Birthstones: Sapphire- September birthdays. Opal- October birthdays
Lucky Number: 6 (community, childhood)
Tarot card: Justice
Justice from The Legacy of The Divine Tarot, Ciro Marchetti
Astronomy
Libra (technically, it is correctly pronounced Ly-bra as in Library) is a small but distinct constellation, 29th in size of the 88 constellations, next door to the constellation Virgo. It’s been described as looking like a lop-sided diamond and is visible in the northern hemisphere between April and July.
Libra used to be regarded, not as a constellation in its own right, but as part of its neighbouring constellations Scorpio and Virgo. The stars representing the scales of Justice are the same stars representing the claws of the Scorpion.
Libra, like Cancer, is faint in comparison with other constellations, and contains no spectacular first magnitude stars, but contains a very old galaxy cluster, possibly around 10 billion years old, the same age as our own galaxy, The Milky Way.
There also is a red dwarf star Gliese 581 with three orbiting planets, two of which may possibly be suitable for life, about 20 light years from Earth.
The brightest star in Libra is a binary star about 77 light years from Earth. α Librae. or Zubenelgenubi, meaning “the Southern Claw” in Arabic.
The second-brightest star in the constellation of Libra is β Librae, or Zubeneschamali, from the Arabic for “The Northern Claw.”
Mercator
Equilibrium and Equinox
Since 2002, the Sun has actually appeared in the constellation of Libra from October 31 to November 22.
This is different to the dates used for this sign in your media horoscope, which is based on modern western or tropical astrology, and says Libra begins around 23rd of September, coinciding with the autumn equinox (in the northern hemisphere).
But astronomy is not astrology, which is a symbolic language, and zodiac signs are not to be confused with the constellations after which they were named.
The Sun did indeed used to be in the sign Libra from the northern autumnal equinox (c. September 23) to on or about October 23, when the hours of night and daylight were the same- hence the Libra’s concept of natural balance.
The zodiac sign of Libra ceased to coincide with the actual placement of the constellation in AD 730 because of the wobble of the Earth, and the resulting effect known as precession – the movement of the equinoxes relative to Earth.
This fact of astronomy does not invalidate your horoscope. The astrological concept still stands, based on the arithmetic model of the zodiac as designed by the mathematician Ptolemy in the 2nd Century.
We have the Romans to thank for the name of this constellation, as well as the sun sign or zodiac sign of Libra as we understand it today.
It is a complicated history. Libra began as part of Scorpio, and was known in Babylonian astronomy as MUL Zibanu (the “scales” or “balance”) but with an alternative name, the Claws of the Scorpion, while in ancient Greece Libra was also seen as the Scorpion’s Claws.
The scales were sacred to the Babylonian sun god Shamash, the patron of truth and justice, and ever since these very early times, Libra has been associated with law, fairness and civility.
Because 3000 years ago, the Sun entering Libra marked the equinox, when days and nights were of equal length, i.e. balanced, Roman astrologers considered that the constellation of Libra represented the principle of natural balance, equality, equilibrium and hence, justice.
In ancient Rome Libra was associated with the scales of justice held by the pre-Greek goddess Astraea, or her Roman counterpart Dike, although in Greek mythology she had always been associated with Virgo.
Claws, scales. Virgo, Scorpio. Confusing? Typically elusive Libra!
According to the Roman writer and poet Marcus Manilius, the best Roman judges were born under the sign of Libra. The Moon, which in astrology governs temperament, was said to be in Libra when Rome was founded, in a historical passage, which states “qua condita Roma.”
The early born Libra may therefore be expected to have much in common with Virgo and Astraea, but the later born Libra may be expected to have quite a lot of Scorpio going on.
This same principle applies to all the zodiac signs, of course, whether you were born early or late in your sign, but is particularly acute in the case of Libra, on account of its shared/borrowed stars and very particular history as a relative newcomer to the zodiac story in its own right.
Libra is one of the three zodiac air signs, the others being Gemini and Aquarius.
Libra is the only zodiac sign that is not represented by a human or animal, but the scales signify the collective and enduring human hunger for justice, as well as Libra’s own especially keen personal need for balance, order, and equality.
Many astrologers view Libra as an especially lucky sign because it occurs during the peak of the year when the rewards of hard work are harvested.
Libra is suave, clever and extremely easy to like. The classic Libra subject has charm and can be a great listener with sharp observation skills and acute perception.
Because Venus, the goddess of love, rules Libra, as it also rules Taurus, the Libra subject is especially, even acutely sensitive to beauty in anything, whether it is a person, nature, art, or music.
Libra intensely dislikes loud or sharp noises, cruelty, nastiness, and vulgarity, as they are naturally kindly and civilized people, and also, may we observe, a teensy bit delicate at times.
Born diplomats, but also anything for a quiet life, Libras try to co-operate and compromise with everyone around them. They can sometimes be a little tiring to be with as they are constantly re-assessing and adjusting their thinking, while remaining emotionally distant, or playing Devil’s advocate and this may be infuriating at times, or even seem to call their personal loyalties into question.
They are not averse to keeping secrets, and can be more changeable even than Gemini. Those Libran scales are after all, seeking balance, which is not the same as attaining it or maintaining it.
Botticelli: The Birth of Venus, ruler of Libra
Libra may not receive or handle criticism as dispassionately as they dispense it. They can show jealousy when they are not the centre of attention, and may at times be moody; a practitioner of passive aggression, or they may be something of an ‘iron fist in a velvet glove’ – smoothly vengeful, or even ruthless.
But lovely Libra, charming, smiling, sophisticated, civilized. Sunny side up, what on earth’s not to like?
What is astrology and why do astrologers study the Moon?
‘Astrology’ comes from Greek and means ‘the study of the stars.’
Humans have been studying and recording the phases of the Moon for at least 25, 000 years as the closest celestial body to Earth, an average of 238,855 miles (384,400 km) away depending on its orbit.
