What is unusual about this placement is that Mars is going to be here for some time – almost eight months to be exact, until June 7 2010. So whichever part of . . . → Read More: Mars In Leo – Dramarama]]> Tweet

Mars moves out of Cancer and into Leo on Friday 16 October  2009, where it will get a chance to play with some fixed fire.

What is unusual about this placement is that Mars is going to be here for some time – almost eight months to be exact, until June 7 2010. So whichever part of your chart it is moving through will be buzzing. Mars is retrograde from December 20 2009 – March 09 2010, which brings in a whole other dimension, that I’ll discuss later.

Mars is about energy, fizz and crackle. In our natal charts it shows how we go about getting what we want.

Those with Mars in a water sign will use the force of their emotions to achieve their aims. Those with an earthy Mars work on the practical level and often excel at getting things together. Mars is exalted in Capricorn. Those with Mars in an air sign use their mental energy to move mountains and those with Mars in fire use an intuitive and spirited approach to facing up to life’s challenges. The way Mars performs is also influenced by whether the sign in question is cardinal, fixed or mutable.

There is no doubt that those with Mars in Leo in their natal charts have a powerful desire to put their stamp on the world in one way or another. They love to interact with their environment and the people within it in flamboyant colourful and dramatic ways. This position is great for anyone who works in advertising or the media, as it allows them to channel their imagination in a larger than life manner. They enjoy taking risks and are generally very full on. There is nothing half-hearted about them. Some of these people do have big ego problems too. For instance they don’t like to hear the word ‘No’, when they have already decided that is should be ‘Yes’. If you don’t mind a few fireworks you will get along with them fine. If you are the sensitive kind it may be best to steer clear or keep a low profile. Sex is also important to these people, so if you are drawn to someone with this combination and are hoping you will become lovers, make sure you can keep up.

Whilst Mars is transiting through Leo it gives us all an opportunity to get out the paints, clay, musical instruments, crayons, materials and anything else that is essential to our being able to connect with our inner artist. Fixed fire creates great warmth and supplies plenty of energy. So when Mars is in Leo it really helps to channel some of this fire into creative endeavours as a way of expressing ourselves and sharing our life force with the world. It is time to co-create with your inner child and learn how to play. How you fare really depends on where you are coming from. Leo is associated with the Higher Self and also with our current appreciation of who we are. If we are in the zone, then activities such as creating art, falling in love, starting a business, being with our children, entertaining and being entertained and above all having fun go smoothly. It is only when there are ego problems and hang-ups that our efforts become warped or stunted as we wrestle with internal dynamics which block our energy flow.

If we feel insecure about who we are, we may try to get attention another way by creating a little drama in our lives so that the eyes of those around us remain on us. We don’t need to do this when we are simply being ourselves and doing what we do. The drama and the fireworks that come out of this usually occur when the head interferes with the natural understanding of the heart. We want everyone to notice us and it isn’t happening, so we create a ‘scene’ which appears to bring us what we want temporarily, but works against us in the long term. Once again it is all about ego.

Temper tantrums may be a possibility, especially if life gets very frustrating – but with this combination there is not much fall out – it easy to forgive and forget – being a spur of the moment thing. It helps not to get too bombastic or to act like a know-it-all, unless you want everyone to go off of you very quickly.

Overall this placement is going to bring everyone a chance to find their courage, overcome their fears and make fabulous progress – unless planetary aspects or transits in the natal chart indicate otherwise. Mars stirs up the area of the chart it is moving through, so wherever it is, you will begin to feel invincible. Go for it and keep stepping out of your comfort zone for best results.

Saturn is exalted in the sign of Libra, and aside from a short period in 2010 from April 08 to July 22 when it moves back into . . . → Read More: Saturn In Libra – Coming Your Way Soon!]]> Tweet

Within a few weeks on October 29 Saturn will move into Libra. What does this mean and how is it likely to affect our charts and impact on our lives?

Saturn is exalted in the sign of Libra, and aside from a short period in 2010 from April 08 to July 22 when it moves back into Virgo, it will remain in Libra until October 2012.

As an air sign, Libra is associated with the relationship between one thing and another. The relationship can be between lovers, business partners, design elements, or the balance of ideas and ideals such as between justice and mercy.

