Horary Astrology: Where is Dad's Phone

Where is Dad’s mobile phone?

26 September 2007 7:40pm
Paraparaumu, Wellington, New Zealand
40S55 175E01

After already losing one of a pair of mobile phones purchased by her parents in a double discount offer, a 13-year old girl lost the second. Her father was very upset at her continued carelessness and especially so since it was his phone and contained his photos and contact numbers. The phones were not cheap and were identical apart from colour – the first one she lost was silver and the second was black. Upon searching high and low in the house and contacting her friend to no avail, she asked me to set up a horary chart.

The family had not noticed that the phone was missing until three days later as it had become a spare phone for the children to use when away from the parents. Unsure of where she had last used it, they retraced the events of that day and deduced that she had visited horses in the paddock behind the family home and later visited a friend. The young lady was convinced that she hadn’t lost it in the paddock because she remembered using it at her friend’s home. Her friend is ruled by Saturn which sits in the turned chart’s second house of the father. Did the friend have the father’s phone? Upon discovering that the phone was missing, she rang this friend who had not seen it but promised to search for it. Our young lady asked her to look in their car as well as her house because the friend’s mother had dropped her back at home after dark and it could have fallen out of her pocket and nobody would have noticed. The friend reported back that she couldn’t find it in the house or the car but would keep an eye out for it.

There are no considerations and the chart is radical, especially so because the Ascendant, Aries, falls in the hour of Venus, which corresponds to the distraught girl’s ascendant, Libra. Aries describes this 13-year exactly as she is extremely physical, always on the move and sporty by nature. Along with the separating square from the Sun to Mars and applying square from the Moon to Mars and the opposition to the Sun, it also shows that she is in a state of agitation and arguing with her father. This chart shows she has good reason to find the phone: her father!

Venus is in Mutual Reception with the Sun, the ruler of the phone, but even though there is no aspect between them: according to Lily, this affords “protection” so we can tentatively deduce the phone is safe. Venus is in Leo, the same sign as this girl’s Venus and is just outside of the five degrees required to place Venus in the turned Second House of her father’s possessions (Olivia Barclay, Horary Astrology Rediscovered, Pg 181). Mars, the girl’s significator, is in Gemini in the Third House of communication devices showing clearly the nature of what she was asking about and searching for. The Third House also rules cars and short journeys so, having been dropped off, we might deduce that she was in a car at the time of losing the phone.

With Cancer on the cusp, her father is represented by the Fourth House, the same sign as his Ascendant, Moon and Mars sign. The Moon, ruling her father but also co-significator of the question, is in Pisces right on the cusp of the Twelfth/Eleventh Houses. The Moon perfects the square to Mars within less than three degrees and the opposition to the Sun in seven after changing signs.

Since the phone belonged to her father, it is signified by the Sun, in its Fall in Libra, as the ruler of the father’s Second House of moveable possessions – the radical Fifth. Saturn is also in this house in Virgo and describes the colour of the phone: black. The Sun is in the father’s Third House of communication devices and short journeys, again drawing us back to the friend’s car and the daughter’s short journey home.

Within a day of asking the horary and four days after losing the phone, on the Thursday the same friend invited our young lady to stay the night. In the early afternoon she rang me to say they had found the mobile phone in her friend’s family car and that since they had two cars the friend had forgetfully looked in the wrong car.

Horary: Where Are The Books

Where Are The Books?

Question asked: 12:16pm, 3 May 2007
Lat: 40S55 Long: 175E01
Asc: 17 Can 15; MC 11 Tau 59

Background: A precious set of books disappeared into thin air during the shift of our costume hire shop from one premises to another. The books were purchased over the course of time as reference material when helping customers choose costumes. They ranged in content from the history of western clothing through the centuries to famous Hollywood actors to the history of rock’n’roll. Needless to say, they were extremely useful when helping customers choose costumes.

On the day of the shift (March 25th 2007), we left the items most used around the counter until last so that we would know exactly where they were when opening shop again and I thought I had packed up the books with the eftpos machine and phone to be taken home rather than risk losing amongst all the boxes and racks that were being stored in the garage at the front of the new property. We still had to renovate the new shop and it would be some while before we would set up again (mid- to late April). In my mind, I labelled this the “counter box” and took it home leaving it downstairs in a large, darkish basement room that contains the washing machine, dryer and a pool table. This box sat on the pool table in full view for quite some time so imagine our dismay when setting up the counter and finding that the books were not where we thought they were.

Back-tracking over the course of events to determine what might have happened to them, on the day of the shift, we engaged two friends and my sister to help with the move. My sister had arrived during my absence and my husband left her to guard the shop while he went with the two male friends to take another truckload of costumes to the new premises. Thinking she was helping, my sister randomly packed up the bits and pieces that are left once all the big stuff has been shifted and this is the point where we felt things had gone askew. She, however, had no recollection of seeing the books and swore she never left the shop unattended.

My stomach dropped at reading that Saturn, as ruler of the 7th of thieves, being placed in the first of the querant (Lilly) meant there was the possibility that someone had taken the books but we quickly abandoned the idea that one of our very trustworthy friends had taken the books since what use would they be to them? Also wouldn’t it be obvious if we went to their house and spied them? We thought that perhaps my sister had left the shop unattended at some point and someone had walked in and walked out with them. After searching extensively for six weeks and then giving up the search completely, I exasperatedly asked the question “where are the books?”

Considerations: Despite Saturn being in the First House and sounding a warning for this self-asked question, the ascendant is in Cancer in the Hour of the Moon. Not only do I (and also my partner) have the Moon in Cancer, but I also have Saturn in the First of my natal chart square the Sun, as in the horary. I immediately connected with the chart and felt it able to be read.

As an overall view of the chart and whether the books would be found: Lilly’s indications are that they would (CA pge 355 – Saturn ruling the Eighth in the Ascendant). The Moon is in its Fall in damp, dark Scorpio but separates from significators Mercury and the Sun so the goods are laid down and forgotten. Being angular in the Fourth along with the books’ significators – Sun and Mercury - angular in the Tenth, the books had to be somewhere near me (angular houses in horary represent the querant’s physical self and his/her everyday physical locations such as home and work). This makes sense as there was nowhere else for them to be but at the shop or in my home. Despite the Cardinal Ascendant, the significators are in Fixed signs so recovery would not be immediate.

Significators: The significators of this chart describe the situation extremely well. The Sun, as ruler of the 2nd house and ruler of famous people in the 10th, perfectly describes the content of the books – famous rock and movie stars. Not only that but it sits in an exact conjunction with the natural ruler of books (CA, pge 353), Mercury, which also rules the intercepted Second House of Virgo. Mercury is within 12 minutes of cazimi – in the heart of the Sun (refer Skyscript, Horary, Combust), so I knew straight away that the books were safe but totally obscured from view. In Taurus, in Venus’ term and also in Mutual Reception with Venus in Gemini, they could be close to the ground, in a low room such as the garage at the shop or the downstairs laundry at home as I first thought (CA pge 352). Again, knowing that the books could just as easily be at the shop as they could at home, the Sun and Mercury conjunct the MC perfectly described our place of business, which is in fact an old house that has been converted to a shop and which sits in full view of a busy railway station, main commercial centre and highway that runs north/south.

The Moon on the other hand, being in the Fourth in Scorpio, suggested that the books could indeed be at home in a damp, dark place such as our laundry area downstairs. I don’t know how many times, I went down there to make sure I hadn’t missed them the other ten times I had searched! I had complete faith in this chart but how puzzling.

In the end, with the Fixed Sign significators suggesting it would be some while before we recovered the books, we had to give up searching since once the garage was emptied of stock, we had nowhere else to look.

Outcome: Exactly three months and a day to the date of this question – August 4th 2007 - my daughter came in to the shop and asked if one of the books had a certain title. When she said the title, I knew immediately that the books had been found! Where? William Lilly says that brothers are ruled by Mars. The book she referred to had been in my brother’s flat out the back of the shop and she had seen it sitting on the table. Wondering how he would have it, he explained that the evening before he had been in the run-down shed (Lilly describes ruinous buildings as ruled by Saturn) immediately adjacent to his flat and which houses his washing machine and had been playfully scaring his children with the mannequin and its body parts that we had stored there (note Mars is in Pisces and he has a Pisces ascendant). Conjunct Uranus, the books turned up suddenly and were in the least likeliest place! His children (exact sextile between the Moon and Jupiter in the 5th ruling the 5th of children) had pulled an arm (Jupiter opposition Venus in Gemini!) out of the bag and discovered the books, one of which was the book my daughter had seen in his flat. When we went out to this low-roofed building, there was the red, white and blue striped bag on the ground with all the books totally safe and sound! This was the room described by both the sign of the Sun and Mercury in Taurus – low-roofed and low to the ground – and by the Moon in Scorpio in the Fourth – damp and dark – in all its ruinous glory as deemed by the square from the Moon to Saturn and Sun and Mercury!

