Chapter I
INTRODUCTION
THE MEANING OF THE TIME
Many people assume that astrology is used to predict
events, and that a recognition of astrology's validity implies
an acceptance of fatalism and a denial of individual free
will. Over the centuries, astrological prognostications have
certainly played an important role in the lives of world
leaders and the fate of nations. But predictability, and the
fate which it implies, are far more complex issues than
simply a destiny written "in the stars", about which the
individual can do nothing. In the following pages, your
birth horoscope is analysed according to the planetary
movements which are occurring over the next year. On one
level, it is a "predictive" analysis. But its purpose is not a
foretelling of concrete events. It is an exploration of the
inner changes and cycles which occur in every individual
and which often mysteriously coincide with events in the
outer world. These planetary movements will not tell us
what WILL happen. They describe the stage the individual
has reached in his or her life, and what kind of responses
can be expected to external situations which might occur at
any other time, but mean something special because of the
special time at which they are occurring.
The German poet Novalis once wrote, "Fate and soul are two
names for the same principle." This profound perception of
the identity of inner and outer worlds is often difficult for the
person unfamiliar with the deeper psychological dimensions of
astrology to recognise. Carl Jung echoed Novalis' sentiment
when he said that a person's life is characteristic of the person.
We are complex creatures, made up of many facets, and all
the different dimensions of the human psyche will seek,
sooner or later, to find their place in the light of day and
achieve expression in the outer world. But some aspects of the
personality are inherently in conflict with other aspects. Some
will elbow others out of the way because we identify with these
at the expense of other, less developed attributes. Human
development, like that of any other living thing, proceeds in
stages, in an elaborate dance of interwoven themes. When the
time is right, certain aspects of the individual will strive for
expression. In order for us to achieve that expression, we may
need to create, or find ourselves drawn to, external situations
which make us conscious of what we were unaware of before.
Some life events are not the expression of any individual need,
conscious or unconscious. They reflect great collective
movements into which we may all be swept up. Wars,
plagues, famines, and holocausts may supercede any
individual effort at self-awareness or choice. But in those
spheres where our lives are our own, and not merged with the
collective, we may have many levels on which to fulfill the
expression of our individual horoscope patterns. We cannot
be certain whether particular events are inevitable, or whether,
with foresight, they might be avoided or transformed. We
cannot be certain of the extent to which we are required to act
out or redeem conflicts which have been part of the family
psyche over many generations. These things contribute to
what we loosely call "fate". Also, the choices we make at any
point in time may have unforeseen and far-reaching
consequences on the kind of events which occur later on.
Cause and effect may play more of a role in "fate" than we
realise. What is clear from the study of astrology is that no
outer event is devoid of meaning, or unconnected with
individual psychological issues. "Good" luck and "bad"luck
are not luck at all, but reflections of what in ancient Greece
was known as kairos - the right moment.
Analysis of the year's planetary movements by computer is
necessarily limited, primarily because no computer can
ascertain what an individual has learned from experiences
which have occurred in the past. Every stage in life is
processed by individual consciousness, and the degree to
which we are self-aware, and have some understanding of our
deeper needs and conflicts, may have a powerful effect, not
only on how we respond to events, but on the events
themselves. Consciousness, rather than fate, may determine
whether we are able to turn a painful or difficult time into one
of inner strengthening and self-knowledge, and whether we
can take advantage of the right moment to develop abilities or
pursue goals which previously we might not have realised were
possible. Our choices may be circumscribed by our genetic
inheritance on the physical level, and by social and collective
factors which place limits on our possibilities for growth. We
may also be circumscribed by our own self-doubt and
blindness, and wind up fating ourselves through reacting
blindly to the emotions which a particular situation stirs in us.
The paragraphs which follow only sketch in the barest fashion
the possible areas in which outer events might occur,
according to the year's planetary movements. They focus
primarily on the inner developments, conflicts, changes and
realisations which reflect the real meaning of the time. We
perceive the outer world through deeply subjective eyes, and
interpret events in accord with our own highly individual
psychic constitution. One person might look at a glass of
water and say, "Ah, it's half full, there is plenty for me to
drink." Another might look at the same glass and declare,
"Oh, it's half empty, there isn't enough for me to drink." One
person might view rejection by a loved one as a reflection of
the other person's failings. Another might view it as an
opportunity for a deep examination of his or her expectations
and assumptions in matters of love. When a group of people
describe the same event, they describe it in as many ways as
there are people in the group. What matters in the end is the
meaning of the time for each of us as individuals, and what
the time can offer us in terms of the greater unfoldment of the
essential self.
Chapter II
THE YEAR'S MAIN THEMES
The paragraphs which follow describe the main planetary
themes which are likely to dominate the year, and which
may permeate virtually every area of your life. They are
like the bass line in a piece of music, and set the underlying
tempo and key. Although other planetary movements may
form a musical counterpoint, highlighting specific issues in
different ways at different times over the next twelve
months, these main themes provide the overall backdrop
for this particular stage of your development.
The dominant energy
Because your world is, to a large extent, bound up with
ideas, inspirations and visions of what could be, you are
likely to experience the underlying energies at work over
the next year as stimulating, exciting and immensely
creative. This does not mean that you will not experience
difficult challenges, and perhaps also some unhappiness or
anxiety because of a pervasive atmosphere of instability.
But if you are honest with yourself, the breaking down of
old structures or attitudes likely to occur during this time
may be welcomed. You have the necessary objectivity and
self-sufficiency to be able to cope with experiences of
separation or change, without falling into an apathetic or
depressed state. And even if, on the surface, events occur
which cause you pain, deep down, with a little
introspection, you are likely to recognise that a time of
radical change has arrived. The world is likely to prove
larger and more complex than you thought, and you could
utilise your gift of objective analysis to perceive the
purpose of the currents and patterns which are now
enlarging your life.
Shaky structures
|
Uranus conjunction Saturn: Mid May 2006 until beginning of March 2008
The same themes are also emphasised by:
Saturn conjunction Uranus: Mid August 2008 until end of September 2008
|
Many safe and reliable structures in your life may need an
overhaul during this unpredictable period. This applies
particularly to those areas of your everyday life where you
may have clung too tightly to appearances and outer forms
for the sake of material or emotional security and the
acceptance of society. You are not being threatened by
some malign external fate. But your own secret rigidity or
defensiveness could be challenged by something deeper
within you, which seeks change and greater freedom of
expression. You may be especially sensitive to being
ignored, overlooked, or humiliated in front of others. You
may need to explore the ways in which you may protect
yourself by making sure that you never feel too vulnerable
or dependent. It is in the realm of emotional vulnerability
that your greatest defenses are likely to lie, and where you
may currently be challenged to open up and trust life more.
You may find this very hard, because a feeling of instability
and uncertainty has probably existed deep inside since your
childhood. You could experience surprisingly powerful
feelings of love in a new relationship during this time. If
so, it is likely that the new person may prove a threat on
some level to existing security structures. You may become
aware that your creative potentials and capacity for
happiness have been blocked by a desire to be safe and
"normal". You may also experience deep feelings of
frustration in existing relationships, with family members as
well as your partner. And you may feel threatened by
change or impending loss in the structures which define
your material life.
Whatever you encounter in the outside world which might
prove disruptive to the status quo, try to remember that it
is your own need to break free which is likely to be
mirrored in any situations you attract or meet. All people
need defenses in life, for in this way we ensure not only our
physical survival, but our emotional safety as well. But
defenses by their very nature can shift from being useful
and helpful to becoming prisons in which we incarcerate
ourselves. This could be your present situation, for a need
to protect yourself and control the world around you may
have made you avoid certain important experiences in life.
Such self-protectiveness may also have made you thwart
important dimensions of your own nature, in order to
maintain stability in your life. Now the prison could be
proving too small, and you may consciously or
unconsciously seek escape through shifting the very
foundations on which you have built a sense of
permanence. There is likely to be great tension building up
inside you as your past and future begin to collide in the
present, ensuring that you must alter not only your
attitudes, but perhaps also certain situations in your
external life.
Because you are liable to feel confused and anxious about
what is happening, it is important that you face as honestly
as you can those areas of your life in which you have been
rigidly maintaining a structure which you can no longer
endure. Whether this applies to work, personal
relationships, or some other sphere, try to face change with
a sense of optimism about the future and greater faith in
your right to be happy. You may have to fight hard to open
the prison door, not only against the wishes of others, but
also against your own fearfulness. Try to reflect on each
decision, and move slowly, rather than impulsively
destroying the past and elbowing others out of the way.
But move you must, for you can no longer avoid a long-
delayed overhaul of the structures in your life. Just when
you thought you had everything fixed to your satisfaction,
you may now be learning that no person can deny inner
growth and the need for developing the whole personality.
