Download Astrological Journal Jan-Feb 2017

January/February 2017
US Election 2016/Uranus/Adele/Obamacare
The International Journal of the Astrological Association
Contents
The Astrological Journal January/February 2017 Volume 59 No.1
Carter Memorial Lecture 2016
16
ChristeenSkinnerexploresourelegantuniverse
pg. 30
Uranus’ Flying Circus
30
54
pg. 60
pg. 05
Features
Maurice Fernandez on the Jupiter-Uranus cycle
Uranusandtheearlyflyingmachines.ByJonathon
Clark
05
LeonardCohenrememberedbyJohnEtherington
24
Vedic:SonalSachdevaonSaturn’stransitofDhanu
orSagittarius
37
TributetothelateMichaelWackford,BySharon
Knight
41
47
53
60
71
JohnSladek’s13th-sign‘spider’hoax.ByKimFarnell
TheastrologyofObamacare.ByLizHargreaves
Pluto’smethanesnowcaps,courtesyofNASA
Hello,it’sAdele.AndrewIfandis’astro-portrait
AstroX-Ray:SharonKnightinterview
pg. 06
US Presidential Election 2016
08
11
Roy Gillett: Lessonsformundaneastrology
13
Sharon Knight & Steven Birchfield: Traditional
mundaneapproach
15
Tim Heyer: TrumpasSaturn
Smiljana Gavrančić: The White House and 22°
Gemini
Columns
02
38
40
46
66
69
Frank C. Clifford: DollyPartonandbirthdata
Roy Gillett: AHappyNewYear?
Marjorie Orr:TheUSvsRussia(again?)
Anne Whitaker: SaturnsquareNeptune
Pam Crane: ThinkingabouttheContrascia
Sarah Cochrane: TransitsJan-Feb2017
pg. 24
Regulars
03
04
06
29
36
68
70
Editor’sletter
Intheastronews
Letters
AdvertisingratesinJournal
Astrologyeventsdiary2017
Bookshelf:ExploringtheFinancialUniverse
PamCrane’sAstroCrossword
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb20171
The Astrological Journal
Volume 59 – Number 1
January/February 2017
EditorVictorOlliver,BA,DMSAstrol,MAPAI
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The Astrological Journal publishes articles of general and specific
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2
Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
Editor’s letter
Post-truth politics, strange times and Uranus
Supposedly, we’re living in an era of ‘post-truth politics’ and populist rebellion against
establishment elites. So, in this issue, what better planet to focus on than rabble-rousing
Uranus, associated with rebellion, independence (or crankism), reform and sudden
turns? From Maurice Fernandez’s piece on the Jupiter-Uranus cycle, to Jonathon
Clark’s essay on 18th century flight at the time of the ‘discovery’ of Uranus, to Andrew
Ifandis’ portrait of potty-mouthed singer-songwriter Adele (Aquarius Ascendant
with Mars rising), we’re immersed in the zeitgeist of bold, weird and mould-breaking
goings-on.
“Much of what is
significant in human life
does not ‘make sense’. Do
we choose our homes,
food, loves, friends,
partners, clothes or our
jobs solely because they
‘make sense’?”
Andrew Bradbery,
A History of
Our Emerging
Consciousness
The outcome of the recent US presidential election is perhaps the most spectacular
example of this trend and one that sets the tone as we enter 2017. It’s worth noting
that Donald Trump’s natal Uranus (conjunct Sun) is close to the US’s Mars in the 7th
house in Gemini (Sibley chart). Seventy years later (and as of election day, 8 November
2016) Trump’s progressed Uranus had covered all of just three degrees or so to make
exact this natal conjunction with US Mars on 22° Gemini, harnessing the culminating
power of his natal Full Moon on this degree. No wonder his sense of public mission as
maverick saviour of America! It just so happens that 22° Gemini is a trigger point in
the history of the US presidency (see Smiljana Gavrančić pioneering work on sensitive
degrees in nations’ charts on page 11). Also, by election day, Trump’s solar arc Moon
was just minutes out of conjunction with US Moon (yes, in Aquarius), joining his heart
and the people in a mood for iconoclastic adventure, which is one way of putting it. If
only some of us had given more weight to all this pre-8 November.
Smiljana’s essay is one of a number of pieces in a US election special showcasing a
few successful forecasts. Alas, astrology did not acquit itself universally well on this
occasion, judging by the number of calls for Hillary Clinton, a fact addressed by Roy
Gillett on page 8. Are we as astrologers too eager to go public with our forecasts
in mundane astrology, creating hostages to fortune? And if we are correct in our
prediction, do we not encourage a public expectation of prophet-like infallibility that’s
bound to disappoint eventually? These are questions at least worth asking as some of
us scuttle back to our horoscopes to probe where events went wrong.
The 13th sign and more weirdness
Against much competition, oddest tale of all in this issue is that told by Kim Farnell. I
had no idea that the satirical sci-fi writer John Sladek had created a 13th-sign hoax in
1977 with his book Arachne Rising: The Thirteenth Sign of the Zodiac. His imaginary
but much-believed spider sign (in a curious coincidence with the above on the US
presidency) encompassed 22° Gemini near its termination. I am sure this cannot be
significant at all, but I leave it hanging here to meditate upon.
Cover: Cat Keane
It cannot be any wonder, then – given the demand for space – that Part 2 of Wade
Caves’ collection of memoirs from leading astrologers (on what first drew them to the
horoscope) has had to be held over to the March-April 2017 issue. Sorry, Wade! Blame
Uranus.
Join us on Facebook
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Follow us on Twitter
www.twitter.com/AstroJourn
Victor Olliver
Editor
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb20173
In the astro news
Latest astrology stories culled from the media and other sources. If you spot an item, email
us the link or a write-up: [email protected]
Sir Jimmy ‘saved’
by astrologer
Sir Jimmy Young was saved
from suicide by astrologer
Katina Theodossiou after
his singing career faded,
the Daily Mail reported on
7 November 2016 following
the BBC radio star’s passing
at the age of 95. Young
recounted years ago: “I told her I’m really low and considering
suicide. She said there is absolutely no way with your chart you
can commit suicide. In actual fact you’re going to be around so
long they’re going to have to take you off the field and shoot
you”. Ever after, Young credited her with saving his career.
She forecast correctly “that my future lay in interviewing
people, not singing”.
Astrology debunkers are ‘debunked’
Back in 2003, Goeffrey Dean and Ivan W. Kelly published
their controversial research paper, ‘Is Astrology Relevant
to Consciousness and Psi?’ which appeared to undermine
astrology. Nearly fourteen years later, Ken McRitchie has
comprehensively refuted their work in his essay, ‘Clearing
the Logjam in Astrological Research’, recently published
in the magazine which first ran Dean and Kelly’s paper, the
highly respected and peer reviewed Journal of Consciousness
Studies [Volume 23, No. 9-10 (2016)].
McRitchie says: “With this article it can no longer be safely
argued that astrology is a pseudoscience or that there is any
definable demarcation between science and astrology. There
is no reliable scientific evidence against astrology. In fact
there is promising evidence in support of astrology.
“In the coming days and months it will be interesting to see
how the media and secondary sources respond to [my] article.
I expect some scurrying to find any scrap of evidence and any
expert voice to attempt to prop up the [case] against astrology.
It will be crucial to quickly refute them with the peer reviewed
arguments made in the JCS commentary. I am especially
curious to see how the Wikipedia articles on astrology will
be impacted. Will Wikipedia change the rules again or will it
finally turn a corner?”
WSJ publishes astrologer’s response
The Wall Street Journal has published astrologer-researcher
Peter Marko’s response [30 Oct 2016: ‘It’s Lunacy for
Physicians to Comment on Moon’s Role]] to a feature in the
newspaper which scorned the idea of the Full Moon’s effect
4Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
on hospital admissions. Marko wrote: “Whether the Full
Moon has a direct impact on hospital admissions has been
hotly debated by scholars, medical professionals, research
astrologers, astronomers and sceptics for many decades
(‘Doctors Really Do Believe in the Bad Moon Rising,’ page
one, Oct. 18).
“Readers of this article could infer that the case is settled,
but scholarly research on the lunar effect is divided. Without
relevant training and experience, professionals in other
disciplines cannot be experts in astrology, regardless of
their standing. Just as fund managers aren’t consulted on
the building architecture of stock exchanges, doctors and
astronomers aren’t the source of wisdom on astrology.”
David Bowie clarification: Tim Burness writes: “At the
end of my essay ‘Life on Mars - the Astrology of David
Bowie’ [Nov-Dec 2016], I referred to the conjunction
of Venus and Saturn with Bowie’s Sagittarian South
Node, just before he died. This observation was based
on a chart using True Nodes, rather than the Mean
Nodes that were featured in the accompanying Solar
Fire chart graphic”.
Leonard Cohen
(21 September 1934 – 7 November 2016)
A personal appreciation
John Etherington
I first became aware
of Leonard Cohen in
December 1968, when I
bought the CBS Records
sampler,
‘The
Rock
Machine Turns You On’.
This compilation included
Leonard’s song ‘Sisters
of Mercy’ which touched
my soul on a deep level,
and led me to purchase
his first two albums. On
these, I found songs such
as ‘Suzanne’ and ‘So Long
Marianne’ which fused the
themes of sexual and spiritual longing that are central to his
writing. In Leonard’s birth chart, this is symbolised by the
close conjunction of Venus and Neptune (an aspect that also
signifies his musical genius).
Nonetheless, he started to incorporate a droll humour into
some of his songs that previously had only been present in his
written works (he has a wide conjunction between Mercury
and Jupiter).
Throughout the Seventies, Leonard developed an increasing
excellence as a live performer, and toured extensively. I
attended all of his London concerts in that decade, and also
saw him play at the Isle of Wight Festival. On one occasion,
I slept outside the Royal Albert Hall to be certain of securing
best seats.
I finally got to meet Leonard on my 25th birthday, when he was
playing at the New Victoria Theatre. He gave me an intense
and focused look that seemed to penetrate my very soul,
while shaking my hand slowly and firmly. He then signed my
For his songs, Leonard drew on images from both Judaism
and Christianity. He was seventeen years older than me, and
clearly a man of experience. His voice generated calmness,
authority and truth. At the time, my progressed Moon and
transiting Saturn were close to my Descendant; initiating
a relationship with Leonard’s music that has lasted for 48
years. The solemn and serious nature of his early work can be
attributed to the trine between his chart ruler Mercury and his
natal Saturn. It therefore tends to resonate most with those
of a reflective and introspective nature. You can always tell
that someone doesn’t understand Leonard if they say that they
think his songs are depressing!
Having become a ‘devotee’ of Leonard, I began to explore his
other artistic endeavours. I bought his book Selected Poems
which developed my appreciation of his skilful use of language
(he has a mutual reception between his natal Mercury in Libra
and Venus in Virgo). I also read his novel Beautiful Losers,
published in 1966; an iconoclastic and controversial piece
of writing that erupted from the heart of the Uranus-Pluto
conjunction.
Leonard himself has natal Sun in sextile to Pluto, and the
darker elements of his creative output found expression in his
album ‘Songs of Love and Hate’ (1971) as well as his book The
Energy of Slaves (1972). These works emerged from a period
when transiting Pluto had been conjoining his natal Sun in
Virgo. Suffering from depression, Leonard sought release
through women, drugs, and alcohol (natal Moon in Pisces).
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb20175
Cohen/Letters
programme in the meticulous way that one might expect from
someone who has his natal Sun and Ascendant in Virgo. Our
meeting occurred when transiting Uranus was approaching
my Ascendant, and it heralded a personal awakening for me
which through an indirect route led to my studying astrology.
The release of Leonard’s albums seemed to coincide with
key moments in my life; and changes in relationships. I
formed significant friendships through mutual appreciation
of Leonard’s music, and later met ladies who knew him
personally. His work in the mid-Seventies was more uneven,
but by 1979 he had found his direction again and released
the masterful ‘Recent Songs’. This was followed in 1985 by
the spiritually motivated ‘Various Positions’ which included
‘Hallelujah’ (both albums were largely overlooked at the time).
In 1988, after a period of soul-searching, Leonard re-invented
himself with one of his finest albums ‘I’m Your Man’ which
had a fuller and more contemporary sound. This was followed
by the similarly excellent (and prophetic) album ‘The Future’.
Each of these albums was marked by a major tour.
Letters
In the mid-Nineties Leonard retreated to Mount Baldy near
Los Angeles, to spend time with his ageing friend, and Zen
master, Roshi. Here, he was ordained as a Buddhist monk.
During his time there, I corresponded with him regarding an
astrological article that I was writing about him for the CPA’s
Apollon journal. He told me that he believed he was born in
the early morning, and I calculated a rectified chart. Leaving
the monastery, Leonard revived his musical career in the first
decade of the new millennium. However he then discovered
that most of his savings had been stolen by his manager, and
out of necessity, had to find a way of replenishing his finances.
First, he sold copies of his art-work, which led to my having a
proper meeting with him at an exhibition in Manchester. He
then undertook several years of touring, in which he acquired
a whole new audience, and gained his deserved recognition as
one of the great artists of our time.
He released three more studio albums in the last few years,
namely ‘Old Ideas’, ‘Popular Problems’ and ‘You Want it
Darker’. These dealt with the themes of redemption, ageing
and death. After contracting cancer, he sadly died on 7
November 2016. This short piece precedes a full article on
Leonard Cohen which I will be writing for a future issue of the
Astrological Journal.
Comments are very welcome and brevity is appreciated: [email protected]
More music of the Zodiac
The articles about Debbie
Wiseman’s composition ‘The
Musical Zodiac’ [November/
December 2016 issue] reminded
me that our erstwhile member
Geoff Dale of Poole in Dorset,
whodiedon29August2011[See
Journal
November/December
2011] wrote a series of piano
pieces in 2005 based on the
Zodiacsigns.ThesehadillustrationsbyLorettaProctorandGeoff
waskindenoughtosendmeacopyoftheseinSeptember2005.
US election: asking the right question
ThecomposerConstantLambert[23August1905to21August
1951] wrote music in 1937 to a ballet called ‘Horoscope’
created by Frederick Ashton which is a
tale of star-crossed lovers born in the
disjoint signs of Leo and Virgo who are
reconciledbythembothhavingtheMoon
inthesignofGemini.Ithasthefollowing
movements: Palindromic Prelude; Dance
for the Followers of Leo; Saraband for
the Followers of Virgo; Man’s Variation; Woman’s Variation;
BacchanalefortheFollowersofLeo;ValsefortheGemini;Pas
deDeux;InvocationtotheMoonandFinale.
HowmanyoftheastrologerswhopickedHillaryClintontowin
wouldhavevotedforherandwerethusinfluenced?Andthesame
question to the astrologers who picked Donald Trump: would
they have voted for him? But perhaps it is a matter of asking
onequestion:“WhowillbethenextPresident?”Andanswering:
“Whowillgetthemostvotes?”HillaryClinton:64,156,255votes
and Donald Trump: 62,238,425. Or asking, “Who will get the
most electoral college votes and thus be President?” Donald
Trump 290 and Hillary Clinton 232. I would think that on the
electionevening,astheresultscouldbeseen,animmensewave
ofdisappointmentshouldbevisibleinHillary’scharts,awave
thatisresonatingwithhertodayandgoingforwards.
Thomas E. Rookes
Tony Waterfall
6Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb20177
US election 2016
Lessons for mundane astrology
Roy Gillett
Despite the billions spent on meteorology, we only expect
forecasters to tell us if it will rain tomorrow. Whether we will
get wet is up to us. Even a psychologist could not say with
certainty that we will go out and risk pneumonia. This is
because life can be lived on three main levels of consciousness,
which have vastly different consequences:
• Mindlessly – experiencing or falling into whatever comes
along
• Manipulatively – battling to survive and dominate in an
unfriendly competitive world.
• Mindfully – seeking deep understandings for the benefit of
everyone.
Using astrology to predict final outcomes is subject to the same
above variables. Astrologers knew years ahead that Saturn in
Sagittarius would square Neptune and Chiron in Pisces 201516, and then Jupiter in Libra would oppose Uranus in Aries.
So, they forecast a period of religious and social confusion,
frustration, resentment, brutality, a sense of victimisation,
scapegoating, exasperation and thoughtless risk-taking.
Nearer the time, the specific issues and personalities became
clearer. Mechanical prediction of the level at which people
would react was never reliable.
What exactly is a successful or beneficial
outcome?
When it comes to general elections, a good outcome can often
be for the worst and a bad one for the better. In the UK 1987
General Election1, Margaret Thatcher won an overwhelming
victory. However, the closing of the polls’ chart had transiting
Saturn, Moon and Uranus trined her natal Neptune and Moon
near Regulus. Due to her hubris, she was ousted by hidden
enemies thirty months later.
Hillary Clinton on 9 November 2016
[See Clinton triwheel: Hillary Clinton when
Donald Trump passed 270 delegates]
Hillary Clinton may well be having the opposite experience. On
the polling day of the 2016 US Presidential Election, transiting
Saturn applied to conjoin her progressed Jupiter. Surely
this represented the heavy responsibilities she was about to
undertake! At 08:04 EST on 9 November that 270-delegate
threshold was passed, just as Mercury was within 32 minutes
of arc from an exact conjunction to her progress MC near her
natal Ascendant. How could the news be bad? The Sun had
just transited her natal Venus and transiting Jupiter [about
8Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
Hillary Clinton
Natal Chart
Oct 26 1947, Sun 8:00 am CST +6:00 Chicago, Il
Middle Wheel
Hillary Clinton Event of 9 Nov 2016 Sec.Prog. SA in Long
Nov 9 2016, Wed 8:04 am EST +5:00 Washington, DC
Outer Wheel
Hillary Clinton Transits Chart
Nov 9 2016, Wed 8:04 am EST +5:00 Washington, DC
to conjoin progressed Moon] in Libra had just trined her
progressed Venus in Aquarius. Maybe the outcome was not
bad. Bear in mind this natal Venus was is in her 12th house.
Consider the hatred Donald Trump had whipped up against
her and possible continuing gridlock with Congress. Massive
economic upheaval lies ahead for the World, with the ongoing
Capricorn stellium and triple conjunction in 2018-20 and the
2022 US Pluto return. Could losing the election be the kindest
and happiest thing for her and the Democrats?
Beware of what you wish for
In May 2015, David Cameron won a surprise General Election
victory. In July 2015’s Working with the Planets2, I wrote the
following. We know what happened!
Lessons for mundane astrology
“Pluto retrogrades back behind the square to his 1sthouse Sun and only completes in January 2016. Saturn
retrogrades to Scorpio near a square to his Mars in Leo,
and then returns to conjoin his progressed Sun and Venus
until August 2016. It will not be easy for him, or for us who
have chosen him as our leader. Then, after a desperate
internal struggle, Jupiter crosses his Ascendant, while
Saturn applies to t-square his natal Saturn in Pisces
and Pluto-Uranus and progressed Mars in Virgo, while
transiting Pluto squares his Sun through the 2017
deadline year. Will the budget be balanced, as promised?
Will the UK’s relationship with Europe be decided? Will
Scotland still be with us? To carry a unified nation with
him through such times ahead would be a true sign of
greatness. We shall see if he has the compassionate
flexibility to find and follow the way.”
At that key triumphant moment for Donald Trump, transiting
Moon was exactly trine to his natal Mercury, but it was
applying to conjoin Neptune. Will the people get what they
voted for? With Jupiter transiting his progressed chart’s
2nd-house stellium in Libra, applying to trine his natal Sun,
North Node and Uranus in the 10th house, it was easy for
him to speak words of change and to be heard. Delivering all
those contradictory promises may be a very different matter.
Throughout his Presidency, Pluto in Capricorn continues to
square the Libra stellium, being joined by Saturn and then
Jupiter just as the 2020 election extravaganza gets underway.
Unlike the business world, bankruptcy for a country is not
such an easy start-again option. What other answers does he
have?
Lessons for astrological prediction
All of which demonstrates to us in a very public way that
mundane astrology can and should be used to describe and
grasp underlying circumstances; to guide and enhance
strategy.
Whatever the motivation, attempts to make simplistic exact
predictions are in the end destined to fail. Whether we take
this on with the highest idealism or the sad need of selfpromotion, the outcome will be counter-productive. Those
with the best of reasons, seeking to prove astrology by
getting predictions right, do no more than narrow it into a
straightjacket to predict again and again. Gauquelin found
that sceptics will go to any lengths to misrepresent astrology
and ‘prove’ it wrong. Individual astrologers seeking fame and
fortune risk being overwhelmed by selfish clients, pursuing
cheap advantage over others. Always (just one bad prediction
away from disaster) we trap ourselves in ever-greater intricate
investigations to explain why it did not work this time.
Inner Wheel
Donald Trump
Jun 14 1946, Fri 10:54 am EDT +4:00 Queens, New York
Middle Wheel
Donald Trump Event of 9 Nov 2016 Sec.Prog. SA in Long
Nov 9 2016, Wed 8:04 am EST +5:00 Washington, DC
Outer Wheel
Donald Trump Transits Chart
Nov 9 2016, Wed 8:04 am EST +5:00 Washington, DC
Donald Trump
[See Trump triwheel for Nov 9 2016: when he
passed 270 delegates]
Far better to rest in the helpful certainty of the general picture.
Guide, but always allow choice. See clients and events as
working with the energy; not subject to what will happen,
like butterflies pinned on a display tray. The great traditional
and classical systems, often used as tools of prediction, are at
their most valuable when we combine rulerships, dispositors
and auspicious and inauspicious placings to create planetary
pictures of multi-level meaning. In the foreword to Christian
Astrology William Lilly insists:
“…be thou humble, and let no natural knowledge, how
profound and transcendent soever it be, elate thy mind to
neglect that divine Providence…”
Astrology offers a wonderfully profound tapestry to enrich
and strengthen our paths through life and enable the very
best decisions; as when Joan Quigley advised Ronald Reagan
on the timing of peace negotiations. It stands tall when great
mundane astrologers, such as André Barbault, Alexander
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb20179
Lessons for mundane astrology
Ruperti and Richard Tarnas, trace and describe the vast
framework of World affairs. See the temptation to predict
as a minor by-product, a distraction from the great work
of understanding the cosmos and making the most of all
experience within it.
Lessons for the World’s future
After the Uranus-Pluto squares earlier in the decade, this year’s
Saturn-Neptune square has sired increasing disenchantment
with the powers-that-be. Everywhere, rightful protest at
unfairness and injustice cry out for and a radical change.
Today’s populist movements in the so-called ‘Advanced
World’ stir anger against the Establishment. Because they
seek to use fear and hate to marginalise and create borders
to sustain personal advantage, these populist policies will
only make matters worse. There is something wrong with our
global system, but what people voted for in the UK and US in
2016 will not answer it.
The solution is more fundamental than seeking to blame and
protect ourselves from someone else. The real problem is a
systemic failure in the World economy and its self-confirming
inter-connected economic, legal, educational, media and
political power systems. It is intrinsically inefficient to base
our dealings with each other upon ruthless competition,
10Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
determined by constant growth in consumption, driven by
greed, ignorance and hatred3.
Pluto in Capricorn demands a far more efficient solution
than this. Perhaps we will find it after suffering and learning
from the consequences of following false prophets. Knowing
the deep meanings of the astro-events of our times will help
us through. It could reveal how to open, not close doors and
enable everyone to work together?
(Endnotes)
1Pollsclosed22:00BST11 June1987,London,UK
2 The Astrological Journal Vol57,No4:[Pub.TheAstrological
AssociationJuly2015]
3Mynewbook,Reversing the Race to Global Destruction
exploresthisinsomedepth,seekingkinderandmoresocially
cohesivesolutions.Itwillbepublishedinearly2017[www.
crucialastrotools.co.uk]
In the following pages on the recent US election, we
showcase a few astrological forecasts published before the
outcome was known.
US election 2016
Smiljana Gavrančić associates the winning of the US Presidency with
22° Gemini. This led her to make a forecast on 7 September 2015 that
the Republicans were likely to win the US 2016 election. She explains
her pioneering approach
Important degrees for the White House
in US history
I started my research by looking at the date of the first laying
of the cornerstone of the White House. This was on 13 October
1792 at the behest of George Washington, US first President.
But he never actually lived in the mansion. The first President
to do so was Washington’s successor, John Adams, who took
residence in 1800.
George Washington’s secondary progressions for the
completion of the White House (1 November 1800) can be still
used today because this moment speaks about the destiny of
his country, even posthumously. Progressed Venus, the ruler
of Washington’s Ascendant, is at 21° Gemini 35’, conjoining
Mars (21° Gemini 18’) in the USA horoscope. Mars is ruler
of the US horoscope in my reckoning: I use the 8° Scorpio
Ascendant chart* because it fits the symbolism appropriate to
the US, i.e. a nation created out of war, namely the American
War of Independence. [See US chart]
D. Roosevelt moved the Oval Office (the official office of the
President) into the West Wing. Roosevelt became President
on 4 March 1933 - his natal MC is at 22° Gemini 08’.
Donald Trump in the USA horoscope
The midpoint of Jupiter-Uranus in the US chart is at 22°
Gemini 25’. Uranus (gambling, casino) is placed in the 8th
house (money), ruling the 4th house (opposition candidate),
while Jupiter rules the 2nd house (financial system). In
Uranus at 8° Gemini we find the ‘symbol’ for Donald Trump
who built his empire in casinos and real estates. It’s interesting
that Trump has a pre-natal, Solar Eclipse at 8° Gemini 49’
(Aldebaran – ‘Keeper of East’ – Russia).
Trump’s Sun is at 22° Gemini conjunct North Node, i.e. he
was born on the day of a Lunar Eclipse at 23° Sagittarius 05’.
His Ascendant at 29° Leo 58’ on Regulus is a marker of likely
success. Solar arc Sun (29° Leo 07’) was crossing his Ascendant
at his nomination, and at 0° Virgo 15’ on 8 November 2016.
On 1 September 2016, the Solar Eclipse at 9° Virgo 21’ activated
Uranus (our Trump ‘symbol’) by square from 8° Gemini 55’ in
the US chart.
Left: Republican Party USA, 7 July 1854, 12:00 LMT, Jackson, Michigan
US chart, 4 July 1776
14:21 LMT, Philadelphia, PA
When John Adams became second US President on 4 March
1797, his solar arc Moon was at 22° Gemini 25’ conjunct MC
at 23° Gemini 00’.
Republican Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency started on 14
September 1901 as his secondary IC-MC axis lay across 22°
Gemini 39’/22° Sagittarius 39’ in the US chart.
The modern White House was ‘born’ in 1934 when Franklin
Right: Republican Party, 16 Dec 1854,
1:52:31, Jackson, Michigan, LMT, Time Zone: 0 Hours West
If we take a look now at the horoscope of the Republican Party
[natal and directions charts shown], we find that on
the day of the elections, solar arc axis IC-MC lay across 22°
Gemini 50’/22° Sagittarius 50’, which enhanced the party’s
chances of winning. Note also that the party’s solar arc Sun
during the elections was at 23° Gemini 50’, in conjunction
with the post-natal Lunar Eclipse of Trump: this puts a great
accent on him in the Republican Party.
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201711
US election 2016
8 November 2016
In the chart for the moment that election poll sites open (in
this case, 8 November 2016, 06:00 am, Washington D.C. - see
chart) the 10th house always represents the ruling candidate
– namely, the Democrats; while the 4th house represents the
Republican candidate.
In this chart, with MC at 13° Leo 34’, the Sun rules this point.
