Virgos Verbalise ~ Virgo Quotes

Welcome to Virgo...here are a few Virgos in their own words, with quotes that also reflect their Moon signs. Enjoy the Sun in Virgo....

You can't start worrying about what's going to happen. You get spastic enough worrying about what's happening now.
Lauren Bacall, Actress, Sun Virgo- Moon Aries 
 
Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.
Mother Teresa, Humanitarian, Sun Virgo-Moon Taurus

I'm not trying to stump anybody... it's the beauty of the language that I'm interested in.
Buddy Holly, Musician, Sun Virgo-Moon Gemini

I'm the Latin artist who has been the most successful in history at representing the Latin culture. The stylings of my words are immodest, but it's the truth.
Julio Iglesias, Musician, Sun Virgo-Moon Cancer

At sixteen, I was funny, skinny little thing, all eyelashes and legs. And then, suddenly people told me it was gorgeous. I thought they had gone mad.
Twiggy, Model, Sun Virgo-Moon Leo

Perhaps I'm not a good actor, but I would be even worse at doing anything else.
Sean Connery, Actor, Sun Virgo-Moon Virgo

It is a curious thought, but it is only when you see people looking ridiculous that you realize just how much you love them.

Agatha Christie, Author, Sun Virgo-Moon Libra

The mind can also be an erogenous zone.

Raquel Welch, Actress, Sun Virgo-Moon Scorpio

Talent in cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.

Stephen King, Author, Sun Virgo-Moon Sagittarius

I'd studied dance in Chicago every summer end taught it all winter, and I was well-rounded. I wasn't worried about getting a job on Broadway. In fact, I got one the first week.

Gene Kelly, Actor, Sun Virgo-Moon Capricorn

Crime and bad lives are the measure of a State's failure, all crime in the end is the crime of the community.

H. G. Wells, Author, Sun Virgo-Moon Aquarius

But I will never stop helping and loving people the way Jesus said to.

Michael Jackson, Musician, Sun Virgo-Moon Pisces

http://www.mandilockley.com/

Mercury Retrograde in Virgo ~ multimedia, multitasking madness!

Mercury the trickster planet is Retrograde again from August 20, this time in its home sign of Virgo. Mercury Retrogrades are famously feared times when we worry that everything from communication to travel to social arrangements to important meetings will go awry.

In this age of communication, multitasking and multimedia, we may worry that the Mercury Rx phenomena is even more likely to cause us trouble. A perfectly timed headline in yesterday’s Metro newspaper reads: Half Our Life Spent on Media and goes on to say that we spend 45% of our time absorbing media, using gadgets, staring at screens and watching TV. It states that we have become experts at multitasking when it comes to media…and the old are catching up with the young at a fast pace!

Be honest, which of you have been on the internet while watching the box? I was doing it last evening. Which of you have taken a call on your mobile phone while in the middle of a conversation at a social gathering? Admit it, you have haven’t you, at least once, even if it’s to tell the person on the other end of the phone you can’t talk right now?

So, are the gremlins set and ready to make trouble with all out multimedia multitasking while Mercury’s Retrograde? We could be forgiven for thinking so… So should we avoid all mercurial stuff like the plague? No, of course not, the world won’t stop for us. I mean, shall I tell my boss that I won’t take any calls or send any emails for the next three weeks because of something imaginary* happening in the sky? Way to lose my job!

So what can we do?

This period is a great time to:

• Do all the RE things - re-view, re-do, re-think, re-vise, re-cover etc.
• Work on your communication skills. See Fabienne Lopez’ excellent blog post for 5 Tips for a Better Communication Using Mercury Retrograde
• Avoid excessive worrying. Most worrying is about future things. If you’re fully in the moment, you have nothing to worry about! 
• Do the best of Virgo: Pay attention to detail and be discriminating when deciding what to take on, what to put to one side, what to shelve permanently.  
• Focus on one thing at a time. If you are having a conversation, be in that conversation. If you are watching a film or a documentary on TV, put aside the laptop and switch off the cellphone. 
• Not spread yourself too thin or take on too much. Do few things, but do them well, rather than doing lots of things sketchily.

