Stories of Sagittarius Season

Celestial Archer of the Sinking Sun

man holding composite bow — Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash

This year we entered the sun sign territory of Sagittarius, The Archer of The Sinking Sun, November 22.

See him pictured here in this photograph, standing on the liminal shoreline, aiming his arrow of fire into the darkness of Scorpio. The arrow’s target is the winter solstice, and then we know we are heading back into the light.

Let’s take a closer look at the ancient story of The Celestial Archer.

Traditional Associations

Symbol: The arrow, “Sagitta” speed with accuracy, impulse, instinct, far sightedness, the active masculine principle,

Ruling planet: Jupiter

Element: Fire

Quality: Mutable

Zodiac House: Ninth

Key phrase: I seek

Hebrew letter: Samech, meaning “trust,” “support,” and “nearby”

Body: Hips/Thighs

Tissue cell salt: silicea/silica. Strengthens and cleanses connective tissues, helps to eliminate foreign material from the body. A rejuvenator, easing signs of premature ageing, important for managing stress.

Birth Stones: Topaz, Citrine, Turquoise

Colour: Light Blue

Trees: Elder, Sal/Saal, Eucalyptus (rejuvenation)

Tarot Cards: Temperance, Knight of Wands, 8, 9, 10 Wands

Astronomy

The constellation of Sagittarius is near the centre of our spiral galaxy, the Milky Way, and is mainly visible in the Southern hemisphere between June-November.

In the Northern hemisphere we can see it low on the horizon between August- October.

Sagittarius gets its nickname, ‘The Teapot’ on account of its vaguely teapot-shaped star pattern, or asterism. The best time to see The Teapot is in August or September, but we need somewhere really dark, locating the hazy band of The Milky Way stretching right across the sky, looking up in the northern hemisphere where the Milky Way seems to bulge as it descends to the southern horizon. This ‘bulge’ is roughly the middle of the Milky Way.

The tip of the spout of the teapot, and the stars that make up the handle are the bow and arrow of the Archer, pointing straight at Scorpio next door, aiming at the red star Antares, the Heart of The Scorpion.

There are actually two constellations sharing the idea of the flying arrow, which is also understood mythologically to represent masculine instinct and the sexual act.

There is also the constellation Sagitta from the Latin, meaning literally, “Arrow”…with the constellation of The Eagle, Aquila, in-between Sagitta and the constellation of Sagitta-rius, the fiery Archer himself.

Mythology

Sagittarius is famously associated with the ancient Greek story of Chiron the centaur. But the story is far more ancient, and goes back to Mesopotamia and the story of Pabilsag, a deity or divine king of a city called Larak, in a story that was handed down to the Greeks through the Sumerians.

The Sumerian word ‘Pabil’ means ‘ancestor or relative.’ Combined with ‘sag’, meaning ‘chief, head, tip or foremost,’ his name can be translated as the ‘Chief Ancestor’ or ‘Forefather.’

This makes sense in anthropological terms. The Archer is a hunter, just as our forefathers were hunters at the dawn of human civilization. And Sagittarius is a solitary hunter, just as many a hunter or trapper still hunts alone in winter.

But also, like Hermes/Mercury, the messenger of the Gods of Ancient Greece, Sagittarius, aka Pabilsag, is a ‘psychopomp’ – the guardian and guide, not only of the dying year, but of the mortal dead, offering safe escort to the souls of the dying as they…we… re-ascend to the heavens through the stars of Capricorn, called by the Neo-Platonists “The Gate of The Gods.”

We go home again across the arc of the Milky Way. So Sagittarius as The Archer, is understood as a bridge between worlds. Sagittarius, represented in the Tarot as Temperance, denotes the Healing Arts, moderation, patience, the art of compromise, and the art of good timing (crucial to all good decision-making and a successful hunt.)

The Sagittarius Archetype

All the zodiac signs represent archetypes, meaning something that is considered to be a perfect or typical example of a particular kind of person or thing.

Sagittarius, aka “the forefather” is the Archer, a Hunter, the Voyager, the Philosopher, the Scholar, the Author, the Seer, the Prophet. An eternal student, exploring high and far.

The month of Sagittarius was the most critical time for hunting. The crops were long since gathered. Most foraging was also done by now, of berries, roots and fungi.

Meat must now be caught and hung, cured, salted away for the hungry months ahead, when people were also more likely to get sick.

The court card of Sagittarius is the adventurous Knight of Wands, wearing his hot yellow coat, his helmet with a plume the colour of flame, and his coat decorated with mythical salamanders or fire dragons. Here is a dashing fellow, zooming in and out, here today, gone tomorrow, and very often when he has turned up in real life in readings, he has been riding on a motorbike, or driving a rather fast car. Sometimes too, he has been a fire fighter, literally.

In terms of real events this card denotes and foreshadows sudden or surprising events, arrivals and departures. It may foreshadow a far-reaching political decision, just as the U.S is now proposing another highly questionable controversial peace plan for Ukraine…but whose idea was this plan actually? With whom did this 28 point supposed peace plan originate? This time last year the U.S had authorized the use of long-range Storm missiles to be used by Ukraine. Now Russia has committed an act of railway sabotage on Polish soil, claiming that two-pro Russian Ukrainians committed the sabotage (“can’t point a finger at us, na na na”) and apparently is deploying North Korean personnel for clearing land mines inside Ukraine in clear breach of international law. I do feel that Ukraine will likely lose a big chunk of its eastern territories, at least Donetsk and Luhansk, while retaining its sovereignty. Unjust if so, in view of the guarantees made by Russia and the US in the Budapest Memorandum 1994, and a shabby indictment in that eventuality, of the dithering cowardice of the Eurocrats who already let Putin get away with it in 2014. If this supposed peace plan goes ahead in its new current form, highly unlikely because so manifestly unreasonable to require Ukraine to disarm whatsoever, then it can only be agreed by a decision of the Ukraine parliament and why should they trust any more guarantees from Russia, the U.S, NATO or EU countries.

