Living with the Stars

  Something extraordinary is going on. At 04:52 tomorrow morning, Pluto goes direct at 1 degree Aquarius after having gone retrograde on the 4th May 2025. For the past 162 days, Pluto appeared to be walking backwards in the sky. Fair enough, planets do have their retrograde periods at different points of the solar year.  It's what's going on in the sky that captures our attention. At the point in time when Pluto goes direct, Venus goes over the same degree as the 21st September solar eclipse of 29 degrees Virgo, and enters the sign of Libra at zero degrees. From here, she opposes Neptune at 0 degrees Aries. Libra is ruled by Venus, so she is very much at home here.  We all know that Venus is the planet associated with love and stability in relationships (business or otherwise). Opposing Neptune speaks of the themes of stability (Venus in Libra) versus idealistic (Neptune) action (Aries).  Look at the yellow highlighted triangle, with Pluto (transformation), Uranus (s...

  Finally, time to write a few words (hopefully more) about the solar eclipse of the 2nd October 2024. If my schedule this week was a description of the nature of this solar eclipse, then I might feel less perturbed for not having this blog post up in time. Between work, rehearsals for a concert, a funeral and a wake, there was hardly any time to look at the charts. In this blog post, I'll try to bring the essentials to your attention.  Solar eclipses come in families and like children, they are born, grow up and pass on. This family of solar eclipse (also called Saros Cycle) was born in 1718 CE and will end in 2962 AD. Work done by the esteemed astrologer Bernadette Brady informs us that the nature of this eclipse is one of separation and loss, so let's keep that in the background. She further describes this 'separation and loss'  (among other things of the same nature) as when we finish something and have to let it go; the feeling of having to go forward without that ...

  So there's going to be a Full Moon at 16 degrees of Libra this morning, just before sunrise. Tonight's moon will be bright and full, and will reach its opposition to the Sun just before sinking below the western horizon. What is striking about this Full Moon is the number of planets setting as the Moon is rising (last night at around 7:00pm). Indeed, the only planets inhabiting the sky tonight will be Pluto, which cannot be seen with the naked eye, and Saturn, which rises as the Moon is about to set.  Which brings me to the next two topics: just what is going on in the world? Well, Saturn and Pluto changed signs recently. Saturn, the planet to do with taking organisation and responsibility, rules two signs: Capricorn and Aquarius. Capricorn is the sign of big business, in our times traditionally associated with big corporations, CEOs and all that. Following that sign is Aquarius, which is unlike Capricorn being an air sign. Aquarius is known for being an independent and unco...

  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...

  The Full Moon in Libra falls on Saturday the 16th April, and to many Christians, this is the day prior to Easter Sunday. At five minutes to nine, tomorrow evening, the Full Moon should be visible on the eastern horizon. Tomorrow's Full Moon is the culmination of the intentions made at the New Moon some fourteen days ago. Think back and recall any plans you put into action. As Jupiter and Neptune got closer in the sky, you may have felt that there was nothing in your way. Mercury is approaching the ever-eccentric and equally brilliant Uranus, so you may feel your ideas are nothing short of inspirational.  Truth be known, there are a few stressful aspects associated with this Full Moon; both the Sun and Moon square Pluto  and Saturn squares the Moon's nodes (the horseshoes), so some plans may have to be put on the back burner. Mars, the sky warrior, has now gone into Pisces, a water sign traditionally ruled by Jupiter. This placement has caught the attention of most astro...

  In case you were wondering why I chose the title ‘Living with the stars’ for my blog, it is because it is just that: we live our daily lives going about our business, feeling disconnected much of the time, trying to make sense of it all. Once the stars are brought into things, little lights come on, connections are made. Before the Age of Enlightenment, our forefathers looked at the sky to make sense of what was happening on terra firma. They held the belief that there was a connection – as above, so below. Astrologers affirm this connection. Life is just that little bit more interesting when connections are made. Onto this months lunation chart.... There is a New Moon on the 6 th October, at 13 °24’ of Libra. If you look closely at the chart, the glyphs of the Sun and the Moon are at the top of the chart, meaning that this new moon will occur when the Sun is high in the sky (daytime). Next to the Sun and Moon is the planet Mars, also at 13°, This is a very close conjunction a...