The Riots and Why I Still Love London

Police helicopters? The wail of Sirens? Just another Saturday night in North London I thought, as I rolled over in bed to enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep. On Sunday morning I woke to the shocking news that just a mile away, in Tottenham High Road, a protest against the police shooting of Mark Duggan had spiraled into violence, arson and looting.

With a sense of shock, I watched the footage on TV. Around lunchtime, I headed up to the nearby Wood Green shopping centre, to pick up a paper and browse the clothing stores, unaware that while police were trying to contain the riots a mile away, local thugs had looted and vandalized the area. Some of the photos of what I saw illustrate this post. My overwhelming feeling was deep upset at the mindless, pointless destruction of my neighborhood.

As you have most likely heard, the violence quickly spread across the capital, peaking on Monday in the worst night of disorder in London in living memory. Meanwhile, there was rioting and looting in other English towns and cities, carrying on through Tuesday evening.

‘Why’ is the question on everyone’s lips. Based on UK riots in the eighties, the recipe seems to be: a spell of hot sticky weather + plus real or perceived injustice at the hands of the police (usually a death) + a background of recession/joblessness/government cuts + a Tory government. While there may be reasons, however, there can be no excuses for the actions of the kids who went out onto the streets causing terror within communities.

Because I’m an astrologer, my natural reaction is to check the skies for planetary alignments that reflect events playing out in the world.

The astrological backdrop is the square alignment of Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn.

The themes of this alignment include rebellious impulses; reckless, hot-headed behavior; sudden and shocking events; anti-establishment feelings; the demand for freedom and respect; issues of control and responsibility; spontaneous uprisings; collective and individual crisis on any level. A serious questioning of power structures and authority is indicated. The call is for deep and radical changes in the structure of society and the way it is governed. By force, if necessary. In short, we are looking at a potentially protracted period of discontent, followed by/coinciding with, slow and profound social and political change.

Past alignments of Uranus and Pluto coincided with the French Revolution of the 18th Century and the cultural revolution of the 1960’s which saw mass anti war protests; great strides in the women’s and black civil rights movements and increased social and sexual freedoms. It’s not all bad, Uranus-Pluto alignments are also associated with exciting times of cultural and technological innovation; social empowerment; positivity and freedom and new, progressive leaders rising from the grass roots and/or the intelligentsia. Under this alignment, we are already seeing pro-democracy uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Syria and many other places, a series of events widely dubbed the Arab Spring.

Uranus and Pluto don’t form an exact square until summer 2012, with the first of seven exact alignments lasting until 2015. However, as they get ever closer, it’s plain to see how their themes are playing out more and more obviously in the collective. Indeed, for the purpose of mundane (collective) astrology, this alignment has been one to watch since 2007 and will continue to be in evidence through to 2020 (allowing the standard 10 degree orb). From this perspective, Saturn in Libra is still connecting to Uranus in Pluto, forming a planetary alignment widely dubbed as the Cardinal Climax. (I wrote extensively on this alignment last year, click on the link to read more.)

click to enlarge

With such dramatic events as we have been witnessing in the UK, we need to look for a planetary trigger? What is connecting to Uranus-Pluto that might symbolize what’s been happening? Above is the chart set for the time widely quoted as the start of the violence on Saturday evening.

Mars, newly in Cancer had moved into alignment with Saturn, Uranus and Pluto forming a Cardinal Grand Cross. Just the shape of the cross in the chart suggests a back and forth ping-pong of intense energy. In cardinal signs, this energy tends to be fast to respond, quick to react and create friction.

Lately though, a Cardinal Grand Cross happens every time a fast moving planet hits the early degrees of Cancer. The Sun has recently been there, so has Mercury and Venus. The Moon hits those degrees once a month.

So why would Mars trigger this violence? Well, Mars is the planet of war and aggression, of the urge to action, of angry young men. More significantly, in Cancer, Mars is said be in its ‘Fall’, in the sign it finds most difficult to inhabit, making it more difficult for individuals and the collective to assert themselves in a healthy and positive way. Mars lining up with Saturn, Uranus and Pluto is not a recipe for peace and calm, but for blow-ups, misdirected anger and aggression. In collective astrology, Cancer is associated with our domestic situation, our home turf. It is perhaps ironic that after years of collective paranoia about foreign terrorists (symbolized by Pluto’s tenancy in Sagittarius until 2008) the destruction has come from our home grown young people, crapping on their own doorstep, if you’ll excuse my vernacular.