The Moon provides not only a guide to the seasons, and a measure of predictability as to when certain things will happen, such as the migration of animals for hunting, but exerts visible effects on the tides and a lot more besides, for example, the spawning of corals, animal mating seasons, crop growth, hormonal cycles, and quite possibly human behaviour.
Mooning about, moon-struck, looney-tunes, lunatic. Words and sayings mean something and they come from somewhere.
October is going to be a busy month, moon-wise with two full moons starting tomorrow with a full Harvest Moon in the sign of Aries, and another in Taurus on Halloween last day of the month.
The Harvest Moon is the name given to the Full Moon closest to the September equinox which happens on the 22 or 23 September, and which marks the start of autumn/fall. The Harvest Moon occurs in September two years out of every three. However the astronomical seasons don’t match up with the lunar month and once every three years, as this year, the Harvest Moon occurs in October.
The Harvest Moon
For several days around the time of the full Harvest Moon, the Moon rises about 30 minutes later each night, and this extra light early in the evening is what makes this time of year especially atmospheric -weather permitting- and gave farmers extra light for harvesting after sunset.
This was the artistic terrain of one of my favourite painters, Samuel Palmer.
Harvest Moon by Samuel Palmer 1821-32
The 2020 Harvest Moon tomorrow will rise at 19.01 (UK) and set at 06.10 (UK) if only the skies will be clear enough to see it.
The major arcana Tarot card associated with Aries, the zodiac sign ruling this full moon is The Emperor.
The Emperor from the Legacy of the Divine tarot, Ciro Marchetti
Traditional meanings: rule, power, government and governance, authority, law and order, fatherhood, masculinity.
This Full moon can bring a short burst of vitality. Yippee. It’s spring again…well it is in the southern hemisphere, anyway. It can signify a restless, edgy, even sporty mood, classic Ram energy, with a burst that may be short-lived but that can get things done, especially short-term projects.
Aries is the sign of the First house of the zodiac, the Self. Me, Myself, I.
What can I do? Where does the buck stop with me and no-one else?
There could be some intense feelings and inner tension round this time, perhaps a spot of impetuosity, but by the same token, it’s a good time to clear the air, and it’s considered a lucky moon for taking chances; for example, launching a new idea, project or product, or if you’re going for a job interview.
Julius Caesar by the way, looking at the imagery of this card, although he certainly walked the walk of the Aries Emperor, and with too many bells on to count, was a Cancer subject, born 12 July 100 BC ,and Alexander the Great was also a Cancer subject, born 20 July 356 BC. Cleopatra was a Leo subject.
Hitler was born right on the cusp Aries/Taurus 20 April 1889, and Aries and Taurus folk have been known to fight over who doesn’t get to keep him.
Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Emperor, unifier of most of western Europe, great king of the Franks, was an Aries subject, 2 April 742 , and so was Thomas Jefferson, “Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.”
Now that is definitely a hallmark statement of sturdy, sovereign Aries self reliance.
The junior sprog is a newly qualified primary school teacher, following three years of a dozen or so zero hours jobs after completing a drama honours degree.
The drama degree has proved very useful as a direct source of income at various times since graduation, Halloween jobs working as a scare actor, for instance. Christmas jobs working as a Santa’s Elf on the East Lancashire Railway, and there have been a few short film projects, besides jobs in retail and as a photographer at visitor attractions such as Blackpool Zoo and the Pleasure Beach.
Nothing’s wasted. But none of this helps a young person to afford their own place, no planning possible, no financial forecasting from one month to the next and nor does it pay towards a pension.
The teacher training was interrupted in April by the Coronavirus crisis, and she and the rest of her cohort were not able to work their third and final school placement that makes up the PGCE course. This shortfall in experience had to be made up with additional academic work, extra dissertations and so on. And again, nothing is wasted, but it is not a substitute for experience.
After she completed the course she signed on with a supply agency, and on 1 September had her ear bent by *cough* no-one I know, warning her to have her shoes shined and her bag ready to go with zero notice at any time.
The schools went back, a phased return starting 1 September, and nothing happened, but this Tuesday 22 September she got her first call from the agency.
It came at ten to nine in the morning, with the instruction to go 30 minutes up the road to a school needing Teaching Assistant cover because the incumbent TA had to take time off, after her child showed signs of a sniffle- or could it be Covid- 19.
Junior Sprog is trained as a teacher not a Teaching Assistant. The training is different, and she had been advised she may therefore not be offered such roles but never mind, no problem.
Straight out the door.
But how would it go? Would they ask her back next again?
You can have a go at this yourself with an ordinary deck of playing cards. Shuffle while you ask your question, and then you lay out a line of five cards. It could be three or seven, the point being it is an odd number.
The story is read from left to right and the central card is the key card. I also look at the balance of the suits for my answer. How many red cards (yes) How many black suit cards, and specifically, which are they?
If you get mostly Spades, you answer is a probable no. If you get all Diamonds and Hearts, it’s a probable yes. Clubs may be a yes or no, depending on whether they are mixed with Spades or Hearts and Diamonds. You can weigh up the mix by the look and feel of the thing, even if you don’t know the meanings of the cards.
The ‘Line of Five’
So what have we here?
The Ace of Diamonds sudden news, a phone call new job or other source of money. Well, that could not be more apposite.
8 Clubs: a stable card denoting business, study or gatherings such as a meeting, a conference and in this case it describes a classroom.
4 Hearts: a happy environment. I was mightily relieved to see this card sitting centrally. Junior Sprog had a horrible time, in one of her two school placements in a school dominated, if not terrorized by a toxic headteacher. It was a shocker, and the only good thing one could say was, it did not defeat her, and she faced it down and passed the placement despite that headteacher’s expressed determination from the outset, from the very second day, that Junior Sprog would fail the placement.
7 Clubs: this is going to be hard work. This is the card of the workaholic and also house clearing and yard work; sweeping, cleaning, that kind of thing.