Relax! It’s only Mercury Retrograde.

Data:

Mercury stations Retrograde on 20 August 2010 at 19 degrees Virgo
Mercury stations Direct on 12 September 2010 at 5 degrees Virgo
Retrograde period including stations = 24 days

With love,

Mandi
http://www.mandilockley.com/

*Retrograde is a phenomenon that makes it seem as if the planets are moving backwards at certain times from our perspective here on Earth. In reality, the planets never move backwards. To learn more, click here
http://mandilockley.blogspot.com/2009/11/retrograde-planets-in-astrology.html

An Interview with Uranus in Pisces

As Uranus moves out of Aries and back into Pisces for a spell, it seems appropriate to get a little nostalgic about the planet of innovation’s transit through the sign of divine inspiration, imagination and dissolved boundaries.

Imagine Uranus in Pisces is your friend. You haven’t seen him for a few months (while he’s been firing it up in Aries) and come March next year he’ll be going on a long stint back in Aries and won’t be back in Pisces for well over eighty years! What would you ask him?

Well, fortunately, Uranus is Pisces called me up and asked me out for a drink so I could interview him about how he thought the last seven years or so went down….

Astroair: Hi Uranus in Pisces, nice to see you again, how did the last seven years or so go down?

Uranus: Well, the most fun thing was my two year face-off with my old 'buddy' Saturn..me and him have ancient history.

Astroair: Really?

Uranus: Yes, back in the day, I was known as Father Sky and was hitched to Gaia, good old Mother Earth, but one day, I decided to shake things up a bit and buried her kids deep under the ground. Gaia was cross, natch, so she got our boy Saturn, who went by the name of Cronus back then, to castrate me and throw my manhood into the sea, but from them grew the beautiful Aphrodite, but I think you know her as Venus. Oh, I could reminisce all day about her….

Astroair: I can see why, but can we get back to more recent times?

Uranus: Ah yes, my most recent run-in with Saturn….

Astroair: You mean the Saturn-Uranus oppositions?

Uranus: Yes, well, as usual Saturn just wanted everything to stay the same, preserve the status quo, uphold tradition, blah, blah, but he had Pluto on the sidelines whispering in his ear, digging up the past, making him face things he’d rather not. You know, putting the pressure on. Well, with that going on I seized my opportunity, waded on in there and turned everything upside down. You hear about the banking crisis? The economic recession? Well it all went kaboom! at the end of 2008 and you’re still feeling the shockwaves, right? All I had to do was expose what was really going on and the whole financial system broke down before your very eyes. Exciting times….

Astroair: What's next?

Uranus: Well, change is in the air still, can you feel it? Saturn moves on soon though, so from 2012 to 2015, when I’m in Aries, it’ll be me and Pluto in Capricorn carrying on the good work. Viva la revolution!

Astroair: Any predictions?

Uranus: Come on, don’t you know your astrology? I’m the unpredictable one, so anything can happen. But one of the last times we were in a major alignment was the 1930’s. Remember the great depression? The New Deal in America? No probably not, you look too young. How about the cultural revolution of the mid-late 60’s when me and Pluto were walking hand in hand? You look as if you were just being born around then. Exciting times for you lot on Earth...and no doubt there are more exciting times to come.

Astroair: Thanks for the tip, but we’ve wandered off the point a bit, I was asking you about being in the sign of Pisces…

Uranus: Yes, that’s the trouble with Pisces, no focus.

Astroair: But there must have been some good times?

Uranus: Good, bad, it’s all the same to me, but yes, of course. The Health Care Reforms in the US. Not a done deal yet, but maybe you’ll see some closure before March next year. If I have anything to do with it, it will revolutionize the system and make it fairer for everyone. You see, in Pisces I came over all idealistic and compassionate, but in case you were wondering, I was still strong enough to push back against resistance to the change.