Since the books were under the arms, Venus in Gemini in the 12th in Mutual Reception with Mercury immediately came into play! Not only that, but Venus describes the fact that our business deals in costumes, clothing and fashion and that the items they were concealed under modelled the costumes. Venus also rules the Third House of brethren (CA pge 52) and according to Lilly “doth rule shoulders, arms, hands and fingers” (the mannequin’s body arms and hands were all in the bag obscuring the books!). My brother had said he had brought the bag into the shop when we first moved there but we told him to take it back out to this shed because we weren’t using the mannequins – little did we realise the books were at the bottom and this is where I suspect my sister packed up stuff that she hadn’t realised had been put aside especially. Lilly suggests that if the ruler of the First (Moon) separates from Saturn, then the item was lost due to forgetfulness (CA pge 321) and lo and behold, the Moon separates from Saturn by 22 minutes! In modern astrology, Neptune would also contribute to forgetfulness and oversight and it also squares the Moon and opposes Saturn.

The distance from where I asked the question – at home – and the place of the books is, I am pretty sure, described by the opposition of the Sun and Moon as stated by Lilly (CA pge 350). Moon separates from opposition by six degrees – we are pretty sure that it is approximately 6 miles away by car to the shop from home where I asked the question!

Just about all the traditional planets involved but, now that the mystery has been solved, it really is very simple. Perhaps Saturn in the First did point out that I would not be able to figure out the book’s location and that the mystery would be solved when they turned up of their own accord.

Meeting Chrissie Hynde

With Chrissie Hynde and SAFE Member receiving framed signed t-shirt backstage at the St James Theatre, Auckland, New Zealand. Chrissie has been on tour promoting their fantastic CD and DVD Set Pirate Radio. This set spans 3 decades of their music



What a fantastic week my family and I have just had. Having already bought tickets to see the Pretenders live in New Zealand, a member of the Talk of the Town list who lives in the US fortuitously spotted an auction on Trade Me that I was lucky enough to win. This auction was run by NZ animal rights group SAFE for a framed T-shirt signed by Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders during their last tour in 2004. Part of the package was to meet Chrissie and be presented with it backstage after the St James Theatre show on February 6, 2007. With all her courage and conviction, she is a great inspiration and a fantastic role model, especially to the younger generation! Chrissie has a huge conscience and never loses sight that she is a normal human being just like the rest of us - no airs and graces, just a plain down-to-earth, kick-butt attitude. Thanks to her other fans who contributed money to this cause too - without them I might never have had this once-in-a-lifetime experience. It just goes to show that even though you never know what is around the corner, when you do encounter it, you just have to seize it.

Mercury Retrograde in 2007

February 15 to March 8 2007 - Retro 10 Pisces/Direct 25 Aquarius
June 16 to July 10 2007 - Retro 11 Cancer/Direct 2 Cancer
October 12 to November 2 2007 - Retro 9 Scorpio/Direct 23 Libra


SAY WHAT? Mercury is the planet that has rulership over our thinking processes and communications. It rules the signs Gemini and Virgo. It highlights our ability to express ourselves verbally and in writing, therefore on an everyday level, it influences correspondence, electronic communications, meetings and conversations. It also rules, commerce, transportation, young people, books, magazines, short courses, written and verbal contracts (especially the small print which can contain hidden or double meanings), electrical appliances and, on a larger scale social level, unusual disruptions such as industrial actions.

HOW? At least three times a year, Mercury appears to slow down, station and then move backwards through the sky, and this period lasts for approximately three weeks (see above for precise timeframes throughout 2006). Of course, Mercury is not actually moving in backward motion, because this is physically impossible. What is happening is that the Earth moves faster than Mercury and in closer proximity, which then creates the classic optical illusion that occurs when two trains are running side by side. If one starts to move more quickly than the other, the latter looks as if it is going backwards. In astrological talk, the term for this is “retrogradation”, and all planets, except the Sun and Moon, are capable of this phenomenon. The most potent times are the actual dates that the “station” takes place i.e. the beginning and end dates. The time in-between is the phase of integration and digestion of events and thoughts. The beginning is the dragging of the undertow while the end is the thrust forward, which can be a powerful experience if there are other significant astrological indications to accompany the surges.

MEANING? Back on Earth retrogradation has quite an impact, especially in the areas listed above. Confusion and misunderstandings can occur that are significant enough to create havoc in our lives where previously all has been plain sailing. However, this does give us a chance to see if that situation or project is really worthwhile, and we can reconsider points that are not satisfactory or that we hadn’t been clear upon. Astrologers generally consider these periods to be poor for starting projects, buying important items, or for signing contracts – perhaps because our conscious minds are saying one thing but our unconscious is saying another. Chances are something will have to be changed or we will receive further information or we may even change our minds once Mercury resumes its normal direction. There is usually a lot more information that needs to surface during these phases that will put another slant on what we already know. On another level, anything that we do undertake during one retro period might considerably be affected during the next, or perhaps we see flaws in what we had initiated during a previous retro phase. Oftentimes, one retro period is linked to other times, sometimes even years ago.

On an everyday level, electrical or mechanical items bought at these special times have a reputation for breaking down or needing new parts, so it is wise to put off purchases of this sort until a later date. With regard to communications, transportation and everyday devices, we may have problems trying to contact people, or people have problems trying to contact us. Answering machines go on the blink, computers develop a mind of their own (avoid upgrading or changing the way the computer is set up if it is running well), the car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, timetables go awry, travel plans fly out the window, washing machines and fridges break down, messages are undeliverable or undelivered, and letters go missing. Sometimes if we have been caught in the crossfire of what we think we want and what we really need, this can be a blessing in disguise – for example if we scribble out a letter in anger and then post it but it gets lost, after we have calmed down we might be glad that the recipient didn’t receive it after all! We might find that we had our facts wrong in the first place and we find ourselves at the wrong end of the stick. There are no guarantees during this phase!

HELP! So, what are the positives and what can we do to minimise disruption? When you stop to think that Mercury rules the discriminating sign Virgo, you’ll see Mercury as an efficient little cosmic secretary concerned with purely analytical, stocktaking tasks who comes in from time to time to remind us that order and review are needed in some area (usually the position that transiting Mercury is in our chart and the area it rules and occupies in our birth chart). These periods can be highly constructive and creative times where we are given space to reshuffle and reclassify – but we must slow down and allow this to happen in order to avoid experiencing the less comfortable side of this energy. These phases are also wonderful for reflection and analysing, and for planning new strategies for the time when life resumes its normal rhythm (the end date). We can use this time to tidy up, sort, mend and reorder, whether physically, emotionally or mentally. By allowing plenty of space and time in matters, especially those that are apparently unavoidable, we can minimise future confusion or present delays and misunderstandings. We can avoid having our well-laid ideas unravelling and coming apart at the seams because of one loose end. Adopting a flexible attitude will lessen the stress created by the prevailing fluctuating circumstances. This is the perfect time to do without doing.

If we make a note on our calendar of the days when Mercury turns retrograde and then, three weeks later, direct again, we will observe that we often feel as if we are in an intellectual void of some sort during the week leading up to the change. We may feel restless, bored, dissatisfied, and we may think our world does not provide the stimulation we need. It simply does not seem big enough. This is a temporary phase where the intellectual and the unconscious are merging. The energy, both inwardly and outwardly, is assimilating itself in our psyches and it can be most exciting when we realise that this is the most discernible and most obvious sign of a change in consciousness that we can experience directly from the cosmos – basically it is as tangible proof as we can get that our solar system really does include us, that we do not stand apart from the fluctuations – this is astrology in action.

These phases always pass, and we would do well to put off acting too hastily on the inner blank we have arrived at. Something is happening but at a level we cannot see. At other Mercury retro times, life moves along at a furious pace, everything seems to happen at once, and perhaps major decisions are made for us that we can’t always control. And again, we might just need to allow ourselves to be swept along, for who knows, we might have left an important life-changing decision unmade if it hadn’t been for the bizarre combination of events. Again though, we might keep everything as flexible and open-ended as we possibly can, for often life will change again further down the track leading us to yet another avenue that we least expected. After all, Mercury is known as the “trickster” and “prankster”. Expect change.

WHAT’S MY SIGN? Are you a Gemini or Virgo? Mercury retrograde periods affect everybody at the same time, some of us are born during these peculiar phases, but the signs Gemini and Virgo are affected more than most through Mercury’s rulership over these dual signs. Virgoans and Geminians, being nervy signs anyway, fare better by holding yourselves back in the world of ideas and communications, for often you are woolly headed and for once lost for words, if not clarity. You are more likely to make mistakes and misjudgements then. You can use these periods to take a mental holiday, to stop thinking so much, to allow other inner states to take over for a while, for your signs are intellectual and analytical by nature, life is experienced through your brain.

WHEN WAS I BORN? For those of you born during a Mercury retrograde phase (ask your astrologer about this), you might find that despite your unique brand of genius you are regularly misquoted and misunderstood by others, and that your communication style is very different (what don’t they understand about the word “no”). Often you need to take a long, leisurely way to get to the point, arrive at your destination or make yourself understood. You could often be involved in mix-ups and muddle-ups that take an inordinate amount of time to sort out (why does it always happen to me?). During these phases each year, you are in your element (ha, so that’s where that phrase originated from). Suddenly, because everyone else gets the chance to experience life the way you do suddenly you’re understood and don’t have to repeat everything! You can also get a great deal done during these phases from writing to sorting out the office to getting bills organised and letters replied to.

Have fun!

