Olivia Colman – A Venus-Uranus Story

At the Golden Globes on January 7, British ‘national treasure’ actress Olivia Colman, picked up the Best Actress in a Comedy award for her portrayal of the early 18^th Century reign of Britain’s Queen Anne in The Favourite. Whilst this is her second Golden Globe¹ this win sees her poised to become a major Hollywood star. 

However, Aquarius also needs to express its own uniqueness and Colman comes across both in interviews and in roles as one of a kind. A profile in the New York Times⁴ described her as the most “ordinary extraordinary person you have ever met,” which reminds us that despite the Aquarian idea of ordinariness and equality, Leo, sign of the special and the extraordinary is at the opposite end of the Aquarius axis. This invites Aquarius to find a unique and singular identity, to shine, whilst still remaining a part of the collective dynamic. In her Golden Globe acceptance speech Colman uses her time in the Leonine spotlight to credit her collaborators – affectionately calling them her ‘bitches’ - and to thank the organisers for the sandwiches – as only an Aquarius would do! By Secondary Progression, her retrograde Venus turned direct in late 1987 and progressed to Conjunct its natal position in June 2002 when she was 28, coinciding with her Saturn return. Two major events bookend these measurements. In 2001 she got married and in 2003 she appeared in cult sitcom Peep Show. Her supporting role as a reluctant romantic interest to David Mitchell’s character got her the attention she needed to land further roles in the comedy genre. 2003 also saw Solar Arc (SA) Venus at 29 degrees Aquarius, having moved 30 degrees around her chart and, echoing her natal Venus-Uranus connection because transiting Uranus was Conjunct SA Venus!

The Favourite is set against a background of war but focuses on life in the ailing and grieving Queen’s court, in particular on her close relationships with the two women who competed for her love and the power that came with it. Rachel Weisz plays Lady Sarah, the Queen’s confidante and lover at the start of the film, but who [spoiler alert] is eventually usurped by her down on her luck cousin Abigail (Emma Stone), who, ambitious to return to her former aristocratic status, inveigles her way into the Queen’s trust and into her bed.

Colman’s portrayal of Anne is all at once beguiling, repulsive, beautiful, absurd, upsetting, darkly funny and incredibly poignant and terrific performances from her supporting actresses make for a compelling and tragicomic triangle.

Born on 30 January 1974 in Norwich UK², Colman has Sun, Mercury and Jupiter in Aquarius. The Sun and Jupiter are squared by Mars in Taurus and Mercury and Jupiter form an Air Grand Trine with Saturn and South Node in Gemini and Uranus in Libra. Uranus also features in the chart’s tightest Square to an intense Venus at 29 degrees of Capricorn.

For all its reputation for quirkiness and individuality (which comes out in Colman’s performances), at heart Aquarius is also the sign of the ordinary common folk. David Mitchell, her co-star in Peep Show, the long running sitcom which gave Colman her breakthrough role, describes her as “normal and nice”³ and she herself often refers to how “ordinary” she is in interviews.

The Sun and Jupiter at 10 degrees and 21 degrees respectively are shy of a Conjunction but a Square from Mars at 15 Taurus forms a midpoint picture, pulling the Sun and Jupiter together. Mars at the midpoint of Sun and Jupiter has been described as “successful application of willpower; zeal; enthusiasm that catches on”.⁵ But the Square to Sun and Jupiter from Mars brings challenges, suggesting that the path towards personal growth and fulfilment of life purpose is strewn with frustrations which demand action and resolution for progress to be made. And indeed, her ‘overnight success’ has been almost 20 years in the making.

This aspect is complicated by both Sun and Mars in the sign of their detriment. It’s an oft overlooked truth that every individual success story is due in often large part to the help of others or is the result of a team effort. It is the challenge of Sun in Aquarius to express an individual identity whilst also being part of a group identity. It’s also to be remembered that although acting throws up many individual ‘stars’, it is in fact a group activity, as each individual performance owes much to the chemistry and ability of the other actors as well as to the quality of the script, production and direction.  In fact, Colman’s co-actors are quick to describe her as a team player and in The Favourite it is the chemistry between herself and co-stars Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz that makes her performance such a brilliant one. And this wasn’t by chance, Director Yorgos Lanthimos gave the actors three weeks of rehearsals to bond and not only does this show on screen it has led to off screen friendships⁶.

Mars in Taurus can bring pressure and frustration around taking action, self-assertion and following one’s desires and the antidote is to find a reliable, practical and grounded course of action. Staying power is of course one of the advantages of Mars in Taurus, with a talent for maintaining and building on wins and successes which in the long term is perhaps more valuable than the quick wins possible with Mars in the more ‘quick off the mark’ signs. That Jupiter at 21 Aquarius is in its Term⁷ perhaps adds the potential for a natural self-confidence that might otherwise be lacking.

Venus, the planet of artistic expression and relationships is in serious, practical Capricorn. Capricorn is notably hard working and her fierce work ethic is universally recognised within the industry. Capricorn is also a sign that needs clear boundaries and she keeps her married life away from the glare of fame and admits to being a homebody (she wed in 2001 and has three kids).

Capricorn is also the sign where a long apprenticeship needs to be served to gain mastery and Colman must have instinctively understood this at the start of her acting career. When her mother suggested giving it a year, Olivia replied that she would give it 10³. Mars in Taurus is also associated with not giving up (even when letting go might be the best course of action, though not in this case of course).

Venus is also prominent in her chart because it’s in the final degree of its sign, the so-called “degree of fate”⁸ and it’s also retrograde. A natal planet at 29 degrees brings a feeling of inevitability, so it’s no surprise that her 10 years of giving it a go at acting has become a no going back 19-year journey that continues to gain momentum.  Frank Clifford describes a planet at 29 degrees as a “seasoned player”⁸ and indeed this is exactly how Colman is perceived, receiving all the respect due to someone who has worked incredibly hard to make the most of her talent.

In interviews, she expresses the Capricorn traits of being down to earth and understated with a self-deprecating humour. Charles Dance, her co-star in Netflix’s The Crown describes her as having “a wonderful sense of humour but also works incredibly hard and takes the job very seriously”³. 

Her Venus is ruled by Saturn which sits in late Gemini and Saturn is also the traditional ruler of her Mercury in Aquarius (and Sun and Jupiter) which also explains her self-deprecating humour. It also suggests an image of a young Colman covering up her fear of getting it wrong by meticulously learning her lines, of wanting to get it right in every single little detail.

Venus Square Uranus is her tightest Square and the only major aspect of Venus (excepting a possible Square to the Moon). This Square probably owes a lot more to her down to earth quirkiness than her Aquarian planets. Interpreting it solely in relation to her art, it reflects her unorthodox route to Hollywood fame. It also has something to say about her femininity. At 44, whilst many female actors are bemoaning the lack of parts for older women, Colman’s star is rising. It’s also worth noting that whilst she is undoubtedly an attractive woman, she doesn’t possess the flawless and often airbrushed/plastic looking beauty we see in most Hollywood actresses. In a word, she looks authentic, like an ordinary (that word again) woman we might meet in the street and yet there is nothing bland about the way she looks, her looks are also unique and (at least in the world of acting) unconventional. In some scenes in The Favourite she is actually shown as very unattractive with swollen and inflamed gout ridden legs and clownish make up, a manifestation of the repulsiveness that’s a possibility with Venus Square Uranus.

