These forecast pages are not meant to predict events or reveal our fortunes. They are meant to describe the landscape or backdrop to what will take place both on a national and social level as well as individually. They paint energetic and thematic pictures of social moods and collective emotional, psychological and spiritual trends. Those individuals whose natal charts are directly activated by the transits described below will be most affected but all of us will feel the effects to some degree. 

 The monthly forecasts below also appear on the healing and astrology website www.haforum.co.uk

March 2008

The month of March looks set to be a dynamic month. The energies of Mars, Pluto and Uranus are strong this month and they always bring change and action. Mars will make its final opposition to Pluto in the current series on 7 March. This time Mars will be in Cancer and Pluto in Capricorn. The two previous oppositions on 21 September 07 and 2 January 08 were across the Gemini/Sagittarius axis and so were focussed primarily on the knowledge, wisdom and the mind. The Cancer/Capricorn axis is more concerned with the earth, its solid foundations upon which we rely and its fluid protecting and nurturing qualities. With Mars opposing Pluto in these two signs we can expect to see dramatic and violent change in these areas of life. When Mars opposes Pluto a great deal of tension is built up and is crying out for release. The tension is often felt buried deep below and the release comes when it is brought to the surface and exposed to the light of day. It is interesting to note that just as the Mars - Pluto opposition became active we had two incidents in the UK that reflected all of these themes.

The first was the earthquake in Lincolnshire, the biggest in the UK for over 25 years. Earthquakes can be seen as a sudden break in the deadlock between conflicting movements and this brings with it a release of the tensions and stuck energies held deep within the earth. Pluto's passage through Capricorn over the next fifteen years will lead to much upheaval and transformation in the mineral structure of the earth as well as other structures such as political and economical. The second incident is the investigation of child abuse in Jersey, following the discovery of a child's remains. The investigation is continuing and as Mars gets closer to exact opposition more findings and information are likely to come to light. A children's home is clearly under the influence of Cancer and Capricorn, the two signs that represent the mother and father respectively. The Mars - Pluto opposition is bringing to the surface, like an archaeological find, the truth of what happened there. Even the structure of the building had been altered, i.e. cellars were bricked up, and now are being broken open to see what secrets they have been hiding for so long.

These two incidents show the two key themes for this planetary opposition. Changes in the structure of our foundations, destabilising us but helping us to clear rigid patterns we have inherited from our ancestors. Also bringing to light anything that has been buried or suppressed in our own lives, particularly relating to our parents. As well as the Mars/Pluto opposition on 7 March, that day will also see the Pisces new moon. Although it is called a new moon, it remains in complete darkness for a day or two until the first thin crescent of light can be seen. New moons, therefore, are times when we are very much kept in the dark, processing things deep in our subconscious where the clear light of objectivity cannot penetrate. We all feel that something is going on but we are never entirely sure what that is. This is particularly so in the sign of Pisces which represents the deep waters of the ocean. This year the new moon in Pisces is exactly conjunct Uranus and so the dark waters are likely to be shaken by the unpredictable but progressive force of Uranus. New moons are times of letting go of the old, of allowing the old cycle to pass away and to prepare the ground to receive something new. The presence of Uranus will act to accelerate things but it can do so in a chaotic fashion. Around the new moon we may feel more restless than normal, our sleep may be disturbed and there could be an underlying feeling of anxiety as the usual calm waters of Pisces are unduly disturbed. On a much larger cycle it is relating to the changeover of the astrological ages, assisting the moving away from the Piscean age and the opening up to receiving more of the impulses of the incoming Aquarian age.

Finally, throughout March, Mercury and Venus will be in a long term conjunction as they move through the signs of Aquarius and Pisces. Mercury - Venus conjunctions occur quite frequently in astrology, at least a few times a year. However, given the fact that they travel at different speeds around the zodiac the conjunctions rarely last more than a day or two. So for these two planets to enjoy close company for over five weeks is somewhat unusual. Mercury is the planet of communication and Venus is the planet of love, relationship and creativity. So it does not take a genius to work out that during these five weeks it is a good idea to talk about your relationships. It is particularly suited to give voice to the feminine, but honest and open communication will bring together both sides in any relationship. In Greek mythology Venus was known as Aphrodite and Mercury as Hermes. In one story they became lovers and produced a son, Hermaphroditus, whose beauty caused a lake nymph to fall in love with him. She pleaded with the gods that nothing ever separate them and their two bodies became united into one. In astrology both Mercury and Venus are concerned with duality, Mercury with communication between the dualistic poles and Venus with the uniting of the two. So, throughout March there is a good opportunity to harmonise the opposites both internally and externally. Internally, we can allow greater dialogue between our inner male and female, our left and right hemispheres of our brain and out of this communication a greater harmony can grow between them. As this internal process develops it will naturally flow outwards and seek to bring about the same level of communication and unity it external relationships.