Astrologer Theodore White told me that Mars is currently Out of Bounds. I won’t go into a technical explanation of Out of Bounds (you can Google it), but symbolically, it means that Mars is wild, out of control, it has free reign to do what ever it wants to do, outside the normal bounds of behavior. Folks I’m not making this up!

Notice also the South Node. It’s in House 4 at the bottom part of the chart. House 4 symbolizes our home turf, our roots and the past. Similarly, the South Node represents past patterns that we fall back into. Astrologer Martin Davis adroitly observed that this placement of South Node, symbolizes the revisiting of past hurts, referring to the 1985 Tottenham riots, also triggered by tension between the local community and the police. The fact that at that time Uranus and Pluto were in a tense semi-square alignment, aptly demonstrates how the cycle of these collective events synchronizes with the cyclical nature of the planetary alignments.

I could go into more detail and look at more of the astrology, but I think that’s enough.

The title of this post is Why I still Love London. Here are my reasons.

London is one of the safest capital cities in the world. I have never (except for a few nights this week) felt afraid to go out after dark. We are a resilient people. As the troubles spread, so did the community spirit.

While social networking was blamed for making coordination amongst the rioters easy, soon it was being used to bring people together. Instead of coming out onto the streets with weapons and face masks, people came out in force with bin liners and brooms to collectively clean up their streets. A fitting image for a Retrograde Mercury just moving out of helpful, hygienic Virgo back into brave, proud Leo. Let’s clean up and re-claim our streets was the new battle cry!

Instead of thinking that it’s someone else’s problem or responsibility, people put up strangers in their own homes after they had lost everything to arson and looting. Bus drivers carried on working, despite the dangers (and despite Mercury retrograde!) to make sure that Londoners could get to work. There has been a massive wave of compassion for the injured Malaysian student Mohd Asyraf Haziq  robbed by youths pretending that they were helping him. A Twitter campaign, #dosomethingniceforasyraf, is raising money to help his family fly over to visit him in hospital.

The positive side of Mars in Cancer has come out. Pauline Pearce, a Hackney woman was filmed bravely taking on the riotiers and expressing her disgust over what was going on in her neighborhood. Her actions demonstrate that sometimes anger is justified if used positively (click on her name to see the remarkable video if you haven't already). As the days went by, more and more ordinary people were out on the streets protecting their own communities and businesses, taking collective responsibility.

As Mars moved closer to its exact opposition with Pluto (an alignment associated with deep rage and violence), we also saw the positive side of this opposition. The holidaying politicians finally came home and all police leave was cancelled. Mass deployment of officers the likes of which I have never seen, seem to have restored calm. Mars of course symbolizes the police and with Pluto in Capricorn, the force and authority of the police. I would like to salute their tireless hard work.

More generally, Londoners are friendlier, more considerate. They are talking to each other on buses and in shops, asking after each other. There’s a feeling of pulling together, of business as usual, of not letting this beat us.

There’s even an anti-riot tea movement. (FYI, it’s about staying home and drinking tea and nothing to do with the tea party movement in the US.) It’s started selling tea to raise funds to help victims of the riots.

Now that’s the London - the Britain - I know and love.

As a P.S. here’s a brief look at the UK chart, with the relevant transits of the riot chart drawn in. Note how close the Cardinal Grand Cross is to the angles of the chart (marked in red). Indeed, as the Uranus-Pluto squares become exact, it falls very close indeed to the angles of the UK chart. This is the just the start for the UK. I am not a doom and gloom astrologer and not given to making predictions, but one thing is for sure, we now need to begin the process of restructuring our society and moving forward with the profound social and political changes that accompany significant Uranus-Pluto alignments. We have now had too many warning signals to ignore – the banking crisis, the recession, bankrupt countries, stock market crashes, unemployment, not to mention numerous instances of abuse of power coming to light, which in the UK includes the MPs expenses scandal and the hacking scandal, which not only implicated the media, but exposed immoral, maybe illegal practices, within government and police institutions.

click to enlarge

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

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Solstice Forecast

What will the next three months bring? Change or business as usual? Summer of discontent or calm before the storm?


The Sun’s yearly ingress into Cancer marks the June Solstice (summer in the northern hemisphere, winter in the south). 


