Twenty years of astro blogging

Chart for this blog, started 4.3.2006 at 16.14 in Knutsford, UK 

Twenty years ago, I set up this blog site, noted the time, and looked at the chart. I noted the chart's shaping/motivation was dynamic and linear (one complete triangle, an edgy, active figure and various disconnected linear aspects). The complete Efficiency/Performance figure has probably been instrumental in keeping it going for 20 years (Jupiter opposite Moon on the IC/MC axis and Neptune in 6th the apex). It's all red, is primed to be active, and doggedly slogs on.

The edgy, active figure, known as a Runner, Jumper or Dancing figure is attached to and entwined with the Efficiency figure. Trace it's shape from Moon to Neptune, then to Jupiter and then to the Sun/Uranus conjunction . This figure uses the red aspects for energy and reacts strongly to external pressure with movement and action. Attached to  the Efficiency figure, this works well, speedily springing into action. This accurately describes how blog posts have been created in response to external global events with shared thoughts on the charts of people or situations in the news.

I wasn't too keen to see that the chart contained only red and blue aspects - ideally there should have been some green aspects too, to give a rounded balance between red/doing energy and motivation, green/thinking motivation and the enjoyment and stability that the blue/being aspects confer.

So much for the "ideal" balance of these colours- with only red and blue aspects, it seemed at the time that this might turn out to be an experience of either on or off, of energetically writing it or letting it lie still and do nothing.  With no green aspects to prod me into awareness to keep up it's momentum, I might just forget about it and let it fade lazily away into the background of my life. Sometimes it's felt like this, especially as there has often been a low level of feedback, comments and interaction from readers.  But blog stats speak otherwise, and the most popular posts stand out statistically.

I accepted having a red/blue blog start chart, and realised that creating some of the green awareness it appeared to lack, would depend on what I did and how I did it. This has worked reasonably well; the posts seemed to flow fairly well, but I only write when the need or the interest or the spirit moves me. I'm aware of not leaving too long a gap between posts and initially aimed for around 3 or 4 a month, which felt comfortable. I now do less, and in a way this reflects, to some extent, the on/off motivation of a colour balance or ratio of

6 Red: 0 Green: 5 Blue.

It's a "You" sided chart, with the majority of planets on the DC side. Sun is placed in the 7th House, eager for contact with the world and is appropriately conjunct Uranus, the planet often associated with astrology. But the Sun is on the Low Point of the 7th House, meaning it is eager to get out there and be noticed, yet often is not. It can be frustrating, for sure, not knowing if anyone ever reads this blog, although the stats suggest otherwise.

Moon is on the MC. It's the highest planet in the chart and it wants to be recognised, stand out and shine. It's very strongly placed in the 10th House, is quite strong by Sign too, and during those 20 years it would certainly have liked more comments to be left, but being strongly placed in Fixed, Earthy Taurus it's hung in there.

But right now, twenty years on from the  blog's beginning, the Age Point is in intercepted Sagittarius in the 4th House, and it feels like it's time for this long-running blog to retire and be a well- filled source of information about Astrological Psychology & the Huber Method.

In this long-running blog you will find 20 years worth of chart interpretations of real people, descriptions of aspect patterns, and details of the numerous techniques used in Astrological Psychology, and much more which is covered in a total of 301 posts.

Take a look at the topics on offer in the Labels Cloud and the Archives search in the sidebar, and visit the Astrological Psychology website for more info as well as visiting the Pages bar under the blog header. 

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor: an update

 February 2026

I'm adding a few further thoughts in view of Mountbatten-Windsor's current situation. He's been arrested and a police investigation is taking place The story unfolds daily. I've added further thoughts in red. 

Maybe the title for this post should be "Andrew's long and winding road to dis-entitlement". We've had frequent news of the styles, titles and honours he has been stripped of, following Virginia Guiffre's posthumous memoir "Nobody's Girl", published on 21st October 2025.

Once it was published, there was nowhere for Mountbatten-Windsor's already tarnished reputation to go, except lower still. Known as partying "Randy Andy" before he married Sarah Ferguson, he had a much-publicised affair in the 1980s with model and actress, Koo Stark.

His chart is unusual in that it has two parallel linear aspects spanning the I/private side and the You/public side. One red, one green, they link both halves of the chart like zip wires suspended over a canyon, at the bottom of which, hidden, sits unaspected Neptune in the 4th house. 

