It's great to see you here on our Astro Blog at Astrology on the Web. It may be so 1998 to welcome you, but we did after all start this site in, yes, 1998! Why not add us to your favorites right now before you forget. There's no way you'll absorb everything we have to offer in just one visit... There's new material each and every week! I suppose one of these days I'll manage to add a feed, or a link to our Facebook page...
The Sunlight Spear. Mike Nichols, a leading figure in the Pagan Movement, presents an alternative view of Lady Day, arguing that this holiday (which formerly marked New Year's Day) is an organic and natural celebration of seasonal change at the Equinox, transplanted into the Christian calendar. Once again, night and day stand in perfect balance, with the powers of light on the ascendancy. The God of Light now wins a victory over his twin, the God of Darkness. Read more on The Sunlight Spear.
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Lady Day. March 25 in the Christian Calendar celebrates the Annunciation of the Virgin, or Lady Day, a major Christian Feast set at the Equinox. It celebrates the immaculate conception of Jesus by the Blessed Virgin Mary, announced to her by the Archangel Gabriel. This is the first of the four traditional quarter days, signalling the beginning of each quarter of the year and welcoming each of the four seasons. The Equinox, an immensely significant cause for celebration since prehistoric times, was the natural choice for the conception of the Redeemer, being exactly nine months before the date chosen for the birth of Jesus at the solstice on December 25. Read more on Lady Day.
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The Equinox. The Vernal Equinox is the time when the Sun reaches the balancing point in its path through the tropical zodiac. It marks the beginning of the new astrological year, as the Sun enters the first degree of Aries, the Ram. It happens in 2010 on March 20 (17:33 UT – but bear in mind that the Equinox is a day and a night, a phase not a moment), marked in the Christian Calendar by the Festival of the Annunciation of the Virgin (Lady Day) on March 25. The death of the old year and the rebirth of the new has been celebrated since time immemorial, on or around the spring equinox, which is why the death and resurrection of Jesus is celebrated at this time. This major calendrical event is the focus of religious and social festivities in all cultures, and is the key to the timing of Easter. Read more on the The Equinox.
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Mars Turns Direct, at last...! On March 10, 2010, Mars, the mighty Warrior, reaches his direct station at 00° 18' of Leo, as he revises his direction and prepares to return to direct motion through the zodiac. Mars has been retrograde in fiery Leo since Dec 20, 2009, though the first beginnings of the effect took place from October 17, as Mars began to slow in the Mars Shadow. This should ease some of the cosmic pressure that has been bugging the world in recent months, though the dangerous influence of Mars still needs to borne in mind until May 17, 2010, when he returns to full speed and passes out of the Mars Shadow on the other side. Saturn, the other baddie of the planetary lineup, is still retrograde in Libra, but will slog back into Virgo on April 7, just as Pluto turns retrograde. Ugh. I'm not looking forward to that, as it is likely to dredge up all sorts of rotten junk that failed to come to the surface last year, before Saturn escaped into Libra, the sign of his exaltation. Still, more of that in another article. For now, check out Mars Retrograde.
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Mars, our astrological "Why" chromosome. Astrologically speaking, do you know what makes you tick? I mean really, when it comes to the universal energies being reflected in your natal chart (or as I like to refer to them, the individual cosmic clauses in your very own “contract with the universe”) do you know what single birth energy, all by itself, can get you to stand up and be counted all by yourself? Marguerite Manning argues that the position of Mars is critical because it is the driving force that empowers and ignites our lives. Mars will always dictate the manner in which we characteristically display courage, express anger and exhibit passion. It also predicts just how we are most likely to annoy others, ignite tempers and push a few provocative buttons along the wilful way. Mars, the traditional ruler of Scorpio and Aries, will be in Leo for several months ahead, turning retrograde on Dec 20. Read more on Mars, our astrological "why" chromosome.