February 08

February finally sees Mars going forward, once more enabling us to re-enter life's battleground hopefully with renewed vigour and enthusiasm. However, just as Mars goes forward, Mercury starts to go retrograde. The dates of Mercury's retrograde motion are from 28 January to 19 February and it will go from 23º back to 8º Aquarius. As with all Mercury retrograde phases we are likely to experience difficulties with communication, planning, clear thinking etc. However, this Mercury retrograde is set to cause even more disruption than normal. This is because Mercury will be close to the planet of deception and distortion, Neptune for many days. Mercury came into conjunction with Neptune around the 19 January and will remain in his presence until 5 February. This period of time will be characterised by a great deal of confusion, misunderstandings, unfocussed thinking, day dreaming, blurring of truth and reality and a greater susceptibility to deception both intentional and unintentional and both by others and oneself.

As Mercury retrogrades back over Neptune even our memories will become uncertain. Having inadvertently stood up your best friend, you may struggle to remember making that arrangement in the first place, or else, you were convinced you said Saturday night and not Friday night. Long-term memory may also be affected. Childhood or early adult experiences may become hazy and you may begin to question if the version of that argument you had with your father twenty years ago and which resulted in your strained relationship ever since, is actually correct. Maybe you perceived his actions incorrectly at the time or that subsequent events have caused you to remember the original argument in an increasingly negative way. Alternatively, romantic or sentimental memories may begin to unravel and a different picture could start to emerge. Either way, as our perceptions of who we are today are based on our journey up to this point, the dissolving of parts of our fixed memories into a more fluid state is likely to throw up unsettling questions about the reliability of our memory to provide us with the truth. Most of us will probably move away from these uncomfortable concepts into the escape root of day dreaming and fantasy that a Mercury/Neptune conjunction inevitably provides. For those who value truth above comfort then this period is a great opportunity to see how much of the world we create in our minds is indeed true and how much is distorted by our hopes, dreams, fears, childhood and cultural conditioning, mass media influences, government propaganda and all other sources of biased perception. Admittedly, if you were to go as deeply into the Mercury/Neptune union as is possible you are liable to have a mental breakdown or other mental illness as the mind needs a sense of stability, even if based on illusion, in order to function effectively. However, by stretching our comfort zones a bit and allowing for the fact that our perceptions and memories may not contain the whole truth but just one skewed version of it, then a whole new relationship with memory can unfold that is less rigid and containing a healthy form of doubt.

February also sees a strong concentration of planets in Aquarius. Not only will Mercury retrograde through the sign but it will be joined with a minimum of four other planets and will form the back drop to a solar eclipse on 7 February. This Aquarian focus is part of a much larger emphasis for we are on the cusp of what is termed the Aquarian age which is set to last for approximately 2,160 years. In the medium term, Aquarius has been occupied by at least one major slow moving planet since 1996 and will continue to be so until 2012. Throughout this year Neptune, Chiron and the Moon's North Node will be in Aquarius, with Jupiter joining them in 2009. So what does this all mean? The full impact of this incoming Aquarian energy is beyond the scope of this article but what we are likely to witness over the coming years and, on a lesser scale this month, is the movement towards an increasingly globalised world. Countries and nations will no longer be able to function in an isolated way. World media and the internet enables people to know what is going on throughout the world and because of this a collective humanity is slowly being formed. Aquarius rules the group, the community of individuals. As this zodiacal sign becomes increasingly active, there will be greater focus on groups, networks and global communities rather than on individuals and individualism. This is not to say that self interest will fade but that it will take on a group nature, so that there will be a group self-interest. This is already happening in relation to multinational companies, groups of oil producers, political alliances and organised criminal groups and gangs. There are also many positive community networks as well as healing, spiritual and cultural groups. In the future, national and racial boundaries will become less relevant and instead groups will form around a shared vision or purpose. Some of the dangers in this process are indiscriminate conformity to the group and a dualistic attitude towards other groups. In political, economic, religious and cultural areas there is a great deal of imitation and conformity, A few people formulate the policy or trend and the rest follow. This can be seen in worlds of fashion and art as well as economic markets and with theories within in science, medicine and education. People do need to come together rather than work alone but at the same time the need to think things through for oneself has become even more imperative.

The other tendency in the Aquarian dynamic is for one group to oppose another. This is easily observed in the growing gang violence especially among young people as well as the violence in Kenya. However, opposition is deeply embedded in all areas of society. Politically and legally there is an adversarial system where one party wins and the other loses. In systems of religious and scientific belief there is much argument between sides with deeply entrenched views. The Aquarian age hopes to bring in more co-operation and sharing of knowledge and less enmity between those of differing beliefs.

Every time there is a concentration of Aquarian energy as there is throughout this month it is an opportunity to ponder on these themes, to see where I conform to current ideas and trends, where I identify with one group and criticise those who contradict it and where I have an opportunity to put the needs of the group before my own.


