Pluto in Capricorn Encapsulated

Sometimes it's those who are non-conversant in the language of astrology who unwittingly say it best.

The following is an excerpt from yesterday's London Evening Standard, which neatly encapsulates the effects and the themes of Pluto in Capricorn:

We live in an era of  institutional fragility. Parliament [in the UK] has been rocked by the expenses scandal, the press by the hacking controversy and Leveson Inquiry, and the financial sector by the crash, the bailing out of the banks and the loss of faith in capitalism. These experiences have been traumatic, and not only for those under investigation.

A society's institutions are its guard-rails, the bodies that enshrine its values and continuities. To shine a bright light on their flaws, decay and outright dilapidation is intrinsically unnerving. But it has to be done. If those institutions are to heal and renew themselves for the future. The stables have to be cleaned.*

The article the quote above comes from, talks about the crisis at the BBC (another great British institution), brought on by the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal.

More on this scandal and how it pertains to the ingress of Saturn into Scorpio and Saturn's mutual reception with Pluto in Capricorn in an upcoming post.

Mandi Lockley's new e-book, Saturn in Scorpio: Your Guide Through The Dark is available now and covers all the major themes of Saturn in Scorpio, along with detailed sections on Saturn in Scorpio through your natal and houses and to your natal planets.

To read excerpts of the book see here and here. For a review, see here.

It is available to download at Amazon now at £3.80 (UK), $6.17 (US) and equivalent prices in other currencies (see your local Amazon site for details). A PDF version is available direct from Astroair Astrology at £7. To buy, click on the Buy Now button to the right. Please note, PDF orders are sent out manually. We endeavour to send out all PDFs within an hour or two, but sometimes it might take a little longer due to time zone differences.

*Article by Matthew d'Ancona 24.10.12 

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Saturn in Scorpio ~ Dealing with Intimacy Issues

Building and maintaining intimate relationships is very important to our emotional health, yet so many of us have fears and issues which can get in the way of feeling close to others. Saturn in Scorpio* presents us with an opportunity to acknowledge the defensive barriers we put up which get in the way of true intimacy and work to improve our most important relationships.

Here’s an excerpt from Saturn in Scorpio: Your Guide Through The Dark, which explores this subject:

It is universally agreed that emotional intimacy plays a central role in our life experience.  We seek it out because we need it. Those we are emotionally intimate with (not just lovers, but family and friends) provide us with our tribe and fill us with a sense of belonging and the feeling of being loved and cared for. Intimate bonds are formed when we share our secret thoughts and expose our hidden desires and when that sharing and exposure is reciprocated. This self-disclosure leaves both parties vulnerable, but it is, or should be, a healthy vulnerability, based on mutual respect. 

With Saturn in Scorpio, it is a good time to explore intimacy more deeply. Do we truly have intimate relationships? If not, what barriers have we have put up that prevent us becoming intimate with others? Why do we have those barriers? What happened in our early life to make us defend ourselves so strongly against letting others get too close? Were we betrayed, hurt or rejected in the past and is this preventing us from forming new bonds? These are big questions indeed.

What kind of intimate relationships do we have?  Saturn in Libra’s lesson was around creating and maintaining healthy boundaries in our relationships. It was about finding the right balance of give and take. We learned that a healthy intimate relationship is one where there is a strong emotional attachment, a feeling of closeness, but at the same time an awareness of separateness, where both parties are good for each other without being totally dependent on each other.

When the balance of emotional sharing isn’t right between two people, the relationship can easily become unhealthy. The person who dumps all their emotions on the other is felt as needy and smothering. Conversely, the person who holds back comes across as cold and controlling. Jealousy and possessiveness also gets in the way of an intimate relationship.

Saturn in Scorpio is our guide through these more shadowy aspects of intimate relationships. We have defined intimacy as a relationship where both parties disclose ‘secrets’ that could make them vulnerable. A partnership or friendship quickly becomes problematic if one or both parties use those vulnerabilities to control or manipulate the other, or to cause emotional pain. When this occurs the relationship cannot sustain itself and the intimacy quickly breaks down. Even if the couple stays together physically, emotionally the bond is damaged.

Problems can also occur when one person opens up a lot more than the other, leading to an unbalanced relationship, one that is not truly intimate. This can be down to a number of reasons. Perhaps one person opens up too quickly, before the other is ready or sure that they want a close relationship. The wary partner is easily frightened away at this tender stage which can leave the person who has opened up feeling hurt and rejected. It takes a fair amount of emotional intelligence and awareness to read this type of situation correctly. Intuition and experience need to be used to make a judgement on whether to persevere, pull back and slow down or whether to simply lick one’s wounds, let go and move on. It’s hard not to take it very personally when we feel rejected and it’s easy to take that feeling of rejection forward to the next relationship.

