A blog full of different interesting pieces today for your enjoyment.

Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) was discovered by Russian sky watchers on September 21st of last year. There was speculation of a fabulous visual show but the experts are less optimistic now. Anyway, this comet will soon be called the Blue Star, Planet X, Nibiru and whatever else by the press.

Historically, comets have been seen as indicators of changes in world leadership and the death of Kings and Queens. So global leaders born in the early degrees of the sign of Sagittarius might want to be careful. Comets are also known as vehicles for bringing great souls to incarnation, most likely the best association of comets to global affairs.

Currently, the comet is travelling through early Leo, around eight degrees.

In October, as the comet begins its first era of promised visibility, it will pass near Regulus and Mars. Regulus now stands in the last degree of Leo. It is one of the Persian Royal Stars, and is said to be connected to Archangel Raphael, the healer.

Then in November the comet disappears to the other side of the Sun. And in January it reappears for all to see! At this point, the comet passes near Polaris, the North Star. As the comet retreats into the vastness of space from whence it came, it sends its final signals earthward.

Comets shed x-rays, which in the world of healing, are the means by which the unseen within us becomes visible. So this could psychologically, spiritually, mystically, bring ‘stuff’ that has been buried in our unconscious minds into consciousness; and also bring things into plain sight that have so far been hidden from us by the powers-that-be.

It all sounds very interesting and worth pursuing if you have a telescope or clear skies to see this phenomenon paying us a visit out of the depths of the Universe.

For more technical information see Philip Sedgwick’s blog – Skyscraping – I rejigged it for my readers; he says much much more.

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Grand Crosses

And now we are in Grand Cross territory – a phenomenon that will replay through the first half of 2014 – and which I and many other astrologers think will bring us to a state of war, if our leaders are not careful.

However, this week’s Grand Cross is a more fast acting affair as it involves Venus as the 4th arm of the Jupiter (JU) Uranus (UR) Pluto (PL) T-Square – a pattern that is created by two planets, in this case JU/PL opposing each other and a third planet – UR – being equidistant between them at 90 degrees to each. The 4th arm of this set-up is therefore a vulnerable and highly sensitive point as it will oppose UR and be in the same relation to JU/PL. Any of the inner planets going over this position will set off action worldwide and personally according to the nature of the planet. Even the fickle fast moving Moon will pile pressure on especially if it meets up with Mars there, for example

However,over the last few days and for the next week, until 28th August, Venus is occupying the 4th leg position. Venus gets lumbered with “relationships, peace, fairness, etc” – however, if we go back into the ancient mythologies of the Phoenicians, Babylonians, Assyrians and Greeks we can find Venus was also a goddess of war and strife; and was also extremely courageous.

As you know, I always look out at the world to see how we humble humans are reflecting the cosmic situation and as I did, I came across this story that looks like it could run and run, way beyond the week that Venus still has to be in occupation of the 4th leg.

Obviously, there are horrendous ongoing things happening across the Middle Eastern countries that beggar belief in how anything can be solved this way. This is the deep echo of the 1930s when we were gearing up to a world war at the middle to the end of the decade. However, during the few years up to the declaration of war, tyrants and fascists were lining up to do their worst, while the rest of the world suffered from the starvation and bankruptcy of the Great Depression and seemed powerless to do anything to help.

And we could be replaying it all again over the coming years. So, to come back to Venus, the beautiful lover and her secrets. Over the last few days here in the UK the news has been focusing on a young man and his detention by the police at Heathrow as he tried to leave for his home country, Brazil, where his partner was waiting for him. The police took all the electronic gadgets – computer games, memory sticks, laptop and mobile phone in an attempt to prevent him from taking secrets out of the UK.

So, here’s the astrology – obviously the young man in question is beautiful and a lover VE; his partner is abroad and a journalist JU (and from a different culture i.e. UK). The electronic material is UR, key planet in the world of technology and IT. The police and the government are PL, holding him hostage and frightening him half to death. The secrets that the authorities were trying to find had already flown via the internet out into the world, but due to the nature of a Grand Cross, the energy is locked in and cannot move. Everyone stays where they are and are rigid in their opinions and self defences and justification. The newspaper involved is the “Guardian” a JU name if ever I heard one!

There is obviously a lot more at stake here than meets the eye and that we don’t know about – and the underlying issues of the T-Square will rumble on for a long time to come. We need to watch out when Mars gets involved on the 4th leg of the Grand Cross at the end of this year – then we’ll see what’s really behind all of this that currently resides in Pluto’s lair. Maybe the Comet’s x-rays will bring it all to light.

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Plantagenet Solar Eclipse 1485

While I was watching the “White Queen” by Phillippa Gregory on BBC 2 on Sunday evening, I was surprised to see a Solar Eclipse appear on the screen. The year was 1485 and the date was 16th March. This was when Yorkist King Richard III was on the throne of England and his beloved wife Anne was seriously ill. Anne had died mid-morning and the eclipse was a shock to everyone.

When I put up the chart for the eclipse I found that it occurred in the early afternoon in the 8th house (associated with death) over England. I then went to Sharon Penman’s masterwork “The Sunne in Splendour” – about Richard III, to see if she made a reference to this eclipse too, and indeed she did. In medieval times everyone paid great attention to the movement of the planets, the birth charts of Kings and eclipses and were afraid of what the eclipse foretold. An eclipse was “seen as a sign from God and seen by all as an ill omen and by many as proof that Richard had sinned against God in taking his nephew’s throne: for why else, people argued, should the sun go dark on the day of his wife’s death?”

As Anne had already died it seemed that the dark sun was portending Richard’s own death on 22nd August, 1485.

Please Note: this is my favourite book about Richard III – and well worth reading, if history floats your boat.

Just in case you’re interested: Richard was born with Sun conj Saturn in Libra, making him punctilious and authoritarian, but also fair and impartial. He was charming, had good diplomatic skills and was great with the public, so popular with them. As a Libran he took a long time to make his mind up, but once he had, Saturn held sway and Richard would become quite rigid about his decisions and unable to change them.

Pluto went over this conjunction at the time of the Battle of Bosworth Field, ending the Wars of the Roses and transforming the nation with the rise of the House of Tudor.

This astrological data is from Nick Campion’s “Born to Rule” which contains a great deal of data about the various European rulers throughout history.

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