Cancer the Crab

Cancerians - those who are born with the Sun in this sign - are generally closely linked to their family, home or neighbourhood in some way. It is the sign which has affiliations with the collective, and group consciousness.

The symbol for Cancer, the Crab, is described by Louise Huber, in her book Reflections and Meditations on the Signs of the Zodiac as "two bowls merging in an open circle through which everything can flow. The upper bowl shows movement to the left representing a step backwards, a striving towards the starting point, the source of life, the beginning of existence. The lower bowl shows movement from left to right representing a step out into the world in order to prove oneself and realise oneself."

Cancerians can reflect, in their nature and approach to life, the crab as it exists in the natural world. They may approach things sideways rather than head on (as the crab itself scuttles in a sideways direction towards its destination), and at times they may be very sensitive and moody. Ruled by the Moon, the feelings and emotional responses of Cancerians - a Water sign - may ebb and flow just as the tides are affected by the phases of the Moon.

These suggestions, together with what I say about the sign of Cancer on my AstroChat Channel, (see below) are just starters and are not the definitive word about this or any of the signs. For more, see the courses and books available at the Astrological Psychology Association website, where you can learn more about all the signs, planets, houses, and how to interpret charts using the Huber Method for yourself.

Rafael Nadal

Tennis champion Rafael Nadal was born on 3.6.1986 at 18.20 in Manacor, Spain. He's just turned 25, is currently playing in the major international tennis tournaments and could well be set to win Wimbledon for the second time this year - with his Age Point currently conjunct Jupiter there could be little to stop him!

Nadal's chart image (just look at the aspect structure) is reminiscent of a balancing act, a child's diabolo toy, and it also has the appearance of the trajectory of a ball bouncing across a tennis court, sometimes landing outside of the marked lines.

His overall chart shaping/motivation is a mixture of triangular and linear aspects, suggesting that he can be flexible but also divergent in his motivation and approach to life. There's the potential for a lot of fiery, Cardinal energy. He has an aspect colour balance of 5 red: 3 green: 5 blue, making him predominantly an active "doer". The drive and motivation to be active, assertive and lead the way is strong.

His aspect patterns (see "Aspect Pattern Astrology" by Bruno & Louise Huber, and "Aspect Patterns in Colour" by myself for more on these) are an Ear/Eye configuration which will give him a tremendous amount of sensitivity and the ability to play intuitively alongside his technical prowess. Saturn at the apex of this small but rather interesting and significant figure is opposite his Sun. With Saturn symbolising the drive for organisation and also signifying the physical body - very important in a sportsman - and the Sun the use of the mind, will and the decision-making processes, these two planets in opposition can work well together, utisilising the active red
energy held in tension between them as and when it is required.
The other complete aspect pattern, a Single Ambivalence figure, will keep him hard at work but will also offer the capacity to rest and escape pressures via the planet at the blue corner of this figure - in his chart this is Neptune. This could be the area of life he withdraws to when not playing tennis, although it can also be brought into play, feeding into the intuitive potential of the Ear/Eye, of which it is a part.

Of current interest and significance is Nadal's Age Point conjunct Jupiter, strongly placed in 5th House and suggesting wider horizons, expansion and the ability to draw on his own life experiences.

To find out more, see the Astrological Psychology Association website for books and courses on the Huber Method.

The Festival of Britain - 60th anniversary

In the UK in 2011, the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain is being celebrated.The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition which was officially opened by King George VI in London on 3rd May 1951. The main site was on the south bank of the River Thames, but there were also exhibitions at other sites in cities around Britain. The purpose of the exhibition was to provide a "tonic for the nation" - an opportunity to celebrate and herald the regeneration of Britain following the end of the Second World War. Rejuvenation of the cities, many of which had been bombed, was needed and British design was encouraged in this process of rebuilding.

Here is the chart for the official opening, set for 12 noon on 3rd May 1951, in London.
The chart has a strong, solid feel. The aspect structure is Quadrangular/Fixed in motivation, reflecting the firm mission statement of the exhibition - to create a new Britain. A noon time also gives Sun conjunct Mars in Taurus on the MC - another strong and practical statement. The colour balance of 7 red: 5 green: 5 blue aspects is top heavy on red "doing" energy - not a bad thing when regeneration and new projects are called for. The relatively high number of green aspects, most of them embedded within the centre of the overall aspect structure, is indicative of the importance of new, fresh ideas and the ability to "think outside the box" in this celebration of renewal.
Most of the green aspects are located inside the Bathtub aspect pattern which sits across the chart and is pinned by Mars, Pluto, Neptune and the North Node. The Bathtub is an aspect pattern indicating thinking, mulling things over and the subsequent agitation of ideas and information. There's a lot of internal stimulation with this aspect pattern, and for an event created to stimulate new ideas and growth it's appropriate for this chart, especially when the qualities of the pinning planets are considered - Mars to get things going, Pluto to regenerate, Neptune to bring inspriation and the Moon's North Node (not a planet, but a point of growth) located in the 7th House, symbolic of the public and populace of Britain.