Sun transits Scorpio, and Mars (the Sun’s dispositor) transits
at 29° Capricorn – the last or anaretic degree, an indicator
of the end! As we don’t have Hillary’s correct birth date, I
used her husband Bill Clinton’s chart, on the basis that there
would be a powerful indication in his horoscope if his wife was
destined to be President. I found his solar arc Moon at 29°
Cancer (the end) opposed by tr Mars at 29° Capricorn. Not a
happy chart for a Hillary victory.
Worth noting as an aside, when Bill was first elected President
in November 1992, his tertiary Venus (ruler of his Libra rising)
was at 22° Gemini (the degree I associate with presidential
entry into the White House). Also, nothing in the Democratic
Party chart was at 22° Gemini at the time of the recent US
elections.
Another example: Jacqueline Kennedy had natal Venus (ruler
of her 7th house = husband) at 21° Gemini 46’ (almost 22°
Gemini). During the November 1960 presidential election, her
secondary Moon was crossing over 21°-22° Gemini!
In the latest election start-of-polls chart, the 4th house
(representing the Republicans) had Aquarius on the cusp.
Saturn is therefore primary ruler which is in Sagittarius, and
through the dispositor, Jupiter in Libra, it goes into the sign of
its exaltation. All this told me that the Republicans were more
likely to win.
Around 22° Gemini are the stars from the Orion constellation.
Here we have the picture of a very big, tall man, with broad
shoulders, and emphasised hair (remember the mythological
Orion), with big feet and specific gait, and who has problems
and affairs with women. Isn’t this the indication of Donald
Trump?!
November 2020 sees the next presidential election. Then,
the secondary Moon of the USA will be at 29° Capricorn,
preparing to ingress Aquarius. Perhaps this hints at a woman
who will bring something new to the whole world! Remember,
on 21 December 2020, there will be the great Jupiter/Saturn
conjunction at 0° Aquarius!
PS: It’s said, “If he/she gets Florida and Ohio, he/she wins”.
I found that Florida’s secondary progressed Sun during the
US elections was at 29° Leo, and Trump has Ascendant at 29°
Leo. Also, that Ohio’s progressed MC was at 29° Leo. He won
Ohio and Florida, the most important swing states.
12Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
8 Nov 2016, 6:00, Washington DC,
Tome Zone: 5 Hours West
*The US Scorpio rising natal chart (and charts for Ohio and
Florida) taken from Marc H. Penfield’s Horoscopes of the USA and
Canada.
Smiljana Gavrančić is an ISAR C.A.P.
professional astrologer and editor of Infinity
Astrological Magazine. Her website: http://
astrologsmiljanagavrancic.blogspot.com.
US election 2016
Sharon Knight and Steven Birchfield made this forecast on 29 September 2016,
applying traditional techniques to reveal a likely victory to the ‘Challenger’
There is no definitive birth time for the US Republican and
Democratic parties. So what could be used to call this election?
A traditional mundane method was always to look at the Aries
Ingress. If a fixed sign rose, that chart stood for the year. If
a mutable sign, the chart was cast for both Aries and Libra
Ingresses, and if a Cardinal sign rose, then each quarter a new
chart was cast.
The Aries Ingress Washington chart for 2016 had Sagittarius
Rising. The Lord of the Ascendant, Jupiter, is also in a mutable
sign together with the mutable Ascendant, emphasising the
need to look at the Libra Ingress. The Libra Ingress chart has
Scorpio rising and is valid for the period that includes election
and the presidential inauguration on 20 January 2017.
Due to the time changes across America, the first area to open
its polls was the New Hampshire village of Dixville Notch at
00.00 on 8 November 2016.
There are two ways we could look at this chart for Incumbent
and Challenger: one way is to take the 1st for the current ruler
and the 7th for the Challenger, or the 10th for current King
and 4th for Challenger or opposition.
We will look at both ways, although the actual significators
using whole house signs doesn’t change.
Taking Mercury to represent the incumbent party; Mercury
has no rulership in 23° Scorpio and cannot see the 10th sign
of Gemini from the 3rd sign, which simply means it is blind
and cannot effectively manage the affairs of the house Gemini
represents. We find Mercury just on the edge of Sunbeams,
moving out of the harmful rays. As Mercury leaves the rays
of the Sun he applies to his ruler Mars, wanting to give his
authority and management of 10th house affairs to Mars
which is in its exaltation. However before Mercury can exit
from the rays of the Sun, the application is frustrated as Mars
leaves Capricorn into Aquarius. This does not bode well for
the incumbent party.
Jupiter, representing the challenger or opposition party, has
authority as participating triplicity ruler in Libra. Jupiter is
applying to Saturn giving his power and authority to Saturn
to manage Jupiter’s affairs [this is called the committing of
his disposition], which Saturn accepts because Jupiter is in
the sign of Saturn’s exaltation [reception]. Also, Saturn has
authority in Sagittarius as participating triplicity ruler of Fire.
Saturn in the 4th is angular and has the strength to carry out
the business of Jupiter.
Jupiter is operating out of the turned 11th house from the
4th. This is the house of Good Daemon, and Jupiter is said
to rejoice in the 11th. Saturn is also indicator of Jupiter’s
‘Seconds’ or helpers. Saturn is bang in the middle of Jupiter’s
sign, giving his aid and assistance to Jupiter.
The Moon, as indicator of the incumbent’s Seconds, is tucked
away in the 6th of sickness and labour. She can’t see her
house and is in the sign of Saturn. Her next application is
to Mercury, indicator of the current ruler. She perfects this
aspect with a square, showing some difficulty. If we take the
Moon to represent the people, it shows they are in slavery, sick
and not very effective. The Moon takes the light of Mercury to
Venus by sextile. Venus in this chart disposes of Jupiter as he
disposes of her. So there is some reception between these two
planets.
Venus cannot see Mercury to give him her aid. The women are
turned away from helping the incumbent.
Taking the Rising sign of Virgo for the incumbent, and the 7th
for the challenger, we have the same planets as significators.
All that has changed is their house positions.
We shall start with the 10th/4th axis. The 11th is for the
supporters of the current King [Democrats] and the 5th for
the supporters of the challenger [Republicans].
The 10th is ruled by Mercury, who is under Sun’s beams;
his supporters are the Moon (also the common people). The
challenger is Jupiter and his supporters are Saturn.
Mercury is now in a cadent sign but can see the Ascendant
sign. However, his power to act is weak as he is still blinkered
by the Sun who rules the 12th of enemies. The Sun is blinding
him to what is going on. Jupiter, on the other hand, is in his
participating triplicity rulership, oriental and strong. Jupiter
can see neither Ascendant nor Descendant, but (through his
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201713
US election 2016
application to Saturn in an angle) Saturn reflects Jupiter’s
light to his house, Pisces (called rendering of light). In this
changed situation in assigning different houses, Saturn is
the means whereby Jupiter can manage the affairs of the
7th. Jupiter can also see his other house, the 10th sign from
the Descendant (Sagittarius). The same comments apply
to Jupiter’s relationship to Saturn as mentioned in our first
scenario (10th/4th axis).
If you look at this chart using house divisions, so the 10th
cusp is Taurus and the 4th Scorpio, Venus is still in aversion
to her sign (can’t manage). Mars can see his sign of Scorpio
by sextile. The Sun (reputation, honours) is in the 4th by
division. Mars, the ruler of Scorpio, is exalted in Capricorn at
the time of this event!
No matter how you view this chart for the opening of polls, it
appears to give the victory to the opponent [Trump in effect].
Now we turn to the Libra ingress chart:
Traditionally the first thing to locate was the Lord of the Year
of the Ingress chart. The first consideration is to determine
what planet will represent the people of the nation.
“You will also look, for the rustics and their condition, from
the Lord of the Year and its place,”
(From the ‘Revolution of the Years of the World’ by
Māshā’allāh translated by Benjamin Dykes PhD)
for this choice is that in fact all the rulers including the sect
luminary, the Sun, fall cadent of the Ascendant.
This very accurately describes the state of the people in
America going into this half of the year.
‘Chapter 12: When the Lord of the Year is cadent’
“If the Lord of the Year were cadent from the Ascendant,
not aspecting the Ascendant (in the eighth, sixth, second,
or twelfth sign), then he will be in need, and therefore
weakness will befall him, because he fell in a place
removed from the Ascendant.” (From the ‘Revolution
of the Years of the World’ by Māshā’allāh translated by
Benjamin Dykes PhD).
Both Mars and the Moon representing the people are in
aversion to the Ascendant. The people feel out of touch and
powerless to act. The Martian types are in conflict and also
out of touch with their national identity. For both significators
there is a sense of helplessness, weakness, division, contention
and fear. Note that the Moon’s application to the opposition of
Mars further indicates the very obvious division of the nation.
The incumbent ruling party is shown by the Sun as ruler of the
10th sign/house. (Note: the Sun would not necessarily always
be the significator of the ruling party if another sign were on
the MC.) Their opponents are indicated by Saturn as ruler of
the 4th sign/house.
To discover the successor belonging to the current ruling
party, we look to the second triplicity ruler of the Sign on the
10th. This gives us Jupiter as the Nocturnal Sect Ruler of Fire.
Jupiter is under Sunbeams, out of sight in the 12th sign. This
suggests a weak successor who cannot be seen.
To assess the condition of the opposition, we will take both the
actual sign ruler (Saturn) and the diurnal triplicity ruler of Air
– again Saturn. So Saturn indicates the opposing candidate.
There is no other planet to consider as they (the opposition
party) have put up their challenger.
Neither significator of the people (Moon and Mars) applies to
join either candidate, again indicating the disconnectedness
and ‘hatred’ by the people for the two candidates. It appears in
the history of the American elections that no two contenders
for this crown have been so reviled by their countrymen.
The Ascendant of the chart always represented the people of
the nation as did the Moon. The Lord of the Year was found
from one of the lords of the Ascendant (ruler, exalted ruler,
triplicity ruler, or term ruler) or even the sect luminary. In
this chart we have chosen Mars as Lord of Year since he is the
lord of the Ascendant Scorpio. We do this in spite of the fact
he is cadent from the Ascendant in the 2nd house. The reason
14Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
So how to discover the outcome?
We look at the individual strength of both significators and
the actions between them. As noted, Jupiter is combust, in the
12th and applies to Saturn from Saturn’s house of exaltation
(Libra) and his house of joy.
As we saw in the other charts we looked at, this handing over
of power is a very distinct action between the two because it
US election 2016
indicates Jupiter handing the management of everything she
is and represents, to Saturn who receives her gift!
Saturn standing alone is stronger than Jupiter, being free
of sunbeams, and able to manage the affairs of his house of
Aquarius. The conclusion is that Saturn [the Challenger] is the
winner.
Sharon Knight is Chair of the APAI and on the AA Board of
Trustees: www.astrologersharon.co.uk.
Steven Birchfield practises traditional astrology and is a
graduate of UCLA with a BA in civil engineering.
US election 2016
Tim Heyer explains why Donald Trump was the Saturn-in-Sagittarius candidate
and how this played a part in his predicted victory
For the astrology of government, I examine the sign of
Capricorn for clues. Capricorn ruler Saturn, more than other
planets, indicates the dynamics of nations and their fates.
While analysis of Saturn is crucial, the symbolism of its first
dispositor provides additional relevant detail. Finally, to put
these planets in context, I factor in the transiting Moon, which
is the traditional indicator of shifting public sentiment.
Using this strategy, I identified the three main players of the
2016 United States Presidential election as Saturn, Jupiter,
and Moon, and used their symbolism to predict Donald
Trump’s victory.
Without doubt, Trump was the Saturn-in-Sagittarius
candidate. Saturn in this sign demands attention to
immigration restrictions, free trade and fairness in the media.
Trump dedicated himself to these issues from the beginning
of his campaign.
Perhaps if the Sagittarian ruler was transiting Scorpio,
Clinton (who’s Sun Scorpio) could have found herself on the
winning side of these issues. Unfortunately for her, however,
Jupiter in Libra showed how these global problems worked
against her and led to her defeat. Additionally, tr Jupiter’s
difficult conjunction with Clinton’s Neptune, contrasted with
its auspicious connections to Trump’s Sun (wide trine) and
natal Jupiter (approaching conjunction), corroborated this
conclusion.
Finally, on election night, the Moon’s shift into Pisces gave
additional importance to (co-ruler) Jupiter in Libra. Jupiter
directly disposed of the Moon’s energy, drawing the public
further from Clinton and closer to Trump, giving him the edge
he needed to seal victory.
Tim Heyer is a Denver-based astrologer. He can be
reached at [email protected].
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201715
The Carter Memorial Lecture 2016
The Elegant Universe
Christeen Skinner
At Conference, we revive our love affair with astrology and share our awe of
the ‘music of the spheres’. In the wake of the Uranus-Pluto square and across
disciplines, mankind is downloading information that draws attention to the
elegance of the universe. So are we, as astrologers, ready to ‘up our game’ and
improve our understanding of the mathematics at work in the cosmos?
It is a great honour to be asked to deliver the Carter Memorial
Lecture. But since it is a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience, it
requires careful thought before acceptance. The terms are
interesting in that the lecture must be given twice: once to the
Astrological Association and once to the Astrological Lodge
of London. It must also be written up for The Astrological
Journal. As someone who makes full use of PowerPoint, the
last was always going to be a challenge!
Several factors brought me to the decision to accept: firstly,
that the very first Charles Carter Memorial Lecture was given
on my birthday in 1970: as it happens a day I remember well.
The happy events of that day are treasured memories. I noted
too that on 9 September (when I would give the lecture at the
AA conference) Jupiter would make Libra ingress and that
the following day would mark the last quarter-phase of the
Saturn-Neptune cycle. My Sun sits exactly on their midpoint.
Since the cosmos seemed to be selecting me for the task, I
then turned to the list of previous lectures to discover that
three of the astrologers I greatly admire had given their Carter
Memorial Lectures with Jupiter in Libra. The most recent
was André Barbault, who was interviewed about the UranusNeptune cycle and globalisation. Mike Harding centred his
lecture on the Saturn-Neptune cycle. A Jupiter cycle earlier,
Jeff Mayo, whose Teach Yourself Astrology was the first book
that I ever bought on the subject, gave his lecture on the future
of astrology. It is interesting that we all have planets in early
degrees of Libra. I focused on this to arrive at the title, ‘The
Elegant Universe’.
At that time of choosing the title, I was captivated by the work
of Hartmut Warm – not an astrologer but a master cosmic
mathematician whose work on celestial signatures and the
mandalas created by the planets is exceptional. The intricate
pattern formed by successive Saturn-Neptune cycles as
viewed from Jupiter had me enthralled (fig 1). The elegant
simplicity of this mandala and the links I sensed between
those earlier talks gave me confidence to progress. I knew then
that I wanted to focus on potential developments in astrology
between now and the next Saturn-Neptune conjunction – in
16Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
Christeen Skinner at AA Conference
2026, which is at 0 Aries and to which Jupiter’s position at 0
Libra on 9 September could be considered pointing.
I wish, however, that I had studied the chart for the first
delivery more closely. Neptune was rising and despite the
fact that several rehearsals took place beforehand, I managed
to omit a whole section – a situation put right when I redelivered the lecture to the Lodge in October and inserted into
this script.
I gave some thought to Charles Carter himself and wondered
what he would have thought both of my work and of where
we are with astrology today. He was born on 31 January 1887
with a large stellium in Aquarius in which the Sun was at 11° of
Aquarius exactly trine my own. He was also born with Uranus
The Carter Memorial Lecture 2016
Fig. 1: Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, 8947 years
Charles Carter Natal Chart
Jan 31 1887 NS, Mon 11:01pm GMT +0:00, Poole, UK
at 12 Libra sitting within a degree of my solar position [see
Carter chart].
Perhaps one of the things he would have enjoyed hugely would
be the advances made by both amateur and professional
astrologers with access to computers. I have no doubt that he
would have enjoyed getting rid of the tedium of hand-drawn
charts and calculations and the exquisite bliss of being able to
do very sharp and fast research.
Linking his work to my own, I’m certain that we would have
enjoyed many conversations both about mundane astrology
and the various techniques that can be employed with ease
thanks to fast computerised calculations. I think he would
have approved too of what I wanted to achieve in this lecture.
I see coming to a conference as gaining a fix. I attend many
conferences during the course of the year – not all of them
astrological. There are many reasons why I attend these: not
always to deliver lectures. What I find is that when you are
with like-minded people – your tribe – and whether or not
that’s with traders, musicians or in this case astrologers, the
connections – or re-connections – act as a re-boot: a ‘fix’.
Hopefully, at the conclusion of conference we all have renewed
enthusiasm and reignited passion. However supportive
friends and relatives may be, there is nothing quite like being
with those to whom you can speak and enjoy the shorthand
of – in this case – astrological language.
Charles Carter is likely to have agreed with me that conferences
are essential. However wonderful social networking via the
Internet is or can be, there is something very special about
sharing physical space with those who share our love of
astrology. I do wonder, though, if he would have been as
exasperated as I am sometimes with the lack of annual cooperation with those from other disciplines. We have so much
to offer one another. Far from being ‘repelled’ by astrology,
many scientists I suspect would be intrigued by it.
This thought led me to reconsider the title. It ought,
perhaps, to have been ‘Our Electrical and Elegant Universe’.
Kinesiologists and others recognise that we are all bundles of
energy with the potential to excite and energise one another.
To do this, we need to be together. So, long live conference
and thank you for being here and ensuring that the collective
astrological energy is re-charged.
NASA and a fresh look at astrology
No questions are permitted at the conclusion of the Carter
Memorial Lecture, which is intended to be thought-provoking.
With that in mind I want to share with you information that
is altering my astrological thinking and prompting me to
question certain long-held thoughts about the interaction of
the planets. I would like to begin by focusing on the ‘electrical
universe’ and will return to the ‘elegant universe’ later.
Charles Carter would surely have delighted in the increasingly
valuable information that comes from NASA and other space
agencies. We are learning far, far more about our solar system,
our galaxy and beyond. Yet this surely must require us to take
a fresh look at astrology too.
Many of you will know that I have a fascination with the sun.
Its output is variable, though, as yet we do not know why this
is so. Whatever your age, you haven’t lived through a sunspot
cycle like the one we are experiencing today. You probably
know that there is an 11.2-year sunspot cycle. In fact, this
is the average. Even with all the data collected over the last
couple of hundred years, scientists cannot be sure when the
present cycle will end and the next begin.
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201717
The Carter Memorial Lecture 2016
Mercury’s magnetic field is definitely increasing whilst the
aural brightness on Venus has increased over 2500%. The ice
caps on Mars are melting and there is a 200% increase in the
brightness of Jupiter’s colours. Apparently there are x-rays
now emanating from the centre of Saturn and increased
brightness on Uranus. By the way: scientists used to describe
the atmosphere on Uranus as calm. That has changed.
Neptune is apparently 40% brighter than it once was; and
Pluto – whether or not you want to regard it as a planet in
our system – has seen a 300% increase in its atmospheric
pressure. It is worth while taking a moment to reflect on the
developmental changes to our respective ruling planets.
Fig. 2: Dr Mike Lockwood in California: magnetic field is stronger by 230% since 1901
These cycles are numbered. We are coming to the end of cycle
sunspot 24. The next cycle sunspot 25 ought to start at the
end of this decade but whether or not that’s in 2019, 2020
or 2021 we don’t yet know. The point about this is that each
one of these cycles is quite different from the last. In any one
of these cycles you could have as many as 200 sunspots at
solar maximum. This most recent cycle has barely reached
100. In fact, numbers have fallen below 50. This is what
helioseismologists call a quiet cycle. It is more than a little
worrying that the next cycle (25) might contain no sunspots
whatsoever. This has implications for terrestrial weather and
thence for crop cycles.
Yet for as much as the sunspot activity is quiet, the sun’s
energy is not actually diminishing. Indeed, Dr Mike Lockwood
in California has been measuring its magnetic power and
discovered that it is stronger by about 230% compared to
the 1970s (see fig 2). It doesn’t take a huge stretch of the
imagination to think that if the sun is emitting this much
stronger magnetic pulse, that must affect each and every one
of us. Indeed, it has to affect every cell on earth.
It seems too that this increase in energy from the core of
the Sun is impacting the planets. From this, I have come to
the conclusion that some of our definitions (those that we
associate with particular planetary line-ups) no longer work
quite as they have done in the past. If it is indeed the case that
the planets themselves are altered and radiating or emanating
a different kind of vibration then all of that can be better
understood.
Our solar system is changing
Consider these facts about our solar system: in the last
few decades the moon has been growing an atmosphere.
Apparently there is now a layer of natrium about 6000 km
wide.
18Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
Fig 3: An area of space with high energy level: plasma now 1000% brighter
I also want to talk just for a few minutes about where the solar
system is and where it’s headed. Our solar system sits right at
the edge of the Milky Way. Apparently not too far from this
there is a glowing and growing plasma (see fig. 3). Nobody
actually knows exactly what that is, but what we do know is
that it’s over 1000 times brighter now than it was. Clearly our
solar system is now passing through an area of space that is
infinitely more energised than the one that we were passing
through when the first Carter Memorial Lecture was delivered.
Many of us were born before that lecture, and at least in these
physical bodies, arrived when the solar system was moving
through an area of space that was significantly quieter to the
one experienced today. Colleagues and friends whom I’ve
spoken to in the course of the last year have consistently – and
without being led – come out with statements such as “there’s
a very weird energy around”. They may be correct.
Those born post-1989 (the most recent solar retrograde)
arrived under very different space conditions. My experience
so far suggests that these people are experiencing the
arrangements of the planets very differently from the way in
which earlier generations have done. From my perspective,
this group is set up to cope with a completely different voltage
– which is confusing and, at times perhaps even repellent, to
some older astrologers.
In recent times social, economic and political developments
across the world have been put down to the Uranus-Pluto
The Carter Memorial Lecture 2016
square – which must surely play its part. It may be that the
position of these two planets relative to the sun, and how the
sun is impacting on their relationship, is key to the apparently
high-voltage energy apparently at work. I think though that
conditions in the space through which our system is travelling
should also be considered.
If you leave with nothing else from today’s lecture then please
do research solar activity at your birth. If you were born on a
day of low sunspot activity, then perhaps you can cope better
with the diminishing sunspots of the present, but if you were
born during a period of high activity then you could experience
the coming years as more challenging.
I know this is all away from the planets and our usual
horoscope. But I do think it’s something that we could discuss
further and certainly perhaps even get astrophysicists in to
discuss this with us. Certainly I am sure that dialogue with
those from other disciplines is long overdue. I am confident
that we have as much to offer today’s molecular biologists
as they do us. If Charles Carter were alive today, he would
advocate the same. Certainly his chart suggests a scientific and
enquiring mind.
The elegant universe
The universe may well be super-charged, yet it is also a place of
great elegance. The mathematical relationship of the cycles of
the planets – and the sun and moon – results in the exquisite
precision we can appreciate when looking at the planetary
mandalas created by Hartmut Warm.
In Mike Harding’s superb work Hymns to Ancient Gods he
devotes a chapter to the Saturn-Neptune cycle. Within this
he refers to the building of cathedrals whose construction
coincided with key phases in this cycle. The architectural
elegance of these amazing structures might be described as
offering a “frozen music of the spheres”. The geometry of these
structures is mesmerising and fantastic and sometimes – as
with Chartres Cathedral – pays obvious homage to the cycles
of the planets.
Long before these structures came into being there must have
been an idea: a seed of thought that was eventually celebrated
by their consecration. The grandiosity of these designs leads
me to wonder if a transiting Jupiter – perhaps at the midpoint
of Saturn and Neptune – might have been involved.
I wondered next what idea might be planted now – with
Jupiter at zero degrees of a cardinal sign, drawing attention
to these important degrees and perhaps signalling the SaturnNeptune conjunction of 2026 at 0 Aries (see chart). Between
now and then, and at the December solstice in 2020, Jupiter
and Saturn align at 0 Aquarius – arguably the sign associated
with astrology.
Transits Feb 20 2026 Natal Chart
Feb 20 2026, Fri 4:52.22pm UT +0:00 London, United Kingdom
Where will our astrology be by 2026? Is it possible that, as
Charles Carter might have done, we shall have crossed an
astrological frontier? Will our interpretations take into
account the condition of the solar system and physical changes
to our planets? Shall we still be using the same keywords?
Will our charts show the condition of the Sun at birth? Is it
possible that we might also leave behind the two-dimensional
charts with which we are so familiar but which surely, in this
high-tech age could be replaced by something offering greater
perspective?
For example, if you want to purchase a house, you no longer
look at just photographs or floor plans. The internet allows a
virtual reality: at the very least a 3D version and the ability to
walk through the structure at your own pace guiding a video
camera as you do. Perhaps we ought to be asking our astroprogrammers to develop something similar? We could then
see at a glance whether a planet is truly rising, or owing to
declination, is actually nowhere near another planet or angle.
We could also experience the relationship of the so-called
‘fixed’ stars with the planets.
Is it possible that by 2026 we shall be able to wear glasses that
allow us to experience charts quite differently and that might
permit us to experience the cosmos as it really was at that
special moment: not just revealing the position of the planets
but the energy of that part of space through which the solar
system was then travelling?
Those who know me will know that I am not a fan of Jupiter
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201719
The Carter Memorial Lecture 2016
correlating the various phases of each with recorded history.
He reminds us that each cycle has a geometric connection
to every other cycle and that the whole is hugely complex
yet fantastically organised. The inter-connectedness of these
various cycles is shown in the example of the view from
Jupiter of sequenced Saturn-Neptune conjunctions. In fact,
each of the patterns shown in Hartmut’s book is reminiscent
of a crystal.
My father – not an astrologer himself, but hugely respectful
of those who held the view that there was a link between the
stars, planets and human behaviour – held a belief system
that ‘we are all one’ but that like radios, we each tune into
different frequencies.
Christeen Natal Chart
5 Oct 1951, Fri 19:20 BST -1:00, Edinburgh, UK
transits. Like the genial host who keeps filling our glass
oblivious to rising levels of intoxication, Jupiter offers so
much – but not always coherently.
At the conference in Wyboston I showed an image of air traffic
controllers with hands in the air as two planes looked close
to collision from just beyond their window. Closer inspection
reveals that on their radar screens is a live baseball match and
that they were presumably cheering the score – oblivious to
the potential devastation in the skies just beyond.
I hope that with Jupiter nearing my Libra stellium (see
Christeen’s chart) I am not guilty of diverting energy.
Rather, I hope that I may have enthused you to consider
the developments that we might make and the ‘astrological
cathedral’ that could be celebrated in 2026. In short, I would
like to see us ‘up our game’ by improving our understanding of
the mathematics at work in the universe.
Lastly I would like to refer back to the wonderful work of
Hartmut Warm and his book, Signature of the Celestial
Signatures: Discovering Order in the Solar System and
companion program that can be found at www. www.
keplerstern.com. (There are also some superb YouTube videos
of his work.)
Hartmut explores the rhythms of gravitational interaction
and enchants with the quite exquisite and kinetic geometric
shapes created by the planets as they orbit the Sun. It is, of
course, not uncommon for astrologers to research these same
cycles – usually over a period of a few hundred years and
20Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
I don’t find it difficult to imagine each piece of cosmic geometry
as a crystal carrying a frequency that resonates with some
more than others. Just as my brother and I learnt to tune our
first transistor radios, I think it possible for us to tune into
these frequencies provided that we know what to listen for.
