Kevin Spacey – Having to defend himself against lurid allegations.

Kevin Spacey has come into the news after a historical altercation with child actor Anthony Rapp (who was 14 years old at the time of the meeting) leading to an uncalled for sexual advance. Today he made a full and frank apology for his actions, and it also lead the former Oscar winner to admit that he was actually gay.

Catalonia – The astrology of the call for independence

Yesterday in Barcelona at 15.27 hrs, the speaker of the Catalan parliament declared that in the slight of a “Si” vote, Catalonia's lawmakers had voted for independence from Spain. There was much jubilation and joy within the chamber and outside too in the assembled masses of Catalan citizens waiting to hear the news of a positive outcome.

Trump Watch – What's up next for 45?

It's been a long while since I looked at the 45^th President of the United States and for us Astrologers he is fascinating simply because so much happens while he's around. As someone born with a Sun Uranus conjunction, he courts controversy and disruption, and that's how he will always operate. Uranus in Gemini is almost schizophrenic in nature – I mean the planet of disruption in the sign of the trickster??!? My wife is a Gemini and she blows hot and cold and you will see all 4 seasons in one day from her, so heavens alone what it must be like to work alongside the erstwhile President? Anyway, back to matters in hand and I will (if I have time) have a look at his chart periodically to see what is on the horizon for him.

Saturn square Chiron – Finding a solution to deep seated problems

We are approaching the final connection in a series of three as Saturn in Sagittarius moves forward to form a square aspect with Chiron in Pisces, the planet of restriction, loss and hard lessons learned making a tension riddled and difficult square to Chiron,the planet of wounds and subsequent healing. Just from those two descriptions you can probably see the effects of this square coming into being on November 2nd 2017. The previous exact hits were over the Christmas holidays last year on 28th December and there was a second link up on 30th April at 27.19 degrees Sagittarius/Pisces. This one is exact at 24.27 degrees of the same signs.

The Great Saturn and Pluto conjunction of 2020. How will it affect us all?

I have been promising to write this article for quite a while now and many of my readers have been asking for it too, so today I finally get out the crystal ball and try and predict what may happen as these two most influential of planets connect up in the month of January 2020 and beyond.

A Slow Gradual Change Of Order

I think that it's safe to say that since from around 18th October when the new Moon was forming in the sign of Libra, this has been a very disruptive time for many people. The New Moon opposite to Uranus has really upset the apple cart this time around. In my life for certain and maybe in yours too.

Saturn square Chiron - Time to go with the tide

 

We are approaching the 2nd connection in a series of three as Chiron in Pisces moves forward to form a square aspect with Saturn in Sagittarius, the planet of wounds and subsequent healing making a tension riddled and difficult square to Saturn, the planet of restriction, loss and hard lessons learned. Just from those two descriptions you can probably see the effects of this square coming into being. The next exact hit (the first one was over the Christmas holidays on 28th December) occurs on 30th April at 27.19 degrees Sagittarius/Pisces, although the effects of it will already be starting to make themselves evident, as this square is now just over 2 degrees from being exact and continuing day on day to close in. There is an extra complication in all this too, as Venus retrograde joins in the mix from mid April onwards.

Jeff Sessions - Truth, lies and Russian officials...

 

Good morning everyone. My topic for discussion today is Jeff Sessions, the Attorney General in the US. He is the chief lawmaker for the US and it sounds like before he took office he spoke with a certain Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the US. Yes, this is the same Sergey Kislyak who General Michael Flynn spoke with before he took office, the former National Security Advisor to Trump who was forced to fall on his sword just 26 days after assuming office.

The Jupiter/Neptune/Saturn t-square of April to June 2016

Ok, this is another big astrological theme now developing in the next few weeks, reaching a peak one month from today on 26th May 2016.

