The Downfall of Bill Cosby

The super famous seem to exist in an entirely different universe, like those distant twinkly constellations glimpsed on a dark night. As we watch them on the screen, spinning dream-like illusions, it’s hard to imagine that their lives are subject to the same laws as us mere mortals.

These are the beings, like the Gods on Olympus, who are allowed to behave badly and get away with it. And yet, under a Pluto in Capricorn world, that seems to be changing. Bill Cosby is the first high profile star of the #MeToo era to be criminally convicted (on three counts) of aggravated indecent assault, after drugging and assaulting a woman at his home in 2004. He was first tried for these offences in June 2017, but the case ended in a mistrial. A retrial was held in April 2018 and according to the District Attorney Kevin Steele, “he seemingly thinks that he hasn't done anything wrong. The jury thinks otherwise," and a guilty verdict was returned. On September 25, the 81 year old was sentenced to a three to 10 year custodial sentence.

Cosby - with his Sun at 20 degrees Cancer, Conjunct Mercury and Opposite Jupiter in Capricorn - secured his name in the stars with the lead role in the eponymous The Cosby Show, a joyful and extremely popular sitcom. It ran for eight seasons with Cosby as Dr. Cliff Huxtable, a clever, funny and wholesome family man and dedicated father, the beating heart of a tight knit family. Living up to the promise of his Cancer Sun Opposite Jupiter in Capricorn, he became a household name and earned the moniker of America’s Dad.

Sun and Mercury are also Conjunct Pluto in Cancer. Pluto has often been cited as the ruler of the black race and the show received praise for portraying a black family as stable, prosperous and successful, breaking with prevailing racial stereotypes.

The only fixed sign planet in his chart, Mars in Scorpio (wilful and sexually intense), Trines his Cancer planets and Sextiles his Jupiter. The Moon at 19 Virgo Conjunct Neptune, Sextile his Sun complex, perhaps signifies how much he fell into the illusion of the role he played, the safe and perfect family guy, and how much his audience also bought into it.

His conviction occurred under Pluto’s Opposition transit to his Sun in Cancer in particular and his other Cancer planets by association – transmuting his identity from homely family man to, as the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board has recommended, classification as a “sexually violent predator”. 

Transiting Pluto cuts through illusions to reveal the naked truth, however ugly and for Cosby, it has marked the symbolic death of his old identity and a rebirth into something entirely different. That Cosby seems to have failed to surrender to the process and take responsibility for his crimes, surely increases the suffering for all involved. 

Note that during the original trial, transiting Uranus in Aries was exactly Square his Mercury-Pluto Conjunction (disruption to the status quo, challenges to a deeply held mind-set, shocking revelations, breaking down the details to shine a laser beam on the truth). However, transiting Pluto was still shy of its first Opposition to his Sun.

The crimes for which he was convicted first surfaced in 2005, when Andrea Constand, a member of staff at Cosby's former university, alleged she had been drugged and then molested by the star at his home in 2004.  A number of other women made similar allegations against him, but this was the only case that made it to court. In 2004, transiting Saturn in Cancer crossed Cosby’s Cancer stellium and Trined his Mars and transiting Pluto in Sagittarius Quincunxed his Cancer Sun. Built into these transits is the Sagittarian ideal of justness and the Saturnian idea of not getting away with it, however long it takes for justice to prevail.

Constand, taking about her assault, said the drugs he gave her had left her "frozen" and unable to move when the sexual assault took place. This is interesting in the context of Mars in Scorpio. It’s said that Cancer is contained water, Pisces is free-flowing water and Scorpio is water in its frozen form. With Mars signifying sexual desire and Scorpio about control, a naturally fiery planet in a cold sign, the imagery fits. Which is not to say, of course, that all Mars in Scorpio natives are sexual predators, nor that all sexual predators have Mars in Scorpio!  It’s notable however, that Cosby’s custodial sentence comes at the time of transiting Jupiter in Scorpio exactly Conjunct his Mars. This reminds us that Jupiter transits are not just about growth, optimism and good luck, they’re also about justice and integrity.

Birth details from Astrodatabank: 12 July 1937, 3pm, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Rodden rating DD – an alternative birth time of 12.30am is also cited)

References

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30194819

©Mandi Lockley, 2018

Soul Connections IAM#21 Sept/Oct 2018

 I've been a contributor to Smiljana Gavrancic's Infinity Astrological Magazine (IAM) since the first issue and now write a regular movie column.