What is happening to you may be disturbing, but it is
healthy and will open up your life. Rather than blaming
others for any sense of frustration, face up to the ways in
which you could have blocked your own development. You
will find that this time could prove a wonderful opportunity
to open the doors to a new and better future.
Ringing the changes
prog. Ascendant sextile Uranus: Mid April 2008 until beginning of March 2011 |
You may feel very free and confident at the moment, and
able to step back and view your life objectively and without
sentiment. No particular critical event is likely to cause this
change in perspective. But a bright, clear and independent
energy is at work within you right now which may make you
restless and eager to make changes in your environment
and your personal life. These changes do not have to be
drastic, or involve crises or conflict - unless you have been
surrounding yourself with people who cannot bear
innovation or progressive thinking. You will probably want
more freedom to establish new and unusual friendships
based on shared ideals rather than neighbourhood
proximity, and involve yourself with social or humanitarian
causes. Over the next months you are likely to speak your
mind more freely, express independent and original
thinking, and try out different lifestyles and viewpoints in
order to achieve the greater mobility you are probably
seeking.
You may find yourself a little bored with your customary
environment and circle of contacts. You may also feel that
a long-standing relationship is in need of renovation or
change. You may crave new encounters, especially those
which can transform your world-view and introduce you to
new and unconventional ways of thinking about life. Your
personal tastes may be highly individualistic and even
eccentric at the moment, not only in such areas as clothes
and music, but also in the kind of people who attract you.
This could bring excitement and new energy into existing
relationships, or it could bring you new romantic
relationships or friendships which expand your vision and
bring you into contact with other cultures and world-views.
Take advantage of the positive energy of the time to
explore new areas of study and meet new kinds of people.
Your mind and spirit are ready for challenge, and it may be
time you woke up to the complexity and fascination of the
world of ideas. Although there is nothing intrinsically
disruptive about the process occurring within you, it could
give you the courage and detachment to make important
changes and pursue new directions for the future.
Another important theme
There is another important dynamic at work this year,
which may sometimes support and sometimes contradict
the energies described above.
Because you are a naturally disciplined person, well
grounded in reality and respectful of the laws of the
material world in which you live, certain experiences you
encounter in the next twelve months, although restrictive,
are likely to prove rewarding and productive of lasting
benefits. You are not afraid of hard work, which may be
required of you; and you are tough enough to cope with
loneliness without wandering about in a sodden state
feeling sorry for yourself. Any loneliness you feel may be
an inner state, rather than a lack of companionship, but
from time to time it is likely to colour your mood
nonetheless. Material responsibilities may take a lot of
your time, and you may experience a strong impulse to
build something solid for the years to come. The more you
direct your considerable energy and self-discipline into
sound projects, the better use you will make of the energies
of the time. You may seem a little gloomy or humourless
to those around you, but it is likely your humour will be of
the "black" variety, which perceives irony in everything that
happens. Never mind if your perceptions are a little dark
right now. Even if others can't appreciate the deep
absurdity of life, you can. You may have some hard
challenges to meet over the next months, and hard
decisions to make. But your innate common sense and
willingless to carry your own load will help you to choose
sanely and intelligently, and take the consequences without
complaint.
Encounters with loneliness
Saturn conjunction Venus: Beginning of October 2007 until mid August 2008 |
This is likely to be a time of testing in your personal life.
You are reaching a greater degree of maturity in terms of
your ideals of love and your expectations of loved ones, and
this reflects a fundamentally positive stage in your
development. But increasing maturity may open your eyes
not only to your own past naivety, but also to others' limits
in terms of the kind of love you hope to receive from them.
You may sometimes feel isolated, lonely, rejected or
ignored by those from whom you need the most. Long-
standing relationships may go through a difficult or hurtful
time, and you may be prone to feeling insecure, threatened,
jealous or unloved. Whether loved ones really are
behaving badly, or whether you yourself are withdrawn,
difficult to reach or too demanding and critical, is a
question you may need to explore. Certain painful
experiences you may encounter at this time might be self-
engendered or exacerbated by your own attitudes, because
you could be unconsciously driving others away from you.
Or you may be intolerant of things in them which
previously you found perfectly acceptable. Either way, it
might be wise to do some hard soul-searching about your
values and expectations in relationship. This way, once this
period of your life has passed, you will have a more realistic
perspective from which to assess which bonds you want to
preserve and which you may need to leave behind.
You have probably experienced many difficulties in
accepting life and people as they are, and may have felt
deeply disillusioned with those you love - perhaps because
you secretly long for a perfect, greater-than-human love to
redeem certain emotional disappointments from your early
life. You may feel especially dissatisfied and discontented
about your hopes and aspirations in terms of future
happiness, and may no longer have faith in certain
cherished ideals. Whatever others are doing, they are not
likely to get it right at the moment, for your expectations
are probably too high and you are inclined to be critical of
how others express their affection to you. All this may
make you feel rather cynical. You may also have to
recognise that certain relationships are simply not good for
you and must pass out of your life. Feelings of loneliness
may also make you feel a little desperate, and you may
enter a new relationship which you hope will alleviate your
difficult feelings and offer the happiness which lately has
been slipping away. But be careful with any new ties you
make at this time. They may prove fulfilling and could
become extremely important in your life. But you might
also be taking on a situation which is more complicated and
difficult than you realise. Because you are likely to be
feeling insecure and unsure of your worth and lovability,
you may be so in need of affection and reassurance from
another person that you aren't willing to stop and ask
yourself whether your new love is really someone you like,
respect and truly want to be with.
Try to put your energy into assessing your own values,
rather than searching for someone who can make you feel
less lonely. Let partners be themselves for the moment,
even if you think they are being particularly difficult. And
go slowly with new contacts until you know more, not only
about the other person but also about yourself. You will
not always feel the way you are feeling right now, and as
your self-confidence returns your tastes and values may
change too. If you feel undervalued in your working life
right now, the same principle applies. Has your lack of
self-value got you into your present situation? Have you
been selling your talents and skills too cheaply? On the
most profound level your values are being crystallised and
made real. If you can pay less attention to what others are
doing wrong, and concentrate more on what you yourself
are doing right in terms of who you are and what you want,
you will have a firm basis of self-knowledge and self-esteem
on which future relationships - and the future of existing
relationships - can find solid and lasting ground.
A time of testing
Saturn opposition Saturn: End of August 2008 until end of July 2009 |
This is a critical period which represents a testing and
challenging of your identity and goals. It also concerns
your sense of self-sufficiency and inner authenticity, and
will reveal just how capable you are of defining who you are
and what you want. You are in the midst of what is
euphemistically known as 'mid-life crisis', and you may be
challenged not only by external pressures (work, finances,
social position) but also by fears arising from within
(growing older, dealing with disillusionment or boredom in
close relationships, facing difficult issues connected with
children who no longer need you as much as they once did).
These challenges and pressures may make you feel old,
inadequate or unprepared for the next phase of your life,
and you may be inclined to cling too tightly to the past
because you are afraid you won't be able to cope with the
future. You may be called upon to stand firmly by your own
values in the face of life's limits, and the degree to which
you are able to sustain your faith in what you are and have
is a measure of how true you have been to yourself.
If the creative endeavours you have undertaken really
reflect your deepest ideals, vision and values, then you have
nothing to fear from this time of life. In fact you may
experience great satisfaction in having created a truly
individual path which reflects your own identity. But if you
have been false to yourself, or have built on shaky or
borrowed foundations, you may find that your security,
inwardly and outwardly, is buffeted or undermined by
events, people, or your own emotions; and you may have to
relinquish certain elements of your lifestyle and certain
attitudes which you are better off without. You may also
have to relinquish relationships which are based not on real
affinity but on a blind need for security and safety. This
may be a painful process, and you may not feel very self-
confident or hopeful of the future as a result.
The meaning of this time is not simply external hardship or
challenge, although you may have to carry extra
responsibilities or fight for what you believe you are
entitled to. This period in your life reflects how mature
you are, how honest you have been with yourself, and how
able you are to make decisions based on trust in your own
heart and soul. To the extent that you have identified with
the collective around you in order to feel safe and 'normal',
you may have a hard time right now. But if this is the case,
try to be honest with yourself, for you have the opportunity
to rectify your past mistakes and build more solidly for the
future. The worst thing you are likely to discover is that, in
some sphere of your life, you have been a fake. That may
be a painful realisation, but it can provide the impetus to
deeper and lasting self-respect. To the extent that you have
remained loyal to your own individuality, even in the face
of loneliness or the disapproval of others, you will probably
be rewarded by a renewed sense of inner strength and
confidence. Most likely you will experience both things, as
no person gets it wholly 'right'. This is an extremely
important and potentially very constructive time, and any
difficulties you encounter may be seen as a testing ground
and a source of profound learning and maturing.