 

 Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, 19.2.1960 at 15.38, London (RR AA)

What might this tell us? That he is able to zoom across these and switch from being a sociable, outgoing, party-loving person to one who might very much want to do his own thing? Or control his own thing? Both Uranus and Pluto are on the end of the zip wires - but these are transpersonal planets and how they are expressed depends on the self-awareness of the person concerned. Beginning at the base level of how each of the transpersonal planets are likely to be expressed, Uranus at the "asleep" level can be subversive, erratic and fanatical; Pluto on this level suggests egomania, the use of power and imposing the will. And that unaspected Neptune in the collective area at the bottom of the chart suggests either no boundaries, or very flimsy ones, along with the escapism and potentially addictive behaviour at  an "asleep" level.

Mountbatten-Windsor's overall chart shaping shows a mixture of Fixed and Mutable motivation; he could swap from one mode to another, the Fixed drive for security alternating with the Mutable restless drive to do something new and challenging. A public v private side?

The Guardian newspaper helpfully published a timeline tracing Mountbatten-Windsor's naval career, his time serving in the Falkland's war, his marriage, divorce and subsequent friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell which has ultimately led to his downfall, and I shall draw on this to take a look at Age Progression (AP) in his chart/life events.

But first a few speculations - 

1) unaspected Neptune in Scoprio sits at the bottom of the chart, in the 4th house. His AP was conjunct this planet in 1979, when he joined the navy. As a young man of 19, he may at that stage, have had high ideals about service to his country and about his role as a royal. These ideals/dreams could well have become tarnished or changed along the way as he matured. An unaspected planet behaves like a dog off lead, responding to what the environment offers in a non-discriminatory way.

2) in 1981 his AP was conjunct his intercepted Low Point Moon (feelings, emotional needs, the inner child) highlighting his relationship with Koo Stark and also the possibility that those emotional needs were being met, maybe for the first time. The royal family are not renowned for showing feelings. Was Koo his true love? And was he, as some reports suggest, urged to give her up by his mother, the late Queen? He was known as her favourite. In 1986, with AP conjunct his Balance Point Jupiter, he married Sarah Ferguson and was given the title of Duke of York by the Queen.

That intercepted Moon in Scorpio deserves a closer look. Intercepted planets - those in a sign with no house cusps - are more of a challenge to express and are often not seen or heard by the environment and outside world. An intercepted planet may feel ignored, unnoticed, passed by. And if it's the Moon that's intercepted the feeling and emotional needs of the individual will be unrecognised. Their way out will be via other planets the Moon has aspects to - in Mountbatten-Windsor's case these are Sun in 7th House, Mars/Venus in 6th, and the North Node of the Moon in 2nd house.

3) in 1992, he and Ferguson divorced, with his AP conjunct Mars and Venus in Capricorn, in the 6th house of service to others (his role as a royal?) and it was an amicable divorce; they remain friends and until now have shared a home in the Royal Lodge in Windsor Castle's grounds. 

4) his AP moved through the lower part of the chart between the ages of 18 and 36, passing 6 planets along the way.This quadrant of the chart is busy with the aspects pinning two separate aspect patterns - the Detective and the Magic Cap.The Detective is a blue/green figure, more likely to respond to and obey the demands of the environment rather than work on personal development. The Magic Cap, also predominantly blue/green, makes the wearer invisible and inscrutable.

Additionally, the Moon Node Age Point (MNAP) is exactly conjunct the IC. This age point can often bring to light what is happening beneath the surface, below the threshold of everyday consciousness. In this case it does seem a graphic indicator of the undermining and the rocking of the very foundations of Mountbatten-Windsor. 

For detailed explanations of aspect patterns mentioned see Aspect Pattern Astrology by Bruno & Louise Huber, and for more information on Moon Node Astrology click on this link.

Fast forward now to 2000. Mountbatten-Windsor had already met Epstein and, with AP first conjunct his Sun then in 2001/2002 with the crossing point of the natal and node chart Age Points taking place simultaneously, he posed for the now-famous photo with his arm around teenage Virginia Guiffre. This, along with his TV interview with Emily Maitlis and other subsequent  details which have come to light over a period of 15 years, bring his sad and sordid story to this current point in time.

There's much more I could say and speculate on - for instance, the Family Model in his chart. Mother as Queen, father the Queen's consort, both now deceased but with their influence at it's greatest as he was growing against the background of the permissive 60s. Saturn, representing in the Huber Method, the mother and rules, boundaries and adherence to expectations. When your mum is the Queen, all that is likely to be highly magnified. Saturn, strongly positioned before the 6th cusp, is in a separate linear aspect pattern which is disconnected from the Fixed structure. In spite of being her favourite, how close were they?

And the Sun in 7th house, representing the father. It's just into Pisces and opposite Pluto at the other end of the red zip wire but connected to the Magic Cap pattern and to the Moon This suggests a potentially powerful father figure and role model, and perhaps a challenging relationship between father and son.