It is about weighing one thing against the other and making necessary adjustments in order to preserve the relationship. It is all a delicate balance and sometimes the balance goes awry and things get out of kilter. But even this is a part of re-defining the relationship and making further adjustments until harmony is restored. It is not a static quality, but an active ongoing movement.

So when Saturn, the planet of overcompensation enters the scene, the scramble to find that perfect balance becomes more intense. This adjustment is usually an intuitive activity – such as when laying out a page of text or designing a new dress collection – it is an internal happening as you  shift things around until something inside of you – a sixth sense gives that OK feeling. You just ‘know’ that you have it right – and no one can tell you otherwise. When Saturn is around you may notice that your ability to ‘know’ has vanished. You now feel as though you have two left hands and tend to doubt your innate knowledge. Suddenly the little things become a big deal and that intuitive sense of rightness may go out of the window.

In relationships you may question ways of being together that you were fine with before. You begin to wonder – should I be more forgiving, less forgiving, should I be the one in control, am I getting enough out of this, if I were different would they love me more? Instead of being able to shift and flow along with each other as a couple sometimes giving, sometimes receiving, sometimes being in control, sometimes being more passive, you may feel a need to define the relationship and to create roles that tend to suffocate the free flow. Structure is part of every relationship, but with Saturn in Libra the structure or need to keep up appearances can take over, and the life and heart of the relationship may be stifled as a result.

So what is the best way to deal with this influence? It really depends upon which house Saturn is transiting through within your chart. If Saturn is moving through the first house, you will become very aware of your relationship with the outside world and of the need to project the right image. If your image isn’t in harmony with your authentic self, then it may seem as though you are encountering the outside world whilst wearing a mask – at some point it will crack . However, you don’t want to be too open and vulnerable either, so you need to use your image to enhance your authentic self rather than cover over it completely.

It’s a bit like make-up, which can either accentuate your natural beauty or give that beige-plastered and over-rouged effect that often looks worse than no make-up at all. If anything, you need to work harder when Saturn is in Libra in order to present authenticity in its appropriate form – and to be able to release that form when it is no longer working. Again it is a delicate balance.

If Saturn is transiting through your fourth house, it is your relationship to your ancestry, to parents and parental issues and to home and family affairs that takes precedence.  Trying to create harmony in the home is not going to work until you have dealt with underlying feelings, some of which may be quite negative and destructive. Your relationship to these feelings is also of importance, as is the way you deal with them. The point about these emotions is that they can be messy and are not wrapped in pretty packages that smell of scented perfume – they can be quite dank especially those that have been stuffed to the bottom of the pile.

Libra being an air sign is not at home with this kind of situation and may want to avoid bad feeling as it is not ‘nice’.  So when Saturn enters this zone, its presence may encourage these pockets of shadowy energy to surface – which won’t be a pretty sight. In this case creating harmony means admitting these feelings exist, being willing to feel them, to give them space to be, and then letting them go. If you do this regularly you will find that something wonderful begins to happen – the emotional charge that was taking up so much of your energy and making your life hell will decrease. You will find it easier to talk about relationship problems without having to justify yourself or be right. You will then have more authentic emotional space to create the harmony you are seeking.

It all comes down to acknowledging the underlying reality of the situation and working with this to create a harmonious structure that can contain it. It also means being willing to change one form for another when the outer structure has passed its sell-by-date. Yet when Saturn is part of the picture it becomes difficult to know what is appropriate and what is not. The form of the relationship and the roles each partner plays may be so solid that it is only when one or both parties begin to feel pained at being so inhibited, that change with all its unknowns becomes the best option.

If you begin to feel pained in your relationships whilst Saturn is in Libra, then use this as a signal to take responsibility and be more aware of where and how the structure is damning the flow, causing stagnation and a lack of real authenticity. The pain is pointing towards a need for dynamic change.

Celebrities and other famous people with Saturn in Libra are: Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Paris Hilton, Leonardo Da Vinci, Jessica Alba, Beyonce Knowles, Vladimir Putin.

