More musings on Uranus-Pluto

2nd September, in the UK, four men have been arrested in connection with the London riots. In the blog post about the riots on Monday I mentioned Rick Tarnas (and Matthew Stelzner) talked on the Correlations podcast, (From about 15 minutes in, until about the 30 minute mark) about Uranus-Pluto reflecting the empowerment of youth, but also later suggest that there are "two narratives" - the first being the "movement towards freedom and progress...towards democracy, a kind of democratising Promethean emancipation" but the other is "the narrative of chaos". He describes these as the 'two sides' (have a listen).



I've been thinking for the last few days about this, partly because of something my husband posted on Facebook during a prolonged rant: "...All those involved have now made it harder for those who want to make a difference the right way..." 

Yep, this was certainly the chaos option here in the UK. Have they made it harder? Very likely. What is the 'right' way though? Is there a right way? Uranus certainly isn't keen on sticking to the rules or the letter of the law. Quite the opposite perhaps, especially when empowered and intensified by Pluto. Uranus is more the "can't make an omelette without breaking eggs" way.

There was an interesting sequence of events recently. On 7th August  a friend of mine posted this on my Facebook page. He'd found it via Stumble Upon:

I found the imagery really interesting. Lots of 1960s images, and the extensive use of clips from the film 'V for Vendetta'. The Matrix was also featured. two of my all-time favourite films. 

As soon as I saw V for Vendetta I was very taken with the Uranus-Pluto association and went off to check how close the two planets were then. There was a 15 orb on 16 March 2006 when the film was released. That seemed far too wide to me for a correlation.  Interestingly though, Saturn was exactly at the midpoint of Uranus-Pluto in that chart. 

 

Great Astrology Books for your Kindle

My mum bought me a Kindle for Christmas, and I absolutely love it. It's very dangerous due to the instant gratification of pressing a button on Amazon and having your book turn up on your Kindle a few seconds later. The other feature that pushes all my nerdy buttons is the ability to create 'Collections' so, of course I have my 'Astrology' collection on my Kindle, and now I want to spend, damn it! 

Just to whet your appetite, if you have a Kindle, here is a mix of interesting astrology, old and new, you can access in seconds, complete with links...

Libyan liberation imminent?

I'm watching BBC News Live Feed on the Libya situation at the moment, hoping that the final stages will happen with the least bloodshed possible.

Can you visualise 'retrograde'?

Mercury is most of the way through its retrograde period now, in the fire sign of Leo. It goes direct again on the 25th August. 
We've had the usual computer go-slow problems, delayed post, wireless network signal constantly 'weak'. Oh, and one of my appointments postponed twice. 

I'm re-reading Erin Sullivan's Retrograde Planets - it seemed appropriate use of retro Mercury time. Meanwhile I've been trying to recreate retrograde motion in my head. I'm not very good at that, and since other people might not be either, here are some videos I've found online that might help. Actually, I'm a bit nerdy and enjoy watching them anyway: bonus! 

Saturn = father

With Mars currently exactly square (today at 2.13pm) my natal Saturn (in my 10th house conjunct my MC), Dad went into hospital today. This was unexpected (Uranus) for me, since I only found out when Mum rang this morning...

UK riots continue...

This continues on from the London Riots post. 

Wednesday 10th, 1.48am BST. Mars is now separating from the square to Uranus (it was exact at 5.33pm BST, Tuesday 9th). See the chart at the very bottom of the blog page for current planet places (click 'show current chart' if you need to update it for exact time)  
I haven't talked much about this aspect yet...

Mars-Pluto continued...

Aside from the ongoing London Riots, other headlines from BBC Online today caught my eye today, reflecting the applying Mars-Pluto opposition at the moment.

Riots in London

As with everyone else, I've been shocked by the violence happening in London over the last few days, even though Mars has recently entered Cancer and formed a tense aspect with the ongoing long-term cardinal square between Uranus and Pluto. 

Oslo bombing

The huge bomb in Oslo and subsequent shooting this afternoon, are reflected in the current conjunction of Mars to the South Node . This alignment is hitting Pluto in the national chart for Norway. Pluto is conjunct the Sun in the nation's chart.