This Square also tell us that she needs freedom to express her art in her own way and that the Square is activated at key moments in her career, suggests she has been using it well.

The other major measurement in Colman’s chart is an Air Grand Trine. It’s a very mercurial aspect pattern involving Mercury and Jupiter in Aquarius, Saturn and South Node in Gemini and Uranus (the higher Octave of Mercury) in Libra. This again explains her talent for wit, which makes her such a good comedienne, her versatile range (despite so much fixity in her chart) and adds the potential for oratory brilliance. To access the promise of a Grand Trine requires a hard aspect into at least one of the planets involved. In this case, it is that Venus Square to Uranus again, that provides the impetus to actualise its potential into an artform.

The gift of the Air Grand Trine is reflected in her own assertion in a 2012 interview about her instinctive style that “you can over-think things – if the script is good, everything you need is there.” She admitted in a recent Radio 4 interview, in her typical self-effacing way, that this was her approach to playing Queen Anne in The Favourite, going off the script rather than the method acting approach of researching every detail of the monarch’s life and personality. This also suggests the intellectual self-sufficiency associated with an Air Grand Trine.

When Colman picked up her Golden Globe, her midlife Uranus Opposite Uranus transit was just coming to an end, but of course transiting Uranus is also simultaneously Squaring her natal Venus with the last exact hit in February 2019 ahead of Uranus settling in Taurus and well timed for this year’s Oscars ceremony for which she received a nomination the best actress award.

Other measurements include Solar Arc Mercury Aries Square Neptune. Positive manifestations include creative expression, barriers dissolving and dream opportunities. Negative possibilities include over-idealism or impatience and impulsiveness leading to disillusionment and disappointment. Neptune in itself is of course an apt symbol for the glamourous world of ‘let’s pretend’ that is Hollywood.

SA Mercury is also currently applying to a Sextile to her Sun, putting a spotlight on creative self-expression this year. Already, SP Venus is Conjunct her Sun, shining a once in a lifetime spotlight on her talent, showing how far she’s come on her journey since SP Venus was Conjunct its natal position and Square her Uranus which, as already noted, coincided with her first breakthrough role – Uranus is of course associated with breakthroughs of all kinds.

You can read this article in full in the March/April edition of Infinity Astrological Magazine 

Notes and References

¹ Colman’s first Golden Globe was awarded in 2017 for best supporting actress in TV drama The Night Manager. Notably, she didn’t turn up to the ceremony because she didn’t think she had a chance of winning

² https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivia_Colman - birth time is unknown so a solar sign chart is used. The Moon is either in Aries or Taurus depending on birth time and is not considered in this analysis.

³ https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/dec/22/olivia-colman-2019-screen-queen-the-favourite-the-crown-les-miserables

⁴ https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/22/arts/olivia-colman-the-favourite-the-crown.html

⁵ Synthesis and Counselling in Astrology, Page 787, Noel Tyl, Llewelyn, 2004 Edition. 

⁶ https://www.screendaily.com/features/olivia-colman-talks-fame-and-the-favourite-you-have-to-be-a-bit-better-behaved/5135473.article

⁷ According to Ptolemy’s Table of Essential Dignities

⁸ https://www.isarastrology.org/news/289/frank-c_-clifford-the-power-degrees-of-the-zodiac-part-2

After the Transit ~ Saturn and Uranus

This article first appeared in Issue 10 of Infinity Magazine in November 2016. Read every issue of the mag for free here

So, transiting Saturn/Uranus/Neptune/Pluto has finished its Conjunction/Square/Opposition to your Sun/Moon/Mercury/Venus/Mars/Jupiter/Saturn/Angle [Delete as appropriate!]

You breathe a big sigh of relief. It’s over. Finally.

If you track your transits, you were anticipating it long before it came and as it inched ever closer to its target, you watched carefully for signs of its influence. Perhaps the transit reflected major life changes, challenges, losses or new opportunities? Maybe years of hard work started to pay off or conversely, you had to face the consequences of unwise decisions made in the past? Possibly, the shift was more internal as you chose to (or were forced to) confront deep-rooted baggage, heal old wounds, grieve, move on, let go. Perhaps your resistance to the process, to the shifts in your physical, material and/or psychological circumstances, caused you to suffer. Maybe you were aware of your resistance, maybe you weren’t.

But now what?

If, under your transit, you experienced any kind of loss, setback, shock or major change, the chances are, now it’s over, you’ll be seeking to replace those losses, reverse the changes, return things to how they were. It’s human nature. We are creatures of habit - most of us take comfort in even the things we know aren’t good for us, because that’s the way it’s always been, the way we’ve been programmed. It’s simply easier to carry on as before than it is to change.

Here’s a familiar scenario.

A relationship breaks up under a Uranus transit. Now the transit is over and after a while you feel ready for romance again. You’re attracted to your new partner because he’s just your type. Consciously or unconsciously, something about him reminds you of your old flame. Your new partner pays you constant attention, says you belong together, whispers those three little words in your ear and proudly shows you off to his friends. It’s all so flattering and is just how your former relationship started. The nice part, before the possessiveness and jealousy kicked in. Your new beau doesn’t approve of your friends and you start to see less of them (he’s taking up all your time, anyway). You attend a party and have a brilliant evening chatting and dancing, but you barely speak to him all night and he makes his feelings clear about that later.

If you’re not in denial, not telling yourself that this time it’s going to be different, you realise that your old unhealthy relationship pattern is starting to recur. After all, you know it’s written in your birth chart, in that difficult aspect, so what can you do?

But maybe this time something tells you (maybe your inner self or maybe your friends, or both) that this is a good opportunity to put the lessons of that completed Uranus transit to good use, to allow your life choices to reflect the higher promise of your birth chart rather than the lower expression.

You consider your options.

Do you (1) run a mile, but feel miserable alone and then either repeat the pattern down the line with someone else, or stay lonely; (2) leave the relationship, but work on your own issues, through therapy, self help, through your chosen spiritual practice, or simply by giving yourself proper time to reflect, heal and claim your independence, to learn that it’s OK to be single; (3) stay in the relationship, but confront the issues early on and do your best to set healthy boundaries that allow you to be yourself and to have a life independent of the partner, remaining prepared to move on if it doesn’t work; or (4) stay in the relationship, do nothing and hope for the best? 

There’s no right or wrong answer, this is not a quiz, nor is it an advice column. Options (1) and (4) seem least likely to lead to growth and learning, however. But then, none of the options are without risk and all of them, except (4) involve change, but at least options (2) and (3) carry forward the lessons of the Uranus transit that occurred during the breakup of the last relationship.

