The Astrology Blog 29 May 2023
All times in BST
“People think my life has been tough, but I think it’s been a wonderful journey. The older you get, the more you realise it’s not what happened, it’s how you deal with it. True and lasting happiness comes from an unshakeable spirit that can shine, no matter what.”
Tina Turner
26 November 1939 – 24 May 2023
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Tina_Turner
The Astrology Blog is a weekly teaching blog, including the astrology for the week ahead and analysis of how astrology is showing in the world around us, in world events or in the lives of those in the public eye.
The content of the blog focuses on astrological interpretation and prediction, in terms of the kind of things to expect when particular planets or patterns are at work. It also includes commentary on the psychotherapeutic benefits of using astrology as a frame of reference, for the individual and the collective.
CHECKING CHARTS
If you want to see the visual of the wheel with the sign and degree of the planets in your own or any other natal chart, to check against the signs and degrees important this week as outlined in the blog, here’s the link to Astrotheme.
Enter your data into the boxes provided, and you’ll also find an invaluable databank of thousands of celebrities. You can also store up to 200 charts of your own:
https://www.astrotheme.com/horoscope_chart_sign_ascendant.php
THIS WEEKLY BLOG – SUBSCRIPTION & WHAT WILL IT COST?
A reminder that after writing this blog for free for over 15 years I’ve made the decision to continue via subscription. Thank you to everyone who’s given me positive feedback on that during the last couple of weeks, from readers, students and from other astrologers.
So subscription will be at a very affordable rate of £5.95 a month – which works out at £1.37 a week. OR you can do an annual subscription for 20% less, which is £57.00 for the year working out at £1.09 a week. This will be set up with PayPal as an option which is the quickest and easiest way.
I don’t have an exact date as yet for making this change but it will be announced very soon. For now I hope you enjoy this week’s astrology which includes a look at Tina Turner’s horoscope.
GREEK ISLAND SUMMER SCHOOL
TAROT & ASTROLOGY – with Joanna
7 – 14 JUNE
Includes learning how to use the tarot for your own questions and also working on your own horoscope
This group was originally fully booked by the end of last year, then had cancellations, then filled up again, and now has 2 spaces again. Weather forecast amazing, 27 – 29 C of sunshine, not dropping below 22 in the evenings.
Do get in touch if you’d like to find out more, especially as flight prices for that week are still looking really good –
· 2 of 10 PLACES AVAILABLE
· Variety of return flights from Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted, Bristol & Manchester – ranging from £122.00 to £185.00
· Transfers and accommodation organised by me, all you have to do is book your flight
FULL MOON FROM NIDRI BEACH
TINA TURNER
Last week we said goodbye to the amazing soul who was Tina Turner. I was lucky enough to go to one of her concerts. It was in February 1984, I was a very insecure 24 years old still recovering from the death of my mother less than a year earlier, and was dragged along by the older boyfriend Chris at that time who was a massive fan, but I knew nothing about her. I had no idea about the history of this woman who was an ongoing legend in the making.
The gig was at Lancaster University in their Grand Hall, there were no seats, and on Chris’ insistence we arrived early. We were standing just three rows back from the front of the stage. My only memory of that evening, which I have never forgotten, was that at one point she sang right at me, several lines of the song while making intense eye contact. I was totally overwhelmed and stood there with my mouth open. Power radiated out of her. I understood more at a later date when I read in an interview her words, “In an audience I play to the women. I already have the men.”
Tina Turner’s most important legacy is the message that she got across to thousands of women, that you don’t have to be defined or defeated by domestic violence and abuse. Is there any astrological hallmark that might suggest a woman would be at risk?
This is tricky stuff because it can take us into “prescriptive” astrology, the erroneous idea that it’s a one size fits all craft, which is never the case. But we can certainly locate the astrology for each individual experience. For Tina her Full Moon, which is Moon in Gemini opposite her Sun – Mercury (the voice) conjunction in Sagittarius, squares to Mars, therefore creating an Aspect Pattern called a T-Square. There’s the raucous voice and the super energetic stage performer.