© Tracey Rizvi, 2001

Forecast for 2007

Define your mission statement in 2007

LOOKING BEYOND 2007: In the Chinese year of the Fire Boar, as 2007 begins Jupiter will be travelling full steam ahead through its own sign Sagittarius. Acting as landlord, inspector and diplomat to Pluto, who has been a long term tenant in Sagittarius since 1995, and escorted by Mars who enjoys the fiery environment of the sign of the Archer, Jupiter is currently travelling through a super-sensitive area of the sky. It’s of particular relevance that Jupiter was in Sagittarius just prior to Pluto transiting into this sign in 1995 and will also be here as it exits in January 2008. Venus retrogrades in Virgo and Leo between August and September bringing a year when we need to backtrack in our values and spending quite quickly – use these months to review needs and desires. A year is not a long time in astrology because once a planet changes sign, suddenly we find ourselves in a whole new era. In hindsight, we can see when and where the clues were littered. 2007 is the year to get accounts into order while the sun is shining because in 2008 we get to meet cosmic auditor.

Whenever a planet returns to its own sign, astrologers agree that particular attention should be paid to that ruling planet since the energies associated with the planet, sign and lastly houses in individual charts will be super emphasised and highly receptive to whatever we have been doing in this particular area of our lives. Any tenants in that sign will receive a rental checklist from the landlord if he happens to be around and since powerhouse Pluto isn’t just any old tenant, we need to be alert to the fact that there are likely to be some very hot tenancy issues arising between these very influential members of the cosmos. Since a cycle is closing we are likely to experience mini-versions of whatever has transpired during the past 12 years and by reliving key situations we are able to move on into the next cycle. Compounding is one word to sum up issues this year. Pluto’s message will be to get rid of the rubbish because having old garbage sitting outside the back door is the least desirable way to enter a fresh era. The trick will be to work out what is rubbish and what is not!

A pivotal make-it-or-break-it year, by December 2007 - after having gathered up and made some sense of Pluto’s passage and the evolutionary meaning of its tenure through bling-bling, expansive Sagittarius during the past 12 years - Jupiter will finally pass over Pluto which is currently upon the Galactic Centre, and into the grey corporate world of Capricorn, the sign of its Fall. A big change is on the horizon as we switch from the bright, shiny energy of Sagittarius to the sign of traditional institutions and the global accounting package. Forget about exploring space when there is so much to sort out on planet Earth! By starting at the end of 2007 and looking ahead to the significance of Jupiter’s transit into Capricorn, we can make better use of the coming year’s experiences, and attend to our trials and tribulations in different ways than we have become accustomed to. We will see that the cosmic energy up until December is providing an opportunistic window in time to realign our radically changed ethics and beliefs to where we find ourselves today so that we can manifest what is true, just and right in our own and other people’s lives. Our world views might have changed forever under the Saturn/Pluto opposition of 2001 but it’s simply a matter of taking up the slack and moving with the times. As Rickie Lee Jones sang, it’s the Last Chance Texaco to fill our tanks with good quality fuel of the spiritual, intellectual and ethical kind while it is on extra-special offer.

The negative side of Sagittarius is superficiality and we have been persuaded by the media and advertising to want the biggest, the best, the fastest and the shiniest______ (fill in the blank with your favourite consumer product, fad or service). As a result we’ve developed a tendency to come to expect everything to move at lightening speed, and the mutability of Sag means we switch from one superseded aspect of our life to the next, including husbands and wives. Our mantra now is to flit from one fad to another, to disregard the laws that all societies need to live by such as respecting one another rather than shooting each other down. All this is going to seem highly superficial once we enter the realms of Capricorn in 2008 and we are going to want to invoke the traditional rules that all families need to survive and produce healthy people. Despite the terrorist wars that have been invoked by key organisations and people, or the harmful drugs that are destroying our youngsters (and this includes computers and gaming machines) the Pluto in Sagittarius era is going to seem like a one huge party once we have settled into the coming Capricorn era and can look back at how good we have had life during this last decade.

During 2007 we can expand, explore and extricate ourselves from no-win personal, financial and emotional situations, and within our investments of time, energy and money. We have the chance to play catch-up, casting off eroded or outmoded beliefs and to at last become conscious of those extremely deep insights that have bobbed for so long just below the surface. We want to take an honest look at our setups so that we are not caught with the garbage at the backdoor just when we discover another way to live. We can be left at the starting gate, holding the hot potato and wondering what went wrong. With a correct birth time, an astrologer can tell you which area of your chart this applies to. What we believe is likely to come true this year so we need to be absolutely sure that we are in the right space with the right intentions and travelling in the right direction. Jupiter is big on truth and justice, and he encourages looking at the future rather than the past, so if we find that old habits are hard to shift, then the surge in cosmic energy will indeed be intense as our global and personal subconscious minds attract the experiences that will knock us on the head to make us see. If we have been doing what is good for our development and soul, then a personal sense of power will be evident within. People born under the signs Sagittarius, Pisces, Gemini and Virgo, or those who have these signs dominant in their charts, will have experienced massive amounts of change at varying times during the past 12 years. They are the ones to experience the most significant shifts this year. Narrowing it down even further, people born in the last three days of these mutable signs along with the first day of Capricorn will be in the cosmic spotlight this year too.

PLUTO REACHES THE END OF SAGITTARIUS: Just as numerologically this is a number 9 year and therefore a year of endings that will allow brave new beginnings to take seed the following year, Jupiter’s entry into Capricorn at year’s end will once again pave the way for Pluto when it shifts into corporate, strait-laced Capricorn in January 2008. A new era will dawn within the structures of our material and economic world and we will find ourselves gradually descending from the realms of flight and loftiness toward a more earth-bound, stay-put, basic existence. Rather than magnifying issues as they have been magnified during the past 12 years – i.e. a boom time and a global village that has created massive wealth but also massive debt - Pluto heralds an era of streamlining, conserving, shrinking and deflating during its Capricornian tenure. By the end of its transit through Capricorn in 2023, we will be left with the bare bones of an economic world as we know it and unless we can educate ourselves and our children in the new economical structures that are sure to emerge, we will find ourselves heading into a tightly controlled life budget and less control and freedom in the outer world. Stripping everything back to basics, Pluto’s message suggests that we will need to capitalise on Earth’s resources as best we can in a healthy, organic sense rather than taking a materialistic, grasping stance. Pluto is the destroyer but also the giver of life while Capricorn represents the capitalist within and without. If our actions are based purely on the desire to chase and worship the almighty dollar and consumerism, then Pluto’s message will be an especially strong one if we continue to violate natural laws and the earth. Just as we have seen our belief systems picked up and turned inside out in light of what has taken place before and after the Saturn/Pluto opposition and 9/11, then we are likely to see a collapse of fiscal economies in a similar way.

Saturn shifts into Virgo in September 2007, supporting Pluto in Capricorn’s attempt to bring everything back into line again. Saturn will square the 2001 Saturn/Pluto opposition degree in September 2008. Acting as a tripwire, the stimulation of this sensitised point will be an interesting test of nerves and mettle as we pull our belts tighter and tighter. Virgo is all about efficiency and healthy systems, bodies and minds so rather than succumb to the over-indulgent aspects of Jupiter as it travels its own sign, we need to take up the gauntlet and devise new diets and activities and head for the healthier alternative rather than the proverbial takeaway.

We can look forward to using the positive qualities of Pluto in Capricorn to take action in a strategic, practical, no-nonsense manner for the good of all. Industries that deal in preservation and conservation, recycling of material goods, inorganic waste or creating organic products that are unadulterated by the human touch are likely to stand head and shoulders above the crowd. And they can only do this if there is consumer demand. Returning to our grass roots and the traditional way of doing things rather than the mass-produced hype of the way things should be done is likely to become more evident. Manufacturing goods that last that much longer, or doing without all the high-tech gadgetry stuffed in our cupboards, may also become a growing trend. Capricorn is known for its tendency to compare and compete with its peers, and while we have enjoyed the ability to have what the rich have because of globalisation, free trade and easy finance, we will begin to look with a more realistic eye at the influence that celebrity-endorsed products have over our buying decisions. It’s been fun hooking our shadow on the stars of today, allowing them to act out our hidden desires, but now the general public will be more interested in what Mr and Mrs Smith really stand for and in what they are doing in the practical sense rather than what they wear, buy or do in their leisure time. The let-it-all-hang-out-anything-goes-as-long-as-you’re-taking-notice-of-me trashiness of the past few years is likely to be replaced with an almost inhibited Victorian stiff upper lip attitude, and while the exposure of the hips and thighs and midriff have become popular fashions under the Sagittarian theme, we might find that the attention shifts to the knees, shins and ankles.

Capricorn and Virgo are also the organisational aspect of our lives so systems that increase efficiency and free up time will become sought after. This is the year to start sowing the seeds that will flourish under the up-coming trends. While the outgoing Sag energy was extravagant, thrill-seeking and flippant, we are likely to become more thrifty, cautious and penny-pinching, and businesses that teach or promote self-sufficiency are likely to bloom. Items such as compost and recycling bins that leave no mess or wastage will also become popular – wringing every last ounce out of the bottle is a true Capricorn habit. Budgeting services and good financial advisers will grow too. And as rents and pollution taxes pull our purse strings tighter, we are likely to defend our economic positions by needing less. This may be how the economies of the world begin to diminish in size – when Joe Public takes responsibility for his own decisions rather than looking to the media or government for guidance. As unfair as it seems, since Capricorn represents the aged, taking care of the older generation will be part of the reason that the next generation will have to get by on less as they wait for their turn in the sun. Hire businesses might see a surge in custom since Capricornian energy is very good on getting by with less and it will steadily become wasteful and embarrassing to have garages and cupboards full of machinery, equipment and gadgets that barely get used but take up space and send insurance bills to the top end of the scale, not to mention filling up the landfills. The international flavour of Sagittarius has brought us many gadgets that help us brew coffee like the Italians, but again in the upcoming trends we will end up coming back to the traditional way of cooking, eating and sleeping. In true Capricornian style, we might ask ourselves why buy something when in such a short time it becomes superseded or made obsolete by an even more streamlined version. Capricorn is also associated with architecture so there is bound to be a big emphasis on the design, style and safety of buildings. A return to traditional craftsmanship that focuses on making secure, solid structures could mean that a revolution will occur in the way apprentices are taught their trade. The appearance of buildings may begin to take on new dimensions too.