If this is the case, then my hope is that from the present Jupiter
Libra ingress, through to the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction at
0 Aquarius, and on to the Saturn-Neptune conjunction of
0 Aries, that we (who share the thought that “as above, so
below”) will tune into this resonance and that by February
2026 (by which time Pluto will have made Aquarius ingress)
we transform and improve the quality of our work. At this
conference [in 2016], I hope we can celebrate our Electrical
and Elegant Universe.
With thanks
Christeen Skinner, October 2016.
Christeen Skinner is the
author of The Financial
Universe (published 2004
and updated in 2009) in
which she forecast the
banking crisis, and the
recently published Exploring
the Financial Universe: The
Role of the Sun and Planets
in the World of Finance. She
taught at the Faculty of
Astrological Studies for a
half-nodal cycle, was Chair of
the Astrological Association,
is a trustee of the Urania Trust and is on the board of the
Alexandria i-Base Project.She is Director of Cityscopes London,
a future-casting service with clients from across the world.
Website: www.financialuniverse.co.uk.
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201721
Data News by Frank C. Clifford
Dolly – and the folly of dogmatism over birth times
www.flareuk.com
“There’s no way Prince Philip has a Capricorn Ascendant. He’s
has to have Leo Rising because he looks just like my Leo father!”
I remember hearing an astrologer tell me this many years ago
when we discussed the two conflicting birth times for the
Duke of Edinburgh. Intuition, technical skill and observations
built up over years of study all help us become the astrologers
(and chart rectifiers) we are. But there are seemingly endless
placement possibilities and combinations in a horoscope –
far more than we have discrete descriptions for – and it can
be difficult to differentiate between chart factors as well as
specific character traits (or physical attributes). Princess
Diana’s chart is one that astrologers continue to argue about.
Some have rejected the Sagittarius Rising birth time (7:45
p.m.) because Diana appeared so Libran. But does the Libra
side stem from her Libra rising (2 p.m.) or would the Sun in
the 7th house (7:45 p.m.) suffice?
The recent Hillary Clinton data debacle (care of Lois Rodden’s
bête noire Marc Penfield) most likely has its roots in
rectification and presumption – Clinton’s chart was probably
adjusted to fit an astrologer’s perception of her. Some years
ago another astrologer said to me, “There’s no way that
Hillary’s a 12th-house Sun”. But so many people on the world
stage are! And when I mentioned the plethora of world leaders
who had Sun in the 12th house to a rather blinkered traditional
astrologer, her reply was “Wrong birth time” to each and every
one I reeled off. Apparently Lilly wrote that such a placement
would be impossible (a quote I also doubt).
“He’s a Leo but he’s shy and withdrawn.” What do we
know astrologically about these characteristics? Are they
automatically non-Leo traits? When faced with a shy,
withdrawn Leo, would we attempt to place the Sun in the
12th, or perhaps assign a shy sign on the Ascendant? Would
we prefer to blame it on his Mercury, or would we explain it
some other way in his chart? Or could it be attributed to early
environmental or sociological factors or 101 other things that
shape how we express our charts? I think it’s important to
remember that someone’s traits, qualities and life events can
be seen/explained away in a horoscope in a multitude of ways.
Our vocabulary can often feel limited when we’re faced with a
limitless planetary lexicon. I’m fond of saying that every chart
teaches us something new. We do our best job when observing
how it works in a client’s (or public figure’s) life rather than
making too many presumptions from the outset.
This brings me to the birth data of Dolly Parton. When I
published it many years ago, it caught the attention of some
students on a data forum on Astrodienst at astro.com. Dolly
had given her birth time as 3 a.m. in an interview published
in the Sunday Times in June 2001. She apparently told Marc
22
Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
Dolly Parton Jan 19 1946,
Sat 8:25 pm CST +6:00 Sevierville, Tennessee
Penfield a few months later that her father remembered 3 a.m.
– but as Dolly was the fourth child of twelve born to Robert Lee
Parton, his recollection might not be 100% reliable. When I
contacted a Vital Registry office in Tennessee, they sent back a
‘verification of facts’ form filled in by a registrar that confirmed
Parton’s family and birth details along with a recorded time
of 8:25 p.m. The astro.com forum ran a discussion on how
she was far more the extraverted Leo Moon entertainer and
bubbly, friendly Sagittarius Rising (the 3 a.m. chart) than a
Virgo Moon and Virgo Ascendant (the chart derived from the
birth certificate, filed nine days after her birth). Of course,
the certificate (or registrar) could be in error and there are
some examples of this in my files. But my reaction to their
“What fits best” or “We use it because it works” was: “Do
Leo and Sagittarius corner the market on extraversion and
friendliness?” I was tempted to go the same way and ask them
to look deeper into Parton’s biography – “What of her work
ethic, perfectionism and control over her business that seems
so Virgoan?” – but that would have simply been playing their
game. Sometimes I’m very glad I don’t have a fixed type of
mind (or Mercury placement) and that I leave the door open
to alternatives. I remain sceptical of birth time sources and
try to pull back when I want to jump to conclusions because a
chart ‘works’ so well.
Data News
Dolly Parton birth certificate
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201723
2017-19: Saturn’s transit
of Dhanu or Sagittarius
Sonal Sachdeva
What does Saturn’s January ingress of Jupiter’s sign tell us, according to the
ideas and myths of Vedic astrology?
On 26 January 2017, Saturn passes into the sign of Dhanu
or Sagittarius [sidereal], ruled by the greatest benefic
Brihaspati or Jupiter. During this two-and-a-half-year period,
themes that we typically associate with Jupiter – expansion,
learning, spiritual leanings, raising of human consciousness,
spiritual teachers and healers, philosophies and cosmologies,
counselling of all kinds – will be prevalent.
Despite these positive themes, the Vedic view of Sagittarius
is typically that it is a fierce sign of war and the battlefield.
The sign has flavours of Mahabharata, the longest epic poem
from ancient India, narrating the Kurukshetra War between
100 brothers, Kauravas, and five Brothers, Pandavas, and
their fates.
Lord Krishna on the battlefield with
arjuna, advising him of dharma or his
rightful duty to fight for his victory.
Bhagwad Gita is this seminal advice
Enough about the sign.
Saturn is Saturn, and in
Vedic it has a significance
similar to tropical zodiac
interpretation: the Lord of
Karma finds parallels in the
Grim Reaper, god of time
and delays; debt collector,
and such-like.
Yet, the Vedic perspective on Saturn has a deeper spectrum
of meaning, beyond the usual themes of sorrow, obstacles
and suffering. Saturn can also deliver amazing forbearance,
discipline and the capacity to achieve what are authentically
our deepest hopes and wishes. These life-affirming qualities
will manifest if, and only if, we do care deeply enough to stay
the course and not flounder with our fears – real or imaginary.
Yet, we have to look beneath the veil to discover its deeper
import.
The Vedic myth of Saturn
No other planet creates such inordinate anxiety, panic and
fear as does Saturn. If we want to get a true idea of Saturn’s
core, we must examine the myth. Here is the story:
The great epic war of Mahabharata between pandavas (five brothers) and
kauravas (100 brothers)
Within the colossal epic of Mahabharata, lies the Bhagwad
Gita, which alone is the philosophical canon of spiritual and
strategic advice given by Lord Krishna to Arjuna, one of the
five brothers.
In the Vedic myth, Sagittarius is deeply connected with war,
religion and dharma or purpose. We certainly are in the
thickest of Sagittarian terrain! Its associations with belief
systems naturally lead to the question of death – the primary
question for all religions.
24Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
Surya (or Sun) was too hot for his wife, Sanjana. Soon after
their marriage, she found she could not stand his colossal heat
and brightness on a daily basis! Her complexion grew darker,
feeling dried and burnt. She needed respite from his intensity,
and devised a plan.
Sanjana arranged for her lookalike handmaid, Chayya, to
replace her, so she could cool off in the woods at her father’s
large residence. She entrusted Chayya with her three children:
two boys, Yama and Manu, and a girl, Yamuna. Later, Yama
came to signify the Lord of Death.
Sanjana ordered Chayya to be by Sun’s side at all times until
2017-19: Saturn’s transit of Dhanu or Sagittarius
she returned. It is no wonder that ‘Chayya’ in Sanskrit means
shadow. How fitting!
Surya, being Surya, barely able to see any difference between
wife and her lookalike through his powerfully bright rays,
took Chayya to be his wife. Chayya conceived and delivered
a son called Shani or Saturn. Like his mother, he was born of
dark complexion and inherited Chayya’s serious and sombre
personality.
Vishwakarma, father of Sanjana, heard the news of Shani’s
(Saturn’s) birth and was deeply troubled. He confronted
Sanjana and demanded the truth. Sanjana confessed to having
left behind a ‘clone’. Vishwakarma immediately ordered his
daughter to return to her rightful position in Surya’s house.
From the start there were difficulties between Shani and his
father Surya. Furthermore, Surya became suspicious of his
(unbeknown to him) substitute wife, believing her to have
been unfaithful. He could not fathom why his son Shani
was so different from him and depressively dark; not just in
appearance but in temperament as well. Shani was visibly
upset by the way his father treated his ‘real’ mother Chayya.
Shani’s plight became progressively worse, resulting in
the deepest of suffering. Through this, he often went into
meditative states looking for solutions and slowly but surely
came to be endowed with great powers. One such power was
his woeful glance that had the capacity to destroy and turn
things to black dust. Just one Dhrishti or glance from him was
enough to cast a dark shadow of ill-health and calamity on
anyone.
Surya searched afresh for Sanjana, disguising himself as a
hunter. He succeeded and there was a glorious reunion in the
woods. Later, Sanjana gave birth to twins, the Ashwin Kumars,
who came to be known as the healing physicians.
Sanjana returned to the marital home where she grew livid
with Chayya for having violated the scope of her ‘marital’
duties. Even so, slowly, everything returned to normal in the
household of Surya, the Sun God.
Days passed, and the family were all together under the intense
rays of the Sun. Sanjana treated all her kids well, but did not
favour Shani. He stood out in appearance and temperament,
and was extremely introverted.
A lack of love and warmth from his stepmother, as well as a
detached father, made Shani quite aloof, depressed; and he
sank into deep meditative states, seeking respite. Along the
way, he garnered immense powers over the cycle of life and
death.
Hanuman (the monkey god) as saviour of
Saturn
Lord Shiva sent his avatar in the form of Lord Hanuman, the
monkey god, to relieve Shani of his suffering. Hunuman is also
known as Pavan Putra meaning the God of Wind, as he can
fly just as swiftly.
Shani gave such a glance to his Sun God father resulting in
Surya’s beautiful chariots being burnt to a cinder. Surya
desperately sought the help of Lord Shiva.
Surya or Sun God with his resplendent
chariots
Lord Shiva helped him to
see that Chayya was not
his wife at all. So Surya
went in search of ‘original’
wife Sanjana at her father’s
abode - but she was no
longer there. Though her
father had ordered her
back to Surya’s home,
she disobeyed him and
transformed herself into a beautiful mare to wander in the
coolness of the woods and streams.
Shri Hanuman carrying the mountain which had the herb ‘sanjeevni’ for
resurrecting the Life of Lord Rama’s brother Laxman
Lord Hanuman is one of the principal figures in the epic poem
Ramayana by the sage Ved Vyas. The epic has at its centre the
tale of Lord Vishnu’s avatar Shri Rama and his battle to rescue
his wife Sita from the clutches of the intelligent, yet terrifying
King Ravana of Sri Lanka.
Ravana possessed mystical occult knowledge, including that
of astrology. His desire was that his reign continue through
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201725
2017-19: Saturn’s transit of Dhanu or Sagittarius
his son, so he cleverly elected an ‘Auspicious Chart’ for the
birth, manipulating timing in such a way that his son had
most of his planets in the 11th house, and none in the 12th
house of imprisonment, loss and spiritual seeking! To ensure
no harmful effects came to his son, he imprisoned the 12th
house ruler, Shani or Saturn.
Hanuman, the monkey god, was set for the task of freeing Shri
Rama’s wife Sita. He had powers of invincibility in warfare.
While searching for Sita in Ravana’s kingdom, he heard the
weak squeals of Shani imprisoned in a palace cell.
Hanuman freed Shani but in the process his gaze caused
Hanuman to start to disintegrate and darken. Asked to return
the favour, Shani graciously promised Hanuman that devotees
of the monkey god would be rescued from his painful glance
or ‘Dhristi’.
After striking this special relationship with Shani, Hanuman
continued on his mission to rescue Sita. An earlier encounter
with Ravana’s men had resulted in Hanuman setting fire to
most of the buildings in the golden empire. Shani promised
Hanuman help in bringing down Ravana’s kingdom. Indeed,
Shani’s gaze was sufficient to turn Sri Lanka into a charred
piece of black lead and charcoal dust!
Hanuman and all the favourite things of Saturn, such as oil,
especially black sesame and mustard. Donating black clothing
or deep-fried foods on the day of Saturday is another popular
remedy.
Aspects of Saturn
Saturn’s infamous period of Sade-Sati, the seven-and-halfyear period of its transit over the natal Moon, is often feared
and revered in India.
One day we may live to see the taking of an annual sabbatical
from work with Jyotish’s prescription of ‘Sade-Sati’. A year of
‘turn off, and tune and drop out’!
In my view, Saturn’s transit of the Sade-Sati does not just
influence the natal Moon but also (if not more so) it affects
the Ascendant or Lagna. It is akin to re-birth – a massive
awakening. Usually, most human beings will face such a
pivotal time, twice or maybe thrice in a lifetime.
Shani’s aspects are primarily by conjunctions, of course.
Natally, houses affected by transit include the 3rd, 7th and
10th placements.
In Jyotish, the 3rd house aspect from Shani’s natal position
is a sextile, thus, implying the 3rd house is one of ‘Upachaya’
or growth.
In the Kalapurusa – with 1st house for Aries – the natural
house of Saturn is Capricorn and Aquarius, the 10th and the
11th houses respectively.
The 10th house and the tenth aspect of Saturn certainly
points to our highest, most authentic vocation that we stand
for. It is the highest angular house, and is the place where
we are crowned with the achievements of our focus, energy
and emotional aspirations. As long as we are able to do our
‘Karma’ and stay on course, without being overwhelmed by
crippling fears, Saturn is happy!
Left: Hanuman was captured and his tail was dipped in oil and petrol and set fire to by
Ravana, King of Sri Lanka. The king with 100 heads!
Right: He simply jumped from building to building and set the entire city ablaze
These lively exploits left Shani in pain so Hanuman suggested
that he massage himself with sesame oil which successfully
relieved his suffering.
Traditionally in India, to circumvent any effects of an afflicted
Saturn, lighting a sesame oil lamp in the temple of Hanuman,
on Saturdays, is believed to relieve any suffering.
In Hindu mythology, Saturn’s troubles, or its Mahadasha
(planetary period), can be managed by appeasing Lord
26Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
Saturn’s transit of the 7th house has great strength. Of course,
the 7th house is Venus’s natural house. Saturn is exalted in
the sign of Libra, Venus’s sign. In myth, it was Shukracharya
(Venus) that helped and taught Shanicharya (Saturn) in the
ways of mystical knowledge and occult powers. Hence, they
are eternal friends and so their conjunction may not be very
(or at all) cumbersome, in contrast to Saturn’s other feared
conjunctions.
Incomplete Karma from the past
The word ‘Karma’ is battered and bruised by overuse. In my
view, Saturn’s ability is beyond the karmic reckoning. Even if
you do not buy into the Vedic concept of past lives, the idea of
our incomplete, unresolved issues with various people, places
and situations still looms large.
2017-19: Saturn’s transit of Dhanu or Sagittarius
Yet Saturn’s purpose is to ensure that we face our demons or
shadows, take responsibility for our feelings and our way of
being. A Saturn transit evokes questions of courage. Will we
stay the course with dedication and adhere to our ‘Dharma’
with self-love? Moreover, can we achieve this without
indulging in the much-loved game of blaming others or the
world for our woes?
Saturn’s agenda is simple enough: take responsibility not just
for our way of being, but also for every thought, word and
action. Now it may sound extreme to most, yet it is one of the
fundamental principles towards self-realisation.
The Vedic concept of ‘Maya’, or the great illusion, is very much
Saturn’s terrain, along with Rahu (North Node of the Moon).
Maya is the veil we experience in the form of the outside world.
That is nothing but a mirror image of how we feel inside of us.
Self-awareness is a one of the greatest gifts that Saturn brings
to us.
When Gautama Buddha sat under the Bodh Gaya tree, he was
grappling with his demons, called Mara. In Sanskrit, Mara is
derived from the root word Marana (and mrtyu), meaning
killing or that which kills. Those demons (or Mara) were
precisely what he was trying to conquer.
It is fair to say that self-responsibility for our emotions,
thoughts and feelings is what Saturn desires most. Shani,
the God of Karma, has deep memory of lifetimes. Hence, he
will recall every debt, every slight that there is to be repaid,
including all acts of charity and generosity.
In Indian mythology, thousands of lifetimes fluttered by,
seeking self-realisation, in a blink of Lord Vishnu’s eye.
Wherever it is found or goes, be it in a natal or mundane
chart, Saturn will throw up plenty of lessons in the house it
transits and the houses it rules. As noted already, Saturn rules
Capricorn and Aquarius. Aquarius has dual rulership, Rahu,
or North Node of the Moon.
Saturn in the Sagittarius ‘Nakshatras’
In these three long years, starting in 2017, Saturn visits three
different Nakshatras or Lunar Constellations that make up the
sign of Sagittarius.
First, Mula 19th Nakshatra spans 0° to 13°20’ Sagittarius.
This is ruled by Ketu, the South Node of the Moon. Saturn is
in Mula Nakshatra from 26 January 2017 to 2 March 2018.
If you have planets at these degrees, they are guaranteed to
be triggered. Briefly, the Gandanta is a very sensitive karmic
point, and often planets at these degrees have a do or die
quality. Often we feel straitjacketed and there is a feeling of
inevitable work to carry out. Karma Lord, Saturn, transiting
over these points will bring an enormous amount of upheaval,
and we may feel that our backs are up against the wall. There
is certainly no escape with Saturn.
As Mula Nakshatra is ruled by Ketu, we will have to look to
what Ketu is doing in the chart by transit as well as natally.
Mula is a ferocious constellation: its Goddess Nrritti is said
to have powers of destruction. She is similar to Kali: even her
husband, Lord Shiva, cannot control her. Her Shakti has the
power to destroy and to prevent destruction.
Purvashadha, the 20th Nakshatra, (13°20’ to 26°40’
Sagittarius) is very enterprising and creative, ruled by Venus.
Planets here will not feel as ‘fired up’ as in Mula. Its power is to
shower the world with creative and nourishing rain. Its power
is: ‘Early Victory’.
Purvashsdha Nakshatra forms a pair with Uttarashadha,
(26°40’ Sagittarius to 10° Capricorn). Its power is: ‘Later
Victory’.
Sagittarius Nakshatras have a very fierce, piercing and almost
cruel quality. Saturn will activate them on the world stage in
abundance.
After the Gandanta point, Saturn’s transit in Jupiter’s sign is
considered to function very well. There is a strong focus on
building solid foundations in philosophies and on spiritual
ideas that gain momentum.
How will it affect Leo and Cancer?
Leo Moons will have Saturn transiting through the house of
children and creativity. Inevitably, Saturn in trine aspect will
invoke all the 5th house agendas. Equally, it also connotes
long-distance travel, possible settlement for extended periods
abroad.
Leo Ascendants, ruled by Sun, have a difficult relationship
with Saturn as it rules their 6th house of health, work,
enemies, discipline, and the 7th house of partnerships and
contracts. Being in the 5th house, Saturn will bring with it all
the possible hurdles of the 6th and 7th houses to be resolved.
Cancer Moons or Ascendants will have Saturn in the 6th house.
There may be slight health issues, expenses may surface, only
to find long-lasting solutions. Debts will be cleared. Short
trips will be on cards.
In some ways, Saturn’s entry into Mula is extremely tricky and
full of conflict. This is because Mula Nakshatra is home to the
Gandanta point (approximately 26° Scorpio to 6° Sagittarius).
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201727
2017-19: Saturn’s transit of Dhanu or Sagittarius
Dwisvabhava or dual signs
A full aspect of Saturn will affect all the people with dual rising
signs, such as Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces. All dual
signs aspect one another. Saturn’s dispositor, Jupiter, will also
be in the dual sign of Virgo. Saturn will actually be beneficial
for dual signs.
Mercury-ruled Gemini and Virgo will have Saturn in 10th and
4th houses respectively. So, home developments, renovations,
and the buying and selling of houses will be on the cards for a
couple of years. These people should feel free to make a career
switch if unsure before. Virgo will have the added benefit
of Jupiter on its Ascendant. Therefore, that is particularly
favourable.
People with natal Moon or Lagna, especially in the gandanta
point in Sagittarius, will have their life turned upside down.
Indeed, Sade-Sati brings in its wake a cycle of closure and
huge transformations with the mother or mother figures, as
well as one’s home. One may leave a long-term career, perhaps
migrate and start something completely new.
Pisces will have the pleasure of Saturn in the 10th house, which
will usher prosperous results, provided that enough work
has been put into career and partnerships. Benefits accrue
tremendously with this transit. Needless wasteful expenditure
will be curbed and new ventures are on the cards.
Mars-ruled signs
Either Aries Lagna or Rising: there will be travel for work or
short work-related trips abroad. Great strides will be taken
in the arena of career and learning of all kinds. Friends and
colleagues will be supportive. So, beware self-sabotage and
stay focused on what can be achieved, as Saturn travels in the
9th house of good fortune.
Scorpio Moons will still be in their final phase of Sade-Sati,
picking up the pieces of the past few years of destruction and
changes.
Scorpio Rising people will give up whatever they have been
doing for a good chunk of their adult life and either be leaving
partnerships or be in the throes of solidifying new ones.
Finances and resources will be focused on. Questions of
inheritance or shared resources eventually work out in their
favour.
Venus- ruled signs
These people are just coming out of their Sade-Sati and now
with a spring in their step. They can make a lot of things
happen over the next few years.
Libra Lagna will find their ambitions awakened, and be taking
28Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
Shani Dev / ShanaiShwara (Saturn)
risks and chances they never thought they could. Short trips
and being ‘in’ with the media will certainly flavour the next
few years.
Taurus has Saturn transiting 8th house. Career is favoured
(aspects 10th house) as well as resources and investments. So,
overall, Taurus Ascendants will have a very productive time.
Taurus Moons will be slightly more fearful of Saturn in
their 8th house. It can create instability in matters of joint
resources, investments, etc.
Saturn-ruled signs
Capricorn (ruled by Saturn) is about to enter Sade-Sati
(Saturn’s seven-and-half years), and has entered the
12th house. There will be a lid on unnecessary, unwanted
expenditures and losses. Health is highlighted. Work also
undergoes a massive change. Selling up business or switching
career is all on the table. There will be more travel.
Aquarius Moons have Saturn’s aspect from the 11th house.
As from the natal Moon, Saturn will be in their 11th house.
This will be of enormous benefit. In these two years, their
aspirations, dreams and hopes will be fulfilled. Matters of
networks, communities and groups will work out in their
favour. This is definitely the time to dream big, and push out
the boat of ambitions just that little bit more. You may have to
2017-19: Saturn’s transit of Dhanu or Sagittarius
take into account Aquarius’s other ruler Rahu, that traverses
Leo and Cancer. With Rahu in Cancer, sign of the Moon, with
Moon in Aquarius, sign of Rahu, there may be slight difficulties
with health, and work, possibly all stress-related.
Aquarius Lagna or Ascendant will experience similar wishfulfilment with Saturn in the 11th house. Over this period,
they will experience a manifestation of not just personal goals
but also deep spiritual aspirations. They will feel a lot more
confident as Saturn aspects 1st house. Children, creativity and
entertainment are all highlighted.
As Saturn rules governments, employees (servants), oil and
natural gas industries, dark treasures hidden at the base of the
Earth, we may see alternative forms of energy sources coming
into being.
With the emergence of terrorist organisations such as ISIS
(and similar dogmatic groups), we may perhaps acquire skills
and expertise to reach a sustainable solution. As highlighted
earlier on Sagittarius, it will be anything but diplomatic or
peaceful! Yet this will offer a well-learned lesson.
As an ancient Tamil proverb says: “There is none who gives so
much as Sani and none who ruins as much as Sani”.
Sonal Sachdeva is an astrologer, a speaker
and filmmaker. She practises what is
popularly known as Vedic astrology – a
3000 year-old Jyotisha , an ancient science
of light and knowledge, part of Vedas,
hailing from ancient India. It remains very
much alive today. In 2010 she founded the group Circle
of Divine Astrology, which holds events, discussions, talks
and multimedia events in London. It has a YouTube channel
(Youtube/user/ThedivineCircle)
featuring
discussions
on all aspects of divination with spiritual insights from
practitioners all around the world.
Some ten years ago, Sonal studied Western astrology under
Liz Greene at the Centre of Psychological Astrology (CPA)
before focusing on her Vedic practice under the tutelage
of celebrated Indian astrologer, Pandit Sanjay Rath. Sonal
is also an extremely insightful Tarot card reader. In 2013,
she launched Divine Astro Essences. This offers 100%
pure Moisturising Oil blends for deep nourishment to the
skin, besides promoting emotional well-being. The Blends
are uniquely hand-made, high-vibrational and mantrainfused using wisdom of astrology and principles of
aromatherapy: https://circleofdivine.com.
She is currently a Jyotish Consultant at Watkins Bookshop,
one of the oldest esoteric bookshops in the world. www.
CircleofDivineAstrology.com. Twitter: @CircleofDivine.
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TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201729
Jupiter-Uranus cycle
The transcendence of
boundaries
Maurice Fernandez
Positively, both Jupiter and Uranus reflect in different ways a motivation to find
solutions outside current understanding. So, what can we expect from their cycle
based on history, especially during the planets’ Aries-Libra opposition in 2017?
The current Jupiter transit, now at [around] 20 Libra, makes
the first of three oppositions to Uranus in Aries. This is the ‘Full
Moon’ phase of a cycle that initially began on 8 June 2010, when
the pair was conjunct at zero degrees Aries, followed by two
subsequent conjunctions until January 2011. Among notable
events at the time, the controversial organisation WikiLeaks
emerged more prominently into the public consciousness
and released a series of classified documents. Some of these
documents were leaked by US soldier Bradley Manning, and
revealed damaging, behind-the-scenes information about the
US war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
WikiLeaks became a symbol of rebellion against government
corruption, so graphically capturing the influence of Jupiter
and Uranus, as we will discuss in this article.
The conjunction also coincided with the ignition of the Arab
Spring, a sweeping cultural and political revolution that
resulted in the toppling of authoritarian regimes and leaders in
North African and Middle Eastern countries. Albeit incredibly
vigorous and far-reaching, the quest for emancipation and
progress by this movement was not necessarily met with great
success, as the new regimes proved fragile and fragmented;
and the burning flames of Syria still refuse to abate to this day.
What can we expect from the Jupiter-Uranus cycle? We can look
back in time and analyse the effects of previous occurrences,
and see how it manifested in the lives of prominent figures
born during it. But most importantly, it would be valuable to
understand what its evolutionary purpose and core intentions
are—its impact on the evolution of our consciousness. With an
evolutionary perspective, we can understand not only how but
why things would unfold a certain way.