Chapter III
SIGNIFICANT TRENDS
IN EACH SPHERE OF LIFE
Because the cycles of the planets create a complex and
intricate pattern in the heavens, not every movement in
your horoscope will dance to the same rhythm at the same
time. There may be periods when the year's main themes
seem to fade somewhat, because some special issue has
brought other feelings, attitudes and responses to the fore.
Some of these trends and patterns may be brief and some
longer-lasting, giving variety to your life experience during
the course of the year.
1. The sphere of emotions
There may be periods during the year when matters
concerning your emotional life take priority in a difficult
way. You might experience some times of personal
unhappiness, and you may feel like blaming others at the
time. But if you can achieve some awareness of the deeper
psychological issues involved, you could turn such
difficulties into positive learning experiences. Unhappiness
is not a permanent state any more than happiness is, even
if you might feel that way at certain moments, and the hard
times will pass. Conflicts with loved ones may occur which
leave you feeling resentful or unfulfilled, but it may be
important to take such experiences as opportunities to
resolve emotional patterns from the past which have
secretly been causing you trouble for a long time.
Growing up
Saturn conjunction Moon: Mid October 2008 until end of August 2009 |
This period may be quite challenging on the emotional
level. You are learning how much strength and self-
sufficiency you really have, and this will prove immensely
valuable in the future. But you may feel burdened in your
close relationships, and could be prone to feeling lonely,
misunderstood or neglected by loved ones. Your
confidence is likely to be low and you may not like yourself
very much at the moment; and you may feel rather sorry
for yourself as well. All these feelings may or may not be
mirrored by external difficulties. But even if things are
going well in your outer life, you are still likely to
experience them. You have undoubtedly experienced them
before, for you are prone to cyclic depressions and periods
of loss of confidence; but in the past you may not have had
the opportunity to really explore why your self-esteem
should be subject to such ups and downs. If you do not
make the effort to understand what is happening inside you
now, insecurities and feelings of hurt and resentment may
make you behave in an inadvertently demanding,
manipulative or rejecting manner to others - who may in
turn react by withdrawing their emotional support.
Emotions are rising to the surface which could be
important markers of internal issues which need
examination. If you react blindly to these emotions, you
may create further difficulties for yourself.
You may need to face the degree of emotional dependency
you possess. This does not mean you should stop needing
others. All human beings need each other, and every close
relationship includes certain basic security needs as well as
more individual feelings of love and admiration. But you
may unconsciously be clinging to hurtful or self-destructive
emotional patterns from your childhood, and you may
suddenly begin to feel that there is no one out there who
understands or cares about your needs. It is really you who
needs to care about yourself and recognise how to nourish
yourself emotionally. Whatever your age, and however
practical, well-adapted or knowledgeable you might be
about life, a secret child within you is now growing up on
the emotional level, and you may not enjoy the process.
You may not have much to give to others right now, and it
could be important to seek peace and privacy in order to
reevaluate the extent to which you are in contact with and
can express your inner intuitive and imaginal world.
At the moment you may have to recognise that others
cannot always provide you with an endless supply of
warmth, love and comfort. You may also need to
understand that sacrificing yourself to look after others is
no guarantee that they will look after you in turn; and you
might have to be more honestly and healthily self-centred,
so that you can give freely and without secret emotional
strings attached. These may seem harsh lessons; but if you
have not learned them in the past, you might have to learn
them now. Your loved ones are individuals who, like you,
will try to give love and support as best they can in their
own individual ways. They also have problems, limits and
failings just as you do. They cannot supply all your needs,
and you may need to learn to exist as an autonomous
individual, without bitterness or resignation. Right now
you may be like a child leaving home, learning to live
without the guaranteed emotional support of loving
parents. This may awaken old memories of hurt and
neglect from childhood, and you may be particularly aware
at the moment of what your parents did wrong rather than
what they did right. Try to keep some detachment as these
feelings rise to the surface. Negative criticism, of self and
others, could prove your worst enemy at this time. As you
become emotionally stronger and wiser, you may also
discover that this time could make you more genuinely
tolerant and compassionate, and more honest about your
own humanity.
Choppy currents
Uranus opposition Moon: Beginning of May 2007 until end of February 2009 |
This is likely to be a time of considerable emotional
tension. You may experience a good deal of anxiety,
because you may feel particularly vulnerable to life's
unpredictability. Sudden and unexpected changes may
occur in your personal life. Although these changes could
be extremely positive, nevertheless this could leave you
feeling very unsure of yourself and inclined to cling to the
past in order to feel safe. But the past is just what you may
need to let go of - not only those relationships which you
have outgrown or which have served their purpose in your
life, but also the emotional patterns and attitudes toward
relationship which arose in your early life and which you
may now need to leave behind. You might feel particularly
fearful, as though at any moment the world were going to
end. In a sense, it is ending - but it is the world of old
dependencies and needs which no longer reflect the
individual you are becoming. If you must relinquish
someone close to you, try to do it calmly and with grace.
Even if the parting is not of your choosing, it may be
necessary and ultimately positive, for deeper reasons which
you cannot yet see.
Life is likely to challenge you to become more emotionally
self-sufficient and honest about expressing your instincts
and needs. You may have a tendency to depend on an
inner world of imagination and mystical feeling, in order to
escape the pressures of external life. Now these areas of
your life may no longer feel safe, and you may have to
discover inner resources rather than depending on people
and things outside yourself to feel confident and secure.
Your response to any present situation of instability may be
to cling even more tightly to what is known and familiar.
But this is not likely to prove helpful, since, if you deny the
need for greater freedom and emotional maturity, you may
unconsciously provoke others into pulling away so that you
can get the breathing space you secretly want but can't
admit. This is especially likely right now because you tend
to seesaw between holding on too tightly and pushing away
too hard. If you fight too hard against a process which is as
internal as it is external, you may only feel more upset and
distressed if change occurs anyway.
Right now you are being challenged to learn how to parent
yourself. In one sense, dependency on things outside
yourself reflects a basic human longing to be looked after
and to belong. Most of the time this is fine, and others are
likely to respond. But at the moment it is possible that they
will not. Try to give yourself the time, care, attention, and
empathy which a good parent gives a child. This may
provoke strong feelings about your own childhood, as well
as issues with children if you have any. The underlying
meaning of the time is concerned with self-nourishing, and
with letting go of people and things so that you can relate
to others without turning them into surrogate parents. This
can be a hard lesson to learn, but it is worth making the
effort to understand on the deeper level. The changes
likely to occur in your life right now will most probably
come through the agency of others. These changes may
arouse many complex feelings in you, not least the sense
that people and life have abandoned you. Learn to protect
the anxious child within yourself, and you could experience
a great emotional healing and liberation during this
unpredictable time.
Loss of confidence
Saturn opposition Chiron: An approaching transit, from beginning of November 2008, until beginning of September 2009 |
You may be struggling with some very ambivalent feelings
right now, and you are probably not very confident or sure
of yourself at all. You may be ignoring your strengths and
gifts, and may be inclined to think mainly of your hurts and
failures rather than of your good fortune. It is possible that
an external situation of hurt, disappointment or frustration
has triggered these dark, melancholy feelings. It is also
possible that you are experiencing considerable anger and
bitterness at what you feel to be life's unfairness, or the
unfair behaviour of another person. The sense that life can
be harsh and unfair is probably not new to you; certain
circumstances in early life probably taught you at a tender
age that goodness is not always rewarded, and bad people
are not always punished for their transgressions. You may
feel particularly unhappy about your physical health and
everyday working and domestic routines, and this may
incline you to feelings of cynicism or bitterness which could
make matters even worse. But the pain you may be feeling
is probably linked with more than external circumstances; it
may have much deeper roots, which lie in the earlier part
of your life.
Although this may be a difficult time, it is also one in which
you can learn a great deal about yourself, and work toward
healing ongoing issues which have caused you pain for
many years. Some of the feelings you may experience are
probably related to childhood disappointments and
frustrations, and you may not have realised the extent to
which these early experiences have created deep
resentment or fear in you. In certain areas your confidence
may have been undermined, and in order to protect
yourself you have probably created defences which have
fooled not only others but even you. Now these defences
may be penetrated by external events which, in themselves,
would not have the power to shatter you, but which,
combined with a backlog of angry and fearful feelings, may
have a much greater and more distressing impact.
It is important that you do not sink into a trough of self-
pity, or go around resentfully blaming everyone around
you. It is also important that you do not blame yourself, for
it is probable that, whatever you are encountering in the
outside world, you are not at fault. But then, neither is
anyone else, if you are really honest about it. Human
nature may be at fault, or simply the fact that sometimes
life is unfair and broader social, family or collective
problems come home to roost in individuals who have not
merited such a burden. If you are able to discover where
you have been blaming others or yourself for past
experiences toward which you must take a more detached
and philosophical attitude, you may be able to shake off
many old defences which have blocked your ability to relate
to life. Also, try to find some compassion - not only for
others who may be caught in the same complex patterns as
you, but also for yourself. On this deeper level the
difficulties of the present time could prove to be extremely
positive and healing, once you achieve a perspective
detached enough to see beyond the dark fog.