The planet that squares the other two (or more) in opposition to each other is said to be the outlet. In Tina’s horoscope then the outlet is Mars (men, god of war) in Pisces in the 7th House (marriage partner). The flipside to Pisces is manipulative behaviour and the archetype of the victim, and most marital abusers operate on the premise that their partner should feel sorry for them, not the other way around. Mars rules all heated emotions – anger, passion – and all that cuts, everything from a man’s fist to the finesse of the surgeon’s scalpel. Her second husband Erwin Bach donated a kidney to her.
As a Sagittarius the other planet that is important for Tina is Jupiter, located at 29 Pisces in the 8th House (the life and death cycle, sex, taboo subjects, the partner’s money). 29 Pisces is the position of a Fixed Star called Scheat, associated with malevolence and suffering, including suicide attempts. Tina had a suicide attempt in 1968, through an overdose of Valium.
Jupiter rules the blood and she also had high blood pressure that was reported as being mostly untreated throughout her life and which led to the kidney problems. She publicly stated 4 years ago that she wished she’d been more aware of the connection as she could’ve saved herself a lot of suffering if she’d just taken the meds. She’s far from alone. It’s extraordinary how many people don’t take hypertension seriously.
Elisabeth Brooke is here at the moment, teaching her Astrology & Families course, but she specializes in medical astrology as she is also a herbalist. Elisabeth tells me that Mars rules urine, so there’s another “take” on that T-Square, the Lights (the Sun and the Moon being about health and life itself) squaring the Mars, in Pisces, sign of mutable water. I don’t think that there can be much doubt that her high blood pressure linked to being married to a man of whom she was terrified.
Pisces is ruled by both Jupiter and Neptune, and Elisabeth pointed out that the Mars in this T-Square in the 7th House was the showing for “gaslighting”. Neptune rules the booze and also drugs and gases. From my first book Astrology for Today –
Neptune’s discovery also coincided with advancement in the world of pharmaceuticals. In September 1846 ether was used for the first time, marking a new era in surgery, and chloroform was used for the first time the following year. Also in 1847 the word anaesthetic, derived from the Greek word for “insensible”, first came into use. Gas was replacing oil for lighting, and the advent of street lights opened up a whole new night world with brightly lit bars offering a seductive, alcoholic retreat.
HER ESCAPE
The fact that Tina even had Valium in her possession at the time says it all. She finally managed to leave 8 years later. On the night of 1 July 1976 she escaped from their hotel after one beating too many. This was her tipping point and she famously ran for her life to the Ramada Inn on the other side of the freeway, with just a Mobil credit card and 36 cents in her pocket. She filed for divorce 26 days later.
The astrology on the day of her escape was a rare but dramatic Saturn square Uranus. Interestingly both of these planets rule her 7th House as she is Leo rising – that mane! – and so has Aquarius on the Descendant, the sign ruled by both Saturn and Uranus. Saturn is limits, Uranus is spontaneity, now or never, the moment of rebellion. Saturn is staying put, Uranus is the divorce planet. Saturn is also the Grim Reaper. Maybe at that point she knew that if she didn’t leave she would die.
Tina attributed her personal strength and inner peace to the discovery of Buddhism and chanting, to which she was introduced in 1973, the year that Neptune was transiting her Sun at 4 Sagittarius. A powerful example of the importance of Neptune in the spiritual journey. The legendary story of her rebirth evokes Scorpionic symbolism, the phoenix rising from the ashes, and when there are no planets in the actual sign of Scorpio we look at the condition of Pluto. Sure enough, Tina has this planet in a Grand Trine with her Sun and Jupiter.
There is no question that Tina Turner brought the subject of domestic violence out of the shadows in her lifetime. I think her death is doing the same thing as the story gets retold. Let’s hope it inspires anyone in trouble to grab their chance, even if it’s just to run in the clothes you stand up in. Just get out, and don’t go back.
ERWIN BACH b 25 January 1956
No time of birth for Erwin (Sun Aquarius, Moon Gemini or Cancer, suspect the latter) but the outer planets are so slow moving that we know his Uranus is between 00.05 and 00.08 Leo (just about to retrograde back into Cancer a few days later). This means that he’s currently having a huge Pluto transit going backwards and forwards opposite his Uranus, which is always an important planet for an Aquarian even though we can’t say if this was a 7th House factor or not.
