Czech Republic – Gas explosion in Prague near National Theatre

This morning reported to the police at 09.56 am, a huge explosion rocked Divadení Ulice, (Theatre Street) adjacent to the National Theatre in Prague, the Czech capital, apart of the world I personally know very well having lived in the city for 4 and a half years. By all reports up to 40 people are injured and several may well be trapped under rubble. It seems that this explosion was caused by a gas leak, and if so the Astrology holds up this theory.

 

The explosion occurred at the time of the Mars Saturn opposition with explosive Mars still in conjunction with the Sun and this opposition focused directly onto Neptune in a wedge pattern, the planet that rules natural gas. Saturn the planet of hardship and loss was at this time was sitting in the 5th house of entertainment, theatre and creativity and Mars in the 11th house of groups and associations. Saturn is also making a nasty inconjunct aspect to Uranus right now, and with Uranus moving direct, the potential for unexpected events (Uranus) that could damage and destroy structures (Saturn) is very much a live possibility. Mars approaching the bold but reckless star Hamal in the constellation of Aries is also forming a trine to destructive Pluto, and all in all this is an explosive picture that may see more incidents in the next couple of days.

Looking at the Czech national chart, you can see Pluto on the Czech Sun receiving the trines fro the Sun and transiting Mars. The chart ruler Venus is making a close trine to the Uranus/Neptune conjunction (public disaster at or near to a theatre) and that Venus conjunct the transiting South Node is making a square to Saturn sitting in the Czech 5th house mirroring the explosion chart. Transiting Uranus as you can see was sitting on the Czech natal Moon and the Moon was also receiving a nasty inconjunct aspect from Saturn so a disaster was pretty much due to hit this country.

I love the city of Prague and the people will always be in my heart as they treated me so well and with such courtesy in the past, and so I hope there were no fatalities and that everyone recovers well…

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Mars opposite Saturn - Stopped in your tracks

This aspect is applying now and will be exact on 1st May

Do you feel as if things are starting to conspire against you? Are all your best laid plans being either held up or blocked completely? If so then you are starting to feel this potent opposition at large in the skies above us. This is the planet of action Mars opposing the planet of limitation Saturn, the one who wants go ahead against the one who wants to prevent any movement, the planet of stop against the planet of go.

When these two oppose in the skies we have a classic standoff position. In your chart, identify 8 degrees Taurus and Scorpio and look at the axis it sits on.

From 1st house to 7th house we have yourself against your partner or opponent
From 2nd house to 8th we have what to own against what someone else does, your values against their values, what you keep against what you share.
From 3rd house to 9th the issues are what you communicate and how your travel against knowledge, beliefs and what you need to learn and where you are travelling to.
From 4th house to 10th the matters to deal with are those of home and family versus work and career
From 5th house to 11th house it is the love we give to the love we receive, what we create and make to what we hope and dream for
From 6th house to 12th house more or less the issues are how we serve and the work we do against how we suffer, where we aid people and the hidden forces working against us.

Wherever you find this opposition, you will feel this stand-off, the Mars house is where we want to move forward whereas the Saturn house will be holding us back. My advice is to be patient now and not to push too hard right. Mars in Taurus should give you enough patience to wait your turn and to start driving forward and taking the initiative again once the opposition passes, otherwise authoritarian Saturn will lay down the law to you, and you wouldn't want that to happen, would you???

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Venus conjunct Hamal and Schedar - Taking a step forward, eventually.

This connection is valid now and through until Monday 22nd April

Venus now in Taurus now is encountering two very positive stars, Hamal, the main star in the constellation of Aries, the Ram and Schedar, the main star in the constellation of Cassiopeia, the Queen of the night skies. Hamal is a brave influence and strong willed too, bold and wanting to take on any challenge. Here we experience the ability to be direct, however any blockage working against this star can cause frustration and anger. Schedar is a royal influence and shows female strength, dignity, honour and wisdom.

In relationships and in any creative venture, i think that these two influences bring a straight forward attitude, the ability to show some individualism and not to worry too much about the consequences of one's actions. This is normally a time of moving forward, making acquaintances maybe with strong women or for those of you reading this who are female, this I think is a particularly good time to take the initiative in your lives. If you are helping anyone now, then you will be able to do so with strength and compassion and to give them your full support.
It is very interesting that Venus in making these connections makes an opposition to Saturn and a trine to Pluto.