Current Age Point 

And now? Mountbatten-Windsor's AP made an exact opposition to Saturn at the time of his arrest  on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The police investigation is ongoing; the arrest took place on his 66th birthday as his AP entered the 12th House. In their book LifeClock, the Hubers, in line with other approaches to astrology, describe the 12th House as a place of withdrawal, voluntary or otherwise where ".....a certain isolation is required and if the native will not seek it of his own free will, nature will provide it for him".

 I leave you to speculate further, and leave comments on any insights that arise.

  

Age Progression: How to use it

Age Progression - the technique of exploring life's journey - is probably the best known feature of the Huber Method.

It was researched and developed by Bruno Huber, based on his experience of working with clients as an astrologer and psychosynthesis counsellor, and it was not intended to be used as a method of prediction.

Rather than Age Progression (AP) being a predictive tool it offers users a specific and unique technique; when used alongside other chart features in the Huber Method it throws an illuminating spotlight on issues such as where has the individual come from, where are they going and where are they now in their lives.

 

 

How to use it 

•  To get the best results, don't "cherry pick" - don't try to graft Age Progression on to the system, method or approach you're using for chart interpretation. It's designed to be used with the Huber Method, and is backed up and supported by a variety of other features to take into consideration. If you mix it up with other methods you'll miss out on the relevance and significance of these. 
•  
• Start with the correct time of birth, wherever possible. 

• Use the Koch House system. Bruno Huber researched the effectiveness and validity of AP using other systems and found the Koch system yielded the most accurate results.

• Use the Dynamic Energy Curve within the chart to trace the ups and downs encountered as the AP moves around the chart, travelling from house cusp to house cusp, going through the zones of each house and encountering the Balance and Low Point within each one.

• Consider the meaning and significance of the house and sign the AP is in to build up an understanding of the general background/environmental influences and expectations.

• Consider which element the AP is moving through - fire, earth, air, water - this focusses the background more sharply and adds to the overall picture. 

• Are there planets in the house the AP is in? If so, what are they and where are they placed on the Dynamic Energy Curve? Strong, weak or stressed?

• Are any planets being aspected by the AP? Conjunction, opposition and quincunx are likely to be the most significant. NB - the Huber Method uses far fewer aspects - this again was researched by Bruno Huber. 

This is a brief summary and taster of what is in my book 

Using Age Progression: Understanding Life's Journey 

For much more, with full details, click on this link, read the outline and the review. 

Using Age Progression is available from Amazon in paperback and on Kindle.

It's illustrated in full colour and has worked examples of using AP in a mixture of the charts of real ordinary people and famous people, historical and living.

  

Power, Pluto, and Symptoms of Megalomania

In their book, The Planets and their Psychological Meaning, Bruno and Louise Huber share their insights into the planets and associated observable patterns of human behaviour for each planet. They describe behaviours being expressed at three different levels, or stages:

At stage 1, the person will be largely unaware and attached to matter and what is  material; it's what they call a "blind stage" as far as awareness is concerned.

At stage 2, the person's emotional responses are engaged, often resulting in a polarity, an opposition, and of learning the difference between positive and negative.

At stage 3, the person is able to discriminate and form accurate judgements as a greater self-awareness kicks in. In a nutshell, it's all about growing and developing awareness of self and ultimately, of others.

I share this in light of the current global situation where a tariff war, affecting trade and stability in just about every country in the world, was started on 2nd April 2025 by the 47th president of the United States. You can see his chart here.

The Hubers outline manifestations of each of the planets used in Huber-style charts at these three stages. For manifestations of Pluto (for without a doubt, that is the flavour of the energies the current incumbent at the White House is engaging with and expressing) they suggest:

"Masks, egomania, use of power, imposing the will, destructiveness, stirring up of what is suppressed, crises" for stage 1. 

"Megalomania, drivenness......" are among their suggestions for stage 2, and for stage 3, where discrimination, fairness, self-awareness and a loosening of the individual's ego needs are more evident, they suggest "...effective power, making a creative contribution to evolution".

But let's stay with stage 1 for now, because it seems to dominate the observable behaviour, responses, language and general demeanour of this 47th president. Hardly a day goes by without more jaw-dropping news of further heavier tarrifs for some countries, while others appear to be getting an easy ride. Like a yo-yo bouncing up and down, the parameters, boundaries and rules are switched on and then off.

It's an object lesson in power and ego-ridden behaviour, where things are changed, seemingly on a whim, and if there is criticism within the inner circle, heads roll as people are dismissed. Like the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, who is childish and quick to give death sentences at even the slightest of offences, numerous news reports echo  this aspect of the president's behaviour.

