The Astrology Blog 16 May 2022
All times in BST
“There are no facts, only interpretations.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Friedrich_Nietzsche
“When people don’t believe in you, you have to believe in yourself.”
Happy Solar Return (Birthday) to Pierce Brosnan – 16 May 1953
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Pierce_Brosnan
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THE LUNAR ECLIPSE – 25.18 SCORPIO
You would think that there would be a lot more astrological literature about the phenomena of eclipses, and what they signify, but all astrological craft needs a huge amount of research when it comes to producing “hands on” work with real illustrations. In many areas of astrology there’s often a lot of uncertainty, and eclipses are no exception. You’ve only got to see all the different posts on social media when we’re in eclipse season, as we are now, to see how wide ranging possible interpretations are, and often these are offered as definitive rather than possible, which in itself is a red flag.
Very little astrology is definitive (eg saying that x definitely means y and never anything else) simply because it’s a language of the symbolic. We can go back to Carl Jung who flagged up the essential and crucial difference between a sign and a symbol. The former means one thing, the latter has to be “unpacked” in order to discover its meaning. For example, a “No Entry” sign is just that, a sign, meaning no entry allowed and that’s that. It has no other possible meaning.
Dreaming (another symbolic language) about, say, a phoenix, has universal meaning of rebirth attached to it but the dreamer then has their own story connected to why the unconscious should select the phoenix image in the first place. There will be a particular meaning for the dreamer that will apply to nobody else. Unpacking astrological symbolism works much in the same way.
NORTH KOREA IS IN TROUBLE
Countries have horoscopes just as individuals do and the Moon represents the people. The horoscope for North Korea shows the Moon at 25.38 Scorpio (exactly conjunct this lunar Eclipse degree), conjunct Chiron 20.39, who in turn is exactly conjunct 6th House cusp 21 Scorpio. In any horoscope a planet conjunct a house cusp (within 2 degrees) carries extra weight.
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/North_Korea
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61432084
The 6th House shows the health of the nation. The health of the North Korean people is now being eclipsed by Covid, which up until now the country had denied even having, to the extent of previously refusing the offer of vaccines from both China and the WHO. But the unraveling of a retrograde Mercury (your lies will catch you out) coinciding with the falling of the Eclipse shadow has brought the tipping point, no more denial, and the crisis is already reaching overwhelming proportions.
No time of birth for Kim Jong-un but he has Saturn at 14 Scorpio (opposite the degree of the Solar Eclipse two weeks ago of 10 Taurus) and Chiron at 28 Taurus (opposite the degree of the Lunar Eclipse of 25 Scorpio) –
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Kim_Jong-un
DAME DEBORAH JAMES – born 1 October 1981
Note that the Moon (women) in Scorpio is in her sign of “fall” (troubled) and in medical astrology the sign of Scorpio can represent that which poisons. I don’t think that a Lunar Eclipse in the Moon’s sign of fall was ever going to be easy and health stories include the remarkable Deborah James.
On Friday her damehood was conferred by Prince William who visited her at home, where she is now receiving end of life care after years of bowel cancer. She also confirmed that her fundraising has reached a staggering 5 million pounds.
No time of birth but she has a Venus – Uranus conjunction at 21 and 27 Scorpio both opposite Chiron (the Wounded Healer) at 22 Taurus. She also has her Moon in Scorpio but without a time of birth this could be anywhere between 9 and 21 degrees. A Noon Chart places her Moon at 15 Scorpio but I suspect it’s later.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61446342
All the Scorpio ingredients are there – resilience, determination, intensely important relationship with the subject of death, for those around her and her own, the power of money.
Other celebs to watch, with planets or Angles on the Lunar Eclipse degree –
- The Queen – Saturn 25.29 Scorpio – see last week’s blog
- George VI – Moon 24.51 Scorpio – interestingly the Queen’s synastry with her father is on this degree, which also shows in the charts of her two eldest sons
- Prince Charles – Sun 22.26 Scorpio
- Prince Andrew – Moon 25.29 Scorpio
- Taylor Swift – Mars 26.41 Scorpio conjunct Ascendant 25.35 Scorpio
- Martin Scorcese – Sun 24.12 Scorpio conjunct Venus 24.22 Scorpio
- Danny Devito – Sun 25.08 Scorpio conjunct Mars 24.16 Scorpio
- Lewis Hamilton – Saturn 25.18 Scorpio
- Jon Voight – Venus 25.51 Scorpio and is also now on his Uranus Return (a once in a lifetime event, age 84) 14.05 Taurus
- Elon Musk – https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Elon_Musk – Jupiter 27.39 Scorpio. He also has Saturn at 1 Gemini so retrograde Mercury is going back over Saturn this week, on point astrology for trying to back out (retrograde Mercury) of the deal to acquire Twitter (Mercury the winged messenger rules all social media) which could cost him heavily (Saturn). He obviously didn’t consult his astrologer first J
WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING THIS WEEK?