2 Clubs: this is the card of contracts and the number 2 indicated she would either be called in again the next day, or be called back to this school at a future date.
Outcome
Junior Sprog really liked the school, though she said she was exhausted from running round after the children. ‘Big deal’ was all the sympathy she got, till she explained that the school has a big outdoor area for play time exercise. The school supplies wellies, she was helping the little ones in the reception class, and had to help pull on and remove 28 pairs of tiny wellies and waterproof trousers, on and off, on and off multiple times during the day.
The little ones were adorable but being so little, a lot of them did not yet know their left foot from their right foot. Some struggled to pull up their trousers.
She went in for a second day yesterday and then the regular Teaching Assistant returned with the Covid testing issue sorted out, and Junior Sprog completed the day in a support role.
So yes, it was two days, and I feel she may go back again if further cover is needed.
Junior Sprog is however working again today, at a different school, her second school in three days, deployed this time as a one- to- one assistant, supporting a pupil with special needs.
She says the Head is amazing at this school; she really likes this school, and this makes me happy because this was the school where she was supposed to go for her final term’s placement before the Covid-19 crisis fully kicked in and shut the schools at Easter.
She jokes that that her little charge is a ‘psycho’, and that he has been known to hit and kick people (staff) on purpose because he can’t control his temper, but that he knocked her arm accidentally earlier this morning and apologized.
Though he still had to go to the time out room at one point, where she sat with him and so did the Head teacher.
Now, depending how this goes, this could be where a young teacher’s scare acting skills could come in useful.
Friday 23 September marks the the first day of astronomical autumn/fall in the Northern Hemisphere. and spring in the southern hemisphere, when day and night are nearly equal. In the United Kingdom the equinox will be 02:03 AM
This is the day when we enter the zodiac air sign of Libra, and the Tarot cards specifically associated with 23 September are Justice and the Two of Swords, belonging to the first decan of Libra.
You will notice a striking similarity between this card and the Tarot’s Justice card, its major arcana counterpart.
The Gilded Tarot Royale, Ciro Marchetti
The Two of Swords is blind like Justice. Wilfully blind, and for a purpose, either for tactical reasons, or because this decision simply cannot be rushed. Here, the wings serving as a blindfold denote the element of air, and impartiality, the use of cool, calm intellect brought to bear on a tricky situation.
If the card comes out upside down, then someone is being a refusenik. A decision must be taken but they are procrastinating.
The Two of Swords can describe a see-saw, and is reflecting what we all know, that internationally and domestically October looks like another tense month of watching, waiting, diplomatic stand-offs and tensions.
Mercury goes direct again 2 October, possibly smoothing certain communications, but October 2022 is going to be anything but a mild news month, and we don’t need the Tarot to see that.
I’ll be watching the first ten days or so of October when we are in Three of Swords territory. Meaning? Severance. Putin is a second decan Libra, which has all manner of wonderful qualities. But his personal chart features a difficult fixed star; born with his natal sun conjunct the ‘rapacious and fiendish’ Algorab, the right wing of the Crow in the constellation of Corvus the Crow.
The Two of Swords is difficult at times. It may suggest indecision, a delay, or a truce, a stand-off, a stalemate. Libra will see-saw in seeking to achieve an equilibrium. It may see-saw rather a lot.
On a personal level, more than once the Two of Swords has alerted me to the fact that a client has been experiencing headaches, possibly migraines. These have often been attributed to stress. Or they have been to see the optician, or have just scheduled a visit to see the optician. The Two of Swords may mean eyes-or teeth. This card may be talking, entirely literally, about needing to see the dentist.
Tarot can be literal like that. Rightly so. The reader is working in the real world. No, it isn’t always fun.
But the world keeps turning, and with it, the wonders of the wheel of the seasons.
The sacking of the Defence Secretary, Mr Esper the incumbent President suggests a risk of serious trouble ahead. Who is he making room for, and why? I understand Mr T had been at odds with Mark Esper before, who had argued against the need to deploy troops on the streets during the BLM protests during the summer. Mr Esper has said that he now very much fears a yes man.
It does not look as though it comes to that. A sudden volte face seems more likely, and a step down,though probably without ever conceding, is suggested by:
9 Spades = mourning. Mr T’s disappointment.
7 Hearts Hopes = dreams, castles in the air. The deal is done on the world stage.
10 Hearts Mr Biden in the White House, settled by the hearth.
4 Diamonds, media = New regime, Mr T, furious at Murdoch, FAKE NEWS and FAKE MEDIA will harry via his own media outlet the next 4 years.
7 Spades, conspiracy, sabotage, but not civil war, though a military option would seem to have occurred to Mr T, in respect of resisting removal.
But it doesn’t get to that point. Why not?
There is No Joker, and no Ace Spades or Ten of Spades on the future timeline.
UPDATE IN SUMMARY
While not explicitly ‘calling’ it yes or no on the outcome, and this lack of clarity in the cards, in seemingly refusing to call it was a puzzle at the time, events have since confirmed that what was being shown here via the cards was an unfolding process or STORY. The victory was at the same time a kind of a non victory, because it is being contested and recounts are still happening as I type. Mr T is prepared to do whatever it takes to overturn this outcome. Up to a point, and what that point is remains to be determined. It IS a victory for Mr B however.
Originally posted 20 September
I can’t believe it’s been a whole month since I last posted. I’ve been working on a few other things, while the public mood at the moment in the UK, the same in the US, and pretty much everywhere is such that even the most stalwart, nay, foolhardy tarot reader, astrologer or other practitioner of divination in its various forms, may hesitate to dip so much as a tootsie into the morass.
But regular readers of this blog are of a thoughtful, civil, inquiring and sophisticated ilk, while a cat may look at a king.
I’ve got to take a look.