Personally-speaking, so that we can move into this next phase, dredging the manure and toxicity from the planet will be Pluto’s theme in the years to come, and if we can’t keep up with, or would rather pretend it wasn’t happening, then we will still feel the effects but in a much more negative way – we need only look at weather patterns to see this; whether its global warming or the natural evolution of the planet, we cannot afford to speed this process up, and in any case what is wrong with being conscious of what you throw out or where you buy your products. It matters that children are being exploited in sweatshops, or that people are paid a pittance to produce the latest designer brand. These shifts in cosmic energy tie in very neatly with some of the non-astrological theories concerning the effects of a huge proportion of the world’s population reaching retirement age (a very Capricornian theme) and changing the way pensions and other financial investment plans will be managed. 2007 is the year to take a good look at the proverbial nest egg to ensure it will survive the coming climate of change. Sagittarius is the sign of higher education, so grab the books, talk to the accountant and take charge of your money and future security rather than handing money over, crossing fingers and hoping for the best. Taking a gamble is a true Sagittarian characteristic that has worked over the past 12 years but which is quickly running out of steam when 2007 is drawing to a close and the upper limits of profit are reached. Conserve and manage your equity in whatever investments have grown during the boom-time rather than milking it for what it’s worth in terms of current consumer consumption. Cash will be king for those who have managed their money well because Capricorn, being an Earth sign, means there will be a big emphasis on land and real estate, which will go through an interesting time.

To verify that Pluto does indeed impact upon the world’s consciousness in very subtle but very obvious ways, we only need to look back over the last decade to see how the Sagittarian themes of religious beliefs and ideals, and the way we travel and explore the world, have changed so dramatically. Globalisation has awoken areas of the world that are now destroying themselves in their race to cater to the needs of Western civilisation’s worship at the Temple of Consumerism. Pluto’s erosion of Sagittarian themes such as family, religious and community ethics means we are going to be that much more at the mercy of the power of advertising and media this year as big business realise they are imploding. Do we still want to be manipulated by a herd mentality that is controlled by big corporations for their own ends? The biggest and the best companies, governments and corporations who have little respect for the common person or environment are the ones who are likely to go through the most shrinkage in the coming years, but as they realise the falls they will be exposed to as the world’s consciousness enters another phase, they will fight tooth and nail to hold on to what they have. As a result, we are likely to be bombarded at the last minute by the power of publicity and propaganda. We, as upstanding citizens of the world, have more power than we realise. We can influence thoughtless output by asking questions about who will pay for this destruction of cultures, rivers, land and seas. Moving offshore to have goods made cheaply is great for business, but who will pay for the effects of the pollution that less educated communities are experiencing? How long will this last before taxes are imposed in a bid to clean up the global mess? As enlightened people coming out of the influences of the sign that represents ethics, we need to wake up this year. By the same token, small businesses may flourish as they cater to local needs and cultural biases.

Coming back to the present, with an optimistic Jupiter in Sagittarius being the trump card for the grand opening of 2007, our heady excitement is at an all time high as 2006 comes to a close. It might be timely that Saturn, ruler of earthy Capricorn, is retrograde and therefore reminding us of the realities and responsibilities that await us at the beginning of yet another working year. Another interesting collision of cycles, Saturn was in Leo at the beginning of the baby boom era (roughly 1946 to 1964) and will be in this sign just prior to Pluto moving into Capricorn, the beginning of a new economic order. Capricorn likes us to invest rather than consume and we will soon be rapped over the knuckles if we have overcapitalised or overextended our resources and budgets. This is the year of the spirit and the spiritual if we are to tune into what lies ahead rather than being a year of continuing in typical optimistic Sagittarian style, racking up debt and hoping for the next lucky break. Lucky breaks will happen though if we are in the right place at the right time with the right intentions. Resolutions this year might include striving for higher aims, developing a greater belief in the spiritual aspects of life, or travelling beyond the everyday boundaries of our mundane existence so that we can look at ourselves from another angle. Certainly, it would pay to be very sensible regarding anything that means we are biting off more than we can chew in the coming years.

To get a sense of the layout of the coming months, we might need to slow right down in January and February to digest the fiscal damage of the festive and holiday season. And even if we’ve overspent, waste little precious time worrying and instead find a means to pay off debt as quickly as possible. The fact that there are no social or outer planets travelling through practical Earth signs until Saturn transits into Virgo on September 3rd (NZT) means we need to consciously tune into the gravitational pull of bean-counting Saturn if we are to achieve the glittering goals or opportunities that will open up this year. The explorer within emerges in its own special way in each of us and we are less willing to be obstructed and weighed down by material possessions and economic debt if it means we have to deny ourselves true experiences or time with children who grow up while we are looking the other way. Inspiration is the keyword and with the fire of Leo and Sagittarius, we’ve got the creative power to bring our lives back into line with what we need to be healthy, wealthy and wise. As the saying goes “the secret to life is not to have everything you want, but to want everything you have”.

© Tracey Rizvi, January 2007

Jupiter In Sagittarius

Jupiter in Sagittarius
November 24th 2006 to December 19th 2007

Get out the travel books, log on to Google Earth and update your passports. From the mysterious depths of bottomless Scorpio Jupiter breaks through the waters into the full glare of shadow-dispelling, truth-seeking, evangelical Sagittarius.

November 24th at 17:45 (NZST) is launch day, and as Jupiter fires its engines and points its nose to the skies, our mood and outlook will turn from emotional to idealistic, introspective to seeking, cautious to optimistic, anxious and suspicious to positive and trusting. Where we have been stuck in a groove we will want shake off the shackles to grow and stretch, to push the boundaries, to explore new territories mentally, physically and spiritually. There will be the usual hotspots of turbulence that all planets encounter as they travel through signs, but with Jupiter returning to home-base, there is a stronger sense of inner conviction that relies less on other people and things, and more on issues, people, places and beliefs that ring an inner bell that resonates with our own basic tenets of life. In other words, Jupiter will act like a spiritually-inclined, heat-seeking missile that will fire up even the most fragile and basic of belief systems. If we haven’t developed or thought about what we believe in, this is the year to set out on a pilgrimage as we will be more receptive and easily moved by the sounding of the bell.

Jupiter is always about learning, whether formally or in the school of life. A real or symbolic desire for travel and exploration are essential requisites if we are to really draw down Jupiter’s traditional meaning when in this sign. Jupiter in Sag is like the sights, sounds and smells of an exotic, sun-drenched bazaar in a country far from home. If we want, our senses can open wide with the new experiences as we literally drink in what we encounter – the colours, the dialects and languages, and the customs. The local marketplaces of any town or country in the world provides the raw goods that are the basis of whatever is cooked, used or practiced at home, and by viewing the world as a marketplace where we can purchase these magical experiences, we will find ourselves with a cupboard full of interesting recipes and ingredients from which to sustain our personal life and the lives of those we come into contact with.

This can happen if we decide to stay at home too by going further and learning more than we usually do about our own customs and cultural variations. We get to truly experience life if and when we seek it out, and even just the act of drawing up a totally flexible game plan that will include meeting people, greeting visitors or beating the pavements of territories outside our local maps will help to expand our consciousness. Just like Google Earth (which is bound to become a very popular tool!) we can map out our lives because all at once we can see where we have been, where we are now and where we would like to go simultaneously. The ability to imagine life from above looking down will help dispel insularity and create a larger perspective. Pinpoint, but then realise, that where you are now is simply a dot in the ocean that surrounds you. As the years stretch ahead in this new 12-year cycle, we might ask ourselves what the quality of the journey will be like – spiritually-rich or spiritually-lacking. We are bound to feel restless and irritable if we avoid new experiences and people, or withhold our own knowledge. Given the intellectual nature of Sag and that this is the sign of the storyteller, the communicators of the world will want to write, publish, blog, and generally tell the world useful bits of very colourful information - and what better time to gather up information. However, substance and quality rather than bragging and boasting should be aimed for.

Jupiter in Sag happens every twelve years and always signifies a new beginning within the learning centre of our lives (this is different for everyone but there is always somewhere in our chart where we learn the most). Jupiter brings a new perspective and fresh angles on both the old and the novel in this individual area. Globally, emerging trends can be found now and the more forward thinkers amongst us will be quick to spot and take a punt on what these might be. Jupiter is the lucky planet and we might find ourselves in the right place at the right time, or, perhaps the qualities of Sagittarius draws what we need most just when we need it.

