Sun Dogs

Sun dogs are also called mock suns or phantom suns. They are an atmospheric phenomenon which creates bright spots of light in the sky, often forming a luminous ring or halo on either side of the sun.

I first heard them referred to in the film "The Deerhunter" and read up about them, but it was many years before I actually saw them for myself. I took this photograph of sun dogs in the far north of Scotland, and was blessed with not seeing them just this once, but on a second occasion later in the trip.

The Wikipedia entry on sun dogs says they "may appear as a coloured patch of light to the left or right of the sun, 22° distant and at the same distance above the horizon as the sun, and in ice halos. They can be seen anywhere in the world during any season, but they are not always obvious or bright. Sundogs are best seen and are most conspicuous when the sun is low." Those were the exact conditions when I took this photograph.

So why am I writing about sun dogs? What's interesting is that they are a natural phenomenon which shows a reflection, a phantom of the real Sun. In astrological psychology it is the Sun which symbolises and represents our capacity to use the mind and will, to make decisions and express our sense of self. If we develop the Sun, we can become more confident and effective in our everyday lives, and we won't need to hide behind, or project "false", mock or phantom suns or a false sense of our true self. Bearing in mind that this is what what sun dogs are, it's possible that we might also have our own personal "sun dogs".

I describe how to develop the Sun in my book The Living Birth Chart and here's what I have to say about it on my AstroChat Channel:

A bright start to 2011: the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction

On 4th January 2011, Jupiter will be in close and exact conjunction with Uranus. The chart is set for 12 noon in London. Jupiter and Uranus appear side by side, both at 27 degrees and 2 seconds of Pisces. They are part of a Small Learning triangle, which also involves Venus and Neptune. The rest of the planets stand apart, either bunched together at the top of the chart or - in the case of Saturn - ploughing its own lonely furrow in Libra.

Does this herald a bright beginning to 2011? It does if we let it. In amongst all the gloom and apprehension, financial fears and the need to tighten our belts in order to make ends meet, opportunities do exist to be creative, inventive and to step outside the box in the way we live our lives.

Jupiter opens things up, offers new experiences and urges a spot of risk taking. We may find that we're doing something completely new, that we've never done before, in order to adjust to living in more straitened circumstances (and no, I'm not urging anyone to go out and rob a bank or turn to crime!). Uranus spurs us on to find new ways of maintaining stability and security. You may find that strange, because generally Uranus is associated with upheaval and unexpected events. At its heart are the principles of maintenance and change. Change is needed when the old, tired and outworn is no longer working. Because we seek to return to and maintain a stable state of being, we have to be inventive and creative and help bring in something new which will give us the security we're trying to replace, but in a different and often more innovative way.

Together with Jupiter, Uranus could work in beneficial ways - of course, their conjunction is symbolic but it reflects the opportunities which abound in times of need. For example, making things instead of buying them, like clothes, knitting, DIY, gardening, home cooking rather than fast and restaurant food, just to mention a few. Yesterday I was reading in the New Year editions of the weekend newspapers that this is a current trend in the face of belt-tightening, with baking bread being high on the list in terms of being satisfying as well as saving money.

Note also that this conjunction is in Pisces, the sign associated with caring for and helping others, being more altruistic, less materialistic. This could be a nod in the direction of us all being in it together, but only if we let it be so. There are vast inequalities in western society: the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction in Pisces gives us a chance to even these out a little, take a few risks, be a bit creative and do something new in 2011.

Kate Middleton

Kate Middleton (rapidly becoming dubbed as Catherine since her engagement to Prince William on 16th November) was born on 9.1.1982 in Reading, UK. Her chart is set for noon as no time of birth is yet available. If it is publicised officially by Buckingham Palace, I'll update the chart. Watch this space!

After 8 years together, including a split (see my posting on Willam's chart - search for "Royalty" or click on this in the Labels cloud) the couple have decided to wed. The British public are relatively underwhelmed by the news as it's been long-expected, although the media are already working themselves into a frenzy of speculation over the wedding plans. Welcome to life in the big spotlights, Kate.

Middleton's chart offers some interesting speculation on the kind of underlying motivation she might have. With only red and blue aspects (there's an absence of green aspects which offer greater awareness and a more balanced use of the energy available), Middleton will tend to have an either/or approach to life with low emphasis on half measures or shades of grey. Her chart shaping suggests she is flexible and can adapt well to changing situations and circumstances, something which will stand her in good stead as she learns the ropes of the family firm she'll be marrying into. It also shows considerable restlessness and the capacity to move on to new things. Again, this could stand her in good stead but it may also be a source of frustration if she feels tied or bound by her duties as consort to the future king.
Her chart contains one complete aspect pattern, the all-red Efficiency/Performance triangle (aka the T-square if you're a conventional astrologer). This is interestingly pinned by Sun, Moon and Saturn, known as the ego planets in astrological psychology. These relate to our body (Saturn), feelings (Moon) and mind (Sun) and when all 3 are found in the same aspect pattern they can act well together and are interdependent. Middleton may be able to balance out the needs of all 3 aspects of the ego structure, but it's more likely that one of them will dominate. With Saturn at the apex of this figure, it's likely that she will have a strong awareness of duty, structure, organisation, and an ability to be just and fair (Saturn is in Libra) as well as have a certain power and strength (Saturn is conjunct Pluto) which may as yet be untested. Certainly, as a possible future queen, these could be strengths to draw upon.

