World War 1 commemorations

War graves at Boulogne Eastern cemetery

Throughout 2014 there are various events taking place which commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War 1, also known as The Great War. Some of the events associated with this devastating war have already been commemorated and commented upon in this blog, and it now seems appropriate to give these posts another airing. 

The ferocity of battle, the senseless slaughter of countless young men and the effect this war had on society should not be forgotten.

In 2006 I wrote about the Battle of the Somme, and analysed the chart for the start of the battle. You can read about it here. 

Battle of Passchendaele, July 1917. Infamous for casualties and for mud

Look at the chart image for this one. Does the way the aspects are positioned remind you of trench warfare, and the battle taking place above ground? For more on chart image see my co-authored book, The Cosmic Egg Timer. 

Private James Small

In 2008 I wrote about the signing of the Armistice - the peace agreement which brought WW1 to an end in November 1918. This post has a personal touch, as my Great Uncle Jim (James Small) died in the Great War, and is buried in Boulogne. The post includes a small tribute to him, and some photos. Click here for this one. 

Great Uncle Jim, I never knew you but I certainly know about you and what you did. In memoriam and with thanks.

This blog: an astrological psychology resource centre

 

The chart for the start of this blog on 4th March 2006

I've been writing this blog since 2006 (click here for an early post outlining what to expect)) and it offers a full and very comprehensive selection of chart interpretations and articles on astrological psychology - also known as the Huber Method. 

The chart interpretations include a wealth of well-known people, and the articles outline various aspects and techniques used in astrological psychology.

The blog is a rich and useful resource centre for anyone interested on learning more about astrological psychology and the Huber Method and readers, students, seekers, searchers are directed to the Labels cloud in the sidebar.

Here you will find umpteen posts on various topics - I've lost count of how many there are and what they are about, but I do know they are very wide-ranging. Use these as a resource to discover more for yourself about astrological psychology and how it works. Used alongside my co-authored book, The Cosmic Egg Timer, you will have at your fingertips a lot of information about astrological psychology which you can apply to your own chart - but note, this will only work effectively if your chart is drawn up in the Huber-style! 

If you want to take things further and study astrological psychology in depth, visit the Astrological Psychology Association website.

And if you have a request for a topic or subject that you'd like to hear more about, please do request it!

Practical Astrology - taking charge of your life

Regardless of whether you're new to astrology or not, do you ever stop and ask yourself what you're actually doing astrology FOR? Are you doing it for yourself? Or are you using it to help others better understand themselves and their lives? If the answer to the second question is "yes" then the answer to the first question should also be "yes". How can you begin to help someone else understand their chart/life if you've not already done some intensive work on yourself and your own chart? In my experience, learning and using astrology goes hand in hand with taking charge of your life and making changes, following new paths and directions and gaining deeper insights into what truly makes you tick. 

I wrote The Living Birth Chart as a practical workbook for astrologers and students of astrological psychology. It's based on the many workshops I've facilitated over the years and its aim is to bring astrological psychology to life through the practical use of the birth chart. There are plenty of hands-on exersises to dabble in, using your own chart, and topics include

• Aspect colours and motivation
• Working with planets (Sun, Moon and Saturn)
• Influences of childhood and upbringing
• The Moon Node Chart

There are lots of examples given, using the charts of real people (my thanks to all of those people who allowed their charts to be used) and I don't hide my own chart away either. It's on the cover and I use it as an illustrative example in the book. The book is  practical in nature and style. It offers some real hands-on opportunities to work with your own chart in considerable depth, which I hope will bring some significant "aha!" experiences for the reader. It received a great review from the Editor of the Astrological Journal. You can read what he said here.

The Living Birth Chart is a follow-on book to my co-authored first book, The Cosmic Egg Timer which  gives a comprehensive introduction to the Huber Method of astrological psychology. Both books are available on line from various sources, are available as ebooks and can be purchased from the APA Book Shop.

D-Day 70 years on

70 years ago, on 6th June 1944, the World War 2 Allied forces launched their invasion into Nazi occupied France, landing on the beaches along the coast of Normandy. The battles fought there were fierce and bloody. Many lives were lost on both sides, and as this year marks the 70th anniversary of this event, ceremonies of remembrance to honour those who took part in the D-Day Landings, also known as Operation Overlord, will be held to commemorate the bravery and sacrifices of those who were there.

Naval ships stood off the beaches, their task being to bombard and disable the guns of the occupying forces. Gliders brought paratroopers who dropped in behind the lines, many of them blown off course because of strong winds. Aircraft bombed from overhead and soldiers were packed into landing craft which headed for the shore. But the weather was so bad that the operation had to be delayed for 24 hours. It was originally planned for 5th June. One of the criteria for the operation was that there should be a full Moon; the exact full Moon was on 6th June, shown in Sun/Moon opposition in the chart.

