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.

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Venus in Scorpio – Putting your relationships and values on the line

Between 11th September and 7th October, Venus dives into the sign of Scorpio. Venus in Libra is all the search for harmony, sweetness and light and Venus is unlikely to make a firm decision as this combination is all about sitting on the fence. All that changes on the 11th September because Scorpio compels Venus to make one, even if that means that you have to upset someone along the way do so.

The sign of Scorpio is all about the ultimate truth and the journey you have to take to get to it. Whenever a planet enters this sign then I see it intensified to its ultimate extent. Scorpio concentrates it’s power in both good and bad ways, it strips away the veneer that has been built up gliding through Libra. Think of the craftsman with an old piece of furniture who has to use the paint-stripper to get down to the bare wood and metal. That is what Pluto is doing here to Venus, the planet of love, or relating and diplomacy, the planet of our possessions and values.

In relationships for this month we will get down to the bare essentials. Is this relationship working? If it isn’t, why isn’t it? When we find that out, we will then have to make a black or white decision whether to continue it, or not. Scorpio is about life and death, endings and new beginnings, it destroys you then empowers you. In Scorpio we find out your real values, what you really need and what you don’t. Scorpio doesn’t mind plummeting the depths and we may find sex and intimacy being used as a tool, as a means to an end to define where a relationship stands. Love is taken to a new intense level as Venus enters this sign. Just relating is no longer just good enough, we will want to get up close and personal, we will want to share and experience ultimate human emotions.

All this intensity will have spin-offs though, as the closer we get the more that these emotions are stirred in both good and bad ways. With Venus in Scorpio jealousy will be a by-product when we can’t achieve the control we want, because someone else has it. With Venus in Scorpio we may get obsessed in trying to wrestle that control and power back to us through manipulation and secret tactics. In Venus in Scorpio we will fight our corner because fear and survival is the name of the game now, it is either them or us who will come out on top, as compromise is no longer an option. With Venus in Scorpio we have to define who we are, our real selves are laid out in front of everyone for all to see.

You know there is a real honesty in where people stand that will immediately come out through this transit. This is the time when those with the power and the big money will make their move as they know that they can be bigger and stronger through making relationships and through merger, Scorpio is the ultimate sign of sharing. The weak will fall and the strong will get stronger, strong alliances will thrive and vulnerable ones will shatter, break or be consumed by the survivors.

The next month is going to see many issues resolved not only personally but internationally too as at the end of this intense and revealing period of time we and our fellow citizens on planet earth will know ourselves much better and what we want out of life much more clearly and concisely. I am not going to say it is going to be an easy ride as you will not be able to escape this process of purging and cleansing and the nature of Venus in Scorpio may dredge up all sorts of nasty secrets and issues that you probably didn’t want to see the light of day. I will say this though. Once all the toxins and poisons have been removed, we will have a clean bright and purified environment around us once again, one we can explore and expand into once Venus arrives in Sagittarius.

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Tony Abbott sweeps to victory in Australia

Tony Abbott is the new Prime Minister of Australia. In reports coming out of that country he seems to have won a large victory with his Liberal National coalition ousting the Labor party that had been in power under Juila Gillard and latterly Kevin Rudd in the past 6 years. I mentioned many months back that he might be the beneficiary of political infighting between Rudd and Gillard and that is exactly what happened. Is this a ringing endorsement of his own policies, or a backlash against the weakness and division in Labor. Let’s have a look at what the Astrology says.

Here’s the backdrop to the decision made by the Australian people on 7th September 2013. Change was always coming. On the morning of the election, transiting Pluto the planet of transformation was sitting almost exactly (orb 0:09 degrees) on the midpoint of Sun (the leader) and Saturn (the ruling administration) and making a trine to the chart ruler Mars. Change was coming and with transiting Uranus (ruling the Aussie Midheaven) also making a square to the natal Sun and a trine to it’s own position and to Venus ruling the money supply and relations with other countries and peoples, change at a rapid and decisive pace. Two of the main planks of Tony Abbott’s election drive were highlighted by Venus and her signs, firstly to sort out the economy (2nd house ruled by Taurus) and secondly to stop the flow of illegal boat people entering Australia (7th ruled by Libra). Transiting Neptune over the past year or two has been square to the Nodal Axis bringing confusion and drift to the destiny of the country and with transiting Saturn making a sextile to the Sun Saturn conjunction, it almost seemed as if the planets were urging more stable government and administration. That is what the Australian people in their vote have delivered.

The birth details I have about Tony Abbott come courtesy of eminent Australian Astrologer Ed Tamplin who has two sources for him being born at 4am in London on 4th November 1957. Tony seems to have been the right guy in the right place at the right time so far as Australia is concerned and with the lucky North Node having recently passed over his Sun/North Node conjunction, one which always favours a good and prosperous life, he has had fortune and luck on his side, indeed look at the position of Jupiter, the most elevated transiting planet at the moment in his chart having just entered his 10th house. With this kind of backing, he could have entered a nag in the Melbourne Cup horse race and won at a canter. His life is indeed changing shown by transiting Pluto making a close square to his Libran Ascendant and Uranus opposing from the 7th.

Now with his Midheaven at 11:56 Cancer, Pluto still has to make three more oppositions to the career point on his chart and with Uranus coming back to make a final square too before settling down into his 7th house. That does sound quite a tricky set of aspects to endure and I wonder if dealing with coalition partners is going to be easy, I think things might get a bit fraught early on in his premiership from time to time. Nevertheless, Tony does have Pluto making an empowering sextile to his Scorpio Sun from next December onwards and through 2014 and this may strengthen his hand in the job as Aussie PM. Pluto and Uranus finally finish their work on his Midheaven in November 2014 and a year and a half from now, assuming he has survived this first rather rough period, the transits against his chart seem to settle down quite nicely. I think he will have little to fear come 2015, especially as Australia herself will have finally seen through the nasty Pluto conjunction to her natal Sun.

