After watching the news of the riots across England I picked up my copy of the Book of World Horoscopes to see if any current planetary positions were picking up any factors in the UK charts. As I expected, the 1801 Act of Union Chart was the most relevant. Here’s as copy of it to refer to as you read through the blog:

 

 

 

Surprise, surprise, I  noticed that Uranus (planet of sudden, sharp change) is currently at 4 Aries and approaching the 7 Aries Descendant of the 1801 chart. This is a very sensitive area of the chart that in world astrology corresponds to open enemies. In short, we can think of it as an ‘us and them’ area, where we take sides.  But Uranus is a slow moving planet and won’t reach the Descendant degree until May 2012, so we’d have to allow quite a wide orb for this to be directly relevant. Time to have a look at a chart for the riots…..

According to BBC News( http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14434552) violence began in Tottenham at 20.20 BST. If we look at the chart for this time (see below) and compare it with the 1801 chart, some very interesting points emerge.

 

 

Ok, if you don’t know a lot of astrology just read through as I’ll explain any terminology as we go along. I’ll pick out important features point by point:

England Riots Chart:

1) Both the Sun and Venus are close to the Descendant in the 7th house of open enemies. As violence broke out at dusk, we’d expect to see the Sun in this area, but it does highlight the issue of who is in charge (Sun) and entrenched groups standing ground in the face of opposition. Note that the Sun is in the fixed sign of Leo so both sides identify with their cause and there’s little space for compromise, despite Venus’ reputation for finding common ground. Venus is also connected with national reputation and how the country appears to others, so it may be England’s national identity has been affected by the riots.

2) The Moon, which represents the general population and crowds, is in the 9th house of opinions and beliefs. This is a house that’s often connected with travel so it this fits very well with the looting and violence spreading across the country. It also shows the involvement of the judicial system and the courts. In a nutshell, we can say this is about who believes they’re right and why.

3) Jupiter is in the 2nd house of money and possessions. Jupiter is about making things bigger so we can see this as larger and more riots and lots of expensive items being taken.

4) The Ascendant is in Aquarius, ruled by Saturn and Uranus – so there’s a clear clash between established power and authority and more disruptive elements. Uranus is on the edge of the 2nd house – so events move rapidly and unpredictably, blindsiding the authorities and upsetting national values. It also interrupts commercial activities.

5) Saturn, representing the police, is in the secretive 8th house, possibly implying considerable use of intelligence and behind the scenes activities by the police. Traditionally associated with beginnings and endings, it could be that police methods alter permanently as a result of the disturbances.

6) Uranus forms a hard aspect to Mars, increasing the likelihood of violent disorder.

 

Let’s compare this with the 1801 Chart:

1) The Moon in the Riots chart sits exactly on Neptune in the 1801 chart at 18 degrees Scorpio in the 2nd house. This can be seen as the crowd breaking down social boundaries and the riots spreading out, and as rising confusion and financial loss. As the Moon moves rapidly, this is a very time sensitive part of the chart. It also forms a flowing aspect to the 1801 Moon and MC, showing a rapid impact on public opinion and national reputation and status.

2) Jupiter in the Riots chart is very close to Mars in the 1801 chart, magnifying the violence and risk-taking considerably.

3) Mars rules the 2nd and 7th houses of the 1801 chart, and Uranus in Aries and also the 2nd house in the Riots chart, reinforcing the theme of conflict in these areas.

3) Saturn in the Riots chart is near the South Node in the 1801 chart. This highlights the effect that past experiences have had on the current situation and a tendency to cling to the past, perhaps also feelings of apprehension and fear about the future. The 1st house placement gives Saturn a very high profile, therefore we can expect policing methods to be highlighted.

Do let me know if you’ve any comments to make as there’s a lot that can be said about these charts, and I’ve just sketched an outline of their potential.

As befits Uranus, I planned to really focus on it and then ended up writing about something else as well!

Deborah

When I meet clients for the first time, I often find that they are intrigued by the layout of their charts, so I thought it might be useful to cover this in the blog. At first glance charts can seem baffling and overwhelming, but hopefully this little introduction will clear the mists. In it, I’ll explain how the birth chart is a map, suggest how you can orientate yourself inside it, and identify some of the major features.

As this is just an introduction, I won’t be looking at interpretations, but the birth chart is essential for any astrological work. If you’d like a copy of your chart, please email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your date, time and town of birth and I’ll email you a copy.

Chart Basics

Here’s a chart drawn up for this afternoon:

You’ll see in the top left corner that the time, date and place for the chart are shown, and the combination of these three factors forms the basis for the calculation of the chart. The latitude and longitude are shown, and other information is also given:

Geocentric means that the chart is drawn as viewed from the earth.