January 2008

Happy new year everyone and what a year it promises to be. Due to a strong Capricorn influence this year many astrologers are predicting 2008 to be a year of struggles, strains and setbacks. However, I am feeling a little more positive about the whole thing. Certainly, this year will be a much heavier one and already there is less of the optimistic buoyancy that was felt at the beginning of last year. The key to the success of this year is how we handle this Capricornian weight, for it can act like a burden on our backs, pulling us down or it could enable our ambitions and thoughts to come back to earth, giving them practicality and a real chance to manifest tangibly in our lives. Gravity brings all things back to earth and if we have been eager to leave the earth because of the grim realities of our work, financial, family or relationship situations then this year may indeed be difficult, as we will be brought back to earth with a bump. As last year had a strong Sagittarius quality it was much easier to escape from the earth on the arrows sent forth by the archer. This was not undesirable as by working creatively with our imaginations and our higher minds we could begin to envisage new possibilities in our individual lives and for the collective future of the human race. We needed our minds to be freed up from our current circumstances in order to imagine and conceive of new ones.

This year as we return to the reality of our circumstances we have the opportunity to put the visions and insights we gained throughout 2007 into practice. Reality, however, has a distinct tendency towards inertia and resistance to change. This is where the strife and struggle will lie. We have seen the vision of how things could be different but the old ways seem to resist this new vision and wish to perpetuate their existence for as long as possible. As this is going on at the microcosmic level of the individual so is it also taking place at the macrocosmic level of humanity. New visions are needed to guide political, economic and social structures but there is a general resistance to change and a desire of the old ruling body to maintain its power rather than step down and concede to the new. This can be seen in the various election processes taking place this year. In Kenya the old president was re-elected in controversial circumstances and in Pakistan, Musharraf wants to hold on to his power while former leader Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated. Russian president Vladamir Putin is officially stepping down but he will still have power in his new role and in the USA, George Bush must stand down as president but whether a new vision will come with a new president remains to be seen.   Essentially the two movements that will be seen in both the individual and the collective will be the movement towards change and the resistance towards change.

Focusing specifically on January the main thing we see is a Mars-Pluto opposition across Gemini and Sagittarius. This aspect has a lot to do fighting oppression and a struggle for survival. This opposition first occurred in September 2007 exactly at the time of the demonstrations by the Burmese monks against the military dictatorship. The current opposition is taking place among the backdrop of political violence in Kenya and the political assassination in Pakistan. There will be one final opposition around 6th March this year at the time of the Russian presidential elections. This opposition brings to the surface anger and resentment that may have been buried for a long time and as the two planets are in opposition it is likely to manifest in arguments and conflict between two opposing sides. This may also be seen on a smaller scale as conflict in families and relationships. The current January opposition involves a Mars that is retrograde making us aware of the history and origin of the conflict and preventing us, at this stage, moving forward to a new solution. When Mars is retrograde it is not easy to assert yourself clearly or initiate new projects or directions in life. In the sign of Gemini this is mostly felt in communication. Clear expression of a past grievance is not easy at the best of times but now people feel it is hard to get the words out, especially to the party responsible. The sense of frustration frequently leads to expressions of anger and violence. Resolution lies in working on releasing the emotional potency associated with any grievance through forgiveness. This provides a more open heart and a clear mind to be able to articulate what needs to be communicated. Suffering in silence or venting one's spleen are both possible this month but this approach will either cause internal pain and a passive-aggressive tendency or else open hostility and a perpetuation of the conflict. 

Mars goes forward again on 30 January on the same day that astronomers are saying an asteroid could collide with Mars causing a big explosion. Whether or not there is a collision, Mars will have a new lease of life from February onwards and the more we release old resentments and the scars of battles, the more enthusiasm and drive will be at our disposal.     