2. The sphere of the physical world
Matters concerning your physical and material life are also
likely to prove important, and some of these may prove
very rewarding over the next year. You may enjoy the fruits
of a long period of hard work. Or new opportunities,
arising as if out of nowhere, may give you the sense that
things are really working for you on the worldly level, and
that you now have a chance to express yourself in ways that
create tangible, financially and professionally satisfying
results. Try to make the most of these opportunities; you
may surprise yourself by what you are able to achieve.
New directions
Uranus trine MC: Mid May 2006 until beginning of March 2008 |
Opportunities may come your way to claim greater
independence in your working life during this time, and
your goals are likely to change and broaden. You may
need more freedom to run your life according to your own
rhythms and timing, but you may also need greater
involvement with the world around you. Ideals and
spiritual convictions could assume greater importance for
you right now, and you may seek to express an innate
desire for emotional involvement with others in ways which
can make some positive contribution to the world in which
you live. Unexpected support may come to you through
those you have just met, and you may also benefit from
contact with a group of like-minded people with whom you
can share your ideas. Try to take advantage of any
opportunities which come your way, for you are ready for a
change in direction - even if this does not constitute a
change in job - and you may also be seeking some sense of
participation in the larger human family. Therefore new
ideas and new areas of study, particularly of an
unconventional and progressive kind, may prove well worth
pursuing.
On a deeper level, this period marks a time when you are
"leaving home" in a psychological sense. Although you may
have physically moved away from your roots and family
background long ago, you may still have unconsciously
transferred expectations from your early life into your adult
life and into the ways in which you define your professional
objectives and role in society. In this sense, you may not
yet be free to be the person you are, and have been
circumscribed by the necessity of fulfilling obligations
placed upon you by your family inheritance. Now you can
affirm your right to be an individual, without having to
antagonise or alienate those close to you. Inwardly, you
are likely to have more confidence in yourself, and are
probably able to demand your right to live according to
your own ideals and aspirations. This does not mean
repudiating the legacy of the past, or the people who have
helped to support you. But it may mean acknowledging
that your future is in your own hands, and your worldly
objectives need to be truly your own.
However, you may also have to deal with some less
pleasant mundane issues. You may have to face challenges
which make you question your work and your place in the
world, and frustration may bring your temper to boiling
point or generate a sense that you have failed. Try to keep
your mind focused on what you can learn from such
situations, because you could turn them into strengthening
lessons which, when the time is right, help you to achieve
what you want later on.
Peaks and troughs
|
Saturn square Jupiter: An approaching transit, from beginning of November 2008, until mid September 2009
The same themes are also emphasised by:
Jupiter sextile Saturn: Mid February 2008 until beginning of November 2008
|
Swings from extreme optimism to extreme pessimism may
characterise this period, and you may alternate between
feeling you must break free and expand your life, and
feeling you must resign yourself to obstructions and
responsibilities which you cannot escape. There is a
conflict within you which could ultimately prove extremely
productive, but which at first may appear in external life as
a sense that all movement is blocked -especially when you
try to expand your life through travel or new spheres of
interest. Just at the moment when you probably want to
claim greater freedom and pursue future plans and dreams,
things may seem to happen which curtail your movement.
You may also find yourself feeling depressed and lacking in
trust, both in yourself and in life. Your intuition may not
seem to be working properly and you may feel beset by ill-
luck. In the past you have probably experienced several of
these bouts of pessimism, when all the negative things are
exaggerated and you fail to appreciate the positive aspects
of your life. This propensity for exaggerating external
situations and reading more into them than they actually
contain is something you may need to understand better on
a psychological level, so that you don't react impulsively
and make rash decisions. Try not to take feelings of
depression and foreboding as indications that some doom
is upon you. It isn't. But at the same time that you are
discovering that you want a bigger and better life, you are
probably being challenged to adapt your plans to the limits
of reality. You may also have to learn to wait and build,
rather than expecting life to simply produce what you
desire like a rabbit out of a hat. Your pessimism may make
you fail to appreciate the good things happening around
you, and may also make you feel constricted by your close
relationships. But it is not likely that anyone is really doing
anything different; it is just that you may want more, and
are discovering you cannot have it all by three o'clock this
afternoon.
This is not a good time to gamble with resources you
cannot afford to lose. Beware of the get-rich-quick or
something-for-nothing impulse, whether in relation to
money or in relation to your emotional life. Right now,
nothing is for free, and you would be wise not to turn to
this kind of activity as a means of alleviating your
frustration. Try to consolidate what you have, but avoid
risks if you can; your judgement is probably not at its best
right now because it is being distorted by both your fears
and your dreams. You may feel a little desperate, but
desperation is no state in which to make major decisions,
especially regarding your material and emotional security.
Your vision of the future may be very gloomy because your
intuitive faculties are not working freely; and you may seek
to escape the doom-and-gloom atmosphere by
overestimating what is possible. Expansion at the moment
may meet with frustration, or may bring more problems
than it offers solutions. Although you are probably
anything but patient right now, patience may be what you
need most.
Certain elements of your life may be challenged and
proven to be too fragile or unreal to sustain themselves.
This could apply to both your professional and personal
life. If you have been in a relationship built on unreal
expectations, or one which is uncongenial but helps you
avoid loneliness or financial instability, it may fall apart
under the pressures now placed on it. If you have been
trying to sustain a business which is unhealthy at the roots,
it may collapse. You will lose nothing which is built on
solid ground. But factors in your life which are 10 per cent
solid and 90 percent dreams may prove untenable, and you
may have to let them go. You may also feel so restless that
you wish to leave your present environment, and you may
want to make a move to a different home, community or
even country. This may be necessary and right, but try to
remember that wherever you go you will take yourself with
you. The conflict you are experiencing is not solely due to
pressures in the environment. It is a collision between your
future hopes and your human limits; and if you can work to
achieve a balance between the two during this time, you
can build solid foundations for all your future endeavours.
A challenge to self-control
Chiron square prog. Mars: Beginning of February 2007 until mid December 2008 |
This time could prove frustrating and annoying, and you
may need to keep a firm check on your temper.
Obstructions in your external life may seem to thwart you
whenever you decide you want to do something, and you
may feel as though others are opposed to you or that you
have lost your direction or sense of potency and
effectiveness. Before you react blindly and start kicking
against any barriers you experience, it might be wise to
reflect carefully on what is actually happening. You may
need to review your goals, to see whether or not they are
truly right for you, or appropriate for those with whom you
work and live. You may also need to examine the ways in
which you express your desires, and whether or not you
tend to regularly encounter problems whenever you try to
make your wishes and needs known directly to others. At
the moment you may be facing not merely an irritating or
frustrating current situation, but also a backlog of
resentment from past experiences which might have left
you feeling impotent or ineffectual.
You may be very resistant to any kind of compromise right
now, and this may partly spring from having made too
many compromises in the past. Before you can ascertain
what you need to fight for and what you need to gracefully
accept, you may first have to recognise how your own use,
misuse, or suppression of aggressive feelings in the past
might have helped to lead you into whatever frustrating
situation you might presently encounter. This may be
particularly true of current efforts to pursue worldly goals
as well as romantic passion. Right now you may experience
some frustration in your sexual life; or you may encounter
what looks like opposition or even malicious undermining
at work. Whatever else you do, don't let rage fly. Your
judgement is probably clouded by deep resentment which
you don't yet fully understand, and you could make things a
lot worse if you act aggressively toward those in authority
or those who are not prepared to give you what you want.
Although you may have to show courage and loyalty in
standing up for your convictions, you may also need the
discernment to let go when it is clear circumstances are
against you. This is not a time to martyr yourself to a
cause, because your unconscious motives may be highly
personal and the principles you espouse might not be as
clear and clean as you think. It might be wiser to work
hard within the limits set around you, and patiently sift
through your values so that you know what you really want.
When the time comes to move freely again, you will be
better equipped to make intelligent decisions backed up by
self- knowledge.
3. The mental sphere
The development of your mind, and the cultivation of new
skills, may also occupy a lot of your energy at different
times during the year. The life of the mind is as important
as the life of the heart and the life of the bank account, and
this time could prove very important in enhancing your
level of knowledge and the application of your talents. Try
to take advantage of any opportunity to pursue new areas
of study and new spheres of interest, and if you have the
chance to acquire useful skills on the practical level, make
use of the time in the best possible way. Such opportunities
may not always be available, and you might be surprised at
how life opens up when your perceptions are changed and
expanded.