But remember, it’s not as easy as it sounds on paper. If this is a client’s situation, while it’s our job is to make them aware of the processes their transits represent and to help them to better understand the meaning of those processes, it is not our job to tell them what to do.  

It’s also worth remembering that often, for those going through the scenario described above, the idea of being alone may be more terrifying than staying in an awful relationship. While for us astrologers Uranus transits are often welcomed as exciting and invigorating, for our clients they can signify scary, confusing times and after the initial transit they may be dealing with the fallout of what was set in motion for some time to come.

Here’s another scenario:

You lost your job under a Saturn transit. Saturn’s moved on and so must you.

You didn’t like the job much and would love to do something completely different or perhaps work for yourself, but you also have to think about the practical and financial issues. Can you afford the time and money required before a new business starts to pay for itself? And can you run the risk of it failing? Or are you prepared to abandon years of hard work, a good salary and status to start at the bottom in a totally different career?

Saturn transits might be about getting us back on track, but unfortunately they don’t let us off the hook when it comes to the material necessities of life. Saturn teaches that our dreams need to be tempered by reality, need to be ‘grown up’ (a Saturn transit at any age is about growing in maturity).

Here are three possibilities in keeping with carrying forward Saturn’s lessons:

Conscious that you might be missing an opportunity to fulfil a dream, you do the sensible thing and look for a role similar to your last one because you have responsibilities. The dream might be on hold (you hope not forever) but using the ‘be realistic and patient’ lesson of your Saturn transit, you realise that there are things you can do to make things better reflect your needs in your next job.

For example, you think carefully about what you liked and disliked in previous roles; you target companies which better reflect your personal values; in interviews, you don’t just ask about what the job itself entails, you ask also about the company culture, the personalities of the team you’d be working with, enquire about the future direction of the company, about opportunities to develop new skills. On your resume, you emphasise the skills that you most like to use, making less of those you don’t.

Or perhaps you use your years of experience in a different way, by seeking part time or contract work. It might lack the security of a permanent role, but it provides an income and buys you more time to consider your future, to start laying down the foundations for the business you want to start or for the new career you want to pursue.

Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones, able to follow your dream all out. However, if you remember the lessons of the Saturn transit, you will plan it out carefully, give yourself a timeline and a budget, learn any new skills you need (or hire an expert to do the things you can’t do) and so on.

However, it’s wise to reassess our dreams, goals and priorities after a Saturn transit. We age, we grow, the world changes around us, responsibilities fall onto our shoulders, spanners fall into the works.

Think about that dream of old. What does it boil down to? What’s its essence? Why did you want to be an artist/cosmonaut/vet/photographer/lawyer? Were you following an innate talent or a personal interest? Were you trying to please a parent or conform to a social stereotype of success? Was it because of the things you thought that career might bring - money, power, status, glamour? Or did it stem from a need to express yourself creatively, to help others, to give something back to the world? 

If you look at it from this angle you can see more easily where you need to let go of old dreams and also when to hold onto dreams that are still valid, but need to be adapted so they better suit who and where you are now. You may even find that you have already made your dream come true, in essence at least, but didn’t realise it because it manifested differently to your fixed expectation.

Whichever path you take, you remain realistic, patient and focused and you don’t give up because you know you are laying down solid foundations for the future. You’ve absorbed the lesson of your Saturn transit.

But please don’t ignore the feelings of depression and self-doubt that can often accompany a job loss - even the loss of a hated job - which can linger long after the transit the loss occurred under has passed. And of course, as professional astrologers, this also applies to our clients. 

In Part 2 we will look at how we, or our clients, might be feeling after a long Neptune transit.

With love,

Mandi

P.S. Check out the Academy of Astrology YouTube Channel, which includes talks from me on The Descendant, Venus in Art and Mercury Retrograde (with more to come soon):

Academy of Astrology YouTube Channel

Uranus in Aries Wakes Up Your Mars ~ Pt. 2

 

As Uranus moves through dynamic, restless Aries, it continues to wake up and shake up your natal Mars. It challenges you to act true to your Mars sign and aspects, to use your Mars energy, vitality and assertiveness in an authentic way. Here’s a look at how Mars in the signs of Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces will be stimulated by Uranus in Aries.                                                                 

 

Click here to read Part 1 ~ Mars in Aries through Virgo  

 

Mars in Libra

If you have Mars in Libra you put your energy into building relationships through being sociable, charming and cooperative. Before making a decision and acting on it, you consider the other side of things and/or the other people involved. Your reputation for indecisiveness is not deserved. If you hesitate before you act it’s only because you want to weigh up all the options and then act in an even-handed, fair way. However, once your mind is made up you have no problem acting on your decision quickly, forcefully and sometimes self-righteously. When challenged you are a worthy opponent who likes to play fair. While you may say that you dislike conflict, you do in fact need it, because it presents you with a mission to restore balance and harmony and make the world a more peaceful place.

Mars in Libra blends dynamically with the energy of Uranus in Aries, bringing challenges into your life. Your personal relationships could go through some dramatic changes while Uranus is in Aries, but be aware that this transit is as much about your relationship with yourself as it is about your relationship with others. As your life and the way you relate to the world changes you may find yourself in conflict with others and when this happens it will be helpful to understand that what we see in other people is often simply a reflection of ourselves. Remembering this as you meet opposition will help you to ‘own’ your own process and not project it onto others and this in turn, will help you make the most of the bright new opportunities that are opening up to you.

At some point over the next seven years, transiting Uranus will oppose your natal Mars. While the opposition is active, the Mars in Libra-Uranus in Aries dynamic described above will become more pronounced. This will not be a time for sitting on the fence. It will be a very dynamic time for seizing opportunities and making dramatic life changes that can take you forward into an exciting future.

Mars in Scorpio

If you have Mars in Scorpio you use your considerable energy in a measured, controlled way. Calm on the surface, underneath you are driven by deep passions and strong emotions, although few would guess from the outside just how intensely you experience life. The sheer depth of your feelings makes you feel vulnerable so you put a lot of energy into protecting yourself, unconsciously fearing that you could get hurt if you expose your emotions to the world. However, when your passion is ignited you will go to almost any lengths to get what you want and have the ability to magnetically attract the object of your desire, be it money, control, power or a relationship. When you do trust someone enough to let them in, you are capable of forming deep and long lasting bonds.

Mars in Scorpio sits awkwardly with the energy of Uranus in Aries and you may find yourself having to adjust to unexpected new circumstances which are out of your control, a situation which will not sit easily with you. Relationships could throw you into frustrating situations which could ignite your temper if your buttons are pressed too many times! During this time, you would be wise to pick your fights carefully. Fighting for those things / relationships that you are truly passionate about will be well worth the effort as always, but essentially this transit is here to teach you that stubbornly fighting on or obsessively trying to control everything is not always the best thing to do. Sometimes you can achieve much more, much faster, by simply letting go and moving on. At the very least, you are being asked to adjust your perspective and meet others half way, whether you want to or not!

