Living with the Stars

  Today's Full Moon is a total lunar eclipse, though not totally visible from here. In Malta, Moonrise is at sunset - obviously - the Moon is opposite the Sun, so be sure to look at the horizon and enjoy the spectacle.  A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the Moon and the Sun, casting a shadow on the Moon.  Due to atmospherics, the Moon will appear reddish in colour, which is why they call it a 'blood moon'.  Astrologically, this 'blood moon' is quite powerful, and although lunar eclipses are not interpreted in quite the same way as solar eclipses, they still speak to us about our instincts and emotions.  Let's have a look at what story the sky is offering us.  Firstly, any Full Moon is the culmination of the intentions set at the New Moon. A full moon throws reflected light to Earth, so similarly full moons heighten emotions and instincts, allowing us to review our reactions and feelings to issues close to our hearts. But this is als...

  Good morning y'all! Let's all bid welcome to the Virgo New Moon. New Moons are a time when we set our intentions for this lunar cycle, so be sure to have a think about what it is you want to manifest.  We have just left the zodiac sign of Leo, a time when the emphasis was on creativity and finding your inner king. But like all kings, they need their subjects who recognise them as king. The keyword here is recognition and therefore, in other words, the essence of Leo is about knowing who you are, what you're about and what you stand for. It is the myth of Parsifal.  After completing the journey through Leo, when we go in search of ourself, we move into the next sign, Virgo, where, knowing who we are and all that, we separate the wheat from the chaff; we evaluate and sift through our experiences. That is why Mercury rules this sign; this Mercury (as opposed to the curious, information-chasing Merc we associate with Gemini) has a more discriminating and discerning nature w...

  So the Mercury retrograde had me delay uploading this post until after yesterday's Full Moon in Aquarius, so I'll do my best to get this to you before the sun disappears over the western horizon today.  Let's start with the obvious. An Aquarian Full Moon occurs when there is a full moon when the Sun is transiting the zodiac sign of Leo. Full Moons reflect the light of the Sun and throw light on the intentions sown at the beginning of this lunar cycle, the New Moon. This Full Moon is an aquarian one, meaning there is a certain amount of emotional detachment (Moon in Aquarius), highlighting a need to let go, and this month it is particularly strong owing to the kite formation as shown in the chart. Let's unpack this.  You might notice that there are quite a few planets positioned over 1 degree of something; Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto (in fact, all the outer planets are at one degree of a sign, signifying they are transiting a new 'landscape'). The f...

  For some odd reason (which in my sphere is not odd at all), the importance of the Leo season has been somewhat brought to my attention in a number of ways. Walking past a jewellery shop, there was a display of 'the age of Leo' range of rings and more. Switch on the TV, and the Lionesses chase a ball. That and other small but significant signs. And I'm a Leo native. It's Leo season. The month of July brings with it what is known as the 'dog days' - the intense heat associated with the 'dog star' Sirius, whose heliacal rising occurs this year on the 29th July (but I bet you can feel the fire too - temperatures here in the Med are crazy hot). Sopdet Taken from Wikipedia This fixed star, known as Sopdet to the ancient Egyptians, was a celestial herald of renewal, appearing just before sunrise at the time of the flooding of the River Nile. In this respect Sirius - associated with the goddess Isis, signified a life-giving event that marked the beginning of t...

As the sun sets on the western horizon this evening, the Full Moon rises in the East, reaching culmination at around 10:30pm. This is a Full Moon in the earth sign of Capricorn.  Full Moons are rather like a pause button, a time for reflection. What started as a New Moon on the 25th June (in Cancer) now asks us to take stock of our thoughts and actions since that time. What plans did you want to implement concerning hearth and home (Cancer)? Those plans may have been 'OTT' given that Jupiter, the planet which encourages expansion, was one degree away. Now that we have a Full Moon in the more practical sign of Capricorn, ask yourself the same question through a more practical lens. How much of your plans were you able to implement? Because the Moon reflects the light of the Sun at the full moon, it throws light on what was inspired at the new moon. Let's have a look at what the sky story is. Patterns in the sky. The chart here shows a triangle formation which pulls in all th...

  The cosmos is stirring up a storm - yes, a storm - as the planet associated with rebellion and innovation changes sign from Taurus to Gemini. Yesterday, 7th July, we bid goodbye to the presence of Uranus in grounded Taurus and witnessed its entry into the communicative Gemini, where it will reside for the next 7 years. Uranus orbits once around the Sun every 84 years, which roughly means that at around that age, you may witness a Uranus return to its natal position in your chart. But what does all this herald?  Uranus is what is called 'an outer planet', meaning that it is one of the planets which lies outside of Saturn's orbit. Until the late 1700s, there were only seven planets known to mankind. With the discovery of Uranus in 1781, astrologers began to attribute certain traits to the planet. It was a time of revolution, new ideas, freedom and individuality. Let's not forget the Declaration of Independence of 1776, and the French Revolution of 1789. Even our tiny is...