Light, bright thoughts
prog. Mercury conjunction Venus: Beginning of June 2008 until mid July 2009 |
Your thoughts are likely to be light and bright right now,
and you may feel invigourated by a youthful spirit which
makes your outlook harmonious, positive, and open to the
beauty in life. You may also have this attitude mirrored by
others, for you are likely to make new friendships and
professional contacts, and perhaps also a new relationship
which brings happiness and pleasure into your life. You
may be able to express your ideas and ideals very fluently
and gracefully right now, and you could probably develop
new skills or artistic avenues through which you can
articulate your inner world. This could be an excellent time
for artistic projects of every kind, and also for learning
more about the arts. If you have a talent which you have
not had the chance or the time to develop, do something
about it now. You will probably feel confident enough to
discover what you are really capable of.
You may be especially able to express yourself
harmoniously and with style, in friendships and in all group
situations. In these spheres you may discover that you have
talents you didn't know existed, or a deep interest which
merits development. This is likely to be a happy time, and
even if you must confront difficulties in other spheres of
your life, your attitude is probably positive enough, and
open enough to others' viewpoints, to ensure that you deal
with problems in a balanced and courteous way. This
happy frame of mind may not create magical solutions, nor
manifest dramatic events. But it is there in the
background, influencing how you see and interpret your
experiences, and ensuring that your perception of reality
and of others is fair, civilised, and balanced. Don't waste
this potentially productive time pass in pleasant
daydreaming and delightful dinners with friends and loved
ones. That is valuable enough, and your social life may be
especially rewarding during this period. But your self-
expression is likely to be at a height right now, and if you
put effort into nurturing your talents, the rewards of this
period of your life are likely to be enduring as well as
considerable.
However, you may also encounter some problems,
especially in communication with others and in the general
tenor of your mental attitude during this time. If you find
yourself unusually negative, critical or depressed, try to find
out what is really troubling you, rather than taking it out on
others or inadvertently causing difficulties in material
affairs because you are not conscious of your own
negativity.
Sober thoughts
|
Saturn conjunction Mercury: Beginning of August 2007 until end of May 2008
Saturn conjunction prog. Mercury: Mid September 2007 until beginning of August 2008
|
Your mind is likely to turn to serious matters during this
time, and your fundamental attitudes toward life are likely
to deepen and solidify. You may not feel especially
cheerful or optimistic, and your humour at the moment
may incline to sarcasm. The process of transition you are
undergoing will probably require you to reflect carefully
and thoroughly about all your previously held views and
opinions - particularly in the sphere of your place in society
and your sense of belonging to the group. You may
experience difficulty in sharing your ideas and ideals with
others right now, and may also feel more separate and
excluded than you have in the past. But at the same time
you are likely to review your commitment to others, and
may feel powerfully impelled to contribute something to
the society in which you live. You are likely to be rather
heavy in your thinking and prone to worrying at the
moment, and rather slow at communicating your ideas and
feelings to others. You may sometimes feel quite isolated,
and could experience a sense of being misunderstood. All
this is part of the introverting process you are going
through, and as long as you can keep a little grain of
humour about your somewhat withdrawn and unreceptive
manner you will be able to retain good contact with others
despite your heavy cast of mind. Some of the feeling you
have that others are not listening may stem from the fact
that you are not listening to them either.
You may need to face reality and think about your life
more honestly and thoroughly than you have in the past.
Any situations which you have dealt with superficially -
professional or personal - may now demand a deeper and
more honest analysis. You may have to have some serious
confrontations with partners or friends over issues which
previously you were able to avoid; and this could, for a
while, make you feel more pessimistic about relationships.
You may also be aware that there are skills and talents
which you haven't developed thoroughly enough, and you
may experience some feelings of inadequacy and self-
doubt. If you feel you have only been skimming the
surface, try to meet the challenge and delve more deeply
into areas which interest you or where your training or
knowledge are insufficient. Despite its serious aura, this
period could prove excellent for the deepening of
understanding and the refinement of skills. It is also a
good time for establishing a new level of honesty with those
close to you.
Although your vision may be narrower and more
earthbound right now, it is also likely to be more profound,
and you can achieve a great deal if you pursue one subject
or discipline in depth rather than attempting to cover too
much when you don't have the mental flexibility or
enthusiasm to do it. You have a propensity to be fearful at
the moment, which will not solve anything and will only
cause you to feel more depressed and pessimistic. The
deeper meaning of the time is concerned with the
maturation of your basic views and outlook, and this may
require a certain focusing which can only come through
feeling hemmed in or challenged by problems you must
think deeply about to solve. At the moment you may
discover how profoundly your mental attitudes shape your
reality, and may recognise many unconscious opinions
which have coloured your ways of doing things and relating
to others. In the view of certain philosophical,
psychological and spiritual schools, attitudes form the basis
from which an individual shapes outer reality, and changing
the outer world requires discovering just what these
attitudes really are. Because you may need to examine
your most deeply held attitudes during this time, you may
sow the seeds for many important and constructive changes
later on.
4. The spiritual sphere
What gives meaning to any emotional, material or
intellectual challenges and changes you might encounter is
your spiritual life, and here too you may experience certain
important changes in perception and attitude. Such
changes may be subtle and slow to register on your
awareness, but they may profoundly influence the way you
experience and interpret what happens to you over the next
year. Never underestimate the importance of the meaning
you assign to events, because the clearer your vision, the
more likely you are to work with the time in constructive
and creative ways. You may experience a deeper sense of
connection to the greater whole of which you are a part,
although such a feeling may not remain with you all the
time. You may also be open to new ideas and ways of
looking at life which make the world seem bigger, richer,
and more meaningful.
The spirit of exploration
|
Uranus square Jupiter: Beginning of April 2008 until beginning of February 2010
The same themes are also emphasised by:
Jupiter trine Uranus: End of January 2008 until mid October 2008
|
This is likely to be an exciting and inspirational time. Your
mind and spirit are seeking greater heights to explore, and
you may feel intensely restless and full of unlived potentials
that are demanding expression. Although you may
experience a deep desire for change in your future goals,
on the deeper level your philosophy of life is changing, and
your ideas and world-view probably need to be bigger,
more inclusive, and more enlightened. Whatever you have
believed in before, and however satisfactory this might
have been in the past, you may now be hungry for a
broader understanding of life and a sense of meaning or
connection with deeper or higher realities. Any
unexpected disruptive circumstances which affect your
material life at the moment are likely to be the tip of an
iceberg; beneath the surface, you may need to let go of
long-cherished convictions which are now past their sell-by
date. The more you are able to focus on the underlying
attitudes and beliefs which govern your choices and actions,
the more constructively you will be able to deal with
changes that you need to make, or that are imposed on you
by others.
This could also be a time of considerable opportunity, when
you make new contacts who in open up your thinking and
bring inspiration and vision into your life. These could be
professional contacts or important friendships; and if you
become romantically involved right now, you may find that
the relationship proves to be a catalyst for change rather
than a stable basis for your personal life. You may also
discover new opportunities through work, although you
need to be careful not to leap into the unknown without
first assessing the possible consequences and the material
requirements you will have to fulfill to pursue new plans.
This is not a good time to gamble or speculate. You might
be lucky, but you might equally make a mess of it because
you may act from a craving for expansion or release rather
than looking clearly at what you are dealing with. But you
could fruitfully speculate with new ideas, and allow new
plans to be taken seriously and examined carefully. This is
a time for intellectual and spiritual seeding, as well as an
exploration of new material prospects. Look carefully
before you leap. Let time, discrimination, and realism
temper any grand new scheme, before you burn all your
bridges behind you.
Crystallising your beliefs
|
Chiron trine Jupiter: End of March 2008 until mid January 2010
The same themes are also emphasised by:
Jupiter sextile Chiron: End of March 2008 until beginning of December 2008
|
Whatever might be occurring in your external life, inwardly
you are being challenged to define what you believe in, and
what kind of future you envisage for yourself. Your
habitual world-view may be under fire right now, and you
may need to adapt your spiritual or moral convictions to
new perceptions of life's complexity. In some ways this
may prove a difficult time, because your mobility may be
somewhat curtailed, and external events may make you feel
pessimistic and mistrustful of people and life. You may feel
distressed by unexpected events which disturb your beliefs
and ideals, and such situations, while they yield positive
results, could cause you to doubt what you want and where
you are going. But if you lose your faith, it is likely to be a
faith which has not been grounded in direct experience of
life, but has been absorbed from your background or some
external spiritual authority. At the moment you have the
opportunity to discover a more individual and authentic
vision which allows you to trust in life without gullibility or
naivety.