But I wouldn’t mind betting it was. Pluto was at 00.14 of Aquarius on the day of Tina’s death. In other words, less than 10 minutes of arc/one sixth of a degree away from Erwin’s Uranus, for a transit that happens every 248 years. That’s what you call exact. It was her time.
Pluto is god of the underworld, Pluto transits can be a trip to hell and back and he has a long way to go down the first stretch of that dark tunnel as Pluto won’t finish clearing 0 degrees of Aquarius until the end of next year. A major bereavement is the pits, having to face a future without our irreplaceable loved one, and he must be in a very dark place after 37 years with a partner who’s irreplaceable not only to him but to thousands of others as well. His devotion to her rings out with these words, that Tina wrote in 2016 in her memoir –
“He said he didn’t want another woman, or another life. Then he shocked me. He said he wanted to give me one of his kidneys.”
The astrology for her passing was also Uranus, who has an orbit of 84 years. On the day that Tina died at the age of 83 Uranus was at 19.45, and therefore had just been conjunct her natal Uranus of 19.23 Taurus for the first time, the beginning of her Uranus Return. Had she lived she would’ve experienced the second and third transits in January and February of next year, when she would have been 84 years old.
WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK?
Mercury finally completes the last leg of the retrograde backwards loop and comes “out of shadow” midweek, followed by an awkward alliance with Mars and Saturn. Venus makes her final aspect before changing sign next Monday and it’s a very lively weekend with the Sag Full Moon and Mercury – Uranus get together on the same day –
Wednesday 31 May
- Mercury comes out of shadow36 Taurus 20.00
Thursday 1 June
- Mars 7 Leo quinqunx Saturn 7 Pisces 20.32
Friday 2 June
- Venus 27 Cancer trine Neptune 27 Pisces 23.44
Sunday 4 June
- Full Moon 13 Sagittarius 04.43
- Mercury conjunct Uranus 20 Taurus 20.50
Monday 5 June
- Venus ingress Leo 14.48
MERCURY – BACK UP TO FULL SPEED
The moment that Mercury comes “out of shadow” is the moment when he returns to the exact position at which he originally turned retrograde, here’s the sequence that is now completing –
- 3 April – Mercury entered Taurus
- 21 April – turned retrograde at 15.36 Taurus
- 15 May – turned direct at 5.52 Taurus
- 31 May – comes out of shadow at 15.36 Taurus
- 11 June – will enter his masculine sign (feminine sign is Virgo) of Gemini
And again a reminder of the importance of these degrees of 5 and 15 Taurus as these are the positions of the 2 Lunar Eclipses this year and are also going to be Jupiter’s turning points –
- 4 Sept – Jupiter turns retrograde at 15 Taurus
- 31 Dec – Jupiter turns direct at 5 Taurus
- 5 May – Lunar Eclipse 15 Scorpio
- 28 Oct – Lunar Eclipse 5 Taurus
If you have planets or Angles at or very close to these degrees, or the other Fixed signs of Leo – Aquarius, then this is an important year for you as that planet or Angle will be continually in the spotlight, signifying an ongoing area of challenge or change.
The coming out of shadow moment is also important universally because it’s the moment when Mercury gets back to full speed. As above, so below, something in our own lives can now come off the back burner or a matter that has dragged its feet can now take off.
You can see from the above list that Mercury’s retrograde phase means that he ends up staying in the same sign for over two months, whereas Mercury at full speed can whizz through a whole sign in just a couple of weeks. That’s what will happen next, going through the whole of Gemini from 11 – 27 June. Bring it on!
Until then though Mercury still has three more aspects to make, all to the outer planets, Uranus this week and then Neptune and Pluto at the end of next week, the latter just 3 minutes before the change of sign. A massive finale on the way if you’ve been dealing with a big Mercury issue over the last couple of months – eg an important decision, leaving one job for another, waiting on others for answers.
For now the Mercury – Uranus at the weekend echoes the fact that Mercury is back up to speed, as Uranus himself can bring spontaneity, suddenness, the unexpected, surprises etc in connection to a matter that has been ongoing or something new. It’s also a great aspect for your social life as Uranus rules the collective, so gatherings and get togethers of all kinds get a tick especially as it’s the same day as that very fiery and friendly Full Moon. Look out for invitations too.
The flipside is unexpected news which can be either good or bad, that’s just the way that Uranus is. What might be a shock for one person could be a breakthrough for another. Unpredictable Uranus.