Perhaps the other person doesn’t open up because, consciously or unconsciously, they can’t face it? Becoming intimate with someone means that we expose our shadow. This puts us in danger of being rejected if our physical desires or emotional needs are exposed as too dark or too extreme by our partner. For some, Saturn in Scorpio will bring a need to face your fears around releasing control, sharing your feelings and letting yourself trust someone enough to expose your true desire nature.

Strategic relationships also belong in the realm of Saturn in Scorpio. This is where one person gets close to someone else because they want something from them. Marrying for money or status is the most obvious example. Sometimes one partner isn’t aware of the strategy and comes away feeling used. Often, the using is mutual, even if it is not openly acknowledged. In these kinds of partnerships both stand to benefit in some way. The danger is that these relationships tend to be fragile and easily break down if there is a disagreement or misunderstanding, or if one partner loses the thing (be that money, looks, youth or power) that the other wants or needs.

Finding true intimacy requires us to be willing to let down our emotional barriers before fulfilling bonds can be formed and sustained. We need to be empathetic, compassionate and understanding, with ourself as well as with our partner. On the path to intimacy Saturn in Scorpio can be a harsh teacher, often making us experience that which is not genuine intimacy so that we can better recognise the real thing when it comes along.

*Saturn moved into Scorpio on 5 October 2012. On 23 December 2014 Saturn enters Sagittarius. Then, on 15 June 2015 Saturn in retrograde re-enters Scorpio, before finally settling in Sagittarius on 18 September 2015 (all dates use GMT time zones).

An excerpt on Keeping Safe, another theme of Saturn in Scorpio, is available to read at Donna Cunningham’s Skywriter Blog here>

Saturn in Scorpio: Your Guide Through the Dark is available at Amazon on Kindle or direct from Astroair Astrology in PDF format. Click on this link to find out more about what’s in the book, plus details about to purchase. 

What I'm Reading

With Saturn just in Scorpio, dark themes are to the fore so we may as well embrace them. Here is some recommended reading:

Transiting Saturn Conjunctions ~ Scenes from Melancholia

Auntie Moon unwraps the Saturn themes in Lars von Trier's Melancholia:
 
"If you watched the movie Melancholia by Lars von Trier and made it through the excruciating wedding scene that makes up the first half of the film, you saw a masterful representation of what transiting Saturn’s approaching conjunction to a natal planet feels like..."
 

***

Fixed star Algol, Taurus: The Sexual, Emotional, & Psychological Drives of Heterosexual Men with Algol
 

Abella "Jucy" Arthur explores the psychology of men with fixed star Algol strong in their charts:

"The object of the Algol male’s desire has intense sexual power over him that he fears yet is tremendously excited about. But he also feels he may be inadequate — can he live up to her and her desires? If he senses the woman might emasculate or leave him, he may begin to automatically and unconsciously behave in ways that are considered mean, destructive, evil, and ruthless...."

***

Orcus by Jeremy Neal

I'm only halfway through Neal's groundbreaking new book about Orcus, but would very much recommend it. If you don't want to take my word for it, here's what renowned astrologer Steven Forrest has to say:

"Jeremy Neal's masterwork about Orcus is a major contribution to the advancement of astrology. Facing the real significance of these newly-discovered trans-Neptunian bodies is not work for the faint-hearted. This is a courageous book that carries the reader into the heart of darkness. Fortunately, it also carries us out again! Neal faces painful subjects unflinchingly, and yet never loses sight of the higher ground. I enthusiastically welcome his voice to the conversation."

With love, Mandi

www.mandilockley.com  

Mandi Lockley's new e-book, Saturn in Scorpio: Your Guide To The Dark is now available from Amazon on Kindle or direct from Astroair Astrology in PDF format. Click here for details. 



Saturn in Scorpio: Your Guide Through The Dark

Astroair Astrology is thrilled to announce the publication of Saturn in Scorpio: Your Guide Through The Dark.

Find out how you and your loved ones may be affected by Saturn in Scorpio.

Saturn entering the intense, inscrutable and controlled sign of Scorpio on October 5 may feel worrying, especially given the disruptive and unsettling changes the world and many individuals are facing.

This new book from Mandi Lockley - Saturn in Scorpio: Your Guide Through The Dark - is designed to help you successfully navigate the cold and deep waters of this transit and tap into its healing and transformative potential.

