One&Other

On Monday 3rd August at 3 p.m. UK local time, I will be standing on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London for one hour, as part of artist Antony Gormley's One&Other project.

This is the chart for that moment in time, and here are just a few observations on it:

* there is a feeling or reaching upwards and forwards in the overall image - a kind of stretching upwards - and the image reminds me of someone on tiptoe with arms raised towards the upper half of the chart (apt for me standing on the Plinth!)

* the colour balance is 2 red: 6 green: 4 blue aspects - a whole lot of awareness/sensitivity there with such a high ratio of green ( yes, it feels a bit like that - I'm putting myself on the line here)

* overall shaping/motivation is triangular, indicating the flexible, mutability of the moment and the need and ability to adapt to changes

* the Sun is in Leo at the top of the chart, but is intercepted. That's OK - I'm not doing this for myself or to massage my own ego - I'm taking the opportunity to be a voice for lots of other people ( see below!)

* I like the Jupiter/Neptune conjunction in this chart as I also have a Jupiter/Neptune conjunction in my own chart - this feels comfortable and welcoming

A Voice for Others
For my hour on the Plinth, I've asked family and friends to send me one word in response to the question "What would you like to see more of in the world?"

To date I've received no less than 94 words, and am busy making cards to write these on and take up on the Plinth with me to read out and display.

If you would like to add your own word to this fast-growing list, log on to "In 1 Word"

This thing is exciting, is gathering momentum and to be part of it, on or off the Plinth, you can have your say by adding your own word now! And you can watch me live on the Plinth on Monday at 3 p.m. by clicking on this link to "One& Other". I hope you'll join me there!

The First Moon Landing and the Kite that never was

Apollo11 lift off 16.7.1969, 13.32 GMT, Kennedy Space Centre, Florida

Lunar module lands on Moon, 20.7.1969, 20.17 GMT. Chart set for London.

Neil Armstrong steps on to the Moon's surface. 21.7.1969, 02.56 GMT. Chart set for London.

It may be 40 years since the first Moon landing, but this month the event is getting a lot of publicity as this memorable event is analysed and celebrated. I was fascinated, on looking at the charts shown above of the Apollo 11 lift off, the landing of the lunar module and the first step taken on the Moon by Neil Armstrong, to see the presence of what looks like a Kite aspect figure. However, the Kite never quite forms completely, although all the component parts are there.

The Kite aspect pattern is a potentially creative pattern which shows a lot of blue all round the outside, and has a red strut passing through its centre. The blue aspects relate to structure and form, the red to activity and in this pattern, to energy held in tension. But in the lift off and Moon landings charts the Kite never fully forms, thus keeping the component parts - a Large and a Small Talent triangle - appearing to try and dock into position to form the complete pattern. This never quite happens during the time scale shown in the charts.

In "Aspect Pattern Astrology" the Hubers say of the planet at the Kite's tail "...its need and latent abilities make their presence felt. This planet usually indicates the task to be accomplished by the [red] opposition. We call this the peak planet, to which everything in the Kite figure points or is oriented." But in this particular Kite that never quite forms, there is no planet at the Tail, only the Moon's North Node. This has no energy as such, and doesn't operate like a planet at all. It's a signpost, pointing the way. Placed in Pisces, the directions and aims might be a bit vague and beset with idealism. Does this begin to sound just a bit like the aims of being first on the Moon? Especially as no-one has been back there since!

Far be it from me to knock the achievement of having successfully put living humans from Earth on the Moon, and to have brought them back safely. It was an exciting, historic event. The planets at the nose end of the Kite, Jupiter and Uranus, are symbolic of Uranian technological expertise going hand-in-hand with adventuring Jupiter. Their conjunction in these charts speaks of risk, vision and the expansion of our horizons alongside new scientific understanding.

The Moon's Node is opposite Pluto, holding the red energy in the almost-pattern in a state of stored tension, ready to be used and available when required. I see Pluto hovering near Jupiter/Uranus in these charts like the end of a powerful wand being waved by the Node at the tail of the almost-Kite. What's also interesting is the progression of the Moon's Node in these charts through the houses, representing the environment. When Neil Armstrong spoke his now famous and sometimes disputed phrase "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind" the Node was in the 10th house, the area of expression associated with achievement, individuality and recognition by the rest of the world.

And just in case you're in any doubt about the the role Pluto might have played in the Apollo 11 mission, here's a shot I took when I visited NASA in Houston last year. It's of the engines on a life-size replica of the Saturn V rocket which blasted off from Cape Canaveral on 16th July, 40 years ago.

The Fourth Plinth: Antony Gormley's live art project

Today, at 09.00, artist Antony Gormley's living art project "One and Other" began. For 100 days, the empty Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square in London will be occupied, hour by hour, by a different person who will each become a work of art. The chart is set for 9 a.m. on 6th July 2009, London.