This is the year to get generous, gregarious and go-getting after all the introspection of Jupiter’s transit through Scorpio. What did we learn over the last year (or should that be the last 12 years) that can be put to good use now? This is the year of the double-act since Sagittarius is a double-bodied, fluid sign and it is the year of growth-spurts. It is far from being a time of putting down roots so increased travel and house moves are likely in our search for space and openness. Cramped and claustrophobic will make us feel down in the dumps. And, like the archer who sets his sight on the bulls-eye and then pulls his hand back as far as it will reach, mentally, physically and spiritually we can expand, stretch, push and grow steadily and surely, in small but positive increments. Unless you have put in a rock-solid training, as the archer does, and truly done your homework and trained your sights, in which case you could grow giddy from the sudden fame, expansion and multiple offers that you will likely receive, it would be best to fire one arrow at a time, gaining composure before taking the next aim. Jupiter in Sag will encourage us to aim at all the wrong spots to reach our goals so we have to be sure that our goals are reasonable and attainable first. Jupiter will give us an ounce of confidence that, if mishandled, can quickly inflate to a ton of expectations that are beyond being able to be achieved. Jupiter can sometimes encourage us to dive into what we thought was the deep end but which turns out to be very shallow and very painful. During the first flushes and rushes of the possibilities that open up during the first part of this transit (November to April 2007) our enthusiasm and positive attitude overshadows practical considerations. There can be a too much of a “she’ll be right” attitude”.

Since Jupiter returns to Sagittarius every 12 years, it is sometimes possible to look back to past transits to get a sense of how this transit will shape up over the next year. Working backwards, here is a list of previous years:

1995/96
1983
1971/72
1959/60
1947/48
1935/36
1923/24

If you were born during one of these years, you will experience an increased effect of this transit because it will highlight your inherent philosophies in life and your tendency to be an eternal student. You don’t feel alive unless you are living at full speed and in constant motion. Your learning comes from direct experiences and the playground that is planet Earth, and this manifests as a desire to travel, read and do everything on a larger scale than the rest of us – you also make great teachers because of this eternal thirst for knowledge. Of course, Jupiter will be modified by other signs and aspects in your chart, but generally speaking, you have strong Sagittarian qualities that can overpower even your own birth-sign. You are full of passion, confidence and exuberance. 2007 is the year to live up to your own high-minded ideals.

For the rest of us, a new cycle begins each time Jupiter enters a new sign - for instance, from one transit of Scorpio, which lasts about one year, to the next transit of Scorpio will be approximately every 12 years. But when it travels through the sign it rules, there is a greater emphasis on the qualities of Jupiter and the qualities of Sagittarius. Planets animate and bring to life the particular areas of our charts they are passing through, signs provide the backdrop and temperament we adopt while dealing with the area of life that is being highlighted – which is called a House – e.g. work, home or in relationships. So, for each individual, the slot of your horoscope that holds Sagittarius, will be the area that will be super-emphasised. An astrologer can tell you this, or you can get your chart drawn up and find it yourself – look for the spoke that has an arrow with a line through it.

Globally, Jupiter and Sagittarius are connected astrologically to religion so there is bound to be an added emphasis on this in 2007. Note that Mars had been travelling in a direct and retrograde motion through this sign just prior to September 11, 2001. Mars was at one degree of Capricorn on September 11, 2001 but because the engineering of these attacks would have been planned during Mars’s transit through Sagittarius, the stimulation of these degrees by Jupiter in 2007, could trigger a similar stirring of fervour – even if this just means seeking justice and righting the wrongs from this period. Of course, history can not happen in exactly the same way and as with any forecast, there are any number of ways the coming year will manifest itself but I would be surprised if there were not a big focus on the events, people and countries involved in the happenings of 2001. The main theme though will be upon justice, truth, and a meaning and a higher plan in the course of our daily lives.

Plutos in Capricorn - Corporate Restructuring

PLUTO'S BANISHMENT


Now that Pluto has lived up to its mythic meaning by being banished to the nether regions of the outer-space, some musings come to mind. This may be presumptuous or forward, but having lived and breathed astrology for so long, it comes as no surprise when you look around at the world. I’d like to jot down what comes to mind regarding what it will mean for astrology, for, as astrologers, it is important that we think through what has taken place because it will be natural for people to ask us what this will mean. Because of that, I’d like to share some thoughts about those issues that pint-sized but feisty Pluto has (or should that be used to have?) influence over.

Pluto was recently downgraded from a planet in our solar system to a member of the Kuiper Belt Objects, something that is enough to send one half of the astrological community – the modernists - into nail-biting, humiliating turmoil and the other half – the traditionalists – into smug fits of laughter and a lot of “I told you so’s”. Taking the modern approach, for this is a modern application of science – to label and categorise rather than letting things be - it strikes me as interesting that Pluto is simultaneously reaching the end of its travels through Sagittarius, the sign of space exploration and bigger thinking. It’s interesting too that Ceres, the mythic Earth Mother, is now in the same astronomical category and so, theoretically, on a par with Pluto – i.e. has actually gained in status by going from Category Asteroid to Category Dwarf Planet, and since these two go hand in hand with the myth of Persephone and the Pomegranate seeds, if we leave dogmatic beliefs aside, this provides great food for thought. The modern proposal may be that perhaps life is less about control and power and more about making the most of what we have, for, like Ceres and her daughter, we experience whoever and whatever for such a short time.

How is the world’s consciousness changing with regard to Pluto and Scorpio-ruled issues of control, sex, death, and other people’s time, money and resources in these astronomically-historic and astrologically-challenging times? Of course, Scorpio still exists as a sign with a ruler, Mars, but signs in themselves only provide a stage for a planet to perform on. It’s the planets themselves that stimulate qualities and energies and make them manifest in our lives on a daily, monthly, yearly basis. So, how are we as astrologers going to handle this sudden change? We only need to look at how we feel about these Plutonian issues in our own lives to get an inkling. For instance, in the larger scheme of things, do we feel there is very little we can do about, for example, political issues, or the raising of children and what they are exposed to in these rapid times? Do we feel sad when we hear stories of gene tampering, food additives, polluted air and water? I think this is where the crux of Pluto’s banishment lies. Perhaps this is what the change in planetary status means. Just as the discovery of planets changed the thinking of the people at the time they were discovered, so the demotion of a planet brings that planet’s qualities to the fore so that change, even though it is happening in reverse, can find a crack in the world’s psyche that will allow new conditions to form simply through being a historic marker that the older generations will witness but which future generations will have no idea of. It’s a sucking in of energy, rather than a breathing out. Perhaps this is why the celestial wheel needs to be seen in a new context which reflects the world as it is today, no matter that the universe will carry on regardless of who says what on Earth. What do I mean by this, well…

Looking back at the transit of Pluto in Sag, we can see the theme of ethics, the truth, beliefs and dogmas woven through the years since 1995. We need only look at world events to see how religion has broken down and taken on new forms. Newly created wealth through property and investments are also Plutonian themes as baby boomers reach milestones that have never been seen before (and look at the hold (read control) that this generation will have over the next as the wealth transfers, or gets spent, or lives on via family trusts). On another level, boomers are less willing to give up workspace, or perhaps they are creating employment through their refusal to retire quietly. In New Zealand, employment is at the lowest it has ever been historically. So, we must ask, where to from here as we slip into what used to be coined the retirement age (another interesting term that correlates to Pluto’s banishment), making way for the new technological generation.

And of the next generation, depth is another Pluto theme that may not accompany the psyches of the I-pod, internet, mobile phone, wireless transmission, email generation – they seem to have it all and so value it less with so much information to take in, with the mounds of data at their finger tips with less and less of a need, or ability, to stick to one subject and investigate it thoroughly (Pluto again). Is this the Plutonian legacy of the information-seeking era of Pluto in Sagittarius? The mutability of Sag could spit out the masters of jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none generations - but, the old school have to accept this since what they do and how they apply it will be important and relevant and timely for them.

And that’s another angle I would approach Pluto’s significance at the moment. Our ability to communicate with people via hidden means decreases the trust and increases the vulnerability of people in relationships since we will never be sure of what someone is up to via text messaging, internet dating, internet voyeurism or emails that can be deleted at the push of a button - gone are the deleted messages and gone are the days when affairs could be detected by anonymous callers hanging up on the phone, or letters being left in a pocket, or a smear of seductive red lipstick on a collar. You don’t even have to go to a bar to meet someone or begin an affair in the office. Nowadays, you can communicate with people who are thousands of miles away, establishing a close relationship with them that is just as much a threat and an act of disloyalty as all of the above. Then there is pornography, which in the old days, consisted of magazines wrapped in brown paper hidden under beds or at the back of the wardrobe. Nowadays, it is everywhere you look, disguised in many forms, but available on tap and in vast quantities as people realise how much money there is to be made. Doesn’t that correlate with the loss of power of a banished Pluto, or the insidious side of a Pluto that we need to watch even more? Surely the sign Scorpio in itself cannot produce this kind of powerful medium, it is only something that a body like Pluto can come up with, with the aid of its cohorts in the Kuiper belt?

