Living with the Stars

  Welcome to the New Moon in Cancer which occurred early this morning, on a day known to us Maltese as L-Imnarja, or Luminaries. This is essentially a farming tradition which goes back centuries, according to sources. The word 'luminaries' indicates this was a festival of 'lights' of some sort, bonfires and candles would be lit to mark the successful harvest.  Today's New Moon is all about communication, both interpersonal and intrapersonal. The ruler of the chart is Mercury (which rules Gemini) and if you look at the chart, Mercury is just above the eastern horizon, indicating that it has just risen (nine o' clock in the chart). That area is what astrologers mark out as the 12th house, which tells us that Mercury the informer/messenger is working behind the scenes.  The Sun and Moon occupy 7 degrees of Cancer, where the fixed star Mirzam is found. This star lies in Canis Major and carries the energy of an 'announcer', in that it announces the rising of

Have you ever wondered why we were taught that summer starts on the 21st of June? Or why the zodiac sign of Cancer begins around that date? Or indeed, the others seasons were assigned the dates they were assigned?  It is all very simple - it all has to do with the movement of the Earth around the Sun.  The summer solstice (as opposed to the winter solstice) occurs when the North Pole has maximum tilt towards the Sun. It is at this point that the sun reaches its highest position in the sky (outside of the tropics) and is also the longest day. Depending on the calendar, the summer solstice occurs between the 20th and the 22nd of June for the Northern Hemisphere (and between the 20th and the 23rd December in the Southern Hemisphere).  This year, the Summer Solstice occurs on the 21st June at 11:13am. This is when the Sun is at 0 degrees Cancer. This zodiac sign is associated with the crab, but in actual fact, it is the scarab which is a more precise representative of this sign. Why? Scara

  Good morning peeps, we have a Full Moon tomorrow the 14th June at 13:51. Full moons are always on the opposite side of the sun, so today's Full Moon is in Gemini at 23 degrees.  Full moons are the culmination of patterns set at the New Moon (I know, I use capitalisation haphazardly), so in a sense we come to a sort of 'enlightenment' at the Full Moon - the light of the Full Moon allows us to have a glimpse at what needs highlighting.  Sagittarius moons are all about how we respond emotionally to life's issues. This is a fire sign, so we respond creatively. How do we respond? This is not a water sign so no sulking somewhere till we wreak havoc, no, Sagittarius responds by trying to look at the bigger picture, by moving away, travelling or focusing on something else.  The other things going on in this Full Moon chart is Mercury's entry into Gemini, the sign it rules (as well as Virgo, where Mercury operates differently, as an analytic factor). Venus, in its own sign