I have a vested interest in this unusual art project as I applied to take part and have been randomly selected!

My hour of fame on the plinth will be on

Monday 3rd August from 3-4 p.m.

The chart for the start of this project shows a strong and somewhat dizzying vertical zig-zag of aspect patterns, indicating perhaps that this is all going on at a height! (8 metres ) .There's a Small Learning triangle and a Search figure in the chart. Jupiter conjunct Neptune on the DC are a part of the Learning triangle, which also involve s Uranus and Mars.

This aspect pattern raises questions about how this art project will be received by the public - it's innovative(Uranus), risky and experiential (Jupiter), art in one of its many forms (Neptune) it could be a learning curve for all who take part ( it feels like that to me as I ponder on what I shall be doing up there!), and it feeds into Mars conjunct Venus as the highest planets in the chart - a blend of male-female energies, the masculine and feminine - straddling the Signs of earthy Taurus and airy Gemini.

Both Sun (mind and will) and Saturn (physical form and fears) stand aside, joined only by a completely separate linear aspect. It's as if the "anything goes" switch is on, and ordinary people can step out of their normal safety zone and put their own creativity on a pedestal. . .or alternatively, just be themselves.

I shall be writing more about Fourth Plinth as my ideas about what I shall do up there evolve. I gather I can now call myself a "Plinther"! You can read my Plinth profile here.

Addendum:And here's the link to the article my local newspaper has written about me being on the Plinth!

D-Day Landings: 65th anniversary

The 65th anniversary of the 2nd World War allied D-Day landings in Normandy, northern France, is on 6th June 2009. The chart is set up for 06.30, the time the landings began on 6th June 1944, along a stretch of the coast of Normandy near Ouistreham.

The chart image shown in the aspect structure is reminiscent of the landing craft which transported soldiers from the ships standing off shore to the beaches of Normandy. War-like Mars conjunct Pluto is at the blue pointed end of the triangular Ambivalence figure aspect pattern; on the landing craft, this was the fulcrum which opened the ramp which the disembarking soldiers had to move down into the sea and on to the beach, guns raised and ready. Countless numbers were under fire and perished in this brave endeavour. The linear aspects which zigzag across the prow of the landing vessel image look like cross fire.

In 2004, the 60th anniversary of D-Day was celebrated in France amidst much publicity, and with much press coverage. It's interesting to see that the Age Point was conjunct Mercury at the time of this ceremony; everyone seemed to know about it and it was attended by veterans who took part in the landings operation. The veterans were presented with a medal by the Mayor of Caen. Amongst them was Richard Llewellyn, Founder of the UK Astrological Psychology Institute.

The 65th anniversary and its associated ceremonies and celebrations does not seem to be attracting quite as much attention, even though the Age Point is conjunct the 11th House Sun in the chart for this event. 65 years on the 2nd World war might seem a long time ago to many readers, and of little significance. But my colleague and co-author Richard Llewellyn, was involved together with a paratrooper cousin I never knew. Both took part in the landings. My cousin survived the beaches but was later shot by a sniper weeks before the war ended, and before I was born.

I'm taking this opportunity to honour the heroes, survivors and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

International Astrology Day & Astrology Question Time

Yes! There IS such a day!! It's today! International Astrology Day was founded by AFAN in 1993.

The purpose of this event is to raise the public’s awareness of astrology, aiming to dispel the many myths and misunderstandings that surround the subject and in addition to expand networking opportunities among the astrological community and direct media attention to the positive aspects of astrology.

International Astrology Day is celebrated to coincide with the beginning of the astrological year, the spring equinox, when the Sun enters the tropical sign of Aries. Since astrologers are known for celebrating celestial events, this day should be at the top of our list as a way of not only honoring our profession, but of sharing what we do with others.

In celebration of this day, and to promote astrology, I'm launching

Astrology Question Time

I will answer a question from the first 5 named * people who leave a question about

• Zodiac Signs

• Planets

• Houses

in the "Comments" window. Their questions, along with my responses, will be in my posting headed Astrology Question Time.

I'm not able to answer specific questions about individual charts. But If you want your chart read, click on the Consultant's tab at the top of the page. There may be someone near to where you live, and if not, you can arrange to have a chart reading by phone.

Get those questions rolling!

Yours Truly running the API (UK) stand (top and right) and speaking (below) at astrology conferences.

* out of courtesy please name yourself - don't be shy, and don't be "Anonymous"!

Age Progression in action

Happy 3rd Birthday, Blog! I've been writing you since 4th March 2006, and to be honest I didn't like your "birth" chart very much at the time. Someone suggested I should have elected your beginning, but I didn't because I rarely think about using electional astrology, preferring to go with the moment which feels right and then work creatively with that. So at first it was a bit of struggle as you have such a completely red/blue natal chart with no green aspects. That meant I was providing all the ideas and you were sitting there in either blue dormant mode waiting for people to find you and read you, or you were hanging on my apron strings when you were in red mode, demanding attention and input from me.