The side effects of all those kind of invisible threats are just as great. How do we grapple with living in a state of perpetual threat or suspicion that we no longer know what the people closest to us are doing, nor do we know, just yet, how to deal with the anxiety it produces. Just as there are thousands of asteroids and Evolutionary Intensified Objects (a term coined by American astrologer Philip Sedgwick during a workshop to describe the belt of celestial objects that Pluto has been designated to – see the link on this site to get to his thoughts), there are thousands of people out there that we can connect with at any hour of the day. The barriers of time and distance no longer exist, and yet what we seek is on the fringes and out of sight of our daily living – just like Pluto in the outer reaches of our solar system. Perhaps by suddenly shrinking in stature, Pluto, in true atomic fashion, has gone into disguise, melded and actually intensified the way we experience Plutonian aspects of life. In this respect, the astronomers of our time have done us a great favour because we now need to look at life from a completely different angle or risk losing sight of it all together. As astrologers, we will be less equipped to cope with clients or out of touch with our insights unless we embrace what this whole scenario signifies.

Looking back on the validity of Pluto in Sagittarius, just as relevant is Pluto’s previous transit through Scorpio when AIDs first became known to the general public, or when Pluto travelled through Libra when the balance of equality within relationships was the big issue of the day. Women went out into the workforce in huge numbers. A whole book can be written about Pluto transits through the signs, when whole generations were born, but these are just some examples that spring to mind during writing.

My own experiences of Pluto have been very real with the most recent, and the most memorable, being the Saturn/Pluto opposition of 2001 – an event that astrologers had examined, with great trepidation, long before it approached. In my own life, a t-square formed with my Sun in Virgo and my father died, just one month after the shocking events of 9/11 – how can one ignore such an event, which could be put down to Saturn in the traditional sense, but why did my father die at that point and not at one of the other contacts that Saturn would have had through the years. Pluto, on the other hand will only make one contact with my Sun in my life-time. And is it co-incidence that my father had just experienced the same transit to his Sun?

At the end of the day, with great respect to the scientific world, in my own work, I will continue to use Pluto rather than mourn its downgrading. However, I will use it with greater awareness that something in the collective psyche has changed forever and that our sense of power and control, in the positive context, now needs to be handled in new and better ways. What those ways are will probably be defined when Pluto enters Capricorn in 2008. There will be new rules established according to the new order, and it will be in hindsight that we will see the significance of events now. Change is the only thing that is constant! And that leads to another interesting concept, Pluto is always about transformation! Just because a new label has been put on something does not make it so, what does make it so is the general consciousness and perception of something once it has been identified and catergorised and brought to attention. On that basis, as members of the older generations, we must manipulate and transmute our perceptions as much as we can to keep up and move with the changing consciousness of our times. The younger generations, as they are bombarded with blatant consumerism and high regard for the best cosmetic appearances may need to learn to value the material world in much more evolutionary and worldly ways, for they have so much more to contend with than we ever did. In the end, Pluto has seemingly left us so that we can take power and control over ourselves in another, much more adaptable way.


(c) Tracey Rizvi, August 2006

Jupiter in Scorpio

Jupiter in Scorpio
From October 2005 to November 2006

Synchronous Swimming Event:
Jupiter square Neptune
January, March and September 2006

PAINTING A PICTURE BY CYCLES AND SEASONS: On October 26th (NZT) Jupiter, the largest and most gaseous planet in our solar system transited out of Libra and into Scorpio. Often known for its positive qualities of bestowing good luck, great fortune, travel, learning experiences, and growth on whoever is experiencing its effects, we look forward to Jupiter transits with relish. However, what needs to be kept in mind is that it is the self-sown seeds that are most likely to sprout now and that without a good dose of Saturn’s realism, we would be less in a position to benefit from Jupiter’s magnificent presence; yes, we might be showered by wonderful gifts but what are our coping mechanisms and strategies? Can we keep everything in perspective? Can we contain the growth to manageable levels?

Jupiter takes 12 years to travel around the Sun so given there are 12 signs, Jupiter will spend approximately one year travelling through an individual sign. Each year, the celestial wheel turns, and for 12 months one sun-sign gets to be an honorary Sagittarius, the sign that Jupiter rules. For most of 2006, Scorpio people are slowly but surely given tickets to the fair and get to ride the ferris wheel of life. October marked the commencement of a fresh 12-year cycle for Scorpio folk and by casting your mind back 12 years you might be able to paint a better picture of what will take place now. What began back then that has woven a thread through these years? What parallel experiences can you spot? Having Jupiter transit through your sign means you are given the opportunity to survey the land from a much higher vantage point than you normally would, for Jupiter describes the sweeping vistas and the wider panoramas of our lives.

WHO DOES THIS AFFECT? The effects of any planet in a sign generally influences everyone at the same time because the energy describes the current state of play of the world at any given period; however, those people such as Scorpio sun-signs (born late October and November) will experience Jupiter travelling over their Sun at some point within the above time frame (the earlier you are born in Scorpio, the earlier you will experience Jupiter). Then there is another level of astrology that goes much deeper than column astrology. We all know our sun-signs, but how many of us know that all the other planets are present within our makeup too and that you might not necessarily have to be a Scorpio Sun to enjoy the feeling of altitude that Jupiter brings. But, to determine this, you need to know of an astrologer and hopefully have an accurate birth-time. Failing locating an astrologer in a hurry, you can access a good website like www.astro.com to find out if you have qualifying planets that occupied Scorpio at the time of your birth.

No time, or it’s too complicated? Here’s a very rough way of discovering if at least one other planet, no other than Jupiter itself, was there when you were born. It figures that if Jupiter takes 12 years to go right around the Sun and back that if it is in Scorpio this year, by counting back in 12-year intervals you will almost certainly discover that you do indeed have Jupiter in Scorpio. People born approximately (remembering planets do not observe a strict man-made calendar) during 1994, 1982, 1970, 1958, 1946, 1934, 1922 and a little bit each side of these years will be experiencing what astrologers call their Jupiter Return. The ride then can be even more breathtaking in more ways than one because a whole new 12-year cycle is closing and beginning.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN: In October 2005, Jupiter transited into Scorpio to take up tenancy until late November 2006. Jupiter is travelling through Pluto’s sign and Pluto is travelling through Jupiter’s sign (Sagittarius) making what astrologers call a Mutual Reception. This strengthens the influence of both transits and especially underlines what Pluto is all about - having been in Sagittarius since 1996 - shaping, developing and instigating whatever is taking place now – life does not happen suddenly and world issues have been brewing consciously for the past ten years, obviously a lot longer unconsciously. To understand the significance of the concept of Mutual Reception, think of two countries agreeing to terms they have negotiated that are both satisfactory and of advantage to each country, they then form an alliance pledging to back each other and give support. There may fewer border controls because of agreement, making the flow of trade and travel much easier than relations between tense neighbours. Jupiter and Pluto remain steadfast in their pact and while Jupiter is in Fixed Scorpio and means that we are currently sticking to our guns and artillery no matter what, Pluto in Mutable Sagittarius decrees that life is an ever-changing process during which we must vary our thinking, alter our beliefs, expand our mindsets, and redefine our world-view.

As 2006 gathers pace, the current world headlines are very much about religious hatred and racial bigotry from all quarters of the globe, along with the inability to tolerate, accept or live alongside each other. Since October we have seen the ugly side of this transit manifesting in the hate that is crystallising on the actual streets we live in. Pluto in Sagittarius is a sure sign that the self-destructive tendencies of belief systems that are taking place now are actually issues of power and control (whose God or Prophet is bigger and better than all the others) rather than that of God’s will, and that because of the unconscious motivation behind current issues will turn in on itself leading to a total breakdown and then resurrection of beliefs by the time Pluto transits into conservative Capricorn in 2008. A new order will be in place by then with a radically different set of universal guidelines that will be enforced by God and nature. In the meantime, we must pass through this stormy phase before fear and loathing subsides enough that we can once again be objective and tolerant.

Let’s get personal: Along side the ferris wheel image, there’s a parallel symbology of Jupiter in Scorpio, a Water sign, that is like a huge plug at the bottom of the sea. There’s a thick chain attached to the stopper and now that it’s been discovered as Jupiter weaves its way through the months, we are gradually prising open the trapdoor with as much power as we can muster. What lies beyond the trap-door? We can hardly discover treasure if we avoid looking for it so we will be attracted to discovering what lies further down. As this process grips us with a ferocious intensity - another Scorpio trait - the slush, gunk, flotsam and jetsam that weighs the door down, that has taken years to settle and build up, is disturbed, polluting the water and making it extremely difficult to exist comfortably. Scorpio, being the sign of regeneration, means we first have to cleanse ourselves of the toxic waste before we can discover anything. It gets stirred up so much that we have to get rid of it somehow.

Jupiter in this fathomless sign is all about dipping into the inner well of emotional and imaginative resources. It’s of divining the vast store of knowledge that has built up over the years and of being able reclaim the precious pearls that are borne from our unique experiences and encounters over the course of our lifetime – of course the older we are the more knowledge that is stored. But even so, we can update the files, flinging out what is passed its use-by-date or, in the case of younger generations, learn from what has gone before.

Scorpio is said to be “deep”, while Jupiter expands the qualities of the sign it is transiting, emphasising all the relevant experiences that arise out of this great reservoir of energy. It will magnify what Scorpio means in our personal charts since we all have this sign somewhere. So, what does “deep” and “mysterious” (another keyword for Scorpio) actually mean? Take being a writer for instance, once upon a time in some place we now forget, we heard or read a phrase. Thinking that it was very clever, that whoever uttered it must be witty and intelligent, we recorded that phrase on our inner template. The phrase resonated with that part of us that was receptive to its intent or meaning, the phrase kind of summed up what we were thinking, feeling, doing at that time. We recorded it but never really used it because it disappeared down this plug-hole and we forgot its significance. But where did that clever piece of writing, witticism or work disappear to? Come to think of it where does all that stuff that we’ve ever read, heard, been impressed by, experienced or seen disappear to? Could it be that Jupiter in Scorpio opens up a deep, damp well of knowledge and that we are given access to it during its 12-month tenure in this sign? The exploration of this would be a very positive use of Jupiterian energy.

