JUPITER STORY

My brother Philip, who died a month ago after a long illness, had a strong Jupiter: conjunct his Sun, and ruling his Moon in Sag and Venus in Pisces. Jupiter is the king of the gods and is said to bring good fortune. Philip commented last year that if he wanted something, he had always been able to find a way of getting it. He lived life with a following wind, which he ran with. He seized and savoured his life. Jupiter's involvement with the 2 feminine planets - the Moon and Venus - resulted in a long and happy marriage.

His Sun-Jupiter was also conjunct Saturn (13 Jan 1961) in Capricorn. He built solid foundations to his life. I had seen the Saturn-Pluto conjunction of 2020 heading towards him some years down the line, and I said to him that something big and life-changing was on the way, but I didn't know what it would be. Shortly before the conjunction, he said to me he had fulfilled his dream of running and building a business and generating wealth, and didn't know what to do next. In Sept 2020, he was diagnosed with cancer. It was as if he had done what he had come here to do, and it was time to go.

When he died, Jupiter, the brightest of the planets, had just risen in the East: the king of the gods welcoming him home.

I gave a eulogy at Philip's wake at the weekend, and at the end I included what I called his sky story about Jupiter. I felt I was taking a bit of a risk in doing so, because astrology or anything religious do not seem to be most people's thing. When I talked about Jupiter rising at his death, the prickles went all over me and the emotion in me rose visibly.

Afterwards, so many people commented on the sky story I had told. It had touched them in a way that surprised both themselves and me. It was as if beneath the beliefs people have, there is something archaic that responds to stories that connect to the universe and give a wider meaning to earthly events.

It says to me that there is a deep, non-rational truth in astrology, particularly when we can connect it to what is visible in the sky.

 

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And here are some of my recent FB astroposts and what we now call Xes:  

 

The Sun has just been in Cancer, and now it is in Leo, in both cases opposite Pluto. There has been an imperative to nurture that hard-to fathom thing within that is our primary reason for being here, and now to give expression to its divine uniqueness. Play like your life depends on it   

 

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Venus is now retrograde. Look within and remember that the whole universe loves you in your uniqueness (Leo). And you love her back. This is where the medicine of loneliness points.

 

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At the Big Bang (of which I have a sepia photo somewhere in the attic, taken by my intrepid grandfather), Uranus was the genius who had the brilliant idea of creating something out of nothing; Pluto was the immense power unleashed to exist and to keep unfolding; and Neptune was the primordial imagination that dreamed into being a universe. Just imagine what those three can do when they get their hands on you. Transit, anyone?

 

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As astrologers, we inevitably get consulted about relationships. Maybe not being in one ourselves provides a point of perspective and insight. Maybe it is not that we are inadequate, but that something in us refuses to be compromised, cannot do that dark deal anymore.

 

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I've known a Buddhist teacher and an Astrology teacher who both had a pronounced Virgo/Scorpio mix. They each had a gift for grasping the essence of a matter (Scorpio) and expressing it concisely and accurately (Virgo). My father had the same mix and the same ability, but on a more practical level.

 

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If you want AI to stay onside, thank it every time you use it. Ingratitude for the technologies we have is a shadow side of the modern world. Instead we rail against our technologies and their promise for the future. This shadow is a Pluto in Aquarius issue. If you want to find that thankfulness, go visit a country that does not have what we have, and see which you prefer.

 

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SINEAD O'CONNOR

 

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I wondered what brutal Pluto-Moon transit has Sinead O'Connor been going through, such that her 17 year-old son killed himself last year? It turns out that Pluto recently completed squaring her Libra Moon. What does that mean? I don't know. But the event was woven into the fabric of the universe. As she passes - and we don't yet know the cause - so is Jupiter within a degree of her North Node. A timely death, whatever the reason. It leaves me thinking about Free Will and Fate.

 

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Men's soul journey in the second half of life is Venus: listening and serving.

For women, it is Mars: no more people-pleasing.

 

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 I've spent a lot of my life doing nothing. It's been an important part of it. But it's been nothing in the sense that a casserole in an oven is doing nothing: surrendering my Mars to the outer planets and their designs.