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Translation Problem Solved! Well, it's been a rough few weeks, what with a crushing Full Moon in Aquarius along with other aspects no doubt sent to try us. Our heartfelt emotions go out to those who have been suffering. The cosmos has really been ripping its fabric, what with earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, storms and all sort of phenomena, plus the usual evils that beset us (especially if we happen to live in Chile!). On a more mundane level, it has also been a big problem for many of our readers that both Google Translate and BabelFish have been broken by the Echo Comments scheme installed here recently. However, I have now discovered a new Google service that allows us to place a translation widget on each page of the site, which is not killed by the Comments. Yippee! I will be installing it over coming weeks, as it's a tedious exercise for hundreds of pages, but it's already operating on many popular pages. You can try it out on this page here.
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Pisces, the Fishes. Sensitive, sociable and sometimes psychic Pisces, the sign of the Fishes, is our featured sign of the month. The twelfth and last in the sacred sequence of the Zodiac, Pisces is ruled by fortunate Jupiter and new age Neptune. And it's a truly fortunate year ahead for the Fish, as Jupiter has moved into Pisces and will be there for most of the year, except for a period in Aries between June 6 and September 9. Dreamy Pisces is also the exaltation of Venus, the goddess of love and artistic sensibility. It is a water sign, so Pisces people are creative, sensitive and deeper than they appear on the surface, although they can be emotionally vulnerable, clinging and rather melancholic. Other-wordly, ultra-sensitive and intuitive, they really need to be needed. Fantasy prone and alive in the world of their vivid imagination, Pisceans nevertheless suffer from fear of rejection and low self-esteem (although they hide this well in their efforts to create the ideal, loving environment for their loved ones). Read about Pisces and all the other signs right here on our website: click here.
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Chinese New Year! Well folks, we are heading for the Chinese Year of the Tiger. Each February marks the beginning of the traditional Chinese calendar year. Richard Giles tells us that, because of the size of their population, this calendar is probably the most followed in the world! The New Year in 2010 formally commences on Sunday, 14th February and begins the new Zodiac animal cycle, the Year of the Tiger. Chinese tradition employs both Solar and Lunar calendars. Using the Solar calendar, it's 5th February, but this year the New Moon day of 14th February marks the official Lunar New Year celebration day, when the dragons and fireworks come out into the streets of Chinatown. Click to read more on the coming Chinese Year of the Tiger.
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Feng Shui Your House and Business in 2010. Richard Giles, astrologer and feng shui expert, reminds us that the Flying Star numbers change each year and that in order to maintain the best and most prosperous living environment, we need to adjust it to maximise the beneficial chi and minimise the antagonistic chi. In traditional Feng Shui assessments, the Flying Stars arrive in different sectors of the house each year, influencing a building's good and bad fortune. In the Year of the Tiger, the Flying Star numbers creating challenges in your home will move on to new locations. The best way to sort this is to have a consultation with a practitioner in your neighbourhood, but here are a few pointers, according to the energies of the coming Year of the Tiger. Read clues on how to Feng Shui Your House!
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Amazing Love Egg! The new Love Egg, the Loving Relationship booster from our very own Energy Doc, Stephen Kane, is a marvellous new energy-enhancing device that removes negative waves in our bodies preventing us from attracting loving relationships. The Love Egg creates a natural state of harmony by restoring and rebalancing the body's subtle energies and purifying the environment of negative entities and environmental stress. Made of semi-precious red aventurine, the Love Egg will enhance the qi flows in you that generate loving relationships in your life. It will also remove the energy blocks creating difficulties in your current relationships and attracting new relationships. Perfect for Valentine's Day! For higher energy, loving relationships... Check out the amazing Love Egg!
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Valentine's Day. This year's Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, is more than ever the time for lovers. In 2010, it is a truly fabulous day for romance, as the Sun (guys) and the Moon (gals) are in conjunction. Gosh, it's at the New Moon in Aquarius, the beginning of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Tiger! Grrrowl! With the decline in organised religion and the fragmenting of community, many of us in the West (and increasingly in the East) have lost touch with the grounding energies that revitalise us and our relationship with the Earth, the Cosmos and ultimately the Spirit. Should we still celebrate these ancient festivals? Seasonal festivities like Valentine's day mark pivotal phases in the ebb and flow of the tides of being, which once were more obvious in the agricultural and pastoral societies of the past. We too can tune in and realign with the natural flows of the planet, so we are able to restore the natural flows in our own energy systems by harmonising with a Nature that has been long suppressed. Read more on St Valentine's Day.