November 2007

The month begins with Mercury turning direct at 23° Libra. This represents a shift in the dynamic and direction of the mind. When Mercury entered Scorpio on 27 September a greater capacity to communicate with the subconscious and the more shadowy aspects of our nature came into being as it does every year around this autumnal time. However, rather than continuing through the dark cave to the other side which emerges into the wisdom of Sagittarius, this year, Mercury stopped while still in the cave and then retreated back into the light of Libra where balance and harmony could be found. This retreating out of the cave throughout October enabled the mind to share the gifts of Scorpio and Libra more fully with each other. Libra is the sign of relationship and balance. It is not limited to human relationship but governs all relationships in all kingdoms of nature as well as the more conceptual relationships within mathematics and physics. Scorpio is also a sign that concerns itself with relationships but instead of seeking to bring about balance its purpose is to bring death and rebirth to the relationships, to give them new life and prevent stagnation and inertia. As Mercury left Libra and entered Scorpio it moved from an awareness of harmony and balance to a discovery of what has been suppressed into the subconscious and how much of relationship is based on power imbalances. Upon discovering some difficult home truths about what is going on below the surface of our relationships Mercury finds itself back in Libra and shares its findings with that principle in us that moves towards greater co-operation and union. We thus ponder and reflect on our relationships in a new way, based on a new level of truth. This is Scorpio's gift to Libra, the gift of revealing what has been hidden. When Mercury goes direct on 1 November, we start to move once more back towards the cave of Scorpio, but this time with more awareness and insight into ourselves and how we relate to others. During the retreat in Libra we have understood the need for equality and the importance to work towards a win-win situation rather than the I win - you lose scenario that Scorpio has a tendency to play out. It is with this gift of Libra to Scorpio, the gift of equality and co-operation, that we have a new opportunity when Mercury re-enters Scorpio on 11 November to once more face our fears in relationship, remembering that those we relate to are also facing their own fears and shadows. Too often the tendency is to attack, control or dominate when our fears and vulnerabilities come to the surface but if we retain Libra's gift that it is not the other person who is the enemy or the cause of my fear or vulnerability and that they are also likely to be acting out of fear and vulnerability, then there is the possibility that the two parties can come together and focus on the real issue of humanity, which is learning to be free of fear and to illuminate the dark spaces.  

 
The other major event this month is that Mars goes retrograde at 12° Cancer on 15 November. It will then turn direct on 30 January at 24° Gemini. Whereas the movements of Mercury have a great impact on the mind and communication, Mars governs action and the cause of action, which is desire. What you desire, you move towards whether it is food, sex or spiritual enlightenment. Where Mars is in your chart reveals your desire and how you go about fulfilling that desire. Mars in Aries have desires that are simple, almost childlike, and go about fulfilling them in a direct, forceful and, at times, impatient manner. Mars in Cancer, however, is a totally different story. The animal of Cancer is the crab and they never move directly towards anything but always approach cautiously from the side, making sure the object of desire won't disappear, reject or abandon them. Cancer governs the family, tribe or race and the maternal nurturing needed to sustain and protect them. When the martial force occupies this sign it can be very protective over the family or it can lead to many arguments and conflicts within the family or tribe.


At a deeper level Cancer, being ruled by the Moon, holds much emotional memory and the old hurts and wounds that have never been released. These are the kind of hurts and wounds that one feels in the pit of one's stomach (an organ ruled by Cancer) and often associated with childhood or with the family. There may be a feeling that our very source of nourishment is under threat and needs to be fought for. Alternatively, we may feel our individuality is smothered by an all-consuming matriarchal figure and we need to break free. Either way there is a strong likelihood that all of us will in some way feel insecure and will respond to that feeling with martial force or feel that our ability to assert ourselves is drowned by our primal emotional need to feel safe and cared for. Mars is the iron in our blood and provides us with free will. Many of these deep emotional wounds and insecurities were formed at an age when we had no conscious free will and were at the mercy of our carers. Mars retrograding in Cancer takes us back to these points of origin where we can retrieve lost power and release emotional patterns that are no longer serving us. Of course, this is not an easy task to achieve as it requires courage to face our deep emotional hurts and insecurities, courage to allow ourselves to feel vulnerable and courage to take care of our own emotional well being rather than make it another's responsibility. The esoteric keynote of Cancer is "I build a lighted house and therein dwell", and with Mars spending almost six months in this sign there is the possibility of using our own will and effort to build that lighted house and the courage to let go of old attachments.

October 2007

As we move into October we witness nature’s slow death and withdrawal deep into the earth. The leaves dry up and fall to the ground, the animals collect food and shelter in readiness for a long winter’s hibernation and even the sun spends less time with us, his energies being focussed elsewhere. In short, it is a time when we feel unsupported by the outside world. The abundance of nature that we felt in the spring and summer is descending back into the earth and the light and warmth of the sun that pulled at our hearts to come out to play has so waned in strength and lustre that we barely acknowledge its presence. 

 
So what do we humans do at this time of year? No more can we ride on the back of nature’s dynamic expression of life, nor can we join the other kingdoms of nature and enter the protective womb of the earth until spring returns. We are essentially thrown back on ourselves. We are forced inwards to take refuge and sustenance from the light and warmth of our inner sun. It is by looking within that we come to see our true mettle and too often we are found wanting. But before we reach for our light boxes to ward off another season of SADness (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or fill the increasingly gloomy days and nights with beer, television, Christmas shopping, or whatever our pattern of avoidance and escape happens to be, consider entering the chasm left by nature’s exit and you may discover a source of strength and joy that will sustain you all winter long.

