Age Progression: Princess Beatrice's 18th

As BBC Radio Stoke's Resident Astrologer, I was asked to make some comments on air on the chart of Princess Beatrice as she celebrates her 18th birthday. Curiosity was aroused because she was born on 8.8.88 at 8.18 pm, in London. Is there anything significant in this line-up of "8's", the presenter asked, and how does this fit in with her 18th birthday? You may have seen in the press that a big party was planned for her, complete with guests wearing 18th century-style costumes. A search on the internet gives information on how mum Fergie is deeply into the 18th century, that Beatrice & Eugenie were named after previous royals from that era, and that an earlier Princess Beatrice was born in 1888.

So, what about all those 8's? And was her time of birth elected to increase that "8-ness" by Fergie having a caeserean section? I'm not a numerologist, but do I know some Kabbalah. In this system, the number 8 refers to the sphere on the Tree of Life known as Hod. This corresponds, amongst other things, to the planet Mercury.

In my internet search on Beatrice, I found a report on the BBC website about her being dyslexic. Now that's interesting since Mercury, associated with Hod as it is in Kabbalah, is the planet in astrological psychology which is associated with the drive to communicate, learn, and gather information. Mercury, in Beatrice's chart, is in Leo in 7th House, and conjunct her Sun, giving her a forceful ability to speak out and be noticed, but this conjunction only has blue/green aspects, so maybe it can be a bit laid back?

This could, however, be offset by the Efficiency triangle in her chart with Mars at its apex; her chart has a lot of red "doing" aspects. The Dominant Learning triangle of Moon, Pluto and Mars is retrograde, suggesting that she might need several attempts when learning major life lessons - perhaps reflecting some aspects of her dyslexia, too?

Her Age Progression is at a very significant point. Age 18 marks one of the major times on the Huber's LifeClock. It's the age when we start moving away from the safety of the "nest" to seek out our own individuality and make our own way in the world. We separate from the heritage and tradition we were brought up with (and how easy might that be if you're a royal princess?!); we want new relationships and the self-realisation that experience of these can bring.

Beatrice's Age Point is moving through Gemini, offering the potential for communication, the exploration of ideas, meeting a variety of people and learning new things. In 2004, her Age Point was conjunct Jupiter, indicating the opening up of new horizons and a spot of adventure. And there were media reports of her having a 24 year-old boy friend when she was 16......

She has a dynamic, flexible life motivation, with a strong tendency to be active, to be noticed and to come across in a Leonine way which is going to be hard to ignore! Yet the most beneficial thing she could concentrate on is to strengthen her own sense of self.

Blogger works in mysterious ways.........the chart that headed this posting has completely disappeared, and five attempts to download it again have all failed! So watch this space - and I'll keep trying!

Wayne Rooney

Hearing England manager Svedish Sven speaking about the behaviour of Wayne Rooney at a press conference following England being knocked out of the World Cup, I decided to take a look at his chart (24.10.1985, Liverpool. No time of birth so set for noon).

Sven was saying something along the lines of "He has a temper, but you'll have to learn to live with that if you want him around - you're going to need him, he's the best you've got" ( or words to that effect).

It was the mention of the temper that got me intrigued, following on from seeing him stamp on the groin of the Portuguese player he'd collided with during the match, and getting sent off. That stamp looked pretty nasty, vicious and decisive to me. I reckoned that his chart could contain some indication of where that kind of behaviour comes from.

And I wasn't disappointed. Rooney is a Sun Scorpio - the Sign that is renowned for its sting in the tail and for having the last lash of revenge, which is exactly what that stamp on the groin looked like to me. Not only does he have a Scorpio Sun, he has 3 other planets in this Sign as well, emphasising Scorpionic traits. Most significantly, Pluto is conjunct his Sun, suggesting that he has an urge to control, manipulate, dominate and generally put his power out into the world. This, when channelled through his sporting skills, makes him a star player. However, at 20, he's young and as yet unable to control this energy, so it spills out into on-field behaviour as agressiveness and temper ( it may well do off-field as well, but I don't read the sports pages or the tabloids..! I simply observe).

Sun/Pluto are part of the red Efficiency/Performance Triangle, which contains a lot of working energy, itching to be expressed via the apex planet Jupiter. Interesting to see that the opposition, where the energy is held and stored, is pinned by Sun/Pluto at one end and the Moon's Node at the other. Experience suggests that if the Node is part of an aspect pattern, the pattern does not work as smoothly and as completely as it might if that area of life where the Node is placed is being ignored or is under-developed. As I don't have Rooney's time of birth, I can't speculate more about which area of life this might be, but it's worth remembering that the South Node is opposite the North, so is conjunct his Sun/Pluto. The South Node indicates a place where behaviour and responses are very familiar, well-worn and easy to fall into, suggesting that Rooney will opt for the powerful Scorpionic "sting" as a matter of habit, because it serves him well.