Her Capricorn Sun says a lot about her ability to wait patiently for William to pick the right moment to propose. Capricorn is the sign which bides its time, carefully making its way towards its goal, in no special hurry to get there. It's also the sign which we could associate with a family business where the younger generation inherit and run the show when the generation above them retires. She comes from a family who run their own business and will be marrying into the royal family firm, taking on a key note role.

Her red/blue chart is complemented by William's more green chart. He will bring more awareness and sensitivity to their partnership; she will provide initiatory energy and "doing" capacity. They share Cancerian Moons and William's Sun is also in this sign, as was his mother Diana's. Cancer and Capricorn are opposite signs but have the ability to complement each other well. The watery emotional Cancerian drives can find grounding in the earthy practicality and organisational abilities of Capricorn. She could prove to be a rock for William, and an important source of support and encouragement. With no time of birth available, it's hard to say in which area of life she might be expressing her Saturn at the apex of the Efficiency triangle, but I'm reminded here of the present Queen's chart which I wrote about some time ago (again, click on or search for "Royalty") which has an Efficiency triangle with apex Saturn right at the very top of the chart.

For more about aspect patterns, see my new book Aspect Patterns in Colour available from the APA on-line Bookshop. And for details of how to learn more about astrological psychology for yourself, visit www.astrologicalpsychology.org

Aspect Patterns: Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi, Politician, 19.6.1945. Chart set for noon (no time available), Rangoon, Burma.

This is an extract from my new book
Aspect Patterns in Colour
available right now from the APA on-line Book Shop and from Amazon.

Recently released from house arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi has two Small Learning Triangle aspect patterns in her chart. You can read more about her chart and taspect patterns in the charts of many other well-known people in Aspect Patterns in Colour.

Small Learning triangles are found around the periphery of the chart and do not enclose the central core. They are concerned with learning specific skills and the area of the chart that they span will be where this learning will take place, and be applied. Composed of all three aspect colours, red, green and blue, the aspect which is the longest will show which part of the learning process is most important. Red longest will indicate the activity of learning; green longest shows learning takes place for the sheer joy of learning, and with blue longest, the completion of the learning task will give the greatest satisfaction.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s small Learning triangle has the red aspect as the longest, so the actual effort and work involved in the learning task will be the most significant. As the direction of the triangle is retrograde, lessons associated with it may be more challenging; harnessing the energy of Mars and Pluto and discovering how to ground and express these successfully through Saturn comes to mind here. The large Learning triangle which includes Sun/Mercury and Neptune has the green quincunx as the longest aspect, indicating the learning itself is of most importance here. Suu Kyi has studied philosophy, politics, and economics at universities in India, UK and USA, and has a natural talent for languages. She is also a powerful orator.

Aspect Patterns in Colour

My new book
Aspect Patterns in Colour
is now available

• from the Astrological Psychology Association On-line Book Shop (with discount if you're a member)

• and from Amazon

First introduced in Bruno and Louise Huber's Aspect Pattern Astrology, aspect patterns provide a key to understanding our inner motivation. In Aspect Patterns in Colour, the individual aspect patterns from that book are fully illustrated in colour, together with the meaning of each figure, example charts and interpretations.

I've drawn on a wide variety of charts to illustrate each of the 40 aspect patterns. Some examples come from the charts of people I know, others include actors, politicians, musicians, scientists, writers and artists. If you want to know more about Barack Obama's Megaphone, Marlon Brando's Large Talent triangle, Clint Eastwood's Irritation triangle, Tony Blair's UFO and Peter Sellers' Bathtub, you'll find them all in this book.

Recently reviewed, the book has been well-received:

I have to say this is a beautiful book – there are some books I don’t want to put down and this is one....it was a delightful experience to open Aspect Patterns in Colour and to find aspect patterns and charts depicted in full colour. The introduction to this book is rather modest: “I aim to present in this book an easy-to-use reference to the aspect patterns given by the Hubers... together with an interpreted example of each individual aspect figure, using a selection of well-known people and people that I know.”

Aspect Patterns in Colour achieves exactly the description set out, as it were, on the tin. However, this introduction underplays the vast amount of research that has gone into finding charts that contain a remarkably clear example of the pattern under discussion – you will not be struggling to find the aspect pattern buried somewhere in the complexities of the chart. It also belies the depth of astrological knowledge and experience that Joyce Hopewell brings to interpreting the example horoscopes.

The book explores each of the aspect figures given in the Hubers’ work Aspect Pattern Astrology. Every aspect figure is illustrated and the essential motivation and features are explained simply and concisely. Forty different charts are used to describe the impact of an individual aspect figure in someone’s character. With her gift for explaining complex concepts clearly, Joyce’s sure hand guides the reader through the aspect patterns, which must be understood if we are to explore the energies animating consciousness.......my students often ask about the availability of material that presents aspect patterns in a way that is easy to understand. This book meets that need and I would have no hesitation in recommending it both to them and to advanced astrologers who would like a quick reference to the aspect patterns of astrological psychology.

Reviewed by Kathy Rogers, Tutor, Astrological Psychology Association

Aspect Patterns in Colour is now available from the Astrological Psychology Association On-line Book Shop (with discount if you're a member!) and from Amazon.