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David Frost – A giant in the broadcasting world passes away

I know it is a couple of days since his passing but I haven’t yet had time until now to give my Astrological tribute to one of the foremost TV interviewers in British and international broadcasting history, David Frost. David was a wonderfully talented broadcaster with an incisive mind who did create history in his interviews with former disgraced American President Richard Nixon. His career spanned 50 years on both sides of the Atlantic and across the world. He died on a cruise ship before he was due to present a speech.

David was born on 7th April 1939 at 10:30 according to his memory in Tenterden in England. He was an Aries with his Moon in searching Scorpio and he had a Cancerian Ascendant. I find it really interesting that this chart had no planets in Air signs at all despite the fact that his career was all about communicating with people. With this type of case, the rest of the chart has to work overtime to compensate for the lack of air and I wonder if this is why he was so brilliant at what he did. His Mercury, the planet of communication sits retrograde in Aries square to Mars contributing to him a very sharp and critical mind which would have loved a debate yet one where he held his opinions to himself. His Aries Sun was shielded by Saturn so that he could remain rather aloof and unemotional, like placing a brick wall in front of the personality. This position always says about the person that you can come close, but not too close. Interviewers stand back and reveal nothing while the person being interviewed opens themselves out, their comments bounce off the questions you ask. These three planets exactly explain his approach in his work.  Of course they were all sitting in his 10th house of career and public image, so you can see the influence of public speaking and communicating (Mercury in 10th), ambition and being in charge of the situation (Saturn in 10th) and making a mark on the world (Sun in Aries in the 10th) as well.

There was much more to David Frost though than these three 10th house planets. His Scorpio Moon was very powerful and influential too. Through his protective Cancerian Ascendant this Moon ruled his chart and in Scorpio it gave him a need to be in control and to know everything going on around him. The emotions are working at a very deep and subliminal level here and although you might think that the emotions were being shown on the surface and in the 5th house David would have been quite an expressive person, beneath the surface he was working on a different level entirely. In his work he would have been incredibly well prepared, that Scorpio Moon would have impelled him to do his homework extremely thoroughly. He would also have know the power of saying nothing; those with Scorpio prominent in their chart know the value of silence and keeping things under wraps. This Moon sitting on the fixed star Toliman made him passionately tied into his work and making trines with Pluto, Jupiter and the Midheaven (point of career) we have a very talented and powerful grand water trine on his chart that guaranteed that he would be publically known and very successful.

He was always going to do well with Jupiter sitting in conjunction with the star Markab (in the constellation of Pegasus) exactly at the top of his chart trine to Pluto which attracts big career opportunities your way. The Markab connection is really interesting as this star is a point of steadiness, representing the saddle on the winged horse. Traditionally it shows someone who could stay cool under the most enormous of pressure, and when the eyes of the world are on you, this influence is crucial in live TV situations. That Jupiter conjunct the Midheaven in Pisces indicated an international (Jupiter) career (Midheaven) in TV and broadcasting (Pisces) and the grand trine indicated a store of individual talent in the entertainments world (Moon in 5th) and  a wholehearted and passionate personal focus on being someone special (Pluto in 1st house). People with Pluto in the first house can unite or divide and sometimes they can be rather difficult to deal with, then again you will never be able to ignore them because of the powerful intensity and passion they exude.

With Mars in Capricorn in his 6th house, David was an incredibly hard and focused worker wanting to do his very best all the time, indeed he probably pushed himself too much at times. He was direct (Mars square Sun) yet very compassionate and sensitive too with Venus sitting in gentle and intuitive Pisces allowing to use a more soothing approach when he need to. This would be extremely useful in lulling his interviewees into a false sense of security before landing a killer question on them. Neptune sat in his 3rd house of communication opposite to David’s Midheaven and trine to Uranus in his 11th. The 3rd is a fascinating position for Neptune as it can bring insight into one’s thinking, you can pick up on the nuances being said to you and the meanings behind the words. Neptune in the 3rd house is very open to talking, for studying voraciously (Neptune in the planet of no limits) and for listening to people and hearing all kinds of opinions. Being trine to Uranus, this Neptune is turned up another notch making it very attuned indeed and also spiritual too. David when young trained as a preacher, no doubt influenced by his father who was a priest.

David Frost set the bar for political interviews and he was the only man to interview every British Prime Minister since 1964 to the present day as well as every US President from 1969 until the one but last in George W Bush. He had a sense of fun too, was part of the rise of satire in the early 60’s on UK TV and before he landed a TV role he appeared in London cabaret, no doubt encouraged by his Venus in Pisces and Neptune in the 3rd house and the trine between Mars and Uranus, a triple combination of influences which is active, vivacious, shows great rhythm and loves colour, dance and music.

He leaves his wife Lady Carina Fitzalan-Howard, three sons and a lifetime of broadcasting memories.

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Astrology Readings with Astrologer Paul Saunders

We have just entered into September and my diary is very open if anyone wants a reading or a report right now. I am running a special offer for Skype and telephone readings  until the end of Summer with half an hour one costing just £25 (equivalent to 30 Euros or $40) and a full hour reduced to £35 (just over 40 Euros or $55). If you compare to other Astrologers out there in Astrology land, that’s a bargain…

I am also available to do written reports too, natal birth chart ones, ones looking into the future for you from 1 month up to 1 year ahead as well as more specialised reports looking at your chart against the fixed stars in the heavens and answering specific questions.