We have a Jupiter Neptune opposition that is closing up as Jupiter in Virgo moving retrograde and Neptune in Pisces in direct motion close in on each other. As ever when the planets collide (or oppose as in this case) I return back to Reinhold Ebertin and what he wrote back in 1940. He says that a difficult aspect between these two planets leads to “impressionability, a person easily seduced, dreaminess, conflict between reality and the virtual ideal, a tendency to revel or idolise, a state where one is misunderstood by others, an inclination to speculate and gamble and wastefulness”. In the wider world, Jupiter is the planet of faith, law, learning, international affairs and expansion and Neptune rules the creative world, medical world, oil and gas, drugs, escapism, anything to do with water and the seas, the collective and those who are suffering, and it has a degrading effect on anything it touches.

This is an opposition that in general highlights the more difficult sides of all of these subjects and promotes a lack of discipline. For example, Jupiter and Neptune in opposition is the ultimate “do not gamble aspect” as huge losses can be accrued. Matter of spirituality and faith generally come to the fore and people can get so totally wrapped up in their ideals and beliefs that they fail to realise what is really going on in the world around them. The expansion of drug use, alcohol and illegal behaviour follows this opposition and medical matters and in particular medical spending tends to go through the roof. The influence of unions and collective bargaining organisations also increases and international migrants, refugees and displaced peoples are highlighted. One positive note is for those who are generally creative and/or disruptive and don't live life by the rulebook. They can flourish and expand now and artists and musicians can do well. At the same time this will generally be a time of extremism and terrorism on a much wider scale, and maybe floods and freak weather could occur.

All this mind you will be kept in check by Saturn in Sagittarius, the planet of loss and limitation which squares this opposition. Saturn is restrictive and will try to administrate and keep these expansionist and troublesome Neptunian and Jupiterian tendencies at bay by creating rules and barriers to stop the excess and the lack of organisation and structure engendered by them. In the next two months as this t-square is operative you may see government crackdowns on and crisis points reached with drugs, medical services, terrorism, belief structures, unions and collectives, naval and weather connected incidents, refugees and migrants and the flow of people across borders. This could be an inspirational time for putting dreams into practice as Saturn in square provides the structure and stability to make any creative ideas into reality.

In short, those who have expanded beyond their means or have tried to cut corners will ultimately fail, where as those who have been careful and wise in the use of their resources and have planned sensibly will be able to grow...

France mourns the Charlie Hebdo massacre

Yesterday at about 11.30am in Paris an unspeakable massacre against a satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and the clever and talented people who work in it saw the cold blooded murder of 12 people all in the name of religion. The attack shocked the world and the outrage it provoked has united a nation in support of free speech and the right to comment in the face of violence.

Saturn square Neptune – Gaining strength from our vulnerabilities.

 

I return back to writing after a most difficult end to 2014, a time when I faced a crisis of huge importance in my life. I in the past year have faced head on my vulnerabilities and inadequacies and yet I have found strength out of them. During that most difficult period I experienced a Neptune and Saturn conjunction, and at times I seemed powerless in the face of these two planets. Now after transiting Saturn has passed and that aspect is left behind I feel much stronger and reassured about the future. For all of us, the year 2015 will be dominated by these two planets hooking up in the skies above us in a very tense and difficult looking 90 degree square aspect. These squares come along every 17 to 18 years and much like the Saturn Neptune transit I faced I believe they weaken before resilience and fortitude is eventually found.

Mars conjunct Saturn in Scorpio - Reaching the end of the line.

 

In the heavens above us, Mars and Saturn are closing in on a conjunction, they connect exactly on 25th August 2014. These two planets join up every 2 to 2 and a half years and when they do, they often have a dramatic effect. These are the two driving forces of the zodiac, Mars the planet of action and force, the planet that gives us drive, motivation and aggressive intent. Saturn is the planet of limitation and loss, of taking time (which Mars doesn’t do) and of holding us back. These two planets are completely opposite in the way that they go about things so there is going to a battle of wills in the sign of Scorpio in the next week.

Full Moon in Capricorn on 12th July begins a week of change for us all.

This has been a very active year and the next week sees several shifts in direction and signs of the major planets.  These movements involve Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus all in the next week and a half preceded by a Capricorn Full Moon so in Astrological terms is going to be a a very, very busy one.