What price for peace, with or without justice.

It may also in physical terms denote a heat wave or volcanic activity. Even as we entered Sagittarius season last year in 2024, this volcano in Iceland was erupting for the seventh time in a year, and the tenth time in three years.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/Xj7To4YbW1k?rel=0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0

This year, Scorpio season began a spike in volcanic activity in Japan as we were counting down to the much heralded…and somewhat foreboding New Moon in Scorpio 19/20 November. The volcano, Sakurajima, is Japan’s most active volcano, on the southern tip of Kyushu near the seaside city of Kagoshima. The ash clouds were so high just a few days ago, there were dozens of flight cancellations.

Scorpio stirs up a cauldron. Mars, the ruler of fixed water sign Scorpio, is deep water, deep heat. Sagittarius shoots out flames or fireworks.

Sagittarius is the sign of our farthest travels. This includes mind travels. Reading a book is a form of travel. Reading rolls up telepathy, mind reading, space travel and time travel all in one page. Each page a magic carpet. Sagittarius represents the Ninth House of long haul travel, and this also applies to study, philosophy -and publishing.

There are so many terribly sad events when we might ask, what use is philosophy? What use is poetry? But that is exactly the use of them. Words have the power to lift us up. We conjure special words for births and weddings and funerals. Words are magical invocations. Words are comforters. They help us readjust and regain our equilibrium when everything is dark. Words contain the magical power of Wyrd. We get the word weird from Wyrd, meaning mystery and destiny.

Word.

Weird.

Wyrd.

“I will lift mine eyes up to the hills from whence cometh my help.”-Psalm 121

The higher we go, the more bearable, or at least, the more manageable the situation when the going is really tough.

The real life Sagittarius natives are astute, capable people. They need a lot of freedom of manoeuvre, and they may fail to apply themselves if bored. Like Gemini, they are prone to restlessness, and may at times struggle financially in consequence. Sagittarius is energetic, with an enlarged curiosity, and needs plenty of physical activity outdoors, and to be in contact with nature. They tend to have lots of friends, so much so, family and friends can sometimes feel neglected. Sagittarius can do domestic and devoted. of course. But you wouldn’t say it’s really how they roll.

This rolling stone of a centaur sooner or later almost always comes cantering home again, expecting to find loved ones exactly where they left them. And usually, they will. But others must not be taken for granted either, and this needs care. Sagittarius does best with a quietly confident, self-reliant partner. Hence, their challenge, but their guiding light is Temperance, as personified in the Tarot, symbolizing patience, prudence, the wisdom of moderation, self control and the art of good timing. This may be their life lesson.

Sagittarius may well be psychic; religious or spiritually inquiring, with a prophetic or visionary gift which they may express through music, writing, animal connections, or group endeavours for some common cause.

But as we are reminded every time we discuss the archetypes of the natal sun signs, there is no such thing in reality as THE Sagittarius personality. You are a unique individual. Your zodiac sign (sun sign) is a major keynote, but there are many other factors in play, your rising sign, your Moon sign, and the planets in your houses, elements, the lunar nodes, asteroids, aspects, transits, and so on. If you don’t feel like you are a ‘typical’ Sagittarius, perhaps you are a second or third decan Sagittarius, rather than a ‘most typical’ first decan Sagittarius.

The Decans of Sagittarius

“If you’ve ever wondered why people born in the same sign seem different, the decans can help answer this puzzle,” – astrologer Rachel Lang.

The decans or decanates, known to be in use by astrologers in Egypt at least as far back as 2100 BCE, as evidenced carved on coffin lids, may be far older in astrological usage, and have been described as ‘the thirty-six faces of astrology.’ Each of the 12 signs of the zodiac (Wheel of Life) represents 30 degrees of the 360 degree wheel of the zodiac, tracking the course of the Sun over a year. Each sign is subdivided into three parts of ten degrees each. These are the decan from the Greek word “deka” meaning ten, supplying extra clues and nuance in respect of character and potential destiny.

First Decan

Sagittarius-Sagittarius

Dates: 22 November-30 November

Planetary ruler: Jupiter

Tarot card: Eight of Wands (Smith Waite Centennial Tarot)

Card Meanings: speed, changes, news, sudden developments, arrivals, departures, or situations that may prove to be short-lived- a ‘flash in the pan.’

Jupiter, the planet of expansion, progress, ambition, and optimism is both the ruler and sub-ruler of this decan. There is idealism and a love of knowledge. This Sagittarius decan is an enthusiast for life, upbeat, spontaneous, and fun. They are highly competitive. They really, really do not like to lose, but they have a keen sense of fair play and justice.

There is a fascination with medicines, shamanism, and with ancient cultures and their healing traditions. Sagittarius loves wide-open spaces, fresh air, and being close to nature. This native is outgoing, and seemingly approachable, yet actually rather private and reserved, and not easy to get to know well. They can be the life and soul of the party, but when it comes down to the serious business, they confide in very few.

Famous first decan Sagittarius subjects: Winston Churchill, Pablo Escobar, Tina Turner, CS Lewis, Britney Spears, Gianni Versace

Second Decan

Sagittarius-Aries

Dates: 1 December-11 December

Planetary rulers: Mars and Moon

Tarot card: Nine of Wands

Card Meanings: battered and bruised but I am still standing. Courage, stamina, fortitude, stubbornness, a pause for recovery, a need to reflect

Mars brings to this decan even more of an adventurous spirit, energy, and ambition. This decan could be an explorer or adventurer, but does well in business and commerce, and generally shows marked executive abilities.