Then there was the election of Obama in 2008 on the very day of my first face-off with Saturn. What a day, talk about cosmic synchronicity! His motto was Change You Can Believe In. I liked that, it suited me very well. And I also appreciated how he was received as if he was the next Messiah. But now he’s really unpopular. Just goes to show how quickly things can swing. So it goes.

And going back a bit, there was my opposition with Jupiter in 2002-4, right at the beginning of my turn in Pisces. When I meet Jupiter in conjunction or opposition, it's reflected on your rock in times of rebellion, leaps in human consciousness, important innovations and exciting scientific breakthroughs.

Remember the mass protests against the invasion of Iraq in 2003? More than 10 million people protested in over 600 cities worldwide, the largest protest ever to take place before a war has even begun. Not only that, an international group of protesters went to Baghdad to act as voluntary human shields, hoping to avert the invasion. It didn’t work though as you know, the invasion went ahead anyway. I can’t influence outcomes because you have free will. I can only provide the necessary energetic vibe.

Then in science, the Human Genome Project was completed in '04, with 99% of the human genome sequenced to 99.99% accuracy and around that time your first successful cloned animals were born. And this one made me laugh…it was in ’04 that the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft arrived successfully within the orbit of my old adversary Saturn. The craft has sent back some truly remarkable, never before seen footage. Good ol’ Saturn, he’ll have no secrets now!

Astroair: You're in aspect with Jupiter again now aren't you?

Uranus: That's right, as I now flit between Pisces and Aries for the last time until the end of this century, I’ve just started the new cycle, a conjunction, with Jupiter. You astrologers have made all sorts of predictions - time travel; teleportation; the indisputable discovery of dark matter; mass riots, strikes and protests; commercial space tourism; proof of life on other bodies in the solar system….

Astroair: Are they right?

Uranus: You’ll just have to wait and see. I’m here to cause surprises, not to spoil them.

Astroair: Fair enough! Anything else you want to share about being in Pisces?

Uranus: Well, you tell me…

Astroair: Errmm, how about the massive spread of online social networking? Then there were breakthroughs in opportunities for the disadvantaged and marginalized and some very successful and innovative charity appeals. And there's been the rise of the new age movement, which has seen many turning their back on the organized, structured religions to follow their own brand of faith...

Uranus: Exactly and the list goes on and on… Of course Neptune in Aquarius has tried to take the credit for some of those, but who believes Neptune? Another drink?

Astroair: I don’t mind if I do, thank you very much.

With love, Mandi
www.mandilockley.com

Uranus Planet image from http://www.spacestationinfo.com/
Uranus and Gaia image from http://madraider.com/

Leo New Moon ~ Lions in the Dark

The dark of the Moon comes around approximately every 28 days. This next one is in Leo, the solar ruled sign which prefers the brightness of the Sun to the Lunar darkness.

Yes, Leo likes to bathe in the spotlight. He loves to be adored and adores to be loved, so put him in the dark for too long and you end up with a very grumpy Lion.

Yet, The Offstage Leo, Moll Frothingham’s excellent article for The Mountain Astrologer*, explains how Leos need regular downtime, offstage, to recharge their creative batteries, after which they are ready to step back into the light, to shine once again.

So, perhaps this New Moon’s message to Leo types, and to all of us, is that too much light can be blinding. Amidst constant dazzle, we lack clarity and can lose our way, so we must switch off the lights now and again and take some time to rejuvenate.

The Leo New Moon and the T-Square

The wider backdrop to this, and all the recent lunations, is of course the 2008-2011 T-Square alignment between Pluto in Capricorn, Uranus in Pisces/Aries and Saturn in Virgo/Libra. In July and early August 2010 the T-Square has become more dynamic, with all three planets aligned in Cardinal signs. Jupiter in Aries has also joined in the fun and very recently, Mars and Venus in Libra have fanned the fire as well.