Solstice charts, along with Equinox charts, are considered to reflect the energies of the upcoming three months.


The Solstice chart below is set for London, for the moment the Sun moves into Cancer on June 21. However, the planetary aspects, degrees and sign placements will not change if you relocate the chart, (only the angles and house positions change), so they are relevant anywhere. So this review of the Solstice looks at the general aspects and planet positions, as they would apply anywhere in the world and also looks at a few things as they relate specifically to the UK.


In the Solstice chart, the Sun forms a cardinal grand cross, involving Mercury, Saturn, Uranus and Pluto. (I am allowing orbs of up to ten degrees here, which is the standard in mundane (world) astrology – for natal transits the orbs would be no more than 2-3 degrees).

Click to enlarge

You’ve probably spotted that the Sun is picking up on the Saturn-Uranus-Pluto cardinal t-square that had us all in a lather last year. But don’t forget that every Solstice or Equinox chart since late 2009 has had the Sun in aspect to that t-square, because by their very nature, these charts feature the Sun at 0 degrees of one of the cardinal signs. So, business as usual? Well yes in a way, the next few months will see the nerve-racking ping-pong game of crisis-action-reaction running on and on, through the economic, political and ecological crises currently being playing out throughout the world.


What is interesting is that this is the last Solstice or Equinox chart where the Sun hooks into a conjunction, square or opposition with Saturn. In mundane astrology, Saturn rules the housing marking, industry in general and how the laws of the land are enforced and administered, so we can expect any of these issues to be aired quite extensively by our leaders in the upcoming three months.


By the time of the Libra Equinox ingress in September, Saturn will have moved out of orb, so the Sun will be in a t-square with just Uranus and Pluto, the two planets edging ever closer to their first exact square since the 1930’s. Uranus is about social rebellion and revolution, freedom, progress, technological advances and Pluto is about power struggles, control, resources, anything in society that is hidden, taboo or buried and along with Neptune, it rules oil. Already we can see Uranus-Pluto themes playing out throughout the North Africa and the Middle East. It will be interesting to see how things develop on that front once cautious, restricting, relationship-oriented Saturn in Libra moves out of the t-square.


But we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves.


This Solstice chart sees two slower moving planets in new signs since the Aries Equinox in April - Jupiter in Taurus and Neptune in Pisces conjunct Chiron in Pisces.


Jupiter’s overriding principle is expansion and growth, so in Taurus, we will see issues of bodily growth (the obesity issue) and a spotlight on our society’s values and attitudes towards security. Are we consuming too much (physically and economically)? Does this really make us feel secure as a society? Do we really need all those luxuries to have a safe and comfortable life? Have we been squandering our natural resources? Already, our intensive farming methods are coming into question yet again, over the e-coli crisis which has been spreading across Europe through an as yet unidentified food source. It also asks us to rethink the way food is transported.  Perhaps Jupiter in Taurus will see further growth in the burgeoning industry for locally grown seasonal produce?


Jupiter is also about higher education and with it falling in money and values oriented Taurus, we will be forced to question the value we put on higher education, as the row over massive hikes in university fees in the UK rumbles on. Should we let go of the ideal of higher education for all and let university degrees fall back into the exclusive domain of the wealthy and the privileged? A trine from Pluto in Capricorn in the 2nd house, underscores the intensity of this issue, highlighting the need for a new perspective on the whole issue. Expect this to become a tense party political issue as this summer rolls on and the new academic year edges closer.


Another topic that could come up again in the UK now that Jupiter is in Taurus is the controversial issue of airport expansion. Many plans for new runways and new airports across the UK were dropped because of the recession, but perhaps some of the plans will be picked up on again during the next year. Expect huge and popular protests from environmental groups if they do.


Neptune in Pisces has already seen some manifestations. A recent report by the Global Commission on Drug Policy said that despite the trillions spent by governments around the world on the “war on drugs”, drug usage has not fallen and drug related crime has skyrocketed. The report calls for governments to consider legalising some drugs, and the de-criminalisation of drug users.


The debate this has opened up will no doubt run and run. Already, in the UK, the charity Release (which campaigns for changes in the drugs laws in the UK) has written to the Prime Minister “calling for a review of the current drug policies, with a view to decriminalisation of possession for all drugs. This letter has been signed by leading QC's, three former Chief Constables, academics, politicians and high profile celebrities.”