These natives are natural sportsmen and women or soldiers. They are charismatic, and though they push people away when guarding their space, when they do fall in love, they will want to show you the world, though they may have a bit of a short fuse, and need plenty of time outdoors with lots of physical activity to be at their best. Second Decan Sagittarius is courageous, clever, good with their hands, quick with their minds, technically proficient, independent and stoical. No matter how rough a time they are having, just as with the first decan, they usually keep this to themselves, showing their best face to the world.

Famous Second Decan Sagittarius subjects: John Kerry, Kirk Douglas, Jim Morrison, Tyra Banks, John Malkovich

Third Decan Sagittarius

Sagittarius-Leo

Dates: 12 December-21 December

Planetary rulers: Sun and Saturn

Tarot card- Ten of Wands (Smith Waite Centennial Tarot)

Card Meanings: I am taking this to town, effort, determination, shouldering a burden, nearing the end of a process, journey or situation

Ruled by the Sun, the centre of our solar system, this person is rather like the sun in their own environment, very much at the centre of their universe, but with a great love of change, and a hardwired desire for reform in whatever cause. This decan is full of enterprise and novel ideas. They are realists, even cynics, but they are in tune with their instincts, and can make great researchers, investigators, or teachers.

They can be very direct in saying what they think, and this can give them a reputation for being opinionated. They may have a dark sense of humour. But their sub-ruler, the Sun, which stands for warmth, pride, and vitality, joining up with beneficent Jupiter means they have initiative combined with magnetism, and when they feel like it, a talent for making other people laugh. (Not that there was anything remotely funny about Stalin, but of course every zodiac sign has its fair share of seriously nasty bad apples)

Famous Decan 3 Sagittarius: Jane Austen, Beethoven, Nostradamus, Joseph Stalin, Steven Spielberg

The Cusps of Sagittarius

In reality, there is no such thing as being born on the cusp. We are born under one zodiac sign or another, and if we know our time of birth, we can confirm this. But the cusps at the start and end of each sign, again, offer further nuance to the zodiac archetype.

Birthday 22 November- 25 November

This is Sagittarius with Scorpio qualities, ruled by Jupiter and Mars. They are courageous with great physical endurance. They tend to take on a lot of responsibility, maybe too much, which can overload them and hold them back. They take great care over their work, but they will voice strong opinions, and though they are keenly sensitive to the things others say to them, they can be pretty direct themselves when conflicts arise.

Birthday 19 December -21 December

This is Sagittarius with Capricorn qualities, ruled by Jupiter and Saturn. They can be great company; hospitable, entertaining, and well-informed, although they are forthright in disagreement and can rub others up the wrong way. On the other hand, they have a strong sense of duty, they seldom betray confidences, they’re not petty, and they don’t interfere in matters which don’t involve them directly.

The world is their study. And in Sagittarius season, we let loose the arrows of our curiosity.

a man walking into a library filled with lots of books — Photo by Julian Terenzio on Unsplash

“The best thing for being sad,” replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, “is to learn something. That’s the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn.”

―T.H. White, The Once and Future King

The world is our study, and our study is a salve. But this is not to say we hide ourselves away in our reading. When we study, when we do a bit of research, we may clarify something that has been eluding us. We may identify a new line of strategy, and start planning a new course of Action.

Sagittarius loves study, but Sagittarius transmutes it into ACTION.

Back soon. Thank you for reading.

Till next time.

Pisces Season 2025: Part 2

Each zodiac sign contains three decans, blocks of ten days or so, each with a different planetary ruler. “If you’ve ever wondered why people born in the same sign seem different, the decans can help answer this puzzle,” – astrologer Rachel Lang.

The decans or decanates were in use by astrologers in Egypt 2100 BCE, as evidenced carved on coffin lids. But they may be far older in astrological usage, and have been described as ‘the thirty-six faces of astrology.’ Each of the 12 signs of the zodiac (Wheel of Life) represents 30 degrees of the 360-degree wheel of the zodiac, tracking the course of the Sun over a year.

Each sign is subdivided into three parts of ten degrees each. These are the decans from the Greek word “deka” meaning ten. The decans are not considered particularly significant by astrologers in general, but do supply further clues, nuance and texture and for divinatory purposes, may help a reader narrow down a timeframe to a ten day window, while supplying extra insights in respect of situation, stakes, character and potential destiny.

First Decan Pisces

Pisces- Pisces

Dates: 19 Feb-29 Feb

Planetary rulers: Jupiter/Saturn

Tarot card: Eight of Cups

*Smith Waite Centennial deck © U.S. Games Systems, Inc.*

Card meanings: Moving on, cutting ones losses, leaving something behind, but not in anger. Reversed: disillusionment, regret

The first decan of any sign is considered the most typical. Pisces makes for versatility and adaptability, while Neptune presents a soft or gentle manner or appearance. This Pisces decan is rarely aggressive or confrontational.

But there is a sense of a push and pull going on here. Jupiter means Pisces thinks big and steps forward. Neptune means Pisces swims in circles or hides in the weeds. This Pisces native connects with other people on an unconscious level, almost hearing what they are thinking. Maybe they haven’t noticed this about themselves yet, or they take their telepathy for granted, but if this is you, watch out for the signs.

While quiet, this Pisces has deep passions and their love life can be tempestuous. Their ideal partner will be lively and communicative with a can-do approach but the first decan Pisces tends to go on a lot of detours before arriving or settling in their happy place or rightful destination.