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8th World Sound Healing Day. This Valentine's Day in 2010 is going to be an important one for all of us to observe, for another reason. It's the the World Sound Healing Day! For five minutes, sound healers, meditators, peace activists and lovers of all humanity and sentient consciousness will send a Sonic Valentine to the Earth with the heartsound "AH" filled with the intention of Peace and Love! The power of sound to heal and alter matter is only just being recognised again in the world. It's time to make it happen once more. Sound coupled with consciousness creates an extraordinarily powerful vehicle for change. Please pass this message on to everyone on your lists so that it reaches as many as possible. Read more about the 8th World Sound Healing Day.
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Comments Kills Translation Unfortunately, I have just discovered that our Echo Comments system kills BabelFish and severely wounds Google Translate. Ugh. According to our stats, that is a problem for tens of thousands of visitors! I am now setting about removing BabelFish, as Echo will not support us in fixing the problem (unless we pay a vast fee...). It's a big problem with Google Translate too, as the comments are not correctly associated and translated with the linked page. I should thank Mercury tripping into Aquarius for this discovery! Needless to say, neither Google nor Yahoo seem to believe in human responses to queries. What a hassle! I have sent a note to IntenseDebate, another system, but have not yet heard back from them. If anyone knows of another commenting system that does not crash translation software, please let us know via the Contact Form.
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Aquarius Solar Festival. The potent Full Moon of Aquarius has just passed and so we have Malvin bringing us his thoughts on its esoteric implications. In this his latest missive, he investigates the subtle meaning of the Full Moon in Leo for 2010. This is Aquarius's Full Moon because the Moon is full in the sign opposing the Sun. The Full Moon of Aquarius (the Full Moon at Leo 10º15') took place on the 30th January at 06:19 UT (GMT), which is 1:19 AM EST in the US. The peak of the Full Moon in Sydney was at 5:19 PM, January 30. He relates this Moon to the elemental powers of nature and how they implement karmic forces in the world. Elementals thrive in the quiet, untouched areas of the world—anywhere that nature prevails. One can feel them, maybe even see them, if sensitive enough, and they add to the magic
of natural areas. Each element has its associated elemental: Fire (salamanders), Earth (gnomes), Water (undines) and Air (sylphs). They respond to thought currents and enable the interaction of consciousness with matter. Check out the Aquarius Solar Festival.
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Juno Sospita. Juno is an ancient Roman goddess, the queen of the gods (Juno Regina). The daughter of Saturn and Opis, she was the sister of Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto, Ceres and Vesta. The mother of Mars, Minerva and Vulcan, she was soon identified with the Greek goddess, Hera, but seems to have been of early Etruscan origin. Like her sisters, she has now been designated an asteroid, a minor planet, orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in our Solar System. Juno has gradually developed an astrological following too, and Juno (this month in dynamic Aries), describes the ways in which we face the issues of compatibility, receptivity to others, mutual sharing, trust, jealousy, possessiveness and power struggles. She held the Romans together for more than a thousand years, so let's hope she can do something for the postmodern world. Juno Sospita (Juno the Saviour) was the patron goddess of the Roman State, and her festival was held on Feb 1. Ties in nicely with Imbolc, Candlemas, and the other cross-quarter festivities of the current age! Click to read more about Juno.