Might any association you make now, any creative work you come up or any financial plans you submit be blocked or at least prevented in some way? If so try not to let those negative tendencies of frustration and irritability take over as Saturn's role here is to make you think twice before making a correct decision. Then again, this could indicate encounters with people or taking ideas from people are significantly younger or older than you are. The connection to Pluto could suggest associations or connections with people in power or control, matters of sharing or intimacy or experiences that may transform you in some manner?

All in all and despite that Saturn opposition, I think it is worth using the positivity on offer here, as the people you encounter may allow you to move on and make some significant changes in your position, maybe after a quick review of what is on offer.

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Dzhokhar Tsarnaev – A look at the birth chart of the Boston Bomber

I have deliberately waited until Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured before doing this post as not to give him any publicity on my website. Being a site where I do like to look at the news and the characters making the headlines, this one was a difficult call to make and I thought with an on-going operation and with people’s lives at risk, I believed it insensitive to go into the character of this lad. Now that he will face the full face of justice I am happier to have a look at his horoscope.

Ok he was born we do know on 22nd July 1993 quite possibly in Kyrgyzstan if reports are to be correct, but certainly in the Caucuses region of Russia and quite understandably we do not have a birth time for him, so in these respects I am rather limited. He has a late Cancerian Sun and I would imagine a Virgo Moon. This is a chart with no planets in fire signs and therefore this is a young man who is not impulsive but is more strategic in personality. There are five cardinal planets here and so he will not be someone to let the grass grow under his feet, he will be more of a mover and a shaker than someone who waits for things to happen.

The Cancerian Moon is defensive and loves the past and the Virgo Moon is modest in nature and not the type to show it’s feelings too much. This is a lad who would work hard to create the security base that the Cancerian Sun required and so I am not surprised he was a good student and had career ambitions. Cancerians love their family and friends and are generally sunny and bright in nature, he would have been popular especially to his circle of friends.

The Sun and Mercury both in Cancer make a trine to Pluto and here I find a need to be significant, a need for power and an intense patriotism for his homeland and roots. I read the he and his brother were still very connected to their Chechen past and homeland where he grew up as a child in a war torn land. This link shows talent for delving beneath the surface of any issues and he would have had an interest in technology and scientific matters, as well as the internet. This wedge structure shows technical excellence and skill and with his Moon in detailed and precise Virgo and Pluto receiving a square from Saturn the planet of ambition and career I can see why he had ambitions to be a brain surgeon – the attention to detail and potential expertise here is very impressive. Mercury is the planet of the mind and here it is retrograde, so with the trine from Pluto there is an obsession in looking into the internal workings of the brain. Neptune making the opposition brings in the interest in medical practices and thus a career based around them. I am sure if he had pursued these aims and not got involved in this bomb plot, he would have gone on to become an excellent surgeon. 

However, as with any outer planets there is another side to the story. Uranus and Neptune conjunct in Capricorn show the ambition for freedom from rules and regulations, freedom of religion and collective responsibility to overthrow governments and anyone else who goes against the radical (Uranus) beliefs (Neptune) that one has. This opposition from Neptune to Mercury would make him rather susceptible to listening to and being influenced others, especially those with these more revolutionary views. This particular Uranus Neptune conjunction came together in the early 90’s as the peoples of Eastern Europe and Russia were overthrowing their communist rulers and this generation have it inbuilt into their natal charts. Whether these urges are activated in them is down to the accompanying inner planets making aspects to this conjunction. Here, Dzhokhar had a trine from Mars in Virgo, the planet of action, aggression in the sign of service and in my book a military aspect, potentially making a conjunction to his Virgo Moon making an emotional attachment to these impulses. The trine here feeds the need to take action on behalf of these desires of freedom.

The shock that this lad had this kind of action in him may have surprised some people, but looking at his chart not me as an Astrologer. With Mercury retrograde trine Pluto, this is a guy who would keep those deepest darkest thought purely to himself, he could keep a secret. And why would anyone suspect? Jupiter is peregrine and unconnected to any other planet by major aspect, so he would be very optimistic, fun and have a big personality. Mars square to Venus was amorous and attractive to the opposite sex and Venus in Gemini is very friendly, even flirtatious in nature. He would be chatty and popular. The Moon opposite to Saturn would hold his emotions very much in check and he may have been quite a shy person even though he may have been popular. That Saturn in Aquarius is distrustful of groups and may have made him a bit of a loner emotionally, however the opposition would have impelled him to do something to gain appreciation and love. This is an attention seeking aspect which is afraid maybe of making a emotional commitment out of fear, so if not though love what action could he take to get that appreciation? We all now know.