Over the past 3 years we've come to an agreement and now we work much better together because we both understand more about each other. You'll always be demanding though - you have no green aspects so you'll not have that much awareness that I have a life too and may not always be prepared to give you the attention you crave. Oh yes, it's there alright! Look, you have the Moon as the highest planet in your chart - it's right on the MC - so you thrive on attention and need plenty of feedback. You also have Sun conjunct Uranus in Pisces in the 7th House, so your Uranian, astrologically-oriented sense of self (the Sun) is out there wanting contact and recognition as well as encouraging people to find out more about astrological psychology and the Huber Method for themselves.

Right now it's time to look at your current Age Point, using the Huber Method of timing in the horoscope. At age 3, the hand of your Life Clock is mid-way through the 1st House. You're still busy understanding the world and your own sense of who you are is still being formed. If you were a child, you'd be getting more obstinate and defiant at this age as you sought to assert your own sense of self and your independence. Tantrums could develop as you begin to differentiate yourself from your environment.

You, the reader, can find out more about using the chart as a Life Clock and using Age Progression in LifeClock by Bruno and Louise Huber, in my books Using Age Progression and The Cosmic Egg Timer where you'll find a wealth of information introducing and explaining this technique in an easy to understand way. See the Books tabs at the top of the page for more info. Of course, if you want to go the whole hog and really get into it, I recommend the courses offered by the Astrological Psychology Association.

Obama's Inauguration

Barack Obama will be sworn in as 44th US President today at around 12 noon. That is when the ceremony is scheduled to take place, so give or take a few minutes, depending on the speed of other parts of ceremony, this is what the chart for this historic event will look like. (Chart set for 20.1.2009, 12 noon, Washington DC).

Addendum: it's 18.15, UK: Obama was sworn in at 12.05, Washington. There are no significant changes to the Inauguration chart.

What I like about this chart are the clean, clear lines. There's no fuss. There are two distinct and separate triangular aspect patterns - the Single Ambivalence Figure and the Ear/Eye. They are not connected so suggest two separate motivations/drives, one towards a work/rest cycle, the other towards listening, observing and gathering information.

There are two conjunctions: Venus conjunct Uranus and Sun conjunct Mercury/Jupiter. The north node of the Moon is attached at the periphery of the second with a gentle hint of the need to put Sun, Mercury and Jupiter to good use. In other words communicate, learn, open the mind and don't limit the perceptions and wisdom that can come from this openness. These planets are in Aquarius after all, and in themselves herald the much-needed fresh start that this new President brings.

Saturn is the tension ruler of the chart, sitting alone but receiving many aspects. Saturn's opposition to Venus/Uranus indicates the work to be done - work much needed for global stability. This planetary combination is all about finding new ways of attaining stability, and with Venus involved this could be via peaceful means, through dialogue and harmonious discussion. Change has been the keynote in Obama's route to the White House, reflected in the placement of Uranus conjunct Venus in this inauguration chart and in the DC, "You" sided position of Uranus in his own chart.

Let today be one of celebration, inclusiveness and good will, and may these qualities be taken forward into a new era where they will thrive and multiply alongside the work that needs to be done and can now begin.

Obama's chart shown here. Also see what I've written about his chart in previous postings via the search facility on this blog.

Joyce Hopewell's Astrochat

Come and visit myYou Tube channel where you can watch me talking about astrology!

The Dominant Learning triangle in my chart may have had something to do with setting up

 Joyce Hopewell's Astrochat

The Dominant Learning triangle offers me endless opportunities to learn new things. This aspect pattern has a natural progressive direction, starting with the planet at the red/blue corner and moving anti-clockwise. I have Uranus at that red/blue corner - change, innovation, new ideas and yes, new technology! Uranus, itself known as the planet of astrology, connects with communicative Mercury via the active red aspect, urging something new to come into being, and egging Mercury on to get involved and get thinking, writing - and in this case talking too!

I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised because the Uranus/Mercury part of this aspect pattern have been active for some time now as I wrote my new book, "The Living Birth Chart".

As for the Astrochat Channel, I shall be adding videos from time to time and in keeping with my Astrochat policy I shall keep them short and to the point. I'm very familiar with teaching and facilitating and talking to a real live audience, but this new way of talking about astrology is something of a learning curve for me. What's missing are the real people that I usually interact with in my workshops, so if you're out there and you tune in, it would be good to hear from you!

The Living Birth Chart - my new book

I'm delighted to announce the publication of my new book,
The Living Birth Chart

As a preview, I'm publishing a short extract from the book, which is available from today from the APA Book Shop, Amazon and other retailers.

