The Astrology Blog 24 October 2022
All times in BST
“Alice laughed: “There’s no use trying,” she said; “one can’t believe impossible things.”
“I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Lewis_Carroll
UK LEADERSHIP CRISIS
Political astrology is not what I would call my area of expertise but, regardless of the situation, each individual does of course have their own astrological picture which in turn reflects their own unfolding experiences. In the last blog I included my write up of Liz Truss’ current picture, illustrating how things were unraveling and how we could see that her crunch point was upon her. I commented that she was in the heart of her own crisis and that it was hard to see how she could survive it. She didn’t. Two hours after that mailing went out, she resigned.
I once had a furious email from a blog reader telling me that she was unsubscribing and slamming me at length for my “blatant political views” after I’d made it clear exactly what I thought of Donald Trump. Um me, and millions of others, but I had obviously touched a nerve. I politely reminded her that this blog is free, she was free to leave at any time – and it’s mine. As a blogger in the western world I have the freedom of speech so tragically and disastrously denied to others. I’ll be coming to Raif Badawi in a while.
The point made by my critic was right, but the attack unwarranted as the whole thesis of my blog is to substantiate things astrologically. But it’s important to remember that, when looking at any astrological picture, and especially in one to one client work, our own views and opinions are actually irrelevant. That doesn’t mean that we don’t have them. But we must be guided by the astrology in order to find the outcomes most strongly indicated.
BORIS JOHNSON
So, when it was suggested to me last week that I look at Boris Johnson’s chart for a possible comeback I dismissed the idea as ludicrous. The very idea of his coming back to Downing St was laughable, as if the UK isn’t already enough of a laughing stock in the eyes of the country and the rest of the world, but that’s my personal opinion and um, probably countless others! BoJo has of course now pulled out but nevertheless the astrology has been intriguing.
First thing to do with any situation is to get the facts, ie establish the context, as I wasn’t even sure how the voting worked. So if you’ve got the same gap in your political knowledge here’s the process –
- Each candidate needs a minimum 100 votes from their own party before they can stand for election. Rishi Sunak passed that number very quickly while Boris and Penny Mordaunt trailed behind
- The Tory party has 357 Members of Parliament so approx only half had made their preference known
- If only one candidate gets those 100 votes then that person is automatically declared the new leader and UK could therefore have a new prime minister by this (Monday) afternoon, deadline being 14.00 BST (most likely outcome)
- The only chance that Penny has is if all of Boris’ supporters switch their allegiance to her. The MPs then vote between her and Sunak but this isn’t the decisive ballot unless one of them admits defeat
- The decisive vote happens when Tory party members (not MPs) step in and vote online, including 251 members of the House of Lords, 9 members of the London Assembly, 31 members of the Scottish Parliament and 16 members of the Welsh Parliament
MARS STATIONARY RETROGRADE
So that’s the numbers game state of play. What does the astrology suggest? As I’ve often said astrology can be very literal sometimes and events overnight are a reminder not to underestimate the weight of key planets about to turn retrograde. More on Mars’ turning point further on but in relation to this story –
- Mars (work, the job) is stationing at 25 Gemini
- Boris’ Sun – Venus conjunction is at 28 Gemini, so Mars nearly got there but then changed his mind
- Unless Penny gets a sudden landslide of support before 2pm today she’s not even in the running. The contest had already come down to 2 (Gemini = the Twins, duality) men (Mars) , with one of them (the Gemini lol) deciding to go the other way and pulling out (retrograde)
- Boris’ Moon is at 0.36 Scorpio, less than 2 degrees off this week’s Solar Eclipse, and rules his 10th House of career. As noted last week Eclipses sort winners and losers, and this was a clear showing for the fall of Liz Truss (the Moon = women, in Scorpio = the Moon’s sign of Fall, most troubled placing). The Eclipse is square her Leo Sun, the shadow is thrown, creating the conditions for the rise of her successor
- The obvious interpretation would be to say that this was clearing the way for Boris, but the stationary retrograde Mars showed the spanner in the works, a stronger contender in the shape of Sunak
Frustratingly no horoscope for Sunak or Penny as there are no times of birth but these may emerge in time. So no known Ascendant or Midheaven – the crucial super sensitive Angles – but Penny is on her Chiron Return (once every 50-51 years) – trying to rescue the wounded party?
Sunak has a Sun – Mercury opposition at approx 20 – 22 Taurus opposite Uranus 23 Scorpio. So the next big transits for him will be the once in a lifetime Uranus over the Sun – Mercury and then his Uranus Half Return (midlife crisis) but these don’t even get started until next June. Given that it was Uranus transits (the rug puller, drama, rebellion, chaos) that reflected the Liz Truss rise and fall then he has his share of all of that yet to come.
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Penny_Mordaunt
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Rishi_Sunak
Another way of looking for outcomes for individuals is to look at the charts of those closest to them. I searched for the birthday of Sunak’s wife but the only info is that she’s born April 1980.