The online mag has grown from strength to strength, featuring articles from every branch of astrology, written by astrologers - many of them very well known - from every corner of the globe.

Now, 21 Issues in, it's reached a major landmark - its first print issue.

Here's the link should you wish to order a print or online copy.

And here's an extract from my movie column in this issue, where I unearth the astrology of horror director George A. Romero and his iconic zombie movies....

The dead have risen from their graves. But these are not seductive, hyperaware vampires, nor are they incorporeal spirits of dejected souls hopelessly seeking restitution for wrongs done unto them in lives long past.  These are the zombies – repulsive and rotten, shrouded in the dirt of their burial place and wearing the un-healed wounds of forgotten lives. Devoid of human emotion, save for the irresistible and insatiable urge to consume flesh, theirs is a slow death march, mindlessly relieving humanity of its soul and consciousness one bite at a time.

Welcome to the world of George A. Romero, king of the zombie movie. See beyond the shocking violence and gore and Romero’s series of ‘Dead’ movies reveal a satire for the times.

The social comment in Romero’s work is reflected in Sun Conjunct Mercury in Aquarius*, a combination also suggesting an active imagination. A fixed Square from Uranus in Taurus brings tension and shock (Uranus) from the Zombie’s slow (Taurus), relentless (fixed Square) pursuit of the living. Uranus also represents what we find revolting and repulsive on a collective level and in earthy Taurus it’s unsurprising that the social comment is about mindless (Mercury) materialism and that the mindless consumers are flesh eaters that rise from the ground.  Sun-Mercury Square Uranus is also about going against convention and unlike other popular supernatural monsters in the horror genre, for zombies and their victims there is no redemption – a decapitation or a stoved-in head is the only way out. Jupiter in Aries Trine Pluto in Leo also fits with the dramatic and overblown gory visual of how the dead meet their finality of death – first they lose their minds and then they lose their heads.

And heads brings us to Aries (which rules the head). Romero has the two traditional malefics, Mars and Saturn, and also the South Node in Aries. Whenever a chart is strong in Aries we look for ways in which the individual expresses a pioneering instinct. Indeed, Romero’s Wikipedia page notes he was an “influential pioneer of the horror-film genre”¹ and also held the status of “father of the zombie film,”² reflecting his prominent Saturn in Aries which is the dispositer of his Sun and Mercury in Aquarius and possibly his Moon in Capricorn (unfortunately we don’t have a birth time).

Mars Conjunct Saturn is heavy enough, but they also make an out of sign Square with Pluto. A grim combination, suggesting deeply buried rage clawing towards manifestation. The South Node joining this mix means the energy needs to find a release. Sun and Mercury in Aquarius (social comment) Quintile the Aries stellium encourages release through creativity and what’s more creative than the imaginary world of a movie? In fact, a number of Quintiles in Romero’s chart (Neptune to Chiron and Uranus to Pluto) suggest a generational urge to find creative expression through dark themes.

Venus in Pisces is both a creative and an idealistic placement, evoking pretty images of peace and love, rainbows and unicorns and Venus’ exaltation in Pisces suggests the potential for Venus’ energy to rise to its highest expression. Venus in Pisces also bestows empathy with the underdog and compassion for the suffering of others, which can draw the native into experiencing the uglier side of life and this comes out in the imagery and subject matter of Romero’s movies.

Venus’ opposition to Neptune in Virgo, the sign of Venus’ fall, brings a fear of loss and chaos, perceived in an overactive imagination and in the case of his movies, the loss and chaos is imagined through the zombie apocalypse. It brings tension to the yearning for perfection, promising perpetual disappointment of Venus’ high ideals. More mundanely it’s about learning that other people will always let you down when you set your expectations too high. Even as we are asked to root for Romero’s ‘human’ characters, he expresses his disappointment in their ability to cooperate and get along peacefully in the movies. It is human error and aggression which allows the zombies to breach their protective boundaries, spelling humanity’s doom. Venus in Pisces Opposite Neptune of course has issues with maintaining boundaries and Mars Conjunct Saturn speaks of the massive effort of trying to maintain literal – and emotional – boundaries against the relentless and bloody assault of the dead risen from Pluto’s underworld. Chiron in Cancer - Trine Venus and Quintile Neptune - describes the wounds that never heal, illustrated in the zombies, who wear their festering injuries and deformities like badges. Those bitten are robbed of their individuality, reducing them to their most unconscionable baseline - animated meat, with no purpose but to consume living flesh.