Neptune in Pisces falls in the 12^th House of the Solstice chart for the UK, so we can expect the debate here to centre around the burden that illegal drug use places on our prison and healthcare systems. With the Moon (the mood of the population) widely conjunct Neptune, this issue is bound to pull at the nation’s sympathies. It is interesting to note that Neptune makes an easy trine aspect to the Sun (Prime Minister/Government), so it will be fascinating to see what they does with this issue. Will the government easily win the public around and get its way on this issue? Or will the public feel deceived (Moon-Neptune, Pisces, 12^th house)?


Also in the UK, National Health Service reforms are being planned by the government. Already, the reform plans have been changed following criticism. Again, this issues falls under Neptune conjunct Moon in Pisces trine Sun. Will the government eventually get its way? Perhaps we shouldn’t discount a tight square from Mars in Gemini in the third house. Both sides of debate will compete to get their voices heard on this issue, with the danger of an aggressive propaganda campaign on both sides.


Finally, as the Uranus-Pluto square rumbles ever closer to its first exact square in 2012, more strike action, protest and rebellion is on the way, “union leaders are threatening the biggest wave of strikes since 1926, after the government unveiled proposals for public sector employees to work longer and pay more for less generous entitlements in retirement.” I think it’s fascinating that Saturn in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn, both speak about concerns about ageing and retirement. Already, the government opposition party (symbolised by Mars in Gemini here) are warning the unions that they will play into the hands of the government  if they strike, suggesting that the government will use the strikes as propaganda (Neptune in Pisces) to convince the public (the Moon) that the strikers and unions are to blame for the slow economic recovery. Expect this confused argument to heat up over the summer.  (news source: BBC).


I do hope you enjoy this season, whatever it brings. Take a step back now and again and view things from the wider perspective....cherish the gift of insight that astrology brings.


With love,

Mandihttp://www.mandilockley.com/


Solstice/Equinox 101: There are two Solstices and the two Equinoxes each year. These important power points occur as the Sun enters one of the cardinal signs of the zodiac - Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn and astrologers use the charts for these events to make predictions for the following three months ahead.
The first Equinox of the year occurs when the Sun moves into Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, around March 21, marking the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. At an Equinox, day and night are of equal length.
The first Solstice occurs when the Sun moves into Cancer around June 21. In the Northern Hemisphere the Solstice marks midsummer, the longest day of the year and in the Southern Hemisphere it marks midwinter, the shortest day of the year.
The second Equinox, around September 21, when the Sun moves into Libra, marks the start of autumn in the N. Hemisphere and the start of spring in the S. Hemisphere.
Finally, the second Solstice of the year occurs around December 21 when the Sun moves into Capricorn, marking the shortest day (midwinter) in the N. Hemisphere and longest day (midsummer) in the S. Hemisphere. The further away from the Equator you are located the more pronounced the Equinoxes will be. For example, very Northern locations will experience twenty-four hour darkness at the winter Solstice and twenty-four hour sunlight at the summer Solstice. If you are located very near to the Equator, day and night are more or less of equal length all year round.
The Solstices and Equinoxes have been important and much celebrated festival days for many thousands of years and are today still celebrated by modern Wiccans, Pagans and Druids.
 Stonehenge image from: http://www.stonehengetours.com/html/summer-solstice-tour.htm




The ancient stone circle of Stonehenge near Salisbury, England is a major focal point for celebrating the summer Solstice, with thousands gathering each year to watch the Solstice sunrise align with the stones.

Astrological Review of the Year 2010

Part 1: The Cardinal T-Square


(Click here for Part 2, which looks at some of 2010's major new stories)

2010 was a big year and not an easy one, there’s no doubt about that. Now 2011 beckons and it’s time to look forward with hope and optimism, but not before taking a little time out to cogitate and ruminate a while over the year that was twenty-ten.

The major story running through 2010 was the economy. After the banking crisis of 2008 and 2009, followed by ongoing and unprecedented monetary collapses at government level in countries such as Iceland, Greece and latterly Ireland, 2010 was a year of facing realities and making difficult and unpalatable decisions. Not just for banks and governments, but for businesses, public services and individuals alike. Astrologically, of course, this kind of crisis has long been predicted by astrologers, in anticipation of the Saturn, Uranus, Pluto cardinal T-Square, which peaked mid year with Jupiter’s ingress into Aries.