At some point over the next seven years, transiting Uranus will quincunx your natal Mars. While the quincunx is active, the Mars in Scorpio-Uranus in Aries dynamic described above will become more pronounced. Things could get sticky and tricky, but will undoubtedly be passionate!

Mars in Sagittarius

If you have Mars in Sagittarius you have boundless restless energy which you pour into many and diverse activities and relationships. It is important to you to be honest to yourself and to others. Your honesty is often take for tactlessness by more sensitive types, but you rarely mean any harm, it’s just that deep down you are guided by a strong sense of morality and idealism. Your adventurous spirit and impulsive urges can lead to recklessness if you are not careful, but it is part of your life journey to explore all avenues and experience life to the full. Your actions are often guided by an idealistic vision of where you want to be in the future, although very often it is the chase that excites you the most!

Mars in Sagittarius blends well with the energy of Uranus in Aries. Your physical energy, natural charisma and innate enthusiasm will be enhanced by Uranus in Aries, which could attract new and exciting things into our life. You will certainly feel restless for change, but in your impatience to move onto new adventures, you could all too easily end up throwing baby out with the bathwater! Instead, use this time constructively and creatively and you will find you can move a few quick steps forward towards fulfilling your dreams.

At some point over the next seven years, transiting Uranus will trine your natal Mars. While the trine is active, the Mars in Sagittarius-Uranus in Aries dynamic described above will become more pronounced. All you need to do is be ready and willing to grab the opportunities coming your way and make the most of them.

Mars in Capricorn

If you have Mars in Capricorn you put your energy into achieving tangible, material goals and progressing with your ambitions. While others might tag you for a slow-starter, the thing is, you hate to waste your precious time and energy on pointless tasks, so before you start anything new, you prefer to take some time up front to plan and strategise carefully. Once you do get going though, you can be super-dynamic and a great organiser/administrator who sees things through in a serious and self-disciplined way. One of your life’s lessons is to learn patience and understand that all good things come to those who wait – and those who are prepared to put the effort in! You are very down to earth in your physical appetites and have great stamina!

Mars in Capricorn blends dynamically with the energy of Uranus in Aries, bringing challenges into your life. Your patience could be tested as well thought out plans go unexpectedly awry. When bright new opportunities come into your life, if they feel too good to be true, then they probably are, so you will need to carefully work out what’s worth pursuing and what’s not. This basically means taking a reality check from time to time, something you are very good at! However, this is for sure a time for action, because ‘doing something about it’ is the best way you can deal with the tense situations you may find yourself in. At best, this is a great time to work on releasing yourself from the past, letting go of the fears and ‘what-ifs’ that have been holding you back and going for broke to turn long-held ambitions into reality.

At some point over the next seven years, transiting Uranus will square your natal Mars. While the square is active, the Mars in Capricorn-Uranus in Aries dynamic described above will become more pronounced. This will certainly be a challenging and unpredictable transit, but it could also be very energising and if handled well, could see you using strengths and resources you didn’t even know you had!

Mars in Aquarius

If you have Mars in Aquarius you put your energy into being individual and independent and expressing yourself freely. You are not competitive in the conventional sense because you prefer to go your own way rather than pursue the same goals as everyone else. When you have the freedom to do this, you really can be creatively innovative and original. The trouble is, the urge to rebel sometimes gets in the way of achieving your goals and you can ‘cut off your nose to spite your face’ just to be contrary! Your energies are best directed towards helping others or acting on behalf of a cause – anything that makes a real difference in the world - so long as you have the space to do it authentically, honestly and in your own unique way.

Lucky you! Mars in Aquarius blends well with the energy of Uranus in Aries. Furthermore, because your Mars is ruled by Uranus, you will feel more comfortable than most with the transit of Uranus in Aries. You can expect eureka moments, creative breakthroughs and fast forward movement towards your goals and ambitions. The caveat is that you are ready and willing to make the most of the opportunities that come your way and that you pursue them with objectivity, authenticity and positive intention.

At some point over the next seven years, transiting Uranus will sextile your natal Mars. While the sextile is active, the Mars in Aquarius-Uranus in Aries dynamic described above will become more pronounced. If you find yourself in a rut, even an unconventional one, now’s the time to shake yourself out of it and claim a self reliant future.

Mars in Pisces

If you have Mars in Pisces your energy is expressed compassionately and emotionally and you tend to act on instinct rather than logic. You are very sensitive to the moods and feelings of others and the vibes all around you, making it difficult sometimes to know what desires and emotions are your own and what you are simply absorbing from the atmosphere and from the needs of other people. At best, you act with empathy, kindness and compassion, but must guard against making unnecessary sacrifices for the sake of others. When you give yourself the permission to be true to yourself and your feelings, you can truly do a lot of good and can be an inspiration and a guiding vision for others.

Mars in Pisces doesn’t see eye to eye with Uranus in Aries. The direct, fast acting, challenging energies of Uranus in Aries can feel harsh and uncompromising to a sensitive soul like yourself. Fortunately, your flexibility, empathy and ability to see the bigger picture will help you to understand what is going on and why.

Uranus won’t make a significant transit to your Mars while it’s in Aries. However, while Uranus was in Pisces over the last seven years, you will have had transiting Uranus conjunct your Mars. No doubt, during that time you went through many changes in your life, some difficult and others very exciting. Uranus in Aries is your time to embrace the positive changes that have occurred and build on them to claim an exciting future for yourself.

How do I find out what sign my natal Mars is in?
You can quickly and simply draw up your birth chart at http://www.alabe.com/.  Make a note of the sign that Mars is in and also the degree it’s in.

You say that Uranus in Aries will make an aspect to my natal Mars – when will that be and how long will it last?
The earlier your Mars is placed in its sign, the sooner you will have the aspect. For example, if your Mars is at 0 degrees of Capricorn, Uranus in Aries will be forming a square aspect to it right now. Or, if your Mars is at 25 degrees of Libra, Uranus will form an opposition aspect to it in 2017.
Uranus transits can last for anything from a few months, up to a year or so. To find out exactly when Uranus will transit your Mars and for how long, you will need to consult an ephemeris or have your transits calculated on professional astrological software.
Please also note that Uranus will be back in Pisces from August this year until March next, so if your Mars is in the last three degrees of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius or Pisces, Uranus in Pisces will make a dynamic transiting aspect to your Mars during that time. Uranus in Pisces is a very different dynamic to Uranus in Aries, but unfortunately there’s not scope to discuss it here.