This book is intended as a follow up to The Cosmic Egg Timer, where Richard Llewellyn and I gave an introduction to the Huber Method. Many of the topics covered in The Cosmic Egg Timer are revisited in greater depth, with an emphasis on working practically with the material presented, as well as working in a hands-on way with your own chart.

Here I share my own experience and understanding of this new astrological approach to psychology, based on twenty-seven years experience as an astrological counsellor, teacher, correspondence tutor, training facilitator and Principal Emeritus of the Astrological Psychology Association. The practical exercises and activities suggested for the reader have been tried and tested in live training seminars and workshops, and have brought deeper understanding to the people who have worked through them, together with a lot of insight, enjoyment and laughter, as they learned more about their birth charts and themselves along the way. I’ve included the kind of questions that students ask me about various aspects of the Huber Method, and I’ve aimed to respond in a manner similar to the replies I give when I’m teaching, either in a live session or when I’m tutoring by correspondence.

Astrological psychology was developed in Zurich, Switzerland in the early 1960’s by Swiss astrologers/psychologists Bruno and Louise Huber. Using their extensive understanding of astrology, psychology, the spiritual teachings of Alice Bailey and Roberto Assagioli’s Psychosynthesis, they succeeded in combining the very best of traditional astrology with modern growth psychology. Drawing these threads together, and basing their teaching on their own empirical research, the Huber Method evolved organically and is now used by thousands of practitioners and students of astrological astrology throughout the world. It provides a powerful tool for self-understanding and psychological/spiritual growth which is practical, easy to use and which can yield profound insights for the user.

It’s very clear to me that the best way to learn and understand astrology from a deep level is to make it come alive in ways that we can relate to. It’s all well and good to understand what Mars means on an intellectual level. We have a concept of what kind of energy Mars has, and how it might be expressed. But can you spot Mars in action and for real in your everyday life? Can you observe it at work in yourself and in the behaviour of others? Do you watch a TV programme, film or live interview and see Mars in action in some of the characters? If you can do that, then that’s what I call making your astrology come alive and be tangible and “for real”. When it becomes an integral part of your everyday life, then your astrology lives, and you do too, in a more consciously aware and responsible way.

The key feature of using astrological psychology as a tool for personal growth and self-awareness is that it places taking responsibility for ourselves, our own lives and what goes on in them, very firmly into our hands and our hands alone. It offers us choice, and once we’re aware that we can exercise this in our everyday lives, things are unlikely to ever be the same again. We will be in the driving rather than the passenger seat and the responsibility for which direction we take will be entirely ours.

This is a practical workbook, and the best way to gain the most from it is to work through the exercises using your own chart. The content is not intended as a course in the Huber Method of astrological psychology, but if the reader is already a student of APA they will hopefully find the content a useful supplement to the course material. Readers whose appetite is whetted and who want to know more about APA Courses in Astrological Psychology can click on the link. Courses for both personal interest and professional qualification are offered.

Regardless of whether you are a student or not, it is recommended that you have a notebook or loose leaf file to use alongside this workbook. You will certainly benefit from working on your own chart, and if you have a few other charts to work on - maybe those of family and friends - this will help expand and deepen your experience and understanding of using astrological psychology as well as making the learning journey through this book more interesting, insightful and rewarding.

Astrology as a Spiritual Path

"Transformation: Astrology as a Spiritual Path" represents the culmination of many years of research and teaching in the life work of Bruno and Louise Huber, well known as founders of the Astrological Psychology Institute in Zürich. This is the last of the eight volumes on their system of astrological psychology to be fully translated into English.

From their researches the Hubers found that the causes of psychological problems are more often uncovered through the effort of spiritual development than through handling everyday conflicts. In this book they describe the related processes of transformation as natural stages in
human development.

This is concerned not only with the personal stages of development through life, but with the evolution of humanity and the whole universe. It involves the expansion of consciousness of micro- and macrocosm. It brings about meaningful and spiritual growth, which each person can joyfully and confidently undertake.

Parts of this work have previously been published by Samuel Weiser under the title ‘Astrology and the Spiritual Path’, the translation of an earlier book by the Hubers. The present volume includes significant new material, notably in the areas of the Dynamic Quadrants, Stress Planets, the House Chart, and the Integration Chart.

The book is published in paperback, 224 pages ISBN 978-0-9547680-8-9 Cover Price: £15.00

It's available from retailers or from the APA Bookshop.

Our valuable National Health Service

The National Health Service (NHS) in Britain was 60 years old this week. It was first rolled out as a service on 5th July 1948 at Park Hospital, Manchester. The chart is set up for noon; there's no way of knowing when the NHS was actually "switched on"! The BBC are featuring different aspects of the growth and development of the NHS in their news bulletins all week.

