Living with the Stars

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...

  As promised, we'll take a look at the chart of the Lunar Eclipse on the 14th March 2025 and what story the sky was offering at that point in time. Lunar eclipses are said to bring closures, revelations, and transformative shifts. This particular eclipse in Virgo encourages the letting go of perfectionism and outdated systems that no longer serve you. It’s a moment to declutter both mentally and physically, creating space for sustainable growth and harmony. The Virgo-Pisces axis, activated during this eclipse, highlights the need to balance practicality (Virgo) with intuition and spirituality (Pisces). That's the gist of it. But wait, there's more.  One of the first things one notices about this lunar eclipse is that many of the planets seem to be on one side of the chart, and indeed they are splayed between Pisces and Aries. If you think of it as a bus, with the front wheels and the back wheels, it looks like (with the exception of the Moon) Mars the warrior is leading, p...

  Yesterday's Full Moon in Taurus is at 24 degrees in Taurus - meaning the Sun is directly opposite in Scorpio at 24 degrees. Following on from the very ominous new moon, we have a full moon with an equally forceful vibe. With all that's happened over the past two weeks (US elections) one would hope that things would calm down a bit (oh that Mars/Pluto opposition at the 29th degree of Cancer/Capricorn). The coming Full Moon is quite packed. Let's have a look.  Let's remember what a Full Moon is. The Moon reflects the light of the Sun. If we set intentions at the New Moon, the Full Moon is when the light reaches its maximum and then begins to diminish. Even as a child I was told that if I were to plant seeds, I had to do it between the new and full moon. Over the past two weeks, we have witnessed a shift in world affairs as signified by Pluto/Mars at that anaretic degree (29 degrees of anything).  In astrological terms, what was planted at the New Moon finds its maximum ...

  Our English Literature students are currently revising their poetry in anticipation of their Matsec exams (our version of O' Levels) and one of the poems up for study is Sonnet LX by William Shakespeare. Here it is: Simply put, in this sonnet Shakespeare ponders on the brevity and meaning of life, something he alludes to in both 'Macbeth' and 'As You Like It'. What caught my eye was 'And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow'.  That is definitely a nod to the Grim Reaper - or in astrological terms, Saturn. The ancient Greeks often referred to Saturn as 'Chronos', from where the word 'chronological' comes to us, and was usually portrayed as an old man with a scythe. Until the 16th century, Saturn was believed to be the outermost planet in the solar system and it was for this reason, perhaps, that 'he' was considered to represent the outermost boundaries, the end, so to speak. Beyond him were the fixed stars. It is no wonder, then,...

  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...

This is a busy, busy month, and given the movements of some slow moving planets, it's hardly surprising. That, plus a Full Moon tomorrow, has astrologers all over the world busy tapping away at their keyboards describing the sky narrative that is unfolding. First and foremost is tomorrow's Full Moon in Virgo, which will be exact at 13:40 local time. Full Moons are all about things coming to fruition, so ask yourself what intentions you set for yourself 14 days ago at the New Moon. Virgo moons are all about getting our things in order, sorting the wheat from the chaff. It also relates to our state of health and how our bodies function on a daily basis.  The real star of the show tomorrow is Saturn, the planet to do with authority, putting in the hard work and organisation. The circled planet in the diagram on the right shows its position at the very end of Aquarius. Tomorrow, it will enter the sign of Pisces. Saturn typically takes about 29 years to orbit the Sun, so it spends t...

  This is likely to be a short  blog post. Looking through some of my astro data yesterday I realised that Malta will shortly be celebrating its second Saturn return. Let me explain.  Countries also have birth charts. This is usually set for the time and date a country takes on an identity of sorts, say, like when a when a new king establishes a new beginning for a country. An example of this is when William of Normandy defeated King Harold I of England in 1066, and was crowned on Christmas Day of the same year. This is known as England's 1066 chart. Later on, when Great Britain  and Ireland (Wales was already incorporated into England  ) were united  were united by an act of parliament in 1801 , that became the chart used by most astrologers.   Likewise, although Malta has a few charts which astrologers could work with, for example the 1528 chart (when the Knights took over the islands), and the 1921 chart (Malta's first parliament), most astrolo...

  We have a New Moon in Pisces on the 20th February at 8:05am. Pisces is the 12th sign of the zodiac and is traditionally ruled by Jupiter, its modern ruler being Neptune. Before the discovery of the outer planets, the planet Jupiter was given rulership of the sign of the two fishes (as well as being the ruler of Sagittarius). This is quite an interesting detail; apart from the Sun and the Moon (the two luminaries), each known planet ruled two zodiac signs, though the planets Mercury through to Saturn behaved quite differently in their assigned signs. In this case, Jupiter in Pisces takes on the role of the mystic because Pisces is the sign associated with 'giving up' one's ego. It is no surprise, then, that the sign of the two fishes is associated with early Christianity, for the 'saviour' is someone who sacrifces their ego for the sake of the whole. If you have a planet in Pisces in your natal chart, then that planet behaves quite differently from another water si...

  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...