Hard on the heels of the Lunar Eclipse in the early hours of today, Monday, we then go straight into a week that is packed with activity, something happening on every day right through to the beginning of next Monday. Probably the most important event is the Mars – Neptune conjunction (once every two years) and then the Sun – Mercury conjunction that always happens roughly in the middle of Mercury’s three week retrograde phase –
Tuesday 17 May
- Saturn 25 Aquarius semi-sextile Neptune 25 Pisces 17.43
Wednesday 18 May
- Mars conjunct Neptune 25 Pisces 07.35
- Mars 25 Pisces semi-sextile Saturn 25 Aquarius 07.44
Thursday 19 May
- Sun 28 Taurus trine Pluto 28 Capricorn 13.08
Friday 20 May
- Mercury (retrograde) 1 Gemini sextile Jupiter 1 Aries 01.34
Saturday 21 May
- Sun ingress Gemini 02.24
- Sun conjunct Mercury 0 Gemini 20.19
Sunday 22 May
- Mars 28 Pisces sextile Pluto 28 Capricorn 23.12
Monday 23 May
- Mercury (retrograde) ingress Taurus 02.16
MARS – NEPTUNE – SATURN
Tuesday 17 May
- Saturn 25 Aquarius semi-sextile Neptune 25 Pisces 17.43
Wednesday 18 May
- Mars conjunct Neptune 25 Pisces 07.35
- Mars 25 Pisces semi-sextile Saturn 25 Aquarius 07.44
Sunday 22 May
- Mars 28 Pisces sextile Pluto 28 Capricorn 23.12
So Mars catches up with very slow moving Neptune once every two years (next time will be 29 April 2024 at nearly 29 degrees Pisces) and it’s not the easiest of combinations. Mars is the “doing” planet, Neptune is virtually the opposite, ruling the watery realms of dreams, sleep and mysticism –
- Mars – masculine and rules men, pursuit, lust and libido. Traditionally known as “the Lesser Malefic” (Saturn is the Greater Malefic) so he can be a total pain. He’s the god of war and symbolizes everything to do with how we go into battle, and how we handle the cut and thrust of life. In terms of action our Mars sign is how we “do” things. Psychologically he symbolizes the heated emotions and he rules anger, passion and pain
- Neptune – our night world of sleep and dreams, and any altered state of consciousness. He is god of the seas and psychologically his realm is fusion, the boundless watery world of the emotions, the fuzziness of falling in love right through to the suffering of loss, grief or personal sacrifice. On the plus side the Neptunian goal is redemption, all that is magical, healing, boundlessly imaginative, empathic with highly developed instincts or psychic talents. The trickier side is subtle, seductive and addictive – ruling alcohol and drugs – mysterious, confusing, disorientating or manipulative
You can kind of double up these themes given that Neptune is travelling through his own sign of Pisces, who shares these themes.
In terms of info that we can glean from natal charts it’s not surprising that Pisces/a strongly positioned Neptune are incredibly common features in the horoscopes of actors (Mutable Water, they can be anyone you want them to be) or those famed for artistic talent. For example, the legendary Michael Caine, who also has the double theme, being a Sun/Venus Pisces. The best possible “take” on Mars – Neptune is the charming and artistically talented man.
On the trickier “slippery fish” side we have the likes of Imelda Marcos, with Mars – Neptune at 28/29 degrees of lavish Leo in her 2nd House of money, in a dissociate (blind spot) aspect to her Taurus (money) Moon. In her role of First Lady she and her husband amassed a personal fortune by robbing billions of pesos from the Filipino people over a period of 20 years.
But she’s even more famous for her shoe addiction – in the physical body Pisces/Neptune rule the feet – leaving thousands of expensive pairs behind her when toppled from power. But she’s still alive, age 93, and in spite of ongoing court cases is still free, still stinking rich …. Makes a mockery of justice.
Anyway back to us, this Mars – Neptune conjunction might signal the presence of a “slippery fish” type or the demands of a situation with a lot of fuzzy edges. Saturn in the mix too makes things more serious. Saturn and Neptune come together themselves by a minor aspect but as they are both so slow moving it’s a rare alignment and therefore more important than the semi-sextile might suggest. But again it’s a mismatch – Saturn is the grown up who slams in hard reality checks, not what Neptune wants to hear.