I read the description of my Mars in its sign and it didn’t feel like the whole picture, why is that?
Most likely your Mars is aspected by other planets in your natal chart. This will colour how your Mars energy expresses itself. For example, with the Sun in aspect to Mars, the Mars energy will be dynamically illuminated and intensified. With the Moon in aspect to Mars, your energy is expressed emotionally, reactively, instinctively. In aspect to Mercury, your Mars energy will be stimulated and expressed through a diverse range of ideas, opinions and activities. When Venus connects to Mars, energy is expressed more diplomatically and creatively and your actions are more relationship focused. Jupiter in aspect to Mars will exaggerate and expand the Mars energy, making you more adventurous and goal driven. Saturn in aspect to Mars may dampen your enthusiasm but will give you patience, discipline and focus. Uranus in aspect to Mars focuses your energy on the need for excitement, originality and independence. Transiting Uranus in Aries will bring out these qualities in you, whatever your Mars sign. Neptune in aspect to Mars will focus your energy on idealistic, creative or spiritual pursuits. Pluto in aspect to Mars will make your energy more concentrated, powerful and intense.

A final note about Uranus transits
Uranus transits, while exciting and sometimes stressful, can be very unpredictable. This makes Uranus transits difficult to predict. They often manifest in exciting and often surprising life events and changes. Sometimes these are initiated by the person having the transit and other times they seem to come at you from the outside. Sometimes, they can represent inner journeys that see you change from the inside out, but aren’t obviously apparent in the external circumstances of your life. Expecting the unexpected is a good way to approach your Uranus transit.

Enjoy the ride!

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

Click Here to Read Part 1 – Mars in Aries through Virgo

Image from: http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/participate/funzone/

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Uranus in Aries wakes up your Mars!

 

As Uranus moves through dynamic, restless Aries, it continues to wake up and shake up your natal Mars. It challenges you to act true to your Mars sign and aspects, to use your Mars energy, vitality and assertiveness in an authentic way. The following I wrote and posted in 2010, but it's well worth a revisit now. How is your Mars doing?

Uranus in Aries is an exciting transit of fast forward movement, sudden change, spontaneous happenings and exciting breakthroughs. Because Mars rules Aries, your natal Mars will be stimulated by Uranus in Aries, so here’s a look at Mars through the signs and how Uranus in Aries might affect it.

Mars in Aries

If you have Mars in Aries you have a tendency to be competitive, direct and impatient. You like to take the initiative and lead from the front. Decisions are made impulsively and followed up on quickly, often without considering the consequences. You tend to act on hunches, on intuition and while your actions might seem risky and ill considered to more cautious types, they often pan out quite well! If they don’t, then you tend to have the resilience to bounce back quickly and carry on regardless.

Mars in Aries blends well with the energy of Uranus in Aries. Change is in the air and you are ready to dive in head first embrace it with open arms. Uranus awakens your inner warrior and you’ll be un-phased by any obstacle that stands in your way. You’ll probably be more impatient and excitable than usual, so try not to waste a good opportunity by behaving too recklessly. With lots of excess restless energy to burn, taking regular physical exercise is very important during this transit.

At some point over the next seven years, transiting Uranus will conjunct your natal Mars. While the conjunction is active, the Mars in Aries-Uranus in Aries dynamic described above will become more pronounced. Life is about to get exciting, so go for it!

Mars in Taurus

If you have Mars in Taurus you use your energy very steadily and like to take your time over things. This however, makes for incredible stamina. You really can carry on long after the others have packed up and gone home! You like to put your energy into things – jobs, relationships etc - which will bring you material and emotional security. Tasks performed seem pointless if they don’t produce tangible, measurable results. A lover of simple, down-to-earth pleasures, you like your sex and your meals long lasting and slow.

Mars in Taurus has difficulty seeing eye to eye with Uranus in Aries. You see, Uranus in Aries wants fast forward radical change, but with Mars in Taurus you tend to put your energy into stubbornly resisting change and trying to keep things just the way they are. This could cause you some stress. Imagining yourself as a tall strong tree might help. While you can’t control the fact that your upper branches are swaying in the winds of change, your roots are strong, deep and solidly fixed in the earth, so the tree (you) can remain stable, strong and grounded, whatever comes its way. Certainly, at this time of change and uncertainty, the world needs people like you to hold the fort and help keep things sane and grounded. Finally, Mars in Taurus people like to bring a bit of beauty into the world and often have a marked artistic/creative streak. Under Uranus in Aries, you could well find that streak stimulated in new exciting, ways!

Uranus won’t make a significant transit to your Mars while it’s in Aries.

Mars in Gemini

If you have Mars in Gemini you use your energy to follow many and diverse paths. You are flexible, curious and need to feel constantly stimulated and you do this through communicating, making connections with others and exploring new ideas. You may be easily distracted and change your mind often, directing your energy towards your latest new goal, idea or project, leaving other things unfinished. While you are very skilled at juggling lots of different things at once, you need to learn to follow things through to completion and not leave too many balls hanging in the air! Fortunately, you are mentally and physically dexterous enough to cope with many things at once and that feeling when everything magically seems to come together is a feeling to savour.

Mars in Gemini blends well with the energy of Uranus in Aries. Your open mindedness and enthusiasm for change will serve you well over the next few years. You will have heaps of positive energy to pour into new projects and into making exciting connections with others. This is a good time for developing new skills and exploring new ideas, as recent constraints on your ability to move forward begin to fall away. You will be restless for change, so be careful you don’t simply initiate change for change’s sake and try not to spread yourself too thin.

At some point over the next seven years, transiting Uranus will sextile your natal Mars. While the sextile is active, the Mars in Gemini-Uranus in Aries dynamic described above will become more pronounced and new opportunities will come your way, so long as you are ready, willing and able to make the most of them.

Mars in Cancer

If you have Mars in Cancer you tend to act indirectly and sympathetically, sensitive to the feelings and reactions of others. That said, when backed into a corner or when your own or a loved one’s security is at stake, you can be indomitable. There is a lot going on under the surface with Mars in Cancer as you process things internally at a deep level before you act. Because of this, your actions are often guided by instinct and intuition. You need to feel physically and emotionally safe and because of this you pour a lot of you energy into protecting yourself, particularly in situations where you feel vulnerable. You don’t open up easily to others, but the people you love and trust the most are very fortunate, because you would do anything for them.

Mars in Cancer blends dynamically with the energy of Uranus in Aries, bringing challenges into your life. When challenges come along which threaten your sense of security and your place in the world, you are on the defensive and ready to put up a fight to protect what is yours. However, some Mars in Cancer people could face very challenging changes during this transit – be it in your career, your home life or in your relationships – and while this may be deeply upsetting, at least a part of you will understand the necessity of what is occurring. Becoming aware that change needs to happen in your life and consciously letting go of old, worn out dreams, goals and emotional attachments is the key to unlocking the powerful personal growth and development opportunities available to you at this time. If life feels like a series of endings, remembering that endings come before new beginnings will help you to embrace the new and exciting developments that are possible in almost any sphere of your life these next few years.

At some point over the next seven years, transiting Uranus will square your natal Mars. While the square is active, the Mars in Cancer-Uranus in Aries dynamic described above will become more pronounced. This will certainly be a challenging and unpredictable transit, but it will also be incredibly energising and if handled well, could bring out the very best in you.