So the potential sat here, latent energy in that Virgo Mars that is just as much for good in a perfectionist way as it is for bad intentions connected to the internal workings of the mind (Mercury) and the freedom fighting and potentially unstable aspect of Neptune Uranus, but what triggered it in such a violent manner? Lets go deeper.

I was looking at his midpoint picture and one shone out like a beacon!! The midpoint of Mars and Saturn, the death point on his chart lay conjunct to his North Node. This very interestingly with the North Node, this is a point of making unfortunate liaisons. Not only that, the North Node sits directly almost to the minute on the fixed Star Antares and his South Node on the fixed star Aldebaran, both Royal Persian stars and probably the most important axis in the night skies. Antares as a star breeds success and notoriety through extremes including life and death experiences, and connected to the North Node we have a link to the passionate struggles of groups. This is a connection that works in focusing in on small issues or projects that have large consequences. At the other end of this axis we have Aldebaran conjunct the South Node. Aldebaran again brings success and is connected to military aspirations, and a Nodal connection here shows the idea that you are the representative for a particular idea or cause. All Persian stars have a downside and if you abuse the power given to you, if your intentions are dishonest, deceitful and not pure in nature, if you fall prey to obsession and the wrong way of doing things then a fall of huge magnitude will befall you and in Aldebaran’s case, a fiery ordeal will await you.

So we have this triple point on his chart, the Mars/Saturn conjunct North Node conjunct Antares. A lethal point of destiny connected to death, of making the wrong choices in the people you are associating with, a point of feeling empathy for the struggles of others and a point of working in a small group to make a big difference. A point of success to but also a point of downfall if that success was gained in the wrong manner.

At the time of the bomb, Mars and the Sun in conjunction were making a square to his Cancerian Sun, making him take forceful action, this was the trigger for him to make a move. Jupiter was applying a square to his Mars bringing confidence and a sense of risk taking, transiting Uranus also opposed his powerful natal Jupiter and Pluto was making a square, so he would be motivated into making a big unexpected and powerful statement.

Just as interestingly though, the transiting Nodes were making trines and sextiles to his natal Mars and Uranus/Neptune conjunction and the Saturn Pluto sextile in the sky that has been in action for many weeks now were making a Yod to his natal South Node and thus were at the midpoint of his North Node, activating this fateful Mars/Saturn conjunct North Node conjunct Antares axis in his chart. The Nodes were lighting up all the aggressive intent, all the ideas, the technical ability, all the sympathies, all the desire, a link to death and bringing success but also a great fall from grace.

The thing that bugs me is though from this chart is the midpoint signature, of Mars Saturn on his North Node. What or who were these unfortunate liaisons that he made? Was it his brother, or other people who were the ones to motivate this lad to do the deeds he did, for I think someone had to push the buttons inside him for him to act? A 19 year old in my opinion is unlikely to have the expertise and the training to carry out such a well executed hit without help. Maybe the Saturn Pluto sextile that has been sitting astride his Nodal Axis for many weeks now gives us a clue? If this was a purely spiritual or faith based activity, maybe Neptune would be highlighted in some manner however with the spread of planets in his chart, transiting Neptune has not touched any of his natal planets for years. I leave you to make your own conclusions on what or who influenced him.

His chart shows I think not only the power of astrology itself, but of the potent effect of the Nodal axis and the fixed stars. His destiny was one of a turning point in the form of a yod and a seminal event triggered by a fiery conjunction of Mars and the Sun. His name will go down in US history for ever more…

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Waco Fertiliser Plant explosion causes death and mass destruction.

Above is a picture of the utter destruction caused by a huge explosion at a fertiliser plant in West, Texas near the town of Waco. The blast happened just before 20:00 local time last night, indeed the police registered a call at 19:53 so perhaps we can say that 19:51 is an accurate time for the incident? It has destroyed many properties and the death toll is rising. This caps quite a week in the United States and it came as the Sun and Mars were making a fiery conjunction in the skies.