Jupiter-Uranus conjunctions occur every 14 years, and are
subsequently followed by a first square, an opposition, and a
last square. As mentioned earlier, we are now at the opposition
phase, which will include three meetings:
30Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
•
•
•
December 27, 2016 @ 20 Libra – Aries (Uranus standing
Direct)
March 3, 2017 @ 22 Libra – Aries (Jupiter Retrograde)
September 28, 2017 @ 27 Libra – Aries (Uranus
Retrograde)
Interestingly, Saturn transiting in the late degrees of
Sagittarius will also interact with the pair during this phase;
a noteworthy aspect given that Jupiter is the dispositor of
Saturn’s current sign.
Jupiter has a 12-year cycle, whereas Uranus has an 84-year
cycle, which is 7 x 12 years.
Jupiter and Uranus archetypes and
associations
Jupiter, its ruling sign Sagittarius (and traditionally Pisces)
and the 9th house form an archetype. Let us understand the
role of this archetype in our consciousness.
The transcendence of boundaries
Sagittarius follows Libra and Scorpio in the third quadrant of
the zodiac, a quadrant associated with the need for personal
growth and questioning of the status quo. I like to label the
third quadrant the ‘More quadrant’, where a constant sense
of lack prompts people to step outside themselves and reach
deep and wide for better answers and conditions for their
lives.
There is a constant need for expansion and redefinition of self
through this quadrant. Following psychological introspection,
and often deep emotional tremors through the previous sign
of Scorpio (where loss and grief are no strangers to the process
of transformation), Sagittarius continues this yearning for
growth by shifting from a psychological (emotional) approach
to a spiritual one. We aspire to give meaning to our lives
through Sagittarius, and the triggering of this spiritual quest
results from the emotional intensity experienced in Scorpio.
There is a need to gain a spiritual perspective from our
psychological wounds. This way we can at least know why we
suffer, and realise that, despite difficulties, there is a positive
reason behind it all and something greater to look forward to.
Interestingly, Jupiter (ruling Sagittarius) is the largest planet
in the solar system, following modern Scorpio ruler Pluto,
now the smallest ‘planet’ (among bodies ruling signs). We can
but think of a compensating reaction here.
Our quest for meaning is both physical and spiritual. The
saying that “There must be more to life than this” inspires us
through our Jupiter channels to uncover greater potential in
our lives, and this search is deeply personal. Sagittarius is a
fire sign known to be essentially subjective and self-directing,
and the answers and rationales we find in this process are still
within the realm of speculation and faith. Jupiter represents
our faith in potential, whether spiritual or material, and faith
is a powerful fuel.
One of the great rewards of faith is its antidotal effect on fear—
through Jupiter and the Sagittarius archetype, we relinquish
inhibitions and do not settle for compromises anymore.
There is a promise of meaning and freedom that ignites a
very deep and primal yearning. It is almost bestial, and it
certainly requires animal grunt to gallop into the excitement
of uncharted territory.
Sagittarius is represented by the merging of the horse and
the human force, and in the myth of Jupiter we find an eagle
soaring. Interestingly, this is an association also captured in
the heavens, as the constellation of Aquila (Jupiter’s eagle)
rises together with the constellation of Sagittarius.
Jupiter – Sagittarius key concepts
Aspiration for More, Greater Promise, the Abstract, Potential,
Intuition, Physical and Spiritual Journeys, Personal Meaning
Artist’s impression of the Phoenix spacecraft as it lands on Mars
and Truth, Belief, Religion, Guiding Principles, Authenticity,
Raw and Primal Instincts.
Uranus is the modern ruler of Aquarius
and the 11th house.
There are no fire signs in the fourth quadrant of the zodiac
because this is where we transcend the self, neutralise
individuality and egocentric control, and become more
conscious of the larger forces and cycles of life. We may
label this quadrant the ‘not about me’ quadrant, where the
impersonal overrides intimate wants.
Our strength is in union in this developmental phase, and Truth
is no longer a matter of personal preferences—we don’t know
it or own it, we align with it. As individuality and separation
dissolve, we see that there are common denominators that
everyone shares—what is true for me is also true for everyone
else.
Uranus and the Aquarius archetype represent our higher self,
where we tap into our highest creative and conscious potential;
and by means of higher awareness, we aim to elevate standards
of living for everyone and ourselves. The higher we manage to
get, the lesser the density, the faster the speed, the vaster the
view. To reach this vantage point requires that we transcend
our primal urges—that primitive self that is so concerned with
its immediate survival needs that it often loses sight of the big
picture. With Uranus and Aquarius, we are inspired to develop
not only a more sophisticated version of ourselves, but a more
enlightened civilization where limitations, dysfunctions, and
suffering are resolved by the means of a holistic and global
vision. Solutions are available for every ill, but only if we are
not distracted by urges for immediate gratification.
Our genius and creativity exalt us to God-like capacities
through the Uranus and Aquarius archetype. We develop the
faculty to transcend our limitations as mortals, move beyond
the average, and attain a greater dimension that bridges matter
to spirit. The advantages of this finer expression of the self and
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201731
The transcendence of boundaries
Jupiter-Uranus as a unit
Both Jupiter’s and Uranus’s influences share the aspiration
for greater understanding, higher knowledge, exploration,
and the transcendence of boundaries. They both reflect a
motivation to find solutions outside current understanding to
try to end suffering and overcome limitations.
Jupiter’s and Uranus’s influences differ, however, in their
qualities and approach. Whereas Jupiter is subjective,
passionate, wild, and even crude, Uranus is detached,
impersonal, more objective, and refined.
Where Jupiter develops intuition, faith, and belief, aiming for
positive results, Uranus is scientific and logical, and refrains
from projecting personal biases on results.
Where Jupiter expands, Uranus elevates.
Jupiter and Uranus combined represent an incredible force to
expand and accelerate mental creativity and vision. Perhaps
it is one of the most fertile combinations for research and
development, advancing both individuals and civilization as
a whole toward emancipation, betterment, abundance, and
higher standards.
Original Woodstock Poster
more enlightened understanding are obvious. However, this
does not come without risk, because the aspiration to reach
higher can come at the expense of our instinctive or ‘lower’
nature—the function of our lower chakras; our animal selves.
Denying the beast within in order to try to rise above matter as
fast as possible has its setbacks. For example, while elevating
standards for ourselves, we may develop a sense of elitism and
lose touch with our fellow human beings. A common saying
about Uranus and Aquarius is that the love of humanity does
not necessarily equate to the love of humans. Even more
problematic to the internal rupture with our lower selves is
the risk of mental and nervous fragmentation.
The erudite and sophisticated human we wish to become
cannot be denied its primal nature. Instead, we must integrate
it in order to find authentic ascension—no part must be left
behind.
Uranus – Aquarius Key Concepts
Highest Expression of the Human Condition, Awakening,
Awareness, Trans-personal, Sophistication, High-Minded,
Scientific, Elitism, Dissociation, Progress, Solutions, Group
Consciousness, Advances of Civilization.
32Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
But for a positive expression, there is an evolutionary need
to resolve the tension that they create between religion and
science, between the reliance on a large spiritual force versus
perceiving the mind as the ultimate and most superior engine
of creation. The evolutionary work is also about uniting the
animal with the human within.
Jupiter
Uranus
Fire,Subjective
Air,Objective
Personal,Engaged
Impersonal,Detached
FaithandBelief
FactsandUnderstanding
ReligionandaSpiritual
Perspective
ScienceandaNeutral
Perspective
ExpandsReach
ElevatesStandards
Quantity
Quality
Raw,Primal
Mental,Refined
Optimism
CriticalThinking
Positive expression of this combination:
ExpansionofMentalCreativity
AccessingNewDimensionsofKnowledgeandExistence
SolutionstoCreateBetterStandardsofLiving
LiberationandProgress–CreatingNewParadigms
FusionofScienceandSpirituality,includingInterestand
PracticeofAstrology
The transcendence of boundaries
SocialandCulturalDevelopment–CommunityProjects,
Treaties.
Multi-CulturalismandSocialDiversity
Negative expression of this combination:
ClashBetweenPrimitiveandAdvanced,FeralandUrbane
AspirationforProgressOverridesNature
RhythmBreakdowns,LossofSync,Accidents,NaturalDisasters,
particularlyassociatedwithWind
Eugenics,SuperiorityofRaceComplex,MindoverNature
UtopianEuphoriaandWhimsicalTheories,oftenLeadingto
DestructiveCultMovements
British Airways Concorde
•
•
•
•
FirstFlightoftheConcordesupersonicplane.
StonewallRiotsforgayrights.
WoodstockMusicFestival.
CharlesManson’smurders.
ConjunctionFebruary 18, 1983 @ 8 Sagittarius
Spielberg’s E.T.
•
•
•
•
•
Netherlandsadoptsconstitution.
Hinduskill3000MuslimsinAssam,India.
MichaelJacksonintroducesmoonwalk.
FirstflightofspaceshuttleChallenger.
MovieE.TwinsAcademyAwards.
Recent Jupiter-Uranus Cycles
ConjunctionMay 8, 1941 @ 25 Taurus
• FirstphaseofmasskillingunderNaziAktionT4(involuntary
euthanasia) operations – eliminating undesirables in a
questtocreateasuperiorrace.
• CreationofZ3–firstfullyautomatedcomputer(Berlin).
ConjunctionOctober 7, 1954 @ 27 Cancer
•
•
•
•
348dieinHurricaneHazel(USandCanada).
Firsttransistorradio(TexasInstruments,Inc).
Britain,France,USSRagreetoendoccupationofGermany.
First transcontinental round-trip solo flight – sunrise to
sunset.
• Argentina Parliament accepts separation of Church and
State.
• 19 destructive twisters devastate Kansas and Oklahoma
cities.
ConjunctionDecember 11, 1968 @ 3 Libra
•
•
•
Apollo8–FirstmannedMoonvoyage.
Apollo8crewreadsBookofGenesis.
Apollo11landsontheMoon.
ConjunctionFebruary 16, 1997 @ 5 Aquarius
• Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 7000 for the
firsttime.
• AnnouncementofsuccessfulcloningofDollytheSheep.
• USPresidentBillClintonbansFederalfundingforresearch
onhumancloning.
• Star Alliance Airline merger formed between Air Canada,
Lufthanza,SAS,andseveralotherairlines.
ConjunctionJune 8, 2010 @ 0 Aries
• First24-hoursolar-poweredplaneflightcompleted.
• WikiLeaks releases 90,000 confidential reports about the
USinvolvementinIraqandAfghanistan.
• TheArabSpringbegins.
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201733
The transcendence of boundaries
Public Figures Born under the Jupiter/
Uranus Cycle
Albert Einstein–March14,1879@11:30aminUlm,Germany
(Jupiter/Uranus[outofsign]oppositioninAquarius-Virgo)
Bob Dylan – May 24, 1941 @ 9:05pm in Duluth, Minnesota
(Jupiter/UranusconjunctinTaurus)
Ra Uru Hu–April9,1948@6:56aminMontreal,Canada(Jupiter/
UranusoppositioninSagittarius-Gemini)
Steve Jobs–February24,1955@7:15pminSanFrancisco,CA
(Jupiter/UranusconjunctinCancer)
Edward Snowden–June21,1983@4:42aminElisabethCity,
NorthCarolina(Jupiter/UranusconjunctinSagittarius)
The various possible outcomes of this uncertain project in
no way militate against Adriana’s incredible inspiration and
courage to join this extraordinary journey. Her calling to
venture into completely uncharted territory and take the risk
of possibly never coming back is surely captured in her natal
Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in Sagittarius.
Interestingly, this year’s activation of the cycle, with Jupiter
opposing Uranus in Libra-Aries, will undoubtedly foster
important development with this project. Because the
opposition lands on her natal Saturn-Pluto in the 9th house,
we can expect both setbacks and breakthroughs. Natal SaturnPluto hints at leadership problems and trust issues associated
with the management of this project. By late 2017, Jupiter will
also square her natal Mars, a configuration describing either
a rift or a breakthrough, particularly as Jupiter eventually
transits the MC, and then returns to her natal Jupiter in
2019 for a developmental climax—perhaps both a rift and a
breakthrough will occur. We send Adriana infinite blessings
with this endeavour and her role in advancing the stakes for
humanity.
The Jupiter-Uranus opposition in Libra-Aries, 2016 to 2017
Jupiter is in Libra from September 2016 to October 2017. This
transit reflects a need both to unify a diversity of beliefs and
step outside ourselves to understand other people’s lifestyles,
beliefs, and points of view. It opens doors to different
approaches and invites debate and discussion, which can
lead to radical changes of perspective as we take in opposite
perspectives to beliefs we cherish.
Chart Analysis: Adriana Marais [see chart]
Born August 15, 1983 @ 5pm in King William’s Town, South
Africa
Adriana Marais is one of 100 final contestants in Round 3
for a no-return manned mission to Mars on the Mars One
project. The Mission was launched in 2012 by Bas Lansdorp,
a Dutch entrepreneur, who has proposed to establish the first
permanent colony of humans on planet Mars. The feasibility of
this controversial mission was questioned by several scientists
and engineers.
(Date and Time Source: Adriana Marais in person, collected
by South African Astrologer Heidi van Deventer.)
Marais was born under a Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in
Sagittarius in her 10th house. Uranus is also the ruler of her
Ascendant in Aquarius, and Jupiter rules her South Node in
Sagittarius in the 11th house.
34Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
To be optimistic, Jupiter in Libra may be an antidote to the
racism and fear of foreigners that the transit of Saturn in
Sagittarius has exacerbated. Notwithstanding this, as Jupiter
in Libra opens doors, it can also engender a backlash and
a sense of intimidation resulting from having all borders
opening too quickly. In a typical cardinal mode, we go two
steps forward and one step back, optimistically reaching
out to others, but not without a risk of losing ourselves and
subsequently feeling the need to retreat.
The transit of Uranus in Aries has been with us longer,
since the initial conjunction to Jupiter in 2010. And as
many astrologers are well aware, it has also squared Pluto
in Capricorn this entire period of time. We have witnessed
numerous social movements for emancipation associated with
this transit, such as the Arab Spring, the Occupy movement,
and the gay marriage liberation. It has been instrumental in
inspiring us to change our mode of action (Aries) and elevate
our approach to conflict.
The meeting of the two planets will likely intensify the
collective need for social justice, and prompt more protests
and culturally-charged confrontations and debates.
The transcendence of boundaries
It will be interesting to see if additional themes that were
initiated during the 2010 conjunction surface again and
climax during this coming season. Perhaps we will witness
further important developments, or a rite of passage, for
WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange—this opposition
eventually squares his Mercury at 23 Cancer (born July 3,
1971 @ 2:05pm in Townsville, Australia).
Personal Implications
Isn’t it synchronistic and tragic that as the two planets
proceed to oppose each other, an incident similar to that
which triggered the Arab Spring occurs once again, this
time in Morocco. Mouhcine Fikri, a 31-year-old fish seller,
was crushed to death inside a garbage truck while trying to
retrieve wares allegedly confiscated by police. His gruesome
death sparked protests across the country against abuse
of power. Back in 2010, when Jupiter and Uranus were
conjunct, it was a street merchant named Mohamed Bouazizi,
from neighbouring Tunisia, who self-immolated to protest
humiliating treatment and the confiscation of his goods—an
event that ignited civil unrest and the removal of regimes
across North Africa and the Middle East.
At time of writing, the Standing Rock protest movement
(in North Dakota, USA) to stop the construction of an oil
pipeline across sacred Native American land — including
their water supply and an ancient burial ground — also
captures the essence of this opposition. This speaks about the
rift not only between industry and nature, but also between
different ethnic groups—the white developers and the Native
American landowners.
We should expect more activism and social movements on
different fronts, particularly around gender issues, given
that this occurs in the signs of Aries and Libra. The recent
US election has indeed highlighted the battle of genders,
with Hillary Clinton standing as the first female presidential
candidate in American history contrasted by Donald
Trump’s apparent misogynistic character and degrading
attitudes towards women. In the wake of Trump’s victory,
we can expect strong protest movements against human
rights infringement: Jupiter-Uranus reflects a low tolerance
threshold for social injustice.
We can also expect scientific breakthroughs and new
inventions during this time, as well as natural events or
accidents related to wind, lightning, or anything occurring
in the skies.
In our personal charts, the houses where the Jupiter-Uranus
opposition meets, from December 2016 to October 2017, will
be subject to important developments and a strong aspiration
for an upgrade. These will be areas where the calling to
develop new perspectives, create new paradigms and free
ourselves from obsolete dynamics intensifies. Tremendous
restlessness will prompt the need for greater meaning and
fulfilment.
Since the opposition occurs on the relationship axis of Aries
and Libra, we can expect new meaningful meetings and
friendships, or more accurately, a revamping of our social
and romantic life. As we change our outlook, this will be
a time to assess who in our circles resonates with our new
perspectives, and overall, who helps us move forward in life,
thereby inducing less tolerance for those who hold us back,
and for relationships that make us feel stuck.
Perhaps this cycle will also support the development of
astrology, with new ideas and projects emerging in our
community. Astrology’s achievement has already been to
unite religion and science by being their shared nemesis.
Additionally, the cycle may raise interesting debates about
astrology in popular culture. Let us only hope that our critics
use this transit effectively by coming up with more original
ideas than the tired ‘13th sign’ controversy.
Anne Whitaker will further explore Jupiter-Uranus in our MarchApril issue.
Maurice Fernandez is the author of
Neptune, the 12th House and Pisces (New
Edition), and Astrology and the Evolution
of Consciousness—Volume One and is a
leading Evolutionary Astrology counsellor
and teacher, currently based in Hawaii.
He also serves as president of The Organization of
Professional Astrology (OPA). He directs a correspondence
and on-location professional certification program and
organises spiritual retreats in sacred places around the
world. He has organised several conferences in the US and
Europe, notably The River of Stars in Hawaii (2011, 2015).
Website: www.mauricefernandez.com.
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201735
Astrological Calendar: Events Diary 2017
Email event details to: [email protected]. Inclusion cannot be guaranteed.
49th Annual Conference of the Astrological Association
2017
‘TheimportanceofAstrology’
8-10September2017
WybostonLakes,Bedfordshire,UK
http://astrologicalassociation.com/
National Council for Geocosmic Research (NCGR)
The Many Faces of Astrology
16-19February,2017
Venue:TheHyattRegencyInnerHarborHotelinBaltimore,
Maryland,USA
http://ncgrconference2017.com
International Astrology Conference
‘SoundingEnergies-EnergiasSonantes’
24-26February,2017
Venue:FórumMaia,Maia,Portugal
http://10times.com/iac-maia
Great Lakes Astrology Conference
‘Inspired Astrology for the Future’
4-8May,2017
Email:[email protected]
www.facebook.com/GreatLakesAstrologyConference/
36Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
33rd Annual NORWAC
25-29May,2017
http://norwac.net/
London School of Astrology
Student Conference
‘Applying astrological tehniques’
3-4June,2017
Venue:TheRoomsatBrowns,82-84StMartin’sLane,
CoventGarden
London,WC2N4AG
Email: [email protected]
www.londonschoolofastrology.co.uk
www.astroconference.com/programme.html
Faculty of Astrological Studies
Summer School
18-25August,2017
Venue: Exeter College, University of Oxford
http://www.astrology.org.uk/summer-school/
Obituary: Michael Wackford
Sharon Knight remembers a brilliant technical astrologer who excelled as a drummer
On 25 October 2016, someone who probably isn’t that well
known in today’s astrological community departed to play a
big gig in the sky. Mike Wackford was a technical astrologer
par excellence. He was self-taught, something of a loner and a
bit of a maverick.
I first met him at the Astrological Lodge in London back in
the ‘80s. He stalked up to me and said, “Where do I know you
from?” I looked at this cadaverous figure, dressed in black
with the ubiquitous black leather jacket, quite attractive in an
unusual Aquarian way, very obviously a musician, and said
haughtily, “You don’t know me!” He kept on insisting he did.
Eventually, we found out we were both from near Brighton.
My father was a musician. Had he played with my father? No.
Had I seen him at any gigs in Sussex or elsewhere. No! After
some time of him barking questions at me, we discovered he
knew my sister through her husband and was seeing her in
me. Mystery solved. We agreed to meet up next time I was
down in Sussex. Which we did. And so began a friendship
through astrology that lasted up until now.
Mike could be a difficult man. He was strongly opinionated,
with an incisive mind who always wanted you to prove your
methods. He was, in spite of his rather forbidding demeanour,
a caring man who always made an effort to keep in touch. We
would not speak for some time and then would come the call.
So? What do you mean so? Well, look at that Saturn doing its
business to your Mars? What’s happened? Oh, that was last
week. Yeah so! What happened? Well I hit a wall at speed in
the car. Thought so! Bye. And that was how he kept in touch
via the stars.
He was not afraid to air his opinions on any subject and would
track down various astrologers who had written something he
either did, or did not agree with and which he wanted to take
further. One of his ‘opinions’ was on Polar Houses. He had
correspondence with Wendel Polich, questioning his theories,
and then went on to write a brilliant diagnostic article on
Polar Houses that subsequently appeared in the AA research
journal, Correlation (19/2/2001). This article can be found on
the Skyscript site.
His ability to visualise things in 3-D, especially the movement
of the sky, led him to experiment with transits which were
measured by celestial latitude as well as longitude. The
technique had fallen out of astrological practice in the 19th
century. As Mike always said, horoscope houses are not slices
of cake but segments of an orange, curved rather than straight.
His predictions for events corresponding to transits often
seemed to be several days before or after the date that the
ephemeris might suggest - but they were also astonishingly
exact.
Michael Wackford with the Starry Eyed And Laughing band
He was great friends with the late Dr Margaret Millard and
would discuss medical astrology with her. If memory serves
me correctly, she even gave him access to her personal papers
and research as she valued his input.
He really was a brilliant astrologer, ready to share his
knowledge if you asked him. He would not push himself
forward to air his knowledge and had a short fuse with those
he considered ill informed!
Outside of the astrology, Mike was a brilliant drummer.
The energy he had, the timing, the rhythm, the intensity;
he was spellbinding in his heyday. In the ‘70s he was in the
band Starry Eyed And Laughing which had considerable
commercial success.
Some of the band members got together for a gig to celebrate
Mike’s 60th birthday a couple of years ago. Despite suffering
from pain in his joints, once he got on the skins, the years fell
away and we all saw the young drummer behind the arthritic
facade. It was a wonderful poignant evening. Bernard Eccles
came up from the West Country, Marie brought Mike Edwards
along (who happily was in the moment), and I think, for the
four of us, the years fell away and we were back to when life
was in front of us and astrology was our fix. Today I look at
the speculum which Mike drew up for me all those years ago
and reflect on how lucky I was to have known him. May he be
drumming in peace amongst the stars he knew so well.
Mike was born: 6 February 1953, 12:14 pm, Shorehamby-sea, West Sussex, UK.
http://www.starryeyedandlaughing.com/
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201737
Working with the Planets
Roy Gillett focuses on January to March 2017
Happy New Year?
Although New Year’s Day has no specific astronomical
significance, it is celebrated so intensely that its chart is a good
indication of the mood of the people in the year ahead.
New Year’s Day 2017 builds out of a Christmas week, when
Uranus in Aries, about to make a direct station on the 29
December 2016 (the day of the Capricorn New Moon), was
trined by Saturn in Sagittarius and opposed by Jupiter in
Libra. By New Year, the Moon in Aquarius, applying to trine
Jupiter, is a fertile thirty-one degrees into its waxing phase.
In London, the Midheaven trines a Mars conjunct Neptune in
Pisces. From the very beginning and throughout the year, we
will feel an intense need to address difficult circumstances. We
will be dominated by a deep need to make some ‘real changes’,
alongside equally deep concerns about the consequences of
these changes.
Jupiter opposition Uranus is in orb until it finally starts to
separate late September. Its square to Pluto completes early
August. Saturn trine Uranus continues until mid-November.
These months will be dominated by radical struggle, amidst
an unsettling sense of foreboding; the feeling that things
are happening that we cannot control. What exactly are
we ‘progressing’ into? Will it address or create far more
challenging problems in the years immediately ahead?
Attempts to make friends and be sure we stay close and true
to each other will be counter-productive, if those friendships
involve grouping together against supposed enemies. The
President Trump Inauguration Chart [12:00pm EST, 20
January 2017, Washington DC] shouts out this issue, with
its Pisces stellium in the 11th house squared by Saturn in
Sagittarius, alongside the previously-mentioned outerplanetary transits of the year. Change for whose benefit?
The UK’s Brexit negotiations, key elections in France and
Germany, continued turmoil throughout the Islamic world,
economic uncertainty affecting everyone: step back and see
those in power at loggerheads with each other, making policies
that are at best irrelevant; more likely counter-productive.
November 2016’s ‘Working with the Planets’1 described a
world standing at the gateway to a horrific confrontation with
reality. We start to avert this and put things right, when wise
heads become motivated by goodwill and turn away from
fixed positions. We need to look with true unifying depth for
ways to dissolve the malaise of division that sours our world.
Changing governments will solve little. Only touching the good
heart in everyone will trigger a radical change of attitude. At
38Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
New Year 2017 Natal Chart
Jan 1 2017, Sun 0:00 am GMT +0:00 London, United Kingdom
the time of war, whole nations, even international alliances,
put aside differences for the greater good. In doing so, they
discover pre-conceived enemies can become their greatest
helpers.
This time the unifying factor need not be a war between
nations, but rather the dismantling of dysfunctional economic
and political systems. We need to find ways of doing business
that do not exploit the many for the benefit of the few. National
and international relations must recognise and address the
anxieties and social needs of everyone; not leave the powerful
to ride roughshod over the weak.
Too much to ask? Not so; only by seeking such answers in
2017 can we move with confidence through the rest of the
decade and beyond.
Major Astro Events January to March 2017
Determination to communicate effectively will grow as
Mercury makes its direct station on the 8 January. It returns
to Capricorn on 12 January, the sign’s Full Moon day, when
Sun squares Jupiter and Venus conjoins Neptune in Pisces.
However important they seem to be, give a few more days
for the many concerns that need to be addressed. As you
struggle amidst intense feelings, remember that seemingly
irreconcilable issues have a habit of resolving themselves after
the climax of the lunar month.
Working with the planets
The 19 January is packed with dramatic astro-events. In the
morning, Mercury in Capricorn is trine/sextile the nodal axis,
followed by Mars in Pisces squared to Saturn in Sagittarius.
Then that evening, the Sun and Moon are squared, as they
cross the cusps to enter Aquarius2 and Scorpio.
The fourth-quarter of the lunar cycle that follows could be
most frustrating, as the urge for ongoing changes seems to lack
the momentum it needs. Use the energy to pile up resources of
knowledge, materials and energy to be ready for easier times
that are not that far ahead.
The above advice will be validated, when Mars enters Aries five
hours after the 28 January New Moon, and Mercury conjoins
Pluto the next day. This could well push us fearlessly into new
frontiers. Make sure you do not overreach into recklessness.
The force is with you, providing you do not over-egg the flow.
For on 1 and 2 February. Mercury makes a t-square to the
ongoing Jupiter-Uranus opposition. The consequences of
what is said or agreed inappropriately these two days remain
with us for some time to come.
Be prepared to take an opportunity to adjust, move to a more
favourable position on the 4/5 February, when the Moon’s
last aspect in Taurus, preceding its Gemini ingress, is a trine
to Mercury. With Jupiter’s retrograde station the next day3,
words and acts of restraint will be generally respected, even
appreciated.