The major themes of Saturn in Scorpio are explored in-depth including issues of safety, fear and control; sex and intimacy; the power of love; rejection, anger, vengeance and forgiveness; the power of the unconscious and money, debt and taxes.

Discover how these themes and more may be relevant to you personally and how best to cope with them, but also discover how they will be reflected in the wider world.

Anxious about your Saturn transit? Saturn in Scorpio’s transit to your own birth chart is covered in detail, including its transit to your natal houses and planets and there's an extended section on those all-important Saturn to Saturn transits. Many books and websites deal with astrological Saturn in general and Saturn transits in particular, but this book is specifically tailored to the unique experience of Saturn in Scorpio.

This comprehensive astrological guide also examines how Saturn in Scorpio fits into other current and upcoming major planetary alignments including the ongoing revolutionary and disruptive Uranus-Pluto Squares and the Jupiter-Saturn-Neptune Grand Trine of 2013. Find out how we might see these energies manifest in the world around us.

Saturn in Scorpio: Your Guide Through The Dark also includes a bonus chapter on the Secondary Progressed Moon cycle - an important and very personal cycle of emotional maturity - and explains how it links with your personal Saturn cycle.

This book is suitable for all levels of astrological knowledge. Whether you are a beginner to astrology, a serious student, or a consulting astrologer working with clients, Saturn in Scorpio: Your Guide Through The Dark will be a valuable resource to help you through this challenging transit.

For the beginner, the book has instructions on how to calculate your Saturn transit and includes a Saturn in Scorpio ephemeris, for quick and easy calculation.

For excerpts of the book see here and here. For a review, see here (thanks to Donna Cunningham and Auntie Moon).

Saturn in Scorpio: Your Guide Through The Dark is available for download at Amazon now at a special introductory price of £3.80 (UK), $6.17 (US) and equivalent prices in other currencies (see your local Amazon site for details).

The book is in Kindle format. If you don’t have a Kindle device you can download free Kindle reader apps from Amazon for PC; Mac; iPad; iPhone; iPod Touch; and all other major smartphones and tablets. Just search for Kindle in the app store on your device.

If you would prefer a PDF copy, this is available at a cost of £7.00. Click on the ‘Buy Now’ button to pay. Once your order has been processed, your PDF will be delivered to your inbox.

Please note, all PDF orders are sent out manually. We endeavour to send out all PDFs within an hour or two, but sometimes it might take a little longer due to time zone differences.

Saturn in Scorpio: Your Guide Through The Dark

I'm very excited about my upcoming book:

Saturn in Scorpio: Your Guide Through The Dark

Saturn’s upcoming ingress into Scorpio may feel a little worrying, but this new guide has been put together to help you successfully navigate the cold and deep waters of this transit.

The major themes of Saturn in Scorpio are explored in depth including issues of safety, fear and control; sex and intimacy; the power of love; rejection, anger, vengeance and forgiveness; the power of the unconscious and money, debt and taxes.

Find out how these themes and more may be relevant to you personally, but also discover how they will be reflected in the collective.

Concerned about how Saturn in Scorpio will affect your own birth chart?  Its transit through your natal houses and to your planets is also covered in great detail.

This unique guide also examines how Saturn in Scorpio fits into other current and upcoming major planetary alignments including the Uranus-Pluto Squares; the Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto Yod of December 2012; the Jupiter-Saturn-Neptune water Grand Trine of 2013 and much more.

There's even a bonus chapter on the Secondary Progressed Moon cycle.

Coming in one week in e-book format! Subscribe now to receive full details in your inbox.

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Olympic Inspiration in the Stars

The 2012 Olympics are over and didn’t London put on a spectacular Games? With the Paralympics to come, the talk now is of legacy and of inspiring the next generation.

So, if you’re feeling motivated to take up a new sport, look to your Sun sign for inspiration. Just for fun, here are a few suggestions.

Aries

It’s got to be the sprint. Fast off the mark and over in seconds, you’re bound to cross the finishing line in first place. Boxing is another good option for burning up all that Mars energy and aggression.

Taurus

Slow to start, but with enviable endurance, Taurus is best suited to the long races, like the Marathon or the 10,000 metres. If you can be bothered to get out of bed to train!

Gemini

Any racket sport that requires good hand-eye coordination is good for Gemini. Tennis, Badminton, Table Tennis. Because you’re the sign of the twins, the doubles matches might be your best bet. Then again, Handball might suit. How are you ever going to make a decision?