If you want more details, please go to my readings page (link below) where you can book all these reports and up.

http://www.solarisastrology.co.uk/yourastrologychart.html

Thanks for all your support…

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Obama facing a test of morals and ethics.

The chemical attack in Damascus, well I am assuming that there were chemical attacks and the evidence seems to be pretty conclusive has left the Western leaders with a big, big dilemma. We all know well that public opinion in the UK and the US has been quite anti-interventionist in regard to Syria, simply because of the long drawn out conflicts in Iraq and especially Afghanistan which dragged on for years costing thousands of military lives for little or no benefit or appreciable gain. The people just don’t want to see their brave boys and girls in the forces dragged into another Middle Eastern conflict with no exit strategy apparent if you get bogged down into it. Syria is a viper’s nest of one faction and tribe against another and within the country you have Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Turks, Christians, Druze, Alawitee Shias and Arab Sunnis all of who have their own personal agendas. You may please one side with any action you take but you may upset the others.

You know, often in these Middle Eastern countries you need a strong dictator to keep a hold over all the differing factions. It was the same with Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Gaddafi in Libya, Mubarak in Egypt. The thing is, what happens when that dictator gets above his station and starts persecuting the people? What happens when he bombs them with chemical weapons like Hussein did and now Assad seems to have done? Do you intervene and potentially get into another Iraq or Vietnam or do you stand back, shrug your shoulders and condone the use of chemical weapons on people? The parallels with Vietnam and the late 60’s when Uranus and Pluto were conjunct are rather striking and now those planets have come together in a square aspect. Could Syria turn out to be Obama’s Vietnam?

I raise the question because of Obama’s chart and where the planets are now in relation to it. Here is Obama’s natal chart on the inside ring and the transiting planets on the outside, set for the 9th September, the day that Congress will debate to potential of using military force on Syria. I focus on Neptune sitting in Obama’s 9th house, the house of overseas issues and affairs. As you will know from my blog, Neptune rules chemicals, gas, suffering sacrifice, all nasty toxic affairs going on hidden from view. This was one issue that Obama was always going to have to deal with at some point, it was sitting in his chart waiting to be activated, this was his Presidential dilemma.

Transiting Saturn from October 2012 just before Obama got re-elected was just entering his 9th house of overseas issues as was the transiting North Node moving clockwise entering his 9th house crossing his Midheaven from his 10th. These two influences are now converging on Obama’s natal Neptune. I said back in November 2012 just after Obama had one that his main focus would be foreign policy and potentially overseas conflicts in his second term as Saturn tests you and brings you difficulties to deal with and the North Node brings fate and destiny to bare.

The 9th September could prove to be a crucial day for Obama and his presidency. On that day there is a square in the skies over us as Mars, the planet of action, force and war makes a square to Saturn, the planet of ambition, and administration. On that day Congress votes whether to back Obama’s desire to send a military strike into Syria. That same square focuses in on Obama’s 9th house Neptune. The fact that Obama has passed the buck to congress to make the decision is indicated by transiting Neptune which is now opposing Obama’s natal Pluto and making a square to his natal Moon. Pluto (via Scorpio) rules Obama’s 9th and 10th houses, his overseas commitments and his public image, his career. Neptune is bringing doubt, doubt to his emotions (Moon) and to his Presidency. Neptune of course is transiting through his first house also weakens him as a person and is also the symbol as I said of the chemical attacks too. The dilemma (opposition) he faces here is death and destruction (Pluto) on a mass scale through chemical weapons (Neptune). Do you act, don’t you, do you let other’s make the decisions for you or do you act without their approval? The vote in the UK held over the Syrian crisis even though David Cameron lost has given Obama that get out clause that he needed. Yes it is a risky strategy to let others make the decision to act in a warlike manner even if you give the lead, but I think it is a calculated risk that Obama has decided to take. After all, he does not have to face another election in his life. If he loses he will still be President until 2016, but one I suspect one with a heavy heart if Congress does not back the use of force.

With the square aspect indicating from Mars to his natal Neptune indicating the intervention of another element to aid his handling of this overseas problem, I suspect that Congress will vote in the affirmative, after all Mars now in Leo does want to take action and will accept most if any challenges issues to it. Then the onus will switch to Obama and how to handle Syria. If you send cruise missiles in and destroy a few buildings will that stop Assad in his tracks? It will certainly upset the Russians, Iranians and the Chinese and what happens once the missiles have done their job and if Assad continues to use these horrible weapons again? Do you commit forces into Syria, arm the rebels who may have Al Qaida elements within them or continue to rain down air strikes on an already war torn country with the likelihood of considerable civilian casualties or send in special forces to try to eliminate Assad with no one in place to take over? Trust me this is not going to be an easy challenge to take on and one where I cannot see any solution, indeed this could be Obama’s Vietnam waiting to happen. 

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New Moon in Virgo – Cleanse the wounds and change your life.

We have a new Moon in Virgo forming on the 5th September 2013 and as always New Moon give us the opportunities and the chance to start some new energy into our life. Virgo is a sign of service, of tending to the details, of analysing and cleaning up anything mess or junk that is in our lives, Virgo can’t abide anything that is not in order. This new Moon lights up the Virgo Pisces axis of the sky above us and highlights the small but significant asteroid Chiron.

