Living with the Stars

  If there is a Full Moon that is interesting any astrologer this year, it is this one. Why? Because it is also a lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse occur when the Sun obscures the Moon, as opposed to a solar eclipse, when it is the Moon that hides the Sun. All astrologers’ eyes are on this eclipse this year. That, and the solar eclipse that follows fourteen days later. Much has been said about the effects of this pair of eclipses (they usually come in twos) on the world stage. When looking for clues as to how this may be played out, we must make the distinction between a solar and a lunar eclipse. Solar eclipses are usually seen as the more powerful, whereas the data on lunar eclipses are seen to bear some weight in other instances. What is most interesting is that in the chart of the lunar eclipse, the Moon’s position is conjunct (in line with/occupies the same portion of sky) as Algol (see my blog entry no.4). Algol is tied in with the myth of Medusa, who was a temple p...

It always amazes me how sometimes life throws information at you about what is going on in the sky. We inadvertently get drawn   to do things which inform us. In a previous post, I wrote that an early morning DJ played “Life on Mars” and “Venus”, which makes an anyone into astrology smile. So I checked out the astrological aspects. The latest ‘shout-out’ from the cosmos certainly made me smile. It is a kind of “Hey you! Make sure you take note of this!” Those who know me are aware that sometimes I like to watch what is known as K-drama (Korean series). Over the past week, I’ve been watching a historical series called “Moon Embracing the Sun”. Apart from the storyline, the cinematography, the costumes, the fact that it takes me to a place far away in time is alluring. It is the title of the series which suddenly made me sit up. On Thursday 4 th November, the Moon will indeed embrace the Sun, that is, they appear to occupy the same portion of sky, in what we know as the New M...

  The Sun has sailed into the zodiac sign of Scorpio.  At 06:51 on the morning of the 23rd October, Malta time, the Sun began its journey through the sign associated with death and renewal. Traditionally, Mars rules this sign, although Pluto has come to be associated with it, which is why both planets are considered when looking at Scorpio in a chart.  So how did Pluto come to be a co-ruler of Scorpio? Historically, Pluto was discovered in the 1930s though apparently an astronomer by the name of Percival Lowell detected its possible existence as far back as 1905. When in 1930, another astronomer confirmed its existence based on the work of Percival Lowell, it was given the name Pluto, suggested by the 11 year-old daughter who thought it might be a good idea to name it after the god of the underworld. Its name also pays homage to Percival Lowell, containing the first letters of his name. And there you have it.  Pluto was famously demoted as a planet in 2007, much ...

On the 20 th October, at 16:56, the Moon will be directly opposite the Sun in the sign of Aries. Aries is the sign associated with spring, the season which brings forth new ideas, projects and also high energy. Looking at the chart of this   Full Moon, the most noticeable aspect is the position of Mars. It is very close to the Sun, both in the sign of Libra. If you refer back to the New Moon in Libra blog, you’ll remember that Mars’ energy is ‘contained’ in some way by being in Libra. If Mars is all about initiating action, Libra is about maintaining harmony; in this sense, Mars’ energy is poured into maintaining the status quo. However, Mars is also opposite the Moon and square Pluto. So let’s unpack this. Mars opposite a full moon means there is going to be some level of frustration, possibly resulting in arguments. Think of a see-saw with the Moon on one side and Libra on the other – it’s all a question of balance. However, with Pluto at 90 ° to both the Moon and Mars, you...

  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...

  Full moons always arouse tales of superstition, witchery and the supernatural. Human behaviour has forever been associated with the waxing and waning of the moon. The word ‘lunacy’ is derived from the myth that the moon is responsible for odd behaviour. Wolves howl at full moons, witches fly – this is all stuff that has been thrown at us. Even Shakespeare refers to the moon, when in “Othello”, the maid Emilia tells Othello, “It is the very error of the moon/She comes more near the earth than she was wont/And makes men mad.” There is nothing witchy about this full moon, however. In astrological terms, this full moon occurs in Pisces at 28 degrees, that is, close to the end of Pisces (you might know that each zodiac sign is assigned 30 degrees). This is actually quite an auspicious Full Moon because it is very close to the degree at which ancients considered the planet Venus to be exalted, that is, in a particularly special and ‘good’ degree. Pisces is all about foregoing th...

  Whenever a child is born, parents who are interested in astrology might want to see a birthchart showing the position of the luminaries and planets at the time, place and date of birth. An experienced astrologer might then be asked to interpret the positions and relationships (what we call aspects) between the Sun, Moon and the planets for that child. And so it is the same with countries. Known as Mundane Astrology, countries too, have birth charts. They may also have more than one, depending on context and history. So what does Malta’s 1964 birthchart look like? A birthchart shows the positions of the Sun, Moon and planets at the time, date and place of birth, or beginning of a project/era. This is the Malta chart most commonly in use by astrologers, because it is considered to be the beginning of Malta as a nation in her own right, although one could make an argument for using the 13th December 1974 chart, when Malta became a republic. Nicholas Campion, a well-established...