Boris’ wife Carrie 17 March 1988 also does not have a known time of birth but she has Jupiter at 2 Taurus, bang opposite the Eclipse degree, and her Sun at 27 Pisces, within one degree of where Jupiter will turn direct in a month’s time. This rather suggests that Jupiter is the “significator” for her partner ie it’s Boris who has been “eclipsed”. My bet is that she’s secretly pleased about this! Jupiter turning direct is often liberation, a reprieve and the opportunity for something better.
WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING THIS WEEK?
So here’s the “at a glance” list of aspects and features now dominating our skies, between now and the end of the week –
Tuesday 25 October
- New Moon/Solar Eclipse 2 Scorpio, conjunct Venus 11.50
Thursday 27 October
- Mercury 25 Libra trine Mars 25 Gemini 03.38
- Mercury 26 Libra square Pluto 26 Capricorn 14.08
Friday 28 October
- Jupiter (retrograde) ingress Pisces 06.12
Saturday 29 October
- Mercury ingress Scorpio 20.23
Sunday 30 November
- Mars turns retrograde at 25.36 Gemini 14.27
MERCURY
Starting with the relatively easy bit, Mercury has been back to full speed for a week now so is flying through the end degrees of Libra. But his midweek aspects are not easy, both Mars and Pluto falling into the category of malefics, and this feels like an extension of last week when Mercury picked up aspects to both Saturn and Uranus.
For that picture I said to pay close attention to events unfolding, at how matters seem to be conspiring to point you in the right direction or even at how decisions are being made for you (Liz Truss). Mercury was re-invoking the big Saturn – Uranus (the old order changeth) square which clearly made itself felt and also at high speed. My original “take” on this big square when it was exact last year (Feb, June, Dec) was to name it the “wrecking ball”.
So keep an eye on the things in your own life that are in a state of flux and let the dust settle. Avoid any kind of conflict as Mars is SR – Stationary Retrograde – and the square to Pluto is about endings. That theme is underlined by the fact that this is Mercury’s last aspect before changing sign.
Not easy for things like entering into negotiation or setting the record straight, but textbook for difficult decisions or writing something off. Also look out for significant choices, maybe along the lines of realizing that you “can’t do both”. Over the weekend Mercury will move through the “critical degrees” of 29 – 0 when changing sign, and the journey through Scorpio will last until 17 November. So more on that combination in the coming weeks.
THE SUN, MOON & ECLIPSES
It’s a brilliant lesson in symbolism and magic to think about the Sun and the Moon in terms of how we see them from planet Earth. They appear to be the same size. We therefore attribute equal importance to them in the horoscope. In other words, your Moon sign is just as important as your Sun sign. They weigh the same.
And it is only because they appear to us to be the same size that the wonder of Eclipses can happen at all, the disc of one fitting exactly over the disc of the other –
The Sun’s distance from Earth is about 400 times the Moon’s distance, and the Sun’s diameter is about 400 times the Moon’s diameter. Because these ratios are approximately the same, the Sun and the Moon as seen from Earth appear to be approximately the same size (Wikipedia)
Eclipses occur every 6 months when a New or Full Moon is also conjunct the Moon’s Nodes. The North and South Node are not heavenly bodies, they are the imaginary points at which the Moon cuts across the Ecliptic (from which we derive the word Eclipse) which is the apparent path of the Sun’s motion as seen from planet Earth. It’s because the Earth’s axis is tilted that we don’t get Eclipses every month.
Back to symbolism, in traditional astrology the line of the Nodes (always exactly opposite each other) symbolizes a dragon. The Sun and the Moon (the Lights) are the eyes of the dragon, and the dragon “eating” the Lights refers to the phenomenon of eclipses –
- The North Node Caput Draconis – the head of the dragon is regarded as fortunate, as this is where the dragon feeds and gains nourishment. Good karma.
- The South Node Cauda Draconis – the tail of the dragon is regarded as unfortunate, being where the dragon excretes, ie where shit happens. Bad karma.
Eclipses work in pairs, sometimes in threes. A Solar Eclipse (on a New Moon) is therefore always followed two weeks later by a Lunar Eclipse (on a Full Moon) or vice versa. So this week it’s the New Moon/Solar Eclipse at exactly 2 degrees Scorpio and the next one will be Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse at 16 Taurus on 8 November –
Tuesday 25 October
- New Moon/Solar Eclipse 2.00 Scorpio, conjunct Venus 11.50
Tuesday 8 November
- Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse 16.01 Taurus, opposite Mercury/conjunct Uranus 11.03
- A Solar Eclipse – occurs when the Sun is obscured by the shadow of the Moon at the time of a New Moon
- A Lunar Eclipse – occurs when the Moon is obscured by the shadow of the earth at the time of a Full Moon
ECLIPSE SYMBOLISM
Eclipses get mixed press but basically they’re points of significant change that often involve power issues and/or the crux points of triangular situations, ie as symbolized by the intricate relationship between the three bodies of the Sun, Moon and Earth. Who is going to overshadow whom?