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Oimelc, the Quickening. Neil Giles, our Celtic expert, tells us that the festival that follows Samhain in the Celtic calendar is Oimelc (pronounced Im-melg). At Oimelc (a.k.a. Imbolc or Candlemas), Brigid, the ancient Irish goddess of the hearth, fire, craft and poetry was invited to visit and bless each house for the coming season of spring and summer. Her blessings would quicken the life force, bringing creative power to the land and the hearth and to the minds, hearts and spirits of the people. Later, Oimelc became known as Brigantia, the festival of Brigid. Traditionally, women would gather at Brigantia and ascend into the skies on magical horses, brooms made of Rowan, Ash and Birch. They would fly to the mountain tops and join in circle to honour the Lady, Anu, Queen of the Heights whose ecstatic whirling dance brought the lightning and storms to cleanse the face of the earth and quicken the soil for the life to come in spring and summer. Click to read more about Oimelc.
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Imbolc. Mike Nichols explains that February 2 marks the celebration of the ancient festival of Imbolc, at the cross-quarter day known in Christian times as Candlemas, or St Brigit's Day. The holiday is also called “Brigit’s Day”, in honor of the great Irish Goddess Brigit. At her shrine, the ancient Irish capitol of Kildare, a group of nineteen priestesses (no men allowed) kept a perpetual flame burning in her honor. She was considered a Goddess of fire, patroness of smithcraft, poetry, and healing (especially the healing touch of midwifery). This tripartite symbolism was occasionally expressed by saying that Brigit had two sisters, also named Brigit. (Incidentally, another form of the name Brigit is Bride, and it is thus she bestows her special patronage on any woman about to be married or handfasted, the woman being called “bride” in her honor.) Nowadays, it's also celebrated in New England as Groundhog Day! Click to read more about Imbolc.
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Candlemas. Rob Tillett looks at the history and meaning of Candlemas (February 2) and how it ties in with the ancient pagan festival of Imbolc, or Oimelc, celebrating the cross-quarter day marking the first stirrings of spring. This day is also linked with the worship of Brigid, the primeval goddess, marked in the modern age by St Bride's Day, February 1. In the Christian Calendar, February 2 marks the presentation of the baby Jesus to the Temple, a rite of purification held 40 days after the festival of his birth (Dec. 25). This is Candlemas, a major Christian Feast, one of the "cross-quarter days", marking the mid-point between the solstice (Christmas) and the equinox (Easter). Click to read about Candlemas.
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Way of the Water-Bearer! Aquarius, the sign of determined intellect, unorthodox relationships and brotherly love, is the eleventh sign of the tropical zodiac. As we celebrate the ingress into Aquarius on Jan. 20, we are focused on exploring the deep and fascinating world of astrology and relationships. Aquarius, the Water-Bearer, our featured Sign of the month has a thoughtful, intelligent approach, but loves to take things to the limit, especially along little-known pathways. Charming, exciting and unpredictable, yet somehow strangely detached from the proceedings, Aquarians are one of the zodiac's most eccentric personalities. They look for the unusual and challenging, while at the same time seeking romance, tenderness and understanding in their relationships. Aquarians love to experiment and often find themselves in steamy situations, yet they do seek stable long-term relationships and will commit themselves firmly to their loved ones. Read about Aquarius and all the other signs right here on our website.
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Jupiter Enters Pisces, Jan 18. Every year, mighty Jupiter, Lord of Fortune, moves from one sign to the next, setting the stage of human consciousness for the ensuing year. Rob Tillett tells us that January 2010 sees the change from Aquarius, a Fixed Air sign, to Pisces, the sign of Jupiter's traditional rulership. Pisces is a Mutable Water sign, so it's flexible and emotional, often to the point of being psychic! Healing, personal growth and spiritual awareness is favoured by this transit, awakening a sensitive, intuitive atmosphere in the collective, especially at a political, financial and religious level (these are the areas mainly governed by Jupiter). Jupiter's naturally expansive character is beautifully expressed in Pisces, Jupiter's night-sign. Jupiter in Pisces is charitable, sympathetic and hospitable, always keen to help those in need. This position is highly sensitive and artistic, but subject to the influences of the desire world, often leading to religious experiences, psychic manifestations and premonitions. Check out Jupiter in Pisces.