As I wrote back in March:

“In late 2008 Saturn in Virgo was about to make the first of its oppositions to Uranus in Pisces. Saturn-Uranus connections signify sudden change, shocks and the upsetting of the status quo and this was indeed what we were seeing all around us, as the world tumbled into economic crisis. As the ripples began to be felt in our personal lives, many of us found that our ability to remain flexible in the face of disruptive change was tested. When Saturn moved into Libra a year later, instead of a collective sigh of relief, we were all holding our breath waiting for Saturn to make the first of its square aspects to Pluto in Capricorn. Saturn-Pluto aspects signify times of intense challenge, restriction and hard, hard work and without a doubt many of us have been feeling this in our own lives and the lives of our loved ones.

When Uranus moves into Aries in late May 2010, the Saturn-Uranus oppositions and the Saturn-Pluto squares will begin to come together to form the much anticipated cardinal T-square, an event which has many of us puzzled and worried. With these cardinal energies, we can perhaps expect times of fast-forward movement, more shocks and changes, and a lot more hard work. What these energies also promise is the opportunity for personal and collective transformation, exciting creative breakthroughs, inspired action and promising fresh starts. Our ability to keep up with the pace of change will depend to some extent upon our readiness to set clear boundaries, plan for the unexpected, hold things in perspective, apply the wisdom of our experience and keep our minds and bodies in balance while all around us is in flux.”

How was it for you? Certainly these were difficult energies for me and for many around me (transiting Pluto was conjunct my Sun for most of the year, with Saturn squaring it). Fortunately, the online astrological community rose to the challenge, with some spectacularly insightful and helpful articles. Here is my pick of the best:

The International Astrology Day Blog-A-Thon organized by Donna Cunningham and CJ Wright (with a little help from me), focused on providing helpful articles and coping and healing tools for dealing with the energies of Saturn, Uranus and Pluto. Scores of astrologers contributed their wisdom, experience and insights. I’m sure most of you have seen the Blog-A-Thon pages, but the articles form a timeless collection that is well worth revisiting.

The Astrotabletalk blog has covered all the major stories this year, so it’s worth a browse through the topic label list. The post Astrozeitgeist Update gives a pretty concise summary of how this year’s ‘Cardinal Drama’ has been reflected in world events.

Theodore White, at Global Astrology, has written extensively about the ‘Cardinal Crisis’, closely tracking it against world events. Here’s one of his latest posts: Cardinal Crisis, Cable Gate and Wikileaks 

Bill Herbst has an impressive back catalogue of newsletters specifically about the Saturn-Uranus-Pluto T-Square and what it means to the world. Download them here: billherbst.com/newsindex

Richard Tarnas published an excellent article, World Transits 2000-2020, A Overview, a follow up to his excellent book Cosmos and Psyche.

Finally, see my Outer Planet Cycles collection of articles on the major transits of 2010 ~ Saturn-Pluto, Saturn-Uranus, Jupiter-Uranus and Jupiter-Saturn

In Part 2, I’ll review 2010 month by month, looking at how some of the big news stories were reflected in the heavens.

Come back soon!

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

The Solstice and the Grand Cross

The Sun’s ingress into the sign of Cancer is always a very important power point in the solar calendar, marking the June Solstice*. This year’s Solstice chart is a very powerful one indeed because it picks right up on all the main action!

Cancer, as many of you will know, is one of the cardinal signs, the others being Aries, Libra and Capricorn. Since 2008 most of the outer planets, which represent collective moods, feeling and developments, have been moving into the cardinal signs. First Pluto moved into Capricorn in 2008, next Saturn went into Libra in 2009, and finally in March ’10, Uranus moved Aries.

The chart for the Solstice picks up all these outer planets very strongly. You can see this very clearly, marked out in red lines in the chart below. The Sun, to the left of the chart, connects with Saturn at the bottom (currently in Virgo after a retrograde period, but back in Libra by July 21); Pluto in Capricorn on the right and Jupiter and Uranus in Aries at the top. These connections form what is known as a grand cross.

Before considering what this grand cross means, think about how things have been for you the last three months or so. How are you feeling now? For me, the last few months have been pretty hard-going. Flux, overwhelm, emotional and mental fatigue and the constant need to adjust to new energies. On top of all that, a sense of losing momentum and the urge to withdraw, retreat and lie low for a while. Frankly, it’s been exhausting.