In The Planets the Hubers go further. Examples they give of stage 1 Pluto behaviour are here, and  I quote:

"Pluto is always involved in problems of power. One calls for an unlimited reach of power, believing oneself to be the best, the greatest and the only one who is right. In the case of hardened ego powers this gives rise to megalomania or egomania, where a person thinks only he is right and everyone else is a novice.....A lack of consideration for the demands of others and ruthlessness are the unpleasant side of Pluto on this level. All its efforts are mobilised, it fights like one possessed for its property, status and power. Anyone who wants to contest this power will be labelled an enemy who must be go rid of."   (Extract from The Planets, p.89, B&L Huber)

In terms of Age Progression, the 47th president's Age Point is currently in the 2nd house for The Second Time Around (click for more info on this) He's 78, and in terms of Age Point, has re-entered  the phase of life first encountered at ages 6 to 12 years. 

Between the ages of 6 and 12, the child establishes him/herself amongst peers, creating a sphere of personal possessions. In the 2nd house the child defines and defends his/her territory and possessions, which may determine behaviour in later life. Whereas at ages 6 to 12 the 2nd house  is about gathering and hanging on to possessions, at ages 78 to 81, it's about letting go.

A final thought/quote, in this post which attempts to throw some light and astrological-psychological understanding on current events and the person driving them:

"This house is about letting go, but the 2nd house can also reignite a preoccupation with material possessions. Those of a materialistic frame of mind surround themselves with material possessions; become tight-fisted, unwilling to part with anything. They are scared of being short-changed.....become jealous and take all possible precautions lest anyone deprive them of anything."  (Extract from The Second Time Around, p.15, J&B Hopewell. See also The Planets, p.251)

 

Top Tips for budding astrologers and dummies

 

12 Top Tips for Budding Astrologers 

 

 a FREE download for newbies, dummies and other astrologically interested parties

 

  Ideas and suggestions to get you started on chart interpretation - and keep you going!

   

It's available here to download for free and it includes some of the Astrology Tips I've written about on this blog, plus extra material I've added to enlarge on each of the 12 Tips. There are some practical exercises to do too, to help you focus, and there are illustrations and charts.

Contents:

Tip #1 Essential Information                

Tip #2  Starting Out

Tip #3 Colour and Motivation

Tip #4 Doorstep Planets

Tip #5 The Quadrants

Tip #6 Unaspected Planets

Tip #7 Conflict and Tension

Tip #8 Low Point Planets

Tip #9 Levels of the Planets

Tip #10 Understanding Life’s Journey

Tip #11 The House Chart

Tip #12 The Low Point and the Mid-Life Crisis

I hope it helps, hits the spot and sets you on your way towards being a more competent user of the Huber Method. It offers straightforward guidance and clarity to combine with any studies you're doing using books on Astrological Psychology or with a tutor, if you are following the Diploma course book.

 

Good luck. Enjoy! 

Comment from Mark Douglas when he was a Student. Now qualified, he offers tuition and guidance for diploma course students:
Thanks for your thoughts on the four quadrants, Joyce. I'm just entering Module 4. I have The Astrological Houses book and I was still looking for a bit more practical understandings. Bingo! this does the trick. 

My reply:
Very good to hear my take on the Quadrants was helpful for you. When we had  workshops as part of the Diploma course, the practical work on the Quadrants we did would always throw up more clarity for those who were struggling with them. I find the Quadrants very useful/revealing in that they offer an instant insight into where someone might be coming from, and also, with empty Quadrant(s) what they might lack in, or seek to avoid (nothing there to encourage them into this area of life, therefore potentially scary/stressful/of little interest).

 

Donald Trump

I wrote this post in December 2015, ahead of Trump's inauguration the first time he became president. It was published on the Astrological Psychology website, and I've decided to revisit the chart and republish the article on my own blog following the unprecedented public falling out between him and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in the Oval Office on 28th February 2025. 

And now, in April 2026, with the eyes of the world on him he appears to be struggling to retain credibility as a world leader as he's up to his neck in the consequences of his decision to join Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu in an illegal war both countries started against Iran on 28th February.

What I saw in his chart, and wrote about in 2015, is 10 years old; has he changed at all now he's back in the White House? I leave you, the reader, to speculate on this and invite you to leave comments.

Now, in 2026, his Age Point is in the 2nd house for the second time (see my co-authored book The Second Time Around). The 2nd house psychologically and physically is about possessions and raises questions and stimulates behaviour about what we want to hang on to, and what we are willing to give up. With a 2nd house Age Point the second time around, when the individual is between the ages of 78 and 80, it's often a time of letting go of things and attitudes which have lost their significance or "pull". Trump's Age Point is conjunct his 2nd house Neptune, the planet which can, on a less conscious level, or even unconscious level, be about escapism, ideals, dreams, and illusions. It could represent the psychological drive or need for all of these, especially in someone who is not self aware. On it's highest level the drive will be focussed on inclusion and acceptance of what is, along with a strong ethic of unconditional love and respect for people and the world we live in. Trump, without a doubt, is not there yet.