Here's the link should you wish to order a print or online copy of IAM 21.

IAM #21 Contents

Mars Retrograde, New Videos & the Astrology of Burgers!

Mars Retrograde turns back into Capricorn today. 

It was last in Capricorn March to mid May - watch out for recurring themes in how you act and react. In particular, how were you feeling in the first half of May? Does that relate to now? Are you covering old ground?

Mars goes Direct on August 28 and then re-enters Aquarius September 11. Think back to Mid May when Mars first covered those early Aquarius degrees ~ it was probably a pretty intense time if you've planets and angles in the early degrees of the fixed signs, especially as Uranus in Taurus is Square to Mars in early Aquarius. 

For me, this has been my Mars Return (Mars in early Aquarius Conjunct Moon) ~ lots of emotions from the past coming up for me, begging for release. I found the courage to share some of my story with close trusted friends and it was cathartic.

Remember the Lunar Eclipse in late July fell in early Aquarius, Square Uranus and Mars? Release, endings, letting go, breakdowns, breakthroughs and emotional honesty. Mars re-visits/activates the eclipse degree (4 Aquarius 45) 26/27 September.

This current period might also remind us of when Mars was Conjunct Saturn, end March / early April. For insights on this, I recommend this short video Tough Breaks, Rewind: Mars and Saturn in Capricorn Again from Marcos Patchett for the Academy of Astrology:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfsZD2ynXgc

While you're here, why not also check out my short, fun video explaining what burgers have to do with Uranus in Taurus!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6sGMR3OomQ&t=99s 

Thank you for reading and watching 
You can also read my articles on Astro.com:

How Can Saturn Help Us Live from the Heart?
After the Transit - Neptune
Whistleblowers at the Galactic Centre
And you can find me on Facebook and YouTube

When Sun-Uranus meets Sun-Uranus

The article below first appeared in the July/August edition of Infinity Astrological Magazine 

You can also read my articles on Astro.com:
How Can Saturn Help Us Live from the Heart?
After the Transit - Neptune
Whistleblowers at the Galactic Centre
And you can find me on Facebook and YouTube

When Sun-Uranus meets Sun-Uranus

Sun Conjunct Venus in Aquarius Trine Pluto in Libra and Square Uranus in Scorpio, aptly describes  Amal Clooney’s profession as a barrister and activist specialising in human rights law. It also describes the non-conformist, the reformer and the need to live a just and honest life.

Amal’s husband, actor/producer/director George Clooney, also has Sun Square Uranus; Sun in Taurus Conjunct Mercury and Uranus in Leo.

For both of them, Sun Square Uranus highlights the need for freedom to pursue their personal goals. It’s probably as well that they married later in life, when Clooney was 53 and Amal 37. Those with strong Uranus aspects to their personal planets often find that long lasting partnerships arrive later in life, when they can better understand and assert their uniqueness and have developed a lifestyle to suit their need for independence.

It was her first marriage, but George had a short first marriage in the late 1980s. It’s a classic commitment phobe aspect and Clooney’s bachelor status became iconic when he made bets that he wouldn’t marry again. It’s not known whether he coughed up the $100,000 he allegedly owed to the likes of Michelle Pfeiffer and Nicole Kidman when he married Amal, losing his bet.

Click to enlarge

Because Amal has all the beauty and glamour of a Hollywood starlet, it’s easy to forget that this is an unconventional pairing. Oxford educated barristers don’t tend to marry triple A list celebrities and big name movie stars mostly pair with others within their Hollywood clique. However, for this Sun-Uranus pair, coming from different worlds may have been part of the attraction. She’s British-born of Lebanese descent and has been tipped for a future seat in the British House of Lords and he’s carved his career in the escapist world of the silver screen.

And what was also refreshingly unconventional (and a lovely reflection of Amal’s Sun-Venus Square Uranus) was that on social media people were not asking how Amal managed to bag Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor, but how Clooney managed to convince this independent, educated, accomplished woman to be his wife.

Like Amal, Clooney is also known for his humanitarian work and political activism - he has Jupiter (his MC ruler) in early Aquarius Conjunct Moon and Saturn in late Capricorn across the 11^th and 12^th Houses. These are Conjunct Amal’s Mercury at 28 Capricorn, denoting a strong urge to connect and share a common sense of purpose, to deal with serious issues.