Mars in Leo

If you have Mars in Leo you assert yourself proudly, warmly and from the heart. Your actions may be dramatic and self-seeking, because you seek attention and recognition. Pride can sometimes get the better of you and if your will is too stubborn and self-centred, this can lead to problems, especially if you don’t get the compliments you feel you deserve for your unquestionable prowess! When this happens you can become pushy, overbearing and domineering. At best though, your natural confidence and sunny disposition is shared generously with others and your cup runneth over with creative flair and positive vitality.

Mars in Leo blends well with the energy of Uranus in Aries and this should be a time when your creative energies flow easily. Your physical energy will also be enhanced by Uranus in Aries, perhaps bringing exciting and unexpected encounters! Certainly you can gain positive rewards from any endeavour you pour your energy into at this time. However, the danger is that you will simply rest on your laurels during this time. Fine, be lazy if you must – just ‘be’ if you like, but wouldn’t it be a shame to let this time pass you by without actively making the most of your abundant natural energy, talent and ability?

At some point over the next seven years, transiting Uranus will trine your natal Mars. While the trine is active, the Mars in Leo-Uranus in Aries dynamic described above will become more pronounced.

Mars in Virgo

If you have Mars in Virgo you assert yourself modestly and discriminatingly. Your mission is to serve others, work hard and be helpful. You put your energy into practical tasks, but not before carefully mulling over exactly how you are going to put those tasks into action. Steer clear of being over-critical of yourself and others and avoid unnecessary stress by remembering that the world and the people in it are far from perfect!

Mars in Virgo sits awkwardly with the energy of Uranus in Aries and you may find yourself having to adjust to new circumstances you are not totally comfortable with. This can be irritating and frustrating. In particular you may find the balance in your relationships shifts, as significant others go through major life changes and you have to adjust accordingly, even if you feel as if they are acting selfishly. Or it may be that your life is undergoing big changes and you feel as if you are stuck on a see-saw going back and forth between the old and the new. Your task will be to find and maintain the balance, making small adjustments as you go along, until eventually you can find a way to more comfortably integrate the new changes into your life. Tapping into your innate flexibility, practical intelligence and hard working nature will help you enormously during this time.

At some point over the next seven years, transiting Uranus will quincunx your natal Mars. While the quincunx is active, the Mars in Virgo-Uranus in Aries dynamic described above will become more pronounced.

Part 2 – Mars in Libra through Mars in Pisces - coming up next.

How do I find out what sign my natal Mars is in?
You can quickly and simply draw up your birth chart at http://www.alabe.com/.  Make a note of the sign that Mars is in and also the degree it’s in.

You say that Uranus in Aries will make an aspect to my natal Mars – when will that be and how long will it last?
The earlier your Mars is placed in its sign, the sooner you will have the aspect. For example, if your Mars is at 0 degrees of Capricorn, Uranus in Aries will be forming a square aspect to it right now. Or, if your Mars is at 25 degrees of Libra, Uranus will form an opposition aspect to it in 2017.
Uranus transits can last for anything from a few months, up to a year or so. To find out exactly when Uranus will transit your Mars and for how long, you will need to consult an ephemeris or have your transits calculated on professional astrological software.
Please also note that Uranus will be back in Pisces from August this year until March next, so if your Mars is in the last three degrees of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius or Pisces, Uranus in Pisces will make a dynamic transiting aspect to your Mars during that time. Uranus in Pisces is a very different dynamic to Uranus in Aries, but unfortunately there’s not scope to discuss it here.

I read the description of my Mars in its sign and it didn’t feel like the whole picture, why is that?
Most likely your Mars is aspected by other planets in your natal chart. This will colour how your Mars energy expresses itself. For example, with the Sun in aspect to Mars, the Mars energy will be dynamically illuminated and intensified. With the Moon in aspect to Mars, your energy is expressed emotionally, reactively, instinctively. In aspect to Mercury, your Mars energy will be stimulated and expressed through a diverse range of ideas, opinions and activities. When Venus connects to Mars, energy is expressed more diplomatically and creatively and your actions are more relationship focused. Jupiter in aspect to Mars will exaggerate and expand the Mars energy, making you more adventurous and goal driven. Saturn in aspect to Mars may dampen your enthusiasm but will give you patience, discipline and focus. Uranus in aspect to Mars focuses your energy on the need for excitement, originality and independence. Transiting Uranus in Aries will bring out these qualities in you, whatever your Mars sign. Neptune in aspect to Mars will focus your energy on idealistic, creative or spiritual pursuits. Pluto in aspect to Mars will make your energy more concentrated, powerful and intense.

A final note about Uranus transits
Uranus transits, while exciting and sometimes stressful, can be very unpredictable. This makes Uranus transits difficult to predict. They often manifest in exciting and often surprising life events and changes. Sometimes these are initiated by the person having the transit and other times they seem to come at you from the outside. Sometimes, they can represent inner journeys that see you change from the inside out, but aren’t obviously apparent in the external circumstances of your life. Expecting the unexpected is a good way to approach your Uranus transit.

Enjoy the ride!

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

Image from: http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/participate/funzone/

After Your Transit (& Some Good News)

So, you survived your big transit. Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and/or Pluto has finished its conjunction, square or opposition to your natal planet.

A big sigh of relief all round.

If you follow your transits, you were probably anticipating it long before it came and as it inched ever closer to its target, you watched carefully for signs of its influence. Perhaps your transit reflected major life changes, challenges, losses or new opportunities? Maybe years of hard work started to pay off or conversely, you had to face the consequences of unwise decisions made in the past? Possibly, the shift was more internal as you chose to (or were forced to) confront deep-rooted psychological baggage, heal old wounds, grieve, move on, let go.  

Now what?

If your transit brought any kind of loss, shock, major change or disruption, chances are, now it’s over, you’re seeking to replace those losses and reverse the changes, to try to return things to how they were. It’s human nature.

Here are a couple of scenarios.

A relationship breaks up under a Uranus transit. After a while, you’re ready for romance again. You’re attracted to your new partner because he’s just your type. Consciously or unconsciously, something about him reminds you of your old flame. Your new partner pays you constant attention, says you belong together forever and shows you off to his friends. This is all so so flattering and is just how your former relationship started. The nice part, before the possessiveness and the jealousy kicked in. Your new beau doesn’t seem to approve of your best friend and you start to see less of her because he’s taking up all your time. At parties, you chat and flirt your way around the room because that’s the way you are, but your partner doesn’t like it.

The old pattern could be recurring, but this is your opportunity to put the lessons of that Uranus transit to good use.

Do you (1) run a mile, but feel miserable alone and then either repeat the pattern down the line with someone else, or stay lonely; (2) leave the relationship, but work on your own issues, through therapy, self help, through your chosen spiritual practice, or simply by giving yourself proper time to reflect and heal; (3) stay in the relationship, but confront the issues early on and do your best to set healthy boundaries, remaining prepared to move on if it doesn’t work; or (4) stay in the relationship, do nothing and hope for the best? 