 *  *  *  *  *

 Here's what I wrote in 2015

If you’ll pardon the pun, this man has been trumpeting forth on a variety of controversial subjects for the past few months as he ramps up his bid to be nominated as the Republican Party candidate to become the next President of the United States.

Much as I dislike the views and opinions of this man, I’m intrigued to see if, and how, his mind set and attitudes might show up in his chart.

         14 June 1946, 10:54, Jamaica, NY, USA (Rating AA *)

The overall chart image brings to mind two overlapping images: a well-aimed dart, maybe a paper plane, with the Moon at it’s sharp end, the apex. But look again – the dart, the blue/green quadrilateral ‘Megaphone’ figure, is overlaid by a louder, heavier triangular ‘Ambivalence’ figure, which is reminiscent of a paper “thunderclap” toy, which when held in the hand and thrust through the air like a sword, emits a loud bang. I’m already beginning to connect these initial images of sound amplification and attention-seeking to the windbag-like behaviour that Trump has been exhibiting.

There is no doubt that this man is an impressive and successful entrepreneur. The Sun/Uranus conjunction in Gemini in the 10th house of his chart speaks fathoms of his ability to communicate, think divergently, and possibly wheel and deal too. The Moon’s North Node sits in the middle of this conjunction, indicating that standing out as an individual and making his mark on the world is part of Trump’s developmental path. But wait a minute… he was born the son of a millionaire, and chose to develop his own empire of riches. What he’s possibly neglected here (as far as I know, I’m not a fan or a follower) is the South Node end of the nodal axis. His South Node offers the possibility of balancing the big 10th house “out there” stuff by making a connection with the other end of this axis, namely the 4th house and the collective. His Moon sits in this house, and by default is conjunct the South Node. He appears to be currently tapping into this collective area, but in a way which fuels the needs of his Sagittarian Moon, namely to be outrageous yet still admired at the same time.

It’s interesting to note, too, that both Sun and Moon are intercepted in their respective houses, so Trump will have to shout louder and work harder to express these aspects of his personality in more garish and noticeable ways to get them recognised and acknowledged. Which begs the next question, if we move on to consider the Family Model… how did he as a child (Moon) perceive and experience his father (Sun)? Connected as they are by the hefty oppositions on the 4/10 Individuality axis, things were probably not always smooth. With two key ego planets intercepted, Trump has to divert their expression to go via the third pinning planet in the triangular Ambivalence figure – Jupiter. In the 2nd house of the chart, where possessions are significant, Jupiter’s risk-taking and adventurous entreprenuerism seem to have been capitalised upon to help him make his millions. Yet Jupiter is on the Low Point, making it more challenging for him to do this, so here I’ll cut him a bit of slack as he has successfully made a whole heap of money. It’s more than likely that the intercepted planets have sought a less blocked pathway out into the environment via the Venus/Saturn conjunction in 11th, and through Mars in Leo, stressed before the AC, which could be extremely pushy.

And what of the Megaphone, connected as it is to Sun and Moon, both of them also pinning planets in this figure? A Megaphone in the chart is like having an amplifying mouthpiece to hand, to help express closely held ideals. Regardless of whether or not Trump’s personal ideals are liked or accepted, he’s going to use that figure to make them heard. The Huber’s described the Megaphone thus: “We speak quietly into the narrow end and our voice suddenly fills the room.”

We have a personal choice with Trump though. We don’t have to listen.

 

• Further thoughts on Trump's chart are shared here, on the Astrological Psychology website. Take a look and offer your own feedback.
  

•  For more details of the ‘Megaphone’ aspect figure, see  ‘Aspect Patterns in Colour’ by Joyce Hopewell.

* Chart data from astro.com.

 

 

Coming of Age

Coming of age is usually thought of as a rite of passage of some kind, such as being old enough to vote or going though a cultural ceremony marking the onset of adulthood. The transition from being a child or teenager to being an adult is generally regarded, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, as "the time when that person legally becomes an adult and is old enough to vote, the time when someone matures emotionally, or in some other way."

I've highlighted those words as there are so many variables in the life experiences of individuals that a real coming of age is a moveable feast, and something that can happen whatever age we are. Astrologically, the first Saturn return (the time when Saturn completes one circuit of the Sun) is generally regarded as a significant growing up point. As Saturn takes 29 years to return to the same place it was at when we were born, age 29/30 often brings with it a big "growing up" jolt. Something happens which forces us to change, grow, and mature.

In the context of Age Progression and LifeClock, at that particular age we will have - between the ages of 24 and 30 - gone through the psychological phase of testing out life experiences, maybe "playing the field". Between ages 30 and 36 there's more emphasis on coping with and establishing our existence.