You could experience an intuitive revelation of the
purposefulness of life's experiences, and a realisation that
your life has a pattern and a continuity which you might not
have recognised before. You may be able to respond to
painful events as valuable educational experiences and
spurs to growth, and this could allow you to turn even
unhappy circumstances into something which benefits you
in the long term. A tolerant outlook and an inclusive
philosophy of life may be among the rewards of this time,
and you may feel deeply in touch with human suffering and
interested in involving yourself in human welfare. The
healing arts may attract you during this period, and you
may want to learn more about the dynamics of the psyche.
You have always intuitively understood the importance of
grounding your beliefs in the reality of experience, and in
the past this may have made it difficult for you to
wholeheartdly accept collectively sanctioned religious or
spiritual doctrines which your own experience challenges.
Don't be afraid to question or even discard beliefs which
seem right and acceptable to the collective but which for
you may be narrow, incomplete, or simplistic. You are
unlikely to abandon values and convictions which are truly
your own. But you may emerge from this time with a much
more individual vision of life, God, and the purpose of
existence.
Philanthropic inclinations
|
Neptune trine Jupiter: Beginning of March 2007 until end of December 2009
The same themes are also emphasised by:
Jupiter sextile Neptune: End of February 2008 until mid November 2008
|
Compassion for the plight of others and a sense of a higher
reality are both likely to be strongly activated in you at this
time. Even if you have not been an especially idealistic
person in the past, you are likely to believe in the
possibility of a better world now. Faith in the future may
be enhanced by an intuitive sense of connectedness with a
deeper or higher source of life, and you may be more
inclined to trust the fundamental goodness of the universe
than you ever have before. You may express these feelings
along definitely spiritual or religious lines, and could be
drawn to a particular philosophy or spiritual path which is
infused with a sense of meaning and purpose - not only for
your own life, but for humanity in general. Or you may
experience these feelings in a vaguer, more diffuse way,
and simply feel hopeful and optimistic even if you have to
contend with problems in your everyday life. You may feel
increased confidence in your dreams for the future, in part
because at the moment you are probably particularly
concerned about protecting yourself and your own
interests. And because you are likely to feeling generous,
positive, and willing to let life take care of itself, life
probably will.
There is only one potential danger in such a hopeful
attitude. You may feel so idealistic and convinced of your
perception of the truth that you may take unnecessary risks
with resources you cannot afford to lose. You could also
allow yourself to be exploited, because you probably want
to believe the best of everyone.
However, you may also experience times of doubt and
disillusionment, and you may wonder whether what you
believe in is really worth the investment of energy and
faith. Such periods of spiritual depression could, however,
prove rewarding in the long term, because they may
provide valuable insights into unrealistic expectations or
too rigid a world-view or spiritual perspective. If you can
reflect on what is happening, rather than falling into
cynicism, the testing times you experience may ultimately
help to shape an enduring faith in yourself and in life.
The necessity of sacrifice
Chiron square Neptune: End of March 2007 until mid January 2009 |
During this time certain cherished dreams or ideals may be
challenged by apparently unfair circumstances or events.
The sacrifice of something important, even if voluntary,
may make you feel resigned and even a little sorry for
yourself. At the moment you may feel as though life is
conspiring to spoil some of your finest hopes, and you may
experience some disillusionment, not only with others, but
also with yourself. You may have to learn some hard
lessons about the gap between fantasy and reality, and
possibly about your own secret naivety in terms of certain
assumptions you may have carried about life. But if you
can take the events and feelings of this time in a reflective
spirit, rather than simply feeling enraged, resentful, or
martyred, you may gain an enormous amount of strength
and insight which can help you to deal with life in more
realistic ways. Some distress or confusion around material
security and stability is possible. You may have to
relinquish something or someone unwillingly. But it is
more likely that the real sacrifice involves giving up an old
set of attitudes and assumptions. If a relationship comes to
an end, it may be that, apart from any natural grief or pain
you experience, you have also been misled by certain
unconscious fantasies or expectations which could never
have come true in reality anyway.
Life has probably always managed to intrude unpleasantly,
whenever you have hoped for things which lay beyond your
ordinary human limits. You may have experienced more
than your share of disappointment or sacrifice in early life,
and this might have left you full of negative expectations as
well as powerful unfulfilled longings and dreams. During
this time you may need to accept gracefully what you
cannot change, and adapt your dreams to accommodate the
limits of human nature. Although this may prove a painful
process, it does not mean that you have to abandon your
ideals, or become bitter and cynical. Don't try to escape
into exalted mysticism, or into substances such as drugs or
alcohol, in the hope of avoiding what you do not wish to
face. This would probably leave you feeling worse
afterward. Try to understand the child within yourself,
which has always secretly sought perfect love and harmony
in a perfect world. Such innate idealism is neither wrong
nor unhealthy. But you may be trying to find redemption
through ordinary people who will, sooner or later,
inevitably let you down. Perhaps you have expected far too
much from yourself. Or perhaps you have secretly hoped
that life would take care of you, without your having to soil
your hands with too much mundane dreariness. These are
not failings, but eminently human -albeit doomed -
aspirations. You could emerge from this period with
greater compassion for your own and others' human
fallibility. You could also develop a more detached and
philosophical attitude toward life's imperfections. What is
critical right now is not your circumstances, but your
responses. These could make the difference between a
sense of profound healing, and a feeling of bitter
martyrdom.
5. The sphere of the Inner Self
Deeper and more profound than events occurring in any of
these spheres is the development of the Self, which
underpins everything that happens to us in life. This is the
real heart of the mystery of fate, because if there is truly a
destiny at work in individual life, it lies within, and the
astrological configurations only reflect, at any given time,
opportunities for this hidden development pattern. You
may only experience glimpses of this inner pattern at work,
through realising that some experience is vitally necessary
even if it is painful. You may also sometimes sense the
purposefulness of what is happening around and within
you, even if you cannot find a rationale for what you sense.
Through particular feelings and situations which make you
grow, you can establish a strong connection with the inner
world, even if your heart is sore or you are encountering
trouble on the mundane level. But this kind of connection
depends on how willing you are to look inward at the
deeper pattern of your life, regardless of how you are
feeling at the time, or toward whom you feel it.
New beginnings
prog. Sun conjunction Moon: Mid October 2007 until beginning of November 2009 |
Your emotional needs and worldly goals are coinciding
right now, and consequently you are likely to experience a
time of focused energy, self-motivation and a deep level of
self-acceptance. Your choices and judgements are likely to
be sound and based on strong inner convictions, and your
personal and professional needs are likely to work in
tandem. This is an important watershed in your life, when
you may feel more settled in yourself than ever before, and
able to look both forward to the future and backward to the
past without regret or anxiety. You may be thinking about
settling down, establishing a permanent relationship,
starting a family, or beginning a new direction. This is a
time of new beginnings. A need for connecting with a
deeper or higher life-source through communion with the
inner world may form a large part of what motivates you to
make changes now, and you will probably have the
confidence to pursue what you want and the magnetism to
attract the support of others in the process. In fact you are
likely to feel more emotionally alive than you have for a
long time, and more aware of the richness of ordinary
everyday life.
This period also marks the end of a particular life cycle,
since new beginnings must always arise from leaving the
past behind. You have fulfilled whatever obligations and
expectations you inherited from your background and are
now able to move forward supported by a strong sense of
individual identity, values and aspirations. This allows you
to be more emotionally self-sufficient than you might have
been in the past, although paradoxically it also allows you
to be more open and responsive in relationships because
you are able to value what you are. The harmony now
occurring between what you need in order to feel secure,
and what you aspire to in order to make your mark on the
world, can produce may new opportunities, both personal
and professional. You will need to act on these
opportunities, and turn them into something solid and real.
This is likely to take time, and material rewards may not be
immediately forthcoming; this is really a period of seeding,
rather than of harvesting. Because you are at the beginning
of a new cycle, it may be a good idea to reflect on any
potentials which life may somehow never have given you
room to develop - what you might have always dreamed of
doing but couldn't, for one reason or another. Because
your instincts are working in support of your goals, you may
discover that lost or forgotten dreams can now begin to
come true.
It is possible that increased confidence, and a stronger
sense of personal identity, may lead to a certain amount of
friction with those close to you. This might occur if you
have been living a life which has not been loyal to your real
nature, in which your energies have chiefly been directed
toward satisfying others' needs and dreams. Most people
do this at some point in life, since it takes not only the
passage of time, but also many experiences, to unfold what
we have within us. You, like other human beings, may not
have fully understood your own complexity. Therefore you
may discover that the present unity of goals and needs
could prove disturbing to a partner or family member who
only knows one side of you and is threatened by the
prospect of change. You may also experience problems
with a dominant partner who fears losing control of the
relationship. But because you are likely to feel at peace
with yourself, you will probably be able to remain sensitive
to others' fears and insecurities, and communicate in ways
which manage to preserve harmony. If you find that the
changes occurring within you lead to separations,
temporary or permanent, it is probable that such
separations are necessary and right for both of you. It is
also possible that you may wish to enter a new relationship
which reflects much more of who you are. A new beginning
may require an ending in your personal life. But your own
instincts will tell you what you need for your fulfillment,
and your desire to preserve important bonds is likely to
make you careful and sensitive in building the new life you
want.
