Living with the Stars

  On the 30th December 2024, at 23:26, the second New Moon in December marks the end of the calendar year. Although it marks the end of 2024, it also heralds the beginning of the new. And what a year it has been. It's also poignant that we have a new moon very close to the new year. Let's have a look at the story the sky is offering us.  The fascinating thing about this New Moon chart is that almost all the planets and lights (the Sun and Moon are called lights, in spite of the fact that the Moon reflects the Sun's light) aspect each other in some way.  The idea of a new moon is that it is the beginning of a lunar cycle which lasts 29.5 days. That is why we are asked to set our intentions at the new moon, which then reaches its peak at the full moon where we reflect (just as the Moon reflects the Sun's light) on what we have manifested in our lives. This New Moon is not only out-of-bounds (something of a wild card vibe) but is also is ruled over by Saturn -  by virtu...

  On the 21st of December 2024, at 10:20am, the Sun moves into the sign of Capricorn. Over the past three months, ever since the autumnal equinox, Planet Earth's wobble has tilted the northern hemisphere away from the Sun. Tomorrow, the Sun will reach it's maximum declination south of the equator (remember, it's the height of summer in the southern hemisphere) and will start moving towards the equatorial (the equator projected out into space).  So why is this chart is important enough for a blog post to be dedicated to it? This type of chart is called an Ingress Chart and is used in mundane astrology, which charts the progress of a place (in this case it is set for Malta) at the moment the Sun enters the sign associated with a solstice or an equinox. In short, the affairs of a nation can be judged by this type of chart and is one of the most ancient types of judged charts in astrology. The planets signify specific things; the Sun, the ruler of a nation; the Moon, its people...

  This Sunday, the 15th December, we will be seeing a big, bright moon in the sky. On the eve of that day, the Moon will be setting in the west, and as the Sun sets, it will be rising in the east. The Moon will be at 23 degrees of Gemini (whilst the Sun is at 23 Sagittarius). But before we get into the Full Moon chart, there are a couple of interesting things that caught our attention last week and the story the sky offered was in no way uninteresting. So I'll start with that first.  Story 1 : The Re-opening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. When heads of state get together under one roof, you just have to sit up and take notice. What's going on? What's the symbolism?  Consecration of Notre Dame Altar 19/5/1182 The history of Notre Dame Cathedral goes back to the 12th century when the altar was consecrated on the 19th May 1182. The cathedral, according to historians, was built on the site of a temple to Jupiter. I mention this because this is a significant detail as w...

  Thanks to a little book I got from a book fair, I came across a list of historical events which happened on Christmas Day. It has long been accepted that the day itself is probably not the date of Jesus Christ’s birth. The New Testament states that shepherds watched their flocks by night, something which would not have occurred on long winter nights, but rather on late spring nights, according to astrologer Christine Arens, who examined the possibility that the bright star in the East, mentioned in the New Testament and, according to Arens and others, was a Jupiter-Saturn conjunction (occupying the same ‘portion’ of sky). Point of note: Christmas was first celebrated on the 25 th December in the year 336AD. Celebrating the birth of a messianic king did leave its impact, however. Both Charlemagne and William the Conqueror were crowned kings on Christmas Day. The story of Charlemagne is one of a devout Christian and successful conqueror who was crowned by Pope Leo III in Rome,...

  Full Moon in Gemini   Hello everyone! Apologies for uploading this a few hours later than I intended to. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this bit of writing about this morning's Full Moon. The Full Moon on the 18 th of December falls in Gemini, the sign of the Twins. This event occurred at 05:35 this morning   with the moon setting in the west. Full Moons in Gemini usually highlight issues to do with communication and movement and pertain to all those things which concern how we move about and commune in daily life. As Mercury rules this full moon (Mercury rules the sign of Gemini), we should look to its position in the chart and whether it makes any aspects to another planet or point (such as the Midheaven). In the chart, Mercury is at 8 ° of Capricorn and trines (120 ° to another planet/point) Uranus, which is currently at 11 ° of Taurus, so watch out for inspirational, brilliant, out-of-the-box ideas. Mercury is also out-of-bounds (a term which means its d...