17 September I tweeted
“Polls put Mr B ahead but I’m not so sure unless Mr T gets bored. For Mr T the Ace of Swords, showing an eagle (American Eagle?) + Wheel of Fortune (Jupiter= he goes back to biz?) Mr B draws introspective Knight of Cups (Pisces) and the serene, domestic 10 of Cups. Legacy Tarot.“
Cards for Mr T
The Wheel of Fortune from the Legacy of The Divine Tarot
Key concepts: the world turns, the seasons turn, shifting fortunes, events beyond our control, what goes up must go down and vice versa. Jupiter. Expansion. Here the card is drawn right way up, generally considered lucky.
The Ace of Swords from The Legacy of the Divine Tarot
Key concepts: air signs Aquarius, Gemini and Libra. Mr T is a Gemini subject. Initiative, power, victory, a new idea, an act of will or law. A sword to cut clean or to cut through a Gordion knot, but sometimes this is a double-edged sword, ruthlessness.
Cards for Mr B
The Knight of Cups, Legacy of the Divine Tarot
Key concepts: The element of water, carried on the tides, the Moon, sign of Pisces, the twelfth and last sign of the zodiac, a saviour, a warrior-martyr, a dreamer, visionary, hidden depths, secrets, mysteries, a healing quest, the occult.
The Ten of Cups from The Legacy of The Divine Tarot
Key concepts: note this second card is also ruled by Pisces, the Moon. Card meanings, a happy home, happy relationships, devotion to family, safety and contentment. A positive card signifying an arrival at a completion. This is a card of stasis rather than movement and momentum.
We can draw our own inferences from the imagery. I am struck at the coincidence of the appearance of the bald eagle in that Ace of Swords card drawn for Mr T.
Joe Biden has been consistently ahead in the polls, with a clearer margin than Trump versus Clinton during the campaign in 2016.
If I were a US citizen planning on voting Republican on Nov 3 I might be twitchy as anything at this point, based on the polls, but if I was planning on voting Democrat I’d still be wishing for a stronger candidate with a bigger vision and a clearer message, reflected in a more strategic and forceful show of cards. Mr B’s cards, you do not need me to point out, notwithstanding the polls, for some reason do not immediately embody the energy and qualities one might associate with an electoral victory.
His VP Ms Harris has a nice strong stride, good energy levels there, though my cards have thus far suggested that she brings to bear a high degree of executive talent rather than overt leadership potential.
Let’s have some fun, and just run the names by my pendulum.
The Question: Do we see this person as the next President of the US?
Pendulum divination mobilizes the unconscious central nervous system in detecting water or minerals underground, or in obtaining a yes or no response to a clearly stated question
Mr Trump…neutral – moderate yes – maintaining
Mr Biden…neutral – moderate yes – weaker yes- weak no
It’s not matching up with the polls. Why not. They are way out, or I am, or we all are?
So….?
This lack of clarity, this failure to separate out the candidates and their deputies, to polarize them more clearly, suggests that whoever gets in is going to have a tough time of it from the opposition. No free pass to do whatever it is they want to do.
UPDATE: I understand that in real terms this may be not only because Mr T has not as yet conceded,and has sacked his Chief of Defense, and why would he do that. The implications are clear and worrying, and refer back to that Ace of Swords card. Victory Defeat War though it does not look as though it will come to that scenario, though we can see how it could. But it is also because Mr Biden, once inaugurated will have to work with a Republican dominated Senate, though this may work for him in maintaining a more traditional centrist Democrat approach, in providing checks and balances, dealing with more extreme progressive elements in his own party.
Top Row: Mr T
Jack Diamonds: a message, sudden good news. What might that mean from his POV?
Nine Hearts: the wishes card, he wants to ‘make good’.
Two Clubs: governance, a contract, business, government. The Ace of Clubs means an election, so here the 2 means a second election. Mr T wants a second presidency, whatever the doubts some have expressed as to how much he is really interested.
Eight Spades: sickness, hospitals, lockdown, the coronavirus pandemic. The recent death of a family member, his brother, has weighed on his mind. The effects of the pandemic have tied him up, stopping him from doing what he wants to see accomplished, and there are now less than 8 weeks to go till the election.
King Hearts: he would like history to show that he helped pull America through the coronavirus pandemic, and it didn’t ‘beat’ him.
Mr T wants to win, because he always wants to win, whatever, but though he wants to win, there is a suggestion here of a degree of inner ambivalence about actually serving a second term. The Wheel of Fortune suggests he loves ‘the hunt’ in general, but in politics he is much more limited in the way he has to operate, and he gets frustrated, for the reasons so vividly expressed by his predecessor in the White House:-
“What people really typically want is a clean solution, a silver bullet, here’s what we’re going to do and we just move forward—well, that’s not, unfortunately, how the world works.”- Barack Obama (Charlie Rose, June 17, 2013)
Bottom Row: Mr B
Nine Spades, mourning, sorrow, bereavement, fatigue/insomnia.
Three Spades: mourning again, separation, severance, bereavement, divorce, sometimes cardiac or other health symptoms.
I have been scratching my head, studying these.
I know very little about Mr B but, given the timing, and since I have drawn these cards only today (20 Sept 2020) I wonder if these reflect Mr B’s feelings and attitude in respect of the death yesterday of the mighty Ruth Bader Ginsburg She was, I can only assume, a powerful, most welcome ally to Mr B rather more so than to Mr T, may her memory be a blessing.
And so, writing this up at 10.10 PM in the UK I go online and see that Mr B has challenged Mr T’s nomination for the replacement of Ms Ginsburg, as tweeted by the BBC on Twitter 53 minutes ago. Click here to read.
Six Diamonds: a positive but volatile card of intermittent gains. Positive diagnostics. He may have recently undergone health tests and if so these were OK but with some unanswered questions. This card also reflects his popularity as indicated by the polls because again, this is a card of diagnostic tools of all kinds use for all kinds of purposes. It is sitting centrally, suggesting he has an advantage of this time. The card is positive, but generally considered not entirely reliable in whatever the context it appears.