The pleasures of home
Jupiter conjunction IC: Mid February 2008 until beginning of November 2008 |
During this period you may experience a strong wish to
change your environment, so that you can find a place
where you feel you really belong and can be at peace. On
the external level, this could be an excellent time to buy or
rent a new home, or make important changes and
improvements in your existing one. You may even want to
emigrate, seeking a new culture as well as a new
environment. But there is a deeper level to this need for
change. Home is not only a physical place, but also a
symbolic container in which you can put down roots and
feel connected with the past and with an inner source of
life. In this sense you may be seeking a bigger and better
home of the spirit and the imagination. Your energies are
likely to be focused on your personal life right now, rather
than on your work; and if so, this needs to be honoured.
Try to leave plenty of time to explore inner issues. At the
moment you may need to balance your external life, and
the role you are playing in the world, with a greater sense
of expansion in your private life.
You may find that you need more time and space to
develop greater self-reliance and more effective personal
boundaries. In the past these areas of your life may have
had to be relegated to second place, or even ignored
altogether, because of work commitments, responsibilities,
or the expectations of others. But now you may be eager to
develop sides of yourself that can give you a greater sense
of meaning and joy. This time also marks the end of a
cycle in terms of the particular emotional patterns you have
maintained within your family. In some ways you may now
be outgrowing the structures and world-view into which you
were born; and although you may not wish to leave behind
what is of value in your background, you may also feel the
need to expand your world beyond those boundaries.
Consequently you may need to claim more physical or
psychological distance from family members. This should
be achievable right now without damaging the emotional
fabric of your close relationships. But it is also possible
that certain individuals may oppose your need for growth.
If so, you may have to go your own way, knowing that your
life has its own individual meaning and value. And if a
particular relationship must come to an end, you will
probably experience this as a necessary release, rather than
a bitter loss or unpleasant emotional confrontation.
Disruption and disorder
Uranus conjunction Chiron: Beginning of April 2008 until end of January 2010 |
Be prepared for some disruption in your life, for you may
be challenged to face unpredictable situations which may
challenge your world-view. Deep down, a profound healing
process is taking place. But with all healing, physical or
psychological, toxins must be released and the underlying
problem brought to the surface before things begin to
change and get better. Thus you may be particularly aware
of areas of your life in which you feel stuck, inadequate,
flawed, wounded, or simply bitter - either because some
person or external situation has hurt you, or because your
moods have unaccountably dredged up a particularly dark
and unhappy vision of life and of yourself. It is likely that
some trigger in the outer world will unlock this Pandora's
box of angry and negative feelings. But you may need to
remember that, however much you wish to blame life's
unfairness or others' malice, events at the moment are not
likely to be anyone's "fault". They may simply reflect the
unpredictability of life, which can often apparently reward
the wicked and injure the good. Try not to moralise,
because this is not likely to help. Instead, examine any
feelings of injured pride or victimisation, and try to
remember when you have felt them before.
You may discover that, in the past, you have always been
extremely sensitive about your competence in handling the
everyday affairs of life, and you are likely to feel
particularly sensitive about it now. But you may have
erected strong defences to protect your vulnerability, and
pride or abrupt withdrawal from contact with others may
have served as a means of hiding feelings of weakness or
inadequacy. Now you could be hit on a raw nerve, and
anger and pain from the past could be triggered by
disruptive events which are occurring in your life. It is
most important that you do not react by lashing out at
others, or by falling into a trough of self- pity and self-
victimisation. Neither of these extremes are likely to help
you. Try to accept what you cannot change, contain, rather
than suppress, your emotions, and reflect on how your own
responses may be contributing to the general difficulties.
This time is concerned with a recognition of your defenses
against life, and the ways in which you have learned to deal
with pain and distress. Perhaps your individual means of
emotional survival, which may have been appropriate in the
past, now have to give way to a new and more detached and
philosophical outlook. You may have to learn to let go and
relinquish gracefully what no longer belongs in your life.
You may also have to come face to face with life's
harshness, and with the fact that not everything that
happens to human beings is due to human evil or malice.
The world is not perfect, and neither are the people in it. If
you understand this on a deep level, you will be able to
release old poisons and heal old wounds, even in the face of
present wounding. This can make available a great deal of
energy and wisdom which will be immensely helpful to you
in the future. It may take an experience of hurt or upset
for you to recognise that you can respond to hurt and upset
in an entirely different and more creative way.
The will to power
Saturn conjunction Pluto: Beginning of September 2008 until beginning of July 2009 |
You are likely to feel inexplicably uneasy at this time, as
though the world were full of people intent on thwarting
you or obstructing your future plans and goals. What is
really happening is that a deep-rooted instinct for survival
is being activated in you, along with a sense that it is time
for your life to change radically. The ending of a chapter of
life, and the beginning of a new one, inevitably mobilises
those basic instincts to ensure one's survival during the
period of change. The problem is that you are probably
also experiencing fear - that the future will not work out,
that others will block or humiliate you, that everything will
go wrong. It is these fearful feelings which may make you
experience others as unhelpful or downright aggressive.
Try to recognise how your own suspicions may trigger
others into defensive behaviour. If you react without
reflection because of your anxieties and forebodings, you
may aggressively, although inadvertently, push or bully
others so that they retaliate and do indeed try to thwart
you.
During this time you could discover a surprising source of
strength, tenacity and instinctive wisdom within yourself.
You have always known it was there, and have probably
endured many difficulties in a stoical and uncomplaining
spirit, but you may not have realised how much of a
survivor you can be if cornered. In spheres of your life
concerned with your goals and hopes for the future, you
have probably had to pursue your own dreams without the
guaranteed support of family, friends or colleagues. Now
you are being asked once more to find your own path from
the past into the future. Others might not be unhelpful;
loved ones may offer their support; but something within
you may not want their help. You may need to discover
what you truly are and want from an understanding of your
own emotional needs, not from the advice others give you
about the 'right' way to live and be. This could be a lonely
and anxiety-ridden process, which is not easy for anyone.
A willingness to look at your life more seriously, and to try
to understand more about the psychological issues which
have shaped you in the past, can be of great help on the
journey you are presently undertaking.
Periods of transformation such as this one are not
inevitably reflected in an external crisis or upheaval. Or
one might encounter or be drawn to people who reflect
with strange accuracy the feelings and attitudes one carries
within oneself. At the moment 'survivors' - individuals
whom life has battered but who have somehow managed to
struggle on undefeated - may be particularly attractive to
you. On the emotional level you are likely to feel
uncertain, more negative than usual, and mistrustful not
only of others but also of yourself and your capacity to
navigate rough currents. In fact you are quite able to
handle whatever situations arise right now -but you must
listen to your instincts, and understand yourself better,
rather than relying either on rational answers or the easy
black-and-white formulae of the collective. You may
discover a source of wisdom and power within yourself
which could affect all your future actions and allow you to
achieve greater psychological independence. You may also
be within reach of material or professional goals which you
have worked long and hard to achieve, but which may in
themselves seem somehow threatening because success
may isolate you from others whom you have left behind.
Try to let go of whatever in your past has been outgrown.
You are carrying excess baggage which you are better off
relinquishing.
Coping with the fidgets
Jupiter square Ascendant: End of January 2008 until mid October 2008 |
You are likely to be feeling rather fidgety and discontented
at the moment, especially with yourself. You are probably
longing for change, particularly in your lifestyle and image,
and you may find your immediate environment stale or
restrictive. But it is likely that you aren't very clear about
just what kind of change you need. You may be behaving
in an unusually placating and 'nice' manner which surprises
you as much as anyone else. Athough you no doubt want
badly to express who you are and have others acknowledge
and appreciate it, you may inadvertently be doing it in an
uneven and sometimes exaggerated way. It is likely that
you need to have a close, hard look at your lifestyle and
personal image at the moment, to see whether it is the right
time to alter or even radically transform your appearance,
dress, and general manner toward others. You may also
need to examine your interaction with those close to you,
particularly your partner, to see whether you might be
expecting too much, or projecting onto others qualities
which in fact secretly belong to you. Such reflection is
essential if you wish to avoid stepping on others' toes and
intend to thrash around trying to discover how best to be
yourself. Probably you are living within the limits of a role
and image which have grown too tight for you, and you may
need to be a little more adventurous and more confident in
your own potentials. But first try to define what this role is,
and why you have adapted it, before you make decisions
which might be too impulsive or reactive.