 
The astrology occurring in October is very much in keeping with these themes. Saturn will be making a conjunction with Venus and the South Node at 4° Virgo. The South Node indicates what has gone before, it is symbolic of the past, be it of an individual, of a nation or of humanity as a whole. It represents our foundations and the past actions that have led us to where we are now. When Saturn conjuncts the South Node (approximately once every 12 years) it is a time of facing up to the consequences of those past actions, taking responsibility for them and changing those habits or practices that we can now see as detrimental to our foundations. There may be a feeling that our past misdemeanours will forever haunt us, that our, so called, bad habits are permanently ingrained within us or that we cannot let go of old hurts and wounds. This is because Saturn, the Lord of Time, makes us feel the ancient and chronic nature of what ails us. With all this heaviness going on in our Virgoan inner landscapes it is more than tempting to direct our energy outwards to the escapes and fantasies of Pisces. And yet, with Venus as part of that triple conjunction, we will be inexplicably drawn inwards by a desire to bring love and beauty into this inner landscape. As we move towards the middle of October all those long-standing complaints and criticisms we have about ourselves and others will surface. Potential Saturninan responses to this include forcing ourselves or others to fall into line with how we would like things to be, getting depressed and pessimistic about everything, or withdrawing into a cold, unfeeling place where nothing matters anymore. Alternatively, we could allow the love of Venus to flow into the situation and work its magic, to let go of our ideal and, instead, stay with what is real. The real is always more uncomfortable that the ideal but by staying with it and refusing to succumb to the allure of chasing an ideal, no matter how lofty, then it truly gives the chance for what is real to grow and change and, before you know it, so many of these seemingly permanent issues have transformed with no effort to change them.

 
The other significant astrological occurrences this month are Mercury retrograding through Scorpio from 12 October and the full moon on 26 October, across the Taurus/Scorpio axis. When studying full moons, it is important to remember that it is not just the sign the moon is in which is relevant, but also the one opposite, as that is where the sun’s rays emanate to illuminate the moon. The full moon of Taurus reflects the sun’s light in Scorpio and in many cultures Halloween festivals would take place at or just after this full moon rather than on a set day each year. Scorpio has a strong connection to the underworld, to those shadowy places in the subconscious that one keeps as deeply buried as one can. However, when Mercury enters this sign, and particularly when it retrogrades through it, many uncomfortable or dark thoughts begin to surface. It is not something to fear or worry about but rather welcomed as it provides a great opportunity to clear a lot of dead wood and to really get to know the deeper aspects of ourselves. You can discover some of the deeper negative thoughts that have been holding you back or damaging a relationship. You may also encounter some talents, abilities or positive attributes that have been buried and are now ready to be used. The danger with this time is to get drawn back into old hurts and wounds or unhealthy thought patterns, or even just to think negatively about a subject that is bothering you. Mercury’s role is to deliver messages and in Scorpio he passes messages from the lower subconscious to the higher conscious and back again. In other words he sets up a dialogue and as with all dialogues their success depends on simply listening to what is being said rather than try to rationalise it, agree or disagree with it, or try to fix it. The greatest benefit will come if you simply allow voices that have been kept silent for so long to speak without necessarily ‘doing’ anything about the content of what is spoken. Just listening to that voice will, in itself, bring much healing.

September 2007

The key astrological event this month is Saturn leaving the sign of Leo and entering the sign of Virgo on the 2nd September. Saturn spends just over two years in each sign. It entered Leo on 16 July 2005 and will finally leave Virgo on 21 July 2010. Virgo is the sign of the Virgin Mother, a symbol known in many cultures and religions. She is that aspect of matter that guards, protects and nurtures the indwelling aspect of spirit. In Greek mythology Virgo was seen as Demeter, the grain goddess who’s daughter, Persephone, was abducted by Hades. All this explains Virgo’s traditional associations with fertility, gestation, purity, health, agriculture and food. Saturn is the ‘Lord of Karma’, and often brings a level of difficulty, restriction and suffering in the areas ruled by the sign it passes through. These difficulties are not because Saturn is a malevolent planet but because it is the dispenser of the law of cause and effect, or that which you sow you must then reap. Saturn also tries to teach responsibility and the correct application of power and authority as it passes through the zodiac. 

 
As it spends the next two and a half years in Virgo, Saturn may well have the following affects on humanity. Firstly, the area of fertility will be affected. Infertility rates are likely to continue rising due to individual factors of diet, lifestyle and the misuse of the sacral chakra and environmental factors such as pollution, the use of chemical hormones in agriculture and industry getting in to the food and water supplies etc. This will lead to an increased rate of medical intervention and infertility treatments which will produce its own problems as the deeper causes of infertility are left untreated. It is interesting to note that the first person to be born from IVF in the UK was born on 25 July 1978 just as Saturn was passing into Virgo. Also during Saturn’s previous stay in Virgo, China began its one child policy, abortion was legalised in Italy and 1979 was International year of the Child with a Music for UNICEF concert given in aid of it. All of these show how Saturn’s influence is predominantly on governments, legislation and other large organisations such as the UN and major charities. There is likely to be more legislation around the creation of life in the coming years, particularly around the use of embryos for scientific research, cloning and genetic testing and modification of babies while still in the womb. Much of this will be controversial. Other areas of health will also be affected, the government may pass more legislation to improve the NHS and public health as it did with the ban on smoking. How much of this will genuinely improve public health and how much will be seen as another intrusion of the ‘nanny state’ remains to be seen as Saturn can be heavy handed in its approach. 