Two of Diamonds: a great card for business and legal partnerships. We will all be watching that space re a replacement in the Supreme Court Judiciary and perhaps Mr B has high hopes there.
The Joker Reversed. Lawd, please help me. The Joker is just what you would imagine. The wild card.
‘Surprise, surprise!’
Further surprises are to be expected, relevant to the election. Hopefully not such sad ones as the passing of Ms Ginsberg. It is being mooted today on social media, greeted in some quarters with enthusiasm, that should there be no clear winner declared by January 20, there is a provision in the American Constitution that could make Nancy Pelosi president. I’ll take a look at that and report back with the soundings.
One more thing, I drew The Fool, which is the Tarot’s equivalent of the Joker, when looking at Boris Johnson’s chances of getting elected as PM in the UK General Election Dec 2019. You can find those readings here in the archives.
I have come to associate it with Gemini subjects, even though The Joker is ruled by rebellious Uranus and not Mercury. Both Mr Trump and Mr Johnson are air sign Gemini subjects, agile, mercurial, volatile, where Mr Biden is a water sign subject as befitting his cards, though he is a Scorpio subject, not Pisces.
I understand Kamala Harris is also a Scorpio subject; famous as a powerfully driven zodiac sign, family-minded, secretive and intense.
The appearance of The Joker, for me, drawn reversed on Mr B’s line of inquiry could suggest either that Mr B benefits from some mishap/withdrawal by Mr Trump, but equally that Mr T functions as his nemesis. Could it be a change to the date? It’s a pretty odd card to draw, if it is trying to show a positive election outcome for Mr B.
Card counting
The reader looks to see how many red cards appear and how many black cards, treating the red cards as a possible yes clue and the black cards as a possible no clue, as standard in cartomancy (fortune telling with playing cards) which has been practiced in Europe since the late fourteenth century, when it is believed to have arrived in Europe from the east. You could reverse it if you wanted to. It’s all about uploading a program, and what comes naturally is what will work best
Mr T drew 3 red, 2 black. Yes, but not a strong yes.
Mr B drew 2 red, 2 black and a reversed Joker. In the balance.
What does seem clear based purely on the cards, which do not reflect any conscious opinion as they are drawn and random and interpreted according to widely recognised traditions of translation, is that, whatever the polls say at this current time, further dramatic twists and turns seem likely.
Mr B cannot relax. It should be in the bag, according to the polls, butsomehow it ain’t in the bag unless that 10 Cups means ‘home and dry.’
I’ll be watching this space and shall report again nearer the time, if I’m feeling sufficiently teflon-coated. But if my ambivalence as to the outcome is unwelcome, there are plenty of commentators, analysts as well as highly regarded astrologers out there who are confident it will be Mr Biden. Though more than one Sidereal astrologer in India states with confidence it will be Mr Trump, and they are saying so on YouTube, and no shilly-shallying.
I can only say what I see. These cards today have leaned towards a Republican result as they did back in June when I looked before but things could shift. I do it for the learning, and I do shilly-shally in prognostications, at least by comparison with others, on the principle that, as the old joke goes, nothing in life is certain but death and taxes.
These are strange, unsettling times, the same as all times of disease have been throughout history. Let’s hold our nerve. The shocking interface of a new virus coming into contact with humanity or a new human group is classically a phase lasting 2 years.
2021 will bring a gradually improving picture, broadly speaking, with some sporadically better stuff before this year is out.
UPDATE: 2 October Well, well, The Joker has manifested even sooner than expected with today’s announcement that Mr T and the First lady have tested positive for Covid-19, currently asymptomatic, and have entered quarantine with only a month to go until the Election. It is looking like almost a done deal for Mr B with less than 40 % of the polling base declaring for Mr T. But the chances are The Joker hasn’t finished yet. More surprises seem likely.
“The Virgin with her sheaf belongs to Ceres,” The Astronomica, Manilius, 1st century AD.
Common Associations
Zodiac symbol
Dates: August 23-September 22
Symbol: The Virgin
Element: Earth
Quality: Mutable (Sagittarius and Pisces are also Mutable signs, marking the transitions between seasons, suggesting these subjects are capable and versatile; and generally inclined to conform, going with the flow if it’s for the greater good.)
Ruling planet: Mercury (Travel and all forms of communication)
House: Sixth, ruling health, habits and routines
Colour: green, white and yellow
Body: Virgo rules the Intestines/Digestion
Birthstone: Carnelian
Flowers: all small, bright flowers, clover, buttercups
Tarot cards: The Hermit (introspection, perception, analysis, care for nature)
Also the Eight, Nine and Ten of Pentacles, beneficent cards to do with art, craft, and productiveness as a direct result of study, craft, diligence, application and direction of discipline, focus and a sustained effort
The Hermit from the Legacy of The Divine Tarot, Ciro Marchetti
Astronomy
Public Domain
Virgo is the second-largest constellation in the sky after Hydra, and is the largest constellation in the zodiac between Libra to the west and Leo to the east, and below the Big Dipper.
In the northern hemisphere it is most visible in the evening sky May- to late June. In the southern hemisphere, it can be seen in autumn and winter.
Find its brightest star, the brilliant-blue-white Spica, and you will work out the rest of Virgo with her feet pointing east.
Author’s own Image.
It might seem a bit of a stretch, but add in a few more of her stars, and you can see her lounging, dangling a sheaf of wheat from one hand (Spica.)
And now you see her.
Urania’s Mirror
Spica is actually a double star, brighter than our sun. Its name is from the Latin, meaning ‘ear of grain.’- also called ‘The Lonely One’ because it is so far from the others. Ptolemy imagined these twin stars as ruled by Venus and Mars respectively, mated together in a chaste, androgynous union, rather like the slightly remote purity of Virgo herself, even when she is a devoted human wife and mother.
The star Vindemiatrix is ‘the Grape-Gatherer.’ This star, once it was seen at daybreak, was taken as the sign that now it was ‘Vendemmia; -the time to start harvesting the vines.