They often look younger than their age, but they need to be especially aware of their dietary and other habits in order to protect their health; mood, and the chest, lungs and feet in particular. Pisces is extra-sensitive to the effects of overindulgence of alcohol or mind altering drugs.

Second Decan Pisces

Pisces-Cancer

Dates: 1-10 March (approx.)

Planetary ruler: Jupiter/Moon

Tarot card: Nine of Cups

Card Meanings: the wish card, dreams come true, food and drink, the hospitality industry. Reversed: overindulgence, complacency, self-satisfaction

The sub-influence for this decan is Cancer, ruled by The Moon. Cancer is the natural ruler of the fourth house of home, family and security. These Pisces subjects typically stay close to birth family members. This Pisces may struggle to loosen parental ties, becoming fully independent, but must do so if they want to progress and develop and become the adult in the room (Saturn in Pisces

The zone of the sky from March 1 –10 houses the stars of the water of Aquarius, Eridanus the river and the western fish of Pisces. These are the faintest, most elusive stars. Now you see them, now you don’t.

These Pisceans blend in anywhere. Sensitive and psychic, this decan absorbs like moss. For the same reason these highly empathic people need to choose their company with care, and form healthy habits early on in life. These subjects are supremely susceptible to the influence of others in their environment, and this can work positively or negatively.

Third Decan Pisces

Pisces-Scorpio

Dates: 11 March-20 March

Planetary rulers: Mars/Pluto

Tarot card– Ten of Cups

Card Meanings: contentment, completion, arrival, family life, stability, safety and security, team effort, a happy home Reversed: losses, family conflicts, break-ups, unhappiness

The sub-influences for this decan are Scorpio and its rulers, traditional Mars or modern Pluto. Energetic Mars and Scorpio – natural ruler of the eighth house of desire, willpower, drive and determination – bestows extra charisma, and the drive and determination to push forward. This Pisces native has the artistic creativity of Pisces/Neptune with extra sticking power to turn dreams into realities.

Pluto brings depth. Mars brings speed and energy of attack. This Pisces native needs to keep busy, with plenty of energy outlets. Pisces marks the completion of the zodiac wheel. This final decan marks the point at which we move into Aries, the cycle starts over again and Aries too, is ruled by energetic Mars. What these Pisces natives start, they finish.

These Pisces natives, like the other decans, are enormously attuned to their environment, but they tend to stay more aloof and watchful, less likely to blend in. They are highly observant, natural detectives, well suited to police work or other kinds of investigative work. Pisces-Scorpio listens between the lines and notices what is not being said.

The Cusps of Pisces

Aquarius-Pisces: February 15-21

Aquarius-Pisces: This is a Pisces native with Aquarius tendencies; a person of high principles, quiet, refined, and with strong likes and dislikes. This Pisces native is likely to do a lot of travelling. They have executive capabilities and can earn or make a lot of money, but tend to become bored quite easily. This native needs to be careful not to get trapped, committing too soon in a relationship that doesn’t suit them, simply out of a fear of being left on their own.

Pisces-Aries: March 17-23

Born on the Pisces-Aries cusp, this native is especially instinctive and brave. This mix of energy combines physical and moral courage with compassion for others which can make this Pisces individual a successful leader. This person is loyal to friends and colleagues and they are also generous, and eager to see others do well.

Famous Pisces subjects

Michelangelo, Copernicus, George 111, Albert Einstein, Neville Chamberlain, Sidney Poitier, Elizabeth Taylor, Yuri Gagarin, Michael Gorbachev, Osama Bin Laden, Steve Irwin, Steve Jobs, President Erdogan of Turkey

Key Astrology Dates in Pisces Season 2025

I touched upon the broader Pisces weather in Pisces Season 2025 Part 1. This weather starts to break when Mars goes stationary in Cancer 23 February after a retrograde lasting two and a half months, beginning December 6.

Feb. 18 Sun enters Pisces.

Feb. 20 Mercury at 12 degrees Pisces square Jupiter at 12 Gemini. Information spreads. Discussions and options are explored. Be wary of something or writing something you might later regret. Beware thieves and scammers.

Feb. 23 Mercury at 17 Pisces trine Mars at 17 Cancer. A great time for home improvements, new kitchen or bathroom

Feb. 23 Mars stationary direct, finally, a change of pace after two and a half months of retrograde. Energy ramps up. Forward motion.

Feb. 24 – 25 Mercury conjunct Saturn at 20 degrees of Pisces. Wet weather, snow, ice, cold conditions, and grey skies figure in to all plans and outlooks. Hard cold realities demand attention, but a focus on details and duties will bring good results.

Feb. 26 – 27 Mercury at 24 Pisces sextile Uranus at 24 Taurus. Clever ideas appear in mind. Sudden solutions fall into place. Intuition and practicality converge. Understanding ignites grand perceptions even in regard to abstruse matters.

Feb. 28 New Moon, 10 degrees of Pisces Square Jupiter. Tarot card 8 Cups. Closing a door perhaps, more in a spirit of acceptance than in anger. A good time for starting photography, yoga, swimming, meditation, poetry. This Jupiter square warns against overdoing things.

March 1 Venus stationary retrograde at 11 Aries. Strong passions, not the best day for a wedding, major purchase or legal action. Patience is needed.

March 2 Mercury conjunct Neptune at 29 degrees of Pisces. Imagination and intuition get a big boost. Dream images register strongly.

March 2 Sun at 12 Pisces square Jupiter at 12 Gemini. Big events, big moods, possible insomnia.

March 3 Mercury enters Aries to stay through March 28. Venus goes retrograde until April 14. Not the best window for weddings or major expenses.