There’s no right or wrong answer, this is not a quiz, nor is it an advice column. Options (1) and (4) seem to be the least likely to lead to growth and learning. But then, none of the options are without risk and all of them, except (4) involve change.

Scenario two.

You lost your job under a Saturn transit, so you look for a new one. You would love to do something completely different, but you also have to think about the practical issues and the bills that need to be paid, especially in these straightened times. Conscious that you might be missing an opportunity to fulfil a dream, you give yourself the best odds by going for roles similar to your last one. The dream might be on hold, but using the ‘be realistic and patient’ lesson of your Saturn transit, you realise that there are things you can do to make things better in your next job.

For example, you think carefully about what you liked and disliked in previous roles; you target companies which better reflect your personal values; in interviews, you don’t just ask about what the job itself entails, you ask also about the company culture, the atmosphere in the office, the personalities of the team you’d be working with. On your resume, you emphasise the skills that you most like to use, making less of those you don’t. Perhaps you consider temping, freelancing, part time or contract work. It might lack the security of a permanent role, but it can provide an income and buy you some time to find something you truly want to do.

Overall, you remain realistic and you’re prepared to be flexible. You’re patient and hopeful and you don’t give up. You’ve absorbed the lesson of your Saturn transit.

You’ve Got To Have A Dream

Maybe you’re one of the lucky or brave ones, who really can follow your dream. If you’re not, never lose hope. As the old song goes, if you don’t have a dream, how’re you going have a dream come true? It’s wise though to reassess our dreams on occasion and particularly after a life changing transit. We age, we grow, our priorities change, the world changes around us, unexpected spanners fall into the works.

Think about that dream of old. What does it boil down to? What’s its essence? Why did you want to be a painter/cosmonaut/vet/photographer? Were you following an innate talent or a personal interest? Were you trying to please a parent or conform to a social stereotype of success? Was it for the money, the power, the recognition, to fit in? Did it stem from a need to express yourself creatively, to help others, to give something back to the world? 

If you look at it from this angle you can see more easily where you need to let go of old dreams and also when to hold onto dreams that are still valid, but need to be adapted so they better suit who and where you are now. You may even find that you have already made your dream come true, but didn’t realise it because it manifested differently to your fixed expectation.

As Within, So Without: What We Can Learn From World Events

This post explores how, so often after a difficult transit, it’s too easy to carry on repeating the mistakes of the past, when instead we could use the wisdom our transit brought to break unhealthy, outdated patterns of behaviour.

I think the current world situation is a lesson to us all of the dangers of not learning the lessons of the past, of blindly trying to tread a path that just doesn’t work for us anymore. Since the banking crisis of 2008 (when Pluto moved into Capricorn and Saturn squared Pluto and opposed Uranus) most of the energy and resources have been directed towards restoring the old ways of doing things. The capitalist model based on constant growth which benefited so many of us while Pluto was in Sagittarius simply doesn’t work under Pluto in Capricorn. Somehow, we need to find another way of doing things that suits the world as it is now, while at the same holding those people and entities who contributed to the crisis to account. Seven upcoming hits of Uranus to Pluto will see to it that major change does occur, but collectively we need to choose wisely, in keeping with the symbolic themes of Pluto in Capricorn.  Let’s hope we make the right choice.

Some Very Exciting News!

You may have noticed less posts from Astroair Astrology, so I wanted to let you know why. The good news is that I am working on my first book. The subject is a secret for now, but I will be publishing some teasers and excerpts in the weeks to come. All being well, it will be published as an e-book in late September this year and can be downloaded from here, amongst other places.

In the meantime, thanks sooooooooooo much for continuing to support Astroair Astrology

Click on this link for July's Moon Signs and Void of Course Moon Signs
Click on this link for July's Moon Phases

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With love, Mandi
www.mandilockley.com

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Pluto and the Language of Astrology

I’ve read a few comments lately from people anticipating their Pluto transit or discussing transits they’ve had. Some speak positively of the growth and change opportunities that come with the transit and others speak of the transit more fearfully. What most of them have in common, though, is that they speak about what Pluto has caused, what Pluto is bringing.

I have to say that I don’t think Pluto actually does anything to us. After all, it’s just a small, cold, dwarf planet with a scary name, in the far reaches of our solar system. Right? How can its incredibly slow movements possibly cause psychological stress or momentous change in our personal lives? That just doesn’t make any logical sense. Frankly it’s a ridiculous notion.

But still, Pluto transits tend to bring Plutonic themes into our lives, themes which carry their own signature, a certain vibration. As we experience and share what occurs during these transits, our collective astrological knowledge builds up. This takes us away from the physical rock in the sky and into the realms of the symbolic. On this level, astrology works. So, while that might seem a contradiction of my statement above that Pluto (along with all the other planets) doesn’t actually make anything happen to us, it’s actually not. I believe that people commenting about what Pluto is doing to them are not imagining things. Their Pluto transit is undoubtedly affecting them, it’s just that it’s not physical Pluto, it’s symbolic Pluto, ‘astrological’ Pluto. Of course, astrological Pluto is energetically linked to the movements of physical Pluto, but it’s not the same thing.

So instead of saying Pluto is doing this or that (which implies physical Pluto), it might be better so say that Pluto transits reflect times in our lives when our experiences resonate with the symbolic and mythic meanings that astrology has ascribed to Pluto. This is a longwinded way of expressing it of course. It’s hard to find the words to put it more simply. In the end, it’s usually easier to simply say that Pluto is doing this to me, even though, if we understand astrology, we don’t really mean it that literally.

As for why astrological Pluto affects us, I don’t know.  Astrology is not, and shouldn’t, be logical. We can accurately predict where the planets will be located on any given date, but we can’t predict exactly how the astrological, symbolic themes of the planets will be reflected here on earth in our lives. Astrology is still such a mystery to us, but I believe that symbols have power and that that power becomes more tangible, more alive and more meaningful as we interact with it.

Hades picture from http://taekwondonj.deviantart.com/art/Hades-55351038?offset=10

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Transits of 'Imprisonment' and 'Liberation'

The reversal of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito’s conviction for the murder of Meredith Kercher was a story which gripped and polarised the public and the media. Whether the pair really had anything to do with the murder we may perhaps never know and that’s not a subject I’m going to speculate about here. When fascinated me about their story is how the timing for the original conviction, the appeal and their eventual release key in to the timing of major outer planet alignments, namely Saturn Square Pluto, Saturn opposite Uranus and the incoming Uranus Square Pluto.  Both Sollecito and Knox have had these alignments touching their charts by transit, with Knox in particular experiencing them very strongly.