Cancer

You like to ensure you’re heavily defended at all times, so any sport that involved wearing protective armour is good for you. Why not give Fencing or Taekwondo a try? If ball sports are more your thing, you could try Football. In a defensive position, natch.

Leo

You’re ruled by the Sun, that big gold disc in the sky. Because of this, you don’t care what sport you do, so long as you get the gold medal at the end of it. You’d rather just have the medal and not do the sport. No pain, no gain, Leo!

Virgo

You’re the master of the little things, so Table Tennis is for you. Dinky bat, tiny ball and a small table. Perfection!

Libra

For the chance to show off your grace and beauty, it’s got to be the Synchronised Swimming or the Artistic Gymnastics. And you get to compete wearing full make up and a pretty sparkly costume.

Scorpio

Because your co-ruler is Mars then the martial arts are great for you, so why not give Judo or Taekwondo a go? More than just competitive sports, they are about control, mastery and self-defence, three things Scorpio naturally excels at.

Sagittarius

Your symbol is half-man half-horse with a bow in its hand, so it can’t be anything other than Archery or Equestrian for you. Or, because you’re a forward thinking soul, why not try the Modern Pentathlon. It includes both arrows and horses and more besides.

Capricorn

You’re used to working through obstacles, so why not give the 400m Hurdles a try? Failing that, how about weightlifting? You already carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, so what difference will a few more kilos make?

Aquarius

Team sports are the most obvious choice for you. How about Basketball, which will also have you flying through the air? If you prefer something more individual (and a bit weird) then the Pole Vault is also a bit like flying!

Pisces

You’re the fish of the zodiac, so take your pick of anything in the water. Swimming, Diving, Rowing, Sailing, Canoeing, Water Polo. Give them all a go, water baby.

www.mandilockley.com

All pictures from wikimedia commons. Gymnast pic by Tomtheobald, Hurdles pic from by Thomas Faivre-Duboz.

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A Big Announcement + London 2012

A Special Announcement

I’ve been dropping a few hints here and there, but I can now reveal (drum roll, please) that my first book will be published at the end of September.
It’s all about Saturn in Scorpio and will be your comprehensive guide to Saturn’s journey through the sign of the scorpion from early October 2012 through to late 2015.

Running to over 60 pages, it covers all the themes of this transit in great depth, both from your very personal perspective and from the point of view of the collective, including how Saturn in Scorpio fits in with the Uranus-Pluto squares and other key alignments.

The themes, opportunities and challenges of Saturn in Scorpio’s transit through your birth chart are covered in much detail, with chapters on Saturn in Scorpio through the houses and on Saturn’s aspects to your natal planets. This is information you can’t get anywhere else. Yes, there’s plenty written about Saturn transits, but this material is very specific to Saturn in Scorpio.

The book will be available for download from this blog and from www.mandilockley.com in PDF format. I am also exploring Kindle and other ebook formats.

More information and exclusive excerpts are coming in the following weeks.

Subscribe to this blog (below) to get the latest updates or register your interest by emailing mandi@mandilockley.com (your details won’t be passed on to any third parties).

London 2012

I hope you are enjoying the season.

London, my adopted home, is abuzz with the 2012 Olympics and despite Mercury Retrograde our clunking transport network is holding its own, at least for now.

The Opening Ceremony was a triumph.

The chart (set for 9pm, 27.7.12, London) has unconventional Aquarius on the Ascendant, reflecting the bonkers humour and irreverence that marked the occasion. Even The Queen made delightful fun of herself in a James Bond sketch, perfectly reflecting the playful, regal Sun in Leo squaring the Aquarius Ascendant. 007 himself is a great manifestation of the Moon in Scorpio - the secret agent protecting his motherland. That Moon also came out in a fantastic sequence where all the scary monsters of children’s literature came out to haunt the kids in their dreams.

The most memorable and surprising sequence was the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron, with a flame for ever competing nation coming together into one spectacular whole. It’s what you would expect with an event chart featuring a Fire Grand Trine of theatrical Sun Conjunct Mercury in Leo, quirky Uranus in Aries and international Sagittarius on the midheaven. Even a retrograde Mercury less than two degrees close to the Sun (an affliction in traditional astrology) was not enough to dampen the flames. 

You can see a video of the lighting of the cauldron here http://www.businessinsider.com/video-of-the-olympic-cauldron-lighting-in-london-2012-7 

Now let the gold rush begin (come on Team GB)!

Touch the Moon

August’s Moon Phases are updated at http://www.mandilockley.com/moon_phases.html

August’s Void of Course Moon times are updated at http://www.mandilockley.com/moonpages.html (an explanation of Void of Course and how to use it is included)

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