These T-Square times have been marked by an ongoing process of deep change in our personal lives, reflected by changes in the outer, collective world.

Some of the themes that have emerged during these T-Square times have included the upsetting of the status quo; the necessity of letting go of the old and building new structures in our lives and the need to face our fears and insecurities, which goes hand in hand with the need to assess just what safety and security means to us.

These times have also been about adjusting and remaining flexible amidst changeable circumstances and conversely, about breaking down barriers that have been holding us back. Emotionally, many of us have faced difficult times, when we have had to re-learn how to relate to others and how to set healthy emotional boundaries.

This Leo New Moon makes a series of awkward (semi-square and sesquiquadrate) aspects to the T-Square planets. Tackling the difficult challenges of the last few months might be top of your list of priorities now, but remember that New Moons, representing the dark of the Moon are best for planning and planting the seeds of future actions, rather than for moving full steam ahead. By the time of the First Quarter Moon, around August 16th, the best way forward should become much more apparent, making this a better time to take action.

So, for now, practice being an offstage Leo. Rest, play and preserve your bright and vital energy for a better and shinier day.

Recommendations

*The Offstage Leo article mentioned above was published in the Dec 2009 edition of The Mountain Astrologer. Back issues of the magazine can be ordered here: http://www.mountainastrologer.com/back_issues/bi_2009.html

See also the latest installment of The Happiness Project from astrologer Hiroki Niizato, this one focusing on living from the Center of Your Being, inspired by the Leo New Moon. Also check out Auntie Moon’s New Moon in Leo ~ Please Acknowledge Me, on how we all need a little appreciation now and again and Starcana's creative visualization for the New Moon on her latest Astrological Happenings blog post. 

Data

This New Moon occurs with the Sun and Moon at 17 degrees and 24 seconds of Leo

Greenwich Mean Time: August 10 2010 @ 3.08am

British Summer Time: August 10 2010 @ 4.08am

Eastern Daylight Saving Time: August 9 2010 @ 11.08pm

Pacific Daylight Saving Time: August 9 2010 @ 8.08pm

With love,

Mandi

http://www.mandilockley.com/

Synastry ~ Making Friends with the Elements

[Note: this article has also appeared on www.sasstrology.com a popular website that looks at the astrology of love, sex and relationships]

Have you ever wondered why you attract the friends and lovers that you do? Is it your similarities that bring you together, or your differences, or a bit of both?

In astrology, the study of relationship compatibility is called synastry, or chart comparison. Synastry can be complex, but like most things in astrology, keeping it simple can be very enlightening.

So, for the first in an occasional series of articles on synastry, I’m going to look at the elements.

The elements are the basic building blocks of astrology (see the graphics for the signs and key words for each element). Popular theory says that you will be compatible with signs in your own element, so Fire gets on with Fire, Water with Water etc. Additionally, Fire and Air signs are said to get along, as are Earth and Water signs.

However, I have also found that we are very often attracted to the element we lack in our own chart. It’s as if we look towards others to compensate for what we don't have. Here are a couple of celebrity examples:

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie has a chart strong in Fire and Air, with a good splash of Water as well. She is totally lacking in the Earth element.

People with a lack of Earth in their charts often feel rootless and ungrounded. They may feel as if they don't fit into the 'real' world and often have difficulty following the routines and limitations that are demanded by everyday material life. Jolie's unbounded wild behaviour, risk taking and fantasies are well documented.

Brad Pitt on the other hand has a stellium of personal planets (Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars) in practical, down to earth Capricorn. While we can't speculate on their private life, it's easy to see how earthy Pitt might provide Jolie with a sense of the stability, rootedness, routine and structure she appeared to lack in her younger, crazier days. Certainly, she has become the model earth mother since meeting Pitt, as evidenced by her brood of six kids. It's interesting that she has so many kids, as people often compensate for their lack of element by totally overdoing it.