Your experience might be similar, or completely different, but consider your own experience as you read on, because we all start from the place that we’re at, if you know what I mean. For sure, we’ve all been living through some challenging planetary aspects these last couple of years, particularly those of us with natal planets or angles in the late mutable signs and/or early cardinal signs (you can get your chart for free at www.alabe.com if you want to know if you’re affected). Many of us have had to deal with big changes over which we’ve had little control and many more of us are having to work hard to set healthy boundaries as we try to balance conflicting commitments and maintain our poise as we juggle what we must do with what we want to do.

So, what’s next? Well, the Solstice chart can be used to make a general prediction for the coming three months, so let’s take a look at it. First of all, the grand cross stands out. A grand cross symbolises conflicting energies, opposition, tension, competing priorities. There is the danger of stalemate, working yourself into a corner, or the feeling of being buffered about from pillar to post, but not really getting anywhere fast as you try to balance everything and everyone in your life. Primarily in cardinal signs it urges us to do something, to take action. The time for procrastination is over. However, as I have said on this blog before, we have to take correct action, with clear and positive intention. Before stepping on a path, we should ask ourselves if we are taking positive, empowered steps forward or are we merely reacting to circumstances. The gift that a grand cross brings is tremendous energy and the opportunity to find stability and balance. The trap that a grand cross brings is inflexibility, re-action rather than action and a whole heap of tension.

So what can we do, to ensure that we are able to use energies of this grand cross for the highest good, for the best possible outcome? Well there are a number of ways and here are just a few ideas and I’m sure you’ll have some ideas of your own.

Using the energies of the planets involved wisely and to the highest good is a sensible place to start. Remember though, that when we are communing with the planets, tapping into their energies, it's a bit like communing with the gods, because the planets were named after the old, great gods. We should hold that thought and respect it.

Saturn in Virgo reminds us to take a reality check and helps us to remember that sometimes it’s the small, practical, carefully thought out things we do that make the difference, not the grand gestures. When Saturn goes back into Libra, it reminds us to find balance in our lives, to set healthy boundaries in our relationships, to act justly and to opt for fair compromise.

Uranus in Aries, here in conjunction with Jupiter in Aries, reminds us to have faith, to think big, to be creative, to experiment, to express our individuality and authenticity, to get excited, to grab opportunities and to jump right in and initiate change.

Pluto in Capricorn reminds us to own and use our personal power wisely and responsibly. We’ve collectively worked hard to get to this point and we are ready to learn that having and holding power doesn’t have to, and shouldn’t, mean taking the power away from someone else. Pluto (along with Saturn) can also help us to keep things in perspective, to act properly under pressure and not to let fear blind us from seeing things clearly.

Finally, the Sun in Cancer reminds us to care and to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe and nurtured. It asks us to remember our roots and to listen to our instincts. Look again at the chart above. See the blue triangle that starts from the Sun in Cancer and picks up the Moon, Neptune and Chiron? This formation, a grand trine, provides us with an opportunity to find some gentle release from the tension of  the grand cross and sprinkles a little bit of magic-dust idealism over our outlook. It reminds us that sometimes we need to just simply go with the flow. Falling in air and water signs, the grand trine speaks of the need to find the head-heart balance as we go about our lives.

And finally, here are a few other suggestions of things to do to nurture ourselves during these testing times:

Learn to follow your feelings and your instincts
Ask where you are meant to be and listen for the answer
Act from the heart, for the highest good
Practice being in the moment
Spend time in nature
Stay grounded
Follow your creative urges
Sing, dance, play, celebrate, make some noise

Just a few days after the Solstice, on June 26 there is a Lunar Eclipse, with the Moon joining the grand cross dance. More on this, plus how to use the Eclipse energies to do some releasement work in a few days time.

