The Astrology Blog 10 January 2022
All times in GMT
“If your dreams do not scare you, they’re not big enough.”
Sidney Poitier
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Sidney_Poitier
“Cultivate your forgiveness with your friends, with your family, with strangers, and with yourself. Remind yourself that every person you encounter carries a sorrow and a struggle. Recognise that we all share a fundamental humanity.”
Desmond Tutu
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Desmond_Tutu
SURFING THE GALACTIC HIGHWAYS – Adventures in Divinatory Astrology
by BARRY GODDARD
Barry writes –
I have copies of my astrology book, as above. Not available in the shops till later next year.
You can purchase from me for £14.50 including p&p. Here is what published astrologer Joanna Watters said about it:
“The astrologer’s first job is to demystify. The second is to fascinate. Through his insistence on pure craft winning, at every turn, over personal feelings or bias, Barry Goddard achieves just that. An astrological page-turner.”
THE CAT SANCTUARY
I rarely do fund raisers, the last one was five years ago, but last week I did a shout out for our cat sanctuary here that’s run by Evie Soldatos from her own home. It’s in danger of collapse, which would be a tragedy, as there is no other animal centre for cats on the whole island. You might think, keep costs realistic, but it’s not at all uncommon for people to do things like leaving boxes of abandoned kittens in her garden, knowing that somehow they’ll be cared for.
You might also think well it’s harsh, but put them to sleep. Well this also costs money, but as Sallie Hunter says (who runs the equivalent operation for dogs) the whole point of these centres is animal rescue, not euthanasia.
It was actually only after sending the blog last week that I realized just how in keeping with the astrology this fund raising exercise really was, with Venus (love, care, money) retrograding (unraveling) in Capricorn (sign of business and enterprise). The transit in my own chart at the beginning of last week was Mars (action) conjunct natal Venus (ruler of my 6th House, where we locate animals and pets).
Regular readers will know that I have my own rescue animals and here’s another retrograde Venus story. Just back from a walk on Saturday and my big dog Zindzi did a sudden runner at the gate. Usually she jumps straight from the back seat of the car into the garden, but she’d spied a cat out of the corner of her eye and took off in hot pursuit. I live in a cul-de-sac surrounded by fields so I wasn’t unduly worried, she’s done it before and would come back. She did, about 20 minutes later, smeared in sheep shit. Lovely! If Venus is fragrance, this was the opposite.
The update on the fund raising is that readers of this blog raised 318 Euros last week and Evie specifically asked me to include a massive thank you from her. Trust me, she can make this money go a long way. My slogan for this campaign is a Fiver Feeds a Feline for a Fortnight. But of course it’s not just food, it’s also all the meds and the vets bills.
Here’s the latest arrival, Bill. If you think he looks ropey now you should’ve seen him two weeks ago….
But he’s one of the recipients of your generosity and if you missed the link last week here it is again and I’ll do another update at the end of the month. Minimum donation is 1 Euro. It all counts –
https://gogetfunding.com/?p=7429131
RETROGRADE PLANETS
The biggest single question that any astrologer gets asked repeatedly is, What does that mean? There’s no doubt that astrology is a whole language in its own right, and one of the reasons that astrologers love to get together is because they can talk that language without having to translate it.
But the job of this blog IS to translate the astrology and the big question at the moment is mostly around what does a retrograde Venus mean? When a friend asked me this question a few years ago with regard to Mercury, and I explained that it was all Mercurial things going haywire, she said, “So what you mean is that it’s an upside down Mercury?” I still think that’s one of the best descriptions I’ve ever heard from a non astrologer. Well done Gill!
Of course planets are never literally upside down but the reason that this is a brilliant description is that it captures perfectly the idea that there’s always another way of looking at things. That’s one of the dominant themes when these faster moving planets are making their backward loops through the heavens, and especially at that “cazimi” moment, the heart of those loops when the planet joins up with the Sun.
We’ve just had the Sun-Venus cazimi this last weekend, Saturday evening through to Sunday morning, shining a bright light into the heart of Venus’ concerns – or currently lack of them!
Venus is Aphrodite, goddess of love. Your Venus sign tells you about your relating skills, what you are looking for and how you approach relationships. She is feminine and rules women, all pleasure seeking, how we enjoy ourselves, lovemaking and romance, beauty, comfort and luxuries, art, music and the fashion industry. She also rules sustenance, everything from food to the money we make in order to live.
What important information emerged for you, what events unfolded that led to revelations or decisions? As I was saying last week this symbolism is very similar to Eclipse stuff, finding out what’s been going on in the shadows or in the dark, and discovering the missing pieces of puzzles when the light goes back on. Eureka moments, for good or ill, or moments of being put to a test that suddenly has glaringly obvious answers. There’s nothing like a cazimi for revealing priorities.