March 4–6 Mercury at 3 degrees of Aries sextile Pluto at 3 degrees of Aquarius. Keep communications short, clear and to the point.

March 7–8 Sun at 18 degrees Pisces trine Mars at 18 degrees of Cancer. Emotional healing unfolds with little effort. Physical healing/improvements. Kind gestures bring relief and help close to home.

March 11–12 Mercury conjunct retrograde Venus at 9 degrees of Aries. Odd coincidences. Chance meetings bring important information. New insights into past events. Freak natural events or weather events possible.

March 11–12 Sun conjunct Saturn at 22 degrees of Pisces. Sadness in the picture. Losses must be faced, relinquishments made. Rest is needed.

March 14 Sun at 24 degrees of Pisces sextile Uranus at 24 degrees of Taurus.

March 14 Full Moon, Sun at 24 degrees of Pisces, Moon at 24 degrees of Virgo. A lunar eclipse intensifies feelings, intuitions, sensations and perceptions. A push and pull of psychic Pisces and analytical Virgo, accentuated risk of respiratory illnesses

March 15 Mercury stationary retrograde, 10 degrees Aries. Here we go again for the next 3 weeks, stalls, delays or other complications in comms, contracts and exchanges

March 19–20 Sun conjunct Neptune at 29 degrees Pisces. Light is thrown on the nature of the subconscious and the images dwelling there.

March 20 Sun enters Aries, Spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, Autumn/Fall equinox in the southern hemisphere.

Happy Birthday Pisces. The Taskmaster planet Saturn is still in Pisces in 2025. Fresh starts and new ventures will pay off but these will demand a sustained effort of concentration and headedness. A reminder of the dates Saturn is in Pisces, from 7 march 2023- 24 May 2025 and again from Sep 1 2025 until Feb 13 2026

Tarot for Pisces Season 2025

Cards from The Legacy of The Divine Tarot

I could see two storylines in this line of cards. One is to do with my own family right now, and the personalities and events were completely obvious to me in real time. The other storyline, I saw as holding up a mirror on Donald Trump’s negotiations with Russia. Why did I think so?

Justice. Legalities. Libra. Diplomacy. Summit. Due Process. And Vladimir Putin is a Libra Sun sign subject.

King of Swords. An Air Sign king. Donald Trump (Gemini), Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Aquarius) and Vladimir Putin (Libra) are all Air sign subjects, liable to turn up in a Tarot reading represented by the King of Swords, Knight of Swords or Queen of Swords, I knew Donald Trump was a Gemini sun sign subject. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also a King of Swords, another Air Sign King. NB There are questions as to actual birth dates and times of DT and VP, which is a consideration for astrologers. But in my cards Vladimir Putin has always turned up as a King or Queen of Swords, while Donald Trump invariably shows up as the King of Swords, and that is what I work with.)

The Hanged Man. This card signifies Neptune, the modern ruler of Pisces. But I also associate it with president Zelenskyy. This card has been appearing in readings ever since February 2022 when my mother anxiously asked, did I see Putin being successful in his attempts to have Zelenskyy assassinated and I said no, I did not see that. But though I have a tendency to lean to over-optimism, I did feel that Zelenskyy would be betrayed or at least, experience bitter disappointment, not least that the Budapest Memorandum would not be honoured as promised. I did not see a military defeat as such for Ukraine, nor an overt victory for Putin. But would Ukraine feel it had received justice from those who had required it to relinquish nuclear weapons in return for protection in case of attack(The Hanged Man)? It seemed highly probable in 2022 that Putin would consolidate at least some territorial gains in the Donbas, as well as consolidating the 2014 re-annexation of Crimea.

Queen of Swords I read this card as showing President Putin, with President Zelenskyy/Ukraine shown as something of a sacrificial figure, caught in-between Putin and President Trump (and Europe of course)

The King of Cups I immediately thought that the King of Cups must be referring to Erdogan, but I needed to go and check. Sure enough. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is a Pisces zodiac sign, born 26 February 1954. I had wondered if it might be referring to Xi Xin-ping of China, another mighty player in this terrifying power play, but he is a Cancer sun sign subject, born 15 June 1953

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is NOT happy that he has been bypassed by President Trump, and that Ankara was not consulted about hosting, let alone attending the recent negotiations. Turkey backs Ukraine’s full territorial integrity. It controls the Black Sea and NATO’s southern flank. He sees Putin’s control of Crimea, annexed in 2014, as an abiding challenge to shipping security in the Black Sea in particular Black Sea Grains.

“Considering the active diplomacy we have followed in the last three years, our country (Turkey) will be an ideal host for the possible talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States in the coming period. During my meeting with Mr. Zelensky, I expressed Turkey’s strong support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence…. We will provide all kinds of support to conclude the negotiation process with a lasting peace. Despite all the difficulties brought about by the war, we want to take firm steps towards the target of 10 billion dollars in our bilateral trade. I would like to express my appreciation for the courageous steps taken by my dear friend Zelensky regarding the rights of our Crimean Tatar compatriots who are fighting for the territorial integrity of Ukraine, and I hope that additional steps will follow.”

Source https://x.com/RTErdogan

The Devil card, the last in this line of cards is a pretty dire warning of unwanted consequences going down the route as mapped out in the recent negotiations. It is also the major arcana card of Capricorn. It talks about money. Lots of money. Apparently $300bn, according to former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

“Trump’s statements are not intended to be historically accurate but to shock Europeans into action. In particular the US can see $300bn of frozen Russian assets – mainly in Belgium. That is cash that could and should be used to pay Ukraine and compensate the US for its support. Why is Europe preventing the unfreezing of Putin’s cash? The US believes Belgium, France and other countries are blocking…”

Now Emmanuel Macron has called a second emergency summit. When he shows up, I will be interested to see if Tarot will present him as a King of Pentacles, date of birth 21 December 1977.

