated – info, news, important conversations and so on.
The challenging Venus aspects that are picking up Uranus and then Saturn are wrapped around the New Moon –
Saturday 27 August
- Venus 18 Leo square Uranus 18 Taurus 05.34
- New Moon 4 Virgo 09.18
Sunday 28 August
- Venus 20 Leo opposite Saturn 20 Aquarius 19.29
This picture reflects the one that happened two weeks ago when the Sun made these same aspects, with the Full Moon in the middle, which was a really difficult week! In the news it was the death of Anne Heche and the attack on Salman Rushdie.
The Saturn – Uranus combo isn’t exact but the two are still close travelling companions, and the result is a very rocky ride. Wobbly relationships, precarious financial situations or emotional difficulties such as depression (ie Venus is in charge of love, money and pleasure) are likely to be the top issues.
By tough aspect Saturn is frustration, blocks, denial or simply not getting what you want. Uranus by tough aspect is the divorce planet and the spanner in the works. Great! But think in terms of wake up calls and don’t keep investing your energy in the wrong person or the wrong thing. For example if you’re with someone who’s actually never given you what you want then why fight it? These are the kind of aspects that indicate events making up your mind for you if you don’t do it yourself. Note that Venus’ opposition to Saturn is her last aspect before changing sign, moving on into Virgo 5 Sept.
So be sure to recognise a brick wall when you see one and stay tuned in to the things that are beyond your control or the things that happen unexpectedly, especially if you have planets or Angles at or very close to 18 – 20 degrees of the Fixed signs – Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius. It can be very difficult to stand back and let things unfold, rather than going into knee jerk panic or getting over excited – Uranus really can swing both ways in terms of things being either OMG or WOW! – but this is definitely a week for finding your footholds and for taking a leaf out of Virgo’s book in terms of being systematic, pragmatic and finding your work ethic. Have an eye for the details and get list ticking.
Stay tuned into your own psyche too. Being aware of our strengths and weaknesses is a helpful guide right now, and can help us spot the difference between things that are genuinely happening “to us” and the things that we’ve created or co-created in some way. Hence the choice of quote from Jung. Enlightenment wakes us up, setting us on the path to constructive change and far less risk of making the same mistakes twice – or more! Definitely time to take a long hard look at anything problematic in your life or relationships that seems to be stuck on repeat. Virgo loves a bit of analysis!
Until next week, with love from Greece
Joanna