The Grand Healing Water Trine of May 2014

Have you been through the mill in the past 4-6 weeks? Have the pressures of the cardinal cross and the eclipses weighed really heavily on you? Fear not now as we are now past the worst of the tension that caused so much grief, yes, salvation is coming. Good vibrations are on their way, if you wish to grab hold of them !!!

Saturn conjunct Agena - Serving the people's needs

This aspect is in force now as Agena sits at 24:00 degrees Scorpio. Saturn will get close to an exact conjunction before turning retrograde on 2nd March although they will stay in contact until 22nd March. Saturn will return to make a second conjunction in October later this year.

As you may know if you follow my blog, Agena is a star that sits in the constellation of Centaurus, the Centaur. The Greeks saw this star as representative of the tale of the two Centaurs, Chiron and Pholos. The story goes that Hercules who, after drinking too much wine, accidentally wounded Chiron thinking that he was under attack from them. Chiron was the immortal to the two Centaurs and so this injury condemned him to a life of pain and suffering. As Pholos was pulling out Hercules’ arrow from the foot of Chiron, he grazed himself with the tip of the arrow also causing a mortal wound. Pholos was able to die, and Chiron gave away his immortality to Prometheus so that he could die too. This star is thus tied to the idea of healing and the sacrifices you make in order to improve your situation or to encourage growth, either by yourself or collectively.

Now of course the Pluto opposition to Jupiter squared by Uranus which had precipitated the situation in Ukraine - outright power and control (Pluto) opposed by justice and international desires (Jupiter) being affected by a revolution of the masses (Uranus) has been the dominant aspect affecting our world in the past few weeks however Saturn now slowing to a stop and connecting with Agena is now coming along to correct the vacuum of power in that country. This connection brings the need for a common goal and an understanding of what is needed by the people combined with the sacrifices that Chiron in the story above depicts. There is a sense here of bringing together all the resources you have to make something lasting and potentially strong and out of it a leader of substance may emerge.

Saturn is the planet of administration and the formation in embattled Ukraine of a unity government is a perfect example of this conjunction and the healing properties that it can perform. In this sense you may have to collate what you have to curb the potential excesses and reckless behaviour that you may have been subject to under the very volatile skies above us. The next three or so weeks may also be a time of trying to be a bit more sensible. As Robson wrote many years ago about this conjunction about this conjunction it is time to be "shrewd and thoughtful" and to use the healing powers on offer to us.

Saturn conjunct Zuben Eschamali – Taking necessary action to further your ambitions.

This conjunction is active from 14th December through until 3rd January 2014. It occurs at 19.34 degrees Scorpio.

Zuben Eschamali sits in the constellation of Libra the scales and is one of the stars in the Symplegades, the clashing rocks through which Jason and his ship the “Argo” had to sail through in the Quest for the Golden Fleece. This star is more self interested than it’s southern partner Zuben Elgenubi, representing the Southern Scale and it shows the qualities of helping and aiding social reform, but in a way that promotes your own self interest and improves your position in life, your power and maybe your financial position. Through the connection with Saturn we have ambition to further your aims. These two stars and the constellation of Libra itself were initially thought as an extension of the constellation of Scorpio, as the claws of the scorpion, and when the planets traverse this part of the universe it can be a perilous journey fraught with danger and hazards.

Mars square Saturn – Running headlong into a brick wall

Just a heads up for you all that tomorrow (9th September 2013) we see the exact square in the skies between Mars and Saturn, the planets of action locking horns with the planet of limitation. This time around Mars is in exuberant Leo and Saturn is moving in deep and intense Scorpio, two fixed signs which will precipitate a real stand off in planetary energy.

Mars in Leo wants to get things done and to do it in a flamboyant manner, it wants to make a visible statement to the world and to show off exactly what it can do. Running into Saturn is a problem for Mars, as Saturn is going to be in no mood to let Mars have it’s own way. Mars may well want to challenge the rule of law and fight against it, but Saturn will not yield this time. Saturn is like the proverbial brick wall in the way urging us to slow down, to stop and to think about our actions and why we are doing them. Maybe we are being too hasty, maybe we are not thinking straight, maybe our plans are all wrong and we need a correction in our progress? You say all you like about Saturn and you can hate his intervention in our lives, but he is there for a reason, he wants us to stop and reassess our progress.This will be a necessary correction that he is providing for us all, to stop us running away with ourselves. The faster you put your foot down on the accelerator, the more destruction you will cause to yourself and others if you happen to make a mistake and hit something solid.