Those with . . . → Read More: Venus In Cancer – Kitsch And Cuddles]]> Tweet

Venus has just moved into Cancer which puts the focus on food, mothering and sometimes smothering relationships. Depending on how many planets you already have in Cancer, and whether your Moon is there or not – you may find this combination of energies either suits you or repels you – sometimes it can do both.

Those with Venus in Cancer can be difficult to get to know and also quite moody. You can never be sure who you will encounter on a daily basis as the emotions rise and fall like waves on the ocean. Sometimes they can be tickled pink by the craziest things and at others driven to a sullen darkness by someone who has hurt their tender feelings. Which is why crabs never usually wear their hearts upon their sleeves. They can be very difficult to get to know. If they decide that they don’t trust you and don’t want to let you into their intimate circle you will have a very difficult job trying to get them to change their minds.

However,  once you have become their friend or lover you will find them very attentive. They may get weepy at the slightest thing, they love anything soft and furry, they have an interesting sense of humour and if you are anything like their mother or feel a need to mother them, they will hang onto you for life.

Venus in Cancer is quite nostalgic, those with this placement tend to keep their old friends and never forget their first love – they may even have married them. They keep old love letters bound together with original and now faded ribbon, and pressed flowers or dried roses that came with romantic gifts.

They also hang onto memories, which is why it can be so hard to get them to let go of old hurts. They fear being wounded again which is why their approach to love resembles the zig-zag gait of the crab. Rather than being upfront and direct they find all kinds of ways to be in the aura of the one they adore whilst also managing to keep a low profile. If it looks like the prize is about to be snatched from their grasp they will change tack, rush in and grip with those pincers. But sometimes they are not quick enough and end up feeling like Cinderella who never got to go to the ball. Somehow, someway they have to learn to feel the fear and fall in love anyway.

Food may play a big part in their love life – with engagements and proposals happening over a special meal and many other occasions remembered with – you guessed it – another meal. Good food helps them to feel loved. Feed them tit bits whilst telling them how much you care, and they will be awed by your ability to have fathomed their weakness. If they are feeling down or sad they have a very real tendency to binge and get into comfort-eating – something to watch.

Venus in Cancer can be very loyal and deeply supportive. But some signs will find them too possessive and certainly overwhelming in their willingness to see to every aspect of your comfort and happiness. Sometimes you just want to  break free and come up from the ocean depths for some air.

With their ability to laugh and find humour in the simplest and yet most profound of situations they also know how to make you feel on top of the world. If you are friends with or have a partner with Venus in Cancer, you have someone around who can gauge your feelings and knows exactly what to do or say to lift your spirits.  Which has to be a bonus!

If you have access to a copy of your chart, check out if you have planets on or around this degree. Also check if you have planets on or around this . . . → Read More: Mars Conjuncts Uranus in Pisces]]> Tweet

A few people have asked about this conjunction which falls at approximately 24 degrees Pisces,  and the kind of events or scenarios with which it might coincide.

If you have access to a copy of your chart, check out if you have planets on or around this degree. Also check if you have planets on or around this same degree in other parts of the chart – as they and the issues they represent will be triggered. Notice in which house this conjunction is taking place as this too will have a bearing on the kind of events you can expect.

Trigger seems to be the operative word here, especially in the emotional sense. If a situation has been building up, but due to Mars being in Pisces nothing has been discussed, or if you or others have been in denial, this is when it may suddenly burst out into the open, and it is likely to be something minor that causes the explosion, rather like the straw that broke the camels back. If you find yourself feeling emotional then track back – stop and reflect on what the cause might be.

I personally find that such transits can show up in our lives a day or so earlier than when they are due to be exact, so that by the time the conjunction is complete the new idea, plan of action, or event has already manifested. But again it depends on the individual and their chart.

This combination of energies may also come as something of an awakening. One source of constant inspiration that may be particularly powerful this time is that of ‘big dreams’. If you already had some interesting dreams over the past week, then make a point of honouring them and take the time to get their message. They may contain guidance which will both inspire you and give you a kick in the right direction at the same time. Also be open to getting messages from the multi-verse about you, your life and your ongoing questions. These may come in the form of coincidences and synchronicities that may be pointing out the answers, or showing you the best path out of a current dilemma.

Whatever events occur at this time are going to come as something of an awakening anyway – you may be jolted out of your complacency by a short sharp shock. Even if you don’t much like what has happened – consider that it may have come at just the perfect time to save you from something so much  worse.