 
The other main area of life that we can expect to see change is in agriculture and food. Looking back to the last time Saturn went through Virgo, there were famines in Africa and in 1980 the USA issued a grain embargo against the USSR. These two themes of environmental crises and governments using food and environmental issues for political ends will also be a feature in the next two years. The first thing that we will see is the result of the spring and summer floods on harvests of staple crops this autumn. Farming communities will be badly affected and the price of grains may even rise. We may well see further agricultural crises such as floods, droughts, foot and mouth outbreaks, genetically modified food contamination or mutation. Much of this will be as a result of previous human exploitation and disrespect of the sacredness of nature. However, it is not all doom and gloom as so often in human history, whether it be on the individual, national or world wide scale, we tend to learn our lessons through making mistakes and seeing the dire consequences of those mistakes. Our duty as humanity is to identify what those lessons are and to put things right as soon as we can. With Saturn in Virgo we have the opportunity to clear our mistakes with regard to creativity, agriculture, fertility and the looking after of our young and the land we live on. More importantly we should try not to respond to any difficulties in these areas with more medical or scientific intervention that is based on dominating, exploiting or manipulating mother nature but by understanding and co-operating with her so that we use her creative, fertile powers wisely and with discrimination so that humanity, her children, can receive her love and nourishment.  

 
The partial solar eclipse on the 11 September also takes place in Virgo adding to the focus on this sign. The fact that it takes place on the exact day of terrorist attacks on the twin towers in 2001 is no coincidence. Other than the eclipse being at the exact degree of the Sun six years ago, there are many other significant relationships between the astrology charts of the attacks and this forthcoming solar eclipse. The eclipse brings the chance to release the physical memory of the event and as the memory is released then a wider, non-judgmental understanding of the event can begin to come and the healing to begin. 

August 2007

After the waterlogged month of July both physically and emotionally, August is likely to see the Sun come out and temperatures rise. This will bring its own difficulties as the heat will build internally and crave release. From 4 August Mercury enters Leo and on 7 August Mars will enter Gemini both indicating that this release will occur largely through creative self-expression and communication. The highest form of this creative release will be an expression from the depths of one’s heart (Mercury in Leo) or of one’s fiery enthusiastic passion for life (Mars in Gemini). However, this release of heat will also include the more destructive emotions of anger, hatred, jealousy and hubris, that form of arrogant pride leading to the downfall of most Greek and Shakespearean heroes and the lowest expression of the Leo personality. The strong emphasis in Leo seeks to bring several things to humanity. Firstly, it helps us gain greater self-knowledge. Leo rules the heart centre where the innermost nature of who we are resides. In Leo there is an opportunity to expand our conscious awareness to deeper levels of our sense of self, not limiting it to just our desires, wishes and fears but to something much broader and timeless. Secondly, Leo brings with it fire and this is as much a fire of purification as it is one of passion. It is a fire that burns away the dross of one’s self-concern and pettiness so that the underlying regal and noble nature of Leo can come to the fore. Finally, Leo teaches us humility, for to be a true leader or role model for society we need to remember that we are here to serve society or the group to which we belong rather than be served by them, as many Leos suppose. 

 
The Leo energy is further highlighted when Venus retrogrades back into Leo on 9 August, remaining there for the next two months until 8 October. Venus retrogrades are much less common than Mercury retrogrades which occur three times every year. Venus, on the other hand, retrogrades for around six weeks only every one and a half years. The traditional advice given by astrologers during a Venus retrograde phase is to refrain from starting or engaging to heavily in Venusian activities such as relationships, artistic or creative pursuits, fashion, decorating and partying or socialising as they will create more harm than good. However, when Venus goes retrograde it is actually the perfect time to deal with all these matters. In particular it is time reassess these areas of our lives, what is it that I value in my friendships and relationships? Where does my sense of beauty and aesthetic come from? How much of it is learned from my parents, peers, media and culture and how much comes from my own unique, heartfelt perspective (Leo). How do I value myself? Venus is a magnetic and attractive force and so as Venus goes through Leo, how I perceive and value who I am is what I will attract towards me. The retrograde phase provides an opportunity to fundamentally reassess how I feel about myself. Many of our feelings about ourselves are buried. If someone were to ask you right now how do you feel about yourself you would probably answer in mostly positive terms with a few honest remarks on those things that you don’t like about yourself and wish to improve on. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. If that same person were then to spend a further few hours, or even days, going deeper and deeper into that same question, many new, and even surprising, revelations are likely to come out about how you really feel about yourself. During August Venus will be asking exactly those questions and how deep we go in our endeavours to provide the answers will be up to us.    