A summary of the psychological phases, as described by Bruno and Louise Huber, is set out in my co-authored new book The Second Time Around:

1. Formation of ego, sense of "I"
2. Creation of personal life, importance of possessions
3. Learning/education
4. Moving on from parental home
5. Testing out life experiences
6. Establishing existence/working alongside others
7. Learning about self in relationships/partnerships
8. Mid-life crisis, change, transformation
9. Forming personal life philosophy
10. Self-realisation, individuality
11. Finding like-minded people, chosen relationships
12. Withdrawal, finding solitude, accepting old age/becoming an Elder

A pychological and emotional coming of age can happen at any time on the LifeClock. We can experience something as an adult which triggers memories and feelings we've suppressed, and which now demand attention. It's like an echo from the past, and having the courage and willingness to work through old and sometimes painful stuff from our earlier years - maybe from childhood, maybe as an adult - can be a real coming of age process as through it we grow and develop more self-awareness.

Such an experence offers the opportunity to let go of something that's been bugging us for years, but was never really resolved. Then we can move on, no longer stuck with the baggage of a particular situation at, say, age 3,15, 24, 36, 57.... or whenever it happened.

If we are on an upward spiral as we journey through life's physical and psychological stages, letting go and moving on from being stuck and held back by the past can take place at any time. It's useful to remember that we can come of age at any stage of life. The development of self-awareness and spiritual growth is an on-going process.

"The Life Clock can indicate where we are in life and how we can make the best of current influences in the light of problems past, present and future" - a quote from Bruno & Louise's book LifeClock.

Never "too old"

 "I'm too old for that". If you've ever said that, or had someone tell you that you were "too old" for something, I hope your inner rebel came out and disagreed!

 

It's the kind of thing people say when encouraged to do something new or outrageously different, go somewhere new, dress in an uncharacteristic way, or behave in a manner which might be out of their normal range or comfort zone.......you get the gist. It's an "Act your age" thing. It's about risk - doing something different - and age appropriateness, along with the expectations of others in your immediate circle, or in the social setting you find yourself in.

What has this to do with astrological psychology and Age Progression? In truth, quite a lot. It depends on where you are, what "time" it is on your individual LifeClock and what psychological life phase you're moving through.

A couple of recent real life examples come to mind. The first is of the two 14 year-old girls I talked to about Hallowe'en last year, asking if they were going to dress up and go trick or treating. At 14, both are, by Age Point, astrologically in the 3rd house/area of life experience. Between the ages of 12 and 18, the focus is on puberty and growing up, and peer groups and friends take precedence over family; it's important to conform, fit in and be connected to current trends and events, especially at this stage of life when young people are feeling their way and finding the peer group where they belong. My expectations were that they could, by this age, be past the Hallowe'en ritual, but I was wrong. 

Being into their teenage years, fashion, make up etc. they were going for it big time. One of them said she was going to dress as Super Mario even though she was nearly 15. The other one dressed herself glamourously as a witch with a dark draped costume over black leggings, topped off with a large witches hat. Both wanted to be in on the fun of dressing up and were going trick and treating with friends. Rather than be "too old" to dress up and enjoy the annual trick and treating sugar-fest, they were actively embracing the opportunity to - in this case - act their age.

A few days later I watched a film made in 2015 of a meeting between the Dalai Lama and Archibishop Desmond Tutu. It was simply entitled "Joy" and watching it gave me 45 minutes of pure happiness and joy seeing these two men, both in their 80s at the time of filming, laughing and expressing their joy in life. Like two small boys they held hands, hugged, giggled, and shared insights and views on life and their respective faiths, all interspersed with much laughter, gentle teasing, love and respect for each other.

The Age Point of both men, when this film was made, was in the 2nd house, relating to ages 6 -12 years, where collected treasures and possessions are important and the child soaks up new information. Both men had been there before and this time, as seniors and Elders, they were revisiting this area of life experience, but for the second time around. With maturity, wisdom and life experience to draw upon, they were at home and comfortable being exactly who and what they were. Rather than possessively hanging on to things, they had been able to let go of all expectations regarding what they "should" be like and were at ease being just themselves, in the moment. They had no need to hold on to anything and "act their age", because they were doing so from a higher turn of the spiral, backed up by wisdom accrued along the way.

Both had found their personal style in life. Both had inner peace, expressed love, acceptance and kindness towards others, together with a strong spirtual outlook on life.This second circuit of the circle enables us, in later years, to revisit the energies, optimism and outlook of our younger selves, but on a higher turn of the spiral as we move away from being what others expect of us and towards who and what we truly are.

The Second Time Around, the title of my co-authored book with Barry Hopewell, covers Age Point experiences of real people who, like me, are on the second circuit of the LifeClock.

What time is your Lifeclock?

