We all know about the Crimean War, 1854-56, as being the place where Florence Nightingale attended the wounded soldiers in her makeshift field hospital at Scutari.
But what else was going on – why a war and between whom? And what were the planets doing?
To my regular readers it will come as no surprise that the (by now) famous planets Uranus and Pluto were sitting together sharing the same degrees at the end of Aries and beginning of Taurus in 1850 -51 sharing their space with Saturn – thus a triple conjunction. Wars don’t really happen overnight, they require build up. No one woke up in October 1854, saying “Oh, I think I’ll go to war today”. Going to war is a process that has a beginning, a middle and an end – that being the actual war itself.
We know from my examples given in an article a couple of weeks ago, that the War of American Independence was slow in getting up and running. As was the French Revolution. The planetary aspects of UR/PL/Mars and Jupiter ran through the period leading up to both events. Similarly, rumbled along through the 1930s while Hitler built his power base, signalled by the Uranus/ Pluto/Saturn/Jupiter Grand Cross of 1931. Uranus and Pluto lingered on aspecting each other by square (as now) through 1932-33, and finally WWII was waged against Hitler and Japan at the end of that decade.
The Crimean War also took a few years to get going. Briefly, it was began over the rights of the Catholic Church of the West and the Orthodox Church of the East (i.e.Russia) to control and limit the Christian pilgrims to worship in Jerusalem, which at that time was under the rulership of the Muslim Ottoman Empire of Turkey. The Orthodox Church didn’t want the Catholics to have Jerusalem as they wanted it for themselves. However, there was no love lost between Czar Nicholas 1 and Louis Napoleon of France – nor was there any love lost between the Turks and the Russians.
In 1853 the Russians invaded Moldova which came under the protectorate of the Ottoman Empire. Czar Nicholas did not expect France and Britain to get involved, as there was a natural animosity between the two nations, but get involved they did. In 1853 the Russian Fleet on the Black Sea, based at Sevastopol, sailed across to Northern Turkey and sank the Turkish fleet.
Basically, it was a tinder box about to go up. Which it did by October, 1854. And the rest, as they say, is history.
I have given you all the details so that you can hear the place names and echoes on your TV screens every evening right now. We are watching history unfold and have to ask “Is this the beginning?” – it is likely to take some time, a few years perhaps, but something is likely. Maybe in 2015. I think that these flash points go off and then things seem to take their time across whole regions before real conflict could begin.
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And now for something completely different and much more cheerful – Venus, planet of love, beauty, harmony and personal values.
Venus has just entered Aquarius, cool sign of ideals, humanitarian values, social attitudes, friendly behaviour. Venus is actually happy in Aquarius because it is an air sign, an element where she is comfortable. This enables her to be highly sociable and open to people while maintaining her cool. She is good at handling and managing people, especially those who have altruism, philanthropy and high value systems at heart.
NB – The readings below can either be read from your Sun Sign – ie your birthday – or your Ascendant sign, which is calculated form your time of birth. Try also reading it from your Moon Sign, as Hindu astrologers suggest.
Don’t know your Moon Sign? Get your FREE Sun/Moon combination reading and discover how your emotions impact with your ambitions to create your unique life path. Just email me your birth date, time and place and I’ll email it back to you FREE!!!
Aries : 21st March – 20th April: Venus in your 11th House of hope, optimism, social groups and friendships is bringing your social life alive after the cold of winter. You are able to begin to say “Yes” to offers of fun evenings out, trusting that Venus will keep things cool for you. Good conversations and fruitful exchanges are the name of the game this month.
Taurus: 20th April – 20th May: Your ruler Venus in your 10th House of career, outer standing and parents is opening you up socially to a new group who could open your life up and create a whole new profitable future. Keep your eyes open for people to step in with new offers that could move you along the business ladder.
Gemini: 21st May – 21st June: Venus in your 9th House of higher education, long-distance travel, foreign affairs will bring an offer to take off for warmer climes with friends and associates. New and interesting friendships are possible with people who are very different from the usual run of the mill. Be open and stay cool!
Cancer: 21st June – 23rd July: Venus in your 8th House of shared resources, business finances and inheritances will likely bring you an opportunity to add to your personal portfolio due to your prodigious talent for being cautious around finances. You may meet someone in the world of finances who can be helpful in your dealings with the tax agencies.
Leo: 23rd July – 23rd August: Venus in your 7th House of relationships and business partnerships can change the nature of a friendship into a more personal relationship which can open you up to something longer lasting that you may have thought. This is perfect for you as you look for a cool balance to your impetuous fiery nature.
Virgo: 23rd August – 23rd September: Venus in your 6th House of health, healing, work colleagues and pets. This can be a month of seriously looking after a new health regime that aims to keep you in tiptop health. You may acquire a dog that needs walking at least twice a day. Your spectacular obedience to the rhythms and routines of everyday life will welcome such a new member of your family.
Libra: 23rd September – 23rd October: Your ruler Venus in your 5th House of creativity, children and love affairs will likely bring many opportunities for such fun events. Children become friends as they grow up for Libra. You may take a trip with a friend that brings a new love interest.
Scorpio: 23rd October – 22nd November: Venus in your 4th House of home, the domestic scene, family matters brings the urge to beautify your present surroundings. You are ready to socialise at home – a friend may come to stay for a few days. You may welcome family into your home – and very enjoyable it will be. You may even decide to do a garden makeover too, as your creative juices are flowing.
Sagittarius: 22nd November – 22nd December: Venus in your 3rd House of short journeys, siblings and neighbours could bring a social event to your locale that opens you to new people who appreciate your humour and general optimism. This is a positive month in which you are out and about a lot with wonderful results for your social life.
Capricorn: 22nd December -20th January: Venus in your 2nd House of personal finances and comfort zone could herald a month of looking after Number One, instead of everyone else as you usually do. Your ambitions come to the fore and you may find that your coffers are fuller than you thought for having a relaxing break from work. Time to enjoy yourself with friends without worrying how you’re going to pay for it..
Aquarius: 20th January – 19th February: Venus in your 1st House of personal desires and focus on yourself is new for you. This is a period of revamping all your value systems to see what realistically applies to this time in your life. A good time for looking closely at your social life – is it giving you what you expect from it? If not, you may need to move on and free yourself up for new life.
Pisces: 19th February – 20th March: Venus in your 12th House of hidden matters, spirituality and people from far-flung places brings you new people into your life. It could also bring new philosophies and beliefs that could give you a new sense of purpose and meaning to your everyday experiences. An older family member could open up a long held family mystery that gives you a whole new lease of life.