This is the chart for the new Moon in Virgo on 5th September in London. There are 4 significant aspects connected to this new Moon, a trine to Pluto an inconjunct aspect to Uranus, a sextile to Jupiter and an opposition to Chiron. Opposing the New Moon in Pisces is the wounded healer and as you will appreciate this is the serving and suffering axis in the zodiac. This new Moon I feel gives you the chance to bring a little healing into an area of your life where you have suffered recently. Ask yourself, what sits between 10 and 13 degrees Virgo, Pisces, Scorpio or Cancer in your chart, what part of your life is being affected here? Is there a significant planet or influence that has caused you pain and trouble over the past few months, a wound that seems never to heal, a person or situation that has affected your life very deeply? Now you may be presented with a chance to find a little healing to this influence in your life. Here we can analyse and correct what is going wrong and make some decisions. Do we discard this person or influence from our lives or do we transform our relationship to it or them into something fresh, new and beneficial that can take you forward.

Why do I say this? Well because of the other planetary influences on this new Moon in a mutable sign, a sign of adaption. Pluto here in a trine in easy change and transformational mode. Trines from Pluto bring forth change much more readily and less painfully than is normal and this Pluto influence combined with the careful and thorough nature of the Virgo new Moon can clear a path for you now. The Uranus inconjunct aspect shows you can make radical adjustments in your life in getting rid of the dead wood from any situation, in discarding the old to be replaced by the new and the easy sextile from Jupiter brings opportunities to try something new, to expand and to explore.

Remember that all we have here is an opportunity and to benefit from the energy present you have to make things happen yourself by being a little pro-active. If you can soothe that part of your life that has been hurting you, then you may find that this new Moon promotes a chance for a fresh start and a little bit of optimism where before there was none.

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Changes at the Vatican as Francis I starts to reform the Curia.

The honeymoon is over at the Vatican and changes are now starting to take place. The number two position in the Vatican hierarchy has recently changes with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone who was quite a controversial figure in the corridors of power there being replaced by the much younger 58 year old Archbishop Pietro Parolin. This is just the start as Francis I wields the axe and is determined to streamline and reform the Curia, the administrative heart of the Catholic Church. If you look at the transits to the Vatican natal chart, then all is clearly revealed.

Ok what have we got here? There are two areas of this chart which are under duress. The Ascendant at 4:48 Virgo is exactly being opposed now by spiritual and dissolving Neptune, so the structure of the Vatican is undergoing a big change. The reason is seen through the position of natal Neptune and the houses it rules. Neptune natally is in the 12th house so these changes are going to be spiritually based and behind the scenes, the inner workings of the Vatican. Pisces on this chart ruled by Neptune affects the 7th house of relations between the Vatican and the wider world, which will be changing with a South American pope now safely in place and also the 8th house of finance and banking as well as enforced change and power. The Vatican bank has been in serious trouble in the past year and it was officially suspended in Italy for corruption. Francis earlier this month tightened controls on the operation of the bank and this work will continue apace.

The other area of stress is shown by this chart having a Uranus return and with transiting Pluto making a square to Uranus as well. Aquarius is the sign ruled by Uranus and you can see it on the cusp of the 6th house of service and everyday work. This is radical structural reform and transformation to the administrative part of the Vatican, the Curia itself, the very reform that Francis promised would happen. With transiting Saturn moving through the 3rd house of communication and the message that goes out from this institution, you can see that is is more serious humble and conservative in nature, again reflecting the image that Francis want to portray and his influence over the church.

With these outer planets all moving very slowly, this work is a long term project that should start to bare fruit in the next couple of years. The reform of the Vatican and the Catholic Church has well and truly begun.

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Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas announce that they are to split.

It is not often that celebrity couples stay firmly together and one of the most enduring in Hollywood have decided to split up and take a break from living together. Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas were married in the year 2000 and if you look at a composite of their birth charts then you can track from the time that they got married all the way through to now when they are splitting up.

Here is a composite Davison chart of Catherine and Michael who incidentally share a birthday of 25th September; Michael was born in 1944 at 10.30am in New Brunswick, New Jersey and Catherine in 1969 at 14.40 in Swansea in Wales. They met in 1999 and got married on 18th November 2000 when transiting Saturn was at 27 degrees Taurus, making a lovely double trine aspect up to their joint Jupiter Midheaven conjunction at 25/26 degrees Virgo and a square to their composite Pluto at 28 Leo. Saturn was bringing transformation of their relationship, changing the nature of it and empowering both Catherine and Michael through the square to Pluto and solidifying a very powerful union. With Jupiter sitting right on the composite Midheaven and ruling the chart as they have Sagittarius on the Ascendant (Jupiter’s sign) this was always going to be a well known and powerful couple with fortune and international notoriety. They had already had their first child Dylan on 8th August that year, with Jupiter still sitting conjunct to natal Mars ruling their joint 5th house of children (via Aries). When he was born, transiting Uranus was sitting bang on their composite Moon (ruling the 8th house of change and sharing via Cancer) showing that the nature of their relationship was changing. Mars and Mercury had also been in that 8th house sitting in conjunction with composite Uranus making two lovely joyous trines to their composite Sun Venus conjunction indicating news of a happy event.

 

Lets move forward to more recent times. We know in the past few years that ill health has hit both Catherine and Michael. The 6th house of health is empty apart from the South Node. More importantly, this house is ruled by Venus with Taurus on the cusp. Now it just so happened that in 2010 when Michael Douglas was diagnosed in August of that year with throat cancer that transiting Pluto was making a square aspect from 2/3 degrees Capricorn and had been for the previous few months to composite Venus and transiting Uranus was just into Aries approaching a conjunction with Venus as well sitting at 1:25 Aries. Just think about this. The sign Taurus (Venus) traditionally rules the throat, the 6th house rules health issues and any focus on the 6th house ruler from Uranus and Pluto square on this planet in their composite chart would have affected them both.