 

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The trouble with being a bloody Aquarian is that I think independently, and that causes trouble socially unless I keep my trap shut. And I'd die rather than do that. So I stay at home and say what I think on social media instead 😎

DIVINATORY ASTROLOGY

I run a group on Facebook that used to be called UK Astrologers. I have recently changed the name to Divinatory Astrology, and opened it up to anyone to join. Here is how I introduce the group: 

Welcome to Divinatory Astrology. Divination, I think, is the real nature of our craft. We are vehicles for the intuition, for the sky spirits, for the gods. The tradition itself, valuable as it is, is a launch pad, an orientation, an egregore: it has its own power that has built through the millennia. But eventually we need to move from Capricorn – mastery of what has come before – to Aquarius, where we earn the right to reinvent the tradition, to create the future. Without this constant reinvention, a tradition dies. It often requires courage, and it usually requires years of getting to know the gods – and our demons.

 Astrology is a different kind of knowledge to science: it is knowledge of consciousness, essentially, rather than knowledge of things. Our craft makes no sense from the point of view of the specialised remit of science. We use all 4 Elements – Fire, Earth, Air and Water – to gain knowledge. Science, by contrast, emphasises just Earth (data) and Air (theory). We are therefore part of a broader tradition of gnosis, within which science finds its place. Nor do we need to feel over-beholden to the astrological tradition itself: it needs to be worn lightly, so that the gods have room to speak.

 

So please come along and join. Meanwhile, here are my recent short pieces from the group (and from Twitter):

 

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I have a Pluto conjunct Venus (at 1 Aquarius) transit this year and next. The emerging deep theme seems to be the surrender of Mars to the Divine Feminine.

 

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I learnt astrology by talking with a friend, then doing readings. How you learn is revealed by your Mercury placement. Mine is in Aquarius opposite Uranus. I have to find my own way in, then I can hang the received learning on that. Astrology shows us why we are not stupid, but each have our own ways of learning. A watery Mercury may have to feel the idea, a fiery Mercury will need their imagination sparked, an airy Mercury will need to see its connections with other ideas, and an earthy Mercury will need to see its practical applications.

 

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The BBC News presenter Huw Edwards has natal Sun at 25 Leo. Uranus is in the early stages of squaring it. So his life goals are due for some major shifts. What has been happening with the young woman from the dating site has a self-inflicted, trickster feel around it, and looks set to end his career as he knows it. This is how Uranus sometimes upsets the apple-cart to get us to change. Edwards has natal Sun conjunct Uranus: he is a deeply unconventional (Uranus) and individual (Leo) person, yet he has been doing this staid job all his life. No wonder, in a sense, that this has happened.

 

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The Sun is afflicted in Aquarius because we tend to identify with changing the world, at the expense of that thing deep within us, that we are primarily here to take care of. Leo, the opposite sign, knows about this, and is the remedy, the balancing point.

 

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Sex, death and money. Mars, Pluto and Venus. The 3 things people don't want to talk about. But which are part of my job description as an astrologer. If not me, then who?

 

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James Webb telescope, 1st anniversary picture. From the constellation Ophiuchus, which are also the stars of the notorious and nonsensical 13th sign of the zodiac. Which has the perverse characteristic of actually working, thus demonstrating the divinatory nature of astrology. Here's what I wrote about it some years ago.  It is also a chapter from my book 'Surfing the Galactic Highways', for which you get a free reading if you buy it and leave a genuine rating on Amazon. 

 

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The IC - the bottom of the chart - denotes the end of life. It also describes home. Put together, it suggests death to be a homecoming. Jupiter is associated with death: the king of the gods welcoming you back to his realm. Jupiter is also good fortune, suggesting that death has that attribute too. In the Middle Ages, death was perfectly normal; it only became an event to be feared later.

 

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12th July:  Volcanic eruption in Iceland as the Moon in Taurus conjoins Jupiter and then Uranus.

 

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We are in retrograde season: Saturn, Neptune and Pluto. Uranus and Jupiter will join them at the start of Sept. It is 4 of Swords time: waiting and cooking. And the Moon card: listen to your deeper instincts, rather than where you think you would like your life to be going.

 

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Saturn is the planet of incarnating, of responsibility. The first Saturn Return usually sees us taking some new level of responsibility in the world. I think at the second Saturn Return, the responsibility shifts towards the Spirit. We have done the worldly bit. And it is when we can do our most significant work.

 

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Watching the series Vikings gave me an appreciation of the rationale behind human sacrifice, the genuine power it could have, and prompted me to write an astrological piece: Astrology, Death and Human Sacrifice 

 

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Mercury rules my MC and ASC. When Saturn conjoined my Aq Mercury in 2021, I wrote my first 2 books, after 15 years blogging. It was kind of easy, and earned. When he conjoined my Aq Sun last year, a wolf showed up and nudged me to write my first fiction. A Shamanic fantasy novel. That was much harder. It is good to have something that is difficult. Here is the blurb I have written for the back of the book in my Shamanic blog. Would you want to read it?

