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The Astrology Blog 13 March 2023

All times in GMT

 

“Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Things are gonna be much better, if you only will.”

Shower the People by James Taylor – Happy Solar Return, born 12 March 1948, Sun 22 Pisces trine Chiron 24 Scorpio

 

https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/James_Taylor

 

“All of our reasoning ends in surrender to feeling.”

Blaise Pascal – French philosopher, born 19 June 1623, Sun Gemini, Moon/Chiron Pisces

 

https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Blaise_Pascal

 

 

MARS IN GEMINI

So 12 more days to go of this extremely noticeable Mars journey through Gemini. If you haven’t already read Elisabeth’s blog on the subject it’s a great read –

https://elisabethbrooke.com/2023/03/05/shooting-the-messenger-mars-in-gemini/

A reminder from last week, to put this activity in perspective, Mars usually spends two months travelling through each sign but because of the long backward loop in the middle this trip through Gemini has been the scenic route, taking 7 months –

• 20 August Mars entered Gemini
• 30 October – got as far as 25 degrees Gemini and then turned retrograde
• 12 January – backtracked to 8 Gemini and then turned direct
• 16 March – will come “out of shadow” – ie will get back to 25 Gemini, the degree at which originally turned retrograde
• 25 March – will leave Gemini and enter the next sign of Cancer

So Mars has been going forwards and backwards in one of Mercury’s signs all this time, and last week I commented on how I felt as if I were working under a permanent retrograde Mercury (everything under the huge communication umbrella). That theme went on. On Thursday the whole of Nidri was disconnected for hours with a huge power cut, and when the power came back on the internet didn’t. That took several more nail biting hours.

Last week I also talked about how computer problems have been a big part of my story and I decided that it was time to invest in a new one, duly ordered, and I was assured I’d be so much better off with my new 8GB of DDR4 memory. If you’re a techno dunce like me that will mean nothing to you but it sounds great lol.

On Saturday I got a message to say that the new computer had arrived but had been damaged in transit. Thanks Mars. So the wait goes on …

MAN OF THE MOMENT – GARY LINEKER

Last week I also noted that nearly every client, especially in the last few weeks, has had planets at or very close to these super sensitive degrees of Mars’s turning points, 8 and 25 Gemini (or opposite points of 8 and 25 Sagittarius), and things that should have been astrologically clear cut on paper have turned out to be a lot more complex or hard hitting.

Enter Gary Lineker, with his Sun at 8 degrees of Sagittarius –

https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Gary_Lineker

Truth, justice and fairness are massive Sagittarian issues. As I’m fond of saying if you want to enrage a Sagittarian just accuse them of lying, preferably from a safe distance. Trying to silence a truth freak Sag is asking for trouble.

The drama started with Gary Lineker’s tweet about the UK’s asylum policy in relation to a video message by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, about stopping migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats. Lineker said the message was “beyond awful” and called the government’s policy “an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30’s.”

The “establishment” BBC has freaked out as their leading man on Match of the Day has basically aligned Suella Braverman with Hitler, and these days if you’re an “influencer” you’re supposed to walk on eggshells on social media.

Freedom of speech is not what it was? Those who flout this risk finding themselves up against enquiry and possible prosecution, which has worked brilliantly for identifying psychopaths like Andrew Tate, who’s now up against the full weight of a criminal enquiry. His Sun is at 9 Sag and his detention keeps getting extended while they work out how to throw away the key. And Alex Murdaugh, Sun at 25 Gemini, already convicted.

But Lineker hasn’t abused or murdered anyone, he’s a full blown humanitarian, he’s called it, and some might say that this is textbook “foot in mouth” Sagittarian disease, blurting out truths without getting the brain in gear first or thinking of consequences. But he has said outright that he stands by his comments and doesn’t fear suspension from his BBC work. In other words, he refuses to be intimidated.

God of war Mars is masculine and rules soldiers, men and strife. In Gemini sign of the Twins – the two faces, the double edged sword – we see the men gone wrong and we see the warrior with the courage to fight back. The fact that Mars turned the power back on at 8 Gemini ignites Lineker’s Sun, and as a public figure he’s not just speaking for himself. Many of his colleagues came out in support, to the extent that the BBC were suddenly short of commentators and were forced to reduce their sports-related schedules over the weekend. Oh that’s why they’re so upset. There had to be a money issue in there too.

Interesting synastry between Gary Lineker and Suella –

https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Suella_Braverman

He has the Moon in Taurus (the Moon’s sign of exaltation) and she has Moon in the opposite sign of Scorpio (Moon’s sign of fall). So often the Moon shows as or for the people. No prizes for guessing in which direction the public loyalty is swinging. No times of birth for either of them but Suella’s Chiron is in Taurus so will be either roughly or exactly opposite her natal Moon and conjunct Lineker’s. If ever there was a story about wounding, this is it.