The standout aspect for me looking at the chart for this blast was the exact conjunction on the descendant between the Sun and Mars, both at 28:09 degrees Aries. They were also in conjunction with Venus sitting in Taurus. All that explosive and fiery energy from the Sun and Mars was directed at one point on earth (the Ascendant) and in particular a building connected to farming and the earth, something very synonymous with Taurus (an earth sign) and it’s ruler Venus. The opposition here connected to the Moon by a t-square, so this was an incident where the local population (Moon) would be in the firing line. Notice too Jupiter sitting at the midpoint of the Midheaven and Sun/Mars conjunction. This would have increased the destructive power of the blast and also allowed it to become an international (Jupiter) story (in Gemini), the video of the exact moment of the explosion has gone viral on the internet.

We also had an opposition here from Saturn to Venus showing social grief and unfortunate happenings to buildings (Saturn) and property (Venus) and also the potential for an accident would have been enhanced by an inconjunct from Saturn to Uranus. Uranus also in Aries and squared by Pluto is the one with direct motion and so has precedence over Saturn, so the shock and unpredictable nature of Uranus destroys structure and things that have been standing for a long time.

As for fixed star connections, the Moon was sitting conjunct to Pollux in Gemini at the time of the explosion, a rather dark and sinister connection and Mars and the Sun were coming into contact with the stars Al Rescha in Pisces and Mirach in Andromeda. The second of these two Mirach (click the link for my previous post on this star) is a very fertile influence, rather appropriate one would think, and Al Rescha is a link star, noted for bringing different elements together. If you bring fire next to fertiliser you get a lethal cocktail, and then kaboom!!! 

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Lunar Eclipse 25th April 2013 – Transforming relationships for better, or for worse.

On 25th April we start to enter eclipse season, one Solar and two Lunar eclipses are coming up to change our world. Eclipses cut out the normal light either from the Sun or the Moon disrupting the energy flow from them. In Astrology, they can have potent effects on us which are often delayed for several months, often seminal moments in our lives can be associated back to eclipses and where they land in our own personal charts. The first one on the 25th is a Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio.

This Lunar eclipse is at 5:45 Scorpio just 3 degrees from a conjunction to Saturn. We have the obligatory opposition to the Sun, as well as ones Mars and Venus, all in Taurus. This axis makes two focus points onto Neptune and Pluto, you can see the two wedges off this set of oppositions.

Lunar eclipses tend to work and focus on emotional issues far more than the Solar Eclipses do and this being a North Node Lunar eclipse, we will be getting a new blast of energy coming in to affect our lives, new situations to deal with that complicates matters. This is another one of a run of new and full Moons recently that have been highlighting relationships and in this eclipse we see the same story coming out once again. This time we have a polarity between forced change and transformation (the Moon and Saturn in Scorpio) and keeping things stable and retaining the status quo (Sun Venus and Mars in Taurus). Of course Taurus is ruled by Venus so here we have links to personal possessions and money and opposed we have the Moon and Saturn in the sign of sharing and intimacy.

If you are in a relationships that is at all rocked by problems in any way, then these will most probably be the standout issues in your life now, money issues or intimacy problems, maybe the spectre of temptation pitted against the knowledge that you should really try to keep the status quo? Here we also the emotion of the Moon cooled by the stern and sober influence of Saturn and the loving and sensual Taurean Sun sparked into life by fiery Mars and touchy feely and alluring Venus in Taurus.

You can see the picture of the couple at a party, the husband’s head  (Sun) turned by the blond in the figure hugging dress (Mars/Venus) where as his wife (Moon) looks coldly and disapprovingly (Saturn) at her and him. You can see the temptation here on offer through Neptune and Pluto sitting off this main axis. Does the husband have a secret affair hiding things behind closed doors from his wife (Neptune) or does he break things completely and decides to annul the marriage and start something fresh and new (Pluto). Does the Taurean influence kick in and you fight to keep what you have, using the healing properties of Neptune to soothe the pain that you are facing inside? Is there going to be a stand off or a cold and difficult reconciliation where things will never really be the same again (Pluto)? Will you rearrange your shared finances now to solve some financial problems? Do you need some psychotherapy to delve beneath the surface to sort why the magic has been taken away from your sex life? Is Saturn’s solidifying presence and the determination of Mars going to make your minds up to formalise a relationship and turn it from a love affair into a marriage? Pluto making a triple trine to Sun Venus and Mars indicates huge passion, determination and stamina is present here waiting to come out, and transformation is definitely going to happen. It’s up to you how you handle this potent energy and use it to guide these changes.

