The language of astrology

I wrote this post 7 years ago in 2009, a few days after I'd completed my one hour on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London, as part of artist Antony Gormley's "One and Other" project. I'd been randomly selected from those who applied to stand on the plinth (my dear daughter entered my name without me knowing!) and on reflection it was one of the most memorable things I've ever done, although it was pretty scary and challenging at the time. My granddaughter - first grandchild - was born while I was on the plinth, making the event even more significant, but looking at the words of the different qualities I read out while I was up there, it seems fitting to be reminded of them at these times of upheaval and change.

While I was up there I read out most of the 94 words sent to me by family and friends saying what they would like to see more of in the world. Everyone involved offered words which have qualities and meanings that are universally understood and go beyond the personal. These words can be applied to the qualities and energies we refer to as astrologers when explaining the symbolic meaning of the planets, especially when they are operating at the highest level. Here are just a few of the words I read out:


How do some of these relate to planetary qualities? Cardinal ( go ahead, initiatory) planets are shown in red, Fixed ( stable, maintaining) planets in blue, and Mutable ( changeable, fluid) planets in green.


The Sun embodies Goodwill, Understanding, Integrity and Respect. The Sun represents the mind and the will, our ability to think and make decisions in our lives.



Through the Moon we gain a sense of ourselves through our feelings, emotions and how we interact on a feeling level with the world around us, so the words Caring, Empathy and Consideration could all be associated with this planet.

Saturn can give us a sense of the physical manifestation of ourselves through the body, because we are grounded, real and tangible, so Health - one of the words that cropped up - would go here. Saturn is also associated with Commonsense and Responsibility.

Venus embodies qualities such as Harmony, Discernment and Friendship. We use this planet to form relationships and maintain a balance in our lives as well as it being the planet associated with taste and discrimination.

We look to Mars for energy and drive, leadership qualities and also Courage and Enthusiasm, two words which were sent to me by family and friends.


Jupiter embodies qualities such as Generosity, Truth and Justice, and Equality - remember we're looking at each planet operating at its highest level, so forget "luck" being a Jupiterian thing. Luck doesn't happen on its own; we often have to take risks and seize opportunities in order to get lucky.


Neptune, one of the transpersonal (beyond the personal) planets, embodies qualities like Love, Compassion, Selflessness, Inclusiveness and Peace. You can read more about planetary qualities in my books "The Cosmic Egg Timer" and "The Living Birth Chart".


Addendum: While I was up on the Plinth reading out these words, I heard news that I'd become a grandmother for the first time. Here's what the One and Other blog had to say about this, together with a link to the article about this event which appeared in my local newspaper that week:

The stories behind the plinthers

by Holly, one of the orgainsers: 22:11 GMT, Saturday, 8 August 2009

There's been a lot of debate and discussion about what our plinthers do with their hour, but not much about what goes on in their lives outside that hour. Happily, one plinther's hour coincided with her private life, when she discovered that her grandchild had been born while she was 22 feet high! You can read the full story here.

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!

Astrology for Babies: The Family Model

The Family Model is a technique exclusive to the Huber Method of Astrological Psychology, and it can be very helpful for parents to understand something of what this indicates in the charts of their own babies. This could be especially so for new parents, but the Family Model is relevant at all stages of development, from childhood and way into teenage years. The Family Model of parents and child is represented in the chart by the Sun (Father), Saturn (Mother) and Moon (child).

The Sun represents the outgoing, independent and leadership qualities which the child will look for and seek to emulate as it becomes less dependent on the care and protection of the mother. This normally starts to happen when the child reaches the age of 3 or 4, when he or she seeks independence and tests out how far it's possible to travel away from the security and symbiotic relationship with the mother. Ideally, the Sun is positioned in the upper half of the chart, the higher the better.

Saturn represents the mother figure who provides security and safety for the child as it grows and develops. She is the person who instills in the child the guidelines to help it fit into the world and environment into which it has been born; she sets the limits and boundaries and reminds the child to clean its teeth, wash its hands etc. She makes the child's physical well-being and survival her priority. The love which is vital to the development of every child comes from other aspects of the mother's personality, but it is the mothering and caring, mentoring principle which is associated with Saturn. Because Saturn is concerned with stability and security, it is best placed in the bottom half of the chart.

The Moon is representative of the baby or child itself. It responds to and in the moment, often picking up and mirroring what it senses from the environment. Babies and children have many needs, and the Moon represents the emotional needs which, in young babies and children, are indicated through gurgles, tears, laughter and happy mimicking of the sounds they hear as they develop language and an understanding of the world around them. The child needs to develop and grow through contact with others, so contact and love are vital. The Moon is best placed along the horizontal I/You axis of the chart, in the area of the Ascendant/Descendant, where it will be able to relate to others most effectively and reflect on how this applies to itself.

The "ideal" placement of Sun, Moon and Saturn doesn't happen too often as the child learns and grows through experiencing an environment which will spur it on to move forward and develop in life rather then be presented with something "perfect" to begin with. The Sun might be at the bottom of the chart, Saturn at the top, and the Moon anywhere else in between! The different positions of these planets can offer an understanding for parents, and for the child itself when it's older, of what the environment is presenting, and what there is to learn.

This 3 year old has the Moon right on the Descendant, on the You side of the chart, making it easy to make contact with the world as well as pick up on, sense and mirror what it is learning from the world about feelings and emotions, and its own emotional sense of self.

Both Sun and Saturn are high up in the chart; good for the Sun to be there but maybe not so "perfect" for Saturn, as mother figure to be there too. Saturn is, in fact, the highest of the 3 Family Model planets and is placed strongly on the MC - the highest point of the chart. This suggests, in the context of the Family Model, that the child could view both parents as role models, but with mother coming out strongest! She could appear, to the child, to be the one who "rules" the household. In fact, this is a mum who now works and has her own career (as many working mums do) but who is very mindful of and responsive to the needs of her child and who cared for her child full time before returning to work.

The forthcoming new book on Astrological Psychology and the Huber Method, "Family, Relationships and Health", covers the Family Model in detail. The book is due to be published in July/August, and will be available from the APA on-line Book Shop.