Scorpio is all about the unplumbed depths of our inner selves, while Jupiter is looking at life through a magnification glass. Look hard enough and open oneself from the bottom up and you should be able to tap into your inner resources bringing them to the surface for use in your daily living. Suddenly that phrase comes to mind, that action becomes a habit, or we see in our mind’s eye a vision of an insightful thought, long after we had forgotten where we experienced it. After all, Scorpio is a Fixed Sign, we have to dig deep to shift the roots to make way for knowledge. Suddenly, after a lot of rehashing, the regeneration happens when the right time and place arises to use it. It’s fresh, it’s original, we thought of it! In this respect, there really is no originality, there is no one thought, feeling or experience that someone, somewhere, sometime hasn’t experienced. We are all part of the mystery that is Scorpio. Let Jupiter in Scorpio bring about an epiphany that gurgles up and completely swamps us so that regeneration can take place. When this occurs, only then can we be passionate about life, have something to live and die for, make our life an experience that we will take with us proudly. Only then will feeling return. Let’s make that experience a great one says Scorpio. Enjoy the surge of power, purpose and passion that makes a great life no matter how big or small the achievement.

Despite the tension in our shoulders, the weakness of our limbs and heaviness of our hearts, we must cling to the sense of hope, as we open the lid of Pandora’s Box that an adventure is at hand, that good times are just around the corner. Jupiter is the planet that opens our eyes, helps us grow, desires experience and welcomes being taught or teaching others. It’s about being mutually receptive to others.

JUPITER SQUARE NEPTUNE – January, March and September 2006: As planets transit they make certain angles to other planets that creates an effect. This is called an aspect. Some aspects are soft and easy, while others are hard and difficult. It’s the difficult aspects that promote the most growth. During January, March and September Jupiter will square Neptune producing a very vague sense that all is not quite what it seems. It will square Saturn again in June, the first square being in December 2005. September will be a particularly significant month because Saturn will also oppose murky, nebulous Neptune creating a polarisation between having our structures undermined while ourselves being too structured to dream and allow imagination and creativity to heal ourselves and then society.

Jupiter with Neptune can be quite a tricky combination because we can be seduced by the glamour, the fun, the free ride, the lucky stroke, the charming newcomer, the great deal or the too-good-to-turn down/or be-true offer. Yes, Jupiter does offer all that and much more, because he IS the planet of opportunity, but he is also the teacher, mentor and guide. He is the jovial benefactor who can be deadly serious when it comes to getting an education, earning our keep, seeing the world, debating the point or gaining wisdom. He likes us to stretch intellectually, spiritually and physically. He will withhold whatever he is “benefacting” if he feels we’re avoiding the inner depths and allowing ourselves to stagnate. We are here to learn the truth about ourselves whether we like it or not. As with the ride on the ferris wheel, Jupiter transits are as much for viewing the layout of our life as they are enjoying the fun and laughter which can quickly turn to tears if we have avoided all responsibility. We can quickly become victims as a result of our own inertia or complacency. As a result, some of us can end up with altitude sickness or agoraphobia as we reach the top of the wheel, since Jupiter’s effects can greatly expand the fears, insecurities, anxieties or inhibitions that we’ve managed to keep in check (see the Saturn Return article for more on that). Suddenly, the laughter turns to terror and we can go weak at the knees as we realise we’ve bitten off more than we can chew or turned a blind eye too often. Our knuckles can turn white as we grip the safety rails, which suddenly seem ridiculously ineffective given how far we have to fall!

Remembering that Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system, it doesn’t always follow that only the biggest, the best and the most beautiful will come our way during this 12-month stint in life’s university. Some of us may have eaten too large a lunch before climbing aboard the wheel and with Jupiter’s side effect being too much of a good thing is bad for you we soon discover where we have over-indulged on life’s gourmet fares. Too much of anything - in this instance associated with Neptune and Scorpio because that’s the town the fair is visiting – sex, drugs, gambling, financial problems, or even game playing and control – can be thrown back at us when the updraft makes the seat sway and rock. We want to shut our eyes for the rest of ride, which now seems to be taking forever. There is no such thing as a free ride, we have to travel on the wheel of life as lightly and as calmly, as ethically and as “educatedly” as we can, we have to earn the smooth ride and expanded viewpoint, it doesn’t come as an add-on or extra – on the wheel, we can feel so afraid, weak or sick that we barely even notice what’s out there, the possibilities or promises.

When Jupiter squares Neptune (January, March and September) and Saturn in June we will experience a strange, quite spooky, effect that is known as reflection. Just like one of those shaving mirrors that have two sides – one side revealing how we like to think we look and then the side that magnifies our open pores, wrinkles, pimples, crooked teeth and hairy top lip - we will encounter people, situations and experiences that reveal our supposedly ugly side and not just in a physical sense. Before we turn the mirror back to normal view, or push those people and situations away in order to avoid what we always suspected, take a good look and learn to love those shadowy flaws. That way, you can avoid having to learn over and over through other people who possess exactly what we dislike about ourselves and attract only the people who are good for us, who support without claiming our power, who open up in a truthful way without conditions.

If Jupiter is a measure for growth on the celestial wheel and Scorpio represents the depths within, or the passion we imbue into our activities, relationships, careers, or the ability to rise like the Phoenix from the ashes to the top of the wheel or to plunder the depths of despair like Persephone, then we might want to examine which side of the up/down we are on. Whatever lies in either direction – bottom or top - is going to be amplified, expanded and exaggerated. If we’ve cultivated, nurtured and harnessed our power over the years then we’re likely to discover that the strength of our convictions, the power of our character and the force of our confidence is genuine and, best of all, sustainable. It will now come naturally, there’s little need to defend or define ourselves to others, least of all to ourselves. But we will jealously guard against intrusion, being undermined or knocked back. Our strength simply emanates from us like the warm and welcome glow of the lighthouse on a stormy, shipwrecking kind of night. There’s little need to steal or smuggle what we need from others like pirates or highwaymen, it’s provided within the two-way, respectful exchange that healthy relationships are based upon. We can leave self-sabotaging terror tactics in the past or at the entrance to the halls of our power, we can embrace success, welcome love, give up harmful habits, support the emotionally needy without taking on their problems, because our well is full, our path is clear, unfettered by guilt, jealousy, resentment, bitterness. This then means we are in a beautiful position to cultivate, nurture and help others to harness their own power without taking it from them.

If we find ourselves suspended on one side of the wheel or the other, neither up nor down, neither too high nor too low, but safely poised like a tightrope walker with his arms out, then at certain points during this transit, like January, March, June and September, we will eventually realise that this is the most precarious position. The graceful stillness of the great wheel, as it patiently holds us, represents our indecision, our fickleness, our fear of failure, our avoidance of commitment, and our lack of faith or belief in anything, or our grip on security. One day we wake up and realize that the all powerful circle of life has degenerated into the treadmill, the rat race, that we have lost touch with our inner treasures and that we’ve allowed ourselves to be robbed by the pirates who lay claim to our soul. We realize, as Jupiter squares Neptune in January, March and September, that we’ve been quietly, subtly seduced by the material offerings of the greedy or the controlling. The wheel has snatched back the power that we reject, ignore or turn a blind eye to. It can throw us high or fling us low. We might want to question our lack of motivation, direction or ambition before we get to this point because riding the wheel with perfectly balanced symmetry means that we are the least likeliest to grow in the character-building sense and the most likeliest to get thrown off balance in the slightest gust. We are not pushing ourselves to delve, dip and discover the mysteries of our emotional life. Without passion to fuel our dreams and desires, we are at loss in the spiritual sense. Tapping into our deep well of inner philosophical wealth without having to watch what others are doing, competing with them, comparing ourselves to them, or blaming them for our own misfortunes, and of watching what we do with our financial and emotional resources is vital around the middle of this transit because what we do, feel, think, invest in or instigate in the first half of the year will determine how the second half of the transit (from the point that Jupiter turns direct on July 7th to November 25th) will pan out. Other people, with their assets, their feelings, their knowledge, their financial reserves or their emotional support or lack of, are the agents of change as our energetic being clashes, collides, colludes, collaborates and compromises with theirs.

Life and death is an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and yearly process of pushing against the forces of nature from the time we are born to the time we die. All along the way there are little deaths, endings and beginnings as ever so slowly our vitality mellows, softens and finally turns inward until, in the end, the physical body breaks down, the spirit is released and we rise once again from the mystery that our personal beliefs dictate we will return to.

© Tracey Rizvi, February 2006

Forecast for 2001 (9/11)

REACH FOR THE STARS
IN 2001

Mars in Sagittarius
The Idealistic Warrior

If you’ve a special pilgrimage to make, a burning quest or a sacred ideal you’ve only ever dreamed about, 2001 could be the year when you are inspired to hit the road in pursuit of your personal vision. With Mars spending an unusually long time in Sagittarius – February to September – it’s time to get out of the doldrums, stretch, take new risks, and explore bigger and better possibilities. Pluto, also in Sag, co-rules Scorpio with Mars, so with these two gutsy planets in the same sign, we’re really digging deep within ourselves for the philosophical. We’re painting broader strokes and looking to other places and wider territories both within and without. Travel of the mind and body is important to many of us now.