Under this eclipse many of these issues are going to be visited in the next few months, especially if this eclipse cuts across your angular (personal 1,7) or succedent (relationship 2/8/5/11) houses. The structure and nature of your emotions (Moon) are certainly going to change under the pressure of the opposition as well as the sextile from Pluto to this Saturn/Moon conjunction.

There are other sub-plots to this Lunar Eclipse. The Pluto Uranus square is here to bring radical and unexpected change, and the presence of Mercury widely conjunct to Uranus in Aries but still square to Pluto allows deep reflection and thought and maybe a chance to air some radical ideas or thoughts that could change the direction of your life. This is a connection I think indicating some kind of technological breakthrough in communications or travel that will come  in the next few months. Any change could be expansive in nature, as Mercury makes a positive sextile to Jupiter.

Oh, yeah for what it’s worth, the Midheaven of this Lunar Eclipse set for London has it’s Midheaven conjunct Royal Persian fixed star Regulus, the star in the heart of the lion in the constellation Leo, the star of royalty and Kings and Queens. We already know a royal baby is on the way but I have a feeling, as I have said before, that it will be a girl, especially now with this Lunar connection highlighting femininity…

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Do you want to find out how this Eclipse and the others next month will affect you personally?

If so please click the following link where you can order a personalised Eclipse report and other readings too…

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Sun and Mars conjunct Al Rescha - Taking different views to come to a conclusion

This aspect is in force now and will be valid until 20th April 2013

Fast on the back of Venus hitting the star of Al Rescha now it is the turn of Mars and the Sun to get this spot in the sky. I mentioned in my previous post a few days ago about this star being a knot in the tails of the fish in Pisces, two fish swimming in opposite directions. In these connections Mars dictates action and force and the Sun represents our life force being torn by a conundrum we face or maybe a person who split ideas, views and opinions.

This is a spiritual star and surely it can be no coincidence that the funeral and fiery cremation of Baroness Thatcher comes as these planets and stars come together. A military funeral showing the presence of Mars, she was one who never stepped back from taking action, of taking a decisive path. She was also one who divided opinion in the UK like never before, many supported her but many despised her.

In the world elsewhere, we may see people expressing different ideas and certain people in the spotlight now may divide opinions too. We are in a time of debate, of looking inward at our lives and at the pros and cons of the position that we find ourselves in, of assessing our options and ultimately being forced to bring everything together to come to a resolution.

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Iran shaken by huge earthquake - 7.8 on Richter scale

There has been a huge earthquake in the Middle East east of the town of Khash in Eastern Iran, close to the Pakistan border – it occurred at 15:14 local time. This will be hitting the newswires soon but the chart is remarkably similar to the Boston Chart, with the Moon now in opposition to Pluto forming a t-square onto an 8th house Uranus. The volatile Sun conjunction to Mars is also in the 8th house of death and destruction. I am waiting on news of casualties as this is a remote part of Iran, nevertheless a massive earthquake on this scale will be felt across a wide wide area.

In my estimation, all these events are being triggered by Pluto now retrograde starting to tighten the square between itself and Uranus as well as Mars and the Sun making a nasty fiery conjunction in Aries. We also have an inconjunct aspect closing in with Uranus making the aspect to Saturn. Uranus has the forward motion so shocks and rebellion will take precedence now over stability and the rule of law. These are volatile days and more to come with eclipse season soon upon us… 

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Boston Marathon rocked by explosions at finish line

Two explosions rocked the finish line at the Boston Marathon today. The explosions happened around 14:45 hrs, around 3 hours after the winners crossed the finishing line. The explosion has hurt many people I understand including it seems several runners. The latest death toll as I write is 2 dead and 107 injured but this is likely to rise considerably.