Tropical shows the Zodiac system used. The Tropical Zodiac is the one used most commonly in Western astrology.

Placidus shows the type of house system used. We’ll come back to houses in a later blog and will look at them in more depth then.

Mean Node refers to use of average to the measurement shows

Having got the technical details out of the way, let’s move on to looking at the rather interesting circles…

Orientating Yourself with the Chart

Imagine you are standing in the middle of this chart. If you put out your arms they would point towards the horizon in opposite directions, towards east and west, you’d have the sky above you and the earth beneath your feet. The points where the wheel of the Zodiac intersects with the horizon, if the horizon could project that far out into space, is shown by two red lines and the symbols AS and DS shown on the left and right of the circle. These symbols stand for Ascendant and Descendant, and they are very important for showing how a person views the world around them, and their closest relationships.

You’ll notice two other symbols: MC and IC. These show significant points that are traditionally connected with south and north, so together these four points link with the four cardinal points and are known as the Angles of a chart. Very briefly, the MC (often known as the Midheaven) is associated with our public status and career and the IC with our family background. We can think of ourselves as being surrounded by the symbolism of the chart, with these four points acting as conductors for receiving planetary energies that we can then express in our lives.

Houses

You’ll also notice that the middle circle is divided into twelve unequal sections. These are the houses I referred to earlier. They are many different ways of calculating these, but the main thing to remember is that they cover twelve different areas of life and show where astrological factors may be experienced particularly strongly. They’re numbered 1 to 12 anti clockwise from the Ascendant.

Planetary Positions

Now that we’ve got the layout of the chart, let’s add the very important planets. Although the symbols look complex, they are really a form of shorthand that are easy to read. Each placement consists of 4 pieces of information:

The first symbol in each group is that of the planet.

The row of numbers indicate the planet’s position in each sign in degrees and minutes.

The second symbol in each group is that of the sign.

Each group of these symbols falls in a numbered area of the chart, and this number shows which house the planet occupies.

Identifying Planets

I’m sure that you can identify the Sun and the Moon straight away as their symbols are very familiar. From the chart, we can see that the Sun is at 11 degrees 22 seconds of Aquarius and is in the 8th house and the Moon is at 13 degrees 01 seconds of Capricorn in the 6th house.

Locating Planets

Can you match up the other symbols with the right planets, signs and houses?

Here are the rest of the planetary positions to help you:

Mercury: 24 degrees 54 seconds Capricorn in the 7th house

Venus: 25 degrees 53 seconds Sagittarius in the 6th house

Mars: 12 degrees 17 seconds Aquarius in the 7th house

Jupiter: 01 degrees 40 seconds Aries in the 10th house

Saturn: 17 degrees 12 seconds Libra in the 4th house

Uranus: 27 degrees 58 seconds Pisces in the 10th house

Neptune: 27 degrees 45 seconds Aquarius in the 9th house

Pluto: 06 degrees 22 seconds Capricorn in the 6th house

Finally….

The birth chart is a 2D representation of the 3D environment into which you were born. This blog has covered a lot of material, but perhaps the main thing to take away is the idea of being surrounded by earth and sky, and the cycles of the planets and Zodiac, and the feeling that we are attuned to these great celestial patterns. These truly are here, there and everywhere.

See you next time – do let me know if there’s any topics you’d like me to look at in the blog and I’ll do my best to cover them.

Deborah

Hello again
Many thanks to those of you who took the time to respond so positively to my previous blogs-much appreciated!

Today we’ll be looking at the importance of your astrological Moon, and will continue the lunar theme by discussing tomorrow’s Lunar Eclipse.

Your Astrological Moon
In astrology, the Moon represents our emotional reactions to people and events. It’s the part of us that responds even before we’ve had time to think; the part that decides if we like a person or not, the sudden flash of memory triggered by a scent or an old photo. It’s our emotional connection to our past and family experiences.

It can be helpful to remember that the Moon reflects the Sun’s light, and yet this light has its own characteristics and beauty. It is an extremely important chart factor that provides a lot of information about how we feel emotionally secure, and just as importantly, what can really unsettle our feelings. One example of this could be if a person has an eating disorder, since food can be seen as a symbol of how we nurture and support ourselves, and can thus be connected with the Moon.