Chart set for 6.6.1944 at Longues-sur-Mer, Normandy coast, 05.15

Richard Lewellyn, D-Day veteran

I've set the chart for 05.15 for a specific reason. My colleague, friend and fellow astrologer, Richard Llewellyn, who founded the Astrological Psychology Assocation in 1983, was there. A young Midshipman on board HMS Ajax, he took part in the bombardment and disablement of the occupying forces' guns at Longues-sur-Mer on the Normandy coast. This began at 05.15. Richard is a D-Day veteran and he will be returning to Normandy for the 70th anniversary commemorative ceremonies, which will be the last to be held. 

A few observations on the chart: the overall image or chart picture suggests a target, with a focal point at the position of the Moon. The red/blue Ambivalence triangle takes the eye, and the focus is on the direction of this funnel-like shaping. Being ambivalent in nature, the focal point could be the Moon as the target of the bombardment. Or it could equally well symbolise the aim and fire of a gun turret from the Moon's position, with the other pinning planets of this aspect pattern - Sun/Venus/Mercury and Mars/Pluto - coming under fire. Most of the activity is going on in the lower half of the chart, as if under the cover of darkness, with bellicose Mars/Pluto in Leo close to the IC.

The second chart is set for 2 hours later - 07.15 - which is when Richard recalls the landings could start as the guns along the coastline at Gold Beach, where he was, had been disabled. The Sun has risen and is in 12th house; the Moon is setting and falls into 6th. The focus has changed. Saturn is close to the AC, indicating the importance of organisation and plans. Mars/Pluto are in the mutable zone of 2nd house, at the "escape" point of the Ambivalence figure, suggesting that the only way out of the conflict (the symbolic red opposition aspect on the 6/12 houses of existence) is to fight.

Utah Beach by Joyce Hopewell

So many lives were lost, so much bravery was shown, and it's right to remember and honour, 70 years on, those who took part in D-Day  - those who returned and those who didn't. The Normandy beaches  - Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword  -  are interesting but sobering to visit. What happened there in 1944 is part of our world history and for me personally it's worth honouring, remembering and thanking Richard and the countless others who were there on that day in June.

Richard in London. Image zimbio.com

In Richard's own words when interviewed at a recent commemorative gathering of veterans in London, attended by Prime Minister David Cameron: 

 " When people say thank you, it makes me feel very humble, because you know I was just doing my duty, quite literally as most of us were, and it's wonderful for somebody to say thank you because I hope it gives them pleasure in being able to do that, and for me, it makes me feel proud, I suppose.. I'm not very good at feeling proud.." 


Richard, I'm very proud of you. Thank you.

Vladimir Putin

This interpretation of Putin's chart was written by fellow astrologer David Kerr a few years ago, and is also currently available on the APA website. I am including it here, with David as guest author, in view of the current upheaval in Ukraine and Putin's strong stance in this situation.

Vladimir Putin born 7 October 1952 at 09.30, St. Petersburg, Russia

The eye is immediately drawn to the stellium in the 12th house and the aspects which emanate from it are reminiscent of the levers in an old-fashioned railway signal box, quite appropriate for someone who can be quite truly said to have his hands on the levers of power. The aspect pattern consists largely of fixed figures, a Trapeze and a Double Ambivalence figure. This suggests someone who is able to operate on a large stage, can learn much from a wide variety of experiences, but in spite of that is fairly inflexible. We can see that from his handling of the Chechnya situation, the lessons of history from Stalin right back to Tsar Nicholas I have not deviated Putin from his implacable efforts to impose Russian control.  

As befits a former KGB official, Putin is secretive and keeps his cards close to his chest, as shown by the 12th house planets including Mercury. On the other hand, Jupiter in the 7th allows him to present a more affable face to the world. These planets form the poles of the Double Ambivalence figure. This ambivalence is reflected by political commentators who cannot make up their minds whether Putin is a neo-stalinist or a closet reformer. The open and outgoing Jupiter is ultimately controlled from the conservative and secretive blue corner by Sun and Saturn so there is likely to be something in the closet. The enigma is compounded by having an unaspected Moon. Emotion does not obviously figure in Putin's makeup and it this adds to his inscrutability. 

On the 8th of July Putin's age point will enter Leo.[Editorial comment:This was so at the time of writing; Putin's Age Point is now in Virgo]. When the age point enters a sign it activates any planets in that sign, regardless of which house they are in. In this case it is Pluto. Pluto is a transpersonal, spiritual, planet, but when it is on an angle as it is here it can be used, or abused, in the outside world. Currently high on Putin's agenda is the trial of Dmitri Khodorovsky in the Yukos affair. This is ostensibly about fraud and corruption, but in reality is about crushing an attempt by huge commercial interests to take a hand in politics, quite a Plutonic theme. 

Putin's Pluto is conjunct South Node, so there might be an atavistic tendency to exercise power in a Stalinist fashion. On the other hand, South Node is conjunct the IC, firmly in the collective zone, the people of Russia, and the controlling 12th house planets are in Libra, the sign of justice. Putin describes himself as a true servant of Russia so perhaps the evidence of the chart shows the sincerity of his goals, whatever methods he may employ to reach them.
 
Putin's chart, with the Double Ambivalence figure, is featured in my book Aspect Patterns in Colour, which is also Book of the Month, along with Aspect Pattern Astrology by Bruno and Louise Huber.