It’s mind-boggling to consider that our own Sun is only one star of the Milky Way. It contains at least one hundred billion stars. And the Milky Way is only one of a collection of galaxies known as The Local Group.
And The Local Group contains three large spiral galaxies: the Milky Way, Andromeda, and the Triangulum Galaxy plus a few dozen ‘dwarf’ galaxies.
But The Local Group is only one member of the Virgo Cluster – a collection of more than 1300 galaxies stretching across 15 million light-years of space.
And The Virgo Cluster is just one cluster in the Virgo Super cluster.
Existential angst beckons at the very idea. I need to lie down with a damp cloth on my head.
There goes The Milky Way, zooming out, just one of many. The galaxies look like blood corpuscles.
History & Mythology
The Sumerians
Shala was an ancient Sumerian deity (in what was later Babylonia, the area now known as southern Iraq and Kuwait) She was the goddess of grain -and also compassion. Why link these two things? Famine is suffering.
Shala was married to the fertility god, Dagon, or the storm god, Ishkur, or possibly both. Virgo the Virgin is not about a state of physical virginity – but refers more to an attitude; a slightly elusive and rather refined quality, male or female.
Shala’s symbolism endures in the name of the star Spica, the ‘ear of grain’, even as the names of the deity changed from age to age, and culture to culture. The Shala Mons is a mountain on Venus named after the goddess Shala.
In Egyptian mythology, the sight of Virgo in the night sky was also associated with harvest time, and with the goddess Isis while in Indian (Sidereal or Vedic) astrology she was The Maiden, Kanya.
The Greeks
Shala, to the Greeks was the harvest goddess Demeter, also called Ceres, (root of the word ‘cereal’) and also, by association, her beloved daughter Persephone.
When Hades abducted Persephone and took her to live with him in the underworld, Demeter went into mourning. There was no harvest that year. People and livestock starved. Then the goddess of the Crossroads, Hekate, who took pity on mothers, told Demeter where Persephone was, and Demeter realized that Zeus had known all along.
In her rage, Demeter declared there would be no more harvests until Hades set her daughter free. Zeus, the king of gods, eventually intervened, insisting that Hades return Persephone to Demeter.
Painting by Sir Frederick Leighton
Zeus sent Hermes to escort Persephone home from the Underworld, instructing him that Persephone must not eat anything until she arrived home again. But Hades, not wanting to part with Persephone gave her a pomegranate to eat on the journey, telling her a few seeds wouldn’t matter, and knowing fine well how much she liked them. She ate some of the seeds on her way home.
Hades was lying, and because of the pomegranate seeds she was tied to the Underworld, and had to return to the underworld for four months of every year. Then Demeter mourned. Winter returned. The land slept.
The archetype of Virgo is TheCraftsman, paying careful attention to every detail, taking pride in doing the job, whatever it is, to the highest standard possible. A vision does not just materialize. It must be created, executed, manifested. There’s no substitute for skill and hard work, according to Virgo. S/he combines the artist and the scientist. researcher
Of course there is no such thing in reality as THE Virgo personality. You are a unique individual. Your zodiac sign (also known as your sun sign) is a major keynote, but it’s by no means anything like the full picture in real life – or even in astrology.
These archetypes, however, are based on thousands of years of observation, and your personal decan, which depends on where your birthday falls within your zodiac sign, digs a little deeper. If you don’t feel like a ‘typical’ Virgo, perhaps you are a second or third decan Virgo, rather than a ‘most typical’ first decan Virgo.
First Decan Virgo
Dates: 23 August-1 September
Planetary ruler: Sun
The Illuminati Tarot
Tarot card: The Eight of Pentacles: ‘Lord of Prudence,’ art, craft, industry, skill, concentration, application, studiousness, apprenticeship, crafts, heritage, buildings.
Look at him. This person is absorbed in his work, and he seems to be enjoying himself. This work has meaning and purpose for him. This is typical of this decan. There is a quiet warmth but a cool mind with a talent for incisive analysis; however this is expressed, whether artistically, commercially or scientifically, or in administrative tasks.
They see more than they say, but they have a mercurial talent for communication via the spoken and written word; making many of these subjects potentially great teachers. They are hard-working, industrious.
‘We reap what we sow,’ goes the old saying. This is not necessarily always true or fair. Misfortune strikes plenty of people who have done nothing to ‘deserve’ it. And plenty of wrong-doers escape justice. However, it is broadly true to say, that we can’t reap what was never sown. Even wild berries had to be first sown by the wind or by birds. First decan Virgo understands this better than almost anybody else in the zodiac.
Virgo is generally physically attractive and well presented, though not necessarily in a dramatic way. Neat, tidy and well groomed is their preferred style; slob is not in their vocabulary.
They are affectionate, faithful friends and partners, with a keen, if dry sense of humour. They are cheerful company, though they may be annoying at times, due to their tendency, whether you like it or not, to tell you how it is, at least as they see it. This can make them seem fussy, picky, or even a tad OCD if they don’t watch it.
Second Decan Virgo
Dates: 2-11 September
Planetary ruler: Venus
The Legacy of the Divine Tarot, Ciro Marchetti
The Nine of Pentacles as a personification of both Demeter, goddess of the harvest, and Vindemiatrix, goddess of the vines. She recommends the consumption of more fresh food, and less fast food. Slow cooking, a one-pot meal, is a delicious, nutritious and budget-friendly way to eat and feed a family. (The odd glass of wine doesn’t go amiss either, says Vindemiatrix.)
This decan is traditionally associated with Venus, planet of love, beauty –and money. A perfectionist; conscientious, devoted, and above all focused, they can turn anything they do into an art form in its own right.
Notice the hooded falcon on her wrist. She has ‘tamed’ wildness – or chaos. She has cultivated a home, a garden, a business, and made it thrive, healthy and beautiful. She is financially self- reliant and self-sufficient, but this did not come quick or easy.