Mars/Uranus conjunctions especially in watery Pisces may also deliver a very real electric shock, so take extra care especially if doing any DIY today which involves water and electricity. if you aren’t certain how to go about it – call in an expert. It is also possible that lightening may strike both physically and metaphorically. The more this conjunction hooks up with your natal chart, the more intense the experience is going to be.

It is also a generational planet, in that its movement from one sign to the . . . → Read More: When Pluto Turns Retrograde]]> Tweet

What does it mean when Pluto turns retrograde. This slow moving dwarf-planet seems to have a style and pace all of its own and packs a mighty punch whatever planetary status it has been granted. Though small in size it is big on power.

It is also a generational planet, in that its movement from one sign to the next marks out those crucial milestones that apply to vast swathes of humans at the same time. On an individual level there is no doubting its transformational effect when it aspects planets in our natal chart or connects with them via transit.

So its retrograde phase will coincide with a particular movement of consciousness within our psyches that enables us to look at those unresolved situations in our lives and do something about them. Pluto tends to push us into fateful situations when we unaware of how its energy manifest within us. Once you get a handle on it – once you sense the energy of Pluto in your own life and know how it feels when its presence intrudes into a relationship, a conversation, and a much desired outcome, or as dark and compulsive feelings which seem beyond your control – then you can begin to work with it to discover the other side of Pluto – the face that clarifies your destiny and enables you to work along with it rather than resisting it.

Pluto is currently retrograde in Capricorn, which gives it another edge. We have seen how its movement into this sign has coincided with financial upheaval on a global basis – leading to change at a grass roots level. Just prior to Pluto turning stationary retrograde, in fact earlier this week the G20 summit took place in London, which took global financial discussions to a new level. Now is a time of recapitulation. The tide goes in and the tide goes out. Time to rethink all that was discussed, to repair and tentatively restore the economy and to build solid foundations one brick at a time, starting from the bottom up. On an individual basis it is time to take a closer look at what works in our lives and what doesn’t.

For those with Pluto aspecting planets in their natal chart – they will be experiencing the retrograde phase of their transit. Many Pluto transits occur in three parts – although they can also occur in five parts with two retrograde phases. Pluto will be retrograde right up until September 11 2009 this time around. Internalizing Pluto means that we have a chance to watch it at work in our lives and to begin to make changes in areas in which we have felt impotent.

In Capricorn, ruled by Saturn, it may be those patterns handed down from generation to generation – which stick like some kind of ancestral glue that are the ones we need to address most urgently. The Cancer/Capricorn axis is very much about family and ancestral karma. These patterns may come down through either side of the family, but they can be easily identified, as family history begins to repeat itself. The characters and scenarios may be different, but the storyline will have striking similarities. This is where the ‘ sins of the father are visited upon the children’ and it is during the retrograde phase that an opportunity develops to become aware of these hidden storylines that have dominated our lives for so long, and to begin to untangle them. If you are moving through a powerful Pluto transit, then you are being directly challenged to make those much needed changes as soon as possible. Family and ancestral karma can be the most difficult of all to detect as the patterns that form the bedrock of our lives are ones we take for granted. They can be virtually invisible because they are so very present.

In its retrograde phase Pluto’s focus may be more intense than usual and will encourage plenty of inner detective work. Dreams may contain powerful and potent symbols that can bring great richness of understanding to our lives and again help us to clarify our destiny. Often the parts of us that are most despised, most unacknowledged and most repressed contain great energy and may in reality hide precious treasures waiting to be discovered. Pluto has two faces – so any situation that appears as black as black, can be seen from a more life-affirming perspective when we are prepared to stand back from the pain and allow another viewpoint to emerge. Not easy – but then this is part of Pluto’s challenge. Often during the retrograde phase we may have access to greater inner strength than usual – as though we have a direct ability to harness our personal power should we choose to use it.

Pluto retrograde gives us a chance to clear out the clutter from our inner closet, banish a few of those skeletons and to begin to see the beauty that was always there but hidden by unconsciousness, shame, fear, humiliation and at times, a denial of what is. It is a chance to do some much needed soul-work.