Both the waxing and waning of the Moon and the Moon’s influence on the tides of the sea express the idea of time and tides. We know that our feelings can rise up and subside quickly or slowly. They have their own rhythm that can seem to function independently of what we’re thinking and can conflict with how we like to see ourselves. We might like to think we’re in control and distrust our feelings, but it’s important to recognise that they are part of us, and are trying to tell us something! So listening to and acknowledging them is very worthwhile, and studying your astrological Moon can give considerable information into this private area of your life.

This link with timing also makes the Moon very significant in forecasting work. The Moon’s swift motion can help to pinpoint the timing of major astrological trends, and also tell us about a person’s emotional development throughout their lifetime.

When young, we can often identify more with our Moon sign than our Sun sign. This isn’t too surprising, since the Moon also reflects our perception of our mother and motherhood generally, and our early experiences can influence our ability to bond with others. Our Sun sign indicates who we are and who we would like to be, and it can take us a while to work this out.

The Moon changes zodiacal sign roughly every two and a half days, so it isn’t possible to tell your Moon sign just by your date of birth. If you’d like to know your Moon sign, please contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your date, time and town of birth and I’ll check it for you.

Lunar Eclipse 21st December 2010
Eclipses are traditionally associated with change, and it can be helpful to think of them as highlighting a particular area of life.

For those of you familiar with your birth charts, look to see what features of your chart are contacted by conjunctions (0 degrees), oppositions (180 degrees) and squares (90 degrees) with planets and other factors in the eclipse chart for more information, and also note the houses that the eclipse highlights.

For example, if the eclipse’s Sun-Moon opposition falls across your 3rd and 9th houses, then issues around education and where you live, plus where you would like to be in the future are emphasised, so the eclipse appears to be asking you to look beyond your immediate concerns and become aware of new possibilities that you could pursue. It’s giving you an opportunity that you can choose to take further if you wish.

One of the outstanding features of this chart is the T-square based on the Sun-Moon opposition which forms the eclipse, that also draws in Mercury as it conjuncts the Sun and squares the Jupiter/Uranus opposition. In this chart these also conjunct the nodal axis (as would be expected at an eclipse) and Ascendant/Descendant axis, although this latter contact may not apply in your location.

Reading this simply, this indicates general tension between thoughts and feelings, conscious wishes and unacknowledged hopes, that could produce considerable and beneficial changes that appear to come from nowhere. If parts of this T-square contact your chart, then this general trend becomes relevant to you, allowing you to take advantage of this potential.

The Sun-Moon opposition is at 29 degrees 20 seconds of Sagittarius/Gemini. Again, change is indicated by the late degree of this opposition between the luminaries which are about to move into cardinal Capricorn and Cancer, and its placement in mutable signs indicates some last minute flexibility before committing to a course of action.

It is also close to the Galactic Centre at 26 degrees 55 seconds Sagittarius, in the heart of the Milky Way. Mercury is in exactly the same degree and the Jupiter/Uranus square aspects it tightly too. The Galactic Centre is orbited by the Sun, and, when aspected by planets, is associated with significant developments in world events and the evolution of new insights by humanity. It is this contact that makes this eclipse so significant, and its closeness to the Winter Solstice increases this even more.

Full Moons can be seen as a time of completion and fulfillment, so perhaps we can see this eclipse as a time of reviewing what we’d like to take with us into the new solar cycle and deciding what to discard. Give some thought to this over the next few days so that you can start the New Year in a positive frame of mind, and don’t forget to take note of what you’ve achieved so far.

As the photo below demonstrates, this eclipse has its stages and we can take the same approach to our lives by moving forward at our own pace. It is part of the astronomical process, the celestial dance between the Sun, Moon and Earth, that takes us out of ourselves and reminds us that we are part of a huge and beautiful Universe.

A very Merry Christmas to you all

Deborah

Welcome to the Solstice Astrology blog. As promised, this week we’ll be looking at the chart for the upcoming winter solstice on 21st December.

As solstices are events, such charts are generally best read as applying on a social level, or, if one is interested in esoteric practice, as portraying the influence of the incoming Earth tide that will be relevant until the Spring Equinox. I’ll come back to this later, but will first concentrate on the social level. It’s worth noting that if the features of this chart contact any of your natal planets, you may experience the chart on a personal level as well.

Social Level
The outstanding feature of the Winter Solstice chart is the cardinal T-square formed by the opposition between the Moon in Cancer and Mars in Capricorn, with Saturn in Libra at the apex. As the Moon is Full, it is also opposing the Sun, plus it is close to the nodes as this Full Moon is also an eclipse (exact at 29 degrees Gemini/Sagittarius at 08.13 am GMT). We’ll look at this eclipse in detail next time. I have drawn the chart for London as this is the main political hub of the UK.