Moving on to April 2011 when Catherine was diagnosed with bipolar depression, transiting Uranus was sitting at 1 degree Aries bang on composite Venus again. This time, transiting Neptune had just entered Pisces and in the process was opposing their composite Pluto and was beginning to make a trine to composite Neptune. An opposition between these two outermost planets will naturally hit the subconscious areas of our lives. On this chart, Pluto receiving the Neptune opposition rules (via Scorpio) the 12th house of things hidden beneath the surface, of suffering and psychological issues in our lives hiding beneath the surface; it also is connected to hospitals and institutions. Neptune through Pisces rules the 4th house of the foundation of our lives, our home and domestic matters. Put it all together and you can see how Catherine’s depression would have disrupted their union, their marriage and their home life which was already rocked by Michael’s illness. This would have been difficult in the extreme to deal with.

Right now as they split, focus in on Mercury in their composite chart which sits at 12 degrees Aries. Mercury on this composite chart rules two houses, their 7th house of marriage and their 10th house of their joint public image. Uranus is a planet of independence and so it is no surprise with Uranus having been at 12 degrees Aries last month and today at 11:46 Aries that they have decided to move apart. The Ascendant on this chart is at 4 Sagittarius and transiting Neptune now at 3:51 Pisces is making a close square to it and to composite Mars in the 7th (ruling the 5th house of love given and children) dissolving their union, affecting their love and the future of their children too. Transiting Pluto later next year is going to be making a square to that composite Mercury from around February 2014 and this the transformation of their marriage and a possible divorce may be in the pipeline as I see it, or they may make the split completely permanent.

I think this is a powerful look at the affect of the transiting planets on a celebrity couple who looked for all the world at one point as if they would spend the rest of their lives together. It just shows that you cannot stand in the way of those outer planets when they start to hit the angles of a composite chart or the chart rulers of those angles. It also shows the power to the time/space composite chart which if you are interested you should read just as if it were a natal one. 

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Mars in Leo – Showing everyone exactly what you can do

In the past 24 hours, Mars has slipped into the regal sign of Leo and it will remain here until 15th October. Mars in Cancer was very much concerned with taking action to make sure that everything was secure and safe. Cancer being a mothering sign saw Mars in protective mode, and it would have seen you trying to fight fires in whichever part of the chart that Mars was passing through and you would have been able to action things, like putting up barricades and securing your position in these areas of your life. Mars in a way was becalmed in the past couple of months, as Cancer is a sensitive water sign dampening down Mars’ aggression and fire bringing a tendency to worry, fret and act more defensively than to act boldly.

As Mars moves into Leo, the planet of action and force will be getting it’s mojo back. Leo is a proud sign and one of confidence and suddenly the inclination to take individual action is going to be increased. Now Leo is a fixed sign, so the action we take now will be to maintain and bolster what we already have, rather to start something brand new. Mars in Leo is all about making a statement to the world, in putting on a show to explain to everyone exactly what we are capable of doing. This is a great time to advertise our talents and to show our skills because we will need to feel some love and appreciation from others now. If we think that we are going to benefit from the action we take or decisions we make, then this position will encourage us to do whatever it takes to get the job done; Mars in Leo is generous in the effort that it will put in so long as you are likely to get something out in return.

Now pride does come before a fall, and any blind loyalty to a cause or something we believe in can cause problems. The danger always with Mars in Leo is that we will act out of wanting to make a big statement or out of loyalty without thinking of the consequences first. Mars in Leo can also bring out a rather resentful and grumpy side if after we have tried our best we still don’t get the praise that we expected.

In your chart look to sign of Leo and where it sits and here you will sense a need to show the world what you can do, and in the process you can take some bold decisions in the next month and a half in this area of life. In the world, leaders and governments will be more inclined to act in a more aggressive and spectacular manner but will they do this without thinking of the wider implications of what they are doing? Much care does need to be taken now, something that Mars in Leo is not very good at, less the world may become a more unstable and volatile place.

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A look at the fixed star connections this week – 26th Aug until 2nd Sept 2013

You know, as you study the connections of the planets to the stars often a pattern to the major events happening on Earth or the major stories catching the attention of the media can be seen as they occur. Since I have been doing this blog and my Facebook page I hope that you can also see that patterns that I see. This week is already shaping up quite nicely. Let's see if the events in the world will happen as I see them panning out?

The major story is without doubt Syria and the situation with chemical weapons, and in the near future we have Mercury tomorrow (27th) connecting with the fixed star Thuban for a day. Thuban is the star in Draco, the dragon constellation that holds secrets and protects that which is sacred. Connecting with Mercury, we can decipher this as finding out information that has been withheld or hidden, with the media and those seeking some sort of truth to find out what is going on. This connection can also be representative of security matters being important now. Of course the UN security teams are right now in Syria trying to ascertain what is really going on in that country.
On the 28th as mentioned before, Jupiter connects with Sirius and now we have international cooperation starting to form on the back of the information that Mercury conjunct Thuban discovers. This link lasts well in the first week of September so don’t expect a snap decision how to handle what is going on. On the 29th August, Mercury progresses on to connect with the star Zosma; this is a star of intense suffering in the constellation of Leo. I think that information of some nasty incidents may properly come out on this day, and of the atrocities that the United Nations inspectors have found. Brady says about this connection that the underdog wins now, and I suspect that the people of Syria, those oppressed and living under those most horrendous of conditions might start to get the international support that they deserve.