Here is the chart for the explosions. We have the Uranus Pluto square in operation, Pluto in the 5th house of sport and Uranus in the 8th house of death. Pluto, the planet of destruction makes a quindecile to the Moon representing the general population in the public 10th house. That Moon was also receiving a sextile from aggressive and explosive Mars and Sun in Aries. Mercury also in the 8th house, ruling the chart with Virgo rising was making a tense square to the Moon. This Midheaven if this chart is correct sat on the fixed star Algol sitting in the constellation of Perseus, the star representing the Medusa and the most destructive star and brutal star in the heavens, a most violent signature to the events in Boston.

Neptune the planet of confusion sits bang on the descendant sitting on the fixed star Fomalhaut. This is a connection that shows the artist of the deceiver. This is a star planet connection that has no regard for people, other than following one’s own particular dream. Saturn making a trine to Neptune and a sextile to Pluto was making this destructive dream a reality. Neptune was in the 7th house of open enemies, so one can assume this was a terrorist attack by someone shadowy and underground who had no respect for life.

The transits to the ever reliable US Stolte chart show transiting Uranus (the chart ruler) just 0:07 degrees from an exact square to the Nodal Axis, so a shock was going to come to the US, Uranus is also now a couple of degrees off a square to the US Mars and makes a trine to the Sagittarian Midheaven so allowing an unexpected and violent act to happen.

That triple transiting conjunction Mars,Venus and Sun were square to the US natal Pluto and of course you can see transiting Pluto bang on the US Mars to within a degree. Transiting Saturn on this chart was conjunct the Mercury Saturn conjunction in the 9th house, a Saturn return at the same time receiving a nasty inconjunct from that transiting Uranus too. Transiting Jupiter sits on the US Uranus inconjunct to Mars, I would not be surprised if this was an international hit. Really interesting that transiting Sun and Moon at this point were making a virtual Yod to the natal US Sun and notice also a return Yod from the US Sun and Neptune sextile focusing in on transiting Mars and Sun conjunction – turning points in the US nation’s history?

My thoughts go out to all the families of those victims involved…

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Venus conjunct Mirach – Being open to new ideas

This aspect is active tomorrow 14th April and active until 16th April

Venus also makes a conjunction in the next day or two with the star Mirach, one of the two stars in the constellation of Andromeda, the Princess of the night skies. Andromeda is part of the royal family of constellations. In Greek mythology Andromeda was seen as the damsel in distress chained to the rocks waiting for her prince (Perseus) to come and save her from Cetus, the Sea Monster from the deep. Perseus did so and eventually became her husband.

Andromeda was a beautiful young virgin waiting for her suitor and this star Mirach takes on these attributes of fertility and being open to receiving new ideas and new people. If there is a downside to this star, then it can promote a rather obsessed attitude and can be rather vain and narcissistic.

In the world, suggestions which maybe were off the table may appear more attractive now and with North Korea a bone of contention, we may see some foreign ministers working together to try to solve this dangerous problem. Venus is the planet of design and beauty and this connection with Mirach is great for artists or creative people, so it should inspire them to come up with new ideas and be receptive to this positive energy.

In relationships, just as with the Al Rescha aspect I mentioned earlier today you may be more open to that Prince in shining armour or the beauty that takes your breath away, relationships can start up now out of nothing...

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Venus Conjunct Al Rescha - Tying things and people together

This aspect is active tomorrow 14th April and active until 16th April

Venus is now coming to meet up with the main star in the constellation of Pisces, the constellation of the fishes. If you don't know, Pisces as a constellation has two fishes swimming in the night skies in opposite directions. Al Rescha (sometimes called Al Rischa) is a star representing the knot in their tails, the only thing that ties these two fish together. If you think of Pisces as a sign, then going off in all directions and not having a single common purpose is a real theme of Piscean people, it is very difficult to hold them down for any amount of time, reflecting the scene in the skies. Pisces is of course linked to water and also Christianity, we all know of the story of Jesus and the loaves and the fishes. In Christianity and Catholicism, marriage is a vital theme, of the love between a man and a woman making a commitment to each other, of tying the knot. The Pope as the signal of his authority over the Roman Catholic church wear's his seal on his fingers, the Fisherman's ring.

Al Rescha as a star reflects the tying of the knot and of holding disparate themes together and bringing them as one. This can be effective in combining different types of knowledge to create wisdom, or it can be through relationships, bringing two different people into a relationship to form a common bond between them. Through Al Rescha then we can open out our minds exposing ourselves to new concepts and people and thus make our lives and understanding more complete.