In mundane (world) astrology the Moon is associated with the general public, Saturn with tradition and authority figures and Mars with a nation’s fighting spirit. In this light, the T-square can be seen as indicating a prevailing public mood that could be confrontational and centred on testing existing social structures.

The Moon in Cancer suggests a preoccupation with family and the young in society, Mars in Capricorn as determined to pursue its goals and Saturn as embodiment of the Establishment and the forces of law and order. This opposition across the 10th and 4th houses squaring the 1st could indicate considerable differences in attitude between those in power and the general population about the country’s future direction: the bonds that support social cohesion and affect a nation’s self-image.

These planets will be swift and effective as all are essentially dignified in these cardinal signs, the Moon by its rulership of Cancer and Saturn and Mars by exaltation, and are in angular houses, thereby providing accidental dignity. Saturn close to the cusp of the 2nd house highlights constraints on finances and possible doubt about those in charge having sufficient resources to handle situations over the next few months. Venus in the 2nd trine the Moon could indicate a public reassessment of social values and finances. With Venus close to the 3rd cusp, free speech, the transport system and education could be included in these concerns.

Education, trade and communication networks are emphasised by Mercury, ruler of the chart’s Virgo rising sign and Gemini midheaven. Mercury in Sagittarius is the only Fire planet and is retrograde, turning direct on 30th December. Sagittarius seeks a deeper meaning in life, and Mercury is connected with students and young people, so it’s possible that interpretations could include having to rexamine an issue that has already been dealt with, or having to restate a viewpoint. Either way, Mercury’s conjunction with the Sun and square to the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction in Pisces indicate that this is likely to be considered very important and a source of strong disagreement that could flare up unexpectedly and have considerable unforeseen implications. Jupiter and Uranus conjunct the Descendant could imply an ‘us and them’ situation with the possibility of legal challenges.

The chart’s mutable angles indicate that this could be a time of uncertainty, when adapting to circumstances may seem to be the wisest option. However, with the Sun, Mars and Pluto now in Capricorn and opposing the Moon, opinions are likely to be entrenched.

A quick look at the UK’s national horoscope provides some extra information. Here is a bi wheel with the UK 1801 chart in the middle, and the Winter Solstice 2010 chart in the outer wheel:

The Winter Solstice Moon in the UK’s 9th house conjunct its MC highlights higher education and long term planning, as well as the beliefs underpinning social attitudes to these. Fears about the future may have a strong emotional influence on the country and affect the UK’s profile internationally very quickly, as the Moon is on the UK’s Ascendant/MC midpoint.

Additionally, the Winter Solstice Mars in Capricorn is exactly conjunct the UK’s Sun and the IC, focusing on national pride, the Armed Forces and the physical landscape of the UK, including agriculture and housing.

The separating opposition between the Winter Solstice Venus and the UK Mars across the 2nd and 8th houses could indicate the continuance of heated disputes over social benefits and entitlements. This preoccupation with who owns what could extend to the UK’s financial transactions with other countries, while the stellium of the Winter Solstice planets in the UK’s 3rd house reinforces the emphasis on education and transport found in the Winter Solstice chart.

Esoteric Level

Please note: this chart is drawn for London and the angles and houses will change for your location. If you’d like a copy of it drawn for where you are, please email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and I”ll sort it out for you.

For those unfamiliar with the concept of seasonal tides, I’ll provide a brief introduction. In occult tradition, the solstices and equinoxes bring in astrological tides that are determined by the sign being entered by the Sun at that time. At the Winter Solstice, the tide is of Earth as the Sun is entering Capricorn. The influential occultist Dion Fortune stated that:

‘all states of consciousness are influenced by the Cosmic tides, for the Cycles of the Cosmos form the background of all manifestation.’
(Aspects of Occultism, Thorsons, 1995, page 161)

By mentioning some of the main features of the chart, I hope to suggest some areas which you might like to employ in your ritual practices if they seem useful to you. This year’s Earth tide is strengthened by Mars and Pluto in Earth as well as the Sun, indicating a strong, determined and persistent tide able to battle through obstacles. This could prove useful if there is an ongoing issue you are working on; also, there is considerable potential in learning through experience as Saturn is dignified and ruling the Sun, Mars and Pluto in Capricorn plus Neptune and Chiron in Aquarius.

Mercury, in its function as psychompomp (a being who can move between different worlds or realities) is squared by the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction in Pisces. Mercury is the only planet in Fire and retrograde, as well as the Chart Ruler, (although this could change depending on your location). This mutable square could imply a shifting of barriers or limits, an instability that could make it difficult to rationalise some exciting insights. These could seem to much to take on board, or rather risky, but offer huge potential as well. As Mercury is retrograde, it’s likely that these arise from past rituals and may be rather more radical than expected. Its direct station on 30th December could assist progress.