A Lunar [00:32 UT 11 February] and then Solar Eclipse [14:58
UT 26 February] period are major features for most of the rest
of February. The first has the Moon applying to make a grand
trine with Saturn and Uranus, while the Sun trines Jupiter.
Make the most of the possibilities, but be careful. Throwing
caution to the winds may turn out to have been dangerous
in the medium term. Lunar eclipses do have this tendency to
tempt us into subtle indiscretions that come back to disable us
months, even years later.
The Solar Eclipse is in 8 degrees of Pisces, just over a degree
before the Mars/Neptune conjunction, with which these two
months started. Have you put right what was wrong then?
There could be a dramatic ending to the month, as on the 27th,
Mars conjoins Uranus and opposes Jupiter, Mercury conjoins
the North Node and the Moon ingresses Aries the next day.
Jupiter applying to conjoin Uranus for a second time on 3
March, quickly followed by a Venus retrograde will carry the
tension of this new lunar cycle into the following two months.
It may not be easy to transform resentment into sympathy,
but that remains and will always remain the solution to all our
problems.
(Endnotes)
1 The Astrological Journal Vol.58No.6[Pub.2016The
AstrologicalAssociation]
2SunentersAquarius21:34UT,19January2017,LondonUK
3JupiterRX06:52,6February2016,London,UK
Roy Gillett is the Astrological Association
President and has been a full-time
astrologer since 1976. Roy advises on
astrology software and has spoken at
many international conferences. He first
published mundane forecasts in 1978 and
has written this column since 2002. His astrology books
include: Astrology and Compassion the Convenient Truth
(2007); Economy, Ecology and Kindness (2009); and The
Secret Language of Astrology (2011); and as Editor: André
Barbault’s The Value of Astrology and Planetary Cycles:
Mundane Astrology.
Time to pick up your copy of André Barbault’s new book
Planetary Cycles
Mundane Astrology
This must-have book is for anyone seriously interested in mundane
astrology and shows in great detail astrology’s role in the unfolding of
macro-history, as well as in regular interactions between nations.
Special launch offer, includes a bundle price, when purchased with André’s
The Value of Astrology.
For full details and to order visit:
http://astrologicalassociation.com/barbault.php
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201739
Marjorie Orr’s World Astrology
Russia v USA – we’ve been here before
As of late 2016, the USA and Russia
were in a new standoff over Syria, with
the US breaking off talks and recalling
its negotiators from Geneva, and
Russia suspending an agreement on the
destruction of plutonium and insisting
on an end to Ukraine-related sanctions.
The German Foreign Minister FrankWalter Steinmeier said that strained
relations are worse than during the Cold
War.
However there are less apocalyptic
voices saying: not so. They argue that
domestic politics are partly to blame for
the present tensions. It was important
for Obama’s legacy that he did not
appear spineless. Putin is struggling
to raise national morale in the face of
decline in living standards for many
Russians. Plus, there is a realisation
behind the scenes that the two superpowers alone can’t control the Syria
situation.
Having said that the relationship charts
between the USA 1776 and Russia 1917
and 1991 do indicate deteriorating
diplomatic relations especially from
mid-May 2017 till late 2018, with tr
Saturn opposing the composite SunSaturn on one and opposition Mars
on the other. Plus, all manner of other
discouraging separating Saturn transits
through 2017.
Putin’s personal and Presidency charts
are looking very confident and pushy
over coming months and through
2017/18 with tr Pluto trine Jupiter in
both cases, which may prompt him into
taking decisive steps that won’t sit well
with the West. He’s coping with myriad
problems beside so it won’t all be plain
sailing for him. But he certainly doesn’t
look as if he’s withdrawing within his
own borders and bunkering down.
The Russia 8 Nov 1917 2:12am chart
has a financially worrisome tr Neptune
square its Jupiter till early 2017; and a
Inner Wheel
Russia 1991 Natal Chart
Dec 8 1991, Sun 7:45 pm EET -2:00
Moscow, Russia
55°N45’ 037°E35’ Geocentric
Tropical Placidus Mean Node
Outer Wheel
Russia 1991 Directed - Solar Arc
Aug 30 2017, Wed 10:22:23 am EET -2:00
Moscow, Russia
55°N45’ 037°E35’ Geocentric
Tropical Placidus Mean Node
seriously stuck, deprived solar arc Saturn opposition Pluto by 2018. With a good deal
of agitation from 2019 with solar arc Uranus square the Russia Mars; and tr Uranus
moving to square the Saturn Neptune and then oppose the Sun in the early 2020s –
so very unsettled.
The Russia 8 Dec 1991 7.45pm chart has a financial- and enthusiasm-denting tr
Neptune opposition Jupiter through 2017 into 2018; and tr Neptune then moves
onto the undermining square to the Sun in 2018/19; plus a jolting shock from solar
arc Sun conjunct Uranus in mid-2017 [see Russia natal/directions biwheel chart].
There’ll be a good many internal problems but that is often when leaders look to
stir up trouble on the outside as a distraction and to pull national esprit de corps
together.
Marjorie Orr’s website: http://star4cast.com
40Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
Amazing ‘spider-man’ and
his 13th sign hoax
Kim Farnell
John Sladek may be largely forgotten now but he was the sci-fi satirist who dreamt up the
13th sign of ‘Arachne the spider’ - in order to debunk astrology. Here the story is told of a joke
that has fooled many
The zodiac - in the beginning
One thing that astrologers, scientists, and people who like
to read their horoscopes over a nice cup of coffee agree on
is that there are twelve zodiac signs. Although very ancient
Babylonians greedily used eighteen, for the last couple of
millennia, we’ve been more than satisfied with twelve. So
where did we get the idea that there may be thirteen signs in
the zodiac?
The zodiac signs have a long and rich history. Their early
naming and meaning is usually attributed to ancient Babylon.
Babylonian boundary stones dating from the 12th century
BCE host instantly recognisable pictorial representations of
the signs. Over the centuries, different interpretations of the
meanings of the pictures have been given. And it’s notable
that a thirteenth symbol is occasionally included – that of the
raven. So it’s tempting to think that there was a time when
Babylonians used thirteen zodiac signs.
Tempting – but wrong. The Babylonian calendar had twelve
lunar months meaning that their year lasted 354 days. That
gave them the problem of tying their calendar in with the solar
year, which lasts about 365 days. Our present calendar gets
round this issue by removing the tie between the lunar phase
and the calendar month. The Babylonians came up with a
simple, yet elegant solution. They added leap months to their
calendar. The raven was simply a symbol of a leap month.
So far as we know, the zodiac consists of twelve signs, and
has done so since astrology reached a form we’d recognise.
Its antiquity is why Virgil, the Latin poet, could write in his
Georgics in 29 BCE about the stars withdrawing to make
space for Caesar as a thirteen sign of the zodiac. The idea of
a thirteenth sign was a joke over two thousand years ago, the
concept of twelve zodiac signs being so firmly embedded.
As any astrologer will tell you, although the zodiac signs and
constellations share the same names, they aren’t actually
the same. The zodiac signs have only ever approximately
coincided with the constellations. For example, Cancer is a
small constellation, and Pisces is huge, but both are accorded
one-twelfth of the Sun’s annual path. The constellation Cancer
has never coincided exactly with the sign of Cancer. In the
West, we use the tropical zodiac. This is based on a division
of the Sun’s apparent path across the sky into twelve equal
segments of thirty degrees each. In India, the sidereal zodiac
is used, which reflects the actual position of the constellations,
rather than their past position as in the West. There are
differences between the two systems. But no-one argues that
there are more than twelve signs.
Contrary to the belief of some scientists, astrologers don’t fall
over backwards in shock when it’s pointed out that the zodiac
signs don’t match the constellations. They already know this,
and they know why. While Earth spins once in twenty-four
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201741
Amazing ‘spider-man’ and his 13th sign hoax
hours, it also has other movements. Like a spinning top, the
earth has a slow wobble as it spins, taking 26,000 years to
do one wobble. This causes the zodiac constellations to drift
through the sky, and the process known as precession.
Ancient astrologers chose signs that matched the
constellations. Because of precession, the moving
constellations left the signs behind. Today the tropical zodiac
is out of step by about one sign. Astrologers are also aware
that planets aren’t actually ‘in’ constellations, they pass in
front of them. This is an optical illusion. If you were on a
different planet, they would appear to be in front of different
constellations as compared to earth viewers. And it doesn’t
change the fact that there are twelve zodiac signs.
Enter Sladek and his 13th sign
There is a small number of astrologers who believe that there
should be thirteen signs. They often justify this by saying that
there are thirteen lunar months in the year, and therefore there
should be thirteen signs. An odd rationalisation considering
that the zodiac is based on the Sun’s passage through the
heavens and not the Moon’s. The thirteen sign issue is not a
tale lost in the mists of history. We actually know why some
people believe there to be thirteen zodiac signs and who was
responsible. It was the science fiction writer John Sladek.
Sladek was an American
science fiction author who
became known for his
satirical and surrealistic
novels. He spent the 1960s
in London and was part of
the New Wave which began
in 1964 when Michael
Moorcock took over as
editor of the science fiction
magazine New Worlds.
Moorcock had a policy
of publishing unusually
literary stories, and New
Worlds sought to distance
itself
from
traditional
science fiction. The content of the New Wave focused on taboobreaking and a more people-focused approach. New Wave
writers saw themselves as part of a general literary tradition
and openly mocked the traditions of pulp science fiction. The
New Wave also had a political subtext with many of its writers
coming from Marxist and socialist political traditions.
Sladek’s most famous novel, The Müller-Fokker Effect, was
published in 1971 and was the story of how an attempt to
preserve human personality on tape goes awry – although
many readers were simply entranced by its title. Sladek was
also known for his parodies of other science fiction writers.
42Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
While
science
fiction
was redefining itself as
literature, a new type of
writing
was
becoming
popular in the mass
market - pseudo-science
as scientific fact. And noone was more adept at
producing such work, or
to be more renowned for it
than the Swiss author, Erich
von Däniken who produced
a number of books about
extra-terrestrial influence
on human culture since
prehistoric times. He is
one of the key figures
responsible for popularising ancient astronaut theories. In
1967, while von Däniken was spending time in prison on
charges of embezzlement, forgery, and tax evasion, his first
book Chariots of the Gods was published. He wrote his second
book, Gods from Outer Space while still in prison.
Sladek wrote a scathing attack on von Däniken and his work
in 1969. By this time, Moorcock had published Sladek’s work
in New Worlds magazine, and was planning to write a book on
irrational beliefs. When Moorcock realised he was never likely
to write that book, he turned the title and some of his sources
over to Sladek. In no time at all Sladek was hooked, he became
a born-again sceptic and wrote The New Apocrypha: A Guide
to Strange Sciences and Occult Beliefs (1973).
Initially, Sladek had hoped to find something in parapsychology,
but all he found was badly conducted experiments and
outright fraud. He couldn’t resist poking fun at every topic he
covered. The tone of the book can be gleaned from the chapter
title on flying saucer cults – “Will U kindly FO?” Apocrypha
covered a huge range of material, from Nostradamus to
psychic detectives, taking in eternal motion machines, the
secret codes that prove that Bacon wrote Shakespeare, Noah’s
Ark, and Erich von Däniken. Sympathy for Däniken was in
short supply and Sladek continued to parody him, for example
in his 1974 short story Space Shoes of the Gods.
A ruined edifice in Peru bears a weird inscription: two
horizontal lines crossed by two vertical lines. In other words,
the figure for tic-tac-toe, a game played by the latest giant
computers. Likewise the Ankara Museum displays clay tablets
pierced with holes – the same holes as used in IBM cards.
Despite the humorous tone, Sladek’s expositions were
impressively researched, and he let his subjects speak for,
and demolish, themselves. Apocrypha attacked many who
Sladek saw as false gurus, including Immanuel Velikovsky
Amazing ‘spider-man’ and his 13th sign hoax
and L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. The Church
of Scientology threatened legal action as Sladek quoted an
article from Queen magazine without knowing they’d already
successfully sued for libel over it. In lieu of damages, they had
the section on scientology altered in the British paperback
edition of Sladek’s book.
Responses to Apocrypha mixed approval and anguish,
agreeing that most targets were junk science, with one
exception, an exception that varied each time. Sladek had
developed a fascination with unorthodoxy and the occult,
as well as its adherents. The year following Apocrypha’s
publication was filled with stories of Uri Geller’s spoon
bending antics, Koestler’s coincidence theories, and Charles
Berlitz’s Bermuda Triangle.
Perhaps there was a more personal reason for Sladek’s
astrological spoof? After all, owing to a discrepancy between
hospital and state records, Sladek didn’t know whether he
was born sometime in October 1937 (as suggested by hospital
records) or 15 December 1937 (as according to Iowa State
records). He chose to celebrate his birthday on the latter date.
The spider cometh
Whatever the precise reason, Sladek published Arachne
Rising: The Thirteenth Sign of the Zodiac under the name of
James Vogh.
The temptation for Sladek to devise his own occult system was
irresistible, and his detailed research allowed him to convince
his readers. Arachne Rising claimed to be an account of a
thirteenth sign of the zodiac being suppressed by the scientific
establishment. Sladek offered historical, mythical, literary,
and numerological evidence for the suppressed sign of
Arachne the spider.
To fit Arachne into the zodiac, Sladek divided it into thirteen
and inserted Arachne between 25° 23’ Taurus and 23° 5’
Gemini. He included statistics that showed that people born
under Arachne (13 May to 9 June) were usually psychics,
leading to enthusiastic mail from ‘Arachnoid’ readers who
claimed they’d known this all along. The symbol of Arachne is
a circle with a cross at the centre, a common glyph for Earth.
Alert readers noticed that alongside interpretations of charts
of people such as Uri Geller, Sladek included astrological case
histories for Cassandra Knye, the name under which Sladek
and the writer Thomas Disch had published spoof Gothic
novels, and James Colvin, a New Worlds house pseudonym
often used by Michael Moorcock.
Sladek’s thirteenth sign was identified roughly with the
constellation Auriga, and supposedly took more account of
the influence of the Moon. He argued that Auriga was the
John Sladek
thirteenth sign in the lunar zodiac used by the Druids amongst
others. According to Sladek, Auriga was widely known as a
zodiac sign in ancient times but deliberately suppressed after
the Middle Ages because of its psychic lunar connections.
The Church apparently opposed the use of Arachne due to its
Celtic ancestry.
Auriga was known as Ariadne by the Minoans and so was
connected to the labyrinth and the magic thread that guided
Theseus. From the magic thread of Ariadne we take but a
short step to the weaver goddess Arachne. Or a short step to
Arianrhod, the Celtic Goddess of the Moon and Stars, and
of the silver wheel of the heavens. Sladek described how
Arianrhod drives her chariot around the heavens, leading us
and connecting us to the source, like Theseus in the labyrinth,
and like the spider goddess weaving her web of fate.
The book read like, and quoted, serious astrological and
historical sources. Presumably because not enough astrologers
read science fiction, it was accepted as a serious astrological
text – if a little peculiar. But any astrologer knows that there
is no shortage of peculiar astrological texts. The book was
republished in 1979 under the new title of The Thirteenth
Zodiac: The Sign of Arachne.
Sladek later announced that the whole thing had been a hoax.
Unfortunately, that did little to stem the enthusiasm of some
astrologers, who continued to use the “new sign”. He claimed
to have been surprised that people took the book so seriously.
Perhaps it was his surprise that persuaded him to write a
follow-up volume The Cosmic Factor in 1978 and, under the
name of Richard A. Tilms, Judgment of Jupiter in 1980.
In the greater scheme of things, Sladek’s books had caused
hardly a ripple. Although the concept of a thirteenth zodiac
sign was firmly planted in many people’s heads, it would take
another twenty years before an astronomer came into the
picture to introduce the idea of a missing zodiac sign.
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201743
Amazing ‘spider-man’ and his 13th sign hoax
BBC ‘announces’ 13th sign
In 1995, Dr Jacqueline Mitton (Public Relations Officer of
the Royal Astronomical Society) acted as a consultant to the
BBC and appeared in the third episode of their television
series about astronomy, entitled Heavenly Bodies. While
filming, she mentioned that the zodiac contained a thirteenth
constellation, and pointed out that there was a difference
between her astrological Sun sign as usually given and the
true position of the Sun on her birthday.
The first episode of Heavenly Bodies was scheduled for
broadcast on Sunday, 22 January 1995. The BBC sent out
their publicity material, and it landed on the desk of Roger
Highfield, the science editor of the Daily Telegraph.
Stories about astrology make good copy, so Highfield
contacted Mitton to talk to her about her views on astrology
and the astronomy behind them. These were reported in an
article published on Friday, 20 January. The article included
a diagram illustrating the difference between the traditional
zodiac divided into twelve equal signs, and an “astronomically
correct” zodiac based on the true path of the Sun through the
sky.
The following day the rest of the press followed suit with their
own stories and the Royal Astronomical Society began to field
calls from all over the world about the new zodiac sign.
Between 2,000 and 3,000 years ago the dates on which the
sun appeared in the different constellations were worked out
by apportioning one twelfth of the sky to each constellation.
Those dates are still used by astrologers for their predictions.
Because the stars are only visible during the night most
people have to take the astrologers’ word for it when they
talk about being ‘in’ a particular star sign: that is when the
sun is in front of a particular constellation. Unfortunately for
astrologers, the constellations cover different sized areas of
the sky, according to the International Astronomical Union.
“Some constellations cover much bigger areas than others,”
said Dr. Mitton. This means that each zodiac sign should, in
reality, cover a different number of days. Worse still, in the
intervening years the direction of Earth’s axis has been slowly
changing. This causes the seasons, and thus our calendar, to
shift with respect to the star’s positions. (Daily Telegraph.)
Mitton was referring to the International Astronomical
Union redrawing the boundaries of the constellations in 1930
and including a thirteenth constellation along the ecliptic.
According to the official modern constellation boundaries
that astronomers use, the sun now passes through thirteen
constellations, and not twelve. This thirteenth constellation
is Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer, and the Sun is in front of
its stars during approximately 30 November to 17 December.
A thirteenth sign would destroy the principle of the twelve44Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
fold division of the zodiac if astrologers accepted it. And
Mitton was perfectly correct in her assertion that the equally
sized zodiac signs don’t correspond to the constellations. They
never have. (Alert thirteenth sign hunters remembered that
Sladek had in fact pointed out the position of Ophiuchus on
the zodiac belt in Arachne.)
Ophiuchus is an ancient constellation, one of the original
Ptolemaic constellations, and appears in the Almagest. In
his Tetrabiblos, Ptolemy treats Ophiuchus as a non-zodiac
constellation. Ophiuchus also appears on the Farnese Globe,
a Roman copy of a second century BCE depiction of Atlas
holding the celestial sphere. The Moon and planets can be
seen against the stars of Ophiuchus.
Astrologers had no choice but to respond to the idea that
their zodiac had changed. Articles appeared in astrological
publications, and for a short time, there was excited discussion.
Most astrologers rubbished the idea saying that the zodiac
and the constellations aren’t and had never been the same so
there was no reason for any changes. A few astrologers were
tempted by the new sign because of the association with the
thirteen lunar months.
A small minority looked to the myth of Ophiuchus so that they
could incorporate its meaning into their work. Ophiuchus
was better known in classical times as Asclepius, the God
of Medicine. He learnt his art from Chiron, the Centaur. On
either side of Ophiuchus in the heavens lie the two parts of
the sign of the serpent he holds, Serpens Caput, the serpent’s
head and Serpens Cauda, the serpent’s tail. The serpent staff
is the badge of the medical profession to this day in the form
of the caduceus. It is from the serpent that Ophiuchus learnt
the secret of the elixir of life.
Plato drew a correspondence between Ophiuchus and the god
of the underworld, Pluto. Medieval Christians used an image
of Saint Paul holding a viper to represent Ophiuchus before
dropping it altogether. (Not the viper.) Ophiuchus is always
shown with his foot resting on Scorpius. In ancient Greek
legend, the earth Goddess Gaia sends Scorpius to kill Orion,
the Hunter, who has threatened to hunt down all the animals
of the earth. Scorpius stings Orion, who would have died had
it not been for the intervention of Ophiuchus. Ophiuchus gives
Orion a sip of the divine elixir and restores him to health.
The older Babylonian version is a little different. Here the
serpent is Tiamat, the Monster of the Bitter Ocean. Holding
Tiamat is Marduk, the Sun God of the Babylonians. They are
doing battle together in the eternal fight of good against evil.
With almost unseemly haste, Walter Berg’s The Thirteen
Signs of the Zodiac was published on 22 May 1995. And then
the idea sank into astrological history.
Amazing ‘spider-man’ and his 13th sign hoax
Today, almost no-one attempts to use anything other than
the traditional twelve sign zodiac. There are a few people who
continue to take the idea of thirteen zodiac signs seriously –
the number of websites on the subject attest to that. However,
these sites simply point out that there’s a thirteenth sign
and do little to take the idea further. Perhaps there are a few
astrologers somewhere, casting horoscopes and interpreting
them using a thirteen sign zodiac. If so, they’re doing it
extremely quietly.
Sladek’s role in creating the idea that the zodiac could
contain thirteen signs has been largely forgotten.
Extracted from Flirting with the Zodiac
by Kim Farnell, published by The Wessex
Astrologer. The paperback is available on
Amazon.
Horoscope columnists barely paused to draw breath. Sun sign
columns continued using the same format as they had for
decades, and the idea that they may have counted their zodiac
signs incorrectly was quietly forgotten.
Coda: Unfortunately, I was wrong about the idea of thirteen
signs being forgotten.
Every autumn there is a media frenzy about how our zodiac
signs are wrong and some people should redefine themselves
as Ophiucheans. Every year astrologers indignantly
complain amongst themselves and send diatribes to media
outlets.
It makes no difference.
And despite the enormous amount of words posted annually,
Kim Farnell has been President of the
Astrological Lodge of London since 2008
and authored a number of books including
The Astral Tramp: A Biography of Sepharial;
Mystical Vampire: The Life and Works of
Mabel Collins; Leo Rising: The story of the
Astrological Lodge of London; and The Taste of Custard. A
former Council Member of the Astrological Association, she
gained an MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology from
Bath Spa University College in 2005. Her website: www.
kimfarnell.co.uk.
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201745
Not the astrology column
By Anne Whitaker
A valediction: Saturn square Neptune and the persistence of beauty
A great battle between order (Saturn) and chaos (Neptune)
raged from the end of 2015 to the end of 2016, as mass
migration of peoples – often by sea – who were fleeing wars
and persecution at a level not seen since the end of the Second
World War, challenged and continues to challenge European
nations’ capacity to cope. In both the UK and the USA, we had
mass waves of weary and disillusioned populations letting out
howls of protest via the UK’s Brexit vote and the hijacking
of the USA’s Republican Party by that obnoxious populist,
Donald Trump.
However, the Saturn/Neptune square is out of orb by the start
of this new year of 2017, as the turbulent, violent, purgative
Uranus in Aries square Pluto in Capricorn period also winds
down. A much less misery-inducing minor Grand Trine of
Jupiter sextile Saturn opposite Uranus is shaping up. We can,
perhaps, hope for more constructive disruption in the year
that lies ahead!
At a personal level, many of us will be glad to see the back of
that long, three-stage dance of Saturn and Neptune. Confusion,
disillusion, debilitation…how often I observed those factors at
work that year in my students, clients, colleagues, friends –
and myself.
I’ve always found Saturn/Neptune aspects especially difficult.
Some of us are better than others at dancing on a wobbly
board suspended over the long drop into chaos! However,
when the great planetary archetypes combine, the level at
which we engage with the combination through our individual
birth charts always carries a challenge to become more selfaware, more constructive in our engagement with the areas of
life highlighted. And – let us never forget that even the most
difficult planetary combinations can manifest in startlingly
positive experiences which take our breath away.
This was certainly what happened on Monday, 13 June
2016, the very day Neptune turned direct, approaching an
exact square to Saturn. I have always been susceptible to
the seductive beauty of art; sculpture in particular. On that
day, I was with my husband in London. Having attended a
most enjoyable Astrology Student Conference with two of my
students, he and I were intent on time together taking in some
culture. We had booked tickets for an exhibition at the British
Museum that morning.
That exhibition turned out to be the most atmospheric,
beautiful, awe-inspiring manifestation of the Saturn/Neptune
combination I could possibly have imagined.
46Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
About 1,300 years ago two Egyptian cities, Thonis-Heracleion
and Canopus, sank into the Mediterranean Sea. They’re
still there, perfectly preserved. (As yet, only 5% of the vast
undersea sites have been excavated.) They were inhabited
not only by native Egyptians but also Greeks and Romans,
and eventually Byzantine Christians. The cities were known
from texts — Egyptian decrees, mythology and the writings of
Herodotus — but no one had actually seen them.
Then, two decades ago, underwater archaeologists began
bringing up objects and artworks from the seabed. Some are
enormous and weigh several tons. They included massive
representations of human-shaped gods, deities in the form of
animals, towering kings and queens, giant bearded heads of
Greek gods, enormous pharaoh heads, black stone slabs with
intensely intricate lines of hieroglyphs and stone coffins. That
exhibition was a truly magnificent, utterly memorable event.
But our Saturn/Neptune experience wasn’t yet over! After a
visit to London’s wonderful, arty Astrology Shop in Covent
Garden run by the redoubtable Barry Street, we dropped by
the National Gallery: to revisit some favourite paintings, and
to marvel again at the sheer scale and beauty of the building.
Wandering with a truly international throng of spellbound artlovers through room after room stocked with eight hundred
years of amazing art, we were once again entranced.
Botticelli, Leonardo, Rembrandt, Canaletto, El Greco,
Rubens, Vermeer, Van Gogh, Monet, Turner, Picasso…all our
favourites and thousands more were there. Not reproductions:
THE REAL THING.
We strolled back to our hotel, heads and hearts full of gratitude
for being able to share such wonderful art and sculpture with
so many of our fellow citizens from all over the world. The day
had been wonderful: a profound reminder that no matter how
much ugliness, cruelty, destruction and evil there certainly is in
the world, no-one can crush from the human soul our longing
to connect with the Divine through meditation, prayer, music
and all the Arts – “…beauty is truth, truth beauty…” as poet
John Keats put it so memorably. Without Saturn, however,
none of that Neptunian longing could ever take form….
Anne Whitaker is an astrologer, counsellor and writer based in
Glasgow, Scotland, UK. She is available for astrological consultations
and tuition, and short-term counselling, both in person and via
skype. Contact: email: [email protected]; and via Facebook
and Twitter. Website: www.astrologyquestionsandanswers.com
The astrology of
‘Obamacare’
Liz Hargreaves imagines herself as outgoing President Obama’s astrologer.
What would she have advised and foreseen if he’d first consulted her on
his controversial, now threatened health care reform? Read on…
With US President Barack Obama’s departure from office on
20 January 2017, I thought I would take an astrological look
at one of the key policies of his administrations, the so-called
‘Obamacare’.
One of his guiding principles has been: “A strong nation
made up of strong families”. He saw that more accessible and
affordable healthcare was key to this end and he was aware
of the sensitivities surrounding this issue for voters who were
excluded.
A nation (see US Sibley/Obama biwheel chart) with Sun,
Mercury, Venus and Jupiter in Cancer, along with Chiron in
the 4th in Aries, was always going to respond strongly to this
and to someone with an all-pervading natal Moon falling in
the US’s 6th house which rules health services.