Venus will continue on her “upside down” retrograde journey until 29 January (having turned retrograde 19 December at 26 Capricorn, conjunct Pluto) so the cazimi moment marks the halfway point. In other words, the big issues of the first three weeks move to a different level, they become more real and there’s a shift towards becoming more proactive. Continue to be aware of Venusian issues then but especially with regard to what is now inevitable, and to your options and solution finding.
I had several cazimi showings, for clients and amongst people I know, including highly relevant themes of being unappreciated and undervalued. My own was not exactly a life event (debatable lol) but re the ongoing drama of the mouse infestation. They’ve eaten through my washing machine, which is in fact nearly 20 years old and owes me nothing, thankfully, but a friend sent my important info – for sales starting today in town.
The new machine was ordered first thing this morning, half price, which is great news as white goods here are very expensive. It won’t arrive until next weekend so I’ve got another 6 days to make sure that the mice have gone ….
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
The other way to learn about the symbolism of retrograde planets, or indeed about any of the planets in action, is to see how they’re showing in the horoscopes of those in the news. Top of the list this week is Novac Djokovic, who has inevitably been dubbed “Novaxx”, as his arrival down under for the Australian Open has exploded in controversy.
He’s famously anti vaccinations, but he didn’t just rock up in Melbourne unprepared. His lawyers’ argument is that having recently had Covid he flew in with the relevant paperwork to show exemption from the vax requirements on the basis that he now has antibodies. The case has now moved into the law courts prior to the tennis courts and the judge so far seems to be agreeing with this, and has raised concerns about the way that Djokovic has been treated.
Judge Anthony Kelly said it seemed the tennis star had obtained the necessary exemption to travel restrictions prior to his arrival in the country. He asked government lawyers what more Djokovic could have done – https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-59932430
The astrology for this is bang on. Djokovic has an Ascendant of 16.12 Capricorn, and this Angle marks the beginning to the 1st House of the horoscope, the most personal point of any chart and also where we locate the physical body. The cazimi Sun-Venus moment fell at approx 19 Capricorn, therefore closely conjunct his Ascendant, which would indicate that matters will be resolved in his favour.
In the meantime part of his retrograde Venus experience is being holed up in a miserable quarantine hotel, allegedly so dire that his parents protested, saying that their son had effectively been put in prison. In terms of an upside down Venus in Saturn’s sign the lack of any comforts would be indisputable.
GHISLAINE MAXWELL / PRINCE ANDREW
Talking of harsh imprisonment Ghislaine has been held in solitary confinement since her arrest on her Saturn Return July 2020 –
Her brother Ian told the BBC’s Today programme that she was being held in a 6ft by 9ft (1.8m by 2.7m) cell with a concrete bed. “She is under 24-hour, around-the-clock surveillance, with 10 cameras, including one that moves and tracks her movement,” he said. “She’s not allowed to move into the corners of her cell and she’s not allowed to be within two and a half feet of the cell door. That is her existence.”
Regardless of what she has or hasn’t done, and I’m certainly not condoning the things of which she’s accused, I find that utterly chilling. It’s dehumanizing, something that’s become increasingly obvious as retrograde Venus picks up her three natal planets in Capricorn. The press now commonly refer to her as “Maxwell” and even the court artist’s sketches of her seem to be almost deliberately demonic.
To treat anyone as if they were less than human, less than a brother or a sister, no matter what they have done, is to contravene the very laws of our humanity. And those who shred the web of interconnectedness cannot escape the consequences of their actions. – Desmond Tutu
I could write a whole blog on these two horoscopes but just to stick to the key astrology here’s another example of highly relevant activity. A juror in Ghislaine’s trial has now admitted to a personal history of sexual abuse (not disclosed prior to selection as a juror) and that he used that experience to persuade other jurors to overcome their doubts about the testimony given by some of the victims.
This amounts to potential grounds for a retrial. All retrograde symbolism carries “re” words – rethink, reappraise, review and so on – so this is textbook stuff and is likely to implicate Prince Andrew.
Venus started her retrograde journey as noted above on 19 Dec at 26 Capricorn –
- Conjunct Ghislaine’s Saturn at 29 Capricorn
- Conjunct Andrew’s Mars at 27 Capricorn/Venus at 29 Capricorn
- Opposite Virginia Giuffre’s Mars at 27 Cancer (b 9 August 1983)
Venus is going to turn direct on 29 January at 11 Capricorn –
- Conjunct Ghislaine’s Mercury 9 Capricorn
- Conjunct Andrew’s Saturn at 15 Capricorn
Mercury is going to turn retrograde at the end of this week at 10 Aquarius –
- Conjunct Ghislaine’s Midheaven (authority) and Jupiter (the law) at 8/9 Aquarius
- Conjunct Andrew’s Descendant at 11 Aquarius
Mercury is going to turn direct on 4 February at 24 Capricorn. All of this must surely suggest that there’s a lot more to come in a trial that was supposedly over and done with.