Jupiter is strong in its own sign of Pisces and rules Mercury in Sagittarius, so there is scope for spiritual illumination and advancement, but progress may be sporadic because of the square between Mercury and Uranus, with ideas perhaps being hard to assimilate at first.

One of the most profitable ways to work this these ingress (entry) charts can be to look at emphasised planets and consider working rituals involving deities connected with them. For example, Mercury can be connected with Hermes in Greek myth and Thoth in the Egyptian tradition, so a ritual designed to help participants learn, either because they are formally studying anyway or just out of interest, can be useful.

As this is an Earth tide ruled by Saturn, a practical outcome could be sought. Saturn is also concerned with the beings or ideas coming into matter (it may be helpful to think of this as force and form), time and incarnation, so these can be relevant themes too.

It’s also very worthwhile to compare the chart to your natal chart. I would suggest using orbs of 5 degrees for conjunctions, oppositions, trines and squares, 3 degrees for sextiles and 1 degree for minor aspects. This can really bring out effective themes for you to work on. You will also be experiencing this transits in your daily life, so being attuned to all levels of symbolism could pay dividends.

Finally, as this Winter Solstice is also a lunar eclipse, I would personally avoid working a ritual on the day itself as eclipses can bring tricky working conditions, and this eclipse could be particularly influential. Full Moons are associated with culminations and fulfilment, the Winter Solstice with the start of the solar year and the beginning of a new solar cycle. However, those of a brave disposition may relish this.

Next week we’ll look at the Eclipse and why it’s so significant in more detail, with a few additional comments on why your Moon sign in so important in everyday life. Please do contact me if you’d like any charts drawn or have any views on the blog.

See you next time

Deborah

Over the past few days I’ve been thinking about how this time of year can feel as if it’s a time of waiting, for Christmas, the New Year; a time when we can start to act. Previously, this time was acknowledged by the Christian festival of Advent, before then by the  pagan festival of Yule, which was directly linked to the winter solstice. Both share the idea of hope, growth and light coming into the world.

Whatever our spiritual outlook, these short, dark days can seem mere interruptions to the lengthy nights. Yet, from an astrological perspective, the Sun traverses the sign of Sagittarius from late November until the winter solstice, a sign connected with how we find meaning behind appearances and go deeper, so that we can discover more profound truths. And the darkness encourages us to think about both the light and the dark, whilst vividly reminding us that we are surrounded by natural rhythms that have their own pace and are not affected by human intervention. Certainly, the dark clear nights and late dawns provide the chance to admire the stars, moon and sky and help us to remember that we are part of a cohesive universe rather than isolated individuals.

This quiet stage in the Sun’s annual cycle can be an ideal time for reviewing our situation. What would we like to develop further and what would we like to remove? For wondering what if? What can really stretch us and help us to grow? We can think big for ourselves and for others.

Astrology is very focused on people in their own space and time, so location – where we are physically and emotionally- is vital to understanding its impact. Also, it  indicates our subjective view of the world around us. It’s rather like us considering the Sun as it is viewed from earth, being used to being able to glance up at its light as  seems to moving around our planets, rather than being aware of the earth moving around the Sun although we know intellectually that this is the case.

The winter solstice occurs around 21st December, although the actual date varies from year to year, when the Sun reaches its most southerly declination of 23.5 degrees on the  celestial Tropic of Capricorn, and is at 0 degrees Capricorn on the ecliptic (which is the path the Sun appears to take around the Earth). The pattern of the solstices and equinoxes set the seasons of the year, and they can be thought of as times when there is a shift in both our inner and outer situations.

At the winter solstice the change is from darkness to increasing light, and the earthy incoming energy of Capricorn can assist us to make personal changes too. Ruled by Saturn, Capricorn is associated with steady progress earned by merit and hard work, even if circumstances seem to be against us. Then the optimistic dreaming of long winter nights can begin to take root in the soil of reality, as we take practical steps to follow our winter vision.

Next week, we’ll take an indepth look at the chart for this year’s winter solstice and how it might affect people’s charts. If you’ve any qyestions about this blog, or would like a free copy of your birth chart for your reference, please contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . I’ll be pleased to hear from you.

Deborah

Welcome to the new ‘Solstice Astrology’ Blog.

Here I will keep you interested and updated with my thoughts and insights on topical and current events.

Please watch this space for new updates soon.

Deborah