 

The month ends with a Lunar Eclipse at 4° Pisces. Although this will be a total eclipse we will not be able to see it as we did the spectacular eclipse on 3 March when the Moon fell into darkness and then became blood red before returning to full illumination. This eclipse is only visible in the western states of America, islands in the Pacific Ocean and New Zealand. Its effects, however, will be felt everywhere. Like all lunar eclipses it provides a possibility to release all that is held within the sphere of the moon and weighs it down, i.e. memory and the past. As the moon falls into darkness, all that is familiar to us, all that gives us comfort is temporarily denied to us. Some will respond positively, enjoying this new found lightness and feel free to recreate themselves according to present needs rather than past circumstances. Others who have been relying on the past, on the memory of who they were, will find this period a difficult and frightening one. As the eclipse occurs in Pisces it can send us into a feeling of chaos or drowning or simply a great deal of confusion and instability. Pisces often affects our sleep and dreams and so some may experience a troubled sleep during this period or unusual dreams. Writing down some of these dreams can be a worthwhile activity as it can reveal what it is in your life that needs to be released or surrendered. Pisces also rules drugs, alcohol and any other way in which we surrender or numb our conscious awareness. This eclipse is an opportunity to release any addictive tendencies we have and to stand fully on our own two feet without relying on anyone or any substance to be happy and whole. What is needed during this eclipse is to accept whatever is going on in our life, stay centred in the heart and co-operate with this releasing process, letting go with courage and grace rather than hanging on through fear. Sometimes with eclipses the day passes and nothing seems to happen but then the effects start manifesting at some later time. Alternatively, something is begun at the eclipse but is not completed for another six months. With regard to this eclipse in August, some effects will be felt at the time but its deeper impact is likely to be felt during the second half of October and will be completed by the next lunar eclipse at the end of February 2008.

July 2007

The month of July is one of grounding and reconnecting to the earth and to the sense of community. Most of June was quite an active time with a lot of energy in the mind and nervous system. There were many messages being sent and a desire to act on the information received. From the summer solstice at the end of June the Sun entered nurturing Cancer and Mars left fiery Aries to be welcomed by the steady, practical influence of Taurus. Towards the end of July and throughout August there will be a steady build of fire as the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Saturn all occupy the sign of Leo and raise our passions and our aspirations. So the month of July falls between two periods of dynamic outer activity and effort. The themes that will permeate this month are likely to be ones of nourishment, grounding, community and receptivity. This is because the Sun and Mercury are in Cancer, Mars is in Taurus and from the middle of the month Venus enters and then stations retrograde in Virgo. All these signs Cancer, Taurus and Virgo are all feminine signs concerned with mothering, protecting and our relationship with the Earth as mother and provider. 

 
July is thus a much softer and gentler time but this is not to say a time simply to be lazy and self-indulgent. Rather it is a time to connect to nourishment on many levels. This nourishment relates not only to ourselves but also to those around us and to the planet as a whole. Indeed, throughout this time we can see our nourishment is something so dependent on our relationship to the world around us. If our attitude is one of grabbing for ourselves, of exploiting the earth for its rich minerals and nutrients then it is likely that we will damage the very source of our nourishment and we will eventually reap the consequences of our actions. The same is also true of our emotional nourishment. Many of us have lost that ability to receive love, warmth and nourishment as much as the ability to give, for the one is so bound to the other. The difficulty with receiving is that it requires us to be open, to let the many barriers we place between ourselves and the world to fall away. We feel we need these barriers to protect ourselves from the hostile world around us and because we were open once and we got hurt and we don’t want that to happen again. To receive means we need to feel our vulnerability and not try to mask it with a cool sophistication or defensiveness but have compassion for our wounded places. In that way we draw compassion to us and can also give it out freely to the wounded and undernourished places that reside in the hearts of others. July is a time of feeding ourselves, our friends and families and the Earth itself with all the food and love it has been crying out for. Invite everyone you know to your place for a celebratory feast and, who knows, it may even stop raining long enough for you to get the barbecue out!  

 
The other key theme this month is grounding. There is a Zen saying: ‘before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.’ It is all too easy to resent or belittle the importance of life’s mundane tasks but they are performing a valuable role in keeping our feet firmly on the ground. It may be helpful this month, to reflect on our attitudes to our chores and also to simple earthly realities such as the limitations of our physical bodies, and see what is their gift and lesson to us. As we try to forge ahead with our lives, our careers, relationships and even spiritual development we often forget to take the patience of the earth with us. We struggle against the mundane, feeling it to be inconsequential and we likewise struggle with limitations of ourselves and others, feeling them to be holding us back and delaying our ‘progress’. Maybe this month we could try paying more attention to our daily tasks and let go of the need to push the rate change faster that it is willing to go and if we do this we may find we can receive a sense of well-being and deep wisdom from our mother Earth. 