Now for a brief trip down memory lane. I was a young child growing up in London in 1951. My parents took me to see the Festival of Britain and although I don't remember that much about it, I do recall the general atmosphere of excitement at the open air exhibition centre on the south bank and a few of the things I saw. The main, central exhibition hall was called the Dome of Discovery, and looking at its design and structure, it is reminiscent of the overall shaping of the chart shown above with its zig-zagging struts. It also looks a bit like a flying saucer. Standing next to it is the creation which I have the strongest memories of - the Skylon. This was unimaginably tall and impressive and I loved it!

One final thing I remember seeing and being very fascinated by was the Guinness Clock, a weird Heath-Robinson like contraption which told the time, but had many extra features. The Sun revolved and there was an entertaining array of moving parts - wonderful stuff for children to stimulate the imagination!

For more about the Bathub and all aspect patterns used in the Huber method, visit the Astrological Psychology Association's on-line Book Shop for details of the Huber's book, Aspect Pattern Astrology and my book, Aspect Patterns in Colour.

The Royal Wedding

This is the chart for the Royal Wedding - the nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton - on 29th April 2011 at 11.00am in London.

I'm not going to make any predictions about their life together, just offer a few observations on the chart which marks this point in time. It will be a day of considerable significance for them as marriage is a big committment, even more so if you're doing it this publicly and - in Kate's case - marrying into a high profile family firm with a long trail of scandals and divorces.

Red aspects are predominant in the chart, suggesting the presence of a lot of energy and activity. The triangular aspect patterns indicate flexibility and an easy adaptation to change - something which both Wills and Kate could need to cultivate as the royal family is not held in such high regard as it was 50 years ago. They have already established a more "normal" lifestyle - but will the powers that be want this to change?

The overall aspect structure in the chart is very vertical. There are 5 planets in Aries, on view up at the top of the chart. This gives a strong emphasis to Houses 10 and 4 - the Individuality axis - in 10th there is the ability to stand out and be recognised. But in 4th sits steady Saturn indicating a firm "feet on the ground", practical approach. In this chart Saturn provides the necessary grounding and an anchor point.

With so many planets in Aries, this event rightly looks high profile. The large stellium of planets suggests the potential for something new; hopefully William will enjoy a happy marriage with Kate, something which eluded his mother Diana.

Although this chart is heavy on Aries energy, it's interesting that the Sun is actually in Taurus and stands to one side, slightly away from the the main action at the top. Symbolically, the Sun could be the Queen, herself a Sun Taurus, standing to one side and allowing her grandson his special day in the public eye.

Here's wishing Wills and Kate all the best - a happy,memorable day on 29th, and a long and happy married life together.

For more in this blog on the charts of Kate, William and the Queen, search under "Royalty", or seach for them by name.

The Astrological Houses

The Astrological Houses: A Psychological View of Ourselves and Our World

I'm pleased to be announcing a new publication on the Huber Method of Astrological Psychology, and one which acted as my "bible" and main source of additional information when I first became a student of the Astrological Psychology Association back in 1986.

Before this updated version was published, I read it and was as impressed now as I was 25 years ago by the breadth, depth and scope of its contents. I'd term it "essential reading" and a classic in its own right. It's available from the APA on-line Bookshop, and the summary shown below outlines the contents. This book does what it says on the tin, and as one reviewer says:

"This is a book filled with illuminating thinking and having worked with the Huber's approach to chart interpretation for some 30 years, I can assure any propsective reader that it really works!"

Summary:This is a revised version of the classic book by Bruno & Louise Huber, first issued as 'Man and His World' in 1978. A thorough understanding of the houses is essential for psychological analysis of the horoscope because the houses establish the actual framework of individual personality and relationship to the environment. Unlike earlier approaches, the twelve houses are considered not as a classic space structure but as dynamic developmental tendencies that result from the combination of crosses (modes) and temperaments (elements). This book shows how the houses relate to ourselves and to our life experience in the world, providing a foundation stone for astrological psychology.