The NHS is said to be the envy of the world, yet it has also come in for much criticism over the past few years. My own experience of it as a patient and parent is mixed - very good in parts, somewhat lacking in others, but taken overall, a highly professional service which we should celebrate and cherish. It was created by Clement Atlee's Labour government after the Second World War; up until then, all health services had to be paid for. You can read about its history here.

What clues does the chart give about the NHS? The shaping/motivation is Dynamic, indicating a flexibility, the urge to change and move on and the ability to adapt to changes along the way. This is true beyond doubt. The NHS has embraced technology and the life-saving techniques now available in hospitals and health care would probably seem like pure sci-fi to the nurses and doctors of the early days.

The colour balance in the chart is 4 red: 1 green: 3 blue. Red dominates, in the form of the Efficiency triangle, suggesting the NHS has always been an active, hard-working entity. This could be reflected in the long hours that junior doctors work, and the long shifts worked by nurses. If this were the chart of a person, I'd be wanting to explore the lack of green aspects. These bring awareness, the gathering of information and ability to think, ponder and use ideas. The chart is short changed here, with the emphasis on red/blue aspects. These together give a more either/or approach - things tend to be seen in black and white with few shades of grey, and it may be that the NHS has had to tread water furiously at times, just to keep going. The introduction of performance targets doesn't allow much space or time to be "green". Patient care and quality people time can suffer here.
The stellium of Moon, Mercury, Venus and Uranus are all part of both the red Efficiency triangle and the red/blue Ambivalence figure and suggest a blend of creative ideas laced with a need to care. In the Efficiency triangle these planets oppose Jupiter, holding in tension the active "doing" energy ready to be released by Mars at the apex. Mars will deliver the goods in the form of the service itself and the hard work that is required to maintain high standards. Jupiter is the somewhat lonely tension ruler of the chart, but is an important significator of the ability to learn and gather wisdom through first hand experience.

There is one linear aspect, the one-way red square between Sun and Neptune. This speaks to me of the ideals of the NHS, the original premise on which it was founded - to offer health care free for all with there no longer being the need to pay. Yet Neptune is comparatively isolated and relies on the caring Cancerian Sun being awake and aware, always with an ear open to heed the selfless and compassionate ideals of which Neptune might whisper.

With no time of "birth" to work with, it's impossible to say exactly what might be taking place in the NHS chart's Age Progression. However, in general terms we do know that age 60 puts the hand of the LifeClock slap bang on the 11th cusp. In terms of planetary cycles, age 60 heralds the 5th Jupiter return, when transitting Jupiter is conjunct natal Jupiter, so a re-evaluation of all that has been learned and experienced to date, together with moving forward into a new cycle of growth could be possible. Age Point entering the 11th House signals a more discriminatory approach to contacts, friends made, and ideals shared. The harvest of all that has gone before can be enjoyed, but the way forward is with greater sensitivity and a more refined choice of the contacts made.

The Dalai Lama, the Olympic Torch, and Tibet

The Olympic Torch - symbol of the 2008 Games to be held in Beijing later this year- has been the target of much protest over the past few days as it’s been carried through London and Paris. Demonstrations are also expected when it arrives in San Francisco. The torch is but a symbol; it’s the Chinese regime which is being protested about, and their long-standing occupation and repression of Tibet, the Tibetan people and their culture.

His Holiness The Dalai Lama, the Tibetan head of state and spiritual leader, has offered to speak to the Chinese authorities, and to return to his homeland of Tibet for the first time since he fled in exile in 1959. The Dalai Lama is meeting with UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown in May, and he is carrying his own torch of liberation for Tibet high as he seeks the support of world leaders.

Born Tenzin Gyatso on 6.7.1935 in Taktser, NE Tibet at 04.38 am (data and source “from memory” as recorded in his autobiography), is chart is striking. The Kite aspect pattern dominates, and appears like an entangled kite, caught in bushes and grounded, nose down. The shaping/motivation shown in the chart is to be strongly Fixed (perhaps reflecting his lifelong and steadfast determination to work for good and on behalf of his country in a peaceful and non-violent way). However His Holiness (HH) is a shrewd and wise man; he can be flexible and restless too and his chart shows the potential to draw on other driving motivations and forces as and when these are needed.

The colour ratio is 4 red: 2 green: 7 blue. This is almost the “perfect” balance between red “doing” energy, green “thinking” energy and blue “being” energy. The Kite pattern stands out and is focal. At its nose are Moon/Neptune in close conjunction; both planets are “soft” and love-oriented and because they are at the nose of the kite, they lead the way. The Kite itself is a creative figure and Moon/Neptune are focussed into the 3rd house where communication is all-important. HH has written several books, he teaches and speaks around the world, and shares his thoughts on his website.