Age Progression, LifeClock, call it what you will - my experience of it is exactly what my tutor told me 37 years ago when I started studying the Huber Method of Astrological Psychology.

He said it was "gilt edged", and quite simply, it is. And you can use this technique with or without referring to a birth chart.

The chart belongs to actor Tom Hanks, born 9th July 1956 at 11.17 in Corncord, California. Hanks is 67. His Age Point is in the 12th house/area of the chart and his LifeClock time is easing towards the start and end of the 72 year cycle. Realistically he's probably being a lot more selective in any acting roles he takes on, but interestingly is currently involved in the production of a new film, "Here", which involves the use of AI.The story covers the events of a single room with its inhabitants spanning from the past well into the future. Hanks is clearly not giving up yet!

Below is the LifeClock diagram, showing how the Age Point relates to the 12 astrological houses/areas of life experience from birth to age 72 (it begins a second circuit once the individual reaches 72, where there is often a huge surge of energy as we make a fresh start). The hand of the clock always moves in an anti-clockwise direction. It's shown here at age 40.

 

When the Age Point reaches the 12th house and is between ages 66 and 72 (again, use the diagram to navigate by), we no longer need to strive to prove anything to anyone. This can be very liberating. But some high profile people will choose to continue working into this phase, for example politicians, artists, writers, musicians, scientists and spitritual leaders.

A couple more examples. If you're somewhere between 30 and 36, the Age Point and your lifetime "o'clock" will be in the 6th house, where your main focus, if you're in paid or voluntary work, will be on the more serious matters of being successful, keeping your head above water and getting along with your work colleagues. You'll probably be forming realistic views about what you can and can't achieve professionally or work-wise.

Between age 36 and 42, the focus shifts to relationships and partners. At this psychological stage, the ability to make contact with others is at maximum strength and this is often a time of life when we realise there is more potential in life for us than we'd ever dreamed of.

All this, and much more, is covered in my book Age Progression - Understanding Life's Journey Click on the link to fine out more.

 

 

 

Doorways

Doors. Portals. Gateways. It doesn’t matter which name you use as they all symbolise a threshold which, when crossed, will take us into a new and different physical place or state of mind. Psychologically, doors can represent the threshold between past and future, between what has gone before and what is yet to come. Doorways, what they represent and what might be beyond them, can be exciting, forbidding, intriguing, scary, interesting, fascinating and stimulating.

Using the natal chart, the on-going movement of the Age Point around it works like a LifeClock, constantly offering opportunities for us to open doors to new psychological life phases and ways of being; the journey is progressive and at each stage there is something new to learn and experience about ourselves and the world we inhabit.

There are the doors which lead us from one House, or area of life experience, of the chart to the next. These doors are probably rather large and impressive as they mark the end of one psychological life phase and the beginning of the next. Being right on the cusp of a House, these doors can be flung wide open to the world in a big way - we have to go through them and we may as well enjoy the view as we do so. Then there are the doors which we pass through as the Age Point changes Sign. Perhaps these doorways are even painted the colour of the element of that Sign, giving hints about what kind of energy might be around. Jazzy, full-on red, sensitive green, soothing blue or contact-seeking yellow?

Joseph Campbell, the author of many books on mythology said, “When you follow your bliss….doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors; and where there wouldn’t be a door for anyone else”. 

His words could be related directly to the movement of the Age Point through the metaphorical doors I’ve been speaking about. Of course, these doors are uniquely your doors and uniquely my doors - they are experienced differently for every one of us. And if we follow our bliss we must do so willingly, knowing that whatever life phase we are travelling through is transient….and that at its end there will always be another door, leading us to a new beginning.

 

The Second Time Around - some thoughts on moving from role to soul

 

"The Inner Work of Age - shifting from Role to Soul" formed part of the research for my recent co-authored book, The Second Tme Around, looking at life beyond age 70+, and the opportunities this phase of life brings for renewal.

It was a book I could relate to, understand and learn from. Not only was it an excellent read, it was a nudge and a reminder of things I'd forgotten. It flagged up things I'd either been mulling over or had received sudden insights about, and is featured in Chapter 3 - What other authors say about this stage of life, in The Second Time Around.

Author Connie Zweig, a retired psychotherapist, draws on her personal experience of being an Elder alongside her professional work with others, also Elders, travelling the path from role to soul. She likens Elders to teachers or mentors, those who willingly pass on the wisdom of their life experience, not from a place of ego, or of needing recognition for their know how, but simply because they are at ease with themselves just as they are and don't need to prove anything, or be how others might "expect" them to be.

Zweig suggests that as Elders, behaving in this way, give hard-won knowledge to the next generation, welcoming a new generation of seekers and agents of change. The ego is set aside; it has no place when role or roles, which might have defined us during our more active working life, are dropped as the essence of soul begins to find it's place.