She learned, sometimes the hard way, to control the wild falcon representing her impulses, wants and desires. She learned self-discipline and self-control, the power of deferred gratification.
A squirrel would have no nuts in the winter if it ate them all at once. This, the second decan of Virgo can make a most wonderful, conscientious provider for themselves and for others. They love to spoil their loved ones. But though they have learned to do without, and at times, they had little, they deeply value beautiful things.
Third Decan Virgo
Dates: 12-22 September
Planetary ruler: Mercury
Tarot card- Ten of Pentacles:keywords: ‘Lord of Wealth,’ commerce, messages, deliveries, Hermes, home, homeland, ancestry, genetics, inter-generational relationships, inheritance, gifts, legacy, bequests, town planning, art, museums, banks.
Smith Waite Tarot
Third Decan Virgo is both a creative and a practical thinker. These are proud people. Not vain but proud, dignified – this is a big difference. They need to be their own masters and it’s not about the money, or at least, not for its own sake. These people are careful, but they are not misers. They have a winning way with people and may work in the public eye; such is their talent for communication; personal, professional, artistic, written and spoken.
Notice the old man surrounded by family, adults, children, and dogs too – Virgo cares for animals. What he has built, he has created in order to share, to pass on, seeing himself as part of the bigger picture, a link in a chain of legacy. This could mean money. It could mean ideas. It could mean a place that means everything to them, their own home or their homeland. There is a sense of belonging, of being in the right place. To feel this way is a treasure beyond price.
These are family minded people, realists with an optimistic temperament and a ‘can do’ approach. They enjoy family outings, a walk in the woods, or a trip to the seaside. They will organize it. Eco warrior is not really their style. But they do care about the environment.
Virgo has both feet on the ground, and yet, it is something of an artist, something of a scientist. Something of a sage.
Elizabeth 1
Elizabeth 1, ‘the Virgin Queen’ was a Virgo subject. Born 7 September 1533, a second decan Virgo, she ascended to the throne aged 25 following an exceedingly tough time during which at one point she was disinherited and imprisoned in the Tower on suspicion of treason in collusion with Wyatt against her sister Mary. She could have lost her life, like her mother before her .
But even as a girl of 20, outnumbered and beleaguered by statesmen decades her senior, ‘she hath a very good wit and nothing is gotten of her but by great policy,’ said one of her exasperated inquisitors.
Welcome to Virgo Season.
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” ― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” ― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring
Monday afternoon, 16 August 2020 and we’re having yet another thunderstorm right now. I posted here on 3 August suggesting we could expect humid nights during the next two weeks, as suggested by an astrological combination of a cool damp full moon in Aquarius opposite the Sun in Leo. A quirky, steamy, humid combination, as if The Lion was sporting a perm, and it was getting frazzled in the humidity.
Leo
This has proved correct in many parts of the UK including the Lancashire coast in NW England where I live. Close, humid, sticky as Sticky the stick insect when he’s got stuck on a stick. Last Tuesday night at 11.30 PM we had the first of this series of thunderstorms and it was a corker.
It started silently, sheet lightning, flash lightning, the entire sky lit bright as day; white, grey, lavender, palest pink. Then came the wind. The trees began to move, and then swish and then came the pounding rain. This sequence was repeated three times between 11.30 and about four in the morning.
I asked Il Matrimonio to film it on his phone, but this was just the start -slow TV.
The Tarot card that can forecast or describe a thunderstorm…or even a hurricane or a tornado is The Tower.
The Tower is hubris, pride before a fall, miscommunications, the Tower of Babel, shocks, buildings or damage to buildings, bankruptcy, unemployment, economic crashes, traffic crashes, air attacks, explosions. War.
It could be a fire, or electrical malfunctions or an electric shock. It could be a stroke or a heart attack.
Anything sudden or shocking, loud or disruptive.
The Golden Tarot by Kat Black
Update: Tornado!
Back in 2011 The Tower card meant a tornado.
I had drawn the Tower card the previous evening and said to Il Matrimonio, there was rain coming, and it might be heavy.
The Tarot can lend itself to weather forecasting if you are interested to test it out, and The Page of Cups or Page of Swords may forecast a light rain shower, or light snowfall.
The ‘rain’ came the next morning. But I wasn’t expecting this. I have never heard anything like it in my life. A scream like a banshee or the whistle of a steam train; similar principles of science I suppose. It was fit to make your hair stand on end, as what we later discovered was a actual twister came screaming down the road, hurling wheelie bins about, as later reported by a startled dog-walker at the end of the road.
It flattened someone’s garden wall; one of our neighbours, Mr Fagge. Totally flattened it, but very neatly, and the wall didn’t fall on anyone, and he said it needed repairing anyway. So that was OK. He didn’t like it though, when people got word of the excitement they had missed, and turned up to take photographs.
But you could hardly blame them. We don’t often see a twister here in Lytham St Anne’s, though there have been others.
There was one on the beach here last summer, 1 June, 2020, and it whirled buckets and litter and towels and tents around in circles, possibly ruined someone’s ice-cream, and that was all quite exciting before it headed out to sea.
But we don’t want it getting any more exciting, thank you.
The Fourth of August has been designated International Owl Awareness Day apparently, but we can never have too much of owls any time of year, say I.
Owl: Definition and origins
“Raptorial nocturnal bird of prey of the family Strigidæ,” Middle English oule, from Old English ule “owl,” from Proto-Germanic *uwwalon- (source also of Middle Dutch, Dutch uil, Old High German uwila, German Eule, Old Norse ugla), a diminutive of PIE root *u(wa)l-, which is imitative of a wail or an owl’s hoot (compare howl and Latin ulula “owl;” also see ululation) Read more HERE
The Owl in Tarot
The owl as a nocturnal airborne hunter is represented in the Tarot by the Knight of Swords or the Knight of Air, one of the court cards associated with the air signs of the zodiac: Aquarius, Gemini and Libra.