Yesterday (Sunday) was the huge Jupiter – Chiron conjunction (approx every 14 years, the last one was at the end of Aquarius in May 2009, which fell conjunct Neptune too) and with Jupiter ruling all people and matters overseas, along with being the archetype of the Protector, doesn’t it just fit that asylum issues would loom extra large in the public awareness right now.

Also her natal Mars at 25 Leo is exactly conjunct his Uranus at 25 Leo, explosive stuff. Suella is in trouble with this and/or something else, as also shown by her transits. Her natal Jupiter is in Virgo, one of Jupiter’s signs of detriment, at 1 degree. If you remember, slow moving taskmaster Saturn changed sign just like week (change of sign only happens once every 2.5 years) and moved into Pisces, so is now only half a degree away from an exact opposition to this Jupiter. Furthermore it’s an opposition that will be formed three times. Saturn will turn retrograde at 7 Pisces on 17 June, and will turn direct again at 0.30 Pisces on 4 November, which is exactly the position he’s at now.

Whatever else might be going on in her life this transit in her chart captures the subject matter –  a detrimented (weak state) Jupiter (the weary traveler, in this case the asylum seeker) slap up against Saturn, who rules authorities, borders and boundaries of all kinds, in Jupiter’s sign of Pisces (the ocean, boats, suffering v compassion). Suella needs to be reminded that to seek asylum is a human right.

WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK?

Here’s your “at a glance” picture and we can see immediately that Mars is still the scene stealer, not only because of the aspects being formed with three other planets but also because this is the week that Mars comes “out of shadow” –

Tuesday 14 March

• Mars 25 Gemini square Neptune 25 Pisces 23.41 – 3rd and final time

Wednesday 15 March

• Sun conjunct Neptune 25 Pisces 23.41

Thursday 16 March

• Mars out of shadow – back to 25 Gemini, where he originally turned retrograde end of last October
• Mercury conjunct Neptune 25 Pisces 17.14
• Sun 25 Pisces square Mars 25 Gemini 18.11
• Venus 29 Aries square Pluto 29 Capricorn 19.57
• Venus ingress Taurus 22.35

Friday 17 March                

• Mercury 26 Pisces square Mars 26 Gemini 04.50
• Sun conjunct Mercury 26 Pisces 10.46
• Venus 1 Taurus sextile Saturn 1 Pisces 22.26

Sunday 19 March

• Mercury 29 Pisces sextile Pluto 29 Capricorn 03.23

Monday 20 March

• Mercury ingress Aries 04.25

 

SUN – MERCURY – MARS – NEPTUNE  

As observed last week we quite often get a dance between three bodies playing out over a period of time. Last week we had the Sun and Mercury both aligning with Uranus, and this week we have four (not three as I said last week) planets locked into a dance that goes on all week as they all reach 25 – 26 degrees of their current signs, Gemini for Mars and Pisces for the others.

• GEMINI – the Twins, a double sign, Mutable Air, rules everything to do with communication, how we spread the word and travel around our neighbourhood. Quick, dexterous, the multi tasker, the Magician or the Trickster, including those who lie or thieve. Childlike qualities, the Peter Pan of the zodiac. Themes of duality or multiplicity abound, eg two of everything
• PISCES – the Fish, a complex sign, Mutable Water, rules the oceans, marine life and seaside time, water in all its guises, super sensitive, artistic, photography, film (the Oscars always in March), special skills, empathy, sacrifices, grief and all suffering of the soul, all altered states of consciousness, rules the booze, pharmaceuticals but also spirituality

Each of these bodies makes an aspect with the three others who in turn are doing the same thing, so we end up with a list of 6 aspects which involve each planet three times. Aren’t you glad I worked that out for you lol – I feel dizzy just thinking about this lineup! Here’s the list, not in the order they fall but easier to see the relationships going on –

• Sun square Mars
• Sun conjunct Mercury
• Sun conjunct Neptune
• Mercury conjunct Neptune
• Mercury square Mars
• Mars square Neptune

Usually when we get planets doing teamwork like this we can see which are the most important. In this case it’s hard to pick out priorities, but the Sun – Neptune conjunction only ever happens once a year and the Mars square Neptune also carries a lot of clout as it’s the third and final square of a series of three. It’s been a long and winding road or sea voyage, here’s the full sequence –

• 20 August 2022 – Mars enters Gemini
• 12 October – Mars square Neptune 1st time
• 30 October – Mars turns retrograde at 25 Gemini
• 19 November – Mars 22 Gemini square Neptune 22 Pisces 2nd time
• 12 January 2023 – Mars turns direct at 8 Gemini
• 14 March – Mars 25 Gemini square Neptune 25 Pisces 3rd and final time
• 25 March – Mars leaves Gemini and enters the next sign of Cancer

This sequence is especially important for you if you have planets or Angles at or very close to the degrees mentioned (22 to 25) of Gemini or Pisces, or their opposite signs, the other two Mutable signs of Sagittarius or Virgo.