George’s chart dominance in Earth (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Saturn, Pluto, North Node) with a decent blast of Fire, brings spirited and optimistic pragmatism to Amal’s idealistic chart, dominated by planets in Air (Sun, Venus, Jupiter, Pluto, North Node) and Moon in Sagittarius, likely Conjunct her Neptune and George’s MC in justice-oriented Sagittarius. After they married, they set up The Clooney Foundation for Justice, “fighting for the rights of individuals unfairly targeted by oppressive governments.”¹  Their Foundation, supporting the civil rights of the underdog, is also an apt expression of Sun Square Uranus.

As a couple, it seems the Sun shines out of them. Indeed, see how they shone recently at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, with George’s megawatt smile (still deserving of the nickname ‘Gorgeous George’) and Amal’s dress and hat the colour of high summer sunshine. As well as the attraction of Sun Square Sun by synastry, Amal’s Neptune (and Moon in a noon chart – we don’t have a birth time) on George’s MC, adds to the idea of the glamorous fairy tale romance for a public hungry for idealised happy endings. 

Click to enlarge

Together, their charts form a powerful Fixed Grand Cross consisting of George’s Sun and Mercury in Taurus and Uranus in Leo and Amal’s Uranus in Scorpio and Sun and Venus in Aquarius.

The four fixed signs are about attachment and desire, loyalty, commitment and resistance to change. Where Taurus is about physical security and sensuality, Scorpio is about deeper emotional bonds and desires. When fixed signs are dominant, secure relationships are valued, but with Uranus in the mix, it’s possible that during the lifetime rejection has been suffered and/or that the native has been the one doing the rejecting. Leo is about the development of the ego through putting oneself at the centre of things, through exuding, (at best) warmth and generosity. However, the Leo dynamic often comes with excessive pride. Its Opposite sign, Aquarius, teaches detachment from the ego to allow service to humanity, but there can be a stubborn belief that one’s ideas and values are the only way and a perverse attitude of superiority, even as it proclaims equality for all.

Double Uranus in this Cross potentially brings contrariness and lack of willingness to cooperate. If they’re a true team, on the same side, however, this couple can be a force to be reckoned with, with an energising belief that it’s us against the world or perhaps more likely, because of the power bestowed by their fame and wealth, the belief that it’s up to us to change the world.

This strong fixity invites them to direct their energy into causes and projects with real conviction. It promises that, with sustained effort, ideals and ideas can be converted into tangible action which can make a real difference in the world. Something they can take pride in.

This Fixed Grand Cross is bound to be a strong signature for their private relationship. It provides structure, support, stability and a desire to work at the relationship, to hold it all together. This aspect pattern in synastry can also denote a couple stuck in their problems, recycling the same issues again and again, persistently. And if they do get stuck in a Fixed Cross rut, with Uranus so prominent, it will at least be an unconventional rut.

With security likely to be important to the couple, their choice of UK home on an island in the river Thames feels like a perfect retreat for the Pisces Rising actor and his Mars in Cancer wife.

We would hope that their relationship allows them to fulfil the needs of their Moons. Clooney’s Moon in Capricorn suggests he takes his emotional life seriously and needs to be respected by those he loves and love only those he respects, particularly as it’s Conjunct Saturn. For all his charm, his love is not a love given easily or flippantly. Amal’s Moon in Sagittarius is more adventurous, supporting her Sun-Venus Square Uranus and well suited to her career as an international lawyer as well as to the jet-setting lifestyle that goes hand in hand with marriage to ‘Gorgeous George’.

© Mandi Lockley

¹ https://cfj.org/about/

 

How can Saturn help us live from the heart?

Are Saturn transits to the Sun in the natal chart destined to be depressing, to suck the joy out of your life?

My article, How can Saturn help us live from the Heart? discusses this concern. It was first published in Infinity Astrological Magazine and was recently re-published on the popular astro.com website.

Here's the introduction below and you can read the full article here

If you've ever taken an interest in self-help books or films, especially of the more spiritual variety, you'll have heard about the importance of following your heart, being true to your heart and living your truth.

There's no doubt that having a sense of purpose unique and authentic is crucial, but what does following/living from your heart really mean? Fortunately, astrology offers some clues.

