Living with the Stars

  There are forty-five minutes left to the old year and I thought I'd put fingers to keypad and quickly jot down a few thoughts. This old year has gone out with a trio of departures, that of Pope Benedict, Vivienne Westwood and the legendary Pele'. To be honest, when I heard that the faithful were asked to pray for Pope Ratzinger, I recalled an article written by the astrologer Bernadette Brady regarding the fixed stars in his chart. Brady wrote that his natal Jupiter near his rising sign had the markings of a spiritual leader, and that although he would rise to prominence, the chart indicated that his 'success' would be compromised in some way. She wrote this around the year 2006, years before his resignation.  Well, this prompted me to look at the position of Jupiter in the charts of Vivienne Westwood and also Pele' (that's what astrologers do, they look for patterns in charts). This is not to say that this would in any way indicate any prediction of death - a...

  Yes, it's been over a month since I last posted, in fact I totally missed the New Moon post of the 23rd of November. The truth is, I was drowning in work and after-work duties. You know the ones, cooking, clearning (a new word I invented meaning clearing and cleaning) house and then doggy duties as a close family relative needed to have surgery. The dog is doing well, thank you (the owner needs to be educated into how to feed his dog; this one is overweight!) I put it all down to transiting Pluto sitting on top of my natal Saturn at 25 odd degrees of Capricorn.  Pluto had been hovering over 25-26 degrees of Capricorn since late 2020 and into late 2021, and I'm still feeling its effects: responsibilities, responsibilities and - ah wait - do this too!  Pluto does this, you see. It pulls the carpet from beneath your feet.  Talking of Pluto, it is interesting that Prince Harry has a Pluto thing going on in his chart at the moment. His progressed Sun is now conjunc...

  If you thought that the current vibes out there are particularly intense, you are right. The Full Moon on the 8th is a corker - just look at that Moon conjunct Uranus, with the rebel Uranus square (challenging) establishment Saturn.  All this is happening with the COP27 meeting in Egypt at the moment, and therefore it would be interesting to see what information this Full Moon chart is offereing us at the moment.  As mentioned about, the square (a 90 degree aspect) between Uranus and Saturn seems to fit the description of the challenge that is facing us at the moment; change or keep the status quo. The thing is, changing will save us, maintaining the status quo will apparently lead to our undoing. The Moon in this chart, whilst also being occulted by the Sun, enmeshes her hidden light with that of Uranus, a planet which cannot be seen with the naked eye. In Ancient Eygpt, the Moon was represented by the God Thoth, depicted as a man with the head of an ibis. There are th...

  Tempus fugit, the saying goes. October is one busy month for me as I settle into a routine involving lesson plannng, meal planning and optimising sleep. Teaching is like that. However, I couldn't pass up writing something small about today's New Moon in Scorpio. It's a partial eclipse, to boot!  If you look at the chart, you'll notice that at the top are the glyphs for Venus, the Sun, the Moon and Mercury. This is a highly intense eclipse, given that it has a Scorpio vibe, but what is interesting is that the position of Venus at exactly the same degree as the Sun and Moon seems to indicate that it's all about her too.  Which brings me to last months article. For some reason unbeknownst to me, I decided to write a little about the position of Venus in the charts of President Putin and King Charles III. Venus figures much in  this eclipse chart and here she is in the sign of Scorpio.  Venus is the planet usually associated with beauty, charm and also money. She ...

  The New Moon in Libra occurs on Sunday 25th September at 23:54. This New Moon at 2 degrees of Libra occurs just after the equinox on the 21st, where the daylight and night enjoy equal hours.  Libra itself is a sign of balance, as represented by the Scales. This idea of balance probably stems from the notion that the Sun, having traversed the six zodiac signs which track the development of the individual, is now in the first sign devoted to the development of the collective.  In astrology, the sign of Libra denotes action with the significant other, business or otherwise. Libra's ruling planet is Venus, which is about how we relate to others. Anyone who is born under the sign of Libra, or indeed, has Libra as their rising sign, would look to where Venus is in their chart and whether it makes an aspect to another planet. Let's see what Venus is doing in this New Moon Chart. The New Moon occurs in the fourth house, the house of the home, or the clan, something that you inh...