MARS – SATURN
In traditional astrology Mars is the Lesser Malefic and Saturn is the Greater Malefic. Scary names, they do have their positive qualities too, but between them they rule the things in life that are either painful or heavy going, so when they’re in aspect with each other it’s not exactly a cheerful picture. On this occasion the two come together by quinqunx, awkward by name and awkward by nature, a minor aspect that forms when 2 planets are exactly five signs apart.
Any two signs that are five apart have nothing in common – they share no element, mode or gender. On this occasion we have Mars in Leo and Saturn in Pisces –
- Leo – fire, fixed, masculine
- Pisces – water, mutable, feminine
So this aspect can signal tough compatibility issues, the things on which you just can’t agree without getting into a fight about it. The quinqunx is also notorious for symbolizing the blind spot, emotionally or literally. So it’s the mismatches in relationships or it can be things like accidents or deceit.
It’s a minor aspect but it doesn’t necessarily equate with minor events when it involves slow moving planets. This point is underlined by the fact that Saturn is already slowing down for his next retrograde loop (will turn at 7.12 Pisces on 17 June) and is “stuck” at 7 degrees for weeks, the whole of June and going into July. Look out for coming up against something that, with the best will in the world, you’re unable to change or speed up. Take extra care when driving.
VENUS – NEPTUNE
These two planets are just about as opposite to Mars and Saturn as can be. Between them they rule the things of life that are about romance, softness, sweetness, emotional connections or spiritual insights. See the example for Tina Turner’s Neptune transit over her Sun for the discovery of Buddhism.
There’s a natural sympathy between them as Neptune is in dignity in Pisces which in turn is Venus’ sign of exaltation. The two come together this week by the harmonious trine as Venus is currently in another water sign of Cancer, which indicates that this is an important aspect for home, family or property concerns.
If you’re single and searching Friday is a must for your girls or guys night out. Apart from the fact that a huge amount of people meet in bars anyway, remember that Neptune and the sign of Pisces rule the booze. No drowning your sorrows at home, glad rags on, dress up and show up.
Neptune links to suffering or sacrifice, although this doesn’t always have to take the shape of loss or something negative. The last time we had Venus in aspect to Neptune was at the beginning of the month when Venus then in Gemini made the square to Neptune. On that exact day I heard an uplifting story of 3 women giving up hours of their time to deep clean an apartment for a friend who’d been taken into hospital and, unbeknownst to anyone, hadn’t been able to do much for himself for a long time. Neptune can be smoke screens. But he came home to a pristine place, wonderful for a fresh start, physically and psychologically.
So the personal planets linking to Neptune can signify those who will go out of their way for you, to care for you, to rescue you when you can’t rescue yourself. If you need help reach out, if others need help step in if you can. Neptune is fusion too so it’s great for falling in love or simply for spending time with those who matter to you the most.
FULL MOON IN SAGITTARIUS
Full Moons bring things full circle and illuminate so pay close attention to whatever comes to light for you at the weekend. Listen out for news from your Sag friends and contacts. This is a Jupiter ruled sign so the top concerns to look out for are anything connected to education, long distance travel for holiday, work or learning, the law and justice.
Jupiter also rules freedom so a Sag Full Moon can be a time of liberation, of the shackles falling away to free us from the wrong job, the wrong relationship or anything in our life that needs to change for our own well being. Jupiter is the Greater Benefic, he’s good for us and it’s well worth listening to the wisdom of someone you respect.
Jupiter is also abundance and generosity, giving or receiving, and good fortune, especially of the 11th hour variety. Jupiter transits often dig us out of holes and a Full Moon in Sag can work in the same way.
For me this Full Moon falls almost exactly conjunct my Venus who is the ruling planet of my 11th House of groups and friends, so am expecting a sociable weekend! And it also falls just three days before my group of students arrive to do the tarot and astrology course, how to combine the two crafts when doing readings.
Venus herself is about to enter a very important phase as she shifts into Leo next Monday but won’t travel through the whole of this sign in the usual month. Venus is retrograde far less frequently than Mercury, but that’s what is coming up, and she’s going to be rolling around in Leo for four months! I’ll be talking more about this next time,
Until next week, with love from Greece
Joanna