There is often a flavour of death/rebirth symbolism – changing colours, the light disappearing and coming back on again. It can be powerful stuff.
If you have planets or Angles at or close to the Eclipse degrees, then be on the alert for key developments in any situation that is about change, and establishing a new order. It may not be easy but when the shadows lift a new landscape is revealed.
When I say “close to” I usually mean within 2 to 3 degrees but with Eclipses the orb tends to be bigger, so allow up to 5 degrees, but the tighter the aspect the more important the planet/Angle in terms of indicating life events.
Key themes to look out for –
- Being overshadowed, feeling in the dark
- Themes of empowerment – disempowerment
- Themes of inevitability – Eclipses light a fuse
- Themes of loss/endings that change your life and set you on a different path
- Themes of symbolic death/rebirth – out with the old, in with the new, literally or psychologically
- Sorting winners from losers between twos or threes (Sun, Moon, Earth), eg affairs, job applications, house buying, any competitive situation. One person’s loss is another person’s gain
- Dealing with that which, until now, has been hidden from us in some way
- Revelations – sometimes on the run up to the Eclipse, sometimes even exactly on the day
- Revelations in the not very distant future, when we learn what happened when we weren’t looking, when we were in the dark or “when the light went out”
- Tipping points of change and goodbyes – no going back to something belonging to your old life
- Getting out of your own way OR standing up for yourself or for someone else who’s “in the shadows”
THE ECLIPSES & RAIF BADAWI
Raif Badawi was released from prison in March of this year. He served 10 years and horrific punishment for crimes against Islam and now has a travel ban for the same length of time. His wife Ensaf and children were granted asylum in Canada after receiving death threats, and also because Raif’s imprisonment meant that his father could claim custody of the children.
Raif is reported to be in poor health – frail, with diabetes and hypertension which of course his treatment made considerably worse. Again no known time of birth but I mention him this week he has a natal Mars – Pluto conjunction in Scorpio, only one degree apart and the Pluto at exactly 2.00 Scorpio – the same as the Eclipse.
In itself the Mars – Pluto is a clear and chilling showing for coming up against the ruthless power of the authorities in his culture, and for his incarceration and treatment. He also has Saturn in Scorpio, at 15 degrees, so he’ll pick up the Lunar Eclipse as well in two weeks time. He also has a Venus – Uranus conjunction in Sagittarius (there’s the symbol for wife and children abroad) right in the line of Mars’ backwards and forwards journey to come.
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Raif_Badawi
Raif cannot leave the kingdom with anything other than a royal pardon. The best possible outcome is for Raif to be granted that pardon, even if it’s on the grounds of diminishing health. Am not holding my breath but these Eclipses would suggest a critical time for him. No recorded birth date available for Ensaf or their children.
JUPITER RETURNS TO PISCES
Friday 28 October
- Jupiter (retrograde) ingress Pisces 06.12
Jupiter has been retrograde since 28 July, made the turn at 8 Aries, and this week slides back into Pisces. This puts Jupiter back in his own sign until the end of the year (returns to Aries properly on 20 Dec) but for much of this time Jupiter will be at 29 Pisces which is the degree of a Fixed Star called Scheat, associated with the painful side to the Pisces coin – suffering, sacrifice or some kind of loss. Great!
Top advice is to watch your personal boundaries, keep dodgy people at bay, don’t go rushing to the rescue for those who are perfectly capable of looking after themselves, watch out for the manipulators, the “poor me” type victims, the guilt trippers and if you’re being asked to give something up then think very carefully about the reasons and the possible consequences.
MARS STATIONARY RETROGRADE
Sunday 30 November
- Mars turns retrograde at 25.36 Gemini 14.27
Mars turns retrograde approximately once every 25 months for periods of around 65-80 days at a time, so nowhere near as frequent as Mercury (3 times a year, 3 weeks at a time). Mars won’t turn direct again until 12 January (at 8 Gemini) which translates into Mars spending 7 months in Gemini instead of the usual 2 months.
Think scenic route! What we would normally expect to be an A to B journey could take either a lot longer than expected or will take us the long way around. Look out for issues characterized by themes of push-pull, stop-start, changes of heart, either your own or someone crucial to a plan, or changes of circumstances.
Also as with all retrogrades look out for the “going back” and “re” themes, everything from getting back with an ex to rethinking and reshaping a plan. Being in the double sign of Gemini underlines the theme of choices, options – this or that, here or there, this job or that job – but also two things or more at the same time. Keep an open mind and believe in impossible things! It’s pretty textbook for affairs too so if you’re single and searching I would make availability a top concern.
As always, at a universal level but especially if you have planet or Angles at or close to 25 Gemini or the opposite sign of Sagittarius, pay close attention to the events that coincide with the turning point this coming weekend as it may well be packed with clues.
Until next week, with love from Greece
Joanna