 

 

ASTROLOGICAL DEBRIS

I'm not so inclined to write longer pieces at the moment, more the odd topical comment as it occurs to me. I tweet them (@Astrotabletalk), and I post them in the UK Astrologers Facebook group, which I have opened up for anyone to join.

Here are some recent ones, while they remain topical 😎

The military rebellion in Russia may well be the first sign of a revolution to come, as Pluto moves in on the Russian Moon (the people) in Aquarius (revolution) in the next few years.

 

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Chiron cannot be seen with the naked eye. He is therefore transpersonal. His apparent 'wounding' is a call to listen to the outer planets. If your life doesn't seem to work around your Chiron placement, then treat it as a blessing, as a calling.

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 Ceres' daughter was abducted by Pluto. This time she has been abducted by Neptune: there is currently an opposition between the two, and the Titanic sub has gone missing. Ceres changes sign on Wednesday 21st, so maybe it will be quickly located. (NB I was being hopeful when I wrote this! Privately, I wasn't optimistic with such a short astrological window. Also, there had been a void moon when they embarked on the Sunday.)

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The current economic woes are payback time for the lunacy of shutting down the economy over a minor disease. They will probably continue until Pluto - god of riches - finally moves to enter Aquarius in October 2024. Just in time to decide the next UK election.

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The transits for Boris Johnson's resignation as an MP, in response to having been found guilty of lying to Parliament over parties during lockdown. He is having his 2nd Saturn Return - the reaping of consequences - and it was today being activated by the Moon. Saturn in Pisces just can't keep its flies done up.

 

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After the 2nd Saturn Return, aged 58 or so, we need no longer pretend to be a responsible adult. It is time to play. And out of that can come our best work.

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Perhaps Jupiter in Taurus will give a boost to the world economy, after its Covid battering. Interestingly, he was last in Taurus in 2011, in the wake of the 2008/9 financial crisis, bringing a long bull-run (Taurus!) in his wake.

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 It would make sense that Prince Harry, having first left the vocation laid out for him (tr Uranus opp MC) should now separate from Meghan (tr Uranus conjunct Moon, the long-term partner for a man). Meghan was a catalyst along the way towards an entirely new life.

 

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The Northern Ireland chart has MC at 29 Capricorn. There are 2 more crossings by Pluto to go. I think this transit will see Sinn Fein decisively prevail, and it will be all over bar the shouting in favour of a united Ireland. And let's not forget the 2nd Chiron Return: the first, aged 50, was the start of 'the troubles' that led to the 1998 Belfast Agreement. The second Return recently completed, and Sinn Fein became the largest party in the NI Parliament.

 

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One aspect of the current Pluto-Jupiter square has been the call to legislate (Jupiter) AI (Pluto in Aquarius). The fear (Pluto) can be exaggerated (Jupiter), as we saw under the conjunction in 2020, when Covid hit and the world panicked in the face of the unknown.

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 With the advent of ChatGPT, many experts are worried about AI taking control. A Pluto in Aquarius issue. But maybe it will be a matter of opinion, and surely it will be politicised? Do social media already control us? Or does the government? Is anyone or anything ever in control?

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 I think that electional astrology runs counter to the divinatory nature of astrology. I think it is always best to do something at a time that seems right to you, and to use the chart of the event afterwards to understand what you did. Otherwise astrology becomes a substitute, instead of an aid, to the intuition. The guidance from within is all-important, it is what we are here to trust and to live from.

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 I think that evolutionary astrology attempts to place a linear model on a cyclical paradigm. It asks us to imagine that we are headed somewhere, as we emerge from putative past lives. This misunderstands the nature of astrology, which simply - and strenuously - asks us to live in balance with the calls of the different gods who inhabit us. It is not going anywhere, it is about our fate and a wise response to it.

 

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How you think about the so-called 13th sign of the zodiac maybe describes what kind of astrologer you are. The thing is, it works. But it makes a nonsense of the system-as-is.

 

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The thing with doing readings is that it's not just about the chart. It's also about the impact the person makes on me. And that may not clarify till afterwards, and it may be quite different to how they present themselves.

 

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And last but definitely not least, my 2 books: Surfing the Galactic Highways and The Medicine Wheel. The deal is that if you buy either of them from Amazon and leave a genuine rating, I will give you a free astrology or tarot reading.

Astrology: Letting the Gods Speak

I’ve been reading Robert Harris’ “Pompeii” for a book club I am part of, and he talks about various Roman gods and the offerings to them as part of daily life, and I realised wow, that is powerful and real for me. Astrology has given me a connection with this mythology that is normally one of the functions of religion. This is how it was hundreds of years ago,when most people shared the same Christian mythology and it was reality for them.