“France calls second urgent meeting of EU leaders in 3 days to discuss security issues in Ukraine and Europe, — Reuters Another meeting is expected tomorrow. Among the invited countries are Norway, Canada, the Baltic states, the Czech, Greece, Finland, Romania, Sweden and Belgium.”

None of this is to express an opinion, and clearly, nothing will be resolved in Pisces Season 2025. But it does appear that Pisces 2025 is acting as a crucible. With further Neptunian shockwaves to come.

Back soon. Thank you for reading.

Further reading

Astrologer Marjorie Orr

BBC

MilitaryNewsUA

Pisces Season 2025

The work of John Flamsteed the first Astronomer Royal. *Image from the Atlas Coelestis, posthumously published by John Flamsteed, 1729, illustrator John Thornhill.*caption…

Most of us know our zodiac sun sign. But what are its stars, what do they look like in the night sky, and what’s the ancient story behind it all? Time to go fishing with Pisces.

Traditional Associations

Dates: 18/19 Feb to 20/21 March. Variable cusp depending on the leap year cycle

Ruling planets: Jupiter and Neptune (before Neptune’s official discovery in 1846, it was Jupiter)

Zodiac House 12. Endings, Resurrections, the Unknown, all that is hidden.

Element: Water Quality: Mutable – versatility, changeability, the ending of one season and the beginning of another Energy: Yin -receptive

Key phrase: I believe

Body: Feet, eyes, bladder

Birth Stone: Aquamarine (‘the water of the sea’) A blue variety of beryl (Emerald is a green beryl.) The aquamarine is a hexagonal crystal structure, sometimes confused with blue topaz, believed to enhance foresight and clairvoyance.

Tarot card: The Moon

Meanings: The Moon, Mondays, tides, cycles, ebb and flow, feminine cycles, fertility, instinct, wildlife, walking on the wild side, hunting, fishing, psychics, ghosts, visions, dreams, delusions, madness, contamination, fever, food poisoning, uncertainty, danger, confusions with documentation, risks in travel.

Astronomy

Pisces, the Latin plural of fish, is the 14th largest constellation overall, covering a large V- shaped region in the part of the sky known as The Sea or The Water. Its stars are faint —hard to see with the naked eye.

The fish of Pisces are depicted as freshwater fish, koi carp, swimming at right angles to each other, one to the north and one to the west, attached by a cord. Its brightest star, Eta Piscium, also known as Alpherg or Kullat Nunu, is a bright giant star (G class) 294 light-years from Earth and has a luminosity 316 times greater that of the sun. Kullat Nunu is its Babylonian name. ‘Nunu’ means ‘fish’ and ‘kullat’ is a bucket.

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.comcaption…

The vernal equinox currently occurs during Pisces, 19-21 March, the astronomical marker of the start of spring in the northern hemisphere.

History and Mythology

Pisces is the sign of the thaw, the freshwater melt and the first spawning of the freshwater fishes, though depending on latitude and therefore temperature, some species may spawn sooner. Fish may rise again to the top to feed. Frogs and Toads will spawn. The fish of Pisces are attached by a cord of stars, just as life and death are conjoined and cannot be separated. Pisces is not only the last sign of winter, moving into spring; it is the last sign of the whole zodiac year, the culmination of all the signs that came before it.

Egypt

“It (Pisces) is one of the earliest zodiac signs on record, with the two fish appearing as far back as c. 2300 BC on an Egyptian coffin lid ” -(Wiki) The two fish of the constellation Pisces were the offspring of the Great Fish. In Egyptian mythology, this fish saved the life of the Egyptian goddess Isis, and she placed this fish and its descendants into the heavens as a star constellation.

India

In Hindu mythology Matsya is an manifestation or avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu the Preserver who rescued the first man, Manu from a great deluge. (…and here we are again, back to the great flood stories of Aquarius) The Matsya may be depicted as a giant golden fish or as a merman, half- fish half humanoid Lord Vishnu. Vishnu is the second god in the Hindu holy trinity (Trimurti) Brahma was the Maker, god of creation and passion, Vishnu, the face of light and preservation, and Shiva, the face of the dark, and destruction.

Greece

To the ancient Greeks, the fish were the goddess Aphrodite and her son, Eros, who were out walking by the Euphrates one day when a terrible monster rose up out of the water. This monster, Typhon, had been terrorizing the gods of Olympus ever since the war with the Titans. Typhon was a Titan, a son of Gaia, and he hated the gods of Olympus as invaders and upstarts who had overthrown and dispossessed his own, more ancient race of Titans. He was as tall as the heavens and his eyes shot flames. Instead of fingers, he had 100 dragon’s heads sprouting from his hands -for which one could read ‘flames,’ or magma.

Not one of the Olympian gods had the power to destroy Typhon, not alone. All they could do was avoid him or flee for their lives, which they often did by transforming themselves into animals. Aphrodite and Eros now transformed themselves into two fish (koi) and swam away. Ultimately, Zeus imprisoned Typhon beneath Mount Etna, but Typhon is still very much alive down there. As of February 2021 there was much talk about such seismic activity as a potentially major global influence in 2021. We are seeing again, warnings of a potential volcanic eruption in Santorini and beyond in the Aegean, in Aquarius and Pisces season in 2025.