Does spontaneous Jolie find practical Pitt boring at times? Who knows, but I'm sure that his adventurous Sagittarius Sun and Ascendant must provide a bit of excitement to keep the fire alive in their relationship. 

Beyonce and Jay-Z

Singer Beyonce has very little Fire in her chart, which is compensated for by rapper Jay Z's Sun, Mercury and Venus in fiery Sagittarius. 

A lack of Fire can manifest in a lack of self confidence and a lack of enthusiasm, faith and optimism in what life has to offer.

Jay-Z's fiery get up and go, idealism and energy, is probably an effective foil for Beyonce's lack of fire and conversely, Jay-Z lacks Earth in his chart, so Beyonce's practical, down to earth Sun in Virgo no doubt helps him to keep his feet on the ground.

Here’s a very simple exercise to see if this works for you:

First of all work out what element/s you have a preponderance of and which you have a lack of. If you don’t already know this, here’s a link to an article from astrology-numerology.com which tells you how to work it out and also includes useful interpretations http://www.astrology-numerology.com/elements.html (Note: If you know your birth time, I would also include three points for the Ascendant and one point for the Midheaven. Oh, and if you don’t know your chart you can download it at www.alabe.com).

When I did this exercise for myself I scored high for Air (hence the Astroair moniker); average for Earth and relatively low for Fire and Water.

Next look at the charts for your close friends and your partner (if you have their permission to do so).

Here’s a few of mine:

One of my close friends has a very strong Water chart, with Sun, Moon and Ascendant all in water signs. Definitely a good foil for my lack of water. I love how I can tell her all my woes and she will just listen and be with me and empathise, without giving advice or instruction or trying to ‘fix’ or change things.

A lack of Water can mean that it's difficult to empathise with others and hard to pick up subtleties of feelings in relationships. The emotions may not be easily accessible to those lacking in Water, although that doesn't mean that they don't have strong emotions, just that they may have difficulty expressing them. If you are lacking in water however, try to not ‘dump’ all your emotional stuff on your watery friends. Be aware that they are very sensitive, like sponges, and they will carry your karma away with them, without either of you even realising it.

Another close friend of mine has a totally fiery chart with Sun, Moon and Ascendant all in Fire signs. I really admire her nerve, spirit and creativity. An afternoon with her really lifts my spirits and makes me feel as if anything is possible. Longer than an afternoon though, makes me feel positively 'burnt out'.

It works both ways of course. Your friends might be attracted to you because you have an element they lack. For example, a good friend of mine with lots of Earth and a watery Moon in Cancer (she bakes the best muffins this side of, well, the Moon) totally lacks Air in her chart.

With a lack of Air, it can be difficult to take a step back from one's life in order to see things in perspective. It can be difficult for a person with a lack of Air to detach themselves from feelings and situations and it can be hard for them to adjust to new ideas and differing points of view. Perhaps my airy nature is a good foil for my friend's lack of Air, in the same way that her watery planets nourish my lack of water.

If I do the same exercise for all my close friends and for my hubby, they are all without exception strong in either Fire or Water, or both in some cases.

What about you? Do your close friends and your partner reflect the elements you are lacking? Or are you more attracted to people with a similar element balance as yourself?

Let me know in the comments box below...

For more on the elements see, Astrology, Psychology and The Four Elements by Stephen Arroyo
Celebrity chart info from: http://www.astro.com/astro-databank

With love,
Mandi
http://www.mandilockley.com/

Astrology for August ~ The World Keeps Turning

The planets involved in the cardinal T-Square were super busy in July. Saturn moved back into Libra, (to find out about Saturn in Libra's transit to your chart, click here); Uranus in Aries turned Retrograde and Saturn and Uranus made the last in their series of status-quo shaking oppositions (although we will be feeling their effects for some time to come). There was also a significant Solar Eclipse in Cancer and at the very end of the month, Mars joined the cardinal T-Square party by moving into Libra. See my preview of July’s astrology, for more details.