Venus connecting with this star brings the idea of relationships closer to home, of bringing differing social ideas under a common banner, of uniting people or even nations who may have seen things in very different ways in the name of diplomacy and peace. This can also be a factor in the financial world as a greater understanding of the problems of money and financial problems may come out of people meeting and talking.
In your own lives, will this influence bring you closer together to someone who you might not have thought was suitable for you? Will you see someone in a different light now? Will this unifying force heal some wounds or suffering that you are facing?

Let the gentle harmonizing influence of Venus conjunct Al Rescha wash over the infections that exist in your life allowing compassion to flow and opening us up to the most ideal and beautiful kind of love imaginable...

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Pluto Retrograde - Time for some internal cleansing

I don’t if you realise, but Pluto is now at an almost dead stop and is just about to turn inwards and move into retrograde motion. You know, because some of these outer planets are retro for long periods maybe we take then for granted, but we should not.

Pluto when direct transforms our world through outside events and incidents that change the direction of our lives. Parts of our lives will die and then we have to take a different course. We may get blocked by facing people in power who have control over us. We may face cruelty or harshness and have to deal with the consequences and we may find that we have to assess our financial position too.

Pluto retrograde turns inward on ourselves and in the next few months we are going to find that our attitudes and patterns of thought are going to change, we may have to psycho-analyse our own lives so that we can get some personal power back in our own hands. If you have been suffering with depression or feeling low, now you will be able to fully deal with those consequences and get to the root cause of the problems.

The other thing that will undergo a huge change under this retrograde period I think are our relationships and matters of sharing of the most intimate nature. Are you in the right relationship and are you getting the most out of it? Our emotions are going to get the full force of Pluto's cleansing power thrust upon them and in square aspect with Uranus which breathes new life into our lives, many of you will be doing some deep thinking and being given the chance to make some radical decisions in the next few months.

Pluto is retrograde from 12th April 2013 and and is going to be moving backwards until 20th September 2013.

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Margaret Thatcher – Passes away at age 87

Margaret Thatcher, one of the most iconic leaders in the 20th century passed away today aged 87 after suffering a stroke. It is true that her health had been ailing in recent years, however it is a shock to us here in Britain. She was Prime Minister in the UK from 1979 until November 1990, the first and only ever woman to hold the post. Singlehandedly she turned around the British economy from the sick man of Europe to become a hub of commercial activity, she took on the unions in a bitter and protracted dispute dividing a nation into those who loved her and those who loathed her. The one thing was, you could never ignore her. I looked at her horoscope in a post about Meryl Streep and her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher last year.

Margaret Thatcher was born on 13th October 1925 in Grantham in Lincolnshire, England at 09.00am. The daughter of a grocer, she rose from relatively humble beginnings to be the first woman Prime Minister of the UK. She was a Sun sign Libran with a royal Leo Moon and a secretive Scorpio Ascendant. Margaret had 5 cardinal planet including that Libran Sun so her inclination would be to push ahead and begin projects, to lead from the front. And with a Leo Moon she loved being in the spotlight. Here was a social outreach and idealism of the Libran Sun combined with the need to be adored of the Leo Moon. That was the view that the public saw, but behind this was the ruthless, secretive Scorpio ascendant bolstered by an authoritarian Saturn conjunct that Ascendant from the 12th house. Mars in Libra in her 11thhouse of political parties is known as the velvet glove with an iron fist and she wielded the axe with ferocity behind the door of number 10 Downing Street. In the seclusion of the cabinet room, there would no doubt of who would be in charge.

Despite that hard exterior I think Margaret Thatcher did have a very soft heart and a compassionate emotional side to her. Shown by her Moon Neptune square to Venus, she would have been appreciative of art, music, beauty and colour. Venus in the first house square to the Virgo Midheaven shows that the personal image she portrayed was very important to her and clean cut prim and proper cut of her clothes and the detail she went to including using a deeper voice for authority was so reflective of a Virgo Midheaven. The Moon Neptune conjunct to her Virgo Midheaven is sextile to her Sun Mercury, so here is a link to creative emotive public speaking.