The Sun in our birth chart represents our heart – the organ in our chest, but also in the emotional and psychological sense. Think about how we describe unsympathetic people as heartless or cold-hearted and supportive, generous people as warm-hearted or all-heart.

An understanding of the sign our Sun falls in, the House it tenants and its aspects with other planets and points, helps take us to the centre of ourselves, where our true heart lies. Our Sun complex describes our life direction and purpose and the hero we are meant to be.

When transiting Saturn contacts your Sun, it can feel heavy, restrictive, depressing even. Saturn's challenging transits – the Conjunction, Square and Opposition in particular – ask you to question whether the structure of your life supports your heart purpose, questions whether you are living in a heart-centred way… Read more here

And while you're there, check out some of other articles - astro.com republishes articles from every issue of the three main astrology mags - The Mountain Astrologer, AA Journal and Infinity Astrological Magazine (IAM). You'll find the work of some of the most respected names in astrology amongst them and a good mix of all the major schools of astrological thought - just scroll down on the home page http://www.astro.com/horoscope 

Mars Retrograde in Aquarius - the humbling of heroes

Earlier today, I wrote on Facebook and Instagram: 

"With Mars, the planet of sport and competition, retrograde in Aquarius, the sign of teams, the World Cup tournament could get very interesting. Think reversals of fortune, injuries, red cards, conflicts between and within teams and with Uranus Square Mars, perhaps shocking losses and surprise wins."

Hopefully teams and fans alike will take the high road and celebrate the passion and brotherhood of football, the beautiful game?

And seven hours later we've just witnessed the shock exit of reigning champions Germany. As the commentator said "they were heroes and now they're just men." 

This is a huge turnabout as Mars goes retrograde in Aquarius today - sporting heroes have become as common men - reflecting that Aquarius is about the common man - the humbling of the heroes made by Aquarius opposite sign Leo

But how can us already common folk us Mars is Retrograde in Aquarius / Capricorn? 

A few ideas...

• Re-group, relax, refresh
• Tie up loose ends
• Exercise patience
• Consider, where are you wasting your energy? How can you be more efficient?
• Contemplate where in your life you are competing with others and reconsider what are you trying to achieve?
• Analyse your desires
• Cooperation over combativeness
• Remember you don’t have to be superman / superwoman, you don’t need to do everything yourself…
• …Nor should you Lord it over others and expect them to do everything for you (you might especially be reminded of this when Mercury is Retrograde in Leo 27^th July to 20^th August)
• Asking for help if you need it and/or helping others
• Learn to be a team member
• Roll with the punches
• Take actions that benefit the team / the wider group / society as a whole
• Are you fighting for a good cause or just for the sake of the fight?
• The warrior in retreat, waiting patiently until the time is right
• The humbling of heroes
• Planning and strategizing is better than acting/reacting/initiating
• Thinking about what angers and frustrates you and asking yourself why. Anger/irritability is often is a sign your boundaries have been crossed. Do you need to reassert some of your boundaries and/or do you need to let some resentments go? Remember, Saturn, planet of boundaries is the traditional ruler of Aquarius and the ruler of Capricorn, the sign Mars retrogrades back into before turning around

·     When Mars goes back into Capricorn, look back to mid-March through Mid-May when Mars was first in Capricorn for recurring themes in your life. Where do you need to restructure/reassert/restore/go easier on yourself and others?

Mars Retrograde Dates and Degrees

·   1. Mars turns Retrograde at 9Aquarius13 on 27^th June 2018

·   2. Mars Retrogrades back into Capricorn on 13^th August 2018

·   3. Mars turns Direct at 28Capricorn36 on 28^th August (and into the ‘Shadow’ period where it goes forward through the degrees it has just retrograded through)

·   4. Mars emerges out of its Shadow period – at 9Aquarius13 on 8^th October 2018

·   5. Mercury also Retrograde 27^th July at 23Leo25 turning around at 20^th August at 11Leo35 (emerging from its Shadow 2^nd September)

The Book of Music Horoscopes

I'm excited to announce the London School of Astrology's fundraising project, The Book of Music Horoscopes, is now available from Amazon and The Astrology Shop in London and direct from the publisher. 

I'm very proud to see my name on the list of contributors alongside some of astrology's leading lights.

Monies raised from the sale of the book, compiled by Frank C. Clifford, go directly to raising funds for astrologers and student astrologers in need of financial assistance who wish to attend  conferences around the world.