Because of this emphasis in the sign of the Archer – the Seeker - there’s a very expansive, idealistic, though somewhat intense, energy around to help loosen our mind-sets away from the dense, practical, and often materially-driven wavelength that permeated 2000. We’ll shift to a much more fluid, airy, almost religious attitude toward whatever we do, even if this doesn’t involve structured worship. And we’ll have the chance to review our actions between May and July before acting decisively, just to make sure we are on the right track. Slow down and ponder the obstacles during these months.

Globally, March, May, July, October and November could be particularly fervent months for world religions and idealistic causes. Our concerns will turn away from work, mortgages and making ends meet to a more seeking, sometimes quite spiritual, approach. Going way over the top in search of meaning and truth could be a contagious trend. Larger-than-life gurus and leaders will appear to spread their particular word, because acting on ideals is what it is all about now. On another level, corporations and individuals who deal in communications, travel, publishing and the law may also dominate our headlines. But it’s a fickle, outspoken public that has the ultimate say.

For those of us who planted spiritual/idealistic seeds during July and December 2000 when we tuned into our personal faith and belief systems, there’s every chance that some of these visions could turn into oak trees by April 2001. This is when big-thinking, high-minded, generous Jupiter vibrates harmoniously with mystical, psychic, believing Neptune. And if we believe in magic and make-believe, the power of faith will almost be enough to turn a dream or two into reality. However, this is a very subtle energy that can easily be missed unless we are truly believe in ourselves or have placed our utmost faith and hope in the higher realms. By the same token, Pluto asks us to rigorously defend or define our beliefs in our search for the truth in May, July, October and November. Facing harsh facts may be tough-going then, but at least we are sweeping away any illusions.

Jupiter into Cancer
July 2001

Family, living conditions, and our emotional lives become much more important from July 13 through to December and beyond, although we’ll have an inkling of this as early as January. We want a personal touch and old-fashioned values by then. July and December will be potent months when an explosion of passionate feeling will be surface (see Eclipses below). And after a lot of talking, negotiating, exploring and thinking in the first half of the year, we will be ready to express “feelings” in a non-detached way in the second half. The ice melts around our hearts and, like a cosy kitchen on a cold winter’s day, a lovely warm atmosphere begins to emerge. On February 13, 1999, Jupiter crossed into Aries marking the beginning of a 2½-year phase when no outer planets would travel through a Water sign. The outer planets – Jupiter to Pluto – and their signs and angles to each other - represent the social climate we may experience during a given time span. The last time there were no outer planets in any of the Water signs occurred between 1971 to 1973.

Because Water represents feelings, emotions, nurturing and family life, these aspects have been rather distorted of late. We could say that money/work (Earth), technology/globalisation (Air), and idealistic ambitions (Fire) have trampled rather carelessly over our sensitivities - the caring, the empathy, and the compassion that is a natural part of humanity’s makeup (Water). Socially, we are finding that emotions and family life have taken a different path than that of our own upbringing, to which we might look to for guidance, and that domestic life may, at times, be secondary to society’s dictates and trends.

When there is a lack of an Element we must strive harder in our efforts to touch base with what this Element represents. Lack of Water during this period may indicate that much of the time we have swallowed our feelings and instincts, put aside our family values, or ignored our roots and ancestry. In other words, our minds may have become steely (Air), we’ve an over-emphasis on providing material security (Earth), all the while struggling to maintain a belief in something other than man-made concerns (Fire). Hence, we can look forward to enjoying a re-discovery of much simpler emotional instincts, and a time when we can self-nurture and care-give from the heart, connecting with our “yin” needs. This may require shedding tears that cleanse before we truly reconnect.

The Eclipses
Letting it all hang out

And not only is there a reintroduction of Water with Jupiter but also with the signs the Eclipses will teeter between. Eclipses indicate months when both social and personal issues are triggered. Therefore, we may find January, June, July and lastly December 2001 to be important months personally and globally. Eclipses signify turning points and crossroads. For the past 18 months the series of Eclipses has fallen between the signs Leo and Aquarius – Fixed signs that are rather slow to change their ways, they hold on to crumbling structures long after they are due for change. Throughout 2001 they will fall between the sensitive Cancer and ambitious Capricorn polarity - action signs that want and bring about change no matter what. Eclipses act as pressure valves for our emotional states. And while we may have to perform a delicate balancing act during these months with the beauty of life’s unpredictability, they are excellent for washing away the debris that has accumulated. We get to deal with issues that have built up in our lives.

The world may continue to move at breakneck speed, with even more amazing technological advancements and wondrous discoveries on land, under water and in the skies. But in preparation for a return to our true emotional homes in the second half of 2001, our jaded souls are looking, even yearning for, something that holds the promise of passion and a deeper meaning that can be felt wholeheartedly on all levels.

(C) Tracey Rizvi. Article written for Rainbow News Jan 2001
Planet_Report 2006

Uranus In Pisces

From March 2003 to March 2011

On another threshold of change, February 2003 will be an interesting, highly critical and cosmically historical month as Uranus travels through the last degrees of its own sign Aquarius before entering Pisces in early March (11th) where it will remain until 2011. Uranus won’t be back to Aquarius for another 76 years (2079) so we’re climbing over the turnstile of a major transition in both our personal lives and of global consciousness.

Witness the rapid changes that have occurred since 1995 when Uranus entered Aquarius – we have seen major advancements in technology and science and the resultant impact it has had upon our lives – so much information at only the push of a button. We have cell-phones, laptop computers, tablet computers, handheld computers, globalisation and the metaphorical shrinking of the world through high-speed communications. Not only that but science has pushed the boundaries and come closer to perfecting the ability to clone and produce genetically modified food during this time. The younger generation are growing up much faster than we ever did, and appear to take it all in their stride, but to the older folk of the Pisces Age all these advancements are both startling and shocking. We’ve had to make enormous intellectual leaps to keep up with the incredible speed of a constantly changing world. Whether these issues are right or wrong, that is what Uranus and Aquarius is all about!

Increasingly, we will become more familiar with the hidden terrains of our inner maps. Rather than living on automatic pilot we will seek emotional sustenance from our activities and from the information we absorb from the world around us. Our senses will be wide open and extremely receptive. This means that the psychic noise will initially be deafening, that at first we will feel disorientated and highly sensitised, but that we will gradually develop ways and means to personally sift through what we are exposed to. We will need to balance an overwhelming amount of emotion and intellectual overload via practices that encourage us to be grounded and centred. And, as with any change, we may have to pass through a phase of initiation where differences of ideologies and beliefs structures break down – this also applies to those of the same belief systems where clashes between the old and new are evident. We will also become more aware of the “unseen and unknown” and the greater plan of life that is outside the domain of science, defies rational explanation and of which we have little knowledge and therefore control over. Unusual cults and spiritual leaders may emerge who insist they have all the answers but the more questions that are asked the less we realise they know. Since Pisces rules the dubious, some of us will have our illusions shattered during this 7-year timeframe since progressive Uranus breaks up anything that is part its use by date or that is not progressive.

The shadow or unconscious side of Pisces is Virgo - its opposite sign - a discriminating sign that desires wholesome and healthy input. Our psychic antennas, though gullible at first, will also gradually learn to detect insincerity and untruths, and as a consequence we will grow less believing of the propaganda of our times. The down-trodden and less privileged will gain a status of their own, but how inequalities will be balanced remains to be seen. By the same token, what we believe is what shapes our future so it is time for everyone on planet earth – from rich to poor - to take a good look at how subconscious programming determines what lines our lives travel along. We can only be victims of other’s actions for so long and after that we must harness the power of belief in ourselves to regulate what we accomplish or want in life. We are all a product of our own beliefs and it’s time to believe big and grow big on a spiritual level.

Pisces rules water and liquid, so from the oceans to the rivers to the water that comes out of our taps, over the course of the next seven years we will become increasingly conscious of the purity and quality - again Virgo keywords - of this very precious God-given commodity. Marine life and oxygen levels will also be cause for concern along with extremes in weather patterns and the melting polar caps. Sudden events – both natural and human - that shock and astound will constantly draw our attention and dissolve our indifference or laissez-faire attitudes toward our waterways and the creatures that are sustained within them. Saturn in Cancer – also a water sign – for the first 18 months of Uranus’ transit through Pisces suggests that costs associated with water usage or spoilage will skyrocket in a valiant backlash against spiralling destruction. Saturn represents the established structures, along with shortages, while Cancer is protective; in an attempt to preserve what is quickly diminishing, strict controls will be put into place before contamination of our waterways spreads to food chains, which then overstrains the health system. Spoiled water or liquid or technology that filters and distributes water could be one of the major sources of the spread of new, indefinable virii. Pisces is the last sign on the zodiac wheel and therefore contains all the experiences - the joys and the despairs - of the other eleven signs. In this respect, we have reached a critical juncture, a turning point in the natural history of the world where anything is likely. Pisces also relates to drugs and addictions and substance abuse will become of greater concern before it gets better.

© Tracey Rizvi, December 2002, Rainbow News Article
Planet_Report 2006