Alice Cooper cancels a show for the first time in 30 years.

A status update tonight, from the Alice Cooper Facebook page (I'm a big fan) states: 

"For the first time in thirty years, Alice was forced to cancel a show tonight due to illness. He was too ill to even leave the hotel here in Santiago, and is very sorry to disappoint the many fans here who have waited so long for this concert. The Doctor is optimistic that he will be well enough for Saturday's show in Buenos Aires. Hopefully, Alice will be able to get back to Chile another time."

It was posted 27th May 2011, around 1.30am, British Summer Time. Transits below are for 6pm in Santiago, 26 May 2011, though I don't know what time the cancellation happened.  

Click on image to enlarge

Note transiting Saturn closely conjunct his Libra Ascendant (and natal Neptune, ruler of his 6th house of health). It's interesting that they say 'for the first time in thirty years' as that is roughly the Saturn cycle, so Saturn would have been on his Ascendant or thereabouts at that time too. That's pretty good going for a 63 year old. Touring must be very gruelling.With Saturn transiting his Ascendant, he needs to slow down a bit now, look after himself, and not push so hard. There was recently a pile-up of planets in Aries - these would have all made stressful opposition aspects to Neptune, his Ascendant, and that transiting Saturn, so I would imagine he is exhausted and perhaps feeling his age more (Saturn). Neptune rising is very sensitive to the environment, more so when triggered by these transits.  Saturn is retrograding at the moment, going direct on June 13th, and it will make another final pass over his Ascendant in mid-July this year, and over Neptune in August.


Get well soon, Alice. Cut down on the shows and save some energy. 

Update: It was food poisoning, which fits with Neptune on the Ascendant, sensitivity, and Neptune ruling poisoning. (Defences are 'leaky' or weakened) He is still feeling weak, but getting better, fortunately.  I just read on Wikipedia that in a 2005 Australian interview Alice said he wouldn't retire before Mick Jagger. Mick Jagger is 6 years older than he is, so he said that means he has to carry on for 6 years after Sir Mick throws his cap in :)  
The blog on the official Alice Cooper website also states that he's had no sick days off in 30 years, so the 30 years was intriguing me again. I looked up transits for 1981, and Saturn stationed retrograde within 1½ degrees of Alice's Libra Ascendant in January 1981, then crossed over it in September 1981, and over that natal Neptune in October 1981. I'm still trying to track down what was happening for him then though. His first child, daughter Calico, was born that year, on the 19th May.

Birthday, Stumpy the Hermit Crab, and 'Astrology in the Year Zero'

It was my birthday on the 10th, which was a bit of a washout as I spent the morning in the hospital with my husband who had to have a 'carpal tunnel' operation on his hand; the poorly paw subsequently dubbed Stumpy the Hermit Crab (huge fat bandage, wiggly fingers poking out). He has Chiron in Gemini in his 6th house, currently being squared by Chiron and Neptune.

One of my birthday presents was Astrology in the Year Zero by Garry Phillipson, which I've been reading for the last few days. I've just discovered there is a companion website and wanted to share it. Still to come in the post - Apollo's Chariot by Liz Greene, and Frank C. Clifford's The Astrologer's Book of Charts. Yay for birthdays and Amazon wishlists :)

Ouch

Just a quick note to say that with transiting Saturn conjunct my natal Mars in Libra in the 4th, and transiting Mars coming up to conjunct natal Saturn in Aries on Tuesday, I have had a bad back (lower back) since Thursday night and I'm finding it really difficult to get about. That with all the Aries energy on top. Restriction, pain, frustration, raaaarrrrr!!!! That about sums it up :)  More when I can sit at a desk for longer than 5 minutes :)

Shooting aboard a nuclear sub here in the UK

Here in the UK, there has been a shooting aboard a nuclear sub. The BBC News report states that one crew member was killed and another seriously injured. Below is a chart for the time the police were called in - I'm assuming it was only minutes after the event.

 

Note, Mars/Uranus on the Aries MC. Squaring Pluto. 