August begins with the Sun feeling very much at home in bright Leo. Click here for quotes from some very famous Leos ~ great insights into Leos and also into how the Sun in Leo combines with different Moon signs.

Mars continues to energize the T-Square, making alignments on the 3rd August with Jupiter in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn, both of them Retrograde. It’s a time to reevaluate past actions, put aggression and impulsiveness aside, set things right and accept that compromise might be the best solution. This approach is helped by Venus, who joins Mars in Libra on the 6th, where she's a much needed ambassador for peace and reconciliation. While she’s in Libra she will aspect Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Pluto, all in early August, making it a busy period for sorting out relationship issues.

The New Moon in Leo on 9 or 10 August (depending on your time zone), makes a series of awkward semi-square and sesquiquadrate aspects to the T-Square planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Pluto). Tackling the difficult challenges of the last few months might be top of your list of priorities now, but remember that New Moons are best for planning and planting the seeds of future actions, rather than for moving full steam ahead. This is because New Moons are dark times, when the full picture isn’t quite clear yet. By the time of the First Quarter Moon, around the August 16th, the best way forward should become much more apparent, making this a better time to take action.

On August 13, after a brief two and a half month visit to impatient, single focused Aries, Uranus moves back into sensitive, all encompassing Pisces. The radical planet will be in Pisces until March 2011, giving us a chance to revisit and get some closure around Uranus’ in Pisces themes. A blog post on this topic coming soon…

Also on August 13, Jupiter and Saturn oppose each other in Aries and Libra, marking the peak, the halfway point, of the current cycle which began in 2000. This opposition occurs very close to the ‘private becomes public’ Aries Point, so there will be no hiding from seeing things just the way they are – the good and the bad. Whether we like what we see or not, will depend on how we’ve done up until now, but in the collective, we can reliably expect fresh revelations of corporate, political and economic derry-doings to come out of the woodwork. Just look at the BP disaster, if you want a very recent example!

On the 21st, Saturn and Pluto make the last of their current series of inhibiting, constraining squares. We’ve been experiencing these squares since late 2009, alignments which have marked the beginning of the end for the current Saturn-Pluto cycle, which began in the early eighties. This last couple of years have been the final crisis point, from which we must all move forwards. There’s no going back, as we are individually and collectively asked to face our fears, clean up our messes and move towards building fresh structures which will enable us to plant healthy seeds for the next cycle which begins in 2019. Click here for my article on how this Saturn-Pluto cycle has been reflected in politics, economics and culture.
What else is happening in August? Well, on August 20, the trickster planet Mercury turns Retrograde in analytical Virgo. There’s no need to worry and I’ll tell you why in a post nearer the time.

The Sun goes into Virgo on August 22, so look out for my monthly ‘famous quotes’ blog post on Virgos. Also look out for my take on the Full Moon in Pisces on August 24.

See August’s Void of Course Moon times and Moon sign changes here: http://www.mandilockley.com/moonpages.html

Recommendations

For more great Moon stuff, check out Auntie Moon's Moon Phases for August and while you're there, make sure you check out her August Trivia and Treats and her Daily Moon Signs with Zodiactivities

Julie Demboski gives almost daily cosmic updates, so be sure to check in to her blog for the latest this August

Moonkissd by Jessica is also a great blog worth checking out

Coming soon at Astroair...

A great article on synastry and the elements...watch this space...

Whatever you’re doing this August, I really hope it’s a good one and for those of you on holiday, lucky you! With Saturn and Pluto (the aspect of hard, hard, work) transiting my Sun this year, I’ve almost forgotten what a holiday is ~ LOL!

With love,
Mandi
http://www.mandilockley.com/