What intrigued me even more were the parallels between what happened to them while Saturn, Pluto and Uranus transited their charts and what happened to me while the same transiting planets were touching my own chart. No, I haven’t been convicted, imprisoned, retried and then acquitted of any crime, nor have I had my personal life and character hauled over the coals for all the world to see, but what I did experience with these transits was similar on the psychological and emotional level. Feeling trapped (imprisoned) by external circumstances apparently beyond my control, a sense of ‘fighting back’ and eventually, release and freedom.

By making this analogy, I hope to demonstrate how the themes we associate with outer planet transits to our natal planets can manifest in our lives on so many different levels... From the most literal, external, public events to processes and feelings that occur at the most private and inner level. Often of course, they manifest on many different levels at once and fortunately for most of us, they are not nearly as dramatic or public as the Knox and Sollecito case.

On 4^th December 2009, Knox and Sollecito were convicted of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher. This conviction occurred very close to Saturn’s first exact square to Pluto at 2 degrees Libra and Capricorn in November 2009. Saturn and Pluto’s next exact alignment was at the end of January 2010 at 4 degrees of Libra and Capricorn. For both of them, Saturn and Pluto were transiting personal planets in their charts.

Saturn-Pluto transits can seem, at least on the psychological level, to take away our freedom and our free will. In the case of Knox and Sollecito, the loss of freedom was literal. In fact, losses on any level can occur under this transit. It tends to be a time of forced change, fear, pressure, negativity, crisis, restriction and a psychological journey to the underworld.  We may feel that invisible forces are working against us, that we are fighting for survival on some level. Even as our personal power is taken away, we need to find the strength to carry on, to work hard and then even harder to face and banish our demons. For this we need courage, strength and staying power. We need to tap into inner and outer resources to help us through. Readers with planets or angles at 1-5 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra and/or Capricorn are likely to identify with some of these themes if they look back over the last couple of years or so (get your chart for free at www.alabe.com).

The charts below show how the Saturn and Pluto square picked up on personal planets in Knox and Sollecito's birth charts. Knox has Venus at 4 degrees of Cancer, so just after the conviction transiting Pluto was exactly opposing her Venus, with Saturn squaring her Venus. She also has Mercury conjunct Venus, with Neptune in early Capricorn opposing from the public seventh house. The Moon’s Nodes, in early Aries and Libra, complete a dynamic, but no doubt stressful cardinal grand cross.  With Pluto and Saturn transiting this grand cross it’s not surprising that she has been called a liar, a manipulator, a seductress, violent, perverted and a she-devil, but imagine having to face your demons when the world is naming you as the demon!

Click to enlarge

Sollecito has his Sun at 5 degrees Aries squaring Neptune at 1 Capricorn, within orb of the Saturn-Pluto squares of late 2009 and spring/summer 2010.  While he has attracted less attention than Knox, the Saturn-Pluto transit to his Sun and Neptune is telling. Was he a victim in all this or was he deceiving everyone when he proclaimed his innocence? It’s hard to tell with that Sun-Neptune square, except to mention that it is reasonable to expect martyrdom on some level, or at least the sacrifice of the ego, with this aspect, especially so because both the Sun and Neptune are angular in his chart.

Click to enlarge

For myself, I have Sun in the eighth house at 4 degrees Capricorn, which meant that for most of 2009, transiting Pluto was in orb of conjunction with my Sun, with its first exact hit in January 2010. Transiting Saturn was in orb of a square to my Sun from late 2009 through autumn 2010, with the first hit in December 2009. What happened to me? Well, a change in personal circumstances beyond my control meant that I felt trapped in an unhappy situation both literally and emotionally. Any attempt to get myself out of the situation seemed blocked at every turn and I felt like a rat in a maze. I won’t go into great detail, except to say that it was all very eighth house on every level!  Friends will testify that during this time I would often say that my situation felt like a prison sentence, but that I wasn’t sure what my crime had been!

We all know that in life nothing is forever and like life, transits are temporal. With Saturn-Pluto transits, there is, thankfully, a light at the end of the tunnel, with the eventual promise of empowerment and emancipation, but not before a lot of hard work and a lot of seemingly endless patience.

Sollecito and Knox‘s legal teams filed appeals against their convictions in April 2010 and the appeal process began in December 2010. It was during the time between the filing of the appeal and the actual appeal that the Saturn-Pluto squares and the ongoing, status-quo upsetting Saturn-Uranus oppositions formed what has been widely dubbed by astrologers as the cardinal climax – a t-square in the early cardinal planets that had been building since 2008 and has come to symbolise shocks, changes, intense challenges, restriction, losses and hard, hard work. Its most obvious manifestation has been in dramatic change of fortune in the world’s economies, the effects of which have filtered down into the lives of individuals everywhere, but overall, these aspects have been reflected in individuals’ lives in many different ways and on many different levels.

Whatever the manifestation, I’m proposing that it was accompanied by these feelings of entrapment and imprisonment that I have described, along with the feeling of being part of something bigger than yourself and in many ways out of your control. Despite this, many of us have emerged much stronger and more resourceful, even as we find our material circumstances reduced.

So, for those of you still feeling trapped and repressed, where and when is the release? Let’s look again at the charts of Knox and Sollecito. 

They won their appeal against their murder conviction and were freed on October 3^rd 2011. By now, Saturn has moved out of the picture, with the much anticipated Uranus-Pluto square forming. On the day of their release, Uranus was at 2 Aries and Pluto at 5 Capricorn, connecting with the cardinal planets in their charts very closely. Under Uranus-Pluto moving aspects we demand freedom, we question authority, we don’t accept the letter of the law and we won’t tolerate being controlled. We want to feel free to do what we want to do and we want to make a difference.

Knox’s father summed up Saturn-Pluto followed by Uranus-Pluto perfectly, "she's almost kind of reborn in a way. I mean, living for four years inside a concrete and steel, you know, prison, and now being able to kind of just look around, smell the air and - and just do what she wants to do, hopefully when she wants to do it, it makes a huge difference." (quote from cbsnews.com)

For myself, after a year or more of Saturn and Pluto transiting my Sun, I had the first squares from Uranus to my Sun in May this year. Around the time of the second hit, a surprising event happened that changed everything for me. As I sit here writing, I am looking forward to the next few months leading up the third and final square of transiting Uranus to my Sun, with Uranus is also making a series of sextiles to my MC and 10^th house Aquarius planets.  I am now in a position where I feel free do whatever I want with my life. Yes, there has been much upheaval and masses of change, but finally my appeal has been heard and I have been released from my psychological prison. I still don’t know what my crime was, but that doesn’t matter, because what I do now know is that I have the inner resources to cope with an uncertain future and it doesn’t matter that I can’t control everything. All that matters is that I use my time and energy wisely from now on and follow my heart.

Readers, have you experienced similar feelings and events over the last couple of years or so? How are things now?

With love,
Mandi
www.mandilockley.com

Chart data from Astrodatabank.

A note to subscribers: an apology that at the end of Astrology for October there was an error in the text for Venus and Mercury opposing Jupiter. This has now been corrected:

http://mandilockley.blogspot.com/2011/10/astrology-for-october-golden.html