Throughout this week and into September all these fleeting planet star connections are being overshadowed by a couple of longer-term conjunctions. Pluto is making a conjunction to the star Facies, a brutal and very focused star that has overseen a lot of disturbing incidents in the past year or so. Neptune is with Fomalhaut, a star in the constellation of the southern fish with a deceptive side and one where pride and arrogance can precede a fall, one can think under this star that you can get away with murder. Remember that Neptune represents gas, chemicals and suffering and this connection in the skies is almost exact now. Did the Syrian forces think that they could act as they please without retribution? The star Fomalhaut will never allow you ever to escape from the bad karma that you have created. Neptune is also connecting with the star Sadalmelek in Aquarius. This is normally a lucky star and one can normally expect success when a planet connects with it. The thing is that Neptune sees success in an illusionary manner. You may think that everything looks fine but under the surface the reality is rotten to the core. Within Syria, we are now finding out the awful truth of what has been going on.

Put all this together and it is easy to see that not all is as it seems in the world now, and the confirmation of some really awful behaviour may come out at any time. How the world reacts may be seen in the weeks ahead as Jupiter connects with the fixed star Canopus, a link that occurs into the early days of September, this connection begins on the 2nd of the month. This is a direct and active star and it is an influence that generally leads the way in a very determined manner. It says to me that we may see some independent joint action that if taken could lead to some kind of success. Is this an intervention in the Syrian crisis to stop any more chemical weapons attacks? We will have to wait to see if I am right.

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Syria – A very serious situation gets even worse.

Heart-breaking. That’s the only word I can think of when considering what is transpiring in the country of Syria. A civil war has been raging for 2 years, many thousands on both sides have been killed including women and children, mass graves have been found and now news of chemical weapons being used. If you look at the astrology chart of Syria, one can clearly see the horrible situation that has developed.

 

There is so much on the transits chart above, it is difficult to know where to start but I will focus on the Pluto North Node conjunction sitting in the 10th house of the rulers of the country. Pluto is the planet of absolute power and control, of brutality, death and secrecy; it is the planet in the zodiac most representative of the dictator. The fact that it sits with the North Node indicates that the destiny of this country lay in the hands of an absolute ruler, and President Assad is just that. Pluto is also the planet of transformation, and the destiny and the fabric of the country was almost going to be changed forever by the actions of such a person. So it has come to pass. That 10th house conjunction is now under severe duress by Saturn and the transiting Nodal axis converging and making a double square. Fate and karma are now coming to rest on the leadership and the awful secrets of barbaric actions those responsible will eventually (and hopefully) see justice served.

Change in my eyes is definitely coming (and I know I have said this at least once before on this blog in regard to Assad and Syria) and this is almost certainly shown through transiting Pluto which is sitting once again on Syria’s natal Sun. That Sun at 9:21 Capricorn represents the leader and surely this time he will eventually go once Pluto has completed it’s work over this degree. The last exact contact between transiting Pluto and natal Sun will be made on 28th October and surely by that point the game will be up for Assad. This will be just before the next exact square aspect between Uranus and Pluto a few days later on the 1st November. Surely the Sun representing Assad cannot survive one last exact conjunction of Pluto and and an exact square from Uranus within 4 days?? That transiting Pluto makes an inconjunct aspect to natal Pluto and the North Node indicating a shift (inconjunct) of power and control (Pluto) at the top of society (10th house) and for the destiny of Syria (North Node). This conjunction has been opposed by Jupiter starting to make a conjunction to the Midheaven, bringing the gaze of the world firmly onto this nation again. 

Now to the awful news out right now coming out of this war ravaged country. Transiting Uranus is opposite the Syrian Ascendant and square to the Midheaven showing some shocking and unpredictable events that have been occurring. The real truth is seen through transiting Neptune, the planet of gas, chemicals and noxious substances making a vicious square aspect to Mars conjunct Uranus in the 8th house of death and enforced change. Mars conjunct Uranus is violent, connected to weapons and the military and as mentioned Uranus promises shocking and even perverse events. Transiting Mars is opposing natal Mercury so information and news (Mercury) about weapons being used (Mars) is coming out now.

Neptune is also making an inconjunct to it’s own position in the hidden 12th house, the house of suffering and sacrifice. Neptune rules the 6th house of the armed services.  You will see that transiting Saturn is making an inconjunct aspect to this nasty conjunction as the same time indicating fear, outrage and loss which is going to change opinions and attitudes and Capricorn (ruled by Saturn) is on the cusp of the 4th house of the opposition to the government. The Astrology is not clear in who would have used chemical weapons, maybe both have and are just as culpable for the atrocities being reported? My personal feeling is that Assad’s forces were more likely to have used them and have had access to them. Natal Uranus, representing the rebels is receiving these aspects, it is the target of the transits here. We still have deceptive Neptune involved so will the truth come out in the fog of war? Neptune does bring confusion and counter claims and it will not be easy to prove who had them and actually used them.

On a personal note, surely the world cannot stand back any longer while innocent people are being killed in such a horrendous manner. After all doing nothing will just give other dictators carte blanche in the future to use chemical weapons elsewhere in the world against their own people, without fear of reprisal. Obama, Cameron, Putin, Xi, Hollande, Merkel and the other leaders must know it well, and for the sake of humanity they have to act to stop any more lives being lost in the same way and soon. The Astrology says that eventually they may well do so, but why have the leading nations of the world sat idly by waiting for shocking attacks like this to occur before something is actually done? It makes my heart bleed to think that they have done.