With the Sun in the 11th house, it was in group activities and within associations where Margaret would shine. The Sun shows her relationship to her father and his influence I think was very powerful. Her Sun was square to Jupiter/Pluto opposition. The Pluto square shows the indelible bond between the two and Margaret mirrored his ambition for power and control (Pluto). He was in local Government as a Liberal (shown by Jupiter in administrative Capricorn) and was also a Methodist preacher, again shown by the Jupiter link as well as the sextile to spiritual Neptune. Margaret used these energies in a slightly different way, using the power and control of Pluto to forge an successful international profile (Jupiter). Of course that Pluto/Jupiter opposition connected to the Saturn/Ascendant conjunction through a wedge formation, bringing that determined international reach to an ultra conservative administrative focus. Unlike her father she was never going to follow his Liberal tendencies. Pluto opposite Jupiter is always a most resourceful aspect and square to Mars in the 11th house, it showed tremendous drive and ambition. I like to call Mars in the 11th the team captain aspect. Here the energies are directed to the group, yet Mars wants to be pre-eminent and to lead. Within the Conservative Party and latterly within the country, this is exactly what she did.

The one planet I have not focused on yet is Uranus. Uranus is peregrine (unconnected to any planet by major aspect) in the chart. Not many people know that before Margaret got into politics, she was a research scientist, aptly describing Uranus which rules science in creative Pisces. A peregrine planet’s influence is normally very, very strong, and this Uranus was used by Margaret through it’s connection with freedom,  independence and individualism. In Pisces this freedom is limitless and unconstrained. Of course she was notably known to have said that there was no such thing as society, she pushed individuals to buy their own houses and she was associated with free market economics. It was the antithesis of Communism, and at the time of the fall of the Iron Curtain she was leaving office, but the freedom and vision of competition she preached was seized upon by the peoples of Eastern Europe to overthrow their restrictive regimes.

Baroness Thatcher passed away as the transiting North Node was just about to hit her Scorpio Ascendant and conjunct her Saturn in the 12th house. This is always a turning point in life, and here it signalled her passing. The stellium of Sun Mars and Venus opposed her Sun and Mercury which rules her 8th house of change and death. Transiting Jupiter was just about to enter her 8th house too and was at the point of a virtual Yod connecting her natal Jupiter and Her Saturn Ascendant conjunction. Again another turning point and as always it seems Jupiter being prominent. Often I see Jupiter involved in a person’s passing; I see this as the spirit going on a journey. Her funeral will be a huge affair as Jupiter moves into this 8th house as the nation pays it respects. Neptune was opposing her Midheaven at the MC and this degrading influence was being shown in a public sense in the past years. During it’s transit of her 3rd house of the mind and communication, her memory failed and she suffered from dementia. With transiting Saturn moving in her hidden 12th house so she would have suffered in the past year or two.

Margaret Thatcher was a giant of British politics and whether you agreed with her politics or not, she was strong and her strength filtered through to British society and especially to the female part of the population, just when the country needed a shot in the arm. She will be missed and I send out my condolences to her family and friends…

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New Moon in Aries 13/4/2013 - Taking the initiative

I've had a mini break from Astrology as I need to do every so often just to keep my mind fresh and also because we are into a much quieter phase astrologically after the very, very active last week of March. The coming New Moon in Aries on 10th (exact at 10:35 hrs London time, 9:35 UTC) sees a triple conjunction of Sun Venus and Mars in Aries like the last full Moon, but this one does not have the wildcard influence of Uranus in the mix, nor the Pluto opposition, so it is more stable in nature.

New Moons plant the seeds in the ground for new parts of our lives to grow and this is a strong new Moon in this sense as it is the first one of the new Astrological year, this is a true time for new beginnings. This is like the broom coming out and starting the spring cleaning.

This New Moon shows now we can take action and initiative (Mars) over relationship issues as well as financial and matters of what we own (Venus). The Aries and Mars influences wants us to move now and Venus wants us to relate, to start something, a new relationship or friendship, getting new possessions, sorting out your personal finances. Of course, these decisions will be also affected exactly where in your chart the New Moon hits. Especially with regard to the more Venus related side of this New Moon, anything you start now will have a sense of permanence about it, as Venus makes a strong and close quindecile to Saturn.

The degree to look for on your chart this time is 20 degrees Aries. Find that point on your chart and here will be the catalyst for new growth in your life for the next weeks and months to come.

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