You may also experience considerable discontent in your
personal life. Relationships which previously seemed
satisfying may now seem restrictive or lacking in vitality,
and you may find yourself resentful because you feel your
partner isn't as exciting as you might wish. Or you may
experience your partner displaying such an attitude toward
you - perhaps because you have been denying your own
need for change and excitement and have become overly
restrictive yourself. Either way, this is not a good time to
go rushing off because you are feeling antsy. You probably
won't feel that way for long, and you could damage or even
destroy valid relationships which, while perhaps needing
change, may be very fulfilling in the long term. Try to see
where your own attitudes and expectations of others may
be making your life boring or constrained. It is not up to
your partner to provide you with inspiration; it is up to you.
The more you are able to express the restless spirit of the
time in constructive ways, the more likely you will be to
experience a renewal of magic in those bonds which are
valid. And if you do need to move on, you might be wiser
to do so after sound reflection, and with a minimum of
clumsiness or insensitivity.
Reaping what you sow
Saturn conjunction prog. Sun: Mid October 2008 until end of August 2009 |
You are at a critical point in your development as an
independent individual, and this period is a kind of
yardstick by which you can measure how far you have
come, both professionally and personally. The idea that we
reap what we sow can be applied to your life at present, for
you will probably have to face what you have and have not
achieved on both inner and outer levels. On the most
profound level your essential identity is in a process of
crystallising and becoming more solid and real. Anything
which is fundamentally disloyal to who you really are may
begin to chafe or even pass from your life, through your
own or others' actions. Whatever you have built which
reflects the true values that lie at the core of your nature
will yield fruit at this time. It is neither a 'good' nor a 'bad'
period - there may be a mixture of the two in terms of
external circumstances. This time is a kind of soul-mirror
which will reflect back to you the resources and assets
which you have worked to earn and have the right to call
your own, and the superfluous psychological baggage which
must be left behind if you are to continue your
development in an authentic and truly creative way.
Over the last year you may have begun to feel burdened
and frustrated, even if your circumstances have not merited
such feelings. You may feel somehow old, whatever your
age, and may be strangely intolerant of others' spontaneity
and carefree actions. You may be depressed, depleted and
discouraged, especially in relation to your professional
goals and aspirations and your place in society. Long-
standing relationships, both personal and professional, may
have felt increasingly stifling or difficult in recent months,
and your vitality may have begun to flag. On the emotional
level you have probably been afflicted by inexplicable
feelings of loneliness and isolation, as though for the first
time you are realising that no amount of human company,
however close and fulfilling, can alter your essential
separateness. But however bad you may sometimes feel, in
fact the process taking place within you is positive and
healing. There may be old family patterns of restriction or
failure which you are now breaking, perhaps without
realising it. Rather than fighting against any restlessness,
depression and frustration which might feel, try to use this
time to look inward and assess who you really are and what
you really want from the future.
It could prove self-destructive to hurl yourself against what
you experience as barriers in the way of your advancement.
A phase of your life is coming to an end and you need time
to reflect quietly, without more pressure than is necessary.
If you feel burdened by responsibilities, try to look
objectively at whether you really need to carry all of them.
Is there anything in your life which you feel obligated to do
simply because others expect it of you, or because you were
brought up to believe unquestioningly that it was your
duty? If you are rewarded with the fruits of past efforts
during this time (and this is very likely), you may find that
you are not enjoying your success as much as you thought
you would. This is probably because you are changing
inside; and the goals which seemed so important in the past
may no longer seem so important to you now. You may
wish to make important commitments during this time, to a
job, a partner or a family; and this could prove a very
positive step. But first make sure you are making such
decisions because you really wish to, and not because you
are running away from yourself. If you are dissatisfied with
your work or with your personal life, this is probably not
the right time to rush about pulling things apart. You may
need to understand exactly why you have arrived where you
are before you can assess whether you want to stay there.
Take advantage of the deep and important process
occurring within you by giving yourself space, time and as
much peace and quiet as possible. Then, when you feel you
can see the shape of your past, the future will also become
clearer and the road to it better marked.
Chapter IV
CONCLUSION
The Greek philosopher Herakleitos once wrote that
nothing is permanent except change. The human psyche is
always in a process of change and unfoldment, and the
planetary configurations which reflect your pattern of
development over the next year will change to new
configurations which reflect new patterns over the years to
come. When we miss opportunities, they usually come back
again in a different form and on a different level, because
life not only changes but moves in cycles, reflected by the
planetary cycles in the heavens. Whatever "fate" might be, it
is not a rigid design which denies us freedom to choose,
grow, make mistakes, re-choose, and grow again.
Each of the sections given above describes planetary patterns
which, at core, will be shared at some time and in some way
by other human beings. What we experience is not as unique
as we might think; we all go through joy, pain, good fortune,
loss, loneliness, togetherness, light and darkness, and we all
have certain needs and drives in common. But the timing and
distinctive expression of your constantly changing growth
pattern is unique to you, and so too are the individual heart,
mind, body and spirit which experience that pattern. Whatever
might occur in your outer life over the next year, finding
meaning in it, and connecting that meaning with who you are
and what you really seek in life, can unlock previously
unsuspected funds of energy and creativity, and can give you a
greater range of choices in the future. We are taught as
children to "use time wisely". What does this mean? Perhaps
the most profound meaning is that time has qualities, and
each moment of time has a special meaning for us as
individuals. And understanding and working with these
qualities and meaning can transform how we experience the
circumstances of our lives.
APPENDIX
Suggested further reading
On planetary cycles and movements:
«The Gods of Change» by Howard Sasportas (transits of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto)
«Transits: The Time of Your Life» by Betty Lundsted
«Transits» by Rob Hand
On individual planets and their meaning:
«The Astrological Moon» by Darby Costello
«Prometheus the Awakener» by Richard Tarnas
«Venus and Jupiter» by Erin Sullivan
«The Inner Planets» by Liz Greene and Howard Sasportas
«The Luminaries» by Liz Greene and Howard Sasportas
«Exploring Jupiter» by Stephen Arroyo
«The Outer Planets» by Liz Greene
«Saturn» by Liz Greene
«Neptune» by Liz Greene
«Chiron and the Healing Journey» by Melanie Reinhart
On the subject of fate:
«Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle» by C. G. Jung
«The Astrology of Fate» by Liz Greene
Other Astro*Intelligence reports written by Liz Greene can enhance the value of this report,
because the greater your understanding of yourself, the more intelligently you can work with the
meaning of the time. For an in-depth analysis of your birth horoscope, you can order the
Psychological Horoscope Analysis. For deeper insight into your relationships, the Relationship
Horoscope can offer a new perspective. If you are still looking for your vocation, Career and
Vocation can provide new impulses for you. And for a greater appreciation of the unique
personality of your child, or of your own childhood, you can order the Child's Horoscope.
A wider view of your personal perspectives for a period of six years is offered by the Long-term
Perspectives.
You can order these reports at the same sales point from which you received the report you are
reading, or from one of many other licensed distributors in many countries of the world.
On the Internet, you will find more information about these reports and other valuable
astrological services at the web address given on the front page of this report, or by searching for
the keywords "astro*intelligence" or "Liz Greene".
Technical Information
In order to create this analysis, the following astrological factors have been examined:
- major progressed aspects (conjunction, opposition, square, trine, sextile) of the Sun, Moon,
Ascendant, MC, Mercury, Venus and Mars to natal planets and angles.
- major aspects ( conjunction, opposition, square, trine, sextile) of transiting Pluto, Neptune,
Uranus, Chiron, Saturn, and Jupiter to both natal and progressed planets and angles.
- conjunctions and oppositions of transiting Mars to both natal and progressed planets and
angles.
- aspects between progressed planets, especially progressed new and full Moons.
Special importance is given to stations of transiting planets close to natal planets and angles.
Importance has been given not only to the nature of the specific progressed or transiting planet
and aspect, but also to natal configurations which echo the progressed and transiting aspects, to
house positions of natal, transiting and progressed planets, and to the overall balance of
elements and configurations in the birth chart. Internally the results of the Psychological
Horoscope Analysis are used for the evaluation of each chart.
Because the importance of any transit or progressed aspect is not limited only to the time of the
precise aspect, but extends for some time before and after, orbs of aspect have been used. These
recognise the buildup and gradual diminishing of the energy of a particular planetary movement.
Consequently some configurations are described which may not reach exact aspect until the
following year, but which are already beginning to show their effects, or which have already
made an exact aspect in the previous year.
The report which results from these considerations is assembled from selected interpretation
text sections. Not all transits or progressions which occur during a year are included in the
printed report, only those selected by Liz Greene's model of interpretation. As in all works by
Liz Greene the Placidus house system is used.
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