This Knight can be law or war. It can be excellent news or frightful news, a decisive victory or a total and shocking defeat. represents strategy, speed and stealth of attack: watchwords, optics, surveillance, calculation, strategy, north wind, east wind, unfettered power, courage, agility, ruthlessness, precision, musical composition, mathematics, IT and medical diagnostics.
By the same token it represents all creatures of the air.
The Rider Waite Tarot
The Knight of Swords as personified below is the Great Grey Owl, and I am glad I am not a rabbit.
The owl is revered as powerful and sage, and feared as otherworldly.
The Owl of Athena
The Greek Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, had a pet Little Owl, Athene Noctua.
So why has the owl been considered especially wise?
Like domestic cats, the face of the owl is flat, with a forward facing stare like a human, making it at the same time alien and relatable. The owl has a piercing gaze and can see in the dark, just as metaphorically, perception may pierce the darkness of ignorance, confusion or obfuscation. Athena herself may have had her origins in a more ancient Minoan deity associated with birds and snakes -another of the ‘wise animals’. The girl’s name Linda or Belinda means a snake and denotes wisdom, just as does the name Sofia with its many variants.
Where Rome venerated the she- wolf of Romulus and Remus, the Little Owl was venerated as the totemic animal of Athens.
Here you see me below, or rather, the back of my head, a trifle windswept ensconced in my wheelchair, and I have been lucky enough to be selected for a personal introduction to a Little Owl, Dudley the Deadly at the fantastic Barn of Beal in beloved Northumberland, in North- East England.
Dudley, we were advised, had by far the worst peck for all he was so tiny; 8 inches high or 20.3. In fact, this made the peck all the worse, more pressure per square unit of area, and accordingly, I have nominated him Dudley the Deadly.
He did pretty much as he pleased and once off his leashes, he either came when called, or else only when it suited him, but happily, so long as there was a bit of raw meat on offer, it generally suited him. Here he is perched on the gauntlet and he pooped, but he did have the consideration to miss my feet, if only just.
The Little Owl in the wild can be seen during the day, and hunts at dawn and dusk. Its range in Britain includes England, Wales and the south of Scotland.
Dudley the Deadly at The Barn of Beal
The Barn owl
(Tyto alba) is the most widely spread species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds. In Britain it is also known as the screech owl, for reasons you will understand perfectly if you watch the video at the bottom of this posting.
The Mabinigion tells the story of Bloduedd, a flower maiden who was turned into a barn owl as punishment for betrayal of her husband Lleu; a tragic love triangle featured in the numinous 1967 novel by Alan Garner, ‘The Owl Service‘. But in justice to Bloduedd, she had never chosen to be married to Lleu.
Bloduedd had been created for Lleu out of flowers by the wizard Gwydion. But then she met and loved Prince Gronwr, and together with him, plotted to kill Lleu. They failed. Lleu killed Gronwr and Bloduedd (the name means owl) was turned into a barn owl, cursed that from this day forth she must hide by day or be attacked by other birds.
In connection with this superstition of the barn owl as a bird of strange omen, if not actual evil omen. Although Barn owls have often been regarded as the farmer’s friend, keeping down rats and mice. been rewarded with a safe nesting habitat in barns, in return for these services, as recently as the 195o’s barn owls were, sadly to say, sometimes nailed to some other farmyard doors to ward evil away from the livestock and today there are thought to be only about 4000 breeding pairs. They love voles, which are in decline, and they like to hunt roadside verges, and so they are extra vulnerable to being struck by vehicles.
The Romans sometimes also killed owls. In ancient Rome, an owl’s hoot was taken to be an omen of imminent death. Reportedly, the death of several Roman emperors was foretold by an owl, including those of Augustus and Julius Caesar,and a held that death could be prevented by nailing a dead owl to the door of your home, which would ward off evil.
Children (and maybe these include one or two I have known) have been threatened for centuries that if they are naughty or they won’t go to bed, and now it’s well past their bedtime, the owls (or baby owls) will get them. The roots of this venerable threat hark back to the Barn Owl in particular, not only because of its ghostly appearance, but because its feathers are not waterproof, a sacrifice in evolutionary exchange for its almost total silence in flight. It will be upon you before you know it’s there, children!
‘Baby owl are coming!’ Said grandma, or maybe sometimes it was grandad.
‘I want to go bed now, grandma.’
Poor owls should sue for defamation. The Malayans in the South Pacific believed that owls would steal newborn babies out from their bedroom windows at night, while a German superstition said that if an owl was heard hooting as a baby was being born, it was doomed to live an unhappy life. The Greeks were particularly wary of owls, believing them to be shape-shifting witches capable of sucking out a child’s blood, and the native America Indians of Chesapeake, believed that medicine men could shape-shift as owls.
Some of these medicine men were good, but some were evil, and many native American tribes mistrusted owls on this account.
Illustrated below; a Snowy Owl attends The High Priestess in The Legacy of The Divine Tarot. As with the scroll, and the pomegranate, the Owl is a symbolic representation of her solitude at work, her discretion, learning and and wisdom. Like Persephone, she has been to the Underworld – and returned with her gifts of knowledge, which are also her burden.
But owls raise chicks, and the solitary High Priestess wears the cow horns of Hathor, the Egyptian goddess, daughter of the Sun god Ra, consort of Horus, the goddess of beauty and fertility.
Source Wiki: the Egyptian goddess Hathor
Owls in Britain
There are actually six, not five owl species found in Britain today; the Tawny owl, Barn owl, Short Eared Owl, Long Eared Owl, Little Owl and the Eurasian Eagle owl. These last two are relative new comers, and in the case of the Eagle owl, and as you can read here in this article from Country Life magazine, somewhat controversial as it is powerful enough to take a small deer.
I was going to blog about the US Election today, but I’m not sure anyone’s in the mood. It can keep, but I’m watching that space, Tarot-wise, and logging the findings, and shall report in due course ahead of the elections.
True Tarot Tales 