Rome and Early Christianity

Early Christians used the Fish as a symbol of their faith and called the TWELVE apostles of Christ the Fishers of Men (Pisces as the twelfth sign.) The secret code name for Jesus, Yeshua Ben Joseph- was Ichthys from the Greek meaning fish, it was an acronym Jesus- Christ- God- Son- Saviour.

The so-called Age of Pisces began 1 AD and- depending on your source, will end in 2150 when we enter the so-called Age of Aquarius, though some astrologers say we are already in that Age. Read more about the astrological ages HERE

The Age of Pisces saw the rise of the Monotheistic religions, Christianity and Islam. This current, much discussed brand new mini Age of Aquarius, 2024-2043, is supposedly a secular age, all about technology and collectivism. But religion shows no sign of going away. Islam is fast on the rise in the west, Christianity on the wane, with vacuums filled by socio-political ideological transmutations of the religious instinct. Identity politics.

The Archetype

In Tarot, whether the subject of any inquiry is male or female, Pisces is embodied as The Knight of Cups. In Arthurian legend this would be Sir Percival, or in later versions of the legend, Sir Galahad. This knight is a champion of the underdog, a protector, a lover, a bearer of grace. The healing chalice. This card generally translates as good news, a happy situation, recovery from illness, a new friend, an admirer, possibly a marriage proposal, news of a baby on the way, “my cup runneth over”.

Pisces combines imagination with the determination and self-sacrifice of a salmon fighting upriver to spawn, even at the cost of its life. New life must come, says Pisces, even if the death of the self is the price. Paradoxically, there may be a certain passivity, even inertia. This serves Pisces well at times, but may, in some cases, degenerate into the shadow side of Pisces, depression, alcohol or other substance misuse.

These individuals are natural artists, writers or musicians. Compassionate and sensitive. But while their steel may be hidden, all the same, it is there. Not much is said about this scaly Pisces steel. They can be tough, even hard in a quiet way. They don’t say much but watch the eyes harden. Cross the line once too often, you are gone. That is it.

Pisces needs variety. Structure must allow them room for a degree of autonomy. Desk-based work, although Pisces can certainly do it, and with considerable efficiency, it is not really their thing. They like to be on their feet, which are ruled by Pisces. They make excellent and approachable team leaders. Passing the buck is not their style. They will take on injustice, taking on those senior to themselves in status. But Pisces, unlike, say Aquarius, acts on an individual basis. Group actions, campaigns or crusades do not sit naturally with their temperament, except just possibly for early Pisces, born on the Aquarius cusp. Later born subjects especially, born close to the Aries cusp 20/21 April, are especially the ‘doers’ of Pisces, and Pisces is brave. Very brave indeed. But these watery denizens need to guard their physical energy. It can be erratic, and their reserves once depleted, are not so easily restored as other signs. If they become prone to headaches at the back of the head, there may be related bladder infections or other issues.

Famous Pisces in history

Michelangelo, Amerigo Vespucci, Copernicus, Vivaldi, Handel, George Washington, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Albert Einstein, Nat King Cole, Elizabeth Taylor, Nina Simone, Harold Wilson, Yuri Gagarin, Sidney Poitier, Steve Irwin.

silhouette of man on boat during golden hour — Photo by Inu Etc on Unsplash

‘No man is an island,’ wrote John Donne. Yes and no. We are both the ocean and the land. Islands in archipelagos. But there are bridges. There are boats. Sometimes we are islands. Sometimes we are the bridges and the boats.

Pisces Season 2025

Neptune is another name for the god Poseidon, known as The Earth-Shaker, associated with earthquakes in not only the literal sense, but also the metaphorical sense. We have been navigating fathomless Pisces waters for quite some time now. Uneasy times. Borders and boundaries dissolved. Norms overturned. Our instincts are increasingly on edge. Right now we have got…

Saturn in Pisces (from March 7, 2023, to May 24, 2025; and then again from September 1, 2025, to February 13, 2026) After February 13 next year, Saturn will not be back until January 10, 2053 to March 22, 2055. Saturn periods are intense. Demanding. Life-changing. Character building. Giving structure to what is shapeless. In infrastructure terms, building a dam to contain a reservoir.

Neptune in Pisces (from April 4, 2011 until 2026 but with a break May 2025) Last time Neptune was in Pisces (in the mid-19th century) marked a time of many European revolutions, the Civil War, and a resurgence of mysticism. Neptune in Pisces this time round has marked a time around a global pandemic and lockdown, binge-watching on devices, addiction to escapism via non material digital routes. Fewer physical books, fewer actual cinema seats. In infrastructure terms, removing a dam.

North lunar Node in Pisces (from January 11, 2025, to July 26, 2026.) Dreams and visions. Going deep. Thinking and acting in terms of the big picture. Letting it be. Letting go.

Mercury in Pisces (February 14-March 3, 2025 and again, March 29-April 16.) Intuition first, explanations second. Feelings work faster than thinking. Dreams are vivid, speaking in metaphors.

There is a deeply uneasy, foggy lull for the time being, but we know big things are stirring, churning beneath the surface. Back channels on overdrive. We all know it, we can feel it. Putin is looking ever more highly likely to consolidate his unlawful annexation of Crimea, plus Luhansk and or Donetsk.

Attitudes, if not policies, could start to shift from the end of next month when Neptune leaves Pisces and enters Aries, aka The Emperor, the Ram. This is young energy, new starts, masculine energy, potentially war energy. Potentially War at sea. “Emperors” rise, and new Empires. Emperors do action. Unilaterally. They incur risks for sure, above all betrayal, and they may accept advice, but they operate in relative freedom of the constraints of bulky process consensus. Action is the only way to meet the Ram, should it decide to charge head down. Meanwhile, Saturn and Neptune in Pisces demand we cut out the deadwood, look a problem squarely in the eye and call things by their “proper” names.