 
Nourishing ourselves and grounding our energy are very necessary now for they will provide us with a much needed supportive and compassionate platform as we move into August and, like Hercules, battle with lion and seek to strengthen the fires of courage in the heart.

June 2007

The month of June contains, what is popularly known as, a ‘blue moon’. This is where there are two full moons in one calendar month, something which occurs only once every two and a half years and is thus quite rare. The first full moon across Gemini/Sagittarius was concerned with knowledge, ideas, belief systems and their dissemination. As this full moon formed a grand cross with moon’s north and south node even if some understanding or insight at the mental level was achieved it did not entirely answer the questions of the soul. The second full moon on 30th June falls on the Cancer/Capricorn axis and here the focus will be on home/work balancing and the place individual responsibility amid the complexities of family dynamics. 

This month also sees Mercury going retrograde in Cancer. During the first half of the month Mercury slows down and finally comes to standstill on 16 June at 11º Cancer after which it appears, from the Earth’s perspective, to travel backwards to 2º Cancer by the 10 July and then travel forwards again. To understand what this will mean for humanity it is necessary to examine the nature of Mercury and its cycles and also the themes within the sign of Cancer. Mercury represents the mind, thought and communication. Mercury is the messenger delivering messages both internally, within the brain and nervous system and also externally between individuals, groups and nations. When Mercury goes retrograde the normal flow of messages and thoughts changes. Most of us experience this change as something negative. Emails and phone messages get lost, computer and telecommunication systems become erratic and even shut down and there is a general air of misunderstanding and confusion. Many of these symptoms are due to humanity always wanting to go in one direction: forward. However, Mercury’s retrograde cycle reminds us that occasionally we need to stop and go backwards to review and reflect on where we have come from. When Mercury goes retrograde we are invited to travel back in time, to retrace our steps and in so doing we often discover the errors that we made along the way and which have culminated in the difficulties that we face today. The sign in which Mercury retrogrades through indicates the themes and areas of our life that will come under review. In the sign of Cancer, the focus will be the family, childhood, nurturing, emotional security, birth and mothering. It is, therefore, likely that old memories of childhood, especially those that pertain to current blocks and insecurities, will surface at this time. We may wish to talk about these with our parents or those concerned, to say now what we couldn’t say then. Old emotions and anxieties that we thought we had dealt with may return but if this does occur it is not a sign of our failure but instead an opportunity to go deeper into that issue, gain more understanding and release those deeper layers. Cancer rules the process of birth and incarnation and at a more abstract level, Mercury can guide us back to the very birth of the issues that concern us individually and as part of the whole human family. To make that journey we must not get caught up in the details of inner or outer conflicts or problems nor can we be so pre-occupied in trying to fix or solve these problems. By simply allowing Mercury to act as our guide we will be taken to the birth of all our struggles and if we can just act as a witness to that birth without blame, judgement or guilt then a profound change in both thought and emotion can come about. 

 
Finally, the month of June sees the third and last opposition between Saturn and Neptune in this cycle. This configuration has played a major role in world politics and government. This century the Saturn/Neptune cycle has been particularly influential in the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and the Cold War conflict. The last Saturn/Neptune conjunction occurred in November 1989, the exact time of the collapse of the Berlin Wall. The Saturn/Neptune opposition we are now experiencing is the culmination of what occurred in 1989 and so what began by the breaking down of a wall that separated East from West has culminated in the extension of the EU to include many of the Eastern Block countries in the last two years. This opposition also marks major transitions of leadership. In France, Jacques Chirac has been replaced by Nicolas Sarkozy as President and in the UK Tony Blair has stepped down and Gordon Brown will take over the role of Prime Minister. At the half-way point of the Saturn/Neptune cycle we stand at a crossroads of political direction. With Saturn in Leo, control clearly lies with certain powerful individuals but the idealism and vision of Neptune is in the hands of the whole Human race in Aquarius. As Saturn stands opposite Neptune it is all too easy for those in power to seek to dominate the masses and for the masses to subvert and undermine the government. At a microcosmic level it is also easy to identify either with position of responsibility and authority (Saturn in Leo) at home or at work or with an idealistic but disempowered position (Neptune in Aquarius) that is trapped by, or wishes to break away from, the tyranny of those in power. So long as we identify with either Saturn or Neptune we automatically become polarised and establish conditions which breed conflict and opposition. By encompassing both polarities we are obliged to reconcile them within and so where we do have personal authority we do not neglect our higher ideals and the welfare of those under our care and where we do identify with a group or with humanity as a whole unhappy with decisions made by those in power, we must remember our individual responsibility rather than lay the blame at the door of others. If we can unite Saturn in Leo (personal responsibility) with Neptune in Aquarius (compassion for humanity) at the microcosmic level then, as above reflects below, there must be a corresponding shift at the macrocosmic level of governments and institutions so that power and authority can be infused with a deep concern for the welfare of all people.