Living with the Stars

  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 ...

Have you ever wondered why we were taught that summer starts on the 21st of June? Or why the zodiac sign of Cancer begins around that date? Or indeed, the others seasons were assigned the dates they were assigned?  It is all very simple - it all has to do with the movement of the Earth around the Sun.  The summer solstice (as opposed to the winter solstice) occurs when the North Pole has maximum tilt towards the Sun. It is at this point that the sun reaches its highest position in the sky (outside of the tropics) and is also the longest day. Depending on the calendar, the summer solstice occurs between the 20th and the 22nd of June for the Northern Hemisphere (and between the 20th and the 23rd December in the Southern Hemisphere).  This year, the Summer Solstice occurs on the 21st June at 11:13am. This is when the Sun is at 0 degrees Cancer. This zodiac sign is associated with the crab, but in actual fact, it is the scarab which is a more precise representative of this si...

  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...

Nothing marks the changing of the seasons like the New Moon in Gemini.    The degree at which the new moon occurs in this zodiac sign changes from year to year, but once in every 19 years, the Moon and the Sun will meet at the same degree. This year's New Moon occurs at 9 degrees Gemini, just like it did on the 31st May in 2003. The fixed star Aldebaran (follower in Arabic, as it 'follows' the Pleaides cluster) is mentioned many times in the Bible, and is called 'the watcher of the East' aka one of the four archangels, St.Michael. This archangel is a protector to all who call upon him.  Speaking of protectors, note that Mars the Warrior and Jupiter (usually known for not doing anything in small measures) are both in Aries, and very close to each other in terms of zodiacal degree. Aries is not a peace loving sign; it loves action, and what with Mercury at 26 degrees Taurus, where Medusa resides (and the mythology of her beheading), ask yourself, what is it that needs...

  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...

Fancy a party? Well, let's throw in a partial solar eclipse too! At 22:28 tonight, the Moon will partially eclipse the Sun at 10 degrees of Taurus, with Uranus close by at 14 degrees.    Last week, we linked this eclipse to Emanuel Macron, and although I wrote that the charts indicated some form of loss, he was returned to power in the presidential elections. Solar eclipses were seen by the ancients as dangerous times for leaders of kingdoms, when the king's life was threatened. The idea was that the king was the Sun, and if the Sun's light was being darkened, they so was the king's light (or life). In 1302 BC, Chinese royal astronomers predicted a solar eclipse would take place that would block out the sun's light for around six minutes, indicating the king's life was endangered. The death of Jesus Christ was reportedly accompanied by a total solar eclipse.  This eclipse occurs at 10 degrees of Taurus, and in astrological terms, anyone whose birthday is around ...

  I make no bones about it, I waited for the results of the French presidential elections with baited breath; there's too much going on in Europe and a radical change, to my mind, in the EU family, might have proven too much for stability of the union. You may not agree with me, and that is fine. 'As above, so below' is what astrology holds. Human doings is but a reflection of the skies, this is the way astrology works. So let's look at why Emanuel Macron was possibly favoured over Marine Le Pen.  Monsieur Macron has an interesting chart. His natal Sun is at the end degree of Sagittarius conjunct Mercury at 29 degrees, a position which astrologers hold to be something intense, the peak of Sagittarian energy.  Another very, very, interesting aspect in Macron's chart is the Moon-Uranus opposition. The Moon usually represents how one responds emotionally. With a Taurus Moon, he values physical security and tries to provide that security for others. With Uranus opposite...