The activity around Ghislaine’s Jupiter is especially important –
- Jupiter the Greater Benefic rules the law. The “natal promise” of a hugely publicized trial is there as Jupiter is the most strongly positioned planet in her chart, smack on the MC (the Midheaven), events unfolding under the full gaze of the public eye
- Jupiter conjunct the Midheaven, beginning of 10th House of authority, and also where we locate one of the parents. As Robert Maxwell was head of his own publishing empire (and Jupiter also rules publishing) this planet is a clear significator for her father
- She has Sagittarius on her Descendant, one of Jupiter’s signs, and Jupiter therefore rules her 7th House of partnership – and is therefore also the significator for Jeffrey Epstein
- “You can’t understand what happened with Jeffrey Epstein without understanding her relationship with her father,” he says. “The truth is that Ghislaine learned to service her father and then had to service a second monster – that’s what she’s done her entire life.” (John Sweeney, journalist and author of Hunting Ghislaine podcast)
Who is Ghislaine Maxwell? The story of her downfall – BBC News
Finally it’s important to remember that this retrograde Venus journey is also crucially linked to a series of three conjunctions with Pluto, god of the underworld and associated with sexual abuse – ie the rape of Persephone –
Venus arrived in Capricorn 5 November 2021
- 11 December Venus conjunct Pluto 25.18 Capricorn – 1st time
- 19 December Venus turned retrograde 26.29 Capricorn
- 25 December Venus conjunct Pluto 25.43 Capricorn – 2nd time
- 29 January Venus turns direct 11.05 Capricorn
- 3 March Venus conjunct Pluto 27.50 Capricorn – 3rd and final time
- Venus leaves Capricorn and enters next sign of Aquarius 6 March 2022
- So Venus will end up being in Capricorn for 4 months, four times longer than usual for a journey though one sign
Pluto also links to power and control – the use of and abuse of – intense sexual attraction and the huge wealth of the plutocrat. Mars and Pluto correlate to the sign of Scorpio and the 8th House (sex and death) – both Ghislaine and Andrew have 8th House Suns. In terms of the abused becoming the abuser it looks the other way around for Ghislaine and she’s taking the rap not only for her own part but ultimately for Epstein too. The focus switched to her only after his suicide.
WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING THIS WEEK?
It’s a quiet week in terms of quantity of events, the only aspects being those from the Sun and Mars to Neptune, both exact tomorrow –
Tuesday 11 January
- Sun 20 Capricorn sextile Neptune 20 Pisces 03.30
- Mars 20 Sagittarius square Neptune 20 Pisces 21.45
The first is harmonious – and hopefully a good omen for going into town to pay for my washing machine! Neptune (Poseidon) often links to water concerns, including appliances. Not too happy about the second aspect though, the square being friction, and I just hope that the order has gone through okay.
In terms of our interactions, aspects to Neptune tend to sensitize things so tread carefully, especially later in the day. Mars – Neptune difficult combinations are hyper touchy and little issues can so easily inflate into big ones, characterized by the Neptunian hallmarks of guilt, projection, manipulation or grief. If you suspect that you’re in any kind of abusive situation watch out for the person who’s brilliant at twisting the truth and making everything your fault.
These aspects also spell confusion or uncertainty and it’s definitely not a time for forcing anything, especially given that it’s the Venus journey that continues to dominate us until the end of the month and matters will be further compounded by the fact that Mercury also turns retrograde this week –
Friday 14 January
- Mercury turns retrograde 10 Aquarius 11.43
This is by far a more recognizable event, happening three times a year for three weeks at a time. The words monotonous regularity spring to mind and you’ll find the usual checklist below of things to look out for. In the meantime pay close attention to what surfaces for you at the end of the week, especially if you have natal planets or Angles at or very close to 10 degrees of Aquarius or the opposite sign of Leo.
Until next week, 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. Traditional astrology says expect problems with “communication, information and travel” and this list certainly includes those areas in all their guises, but has also been compiled from other observations over the years.
You may already be experiencing some of these themes while others or similar may yet unfold during the next three 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 – never buy any mode of transport under a retro Mercury
- Plan any journey with extra care, don’t trust to luck, don’t travel unless you have to 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