Seated Jupiter found in a Pompeii house

 

Nowadays we have creation stories – the Big Bang and Evolution – that have a literal explanatory power, but it is a disenchanted universe they describe. There is not that presence that the gods have, that transcends death and imbues our lives with purpose and meaning.

For me, astrology is about these meaningful presences working through our lives, rather than about objective principles on a piece of paper. The 10 planets are 10 gods and goddesses whose calls need to be answered. (Only 2 of them – the Moon and Venus – are female, so I think they need emphasis when we do a reading. I think we also meet the feminine in eg Mercury’s dual nature, and in the workings of the outer planets, whose presences we need to surrender to.) The meaning of life is to be found in balancing the calls of these various deities. The chart helps us to do that.

A mythology that is real has the quality of telling us that yes, this is how it really is. When you die, Charon will actually ferry you across the river Styx to meet the dark Lord Pluto, so you’d better have a coin with you to pay the ferryman, or you will be stuck in limbo forever. Unless your mate from the pub also dies and is able to lend you a tenner.

Christianity has just one god: I think monotheism lends itself to fundamentalism, which means that there is only one reality. The polytheistic nature of astrology means there are many gods, many realities, and it is much harder to get fundamentalist about that.

The Old Testament god arose amongst a wandering desert people, where there was just one simple, harsh reality – the desert, the sun, and the struggle to stay alive – and their mythology, with its one harsh god, reflected this.

Astrology can be made as complex as you like, and the synthesis of various factors can add to the interpretation. There is a delight to be found when you put various factors together and come out with something that is precise and true. But at a certain point of complexity, the mind is too much present, and it becomes harder for the gods to speak directly through us. They speak through our bodies, whereas complex astrology easily retreats to the head. This is why I like to concentrate on the Sun and Moon when I do a reading: not just because they are the most significant planets, but because we all know them, we have a relationship with them that goes back millions of years. We feel them, it goes deep, and because of that they can speak through us.

This, I think, is the real function of tradition: to lead us to the point where we can trust our own direct connection with its presiding gods. When that happens, the institutions are of course no longer in control, which is why they banned dancing in medieval churches. And you see astrologers who are very committed to what came before, aligning themselves with William Lilly, Ficino or anyone else from the past, on the grounds that if it is old, it must be true.

I had an instructive interchange on this topic over my book Surfing the Galactic Highways, before it was published. A reviewing astrologer told me I needed to quote authorities from the past for what I said, and my response was well I said it, I am the authority, what I say works, what is the problem? We were inconjuncts. 

But that is the difference, in whatever spiritual tradition you look, between the majority who are followers, and the minority of mystics who are easily viewed as heretics. Another way of saying this, in the case of astrology, is that it is essentially divinatory rather than scientific or objective.

Don't get me wrong: we need the tradition. We need to value it and guard it. It is where we all start. But it becomes like the stabilisers on a kid's bike which need eventually to be removed. When I was that age, I went down to one stabiliser for ages, and then my mother removed it without telling me. And I was fine, I could ride on 2 wheels, because I hadn't noticed what she had done. But I was also cross with her, I felt deceived. I suppose my point here is that we need to let go and trust what comes through us. Trust that inner thing that has brought you to astrology, speak from it, give it free rein.

I am talking about the necessary shift from Capricorn to Aquarius and then to Pisces. In Capricorn, you gradually master the tradition as handed down. You learn the formal meanings of the planets and signs etc. Once that has become second nature, you earn the right to reinvent the tradition. That is Aquarius. A tradition has to be continually reinvented and updated, or it dies. But Aquarius is still quite strongly intellectual, even though there is a breeze of something other and sometimes disruptive passing through. It is when we get to Pisces, the pure channelling of the gods, that we get the best astrology. The tradition is seen way below as the launch pad. But these moments are not the norm. And we don't always recognise them when they happen. But we need some of it in any reading we do.

A friend commented recently that there had been a certain point in the reading where I just seemed to be downloading. I wasn't aware of it. The reason I am not usually aware of it is because I am Aquarian. So something Other is passing through me, but I can always justify it in terms of the formal meanings of the planets, so I think that is all I am doing: speaking from the tradition. 

I think astrology is one of those things that gets you, that is in your bones, and you cannot ignore it. If you drop the stabilisers and speak from that place in your bones, or with a planetary god or goddess standing beside you, you will say things that land in the other person, that tell them what they need to hear.