Read more about the Efficiency/Performance Triangle - and other aspect patterns - in "Aspect Pattern Astrology" and "The Cosmic Egg Timer", and about the Moon's Nodes in "Moon Node Astrology", all available from the APA on-line Book Shop.

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".

Belle-fille's Recorder

Deviating from my original "mission statement" of discussing the charts of people in the news, I'm taking a look at the chart of my belle-fille, Maylis (22.1.1977, 08.15, Amiens).

The French "belle-fille" and "belle-mere" (that's me!) sounds far nicer than the English daughter/mother-in-law, translating literally as beautiful daughter/mother. I like that!

Maylis's chart looks like an open mouth, eager to taste and take things in, and open ( perhaps sometimes vulnerable?) to meeting other people, and/or situations as well. I choose her chart to look at right now because she has created her own blog, http://maylisandhugh.blogspot.com

and she has an on-line gallery showcasing her photography: www.maylisphotgraphy.com

Maylis's chart shows heaps of talent which is embedded within the 3 Small Talent triangles she has: one in the lower, unconscious, hemisphere of the chart pinned by Mars, Venus & Jupiter, one is pinned by Moon, Mercury and Uranus, and spans Houses 2-9, and the other is in the upper, consious, hemisphere pinned by Saturn, Neptune & Pluto. The presence of a Small Talent Triangle in a chart suggests the person has a still-developing talent or ability. There is inherent potential to be had, but this has to consciously worked at so that the development of the talent is on-going throughout their lifetime. Maylis's talent appears - to me at least! - to be connected to photography and the use of image. Many of her photographs have a special "something" about them, and this I relate to the presence of both Neptune and Saturn (for practically "grounding" and manifesting the images that she sees - she learned to develop them herself too, before digital cameras came along) in the upper Talent triangle.

Look closer and you will see that this upper hemisphere aspect pattern does not stand alone; it is attached to a Search figure, and is actually a part of the larger quadrangular figure called a Recorder. This is described by the Hubers in "Aspect Pattern Astrology" as functioning like a recorder which "stores, among other things, feelings, situations and destinies, and can replay them in such a way that one imagines they are there."

What is interesting is that the Small Talent triangle in the lower half of the chart links directly into the Recorder, via Mars in Capricorn in the 12th House. Mars acts as a fulcrum, energising both upper and lower aspect patterns, and appears as the possible moving force not only in activating the talent embedded within her chart, but also as the driving force for the open mouth image.

Take a look at her on-line gallery, where you can also buy copies of her work, and see for yourself an example of how something that shows up in a chart can be expressed in real life. www. maylisphotography.com

"I don't do predictions"

An article with this title in a newsletter for professional astrologers set me thinking about this particular phrase, as it’s one that I use often when setting up a meeting with a client. The saying “I don’t do predictions” was something that a astrologer had picked up on. It had jarred with him when he’d heard a graduate of the Astrological Psychology Association - not me! - use this very phrase. His article with the “I don’t do predictions” title was about prediction of all kinds, and was not just aimed at astrology. It was well-reasoned and the points raised were clearly discussed. He comes from a scientific background; the APa graduate from an arts background. Having used this same phrase myself countless times, I understood where she was coming from - but could I understand his viewpoint as well? This set me thinking about prediction in general, both in the astrological context and in the wider framework of the scientific world.

Prediction and foretellingIf you look up the word “Prediction” in a dictionary, you will find its definition is “foretelling”. Literally, it means to “speak before” (pre-dict) an event. Most of us want daily predictions. We watch or listen to the weather forecast, and our lives are quite strongly influenced by predictions made by meteorologists. We will tuck an umbrella into a bag if rain is forecast without even thinking about it. But what about scientists who predict, for example, the effects of global warming? They have been doing this for countless years and yet it is only now that it has become headline news. Yes, global warming is happening. Of course, scientists can only predict trends and suggest possible outcomes, which is what I suppose those astrologers who do predictions would say!

And what about astronomers who always seem able to state categorically that the distance between Planet A and Planet B is so many million light years ? They are predicting or foretelling in a way. As a child I could never understand how they could know such things, state them publicly and be believed! How could they know? No-one ever having never travelled that distance before! It’s all based on scientific modelling and the knitting together of known facts. But don’t quote me on that.

Global eventsI have read in astrological journals about the workings of the planets, where transits for the coming months are discussed and interpretations made on their movements and positions and how these might relate to worldwide events. I am not trying to knock the skills and techniques used by the well-seasoned and experienced astrologers who write these articles - everyone has their own special interest. Yet the raging sceptic in me shouts “Why?!” Why bother to do this (apart, perhaps from engaging in a mental exercise) as more often than not what is predicted or foretold bears no resemblance to what actually happens. A couple of cases in point are the terrorist attack on the twin towers and the war in Iraq. The only occasion I recall over the past 20 years of an astrological prediction being spot on accurate was when veteran astrologer Dennis Elwell predicted the sinking of the “Herald of Free Enterprise” ferry off the coast at Zeebrugge. He had written to P&O Ferries well in advance of this event, warning them of dangers to shipping at this time; they ignored his warnings and the ferry went down with a huge and tragic loss of life.