Reform came in the shape of the Affordable Care Act
(‘Obamacare’) of 2010. The intention was to make quality
health insurance more affordable, to expand coverage and
reduce healthcare costs. But, at time of writing, it still isn’t fully
implemented and there is no doubt that Obamacare has been
beset by years of political and legal gridlock and challenges.
President Elect Donald Trump indicated in November 2016
that he plans to retain some parts of Obamacare (such as
coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions) despite
campaign vows to end it altogether.
Inner Wheel
US chart Sibley Event Chart
Jul 4 1776 NS, Thu 5:10 pm LMT +5:00:39 Philadelphia
Outer Wheel
Barack Obama
Aug 4 1961, Fri 7:24 pm AHST +10:00 Honolulu, Hawaii
Imagine that I am Obama’s astrologer
I imagined myself in the role of astrologer to President
Obama and what I might have said if I had been told about his
healthcare reform plans just before first Inauguration Day in
early 2009, and asked about the likelihood of success.
I would have said something along the lines of: “Mr. Obama, I
can completely understand how you are eager to start pushing
healthcare reform through right now and set the tone for
the future, but the long-term astrological outlook does look
to be extremely challenging and it is possible you could be
beset with struggles and difficulties for up to a decade due to
difficult transits”. My chart analysis follows in italics:
I would have seen his progressed Sun in the very late
degrees of Virgo, which may have given a sense of
urgency to any health-related policy, in the progressed
chart 3rd house (which rules administration) and in the
natal 8th house (which rules transformation and deeprooted change). Also, his progressed MC was in very
early Aries in natal 2nd house, probably auguring an
eagerness to be seen to be getting on with things and
follow-through on his promises.
His progressed Moon, just in natal 1st in Aquarius, was
exactly conjunct natal Aquarius Ascendant, so perhaps
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201747
The astrology of ‘Obamacare’
he wanted to set a tone of reform for the years ahead,
with family care being a high priority.
Transiting Chiron (which may rule Virgo/6th house)
in Aquarius was in his natal 1st house and also exactly
conjunct Ascendant, which could have encouraged a
personal mission to take on reforming healthcare.
Inner Wheel
Barack Obama
Aug 4 1961, Fri 7:24 pm AHST +10:00 Honolulu, Hawaii
making him innately sensitive to the needs of his own
family. The Moon (in the nation’s 6th) is lead planet in
the Locomotive chart shape and in dignity in Gemini,
bestowing an instinct to connect families with the care
they need. Moon square North Node at apex in Leo in the
7th house indicates a drive to protect families of others:
a possible constructive outlet for the t-square is via the
Aquarian theme of reform. Moon [out of sign] opposition
his Scorpio MC may bring circumstances that enable him
to push for changes in care provision, possibly by putting
him in a position to make the decisions. To complete
the t-square, his Scorpio MC is square North Node in
Leo, bringing an innate potential to drive fundamental
change as a leader for the benefit of others.
T-square 2 (for the purposes of this article) is mutable
which brings flexibility, but he could also be overaccommodating in the three chart areas involved. It
consists of Chiron (possibly ruling Virgo/6th house) in
natal 1st in Pisces, which may point to selfless action for
the health of others, square Moon (in nation’s 6th) giving
determination to protect the health of his own family
and the health of the nation’s families. Gemini Moon
at apex suggests a positive outlet for these feelings that
could be found via a Sagittarian theme, such as justice.
Moon is square Pluto giving a drive to transform family
care. And Chiron opposite Pluto (in Virgo/7th) may be
viewed as innate willingness to act selflessly, in spite of
opposition, to transform health services for the benefit
of others. Whenever this t-square is set off by transit, it
will be linked to the water Grand Trine via Chiron and
heightens any sensitivity.
Middle Wheel
Barack Obama Sec.Prog. SA in Long
Jan 1 2009, Thu 12:00 pm EST +5:00 Washington
Natal Moon (in US’s 6th) connects natal t-squares so it is
very important when looking at Obamacare.
Outer Wheel
Barack Obama Transits Chart
Jan 1 2009, Thu 12:00 pm EST +5:00 Washington
A Mystic Rectangle pattern can indicate the ability to make
full use of skills and sustain productive effort in the chart
areas involved over a prolonged period of time:
For the long-range outlook, I would have looked for outer
planet transits (see the Obama tri-wheel chart) to his
two natal t-squares (both containing his powerful natal Moon
in the nation’s 6th house), Mystic Rectangle and water Grand
Trine, which I think are all very relevant to Obamacare.
Within the t-squares, the most difficult challenges, obstacles
and recurring themes in life can be found. But t-squares can
also point to someone’s greatest achievements:
T-square 1 (for the purposes of this article) has two fixed
points, giving him determination in the relevant chart
areas (7th house and MC) and one mutable planet, giving
a desire to serve in the chart area the mutable planet falls
in. The mutable planet is natal Moon in Cancer-ruled 4th,
48Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
The Mystic Rectangle in Obama’s chart contains Obama’s
Moon in the 4th Cancer-themed house (in the nation’s 6th)
sextile Mercury in Leo in the natal 6th, so opportunities
may be presented to him as a leader to care for the
nation’s families through an affordable (a Cancerian
theme) healthcare bill. Mercury Leo trines Scorpio (also
a fixed sign) MC amplifying determination, as does MC
sextile Jupiter in fixed Aquarius in the Neptune-themed
12th which could bring opportunities to see justice done
to his ideals through reform, facilitated by high social
standing. His Moon (in US’s 6th) trines Aquarius Jupiter,
giving him enthusiasm and humanitarian concern for
the wellbeing of families. Inside the Rectangle is Moon
opposite MC indicating determination, most probably
in the face of opposition, to transform the nation’s
The astrology of ‘Obamacare’
health services in some way, during the course of his
career. Mercury in the 6th opposite Jupiter may give
him conviction but possibly also blind optimism about
intended health reform. But natal Jupiter conjunct natal
Saturn in Capricorn adds some realism.
Moon opposite MC links this Mystic Rectangle to t-square
1 which could bring much inner and outer tension into
the reform process, when activated by a difficult transit.
Mercury trine MC links it to t-square 1 which could be
advantageous during transits, or just as easily work
quickly against him. As Moon links both t-squares, this
pattern could influence their manifestation.
With a natal Grand Trine, the ease of flow between the relevant
chart areas can work positively or negatively. During transits
to a water Grand Trine there is the possibility of giving in too
readily to the demands of others (which could be emphasised
in Obama’s chart by the connection to the mutable t-square
through Chiron) and oversensitivity. But a water Grand Trine
can also bring the gift of escaping difficult situations:
Starting the analysis with natal Venus in Cancer, I
can see that the protection of family relationships is
in Obama’s nature (no doubt made easier if the family
has access to affordable care), in the 5th (improving
childcare has been central to his policies). Venus trines
Neptune in the 9th in Scorpio (an idealist having the
optimism and belief that he can bring about change
through legal channels). Neptune trines Chiron in Pisces
in the 1st house which amplifies an innate willingness to
act selflessly and champion the cause of transforming
healthcare and, through Chiron trine Venus in Cancer,
he can protect family relationships.
These chart patterns would all, at some time or another over
the ten years from 2008, experience many difficult transits,
due a large number of retrogrades.
I would also have seen that transits to his dignified Sun and
in the Virgo-themed 6th had an important role to play. This is
emphasised further by Sun square Neptune in the water Grand
Trine (which links Sun to t-square 2 via Neptune trine Chiron,
and so links Sun to Moon in the nation’s 6th). This brings an
even stronger dose of selfless idealism and sensitivity into the
picture, but perhaps also more ability to escape problematic
events. Natal Virgo Mars, in the 7th that suggests much energy
directed towards health and service to others, would also be
subject to difficult transits.
To begin with, I would have seen the likelihood of serious
political gridlock:
Tr Saturn Retrograde in Virgo would be in no mood for
fun, forming an exact conjunction with natal Mars in
Virgo on 29 December 2008 (just before Obama’s first
inauguration) and again on 28 August 2009. It wouldn’t
move away until mid-September 2009.
I would have seen this as setting the tone for his Presidency
beset with restrictions, obstructions, limitations and obstacles
from a more conservative source. In fact, once he became
President, the Republicans vowed to obstruct Obama in
making progress on health service reform in any way they
could:
This could be exacerbated by tr Pluto in early degrees
of Capricorn making its first quincunx aspect to natal
Moon (in the nation’s 6th) on 2 February 2009, just after
his first Inauguration Day.
Tr Pluto, agent of transformation (and possibly endings
and beginnings), is in natal 11th house of personal
ambitions themed by Uranus, the humanitarian and
reformer. From the beginning of 2009 to autumn 2010,
Pluto would make four exact quincunx aspects to natal
Mercury (in the Mystic Rectangle) in the 6th house.
I would see during this transit the possibility of being forced by
the big boys to let go of some of his reform plans or start again
with some from scratch. (There were serious negotiations and
political gridlock between the Obama administration and the
Senate regarding the health bill throughout 2009 to spring
2010. Obamacare survived, possibly due to the protection of
the Mystic Rectangle and, interestingly, became law when his
natal Mercury was having a breather from Pluto.):
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201749
The astrology of ‘Obamacare’
Tr Pluto in Capricorn would also make four exact
oppositions to natal Venus in Cancer (in the water Grand
Trine) in the Natal 5th. This aspect was exact on first
Inauguration Day and moved away in September 2010.
This could be a politically sensitive time of opposition to
unpalatable financial risk, perhaps concerning younger people;
and possibly a defensive legal move might become necessary.
In fact, there were threats from insurance companies during
this time to increase premiums, due in large part to healthier
young people choosing to opt out (which seems ever-present).
Further legislation limiting long-term hikes in premiums
was agreed but this problem didn’t go away (the Grand Trine
working against him). Interestingly, on the day Obamacare
was signed into law, natal Venus was also getting a break from
Pluto.
Uranus is Obama’s chart ruler and so is he no doubt sensitive
to its transits….
I would have seen tr Uranus the reformer in natal 1st
making trouble through its opposition to Obama’s
Mars in Virgo in 7th for some time (perhaps unexpected
opposition from detractors preventing him moving
forward with his health service plans) and that it would
form the last of three exact oppositions at the beginning
of December 2009, remaining within 2-degree orb until
mid-February 2010.
This could suggest, in very simple terms, a situation developing
where he may be put out on a limb at some point; or perhaps
an unexpected manoeuvre from the opposition would occur to
obstruct him in acting on health-service reform.
(In 2010, opposition came from an unexpected Virgoan
politician! In January, just before Uranus moved on for good
from natal Mars in Virgo, Republican Senator Scott Brown [a
Virgo being somewhat critical of a health policy] came into the
fray after winning a special election. Also, in early 2010, the
Republican-controlled House voted to repeal the Affordable
Care Act. Both these efforts to scupper reform failed to take
hold [Uranus was in Pisces when aspecting natal Mars] and
the Affordable Care Act [Obamacare] was signed into law on
23 March 2010, which probably no one could have foreseen in
January 2009.)
Taking a break from the long-range aspects to consider the
astrology for signing day, this is shown in the tri-wheel for 23
March 2010 [see triwheel chart for this date].
There were criticisms that the Affordable Care Act had been
rushed through, that the legislation was much too watereddown, unwelcome financial risks (especially involving
younger people) were being forced upon the insurers, and an
50Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
Inner Wheel
Barack Obama
Aug 4 1961, Fri 7:24 pm AHST +10:00 Honolulu, Hawaii
Middle Wheel
Barack Obama Sec.Prog. SA in Long
Mar 23 2010, Tue 12:00 pm EDT +4:00 Washington
Outer Wheel
Barack Obama Transits Chart
Mar 23 2010, Tue 12:00 pm EDT +4:00 Washington
unacceptably large amount of taxpayers’ money was being
committed.
Does the astrology suggest that Obama may have wanted to
hurry the bill through the various stages? I think it does:
His progressed MC in Aries (being seen as or wanting
to be seen as moving quickly) had been trine (speeding
things up further) natal Leo Mercury in natal 6th house
(with a health service bill in his position as leader) since
early June 2009 and was in orb until early October
2010. This progression activated natal Mystic Rectangle
via natal Mercury opposition Jupiter in Aquarius (which
adds more ‘fire’ energy to the reform process). Also, as his
progressed Sun in natal 8th was about to leave healthconscious Virgo, there could have been a deepening
sense of urgency about the bill for him.
On signing day itself, there was also a lot of ‘fire’ energy around
for Obama and healthcare themes were prominent due to an
active natal 6th house…
The astrology of ‘Obamacare’
Jupiter, co-ruler of Pisces; and rules law) since midDecember 2009.
Also, I think the astrology suggests there may have been some
‘watering-down’ on the day:
Tr Jupiter in Pisces (lots of ‘water’) in natal 1st house
was semi-square (‘swamping’) natal Jupiter in Aquarius
(connected to natal t-squares and Moon in the nation’s
6th via the Mystic Rectangle) - his national health service
reform law.
Mars transited Leo in natal 6th and exactly conjoined
natal Mercury. Tr Aries Sun exactly trines natal Mercury
(both these aspects set off the Mystic Rectangle which is
linked to the t-squares via natal Moon in the US’s 6th)
and tr Aries Mercury exactly trines natal Sun in Leo in
the 6th (natal Sun squares Neptune in the Grand Trine to
speed things up further).
So Obama could well have been in a hurry to sign the bill into
law, perhaps having to use all the resources available to him.
Most legislation is subject to compromise (or being ‘watered
down’) as it goes through the various stages, but does the
astrology suggest that Obamacare may have been unusually
affected?
Well, there had been a lot of the ‘water’ element around for
Obama in the relevant chart areas for some time, enough I
think for this to be significant:
Tr Uranus Direct in Pisces had come in for the first of
four sesquiquadrates (delaying) to natal Sun (linked
to the water Grand Trine) in the 6th house in late June
2009 and was exact again for hit two on signing day.
His solar arc Moon in Cancer had been in his natal 6th
house since late October 2008, just before he was elected
for the first time.
His progressed Ascendant in Cancer had moved into
natal 6th house in late September 2009 when it was in
semi-square aspect (interrupting flow) to natal Moon,
lasting till signing day (two t-squares and Mystic
Rectangle), in the Cancer-themed 4th (and the nation’s
6th).
Obama’s progressed Moon/Chiron in Pisces (Neptunian
with Chiron possibly linked to Virgo/6th) had been
together in the progressed 9th house (associated with
His progressed Moon was in sensitive Pisces in natal 1st,
and, on the day, was in very tight opposition to natal
Pluto in Virgo (in mutable t-square 2 which involves
his natal Moon in the nation’s 6th). Perhaps in the few
weeks leading up to signing day, he decided to give more
ground to ensure the survival of his bill. This aspect was
exact on signing day so, if this was the case, things may
have come to a head.
Also, tr Moon in Cancer (care, insurance) was sextile
natal Pluto in Virgo between 12:40 and 16:40 hours
EDT. This gives even more opportunity for the water
element to get involved in the survival of the bill if it was
signed between these times.
Is there any astrology to suggest that there were financial
risks regarding younger people that may not have been fully
appreciated at the time? I think there is…
Tr Moon in Cancer (families and care, insurance) in
natal 5th (financial risk, young people) was exactly
trine natal Chiron in the 1st, which as I’ve said already,
possibly rules Virgo and the 6th house (easily underestimated when championing a cause related to health
services), in Pisces (Neptune-ruled) in mutable t-square
and water Grand Trine involving Neptune (and the full
extent possibly not appreciated at the time) between
10am and 1pm EDT on the day.
(What has actually happened is that healthier, wealthier,
younger people who were perhaps being relied on to subsidise
the scheme by not calling on it, are preferring to opt out, pay
the necessary fines and take the risk of staying uninsured.)…
Also, tr Saturn exalted in Libra in his natal 8th house
(protracted legal problems with government regarding
the liberal spending of other people’s money) was exactly
square natal Venus in Cancer in natal 5th (forcing
them to bear the financial risk involving insurance and
younger people) and the natal water Grand Trine (the
extent of which could have been under-estimated).
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201751
The astrology of ‘Obamacare’
The bulk of Obamacare provisions went into effect on 1
January 2014 just as Neptune moved away from this aspect.
But even now the provisions are still not fully implemented.
However, there are signs that Obamacare has made a real
difference to the coverage of healthcare provision, which could
in part be due to the well-connected and influential natal Moon
(in the nation’s 6th) gravitating towards leading (lead planet)
the campaign. In May 2016, according to Obamacarefacts.
com, the Uninsurance Rate had fallen to an all-time low and
an estimated 20 to 30 million more Americans have access to
health insurance.
Does astrology provide any clues as to the future for
Obamacare? I think Neptune will have a big say in this as I
think it has done throughout:
The President and White House Staff react to the House of Representatives passing
the bill on March 21, 2010.
(Obamacare is costing the government, i.e. taxpayers, huge
sums and causing losses for insurers who are being forced to
underwrite older voters and younger people with pre-existing
health conditions. This transit moved on in late August 2010
but seems to have set the tone for the future as this issue keeps
coming back again and again.)
So, now back to January 2009 (with no notion of actual signing
day) and the forecast: the ‘water’ element would continue its
influence which could mean giving yet more ground in the
future and continuing uncertainty…
Tr Uranus in Pisces comes in for two more sesquiquadrate
aspects with Obama’s Sun, which is connected to natal
Moon (in the nation’s 6th), in autumn 2010 and in winter
2010/2011.
In early June 2011, a retrograde Neptune in Pisces in
natal 1st would be within orb of a first quincunx with
natal Mercury in the natal 6th (in the natal Mystic
Rectangle involving natal Moon in two t-squares in
the nation’s 6th) possibly leading to a far-reaching and
difficult-to-contain event which could undermine his
administration’s progress.
(In 2011, new legal challenges appeared from twenty-six states
with the most serious from Florida, and hearings lasted for
most of the year. Florida is thought to be ruled by Pisces! Also,
Judge Roger Vinson of Florida, who ruled against Obamacare
and tried to invalidate the entire law, was born on the day
when Sun moved into Pisces.)
Tr Neptune in Pisces will make four more exact
quincunxes to natal Mercury before moving away on 5
January 2014.
52Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
It has already returned (in Pisces, its own sign, and
in natal 1st) to make more waves, and has started to
make one of the five exact quincunx aspects to Obama’s
natal Sun in natal 6th, the first of which was in early
June 2016. This aspect continues on and off all the way
forward to mid-November 2018 and will set off the
sensitive natal Sun square natal Neptune in the 9th in the
water Grand Trine - this last involves Chiron in Pisces
(ruled by Neptune), whose relevance to health is noted
elsewhere above.
The future of Obamacare
This suggests that Obama could face deep ideological
differences regarding Obamacare for almost two years after
leaving office, and possibly that it may not survive in its
present form [as appears to be the case under Trump]. If he
does take on the role of trying to rescue Obamacare himself
(which I think the astrology suggests he might: he sought to
persuade Trump not to abandon it at their first meeting at the
White House in November 2016), he will probably have to call
on absolutely all the resources available to him in order to do
so. We probably won’t get any clarity until this quincunx has
worked its way through.
Obama no doubt wants to leave a legacy of lasting healthcare
reform that continues to increase the number of Americans
with access to affordable healthcare. His supporters regard
Obamacare to be his central legacy, but others still think
of it as unfinished business. Tr Uranus, now in Aries in his
natal 2nd house, started forming a quincunx with natal Mars
in Virgo at the end of April 2016. This may bring in rapid,
perhaps unexpected, changes, and possibly a surprising turn
of events as his life focus changes on leaving office. This aspect
doesn’t move on until mid-March 2017.
Astrologically and politically, the future for Obamacare still
seems to be very uncertain. But much activity on signing day
The astrology of ‘Obamacare’/Pluto
involving very tight aspects to his natal North Node in Leo in
the 7th house (linked to the all-pervading power of his natal
Moon in the nation’s 6th house) from tr Uranus in natal 2nd
in Pisces, tr Neptune/ Chiron in Aquarius, both in the natal
1st, suggests this: that although Obamacare was not fully
formed on signing day, Barack Obama’s selflessness, courage
and strength in initiating healthcare reform (to the benefit of
many) could be strongly linked to his life purpose.
Liz Hargreaves wanted to be an astrologer
ever since seeing an 8-year-old school
friend’s project on astrology and feeling
an immediate connection with its symbols.
A more conventional life awaited but
astrology books always provided a doorway
to a more familiar world. Liz retired early from her career as
an Independent Financial Adviser and started to study for
the Mayo School Diploma. She was tutored by Wendy Stacey
and passed with distinction in June 2016. Liz enjoys writing
and has decided to start her new life as an astrologer
contributing articles in an accessible style. Liz’s contact
email is [email protected].
Pluto’s methane
snowcaps
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has sent back this intriguing
image of Pluto [turn the image sideways so that the northern
red features are at the top]. NASA reports that “[this]
scene is south of Pluto’s dark equatorial band informally
named Cthulhu Regio, and southwest of the vast nitrogen
ice plains informally named Sputnik Planum. The chain of
bright mountains extends north into Cthulhu Regio and are
snowcapped. The ‘snow’ isn’t water, but atmospheric methane
that has condensed as frost onto these surfaces at high
elevation. Between some mountains are sharply cut valleys,
each a few miles across and tens of miles long”.
Credits: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201753
Up, up and away!
Part 1
The story of the first identification of Uranus as a planet at the advent
of 18th century flying machines
Jonathon Clark
Late on a spring evening in 1781, in a small garden in Bath,
it seems unlikely that the German musician and astronomer,
William Herschel, could have had any idea of what he had set
in motion as he tracked what he thought was a comet across
the skies with his telescope.1
It subsequently became clear that the object he spotted was
not a comet but a planet – and a planet whose time had come.
In the 235 years since its discovery Uranus has come to
symbolise revolution and sudden change on a transpersonal
scale, and by its very nature and the manner of its discovery,
this is understandable. Almost in an instant the size of the
known solar system was doubled – Saturn is 1,400,000,000
kilometres from the sun while Uranus is twice that distance.
Uranus is unusual in its physical characteristics, since it
is tilted at 98° to its axis so that it orbits the sun almost
horizontally rather than vertically. It was also the first planet
to be discovered using a scientific instrument rather than the
naked eye; and the timing of its discovery lies almost halfway
between the Declaration of Independence by the USA in 1776
and the overthrow of the French monarchy in 1789.
Saturn) should be the name
of the new planet. As Saturn
is the next planet out from
Jupiter in the solar system,
so Uranus is the next planet
out from Saturn – a sort of
planetary family tree.
Uranus, in Greek mythology,
was the god of the sky and
married to Gaia – mother
earth.
William Herschel portrait
For thousands of years human beings had operated in what
might be considered a two- dimensional world – land and
water – dimensions which had been explored extensively
although not completely. However, the appointment of a
mythological god of the skies could not have come at a more
appropriate time, as attention was now turning to exploration
of the air.
Uranus – odd one out again – is the only planet named after a
Greek god rather than a Roman god.
The first unmanned balloon flights took place in 1783 – just a
couple of years after the discovery of Uranus. Travelling in the
air may be considered by some to be a different form of travel
and therefore subject to the natural rulership of Mercury or
Jupiter according to the distance of the journey.
Uranus is visible not only through a telescope but also around
one-sixth of the time with the naked eye as a dim light –
Herschel’s discovery was not the first sighting of the planet
but it was the first time that it was identified as a planet.
However, viewed in a historical context these first journeys
through the air must have appeared truly magical to the 18thcentury observer and of a different order from anything which
had preceded it.
The orbit of Uranus around the sun takes 84 years, and this
is now about the average lifespan in the developed world –
Uranus flickers in and out of our view as someone at the age of
84 might flicker between worlds – both reviewing their life on
Earth and contemplating what death might bring.
As events unfolded over the next two-hundred years,
humanity’s fascination with air travel continued and produced,
eventually, aeroplanes and space rockets. The astrological
charts for the important initial stages in the journeys made
by these vehicles are linked by the remarkable closeness of
aspects between Uranus and other key planets, as well as
by the references which many of these charts show to each
other. In this context discussions about whether we should
allow five degrees or ten degrees for an aspect are redundant,
for everything is in tight aspect with two degrees being the
maximum orb.
Herschel originally proposed to name the planet “George’s
Star” in honour of King George III – something which was
understandably unpopular in the newly independent USA and
elsewhere.
An alternative was proposed by Johann Bode, although his
suggestion – Uranus – was not formally accepted in Britain
until 1850. Bode’s logic was that, just as Saturn was the
mythological father of Jupiter, so Uranus (being the father of
54Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
So, one of Uranus’s roles was to herald the conquering of the
skies, as we shall see. In a sense, this is just as much an upset
of the established order as it is a political revolution.
Up, up and away!
We know that Uranus was discovered between 10 and 11 p.m.
on 13 March 1781.2 While we can’t get a chart for the exact
moment we are fortunate that the Scorpio Ascendant is a
sign of long ascension so that there are only eleven degrees
of movement in the hour. A chart for 10:30 p.m. is only five
degrees out at the most, and more likely perhaps two or three
degrees.
A replica of the telescope which William Herschel used to observe Uranus.
Credit: Wikipedia Commons
of a Comet” with no reference to a new planet. It was the
Astronomer Royal, Nevil Makselyne, to whom Herschel
reported his findings, who suggested that the new body might
be a planet.
Discovery of Uranus
10:30 p.m. LMT, 13 March 1781, Bath, England, 51N23, 002W22
Perhaps the first thing to note is that Uranus occupies pride
of place in the evening skies. All the other planets except
Neptune – as yet undiscovered and always invisible to the
naked eye – are below the horizon.
We don’t have a time of birth for Herschel, but taking a
midday chart for his date of birth (15 November 1738,
Hanover, Germany),3 we find Mercury at 13°48’ Scorpio.
This is just one degree away from the Moon’s position when
Uranus was discovered at 14°59’ Scorpio where it lies close to
the Ascendant at 11°43’ Scorpio – it could be even closer if the
actual moment of discovery was a little after 10:30 p.m.
Ten days after Uranus was discovered Mercury went
retrograde, and anyone who has observed the lack of clarity
during such periods may readily imagine the uncertain
atmosphere in which Herschel wrote up his findings. Mercury
went direct again on 16 April, and when the paper was
presented to the Royal Society on 26 April, it was at 11° Aries
– exactly the same degree as it was on the evening Uranus was
discovered and as neat a piece of astrological symmetry as you
could wish to find.
Two years later the balloon flights in 1783 established several
landmark (or, rather, airborne) moments in the history of
flight.
A tight t-square is formed between Sun, Uranus and Mars in
mutable signs – the widest of the three aspects is only 1°02’
– and the tension between the planets seems to herald the
discovery which is being made. Herschel’s natal Sun at 23°
Scorpio lies within one degree of a trine to the Sun, a quincunx
to Mars and a semi-sextile to Saturn in the discovery chart.
Uranus was discovered during Herschel’s search for double
stars – a systematic search had commenced in October
1779 – just a few months after his directed solar arc Sun had
appropriately conjoined Uranus.
On 13 March 1781 it was not even clear just what had been
discovered, and the paper which Herschel presented to the
Royal Society with his findings was even entitled “Account
Contemporary illustration of the first flight by a hydrogen balloon, 1 Dec 1783
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201755
Up, up and away!