You may feel a discernable frustration in the air now and in the next couple of days as the square hardens before it starts to dissipate. Some area of your life is going to be blocked or maybe new rules will be imposed on you. You may feel low on energy, find big bills now have to be paid, something may break down or severely delay you. Tomorrow on the 9th, the Moon comes along to make a conjunction with Saturn in Scorpio for a short while and this could bring an emotional element into the mix or a family or female intervention might be part of the whole picture. Might issues surrounding matters of the heart come to some sort of resolution right now?

Rather than fighting against the odds, it is probably advisable to back down and look at your options as they will appear once this aspect has passed through, indeed you will soon be asked to makes some important decisions once Venus moves into Scorpio in the middle of next week. Take your medicine and bide your time as the chance to make progress and get moving again is not so far off in the future.

Death toll rises in Santiago de Compostela train crash

This is an awful crash that occurred last evening in the northern Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela by all reports at 20.41 hrs. A train 247 people derailed going around a bend and all the coaches came off the tracks. The latest reports say that the train may have been travelling too fast for that section of the track and as a result of the crash a shocking 77 people have been killed and many more injured, some severely. The astrology of this incident when you look at it is particularly nasty.

Grand Water Trine of 2013 – Time to get things moving at last.

If you hadn't noticed, Mars today moved into watery Cancer and now is moving closer to a conjunction with Jupiter and thus joining the Grand Water trine which so many Astrologers around the world (myself included) have been going on about. This finally as I am about explain will bring some much needed energy to a planetary formation that is sitting there above us with so much potential to help us all.

The Grand Water Trine of Summer 2013 (or Winter if you are in the Southern Hemisphere)

Here we go, the major planetary formation of June, July and into August starts to form in the next couple of days as we get a little taster of what is to come. Right now Mercury and Venus now in Cancer are moving in to form a Grand Water trine with Saturn and Neptune which themselves are making a lovely trine from Scorpio to Pisces. Following on these two scouts laying down the path we have the Sun, then Jupiter and Mars which will all move into range in the early degrees of Cancer between now and the start of August completing the Grand Trine.

So what will this mean to us all? Well the base structure of the Saturn Neptune trine looks really positive. Neptune in Pisces is pure inspiration, it rules one's dreams, deception, escapism, spirituality and suffering too. Saturn in Scorpio is hard and uncompromising and it does bring limitation and rules fear and harshness but here is also the potential for growth, solidity, ambition and slow steady progress. If you use these planets in a positive manner you can use your intuition to make your dreams into reality or your faith can solidify. The down side is that you use deception and the more shadowy side of Neptune's influence it can bring the weight of the law down upon you. The choice is yours as the energy is here.

The planets coming along to complete the trine bring different influences to the picture. Right now we have communication and ideas to protect yourself as well as issues coming along from the past to the past through Mercury all of which can be boosted by Neptune and Saturn.

Venus brings issues of money and relationships (from the past perhaps) to the fore too as well as compassion and caring and beauty. These will be important keywords as Saturn and Neptune bring these things into reality if you really want them to happen.

The Sun's energy will enthuse this grand trine in early July, Jupiter brings expansion and optimism, faith, confidence and maybe international opportunities and then Mars brings strength, determination and action to put all of these factors together.

For any water sign person or those of you with strong water links on your chart, this could be a summer of unlimited opportunities and a chance to make significant progress as Saturn and Neptune combine and enthuse and build. Even if you are not a Cancerian, Scorpio or Pisces, there are wonderful opportunities on offer here wherever these planets touch your chart. For myself a Sun sign Leo, Saturn is just in my 1st house, Neptune my 5th and the other planets in my 9th so maybe for me expansion will come internationally (9th) and I can use my creative talents (Neptune in 5th) to make significant personal progress (Saturn in 1st) - let's hope so :)