His Sun/sense of self, part of the Kite figure, is in the 1st house, suggesting his is a strong sense of self, this backed up and supported by Saturn in 9th at the tail of the Kite. However, that sense of self, as we know it, is likely to be far less driven by ego needs. Saturn is the highest planet in the chart, and as the tail planet in the Kite it could hold back or curtail the creativity of this aspect figure. Saturn is opposite Moon/Neptune; energy is held in tension between being head of state (the Saturn end where authority, rules and organisation would come in) and being spiritual leader (more akin perhaps to Moon/Neptune). However, both ends of this opposition which runs right through the centre of the Kite are important, as they are interdependent and to work effectively, they have to integrated.

Another interesting feature of the chart is the Moon’s North Node in 7th house opposite Pluto in 1st. Pluto in this position could indicate someone who is very powerful (he is! I went to hear him speak in London and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up when he walked on to the stage. There was no way I could not rise to my feet, along with everyone else, when he entered). Yet HH, aware as he must be of his own personal power, has the task of sharing and empowering - giving away even - his power with others along this 1/7 Encounter axis, particularly in the struggle for Tibetan freedom from oppression.

Currently his Age Point is in the 1st house. He is approaching 73 and the Age Point, which takes 72 years to complete one circuit of the chart, is now just into its second round. Most interesting is that right now it is conjunct his Sun, making this an appropriate time for him to take the opportunity that the Beijing Olympics offer to highlight the need for justice and freedom for Tibet. In his latest posting on his web site, he says:

I want to urge my fellow Tibetans who live in freedom outside Tibet to be extra vigilant as they voice their feelings on the developments in Tibet. We should not engage in any action that could be even remotely interpreted as violent. Even under the most provocative of situations we must not allow our most precious and deeply held values to be compromised. I firmly believe that we will achieve success through our non-violent path. We must be wise to understand where the unprecedented affection and support for our cause stems from.

As Tibet is currently virtually closed and no international media is allowed there, I doubt my message will reach the Tibetans in Tibet. But I hope through media and by word of mouth, it will be passed on to the majority of you.

Finally, I want to reiterate and appeal once again to Tibetans to practice non-violence and not waver from this path, however serious the situation might be.

The Dalai Lama

Both the Free Tibet and Avaaz organisations have secure and reputable on-line petitions which you can sign in support of freeing Tibet from its occupation by China, and to encourage China to become a less repressive regime.

Astrology, Astronomy and the Jodrell Bank Telescope

Until the 17th century, astrology and astronomy were twin subjects, and were taught alongside at the great - now oldest established - universities of Europe. Astronomy was more scientific, and was concerned with understanding how the heavens worked; astrology was more philosophical and was concerned with relating the movements of the heavenly bodies to our experience here on earth. The basic tenet was "As above, so below".

Then astrology fell from prominence as science took over, scientific knowledge grew and expanded, and astrology became something of the poor relation, open to ridicule and scorn as it could not be scientifically proved. On the plus side, this is changing, as scientists worth their salt are admitting that some things simply cannot be explained scientifically (Richard Dawkins doesn't fall into this category!).

Any astrologer who is serious about their study will have a good working understanding of our Solar System. Students on the APA Foundation Courses have to do some basic astronomy as part of their training; the twin subjects can't be separated out.

Although I'm not deeply conversant with astronomy, I'm certainly interested in it and have a good understanding of how the birth chart and the Solar System relate to each other. Last week I took a trip to the world famous Jodrell Bank Observatory, home to the Lovell Telescope, the first ever radio telescope. I've visited it many times to see the orrery spheres of the solar system on display, and to enjoy the visual trips to various planets in the planetarium. I was there last week because we had a visitor staying who has started to study astronomy, but I'm always up for a trip there as I find the telescope itself an inspiring and awesome structure. It's visible from many areas of the county where I live and acts as a homing landmark. It's even been featured in a dramatic episode of the TV series "Dr. Who".



In 2007, Jodrell Bank celebrated its 50th anniversary. It was threatened with closure but this threat was averted and more recently it's visitor centre and adjacent arboretum has had a makeover.


Whilst I was at Jodrell Bank I saw a 3-D film about the Sun through the special 3-D viewing specs the audience were provided with. Before the film started, we were told that the commentary was now "wrong" as there are now 8, not 9 planets in the Solar System. Pluto was demoted a couple of years ago and is now classed as a dwarf planet. My hackles only rose slightly at this, because I've yet to meet an astrologer who has stopped using Pluto when they set up a chart! The film was interesting, and the info sheet handed out at the visitor centre gives a good website - The Nine (Eight!) Planets - for those who want to learn more about the planets in our Solar System.