Also when we get a third and final aspect we can look back to the dates of the other two and see what happened. I have my Mercury – Saturn at 25 Sag and bang on the first square was a horrible time. I got the news that a loved cousin had died who, like me, was also a twin. So it was a time of sadness to hear about Helen and floods of memories about Sue. At the same time my old cat fell ill and had to spend two days at the vet on a drip, for meds and rehydration. Neptune also rules pharmaceuticals as well as fluids. She pulled through and, unbelievably, has been fine since. She’s a rescue animal of course so I don’t know her exact age, but she’s at least 18.

At a universal level I’ve been aware of themes of backtracking, confusion or aimlessness. Many clients have had long drawn out experiences of trying to deal with emotional issues, with matters or people who are beyond their understanding. As Mars makes this final square, AND comes out of shadow AND is followed immediately by the Sun – Mercury conjunction look out for the emergence of key information or feelings that could explain a lot or make a big difference.

The best possible showing of Neptune is the flow of compassion, empathy, making soul connections, and the redemption of love. Hence the choice of song at the top of the blog this week from Piscean James Taylor who turned 75 yesterday.

SUN CONJUNCT MERCURY – CAZIMI

The Sun – Mercury conjunction happens approximately every 2 months, so 6 – 7 times a year, half of them when Mercury is moving direct like now (the superior conjunction) and the other half when Mercury is retrograde (the inferior conjunction). So these alternate. Well worth noting these for universal value but, as ever, especially if they coincide with the positions of any of your own natal planets or Angles –

• Last superior conjunction 8 November at 16 Scorpio – same date and degree as the Lunar Eclipse
• The last inferior conjunction 7 January at 17 Capricorn
• This superior conjunction 17 March at 26 Pisces
• An inferior conjunction 1 May 11 Taurus
• A superior conjunction 1 July 9 Cancer
• An inferior conjunction 6 September 13 Virgo
• A superior conjunction 20 October 26 Libra
• An inferior conjunction 22 December 0 Capricorn

Any planet, not just Mercury, conjunct the Sun to within 17 minutes of arc (ie just over a quarter of a degree) is said to be “cazimi” – defined as being in “the heart of the Sun”. The symbolism of this is about the other planet drawing strength from that heat instead of being burned up by it. It’s a window of opportunity, the stuff of light bulb moments, vital information or having the chance to get your point across exactly in the right way and at the right time. In that hot spot is a golden nugget of truth, true connection or a lifeline of help.

• This Mercury cazimi is at 26.35 Pisces
• This cazimi lasts from approx 03.00am through to 5.00pm on Friday 17 March in the UK
• Adjust to your own time zone – eg Greece 05.00am through to 7.00pm
• Look out for that Mercury moment, especially things that shine a light into your understanding, help you to make a decision, negotiate a deal or find the right words to get an important conversation started. Information that surfaces on the cazimi is often invaluable, truth suddenly surfaces and a heart to heart can make a real difference
• Pay close attention to whatever comes to light for you as this will point the way forwards and reveal the full nature of your life event, concerns or challenges, especially for the rest of this month

VENUS – ENDINGS & BEGINNINGS

In the middle of this other activity we also have the love and money planet Venus making an important transition –

Thursday 16 March

• Venus 29 Aries square Pluto 29 Capricorn 19.57
• Venus ingress Taurus 22.35

Friday 17 March                

• Venus 1 Taurus sextile Saturn 1 Pisces 22.26

Aries is not an easy sign for Venus, being one of her signs of detriment, and it’s a combination that tends to reflect either the pleasures of independence or the struggles of being single. As Venus reaches the “critical degree” of 29 (the last degree of a sign) she squares up to Pluto, also on that critical degree at the end of Capricorn (will move into Aquarius 23 March).

As all or nothing powerful Pluto is also about endings, especially of the no going back kind, this is the stuff of things like irreparable relationships, resignations, money vanishing into black holes or giving up something that will be tough but which will be for your longer term benefit. Definitely don’t try to breathe new life into anything that is clearly dead.

Venus’ change of sign strikes a completely different note. 0 degrees as the first degree of a sign is also a “critical degree” (critical doesn’t have to be a crisis, although it can be, but 0 degrees is supercharged in terms of fresh starts) and Taurus is Venus’ feminine sign of dignity. Much more comfortable – earthy, sensuous, fertile and linked to life’s pleasures. Venus’ first aspect on this new journey through Taurus (until 11 April) is the harmonious sextile to “get it together” Saturn also on his new journey, who in turn is in Venus’ sign of exaltation. So things like new relationships, sources of income, lifestyle changes all get a big tick.

Next week the Sun is also going to align with Pluto as we go into the Spring Equinox – the Sun moving from the end of the zodiac 29 Pisces to the beginning of 0 Aries – so these fresh start themes are likely to be ongoing, especially as we also have the New Moon less than 24 hours after the Equinox.

More on that next time, until then

With love from Greece

Joanna