First unmanned untethered flight
1:45 p.m. LMT, 4 June 1783, Annonay, France, 48N52, 002E20
“Animals in flight”
1:15 p.m. LMT5, 19 September 1783, Versailles, France, 48°N48’, 002°E08’
Small hot air balloons made of paper had been in use for
hundreds of years in China and elsewhere.
The first balloon flight carrying live passengers was made on
19 September 1783 in a balloon resplendent with decorations
of the Sun and the signs of the zodiac, although the passengers
on this occasion were not human but consisted of a sheep, a
rooster and a duck. It was not a long flight, lasting some eight
minutes and covering a distance of four kilometres while
rising to a height of five hundred metres.
The modern era of hot air ballooning using much larger
balloons is generally considered to have been inaugurated
by the first public display on 4 June 1783 using a balloon
constructed by the Montgolfier brothers, Joseph-Michel and
Jacques-Etienne.
I have been unable to track down an exact time of launch,
but we do know that “people began gathering late in the
morning”4 at the public square in Annonay in south-eastern
France, so I have tentatively set the chart for 1:45 p.m., which
places Neptune on the Ascendant and the Mercury-Uranus
conjunction (separating by 1°26’) on the Midheaven.
Saturn is also square to Neptune, although four degrees away
from the exact aspect and five degrees away from an exact
opposition to Uranus.
As ballooning fever took hold in the second half of 1783 this
t-Square between Saturn, Neptune and Uranus intensified as
a new era in human history began.
The ascending degree of 19°00’ Sagittarius takes us back to
the discovery chart, where Saturn is at 19°42’ Sagittarius while
Mercury, the natural ruler of transport, is exactly conjunct the
Midheaven.
The position of the Moon at 7° Cancer marks the position of
Uranus in the chart for the first unmanned flight on 4 June
1783, while the square of Mars and Uranus for this airborne
version of Noah’s Ark seems wonderfully descriptive – Mars
shows the heat of the balloon’s interior and in Aries represents
a “first” while the square from Uranus testifies to the unusual
nature of the crew.
Significantly, Mars is at 11° Aries, linking us back to the same
place as Mercury in the discovery chart.
It was a day of mixed fortunes for the passengers – after the
flight “the sheep was [found to be] feeding quietly in its cage,
the duck did not seem to have received any hurt, but the cock
had its head broke”.6
The first manned flight took off on the morning of 13 October
1783 when a tethered balloon was launched from the yard of
Etienne Montgolfier’s home in Paris in front of thirty people.
The first balloon flight with passengers (a sheep, a duck, and a rooster) on 19 Sept
1783. Credit: 2001 National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
56Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
There had apparently been a number of people willing to take
part in this experiment – especially after the King had given an
assurance that the sheep which had flown the previous month
would be properly looked after in the Royal Menagerie!7
Up, up and away!
The flight itself lasted ten minutes and the balloon travelled
a distance of two kilometres, reaching a height of around 500
metres – similar to the untethered flight with the animal cargo
the previous month.
to usher in the new era of air travel than the first degree of the
zodiac coming over the horizon?
Mercury, as on the day of the first tethered flight in October, is
again at 12° Scorpio having been retrograde in the intervening
weeks – a curious echo of its cycle of motion at the date Uranus
was discovered as described above.
The two aviators were travelling in another balloon designed
by the Montgolfier brothers and included Pilatres de Roziers,
who had launched the balloon carrying the animals in
September as well as participating in the tethered flight in
October. The flight lasted just over twenty minutes and landed
a league and a half away from where it took off (approximately
nine kilometres) – the signatories to the statement describing
the flight included the American ambassador to France,
Benjamin Franklin.9
First manned flight (tethered)
11:15 a.m. LMT, 13 October 1783, Paris, France, 002E20, 48N52
There is some discrepancy regarding the exact date of this
flight, with a number of sources quoting 15 October rather
than 13 October. However, the news seems to have reached
England via a letter from an unnamed source in Paris and the
date on this letter is given as 13 October in all but one of the
newspapers in which it appeared.
I have not been able to find any more accurate time for the
flight than “this morning”,8 and have set a chart for 11:15 a.m.
with Neptune on the Midheaven and the Descendant at 13°
Gemini conjunct the position of the Sun at the time of the first
unmanned flight on 4 June 1783.
Regardless of the exact time of the flight on 13 October, the
important connections to the family of charts in this instance
lie in the positions of the planets rather than the angles.
In particular, Mercury lies in the thirteenth degree of Scorpio
between the Moon in the discovery of Uranus chart and the
natal Mercury of William Herschel.
Uranus, meanwhile, by 13 October 1783, has moved to the
twelfth degree of Cancer – opposite the degree which Saturn
occupied on 4 June 1783 – and remains in a tight square
with Neptune. During these four months Saturn has turned
retrograde and drifted back to 6° Capricorn, so that the
t-square is still not at its most exact.
First manned balloon flight
1:54 p.m. LMT10, 21 November 1783, Paris, France, 48°N52’, 002°E20’
A sense of the importance of the event is given by the newspaper
account which refers to the balloon travelling “a vast length of
way in the third region of the air” and the fact that “The Duke
of Chartres willing to celebrate the day on which the human
race first travelled in the air, and returned to give an account
of their journey, has resolved to erect a pyramid upon the spot
where the ball alighted and thereon to inscribe the names of
Montgolfier, who constructed the airy vehicle, together with
those of the two bold travellers, who dared to take a journey to
the third region of air”.11
Only three months earlier, when the first small, unmanned
hydrogen balloon landed in the village of Gonesse near Paris,
it had been destroyed by terrified local residents wielding
pitchforks and knives.12
The first manned flight in an untethered balloon took place
on 21 November 1783 with an Ascendant of 27°41’ Pisces, and
just a couple of minutes later, what could be more appropriate
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201757
Up, up and away!
Meanwhile, Mercury, whose only aspect in the chart for the
first manned hydrogen flight is a sextile to Jupiter mentioned
above, is at 27°14’ Scorpio – just 0°8’ away from the position
of Jupiter in the discovery chart – it is as though little Mercury
acts as a link between Jupiter in the two charts. In the first
chart Jupiter makes its presence felt in the 1st house and in the
second it is the ruler of the 9th house of long journeys where
Sagittarius is on the cusp.
The achievement of Pilatres de Rozier as the first man to
travel in the air was eclipsed less than two years later when
he became the first fatality of air travel. Attempting to cross
the English Channel on 15 June 1785, he took off with his
companion, Pierre Romain, from Boulogne but the balloon
ran into difficulties shortly afterwards and crashed, killing
both crew members.
First hydrogen balloon
1:45 p.m. LMT13, 1 December 1783, Paris, France, 002E20, 48N52
The first manned hydrogen balloon flight represents a
different order from the manned flights which had preceded it
using hot air balloons. This flight lasted around two hours and
covered a distance of 36 kilometres.
There are some discouraging factors in the chart of the crash
shown below – the time of take-off is variously given as 7
a.m. or 7:15 am, but the portents are the same – the Moon in
last degree of a sign (Virgo), South Node in the 1st house and
Pluto is conjunct the North Node suggesting a sad end to the
venture.
In the chart for the launch, Mercury, the traditional planet of
travel and a key planet in three of the hot air balloon flights, is
now reduced to a bit player. Its only major aspect is a sextile to
Jupiter, which has now changed sign and soared, untethered,
into Aquarius. The big planets have taken over.
Saturn, furthest known planet until two years earlier, is
opposed by Uranus, the new – and literal – god of the skies
with the aspect only 0°9’ away from exact opposition.
Perhaps even more interestingly, given its association in
modern astrology with gases, Neptune is now within one
degree of a perfect square with Uranus – the new method of
powering air travel is shown.
Mars, the ruler of the crew, is in an exact sextile (bar 0°5’) with
Pluto, and although a hot air balloon is hardly an immediate
connection with the ruler of the underworld, it seems to sum
up the global transformation (Pluto) which began with this
flight.
Finally, the Moon is exactly conjunct the North Node,
describing the way to the future – it is almost a finger pointing
at the Moon showing that man will land there one day – while
lying exactly trine at 14° Pisces to 14° Scorpio, an important
area of the zodiac in the charts previously described.
There is a further link from this chart for the flight of the
first hydrogen balloon to the moment when Uranus was
discovered – the progressed Moon from that chart is now at
22° Sagittarius, contacting the big t-square in the same chart.
58Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
Pilatres de Roziers crash
7:30 a.m. LMT14, 15 June 1785, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, 001E37, 50N43
Pluto also lies exactly sextile to a very public conjunction of
Mars and Jupiter, which are both within one degree of 11°
Aries – a zodiac location which has figured prominently in the
charts discussed to date and which is prominent in this chart
as well.
A Mars-Jupiter conjunction in fiery Aries is exactly opposed
by Neptune in airy Libra (which seems to be the generic
planetary symbol for the newly discovered balloon in all these
charts). This is a line-up which clearly shows the balloon
overheating – with all three planets close to the MC-IC axis it
seems trouble was inevitable.
Up, up and away!
Close aspects of Uranus in Charts for its Discovery and First Balloon Flights
Date
Event
Uranus
13/3/1781
DiscoveryofUranus
24°27’Gem
4/6/1783
FirstunmannedFlight
6°06’Can
19/9/1783
“3Animal”Flight
11°32’Can
13/10/1783
FirstMannedFlight–Tethered
11°53’Can
12°38’Sco
21/11/1783
FirstmannedUntethered
11°23’Can
12°11’Sco
1/12/1783
Firsthydrogenballoon(manned)
11°04’Can
This is the only chart in which the nearest Uranus aspect
is greater than 2° – and it is an “ending chart” rather than
a “beginning chart”. Even so, by squaring the opposition of
Neptune to Mars and Jupiter with a closest aspect of a square
of 2°57’ to Mars, the configuration speaks eloquently and
tragically of the crash.
Despite the popular astrological notion that squares and
oppositions are bad news – and that is evident in this crash
chart – it was also these hard aspects formed by three planets
in a t-square in cardinal signs in the early 1780s – Uranus in
Cancer, Saturn in Capricorn and Neptune in Libra – which
seem to have provided the energy for the breakthroughs
enabling humankind to travel in air for the first time and the
new astrological symbol for describing them.
The three planets concerned also represented a kind of
continuum of astrological symbolism in terms of past, present
and future – Saturn, the traditional planet which had been
observed for centuries, Neptune, the planet of the future
whose discovery was not to be made for another 70 years and
which came to symbolise the gas in balloons come together in
the present, as Uranus is discovered in 1781.
For all the excitement of the 1780s it would take another 120
years – one and a half Uranus cycles – until human beings
broke the next major frontier of air travel. On a winter’s
morning above a beach in North Carolina, Orville Wright left
the ground in the Kitty Hawk and became the first person to
fly an aeroplane.
In Part 2 (Mar-Apr 2017 issue) of Jonathon
Clark’s work on Uranus and flight, he
examines the charts of early air and space
travel and the connections between these and
the charts in Part 1.
Mercury
Mars
Saturn
23°25’Sag
7°31’Can
Sun
Neptune
23°45’Pis
6°11’Cap
7°31’Lib
11°42’Ari
10°21’Lib
9°53’Cap
10°21’Lib
10°55’Cap
11°54’Lib
References
1.ForageneraldiscussionoftheprincipalfactsofHerschel’s
life andthediscoveryofUranusseehttps://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Uranus#Discoveryandhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
William_HerschelaswellastheHerschelMuseumwebsitehttp://
herschelmuseum.org.uk.
2.www.astro.comRoddenRatingA.
3.www.astro.comRoddenRatingX.
4. Montgolfier Brothers and the Invention of Aviation 1783-1784,
CharlesCoulstonGillespie,PrincetonUniversityPress,1983,P.1.
5. Hampshire Chronicle,13October1783.
6. Ibid.
7. Hereford Journal,30October1783.
8. Ibid.
9.http://inventors.about.com/od/astartinventions/a/air_balloon.
htmandThe Reading Mercury and Oxford Gazette,8December
1783.
10. Ibid.
11. bid.
12. Eccentric Pioneers,PiersLetcher,publishedbyBradtTravel
Guides,2003,P.36.
13.FédérationAéronautiqueInternationale–file:///C:/Users/
Jonathon%20Clark/Downloads/rpt%2001%200000-1785.pdf
14.AccounttakenfromtheDerby Mercury,16June1785.
© Jonathon Clark 2016
Jonathon Clark became a Registered Life Planner
in 2014 (www.alohalifeplanning.com) having
qualified as a chartered accountant and worked
for many years as an independent financial
adviser – more details of his commercial
experience can be found on LinkedIn.
He has studied and practised astrology since 1987 and has run a
monthly astrology group in London since 2005 as well as ad hoc
workshops.
His website is: www.jonathonclark.com.
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201759
Hello, it’s Adele
Andrew Ifandis
An astro-portrait of one of the world’s most
successful singer-songwriters whose birth
chart resonates with musicality
Adele has been hailed as a ‘once in a generation’ singer.
the anthem would still exist and be invoked mentally.
Since her debut album ‘19’, released in 2008, she has broken
one music record after another. ‘21’, her second album
released in 2011, has sold 31 million copies worldwide, while
her last album, ‘25’, broke the first week sales record in the UK
and US (album charts), with the lead track ‘Hello’ becoming
the first song to sell over one million digital copies within one
week of release.
Music belongs to the spiritual realm. It is vibrations, waves,
something more than a series of notes scribbled on a sheet.
Astrology is from the same realm. It is the movement of the
planets, vibrating with energies, playing their unique music
of the spheres in frequencies that we astrologers hear and
listen to. The horoscope depicts their place and movement
at a given time, just like a music sheet. The planets are the
‘notes’ pointing to greater meaning beyond the chart detail of
symbols and aspect lines.
With only three albums out she is already the winner of ten
Grammy Awards, four BRITs, an Oscar and a Golden Globe.
Time magazine named her one of the most influential people
in the world in 2012 and again in 2016. With total sales of
more than 100 million records, this extremely talented woman
could be a billionaire by her 30th birthday.
Her big, captivating voice possesses exceptional emotional
depth and range. Notes are held long, she effortlessly jumps
octaves, using the very contemporary style of melisma. But it
is in those moments when she rolls in the deep, into her more
bluesy vocals, her dark and solid lower range, singing with
sheer and heartfelt emotion, that she really awes us.
The chart as synthesis
Douglas Hofstadter, an American professor of cognitive
science, whose research focuses on consciousness and artistic
creation, has posed a very interesting question on the essence
of music and creativity in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book
Gödel, Escher, Bach. Singing silently in his mind the US
national anthem, he wondered where ‘The Star-Spangled
Banner’ exists. You cannot find it in space and time, it is
something more than the ink trails on a paper kept in the
Library of Congress; you could destroy the music sheet but
60Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
We could put similar questions to Mr. Hofstadter. Where is
the singing in the chart of Adele? Where does one find her
talent within the astrological patterns? Where is the success?
Does it exist there in the aspects, transits and progressions? Is
it definable in astrological terms? Which are the astrological
factors that show it? Can we listen to her horoscope’s
synthesis?
A major chord in Taurus in tune with the
chart
The first major chord in Adele’s chart is Sun conjunct Jupiter
in Taurus. It sounds happy and optimistic. This is a tight
aspect with only a 1°36’ orb, and it plays an important role in
the overall melody as we shall see. It gives Adele a warm and
enthusiastic nature, a positive outlook, a generous disposition.
The Taurus fixed, earth quality tones down the grandeur and
excess this same aspect would have had, for example, in a
cardinal or fiery sign. Jupiter expands the Taurean qualities in
the staying power and loveliness of voice, in the harmonious
nature as well as in love of food and the good life, in reliability
and the need for stability and security.
Hello, it’s Adele
Jupiter-Pluto aspects are frequently found in the charts
of wealthy people. And even the hard aspects, oppositions
or squares can result in tremendous empowerment and
achievements if their energy is played correctly by the
individual. The aspect is on the 2nd and 8th house axis.
The 2nd house is all about values and resources, physical,
psychological and emotional; it is about money but also about
how one sees oneself. The 8th house is the deep connection we
form with others and value we get from them, mainly through
trust, emotional or financial. It is money and recognition that
this opposition brings, with Adele having balanced well the
energies of the opposing planets, as we shall see.
Pluto opposition Sun denotes a transformation from outward
circumstances that Adele may fear or is not yet ready to accept.
This aspect may account for her occasional stage fright. She
once said: “I always feel like this is going to turn out to be a
hidden-camera show, and someone is going to send me back
to Tottenham”2. Positively, this aspect bestows sheer power,
the strong sense of identity and self-respect that we see in her.
Adele Natal Chart
May 5 1988, Thu, 3:02 am BST -1:00, Tottenham
Sun in the 2nd house identifies with practical and emotional
security that comes easily, and Jupiter in this house gives
its favour to financial resources, wealth and self-esteem. “I
think no matter what you look like, the key is to first of all be
happy with yourself. And then you know, if you want to try to
improve things that you don’t like about yourself, then do it
after you appreciate yourself.”1 That is Adele speaking, wise
words that could be a tagline for the conjunction’s placement.
Taurus Sun rules her Leo Descendant, enhancing passionseeking, sharing, stability, loyalty and commitment in
relationships, the last exhibited in her long-term relationship
with her partner Simon Konecki.
Jupiter disposits Adele’s Moon in Sagittarius in the 10th
House. There’s an underlying melody here. This Sun-Jupiter
conjunction in Taurus, which rules larynx and vocal cords, ties
expansion (Jupiter) to singing (Taurus), emotional expression
(Moon) and chosen profession (10th). Jupiter also disposits
the Midheaven, bringing success and international reputation.
So, let’s examine how the chart is ‘tuned’. Five of Adele’s
planets are in earth, with four fixed planets: her chart resonates
with the Taurus vibration, the sign of her Jupiter and Sun; a
backing vocal that is always heard, once more emphasising
the conjunction’s harmonious leitmotif.
The Pluto Sonata
There is one more astrological factor that empowers this key
chord. The conjunction of Sun and Jupiter is greatly amplified
by its opposition to Pluto in Scorpio.
These two Pluto oppositions are greatly aided by Capricorn
Neptune that forms a wedge aspect with the three opposing
planets.
Neptune trines Jupiter (evoking adulation), trines Sun (talent
and musicality) and sextiles Pluto (powerful transcendental
delivery), and inspires (Neptune) respect (Capricorn) in her
peers (11th house), helping Adele channel the oppositional
energies in order to bring about the manifestation (Saturn) of
creativity (Neptune).
The singing of her Moon
Adele’s Moon conjoins Midheaven, reflecting her strong
emotional impact on the public. Fans and listeners naturally
respond to her Sagittarian charisma and emotional power
(Moon). This angular 10th house Moon also trines Descendant
which accounts for her mass and commercial appeal.
Adele’s Sagittarian Moon is the most elevated planet in the
chart and is most expressive. She can be comically candid
(see her unflattering Twitter photos or recent expletiveheavy Vanity Fair interview) and tearful. This is Sagittarius
spontaneity and fun in action. “When I got pregnant, I had so
much testosterone in me that I grew a beard. It’s not a joke.
I actually do have a beard, and I name it Larry”3. Her words.
Moon is sextile her unconventional, rebellious Aquarius
Ascendant and it is exactly this fusion of truth and originality
that remain “keystones of her persona”.4
Adele’s Moon rules her 5th and 6th houses, linking 10th-house
limelight, emotions, creativity and work in an underlying chart
melody. Her Moon evokes the idea of music as a memory that
spurred her to pursue a singing career. She has said: “So when
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201761
Hello, it’s Adele
I listened to the Ettas and the Ellas, it sounds so cheesy, but it
was like an awakening. I was so inspired that as a 15-year-old
I was listening to music that had been made in the Forties. The
idea that people might look back to my music in 50 years’ time
was a real spur to doing this”.5
Moon also symbolises her mother, Penny Adkins, whose
enthusiastic Sagittarian spirit encouraged Adele “to explore,
and not to stick with one thing”.6
Adele as mother falls under Moon, too, ruling the 5th house
of children. And in applying aspects with Saturn, Uranus and
Venus, these ‘promise’ two siblings for Adele’s son, in my
forecast.
A slight dissonance
Now the melody starts to unfold, but we can hear a small
dissonance in Adele’s chart. Opposite her Moon is Venus in
Gemini in the 4th. Most of her songs ‘speak’ about being in
love, heartbreaks and nostalgia. Venus also rules the SunJupiter conjunction and so she brings her aesthetic values
right on this key chord of the chart which, as we have already
seen, denotes her successful identity as a singer.
Venus in the 4th house seeks harmony in the home and
domestic pleasures, values family and tradition, and may
relish introversion. Adele seems to have integrated well the
opposing 10th house Moon-Venus energies. Exemplifying
this, she plans to take “a five-year hiatus from music, following
her current world tour, in order to spend quality time with
young son Angelo”.7
Helpfully, the opposing planets are trine and sextile the
Ascendant-Descendant axis, and in this way they find a way to
express themselves and solve the challenge.
Venus and Moon are also at the bendings of the nodal axis in
1st and 7th houses. This shows how vital to her success is the
theme of “love and soul apart and together” both lyrically and
musically. “My last record was a break-up record, and if I had
to label this one, I would call it a make-up record”8. It may also
hint at life-lessons (relating to her love life and her emotional
expression or emotional needs) that are yet to be learned.
With Venus in tight conjunction with Chiron, and in opposition
to 10th house Saturn-Uranus, it might be that her love life will
undergo sudden changes or hardships. But I personally assess
that her coping method of employing Sagittarius Moon’s
emotional wisdom to communicate Gemini Venus’ likes and
dislikes helps maintain the balance of home, love life and
career, as she has demonstrated to date.
The Mars-Ascendant polyphony
Mars trines Venus and squares Sun. The first is an ‘allegro’
aspect. It combines passion with romance, and gives artistic
62Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
ability. Air gives this Mars detachment and a capacity to act
indirectly because of its 12th house placement. And this is
fortunate in Adele’s case, since it counter-balances the bold,
audacious, reckless and loud Sun-Mars square.
Mars tells us of the qualities she seeks in a man, and Adele’s
Mars is in Aquarius. Her partner Simon Konecki is a charity
entrepreneur, an ex-investment banker who became “appalled
by the growing distance between rich and poor” and decided to
use his connections, knowledge and persuasive personality to
make a better impact on the world. He does this by providing
access to clean water in countries that need it.9 Adele’s dream
man could not be more Aquarian than the idealist, activist
Konecki!
Adele’s Ascendant, also in Aquarius, gives her the anticelebrity style, the unpredictability. It makes her value her
friends a lot10 and to be a true liberal, respecting freedom of
other people’s values and choices. She is very respected by the
LGBT community of whom she has said that, “they’re like my
soul mates since I was really young”;11 and she is open about
the possibility of her son having a boyfriend.12
The two melodies in the chart
There are two melodic themes in Adele’s horoscope, one
in the southern hemisphere and one in the northern, each
corresponding with the two planets in rulership in each half of
the chart: Saturn and Mercury.
Pluto, Mars, Neptune and Uranus are all disposited directly or
indirectly by Saturn, ruler in Capricorn in the 10th, and ruler
of her Ascendant. This disposition of Saturn practically means
that each planet contributes to Adele’s achievement and her
climb to the top (Capricorn, 10th house). Pluto empowers
Mars; this Mars is determined to succeed. Neptune’s
inspiration and artistry are easily manifested and shared
publicly. Uranus combines tradition with ingenuity and
independence in career decisions: she actually signed with an
independent record label. Saturn gives control over musical
choices. And most importantly, Saturn rules her 11th house
of peers and her Ascendant, bringing her respect as a person,
singer and music industry professional.
In the southern hemisphere, Mercury is the final dispositor:
Jupiter disposes of Moon, Venus disposes Sun and Jupiter,
and Mercury disposes Venus. Mercury is also in Gemini
and in the 3rd house of writing and articulation. This makes
Mercury triple strong and very important. And although it is
unaspected it is enhanced through the chain of dispositions.
Adele’s being finds harmony through writing music and
singing (Sun to Venus to Mercury); emotions are invested in
soulful romantic lyrics (Moon to Jupiter to Venus to Mercury);
her mind has a strong aptitude for musicality and synthesis
(Venus to Mercury). All of these are reflected in the amazing
Hello, it’s Adele
Adele performing, March 2016
5.
Jupiter dispositing MC (international reputation and
rewards).
6.
Moon on the MC (popularity and ability to win audiences).
7.
Moon in the limelight (10th house), ruling 5th and 6th
(emotional expression is creative and what one does for
a living).
8.
Summary of chart factors of Adele’s
talent and success
Moon opposition Venus (song themes and overall mood
of songs and lyrics).
9.
Our analysis of Adele’s horoscope reveals the following
astrological factors, present in her natal chart, that contribute
to her talent, singing and success:
Moon Venus at the bendings (the importance of romantic
expression towards soul fulfilment).
10. Mars trine Venus (passion in her singing).
fact that it took Adele only ten minutes to write ‘Hometown
Glory’, her first great hit.13 She writes or co-writes the music
for most of her songs, and writes all the lyrics.
All these writing and synthesis themes are found here, in this
rulership of Mercury. Something of her voice is found here
also, with Mercury revealing “how we compose and arrange
both words and sounds”, and is linked to a singer’s physical,
technical voice, as Frank Clifford has described in his excellent
article, ‘Iconic Vocalists of the 20th Century’.14
11. Dispositor ‘clusters’* in the two hemispheres (creative
abilities, professionalism, aesthetic expression and
‘voicing’ of her identity).
1.
Sun-Jupiter conjunction in Taurus (singing, melody and
harmony, favour in financial matters).
2.
Pluto’s opposition to the Sun-Jupiter conjunction,
empowering the 2nd-8th house axis (success,
achievements, self-worth and money from others).
12. Mercury placement and dispositions (musicality, voice,
lyrics, ability for synthesis).
3.
Sun-Jupiter conjunction dispositions bring together the
2nd and 10th house for wealth, public recognition; and
establish her professional identity as a singer.
4.
Jupiter dispositing the Moon in the 10th (expansion with
singing as the soul’s expression).
* The term ‘clusters’ is mine and refers to the existence of
(usually) two different sets of disposition chains between
planets in a chart. Such clusters are formed when a horoscope
has more than one ruling planet and the term is used only
when there is not a mutual reception in the chart.
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201763
Hello, it’s Adele
The movements
Although musical ability and creative talent can be inherent
in the chart, success is never guaranteed and requires hard
work and being in the right place at the right time. Adele has
benefited from talent, hard work and ‘luck’, judged by transits,
progressions and other indicators:
From home town to glory
(Sun and Mercury key notes)
Adele wrote her first song ‘Hometown Glory’ in 2004 when
her progressed Sun was conjunct natal Mercury, a planet that,
as we have seen, is a powerful astrological factor for her music
writing talent.
March to September 2006: signing to XL
Recordings
(Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto are the key notes)
In March 2006 her progressed Moon entered the 7th house,
time to go public and be recognised. She’s introduced to
Jonathan Dickins, her manager. “She was 18, just out of
college, and wanted to make a career in music. We started
working together in early June 2006 and eventually we signed
her to XL in the end of September 2006.”
In the midst of all this, in August 2016, tr Jupiter conjoins
natal Pluto in the 8th house and opposes the Sun-Jupiter
conjunction, triggering the important natal opposition, while
Saturn squares all planets from the 6th house of work, linking
success with hard work.
On 22 September, progressed Moon ingresses Virgo. This
marks the birth of a new period in her work and a change in
daily habits that is just about to come. Her contract is signed
at the end of the month.