  Most people one meets will tell you that FaceBook is declining in popularity and is losing many subscribers daily. I know this to be true and I can understand why. However, as an astrologer I find it useful to follow other astrologers' pages, or even pages to do with the 'today in history' type. In this respect, I find FB a very useful resource.  Last week, with the death of Queen Elisabeth  II, FB presented a highly interesting piece of information about the Empress Sissi (Sisi), as she was known. I'm old enough to have grown up on a diet of foreign films, largely by watching Italian stations as they were the only ones available (apart from our local TV stations) at the time. What I knew about Empress Sissi was that she was, as interpreted by the actress Romy Schneider, a carefree and very young German princess who married the Archduke Franz of Austria (interpreted by KarlHeinz Bohm). I love these moments when information is presented and I think.... hang on... what ...

  The New Moon in Virgo occurs on Saturday, 27th August at around a quarter past ten in the morning. When the moon is new, it isn't visible, apart from the fact that it occurs during daylight hours.  The Moon changes sign every two and a half days, and will make an aspect to the Sun roughly every 14 days, either as a conjunction (New Moon) or as an opposition (Full Moon). Women's mensis  was called their 'moon time' as, before the days of artificial light, women's cycles would have been more in tune with lunar cycles. Attitudes towards women's mensis vary around the world, depending on the prevailing culture; some saw it as a time when women had to withdraw (read 'The Red Tent', by Anita Diamant) from their community whilst others saw it as a time when women came into their power.  The zodiac sign of Virgo is represented by a maiden holding a sheaf of wheat. Across many cultures, the Virgo maiden is associated with the harvest, including the process of s...

  Good morning, y'all.... there's a full moon out there. This full moon lies at 19 degrees of Aquarius (remember, a full moon is visible because it is opposite the Sun) and is also a supermoon. When the Moon is full and closest to Earth, it appears bigger and brighter. Remember, the Moon does not emit light, but reflects the light of the Sun.  The position of the Moon in a person's birth chart reveals a lot about the emotional make-up of the native (of the chart). Whereas the Sun in the chart tells us about the path of the native to encompass his solar personality, the Moon talks of how the person could possibly respond emotionally to life's situations. Remember, it is not only the zodiac sign the Moon is in, but also its placement in the chart and the aspects other planets or points make to it. Just saying 'Oh, I've got a Leo Moon' simply doesn't cut it. There's much more to it that that, though it does reveal a little bit (Leo Moons children are ma...

  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 ...

  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...

  Today's lunar eclipse is also a Full Moon, and it is happening in the zodiac sign of Scorpio. Full Moons occur when the Sun is opposite the Moon and therefore we can surmise that  Sun is currently transiting the sign of Taurus. Hence, the sun throws all its light onto the moon, which then reflects it to Earth. Enter the Moon's Nodes: This is where the Moon's orbital path crosses the ecliptic (the equator projected out into space).  A full moon elipse can only occur when the Moon is within 15 degrees of the lunar nodes. If it is exactly on the nodal point, then the eclipse is a total one.  Added to that is the fact that the Moon's orbital path is not circular, but elliptical. This means that there are times when the Moon is closer to Earth than at other times. Today is such a day - so apart from a total Full Moon eclipse, this Full Moon is also at perigee (closer to Earth) and therefore will appear bigger. (image credit:Nasa) A whole lot has been written about solar...

  Ever wondered what it is like when two giants meet? Well, brace yourselves: Jupiter and Neptune have been getting closer to each other (in terms of zodiacal degrees) and today they are exact in the sign of Pisces! When two planets conjoin each other (occupy the same space of sky) - particularly when one involves the outer planets, then this is something we take note of.  Jupiter has a 12 year orbit around this Sun. In astrology, Jupiter is one of the benefic planets and has an expansive energy. Wherever this planet is in your chart, it dons an optimistic vibe and also an expansive one: if Jupiter connects with Mercury, communication is going to be expanded in some way, depending on the placement in the chart and the sign it is in.  Neptune has a 165 year orbit around the Sun. In astrology, Neptune represents the nebulous, our dreams, and also illusions and disillusions. It is also one of the gas giants. Surely, every 12 years or so, Jupiter will 'catch' Neptune on its w...