So stay well away from anyone you’ve already got tagged as “trouble” and don’t allow yourself to be talked into anything that feels uncomfortable, false or risky. Remember we still have a retrograde Mercury, guilt tripping always ends in tears, promises made by con artists or unfaithful men are never kept and especially not now.
The somber side wrapped up in this Mars, Saturn and Neptune dance is genuine suffering and anything attached to ill health, grief or anxiety. The only coping strategy is to recognize what is real in the situation and what is being escalated through frantic over imagination or worry going off the end of the scale. If this is you, reach out for help. It doesn’t matter who you ask, just get the ball rolling in terms of restoring perspective. If someone else is drowning be the first to throw the life jacket.
For example, I urged a Pisces client just last week, whose painful relationship is stuck on repeat, to take the longer view. I can’t make her decisions for her but I did go as far as saying that she seriously needed to think about the coming years, not just about how she feels right now. And I would say the same to anyone who spends most of their time feeling miserable. Do you still want to be feeling like this next month, in 6 months time, in 6 years time? It’s only when we genuinely consider this longer view that we think …. Ah ….
But whatever your personal situation the first half of this week is definitely the right time to put your personal boundaries firmly in place. By the weekend things look more manageable, even if you’re dealing with an ending of some kind, as Mars aligns by harmonious sextile (exactly 2 signs apart) with “end of the line” Pluto. At least part of the journey goes no further, a theme echoed on Thursday when the Sun also aligns with Pluto, the last solar aspect before the Sun changes sign.
Mars has one more aspect to come next week but it’s to Mercury who is retrograde – going the other way – before moving into his own sign of Aries in the early hours of next Wednesday, 25 May. My own feeling on this in terms of general day to day work/life is to factor in people changing their minds either way, being delayed or caught out by things that come up last minute or to get tedious or time consuming things wrapped up as quickly as possible so that you’re ready for that fresh start. In my own calendar Wed 25th is the day that the first students arrive for Summer School so all preparation has to be done by then, no choice!
SUN – MERCURY – JUPITER
This triple act feels like a pure blessing after the tricky trio of Mars, Neptune and Saturn. It suggests that the second half of the week definitely includes some easier things to enjoy or some renewed energy for getting ahead.
In spite of the fact that Mercury is currently retrograde (see last week’s blog for full explanation and info on that) the harmonious link to exuberant Jupiter (the Greater Benefic) on his new journey through fiery Aries is a good news combination. This can take many shapes but look out for Jupiter hallmarks, ie anything or anyone linked to overseas or foreign travel, education, legal matters, generosity, opportunity or liberation. Note that this aspect is exact just as we tip into Friday so it’s going to be at its strongest during Thursday –
Friday 20 May
- Mercury (retrograde) 1 Gemini sextile Jupiter 1 Aries 01.34
Saturday 21 May
- Sun ingress Gemini 02.24
- Sun conjunct Mercury 0 Gemini 20.19
Monday 23 May
- Mercury (retrograde) ingress Taurus 02.16
We get Sun conjunct Mercury 6 times a year, 3 times when Mercury is moving direct (the superior conjunction) and 3 times when Mercury is retrograde (the inferior conjunction).
So whenever Mercury is retrograde the exact conjunction with the Sun falls somewhere roughly in the middle of that three week backwards journey. In the early hours of Saturday the Sun enters Gemini and then in the evening meets up with Mercury coming the other way, so this conjunction falls in Mercury’s own sign and at 0 degrees, great for fresh starts, even if you can’t action something immediately. Both 0 and 29 are known as “critical” degrees, not necessarily in terms of crisis but more usually in terms of beginnings and endings.
Any planet, not just Mercury, 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 period lasts approximately for 8 hours, about four hours either side of the exact conjunction
- This cazimi will therefore be from approx 4.00pm through to midnight on Saturday in the UK. Adjust to your own time zone – eg Greece 6pm on Saturday through to 2am on Sunday
- 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 an important conversation started. Information that surfaces on the cazimi is often invaluable and can make a real difference
In the early hours of next Monday Mercury slides back into Taurus and will turn direct again 3 June at 26 degrees of Taurus, interestingly bang opposite the degree of today’s Lunar Eclipse. So if you have planets or Angles at or very close to 25/26 Taurus, or the opposite sign of Scorpio, then there is at least one matter in your life that is being super sensitized and is still being played out. This will almost certainly include information or pieces of the puzzle that are not yet known to you.
Next week Mercury and Venus will be the lead players and we’ll be heading for the extremely dynamic Mars – Jupiter conjunction in the early degrees of Aries. In the meantime just keep a constant eye on Mercury in trickster mode, make no assumptions and remember that nothing is written in stone,
Until then, with love from Greece
Joanna