The grand cross described here is a temporary alignment, but Saturn, Uranus and Pluto have been making a t-square together for some time gone and some time to come. To find out more and to access some amazing coping and healing techniques, see the Cardinal T Square Blog-A-Thon

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

*Solstice/Equinox 101:
There are two Solstices and the two Equinoxes each year. These important power points occur as the Sun enters one of the cardinal signs of the zodiac - Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn and astrologers use the charts for these events to make predictions for the following three months ahead.
The first Equinox of the year occurs when the Sun moves into Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, around March 21, marking the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. At an Equinox, day and night are of equal length.
The first Solstice occurs when the Sun moves into Cancer around June 21. In the Northern Hemisphere the Solstice marks midsummer, the longest day of the year and in the Southern Hemisphere it marks midwinter, the shortest day of the year.
The second Equinox, around September 21, when the Sun moves into Libra, marks the start of autumn in the N. Hemisphere and the start of spring in the S. Hemisphere.
Finally, the second Solstice of the year occurs around December 21 when the Sun moves into Capricorn, marking the shortest day (midwinter) in the N. Hemisphere and longest day (midsummer) in the S. Hemisphere. The further away from the Equator you are located the more pronounced the Equinoxes will be. For example, very Northern locations will experience twenty-four hour darkness at the winter Solstice and twenty-four hour sunlight at the summer Solstice. If you are located very near to the Equator, day and night are more or less of equal length all year round.
The Solstices and Equinoxes have been important and much celebrated festival days for many thousands of years and are today still celebrated by modern Wiccans, Pagans and Druids.

Stonehenge image from: http://www.stonehengetours.com/html/summer-solstice-tour.htm The ancient stone circle of Stonehenge near Salisbury, England is a major focal point for celebrating the summer Solstice, with thousands gathering each year to watch the Solstice sunrise align with the stones.

The chart pictured is set for the moment the Sun enters Cancer on 21st June 2010 and uses Solar Sign houses.

Astrology for May, Plus the 4 Charts to Watch this Summer

May's Astrological Highlights:

May Day Blessing! As we enter the glorious month of May, Mercury is Retrograde and we’re still reeling from the latest Saturn-Uranus Opposition.

Before Mercury stations Direct on 11th May, we have the general election to contend with here in the UK, on 6th May. Here’s my look at the Election Day chart, in which Mercury Retrograde plays an important part: The UK Election

On 19th May, Venus moves into Cancer, a cosy, caring, nurturing placement for Cancer, a nice time to reach out to a loved one.

On 20th May the Sun moves into restless chatty Gemini. Come back here on the 20th when I will post some great quotes from some well known talkative Twins!

On 23rd May: Jupiter makes its first opposition to Saturn in this current cycle. Click here> to read my previous blog about the Jupiter-Saturn cycle.

Jupiter in Pisces is also really close to a conjunction with Uranus, but won’t quite catch up with Uranus until June, by which time they are both in the sign of Aries.  Still, they are close enough for us to be feeling it already. Read all about the exciting Jupiter-Uranus cycle here

The big news of the month is Uranus’ much anticipated ingress into Aries. See Uranus in Aries: Claiming a Self Reliant Future at Auntie Moon, for a pick of the best Uranus in Aries articles. Uranus only gives us a brief taste of life in the Aries fast lane before he moves back into Pisces from mid August until March 2011.

Hot on the heels of Uranus’ pit stop in Aries, Saturn in Virgo turns around and moves forward again on 30th May, eventually hitting 0 degrees of Libra again in July, ready for its next opposition to Uranus and Jupiter and its next square to Pluto, forming the much anticipated Cardinal T-Square.

Astrologically, May has the feeling of preparation and anticipation, as all the main players - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Pluto - get themselves in position for the main event, the Cardinal T-Square, which will come into its fullness this summer.

Four Charts to Watch this Summer: 

1. The Solstice chart on June 21st. Solstice charts are always good for getting a feel for the season to come and in this one, the Sun at 0 Cancer plugs into the outer planet T-Square, forming a Cardinal Grand Cross. 
2. Then on June 26th, the Capricorn Full Moon falls across the early degrees of Cancer and Capricorn, again forming a Cardinal Grand Cross as it picks up the outer planet T-Square. (article forthcoming)
3. 21st July when Saturn returns to 0 degrees of Libra. (article forthcoming)
4. 30th July, Mars enters 0 degrees of Libra, joining up with the Cardinal T-Square. (article forthcoming)

Charts 1, 3 and 4 in particular have planets at the Aries Point - zero degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn - the point where the personal becomes public and vice versa. 
 

May’s Lunations:

New Moon in Taurus on 14th May

Full Moon in Sagittarius on 27th May

Finally, here’s a link to the Moon Sign Changes and Void of Course Moon Times for May

With love,

Mandi

http://www.mandilockley.com/

Photo credit: http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/