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Late Summer Skype Reading Special

For the rest of the Summer until the Autumn Equinox and the ingress of Libra I am dropping my Skype readings and consultations prices by around a third!! Just think of it as an end of season sale and a bit of a gift to you, all my loyal readers and followers :)

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Jupiter conjunct Sirius – A time of success and confidence

This aspect is active from 27th August through until 7th September 2013 – It occurs at 14:16 degrees Cancer

This is a lovely connection that is about to occur. Sirius sitting in Canis Major, the constellation of the great dog as I have mentioned before is the brightest of all the stars in our universe in relation to the earth and is known quite rightly as the shining one or the Scorcher. This star brings a link between one's small acts or deeds that you may carry out in relation to the greater scheme of a project. It can also see you rise to prominence for a short time, the 15 minutes of fame one always talks about. Now if you add in the beneficial and expansive influence of Jupiter, that 15 minutes of fame can extend into something much longer and bigger. Here we have a star of success meeting the planet of opportunity, a fortunate combination in my eyes.

Now we do have to bear in mind that Jupiter can always over extend things and in any project or idea that you have to do now or in any deed you do or action you carry out, this feeling of nothing can go wrong can lead one to be over-confident or just plain complacent. As such, it is important now that you do keep your feet very firmly on terra firma, and if you do then you can achieve some significant achievements during the week and a half that this planet and star are in direct contact. Look to where 14 Cancer is in your own natal chart and here is the key to expansion and where you can find opportunities, unlock some previously closed doors and generally do very well. There is a feel good factor at work, one that you have a chance to engage with and harness for yourself.

Around the world you may see confidence on the up as a result of this connection. Stock markets may rise, international cooperation may happen and the doom and gloom of the financial downturn that the world has been suffering may be relieved for a short while. Expect good news to come out somewhere and I don’t often say this here on Solaris Astrology, so savour it while it lasts.

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Radioactive water leaking from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant.

Reports out of Japan suggest that leaks of radioactive water are increasing and intensifying out of the Fukushima Nuclear plant that was devastated by the huge 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that rocked Japan on 11th March 2011. This is a long running saga that I have been keeping a close eye on since it occurred two and a half years ago and seeing that it is back in the news it is worth returning back to the Astrology to see how the planets are affecting the situation.

The two charts above (click on them to open them up to full size) shows the date that the Fukushima power plant started operating (on the left) and the transits against that chart on the day of the explosion after the Tsunami had hit. You will see in the natal chart set for 26th March 1971 that there were a very stressful set of aspects here waiting to be activated. The Sun not only was subject to an opposition from Pluto, pretty appropriate actually as Pluto rules nuclear energy, radiation, power and heavy industry but also the Sun was also part of a risky t-square opposed to Uranus and the square focused on Mars in Capricorn sitting very closely to the fixed star Facies, a star which Robson says is extremely responsible for accidents.

At the time of the Tsunami, transiting destructive Pluto was sitting right on that Mars in Capricorn activating that natal t-square and the transiting Nodal axis was making a square aspect to natal Pluto on the commissioning chart. You will also see that transiting Saturn was forming a very disruptive inconjunct aspect to the natal Sun, forcing a change in the operating status of the plant. Transiting Uranus was opposing the natal Pluto a nuclear (Pluto) accident (Uranus) and the explosion came from transiting violent Mars making an inconjunct aspect to Uranus as well.

Moving forward to the present day, you’ll see that transiting Pluto is now back close to Mars and Facies again and next month and it will station within a degree of the red planet and this very difficult fixed star. Transiting Jupiter is bringing an international focus back to Fukushima as it opposes natal Mars and both Pluto and Jupiter are making a square focusing in on unpredictable Uranus. I can see this double square as a escalation of technical problems, in increase in potential radiation and the likelihood of harm and dangerous conditions occurring.

The real story though is via transiting Neptune which is square to the natal Neptune/Jupiter conjunction. Neptune which rules water and contamination and Jupiter which expands is going to be holding this square to this nasty conjunction for a long time to come. Does this mean that the crisis that is slowly developing affecting the environment and seas around the plant is going to get worse and worse? Natal Neptune sits at 2:58 Sagittarius and through October and November this year, Neptune in retrograde will pass over over this degree twice and station at 2:35 Pisces. The Japanese have been pretty good at hiding the true nature of this developing situation, but as is Neptune’s way, nothing can be hidden for ever and the veil coving the extent of the leak is now becoming clear. These two months will open up yet more information about what is happening at Fukushima and this is going to be a time when the present crisis may reach some sort of crescendo.

Progressed aspects when they occur can be several times as powerful as a transiting aspect and I want to focus on just one here against the actual time of the explosion at Fukushima. Right now the progressed Moon is approaching a square aspect to natal Saturn on the explosion chart. In personal charts this aspect can make one feel low, depressed, frustrated and as if you can do nothing to stop a bad situation becoming worse, and those officials in Japan must also be feeling this sense of utter helplessness as the current crisis suddenly becomes far more serious. The peak date for the square is 8th September, however a progressed square is normally effective for at least a couple of months around the peak date.

All in all I think the next 3 months as this progressed square tightens and as transiting Neptune makes a square to it’s own position on the plant’s operational chart is very critical, and during this timescale I think we will realise the true damage of what is occurring on the East coast of Japan. It may well be that a truly horrible environmental disaster that will affect that region for decades is slowly becoming apparent.

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Egypt – Unrest harking back to the past

The horrible violence in Egypt and the armed forces’ aggressive response to the protests by the pro Mohamed Morsi supporters have shocked the world. The violence that precipitated on the 14th August where more than 600 people were killed really showed that Egyptian society is now deeply divided. Morsi’s party the Muslim Brotherhood still has a lot of support in the country, but the feeling is that General al-Sisi and his backers want to outlaw them and return Egypt back to the kind of military rule that sustained Hosni Mubarak for 30 odd years. In Astrological terms a return to conditions of the past are often seen through the movement of the Nodal axis or transits to them. On the Egyptian natal chart, this is exactly what is happening.