Mars-Pluto aspects are very common in the charts for shootings. Mars ruling guns and violent, aggressive and impulsive acts, and Pluto an obsession with, a compulsion or an intensification of the Mars energy. Pluto has been suggested as a 'higher octave' of Mars. Pluto correlates with the animal instinct as well, with danger, with threat and crisis. Uranus represents the unexpected nature of the event, the sudden shock, the breaking away from the norm, the perversity of the event. 

The presence of Mars and Uranus both in Aries emphasises impatience, impulsiveness, wilfulness and speed. Right on the Midheaven, the conjunction highlights these energies strongly.
Pluto in a tense, square aspect to the two, is also a symbol for nuclear power. 

19 September 2011 Update - this is the Wikipedia link for the submarine involve which gives all updates for the incident.  (Able Seaman Ryan Samuel Donovan was jailed for life today)

Archaeological discovery of earliest Christian writings?

I've just been reading in the news today (BBC Online) about the archaeological discovery of ‘metal books’, almost 2000 years old, in Jordan. The books are made of lead and it appears that they were discovered hidden in a cave sometime around 2005 to 2007.  

 

2005-7 was when Saturn was opposite Neptune: concrete (Saturn) or rather lead (Saturn) evidence of the very earliest writings of Christianity (Neptune). They were also exposed by a flash flood (Neptune).

The Saturn-Jupiter opposition was exact yesterday, The exact opposition also contacts Neptune, though only by minor aspect. Neptune is in sesquiquadrate aspect with Saturn (reflecting back to the opposition of 2005-7) and semi-square Jupiter. 

I'm wondering how well the negotiations for them will go, given the importance of the discovery, and the number of planets in Aries at the moment. Tempers may get frayed.

See close-up photos here.

Gary Oldman - Empire Icon award.

He's one of my favourite actors, so I was really chuffed to hear that Gary Oldman has just won the Empire 'Icon' award. (If anyone has the time he received the award, I'd appreciate that as I wasn't watching). The Empire movie awards were held at the Grosvenor Hotel in London. 


Gary Oldman starred in Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' played Sid in 'Sid and Nancy', and had noted roles in Dark Knight, the Harry Potter films (as Sirius Black) and The Fifth Element, among many others. He's just finished filming a version of John LeCarre's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy with Colin Firth.

Please note, I don't have a time of birth for Gary, so I'm using a noon chart, but appropriately, transiting Uranus is exactly conjunct his natal Sun in Aries right now. Transiting Jupiter is also conjunct his natal Moon-Mercury conjunction in Aries (with transiting Saturn opposite).

I've also been taking note of possible 'recurrence transits' in charts recently. This is when aspects between two planets in a natal chart repeat at significant times in a person's life. It seems Gary's natal Sun-Uranus trine is currently reflected in the Sun-Uranus conjunction which is in orb but now separating. Interesting. His natal Uranus is also in Leo, (acting) so the Uranus-Sun transit emphasising the effect of this double-whammy already in his chart. Transiting Sun is also trine his natal Uranus, further emphasising the effect.  It was his birthday last Monday. Belated Happy Birthday Gary, what a great present! :)

Picture source - Jasmin Hunter via Wikimedia Commons

Wikipedia banning astrology-friendly editors?

I've just read Robert Currey's note about Wikipedia banning astrology-friendly editors. Visiting the Wikipedia page, I was quite shocked to see the changes that have been made to 'Astrology' - now horribly far from a balanced view. It's both saddened me and made my blood boil (with all the Aries energy about at the moment). I'm still working my way through the Discussion (tab on the same page), the early part made me feel like tearing my hair out.

I first came across this on Twitter today - the link from there is to a note posted on the Equinox Astrology Facebook page. It's all very drawn out and complicated (for me at least!) by all Wikipedia's red tape and elaborate rules of editing, but it's worth familiarising yourself (if you're an astrologer or astrology student) with what's happening, and the attitudes involved. Read all the comments underneath. If you have plenty of time, read the Discussion on the Wikipedia page. Hopefully then, anyone conversant with Wikipedia and its editing protocols (not me!) might be able to help out. I feel frustrated and wish there was more I could do to help, apart from talk/rant about it here.