Although I don’t do predictions, I can't close myself off from a large number of members of the astrological community just because they “do predictions”, and I don’t. I have many good astrological friends who are skilled at predictive techniques, and I embrace “astrodiversity” even though it leads down many paths I would not wish to follow. As a novice astrologer, I learned predicting techniques, and had to use and apply them as part of the course I was studying. I felt very uncomfortable when I tried to commit my findings to paper, in the form of a mock report aimed at the person whose chart I was looking at. Fortunately this was not for real, and was part of an assignment. I never did it for real. It just didn’t feel right. Stuck in a limbo where I could not progress further without embracing predictions, I heard Bruno and Louise Huber speak at a conference in the 1980’s and what they offered in the way of person-centred astrological psychology struck a profound chord for me.

Four questionsLouise spoke of four different questions about astrology. These were:

1) Future 2) Character 3) Development 4) Meaning of Life

• FutureLouise suggested that Saturn rules questions about the future. People ask “What will happen to me?” or “What does the future hold for me?” There is a fear of the future, a need to know what is just around the corner, a need to be in control and a dependence on being told what will happen by the astrologer. Methods used in answering such questions are prediction, and the use of progressions and transits. It is a formative part of any astrologer’s learning experience to experiment with progressions and transits.
• Character
  Louise saw questions about character traits being ruled by the Moon. People will ask the astrologer to elaborate on what problems they have, or what abilities they have. They are more in touch with their emotional needs and seek clarification for these areas of their lives. The methods used to answer such questions will be to apply character analysis together with some psychological methods, drawing perhaps of the work of Freud and Jung and using other techniques such as Gestalt and Transactional Analysis.
• DevelopmentBy this, Louise meant personal development. Here the Sun rules. Questions might be about independence, autonomy and freedom. The person will ask “What can I do to reach self-realisation?” Methods used to answer these questions would be Psychosynthesis and the Huber Method which involves the whole chart and person, the 5 levels of human existence, the aspect structure as life motivation, the integration of the three-fold personality, the Dynamic Calculations, the House Chart and Age Progression. Here we are moving away from the “stuckness” of Saturn and the emotional responses of the Moon. We enter the realm ruled by the Sun, which represents the mind, the decision-making process and the will. If we can claim our Sun, and become truly autonomous, we will not need to ask an astrologer “What does the future hold for me?” as we’ll be out there creating it for ourselves!
• Meaning of LifeThese are the questions where the transpersonal planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto rule. The questions are deep and penetrating and include such topics as “Where am I coming from and where am I going?” and “What is the meaning of my life?” Methods used to answer these questions include esoteric astrology, which gives an understanding of the evolution of humankind. Transformation and spiritual crises would be considered along with the laws of spiritual growth. The circle in the centre of the chart would be used, plus the Low Point experience, the Moon Node chart and the use of all three charts in an astrological counselling session. These questions take us beyond the realm of the Sun and our own autonomy and move us towards asking “What can I do that will make a difference to my family, my society, and ultimately to the world?”

Code of Ethics
Still thinking of what set my mind turning over this “I don’t do predictions” statement, I am reminded of the APA Code of Ethics. Written by Bruno Huber and used by APA since it was founded in 1983, it includes the following clause:

“We regard astrology exclusively as a diagnostic tool, with which we recognise differences in character, problems of the human psyche and of psychological-spiritual development. Thus, astrological knowledge should above all be used to gain self-knowledge and as therapeutic help, as well as a means for solving conflicts - and not for prediction of the future.”

Did I get to understand where the scientists might be coming from? Well, yes, in a way I did. I know many people with a scientific background and I listen to and respect the views and opinions of those with a scientific background – and in turn I expect them to listen to and respect me, and my astrology. But some aspects of the scientific do seem to smack of the sterner side of Saturn - certainty laced with a shot of rigidity, stirred well with plenty of facts. Then modelled to perfection to present a forecast or prediction which many people in positions of power hang on to tightly. The good news is that more leading edge scientists are beginning to agree that things cannot be so cut and dried, that science is not always right because there are things that can’t be explained - so those transpersonal planets are maybe doing their bit in ways we cannot yet begin to imagine!

As for astrological predictions, cue here the development of the Sun - the individual, the self, the will, the autonomy of the person, the ability to choose and create our own lives - and enter the essence of the Transpersonal planets which will help us understand what really is the meaning of our lives.