  Evenin' all! Astrologers all over the world are busy comparing charts - that of Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia's national chart, Ukraine's national chart, the date of the invasion of Ukraine, just to mention a few. Based on the premise 'As above, So below', astrologers look at the stars to try to chart patterns. Of course, one might ask whether what is written in one's birth chart is fixed and unchangeable. If you are born with a Sun Saturn aspect are you destined to always experience that throughout your life? It brings back the old argument of character versus destiny. Are we our charts?  Let's look at Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chart. This guy was an actor, a comedian, who became the President of Ukraine and who currently enjoys (though I think he rather wishes he didn't) hero status. Look at his natal Sun; it is conjunct Venus. This aspect is what makes him so charming, and I don't think anyone would deny that. Both as an actor and ...

And that is what I was singing in the car on my way to work this morning. At 17:56 this evening, just as the sun dips below the horizon, the Moon will be opposite the Sun on the 27 degree Leo/Aquarius axis. Interestingly, this is where Regulus, the star in the heart of Leo lies. Regulus is known as one of the four 'watchers', or Royal Stars. In Arabic, it was assigned the name 'Qalb al-Assad', or heart of the lion.  Full Moons usually indicate the culmination of intentions laid down at the New Moon. So what is being highlighted here? Given that Mars and Venus are currently in cahoots in the sky, this must be part of the picture. Yesterday I posted about this being a one-night stand event; but no, Venus and Mars will be travelling together for a few weeks. The heat coming off this alignment is going to last more than one night, it seems.  Another fixed star, Algol, the Medusa, is aligned with the Moon's Nodes - indicating some sort of potential violence. Given that w...

  Good evening, peeps! The New Moon in Aquarius is exact at 12 degrees on Tuesday 1st February at 06:46 and marks the beginning of the Year of the Water Tiger in Chinese astrology. I'm no expert on Chinese astrology as it works differently than Western astrology. It is based on a 12-year cycle, and each year is assigned an animal. If you check a reputable website, you will find which animal year you were born in. It is quite interesting.  However, back to this New Moon. At new moons, the Sun and Moon occupy the same position in the zodiac. The Sun is currently transiting the sign of Aquarius, the sign of the water bearer - but it is not a water sign at all. Aquarius is an air sign and is ruled over by Saturn (who also rules Capricorn) in traditional astrology. What about Uranus, I hear you say? Uranus was discovered by Herschel on the 13th March 1781, expanding the then known boundaries of the solar system. That period in history is associated with revolutions - France the the...

    This is the chart for the Full Moon of the 18 th January 2022. It occurs at 48 minutes past midnight – in Malta. This is a very particular Full Moon chart; both Mercury and Venus are doing their backwards walk (retrograde motion), Saturn and Uranus are disengaging from a challenging square aspect, and most notably, the Sun and Pluto are conjunct in Capricorn. This also means that the Moon opposes Pluto (because the Sun opposes the Moon, and the Sun and Pluto are within one degree of each other). This is going to be an intense time, especially because this Full Moon is a Cancer full moon. Cancer is the sign ruled by the moon, and in astrology, the Moon rules our emotions. Mercury and Venus are called the personal planets. Mercury tells us a little bit about how we effect communication. This planet is symbolised by the god Hermes, who, if you recall, wears a hat with wings, and also has wings on his feet. It tells us how we think. When Mercury goes retrograde, it can symb...

  We will hardly have had time to get over the New Year’s celebrations when 2022 is ushered in with a Capricorn New Moon. This new moon heralds in the new year with a Sun-Moon conjunction at 12 degrees of Capricorn after sunset on the 2 nd January at 19:33hrs. Significant is the nice and easy trine to the eccentric Uranus at 10 degrees of Taurus, which tells us that if we want to do things differently, the energy of this new moon is available to yours and sundry. All you need is some motivation to go for it, after all, the New Moon phase is a great time to get your plan into action.     With a Leo ascendant, the ruler of this chart is the Sun king himself, who, by virtue of being in the very organised and business-like Capricorn will find not objection to getting the house in order after two weeks of focusing on how to survive the festivities. That’s where Uranus steps in: out-of-the-box, pro-social attitudes towards responsibility (hey, the Sun King is in Cap...