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Mercury Turns Direct Jan 15. Are you heaving a sigh of relief today as Mercury turns direct after a difficult phase of retrograde motion in Capricorn? Well, don't get too excited just yet, because the shadow period now sets in, where typically disruptive items will make life awkward until Mercury returns to full speed on Feb 4, passing the point where he first turned tail back on December 26. It has been particularly problematic, thanks to Mars being retrograde at the same time and to the eclipse phase, a Lunar Eclipse on New Year's Eve, the Moon Wobble on January 11 and a Solar Eclipse today, Jan. 15 (the Solar Eclipse is beginning in Africa as I write). It's a good time to start anew. Tell that to my car financiers, who have been chasing me to renew, with threats of dire consequences if I don't do it today! Ah, finance. The tragedy in Haiti will cost billions, but no more than a drop in the bucket of the commercial funds sloshing their way around the globe—especially compared to what the government just paid out to the truly deserving hands of Citibank, AIG and the like. Check out Mercury Retrograde.
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Devastating Earthquake in Haiti . A catastrophic earthquake has shattered Port-au-Prince, the capital of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The quake occurred just before 4:53 PM, Jan 12. Not much news has gotten out yet, as communications have been wrecked, but it does look as though the death toll may be more than 100,000 people, according to the Haitian prime minister, Jean-Max Bellerive. Our love and sympathies go out to the people of Haiti, which is one of the poorest countries in the world and can ill afford a disaster of this magnitude. From an astrological point of view, the chief cosmic factor at work here would have to be the current Moon Wobble. Disasters have historically been associated with eclipses, whether of the Sun or of the Moon. An eclipse occurs when the Sun is conjunct either the North or the South Node—but another highly significant aspect is when the Sun is square the nodal axis. These are the Moon Wobbles first identified by Carl Payne Tobey in the 1930's, who found that disasters tend to cluster around these aspects.
A Lunar Eclipse occurred on New Year's Eveexactly conjunct Haiti's natal Sun in the 11th degree of Capricorn. The Moon Wobble (the exact conjunction of the Sun with the North Node) occurred on Jan 11 in the 22nd degree of Cap. The Earthquake occurred the next day, with the Sun and Venus tightly conjunct the North Node, transiting Pluto exactly conjunct Haiti's natal Mars, and transiting Mars retrograde exactly conjunct Haiti's natal South Node. Interestingly, the earthquake Moon is exactly conjunct the Galactic Core, a profoundly potent cosmic location, again first discovered in the 1930's.
It's notable that Haiti is currently undergoing a Saturn Return, with earthquake Saturn stationary about to turn retrograde (Jan 13) in tight conjunction with Haiti's natal Saturn. And to top it off, a Solar Eclipse will occur on Jan 15.
There have been some bad disasters associated with the Moon Wobble already in 2010, including in the past few days the widespread earthquakes and flooding associated with the Wobble before the Solar Eclipse in Capricorn on January 15, and of Saturn turning retrograde opposing retrograde Mars on Jan 13. The most striking so far in the current cycle have been the horror weather in the US, Europe and Australia, a series of minor earthquakes, and now this catastrophic quake which has devastated Port-au-Prince. Governments, organisations and individuals have rushed to help the devastated Caribbean nation. You can help by donating here: Yéle Haiti Earthquake Fund.
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Asperitus Returns! Those of you who have been following the outlandish career of Asperitus, Master of Complaint, Lord of the Laggardly and Marionette of the Maudlin Muse, had no doubt given him up for dead (unsurprisingly, as he does dwell in heaven, when he is not inhabiting a dustbin in a mountainous retreat, or barricading himself in a disused lavatory in Nhill). Due to a grave disdain for the flimflam and flummeries of the mortal world, the old boy has in recent months failed to deliver on time, or indeed at all. In fact he is still far from 100%, but the ill aspects have stirred his soul, and missive by owl advises that he has revived some of his flagging strength. As though from out of nowhere, Asperitus, Oracle of Bitter Truth, has undertaken to review the maudlin futures of sublunary souls as they totter along this vale of tears. Enough of that. Let us prepare for the Cosmic Cacophonies of 2010... Read more on The Trials and Tribulations of 2010
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