22 October, right on the date ‘Hometown Glory’ is released
in the UK!
18 October 2008 - Adele wins over America
(Jupiter and Saturn as the key notes)
Adele’s break in America came when she was booked
as the musical guest on the 18 October 2008 episode
of NBC’s Saturday Night Live. The episode, which included
an expected appearance by then US vice-presidential
candidate Sarah Palin, earned the programme its best ratings
in 14 years with 17 million viewers.15
On this day:
a) Tr Jupiter is trine tr Saturn, and both planets are trine
natal Sun-Jupiter conjunction.
b) Tr Saturn is trine her progressed Jupiter.
May 2011 to June 2012 – the second album’s
numerous awards
(Jupiter in Taurus and Jupiter Return as the key notes)
On 24 January 2011 she released her second album ‘21’. May
2011 to June 2012, Jupiter was in Taurus, and Adele had
her Jupiter Return with Jupiter transiting her 2nd house. It
was this second album that earned her numerous awards,
mentions in the Guinness Book of Records and made her
Billboard’s ‘artist of the Year’ for both 2011 and 2012.
19 October 2012 – Her son Angelo James
Konecki is born
Progressed Moon opposition natal Sun, motherhood is
expressed with her progressed Full Moon fulfilment!
June to October 2007 - breakthrough
20 November 2015 – release of third album
‘25’ and immense success
(Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto are again the key notes)
(Jupiter as the key note)
On 8 June 2007, Adele made her first television appearance,
performing ‘Daydreamer’ on the BBC’s Later...with Jools
Holland. Adele’s breakthrough song, ‘Hometown Glory’, was
released in October 2007.
Jupiter transits Adele’s 7th house and forms an exact
trine to her secondary progressed Jupiter in Taurus while
simultaneously conjoining secondary progressed South Node
and her solar arc Descendant (how she is received publicly).
January to October of 2007, tr Jupiter is on her Midheaven,
crossing it for the first time on 7 February and (retrograde) on
6 June, two days prior to her TV debut!
What happens next? Where is the song?
At this time her solar arc Pluto opposes her solar arc Jupiter,
and tr Saturn is forming a wedge pattern with her progressed
Nodes.
Jupiter crosses over the Midheaven for the third time on 5
October, making an exact trine to her progressed Jupiter on
64Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
So, where is the singing in the chart of Adele? Where does
one find her talent within the astrological patterns? Where
is the success? Does it exist there in the aspects, transits and
progressions? Is it definable in astrological terms? Which are
the astrological factors that show it?
Yes, the success and the singing are there in the chart.
Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn all play a very important role in the
manifestation of the natal chart’s ‘promise’, contributing to
Hello, it’s Adele
reveals-shes-grown-beard-7639289
4.
http://www.vogue.com/13393643/adele-march-2016cover/
5.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3672957/
Adele-young-soul-rebel.html
6.
http://www.biography.com/people/adele-20694679#earlyyears
7.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/adele-setquit-music-five-7633660
8.
Adeleonheralbumslyricalcontent,“Adeleconfirmsnew
albumiscalled25”. BBC News. 21 October 2015.
9.
http://adele.wikia.com/wiki/Simon_Konecki&http://
drop4drop.org/
Adele album covers
10. ‘’ItwastypicalAdele.Herpalsweremoreimportant.’’
http://www.contactmusic.com/adele/news/adele-choseparty-over-record-deal_1304288
11. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-msadele-orlando-antwerp-20160613-snap-story.html
Adele’s transformation, immense success and maturity as a
person and professional.
The Saturn-Jupiter cycle is triggering her natal Jupiter
opposition with Pluto, and the two planets’ movements are
aligned with her fame, success and rewards. It is a process
that started with the planets’ closing square in 2006; and I
forecast that this will culminate at the end of 2020/start of
2021, when the two planets conjoin upon Jupiter’s ingress of
Aquarius and trine her natal Mercury.
One last question remains to be answered. Where is the song?
Adele is the song.
She. A melody made of all of her songs which we silently hum
in our heads.
Inspiring...uplifting...moving....
(Endnotes)
1.
9AdeleQuotesAboutBodyPositivityThatProve
HerPhilosophyIs Golden,http://www.bustle.com/
articles/119700-9-adele-quotes-about-body-positivitythat-prove-her-philosophy-is-golden
2.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/adele-insideher-private-life-and-triumphant-return-20151103
3.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/adele-
12. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/adeleaddresses-how-she-would-respond-to-her-son-beinggay-a6783991.html
13. Adele - The Biography:updatedtoincludethemakingof
25,ByChasNewkey-Burden
14. ‘IconicVocalistsofthe20thCentury,TheirMusic,Their
Lives,TheirCharts’, TMA,April/May2014FrankClifford
15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adele#cite_note-54
Andrew Ifandis is an astrologer based
in Athens and travelling the cosmos.
His analysis of the nativity of the
celebrated Swedish film director Ingmar
Bergman was published in 2016 in The
Astrological Journal and republished by
Astrodienst at www.astro.com. Andrew approaches the
horoscope as a portrait of the person’s inherent potential.
His readings reveal the chart’s vibrant dynamics and
constructively help towards awareness, self-realisation
and externalisation of the creative within ourselves. He
contributes to renowned astrological publications and is
expanding his astrological skills at the Kepler College of
Astrological Studies in Washington. To learn more, visit
Andrew’s site, www.cosmosofastrology.com, or contact him
at [email protected].
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201765
Pam Crane’s Sign Language
Me and My Shadow
Thinking about the Contrascia (which
I call Reflexes, as they reflect across
the 0° Aries-Libra axis) I was wondering
why I hadn’t tried Dwads of these
long-valued points. Dwads cast such a
brilliant light on the real inner identity
of everyone and everything: it was time
to do some fine-tuning.
You will need to know how to do this
in Solar Fire - and only ever with an
exactly timed chart!
Put up the Contrascion chart of your
subject (in Chart, Harmonic) and
leave it selected; then go to Chart,
Locality. Enter the same location as in
the chosen nativity and click OK. This
turns the Reflex chart into a ‘radix’
chart that you can now manipulate.
Select this, go to Chart, Vedic, Vedic
D12 Dwadashamsha, and click
OK. Here is the Dwad of the Reflex.
Regrettably, SF still maps Reflexes onto
the radix angles, so in this Dwad you
only see the Dwad angles from the radix
chart. Like me, you’ll have to calculate
and input the Reflex Dwad angles by
hand.
stretched over the Asc-Desc! If we
simply take the radix Dwad chart and
do its straightforward Contrascion,
the pattern is quite different - though
also very descriptive. This time on the
horizon is a real trouble-maker pulling
the wool over his eyes - a tight Reflexing
of Eris and Neptune to the Descendant,
the partner, and also Ceres/Saturn to
Asc…a controlling and material eye to
the main chance?
The direct contacts formed between these
two charts are intriguing: not only do we
have the mirror degrees of the Reflex
but their refinement, and it rather looks
as though we are getting a glimpse of a
‘Shadow’ self (not necessarily negative,
of course). However, the SF charting
problem actually highlights a crucial
area to explore, as time after time angles
in the radix Dwad are found lining
up closely with planets in the Reflex
Dwad and vice versa...planets which
are absolutely key to understanding the
known characteristics and history of the
individual.
A great example is Edward, Duke of
Windsor, who abdicated kingship to
marry the woman with whom he was
obsessed, Wallis Simpson. Nowhere in
Edward, Duke of Windsor
his radix/Reflex, radix/Dwad or even
Reflex/Dwad biwheels is there any sign
of that dominant woman. But!...put the
radix and Reflex Dwads together, and
twice we find a Moon-Pluto opposition
66Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
Edward’s brother, already enjoying
a strong marriage to Lady Elizabeth
Bowes-Lyon, consequently became
George VI of England and endured
the rigours and horror of the 2nd World
War alongside his people. In his case the
radix Dwad and its Reflex tell the whole
story - lovely Sun-Moon conjunction
shining royally on the Leo Ascendant,
reflexing to Ceres and Eris; the privations
of Saturn (and a harsh upbringing) at
Pam Crane’s Sign Language
King George VI
the IC, the massive challenges of Pluto
on the MC. And there, just where it
should be, is Mercury reflexing with
Neptune, the nervous sensitivity that led
to his disabling stammer.
Let’s look at a man who completely
deceived people. Ted Bundy was
handsome, intelligent, friendly. Lots
of Sagittarius, Leo rising. Women were
utterly taken in. And he murdered nearly
forty of them. The first warning sign is in
the radix Dwad in which Eris and Ceres
join the Ascendant, and Saturn/MC
meets radix Venus/IC. Then we come
to that double Dwad chart, radix and
Reflex. Eris is so strong, she becomes
vicious: she is conjoined in the Reflex
Dwad by both Ascendant and MC, with
bereaved Ceres close by, aligning with
an abusive, uncontrolled radix Dwad
Sun/Sedna. This pattern also reverses.
Mars conjoins IC. He is evil through and
through.
Which self is the shadow?
Data:
Edward VIII, King of England, 23 June
1894at21:55GMT,Richmond,Surrey,UK,
51n10,0w20-BC/BR,RoddenRatingAA
George VI, King of England,14December
1895 at 03:05 GMT, Sandringham, UK,
52n50,0e30-BC/BR,RoddenRatingAA
Bundy, Ted, 24 November 1946 at 22:35
EST,Burlington,Vermont,44n29,73w13-
BC/BR,RoddenRatingAA
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201767
Bookshelf Latest releases
Descriptions and reviews welcome. Email: [email protected]
Exploring the Financial Universe: The
Role of the Sun and Planets in the
World of Finance
Christeen Skinner
Ibis Press, pb £18.48; kindle £17.56
(Amazon prices) Ibispress.net
Description: The role of the Sun,
planets and stars and their influence
on global markets is intriguing to
tradersandinvestorsalike.Christeen
Skinner’sresearchshowsverydefinite
links between major stock market
movements and the position of the
planets.Thisbookwillbeofinteresttothosewithlittleunderstanding
of astrology as well as those well-versed in the subject. The work
includescharts,graphsandhoroscopesandexplanationofsomeof
thetechniquesusedforastro-financialforecasting.
Topicscoveredincludesolarrhythmsandtheintricaciesofcommodity,
propertyandcurrencypricemovementswithplanetcycles.Therole
oftheplanetsinmasteringtherelationshipbetweentimeandprice
isconsidered.Thereisachapteronthenatalhoroscopeandfinancial
rhythms set from birth. And it concludes with forecasts covering
2017-2024.
Othertopics:solaractivityandthemarkets;stockmarketcrashesof
the20thCentury;onedaygainsversuslosses;currenciesandmajor
planetaryconfigurations;commoditypricemovements;propertyprice
cyclesandtheroleoftheMoonandplanets;thelinkbetweenplanet
cycles, time and price; and financial timing indicators in your own
chart.
Casestudiesarepresentedinbusinessastrology,andanexplanation
of some astro-finance trading techniques and uses financial charts
takenfromtheMarketAnalystsoftwareprogramforastro-traders.
This is an excellent addition to the Skinner library which includes
Money Signs: Beginners Guide and The Financial Universe: Planning Your
Investments using Astrological Forecasting.
A History of Our Emerging
Consciousness: A Process of
Becoming
Andrew Bradbery
Historic Milestone Ltd; 2016
Enhanced 2nd in Hardback ed.
Edition, hb £18.99
Description:
As science and
technology have advanced, each
generation continues to accelerate
the rate at which the modern world
is being reinvented. This quest for
knowledge,oftenfosteredbythebestideasfromyoungminds,feeds
the numerous industries created to develop our consumer culture.
Environmentaldamagefromtailoringthenaturalenvironmenttosuit
68Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
newconsumerfashionscontinueswiththeexpansionofagriculture’s
attempts to feed the growing global population. Alongside the
continuingdestructionoftheenvironment,globalwarminghasthe
potentialtoderailtherunawaytrainofintelligentdesign.
Considering these looming disasters, it is clear our collective
intelligenceneedstofocusonprioritiesotherthaneconomicgrowth.
Cluestounderstandcurrentagendasbetterarisefromexploringthe
legacies past cultures contributed to human intelligence. History
and archaeology tell us when new ideas first led to the spread of
culturaladvances.Likethreads,theyhavebeenspunandwoveninto
thetapestriesofourconsciousness,redefiningwhatitcanmeanto
behuman.AHistoryofOurEmergingConsciousnesstraceshowthis
resultenrichedthelivesofourancestors.Lookingatthecontinuumof
progressmadeduringpastmillennia,itsphysical,emotional,mental
and spiritual stages introduce us to a process in which we are all
participants.
Thetimeswhenthesenewideaswereintroducedareseentorelateto
anaturalcycle.Theearlyuseofthescientificsymbolsdescribingthis
cycleintroducedanaccurateannualcalendar.Thisclockwasinvented
by projecting onto our annual cycle of starry patterns many of the
qualitiesthatdescribethecycleoftheseasons.Acalendarbecame
available to all farmers. Our emerging consciousness is discovered
tofollowthesesamesymbols.Thisisshownbytheircorrelationwith
thesurvivalstrategiesthathavecomedowntousthroughtheages.
Some still serve us well while others have inextricably led to the
manyglobalcrisesfacingusandfuturegenerations.
The idea of “as above so below” introduces the principle of
correspondence, often identified as the law of correspondences.
Oneofthecountlessnaturalexamplesofthisisthecorrespondence
betweenthestructureofoursolarsystemandtheatomicstructureof
atoms.ThisprincipleushersintheideathattheUniverseemanates
from one source with common laws and characteristics.These may
applytoeachaspectofcreationmanifestinginitsappropriateplane
ofexpression.
Mythology,archaeologyandhistoryrevealhowhumandevelopments
mirror this correspondence.This book first considers the growth of
physical,emotional,mentalandspiritualdimensionsofintelligence
sincethelastIceAge.Itdescribeshowotherqualitiesofconsciousness
emergedalongsidethesefourphasesofgrowingintelligence.From
these, a model describing our emerging consciousness during the
last10,000yearsisdeveloped.Totestitsvalidityamoreextensive
study of the emergence of all other qualities of consciousness is
successfullyundertaken.
Palaeontologistsarguethatthemostdistantperiodinthepastfrom
which we can begin this test is the Upper Palaeolithic Revolution,
c 38,000 BC. It was around this time that it is believed the human
imaginationwasfirstexpressed.Thepathourspecieshasfollowed
sincethisbirthistraced.Itdescribesthebackdropofthemanyages
during which a process has been endlessly inspiring and informing
the self-awareness, imagination and endeavour upon which we all
depend.Agreaterawarenessofthisprocessmayinfluencetheway
weviewthechallengesfacingthemodernworld.
Transits for January - February 2017
By Sarah Cochrane
http://sarahsastrology.com
January 2017
February 2017
MarsconjunctionNeptuneinPiscesonthe1stfocusesonputting
dreamsintoaction.VenusentersPiscesonthe3rd;toenhance
emotional responses and sensitivity in social situations and
romanticinvolvement.RetrogradeMercuryinCapricornsextile
Venusencouragestheabilitytothinktwicebeforeseekingyour
heart’sdesire,justincaseallisnotwhatitseems.Retrograde
Mercuryre-entersSagittariusonthe4thtorevitaliseoptimism
afterperiodsofpessimism,whetherthey’regreatorsmall.
MercurysquareUranusonthe1sthasanerraticandpotentially
unexpectedeffectoncommunicationandtechnology.Inventive
ideasareindemandtoovercomedifficultiesthatoccur.Mercury
squareJupiteronthe2ndshowstherewillbeproblemsobtaining
theinformationsoughttomakebigplansorforagrandvision.
SunconjunctionPlutoinCapricornonthe7thintensifieswhatis
takenmostseriouslyandwhattoeliminateintheformofselfdiscipline.Mercuryturnsdirectonthe8thtokick-startpositive
thinking.
SunsquareUranusinAriesonthe10thbringsdisruptionwhen
andwhereit’sleastexpectedtoupsetwhathasbeenorganised;
challengesteststrengthandperseverance.MarssextilePlutoon
the11thstimulatesactionbasedonintuitionthatcanbeused
toachievewhathasneededtobechangedandimprovedinthe
long-term.
Sun square Jupiter on the 12th causes problems due to
overconfidenceandpoorjudgementinwhatcanbedone.The
Full Moon in Cancer increases emotional vulnerability and
anurgetoprotectwhathastobekeptsecure.Mercuryenters
Capricorn which assists constructive planning and discussions
about responsibilities. Venus conjunction Neptune reveals
idealism strongly influences romantic relationships. Beauty
inspirescreativityandtheimagination.
MarssquareSaturnonthe19thblocksthepathofactionwith
obligations that demand a quick response. The Sun enters
Aquariustoaddstrengthandcouragetorevealpersonalquirks
andeccentricities.
Venus sextile Pluto on the 20th has the power to transform
relationships for the better. There could be a compulsive
fascinationwithwhateverattractsyourattention.
MercurysextileNeptuneonthe23rdisbeneficialforideasthat
are sensible but still stimulate the imagination. There is an
increasedsensitivitytominorpiecesofinformationthatcanbe
usedtoyouradvantage.
Venus enters Aries on the 3rd to encourage assertiveness in
socialinteractionandtoattractwhatismaterialisticallydesired
byusingcharmandflattery.
Jupiter turns retrograde on the 6th to gradually pull the reins
on expansion and optimism about what opportunity can offer.
MercuryentersAquariusonthe7thenhancingalternativeideas
andtobringforthinformationwhenit’sleastexpected.Eureka
momentsmayhappen.
Sun sextile Uranus on the 9th stimulates courage to express
quirky personality traits that will be favourably received.
MercurysextileVenusonthe10thhasapositiveinfluenceon
verbalinteraction,especiallyatsocialgatheringswhereyou’re
expectedtobeonyourbestbehaviour.
TheLunarEclipseinLeoonthe11thisatimetoassesswhat
recognition you have received, and what can be done to take
charge over elements of your life that you want to dominate.
Sun trine retrograde Jupiter boosts confidence and optimism;
butnottotheextentofbeingcarriedawaybyadoseofgood
fortune.
SunsextileSaturnonthe14thisconstructiveandstrengthens
self-discipline, it’s great for getting things done. Mercury
sextile Mars on the 16th supplies energy to have discussions
aboutissuesyouareenthusiasticorpassionateabout.TheSun
entersPiscesonthe18thwhichmeansencouragementmaybe
necessarytodealwithself-esteemissuesorvulnerabilitiesthat
areseenasaweakness.
Mercury sextile Uranus on the 21st offers potential new
discoveries and chances to learn something new. Mars square
Plutoonthe22ndmarksthearrivalofintensepowerstruggles
thatdemandalotofenergytoovercome.MercurysextileSaturn
onthe23rdenablesconstructivethinkingandprovidesuseful
information.
VenussquareSaturnonthe27thputsdutybeforepleasure.Work
gets in the way of whatyou want to do, but when completed
therewillbeasenseofrelief.
Mercury enters Pisces on the 25th; intuition dominates logic,
creativityisstimulatedbutrationalityisnotaseasytocomeby.
TheNewMooninPiscesonthe26thishelpfulforstartingnew
projectsthatcanbeadaptedandarenotonafixedroute.
TheNewMooninAquariusonthe28thistobeusedtostartnew
andradicalchange.It’sfollowedbyMarsenteringAriestofireup
enthusiasmandpassion.MercuryconjunctionPlutoonthe29th
intensifies mental activity and is suitable for psychoanalysis.
Theremaybepeoplewhoareverballyforcefulandpersuasive.
Mars conjunction Uranus on the 27th has an erratic effect on
how energy is used; a lot can happen with little warning so
be prepared to act quickly. Mars opposition retrograde Jupiter
meansyoushouldbeonyourguardagainsttakingactionthatis
consideredtobefoolishlyover-optimistic.
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201769
Astrology crossword 12
by Pam Crane
http://revpamcrane.weebly.com
This crossword is for the smartest set in the astrology world; it’s the one to beat.
Could you be the next reader to carry off the goody-bag prize? The winning
solution is chosen by draw on 28 February 2017. Answers to Crossword 12 will be
published in our May-June 2017 issue. Answers to Crossword 10 are on this page
below the puzzle. Complete the puzzle and send us a scanned copy as a pdf – or
just email your answers to: [email protected].
Crossword 10: Sep-Oct 2016 issue: No winners.
Answers to 10 (Sep-Oct 2016 issue) puzzle:
Across:
6 Delta, 7 Occulted, 10 Cast-off, 11 Our Lady, 12 Daystar, 13 Tallith, 14
Equinoctial, 19 Perigee, 21 Orbital, 23 Anareta, 25 Rooster, 26 Goatfish,
27 India.
Down:
1 Old Style, 2 Way-out, 3 Conference, 4 Echo, 5 Nepali, 6 Decade, 8
Lorelei, 9 Myths, 13 Tycho Brahe, 15 Unguent, 16 Latitude, 17 Splay, 18
Gloria, 20 Reason, 22 Biopic, 24 Axis.
70Jan/Feb2017 TheAstrologicalJournal
Across
8 BiggerthanPegasus,smaller
thanSirius!(6)
9 TheNaveloftheWorld(8)
10TopCat?(4)
11Aflyingcartransportsstar
astrologer(5,5)
12Agreatageforaguytochange
direction(4)
13 Undisciplined fat cops set for
relaxedrelationship(4,6)
17Alien-huntersfindEgyptian
god(4)
18OnceBabylonian(5)
19Horoscopessetupwithout
epochs-justabout!(2,2)
21So,nodemonsdisturbthe
celestialdragon(5,5)
23Defaultforun-timedchart(4)
24Threetimesthiscluepointsto
aninch(10)
28Clumsystepleadstosmall
fall(4)
29TheManInTheMirror?...(8)
30EarlyGermanastrologer-work
andbio(6)
Down
1 Athousanduterinechanges...
result?Nativity!(8)
2 UnhappyLeoatoningfor
distancefromSun(10)
3 Slowlyspringbackfromquiet
economicdecline(10)
4 Righthere,lookinglike
Jupiter!(4)
5 HopalongCassidy’shidden
gem(4)
6 TheGreatIllusion(4)
7 PatternofJewishLaw?(6)
14 Pretender led out of dreadful
mayhem(5)
15Ipatronisedesigner’sspring
debut(5,5)
16Signfavouringspiritual
adept(10)
20Survivorsconstantlyinhot
water?(8)
22Wherecanoesbobabout(6)
25Riseup,vindictivegoddess!(4)
26Secondcheckfordeferred
payment(4)
27 ‘WeareSiamese,ifyouplease...’
(4)
Astro-X-Ray: Sharon Knight
Chair of the Association of Professional Astrologers International and on the
Board of Trustees of the Astrological Association, Sharon teaches and practises
traditional astrology, and in 2016 was voted ‘International Astrologer of the
Year’ in India. She lives in a rural idyll in East Sussex, UK
Q: Hello Sharon! Do people try to befriend you to get a free
reading? At parties, say?
SK:Inthepastsomedid,butthatdoesn’thappennow.
Q: When did you first realise astrology had completely taken
possession of you – if indeed it has?
SK: I think I was about 28 and possession is now complete! I
cannotescape!!
Q: Briefly describe your office and the view from the principal
window, if any.
SK:FrommymainwindowIhaveabeautifulviewofmygarden,
whereIcanwatchthebirds,rabbits,catsandtheoddfox,badger
or weasel crossing the lawns. I also get to watch the seasons
change.Atnight,IseethestarsoverheadbecauseIliveabout4
milesawayfromanystreetlightssoamdoublylucky.
Q: Which one aspect in your birth chart sums up a key trait
known to loved ones?
SK:Idon’tknow,Iguesshoof in mouthsyndrome–Sagrising.
Q: Do you support professionalisation of astrology, y’know, the
diplomas and whatnot? Or do you foresee homogenised astrosausages, like lawyers and doctors?
SK:WellasChairoftheAPAI,Ihavetosayyes.Althoughgetting
adiplomadoesn’tnecessarilymakeforagoodastrologer!There
are many fantastic astrologers who don’t have a diploma, but
theirlevelofknowledgeandexpertiseisawesome.
Q: How did you learn the astro art?
SK:MostlyateveningclassinLondon.Iwassofortunatetohave
had Mike Edwards as my principal tutor, then Bernard Eccles,
Rob Zoller, and of course the wonderful Olivia Barclay. I also
studiedwiththeFacultyuptoDiplomalevel.
Q: Which flower persistently fails your sniff test? If not a flower
then anything which promises an attractive pheromone – but
disappoints.
Q: Traditional techniques are your forte - do you find them
superior to modern methods? And/or would you say they appeal
to a certain type of temperament?
SK:Thereissomethinginallaspectsandtypesofastrologyfor
everyone.Idoconsidertheoutersingenerationalinfluences,and,
I have had an interesting reading from an asteroid astrologer
although she could not predict events. But for me, I love the
structure,historyandsimplicityofthetraditionalmethods.They
alsogiveconcreteresultswheninterpretedcorrectly.Iwouldn’t
liketonarrowthe‘temperament’type,Iteachseveralastrologers
who were‘diehard moderns’ but find they love traditional and
nowuseitintheirclientworkbecauseitgivesthemdescriptions
ofpeople,placesandthings.
Q: You were crowned ‘International Astrologer of the Year 2016’
from the 26th International Astrological Conference in Kolkata,
India. How’s the reign been? What happens to the crown?
SK:Well,apartfromhavingmylegpulledbyfamilyandfriends,
lifehascontinuedasnormal!Itwasagreathonourandhuge
surprisewhenIsawthewholeauditoriumgivingmeastanding
ovation.Ittookmybreathaway.ThecrownIhavestaysfirmlyon
myhead.Theygetanewcrownforeachwinner.Evenifitisa
manwinning,hetoowearstheTiara.
Q: Which computer software programme do you use? Do you
ever cast a chart on paper?
SK: I use Solar Fire and Morinus which is a brilliant software
program for traditional astrology. If I have a‘tricky’ chart, I do
drawitupbyhandasithelpsgetmymindingear.Alsoitisgood
practiceifalltheelectricitywentdown!
Q: Have you ever seen a ghost? If so, please tell us all.
SK:Ihave.Shelivesinthehouse.Itisdifficulttoplaceherera.
Shemaybefromthe17th-19thcentury.Myhousegoesbackto
theearly1600ssothereisprobablymorethanonepersonality
onthepremises.Sheisverynice.
Q: And finally, Sharon, would you say you are powerful?
SK:Bunchedrosesboughtfromasupermarket.Theyshouldbe
bannedastheydo‘proper’old-fashionedrosesadisservice!
SK:WellI’velivedafewyearslongerthanthedoctorsgaveme,
soIguessmywilltoliveispowerful,butotherthanthat,NO!
Q: You’re Chair of the Association of Professional Astrologers
International - would you say there’s a growing appetite among
astrologers for professional representation?
Sharon’s website: www.astrologersharon.co.uk. She is the
Convenor and a Tutor for the QHP course. She also teaches
traditional natal and mundane astrology that is not covered
by the QHP course. Of the APAI she writes: “If you are a
Diploma Holder from a recognised school, please do join our
merry band and help raise the profile of astrology around the
world.”
SK:Notreally.Bytheverynatureofastrology,peoplewhotake
uptheworkdon’twanttobepigeon-holedormoulded.
TheAstrologicalJournalJan/Feb201771
January/February 2017
US Election 2016/Uranus/Adele/Obamacare
The International Journal of the Astrological Association