 

I am just going to look at the transiting Nodes and the natal ones, and both have significant aspects associated with them. The natal Nodal axis can be seen with the North Node sitting in the 10th house of the rulers of the nation and the South Node in the 4th house of the opposition. In the past month or so, transiting Saturn, the planet ruling the Midheaven (via Capricorn) has been square to that Nodal axis. Notice that Saturn sits natally in the 6th house of services and traditionally this is the place on a mundane national chart connected to the military forces. Saturn is harsh and authoritarian in nature and can bring fear and loss. Saturn square to the Nodes as I see as an interfering influence driving a wedge between the people in charge and those who oppose them, and thus the country has become bitterly divided. Saturn sits conjunct in this house to Neptune and here Neptune is a planet connected to faith and spirituality of an especially conservative hard line nature. As it is conjunct to Saturn, this connection shows that the armed forces are inextricably linked together with religious matters on this chart.

Personally I see the Nodal axis as a line of destiny, with the South Node indicating were we came from, it shows our roots and the talents we brought into this life. The South Node indicates the moment soul entered the embryo and it’s connection with the mother. This is also why I consider this axis on the natal chart the maternal one as I indicates the link between mother and baby. Generally we are happy and comfortable at this point in the chart as these are things we are familiar with, but in terms of our development siding with the qualities of the South Node does not allow us to progress. To do that we have to go towards the the other end of the Axis, the North Node. Here are skills that we have not developed, areas of our lives where we have to challenge ourselves, but should we learn the lessons suggested by this point on the chart, then we will gain ultimate satisfaction from our lives.

In the same manner, you can see the South Node being indicator of the past, and it is often the case that when the South Node hits a natal planet on your chart, you revisit a time before, an issue resurfaces, you go back to what you know best. Now looking at the Egyptian chart, you can see that the South Node is transiting the 1st house and is just leaving a conjunction with Venus. Now Venus has a powerful impact on this chart not only because it sits in the 1st house of the nation but also it is Taurus, a sign completely intercepted in this house. This effect is twofold and this very powerful on the nation of Egypt itself with a military takeover harking back to the year of 1981.

Just look at the chart for when President Anwar Sadat was assassinated back on 14th October 1981 in a military coup and at that point Hosni Mubarak assumed power. Where was the Nodal axis? Square to the Egyptian Ascendant moving through the 4th/10th house axis. That coup was precipitated 8 months earlier in February 1981 by a plot by the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, a radical Islamic group who were at the time recruiting military leaders to launch an overthrow of Sadat’s government. Sadat got wind of the plan and over 1500 people were arrested. At that time, the transiting Nodes were square from the 4th and 10th houses to the Egyptian natal Venus.

All this looks very reminiscent of today with the transiting Nodes now square to the positions they were at back in February 1981. It shows that this chart (as do all charts) resonates very much to the movement of the Nodes.  Moving back to Venus, this planet is associated with relationships, of relationships between the government and the opposition (a link to the polarity of the natal Nodal axis), between military rule through Aries in charge of the Ascendant and first house where the South Node is moving and democracy with Libra ruling the descendant where is found the transiting North Node.

All this begs the question, what will happen when the transiting Nodes reach 29 degrees Libra and Aries and connect with the Ascendant Descendant Axis, this will happen in April 2014? My best guess is with transiting Saturn square to natal Pluto, the military will gain full official power over the country again and a new dictatorship like the previous one of Mubarak will officially begin. I think that Egypt will then drift back to a form of rule that has provided stability in the past, just as the Nodes suggest. The North Node, Egypt’s perpetuating destiny as you will see sits in Aquarius in that 10th house, the sign of revolution, of revolt and of swift and shocking changes of power.

This is a deeply divided country and I think that to keep some kind of stability, the military will want to assume a hand on the controls for a period of time at least so that the kind of violence and antagonism seen in the past couple of weeks dies down and is kept to a minimum. Much as the US and Europe want democracy in Egypt, at what price does it come to such a strategically important country? Watch the Western powers criticize from afar, but ultimately sit back and watch as they let the Egyptians sort themselves out.

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Mars conjunct Procyon – Strike while the iron is hot.

This aspect is active from now until 22nd August 2013 – It connects exactly at 25:58 degrees Cancer

Right now the planet Mars is closing in on a conjunction with the star Procyon. This star is the brightest star in the constellation of Canis Minor, the little dog. Procyon rises just before Sirius, a star of immense talent, and traditionally the effect of this star is to show a quick rise in stature but one where the gains will not be held for very long. Like a shooting star, it may wonderful to look at but the spectacle is over just after it's begun. The lesson here is to grab onto anything good you can before it has faded away. In the transition from Procyon to Sirius (the next major star in line) Procyon is also a star of changing from one situation to the next.

So with Mars linked to this star what can we expect? Well with the fleeting nature of this star linked to Mars, maybe you can make some quick or swift decisions that can turn our fortunes around in the blink of an eye. Wherever Mars is found transiting through your chart you can be pro-active and effective and you might be able to benefit from any positive decisions that you decide to take. This could take the form of striking a deal, making an impulse purchase, or even going up to the guy or girl you have had your eye on for a long time and asking them out on a date. Remember that Mars can be an aggressive influence sometimes and maybe it will provoke tempers to flare rather briefly. Robson mentions that conjunctions between this star and Mars can bring on cruelty, violence, scandal and slander, disgrace and ruin, so that doesn’t sound very nice, does it?

Mars in transit terms is still in a rather tetchy mood having made a very focused quindecile to Pluto in the past day or so, however the likelihood of any nasty anger is I think receding as the days go on and any major problems should already be fading as this conjunction applies, the 18th  (yesterday as I write) was the day for most of it to come out.

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