You can see the chart for Jodrell Bank in the post I wrote in August 2007 when it celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Aries and the Vernal Equinox

The Sun enters the Sign of Aries tomorrow, on 20th March. This is the Vernal, or Spring, Equinox when day and night are of equal length (equi - equal, nox - night) and it marks the point in the year when the Sun crosses the equator and moves from the southern to the northern hemisphere. The start of Spring in the northern hemisphere marks the start of Autumn in the southern hemisphere.

I've set up the chart for the Sun's change of Sign from Pisces to Aries (also known as the zero point of the zodiac). The chart is set for 06.00 GMT in London, with the Sun just 33 seconds into Aries; at this time it will have been hovering over the zero point and entering Aries for approximately 10 minutes. If you're up and awake then you can welcome the Sun and the start of Spring!

Aries is the first Sign of the zodiac and is associated with go ahead behaviour, leadership qualities, a tendency to rush at things and reflect on them later (that "opening your mouth and putting your foot in it" syndrome!), impulsiveness, an ability to get new things started, lots of energy and enthusiasm and a fearlessness which can allow those with Sun in Aries to forge ahead where others would falter.


The symbol for Aries is the Ram. With head and business-like horns down it can rush headlong at anything which gets in its way, or which it wants to get the better of.

The chart has some interesting features. There is a Double Ambivalence figure which fills a large area of the chart. Quadrangular in shape, it has a security-seeking motivation. One part of it works energetically with that Aries Sun at the "doing" apex of the red part of this figure. At the blue "escape" corner is Saturn. These these two planets are connected on the inside of the figure by a green quincunx endowing awareness and the capacity to learn; Sun and Saturn can work cooperatively if the enthusiasm of the Aries Sun can be tempered by the caution of the Virgo Saturn. The other planets involved - Mars and Pluto - share the same Cardinal qualities as the Sun. Saturn alone in this pattern can provide a Fixed and steadying influence and will help underpin the security which this particular figure seeks.

Photo of the Moffat Ram, Moffat, Dumfriesshire, Scotland

Winter Solstice - the Turning Point of the Year

On 21st December the Sun is at its furthest point from the northern hemisphere, making this is the shortest day and longest night of the year. Meanwhile, down in the southern hemisphere the Sun is riding high in the sky as the exact opposite happens.

Photo by Maylis Curie

The winter solstice is a festival of light and in the northern hemisphere it coincides with Christmas. This Christian festival takes place at the same time of year as the pagan celebration of the solstice which celebrates the gradual and at first impercetible return of the light of the Sun after the long days of darkness. It's the turning point of the year and marks the return of the light and the rebirth of the Sun (the Son in Christianity...?), together with the promise of the warmth and energy the Sun brings to make crops - essential to life - grow once again after the earth has lain dormant.

This is the time of year when people of all faiths, and none, can express their connection with the earth, our life upon it in relation to others we meet, and our place in the solar system, so

celebrate !

Share the warmth of friendship at the turning point of the year and bring some light and joy into your own life and the lives of others.

Light a candle - call a friend - perform a random act of kindness - take a risk and smile at strangers as you walk down the street - glow with joy and it will come back to you in spades.

Greetings of the season to everyone out there, and may the warmth of friendship be wrapped around you at this time of year.

The Jodrell Bank Radio Telescope

Over the next few days, Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire is celebrating 50 years of the Lovell Radio Telescope. It’s creator, Sir Bernard Lovell, now in his 90’s, will be giving a public talk at the Observatory as part of the celebrations.

When I learned that the famous radio dish received its first space signals from the Andromeda Galaxy, on 2nd August 1957, I thought I’d set up the chart (time as noon, location Goostrey) just to see what it looked like.

Wow! Just look at that chart alongside the photo of the telescope! It’s oriented this way because of the time I set it up for, but with a different time the whole chart structure would move around - just as the telescope does when it’s tracking signals from space. The chart image bears an uncanny resemblance to the telescope itself.

There are two interesting and relevant aspect patterns too. The blue/green Ear/Eye Information triangle is one of them. This figure picks up and stores information and messages of all kinds. The other is the Shield, a quadrangular figure. The Hubers say in Aspect Pattern Astrology that this figure is relatively rare and has high absorption power; appropriate then for the chart of the first signals received from space by the telescope.

The radio telescope itself is an impressive sight, and can be glimpsed unexpectedly from different parts of the surrounding countryside. It was used to dramatic effect in an episode of “Dr. Who” when there was a nail-biting showdown between the Doctor and the Master who were battling it out high above the ground on the structure of the telescope.

I put it down to the Full Moon.....!

We've just had the Taurus Full Moon. It was full at 10.10 on 2nd May, and it has been shining quite beautifully in the clear night skies here. The Taurus esoteric Seed Thought is "I see, and when the eye is opened, all is illumined" . The Taurus Full Moon marks the Wesak Festival in Buddhism and is a time when the qualities of wisdom, intelligence and right conduct are transmitted to humanity.