Whilst reading the book and reviewing my own status as Elder (yes, I'm old enough for this) I had some significant, transformative experiences and insights as I'd been evaluating myself and my relationships, contacts and friendships – their value, importance and permanence. I examined the depth, richness and quality of my current interactions with others, and realised that I’d become far more selective and discriminating about who I choose to spend time with. No longer willing to waste time or energy or pussyfooting about with relationships which don't hit the spot for me, I’m far more comfortable now being straight, truthful and outspoken.

In this Elder phase of life, I’m far more perceptive and discriminating about who I can trust and who I can’t. As for my "role", I'm not really clear if I now have one. Yes, I'm a retired teacher and as such I can always seize what is called "the teachable moment" with children and adults alike, but retired it's a lot easier being a volunteer in the classroom rather than being in charge.

I’ve made personal and psychological changes to myself and my outlook over the past couple of years, and I’ve questioned what my role, if any, is meant to be – or if I even need a “role”. Volunteering is one way Elders shift from role to soul - they become more involved in sharing their skills and knowledge and energy in society, for the benefit of others. And of course, they get a lot back from doing so, quietly being themselves and not needing the ego boost.

Age Point echoes - 36 and 72 years

While researching my recent co-authored book - The Second Time Around - a number of contibutors to the book, who were sharing their own experiences of the Age Point moving around the chart for the second time, noted the "Echo Effect".

Using the chart as a LifeClock, the hand of the clock moves, in an anti-clockwise direction, around the lower half of the chart. Staring at the ascendant (AC/zero point/birth), it takes 36 years to reach the descendant (DC) which is opposite. In astrological psychological terms, this lower half of the chart relates to the unconscious. OK, we're not exactly unconsious from age 0 to 36, but we do have significant formative, shaping experiences which we are challeged to work with and through, surviving and establishing ourselves as indiviuals along the way. During this period we have the opportunity to learn much about ourselves through the contacts and relationships we make, and the responsibilities that go with making our mark in the world.

At age 36, the hand of the LifeClock crosses the DC and, like sunrise waking the earth at the start of the day, we "wake up" to a new perspective on life. Some people speak of finding this age and time of life like being "halfway there" (maybe to old age?) but many people experience an increased sense of maturity and a deeper understanding of their place in the world at age 36.

Even with no astrological knowledge, this age and period of life can feel significant and meaningful; people have described it as a time of waking up to the possibility of new horizons. There is an insight into the immensity of what this next stage of life can offer - I've heard it described by clients who recognised this time as the "world is my oyster" moment.

An echo effect is at work with the 36 year point of the cycle and it's second stage, the next 36 years, leading to one circuit of the circular chart at age 72. Sigificant psychological events that happened in childhood, or between ages 36 and 42, can ping back into consciousness as they are revisited from a new perspective at 36 years or 72 years later.

The 72 year period seems to be of particular significance as we re-enter the 1st house/area of life experience. We're there, literally, for the second time around and we have the first opportunity to experience consciously the energies and events encountered in early childhood, at a time when we had no possibility of assimilating potentially traumatic experiences.

Memories and echoes of this past, or from 36 years earlier, of events we experienced - good or bad, beneficial or painful - surface. Unresolved issues may demand attention and, with the wisdom of life experience to draw upon, it's possible - with some willing work on our part – to clear these. There may be insights, understandings, new perspectives, forgiveness and letting go of things from the past which are no longer relevant of useful – especially if we’re on an upward spiral and a spiritual path.

T.S.Eliot says it far better than I can, and in fewer words:

What might have been and what has been point to one end, which is always present. Footfalls echo in the memory down the passage which we did not take towards the door we never opened…..

Time past and time future, what might have been and what has been point to one end, which is always present.

Four Quartets: Burnt Norton

Will Parfitt reviews The Second Time Around

Retired psychotherapist and teacher of psychosynthesis and Kabbalah, Will Parfitt has contributed our first review of the recently published book The Second Time Around.

 

First a disclaimer: I am a contributor to this book which includes the stories of 25 people reflecting on key elements of their life and experiences getting to 70 or older. I am only “into astrology” in a very minor way but have always found the Huber approach, used here, to be very informative on a psychological level. This book delivers!

I haven’t considered the astrological stuff in here, it is a bit beyond me really, but it is fascinating to read different peoples’ experiences and how, unexpectedly, we can consider 70+ is a favourable time for growth and renewal in our lives, with the opportunity to finally move beyond the limitations set by our earlier life experiences.

So, bottom line is, you won’t be disappointed if you purchase this book which I imagine will become a classic astrology title in years to come, opening up new levels of research and interest. And even without the astrology it is engaging and revealing reading.