Astrology seems beset on all sides, however: the issues with Prof. Brian Cox, Dara O’Briains and the Minnesota malarky, which I'm sure you've seen in the news, (see Deborah Houlding's article in answer to the Cox and Minnesota criticisms on her Skyscript website) preceded this new 'editing war' on Wikipedia. Please go to the Astrological Association website (click the image below) for more info and help if you can. I'd been planning on adding this link and kept forgetting: now it seems much more topical.

On a lighter note, the Wikipedia issue then led me on to discovering the Astrology News Service web page, and their article on the Carlson Double-Blind Experiment, along with Robert Currey's in-depth article on the same subject. I'm hoping the latter information got more of an airing further down the 'edit war', but I've been there hours reading it now, and it's time for bed! I'll update tomorrow if so. 

Update (June 2011) - I recently read more about this on Deb Houlding's Facebook page, and eventually arrived at an article she has written on the AA website giving the background to the AA's petition, which is very informative. Deb is currently trying to decide whether to become a Wikipedia editor herself.

Full Moon in Virgo today is a 'Supermoon'

Today's Full Moon in Virgo, exact at 6.10pm GMT, is a 'supermoon' - the moon is full at the point when it's at (or very near) it's closest point to the earth in its orbit. It will appear bigger in the sky. I think it's by about 15% but don't quote me on that!
This is a term coined by Richard Nolle in 1979, and it's received some publicity lately in the news, so here are some links to explain the term some more.

1.    Richard Nolle's explanation of supermoons on his website

2.    Richard's article, which the Mountain Astrologer recently posted on their website.

It'll be opposing my natal Chiron in Pisces from the 3rd house (3rd-9th).
Check your own chart to see if it's touching on anything (within a degree of orb). The Moon will be at 28 degrees 48 minutes of Virgo.

You can click on the image to make it bigger. I'm now flushed with success at actually managing to post a picture to my blog, woohoo, go me! I will get the hang of all this :)

Science of Intuition

The Institute of Noetic Sciences just posted Rupert Sheldrake talking to Dean Radin (via Facebook) here on the IONS website. I don't know about anyone else, but I have often had the experience of thinking of someone, and then having them call me.

My cat Charlie, years ago, used to always come out of the back of the house to sit on the wall a minute before I arrived back from work, even though I didn't arrive at the same time each day. My house-mates informed me of this, otherwise I would never have known!


I do have a strong Neptune in my chart, not sure if Charlie did ;)

Some great astrology on Facebook

I've just discovered that The Mountain Astrologer has a Facebook page!

As does:

Faculty of Astrological Studies 
Astrological Association of Great Britain
Horoscopic Astrology Blog, (Chris Brennan) 
American Federation of Astrologers
Association for Astrological Networking
National Council for Geocosmic Research
Association for Young Astrologers

And just a plug for our local group: Exeter Astrology Group
Please note - I post all the links to videos I find about serious astrology, along with other article links, on this page, so please go there to explore if you use Facebook. 

If I come across more on my Facebook meanderings, I'll come back and add them. Hopefully all the above links will work. If they don't, just try googling 'Facebook' and the name of the group or page :)

Uranus enters Aries and I enter the world of blogging - tentatively!

I'm still reeling from the effects of all these images of the massive earthquake in Japan today, and also aware of just how much faster paced and frantic everything has started to feel, even in the last few days. All my astrological reading has been focused around Uranus - obsessively so, in fact. And yet, I can't stay on any one track, I'm jumping around like a live wire, which seems highly appropriate. 

This is just a brief few lines to start the blog officially. I'm not really sure what I'm doing in this medium, or indeed how to connect with anyone else out there - like-minded astrological types particularly. But it's a start. I'll begin to feed in some of my recent scribblings when I start to get the hang of things. In the meantime, hello to anyone who may start reading. Even if I just end up talking to myself, the need to get some of this outpouring expressed in some intelligible way is helpful.

This is my chart, for anyone who is interested :)