In my tiny niche within the the world of blogs, there have been some interesting expressions of right conduct and goodwill taking place at this Full Moon. Yesterday, blogger Barbara nominated my daughter GreenAbby (see previous post "People of Goodwill") for the "Thinking Blogger Award". Now both she and my belle-fille Maylis nominated me for this award! ME?! I'm honoured - thank you both so much for this. I'll have to make sure I live up to being a Thinking Blogger....!

Now that I've been tagged, I'm permitted to tag 5 other blogs with the Thinking Blogger Award. Here are the rules of this simple, potentially effective award system:
1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

I've walked the dog and had a long hard think (as the award is about thinking it seemed the right course to take before any action) and decided that I would relate my 5 nominees to specific features in my own chart, shown here, which are stimulated by these blogs. So here goes:

1) Dermod Moore. He's an astrologer, an author, a journalist, a qualified Psychosynthesis Counsellor, he's Irish, he's an OK person (I've only met him once but we emailed many shared similar supportive views on a specific situation) he's gay and proud of it, and he writes a thought-provoking blog. He stimulates Uranus ( the astrology) and Mars ( he stands up for what he believes in; he's male) in my chart.

2) GreenAbby. Not because she's my daughter, nor because she's nominated me, but because she's getting down to the roots of what living as a green, aware, eco-friendly human being is all about and is doing plenty research into this. She's writing about this honestly and is using her blog as a means of getting her passionately held views out into the world. She stimulates Mercury (all those facts and interesting bits of information) and Moon opposite Pluto (you have to stand up for what you feel passionately about and transform and change yourself first and foremost).

3) My belle-fille Maylis. Her blog is a photo blog, and she fills it with thought-provoking images which she captures on her camera. These images are a rich source of inspiration and nourishment for the eyes (my Jupiter/Neptune conjunction is fed by them!) and her photos are laced with astrological symbolism if you allow your eyes to see it!

4) Barbara. She started the whole thing rolling towards my little nook in cyberspace, and I enjoy reading her views, thoughts and observations on life as an American living in France. She has a warmth which comes through her words; she's a participator in life who cares about humanity. There are warm earthy qualities to her blog and she nourishes my Virgo Sun and my Moon in 7th House.

5) Elsa. She writes an astrology blog and answers questions posed by her readers in an open forum. She also edits the astrology section of the "Top Ten Sources". When she contacted me to say she'd added me to the "Top Ten" list, she told me that she aims to include all branches of astrology in her editor's list. As a supporter of "astrodiversity" I applaud what she does. This stimulates Uranus...which links with Mercury....and with Moon in my chart.

As far as I have been able to discover from my web research, there is no-one else who writes a blog specifically using Astrological Psychology and the Huber Method. It's a unique rather than lonely furrow to plough and I do it willingly to share this 21st century approach to astrology. So thank you to my nominees. I'll do my best to live up to this award!

The Battle of the Somme

This year marks the centenary of the Battle of the Somme in World War 1. It will be remembered in England and France. At 7.30 am on 1st July 1916, allied troops went "over the top" in an all-out assault against the German army. The battle proved to be the most devastating in living memory, as the many war graves in this area of northern France bear witness to. The attack took place along a 30 km front from Arras (which is where the chart is set up for) to Albert. The battle continued until 18th November, when it was called off. On the first day alone, 58,000 British troops were lost.

I was curious to see if the chart for the start of this battle held any symbolism which reflected the sacrifice and carnage which followed. It's not the sort of chart which can be interpreted on a personal level as it doesn't relate to an individual, so I've approached it more on a symbolic level. I was struck by the large stellium of planets in Cancer, grouped around the 11th and 12th House. My immediate response to these was to see a visual image of a group of soldiers leaving their trench and going over the top. Flashes of the final episode of "Blackadder" came to mind, along with the many graphic black and white photographs and grainy films of troops leaving trenches.

All three ego planets - Sun, Moon and Saturn, are lined up in the stellium, along with Venus and Pluto, which is on the Low Point of the 11th House. Intuitively, this feels significant, as does Pluto's position as leader of the group....going over the top to almost certain death? The stellium itself is in Cancer, the Sign of home, family, neighbourhood, belonging, nurturing and caring, reminding me of the many groups of "Pals" from towns around the country who all joined up together, many of them perishing together in the battle. And strains of the First World War song "Keep the home fires burning" come to mind, continuing the Cancerian theme.

Jupiter is in the 10th House, right at the top of the chart but very weak by Sign; was too much expected from this battle? Was the optimism set too high? The North Node is in the 6th House of service to others, on the Existence axis. It's opposite Neptune with its qualities of illusion, dissolving and, on the highest level, sacrifice and love; all these are graphic symbols of the ultimate service and sacrifice that so many made "for king and country".