This is all due to heat up, not quite yet, but soon, possibly for worse on the world stage, but also for better, Mars going direct again at last February 23 will start burning off the fog. Physical energy starts picking up soon, we can get more done, sort out stuff that has been hanging over us since at least early December 2024.

Neptune is associated with The Hanged Man in the Tarot deck. I have had a feeling about the Pope since Christmas, about his health come early spring. Hope to be wrong but it comes to us all. The Hanged man is about taking time out. Sacrificing something for a greater good, or accepting great losses as a necessity. Looking at things from a new and different perspective. Hard won wisdom. Swan’s feet working furiously beneath the surface. Extraordinary times requiring extraordinary measures.

March is looking pretty extraordinary.

The old order is fast disappearing. On an everyday level, old ways of doing things are not working like they used to do. We need new tools and new methods. The new order is not yet quite here, but we are getting an ever clearer sense of what it looks like.

The Story of Aries, Fiery Sky Ram 2024

Aries, the Decans and general Astrology 2024

Salutations Aries! Spring is here, announced by the vernal equinox which occurred about 3 this morning UK time. But what’s the story behind the zodiac sun sign?

Symbolic Associations

Symbol:

Dates: 20 March – 19 April

Ruling planet: Mars

Lucky Day: Tuesday

Energy: Yang (Masculine/Extrovert. Not gender specific)

Element: Fire

Quality: Cardinal (Initiation- the start of a new season)

Key phrase: I am

Body: Aries rules the Head Constitutional Cell Salt: Potassium Phosphate, “brain food” -helpful for nerve and brain health. Foods containing this salt include but are not limited to: beans, beets, carrots, peanuts, milk, cheese and avocados

Birth Stone: Topaz, Aquamarine, Diamond

Colour: Red

Herbs/Flowers: Honeysuckle, tulip, thistle, bryony, peppermint, tiger lily, geranium, hops, impatiens, onions, hollyhock, thorn-bearing trees/shrubs/firs

Tarot Cards: The Emperor, Queen of Wands, and 2, 3 and 4 Wands (Rods, Batons).

The Spring/Vernal Equinox

Aries is the first sun sign in the year of the Tropical Western Zodiac. The word ‘zodiac’ comes from the ancient Greek word meaning ‘circle of animals.’ The only zodiac sign non-representative of a living creature is Aries’ opposite number Libra, the sign of the Scales of Justice, but even the Scales are borrowed from the claws of the giant Scorpion and the stars of Scorpio in the heavens next door.

We enter the zodiac sun sign territory of Aries on the day that once upon a time used to mark the spring/vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere, and the day of the autumn/fall equinox in the southern hemisphere.

The vernal equinox happens when the Sun is exactly above the equator, and day and night are equal length as the Sun crosses the celestial equator going north.

2,500 years ago, the annual conjunction of the sun and the star Hamal happened at the invisible point of the vernal/spring equinox, and this was the data used in the astronomer, mathematician and astrologer Ptolemy’s modelling of Western Tropical astrology in the 2^nd Century AD.

But now, astronomically speaking, the position of the Sun on the day of the vernal equinox is in the constellation of Pisces near the border of Aquarius. Modern star maps project that the vernal equinox will be entering Aquarius in about 600 years. The spring equinox technically happens in Pisces owing to the effect over time of the wobble of the earth and the precession of the equinoxes.

In the system of Western Tropical astrology however, and for profound historical and symbolic reasons, the spring/vernal equinox is still referred as the First Point of Aries, marking a great energetic re-set.

Astronomy

We can picture the star-ram lying or sitting head downwards, perhaps looking over his shoulder as if to admire his own fleece, or perhaps he’s just chilling, and chewing the cud.

New life is ignited. The planetary ruler of Aries is Mars, the red planet of action, energy, enthusiasm, courage, passion, initiative- and war. The real life ram is strong, brave, and at certain times of year, downright aggressive, charging headlong into the field, king of all he surveys. Ewes can be aggressive too, if disturbed by strangers when they have lambs to protect.

The constellation of Aries is located between the stars of Pisces to its west and Taurus to its east. It contains a galaxy about 100 million light-years from our own galaxy, the Milky Way, and it also contains a planetary system called 30 Ari, consisting of a gas giant and four stars. A supernova in Aries was recorded in May, in the year 1012 AD.

The brightest star in Aries is Hamal, from the Arabic Al Ras al Hamal, meaning “the Head of the Sheep.” Hamal is twice the size of our own sun, an orange giant star, the 49^th brightest in the night sky-as bright as Mars when the planet is at its farthest point from Earth.

The two lowest stars at the bottom are Sheratan, a blue-white star, and Mesarthim, a whitish binary star, and these mark the horns of the Ram.

The very best time to see Aries is in December. Spring in the Northern Hemisphere spring or autumn/fall in the Southern Hemisphere is the worst time for viewing the stars of Aries, lost in the glare of the sun this time of year.

History

The Sumerians called the sun ‘Subat,’ meaning ‘Ancient Sheep’ or Ram and the planets were known as the ‘Celestial Herd’. The Sumerians were one of the oldest known urban civilizations in what is now Southern Iraq, during the Neolithic-Bronze Age, 4500 BC/BCE to 1500 years BC/BCE.

The sheep was among the first animals domesticated by humans around 11000 – 9000 BC (BCE) and the spring equinox which at that time happened in Aries marked the end of the main lambing season of wild sheep in Europe.

a baby lamb is jumping in the air — Photo by Jonathan Mabey on Unsplash

In ancient Egyptian astronomy, Aries was called ‘Lord of the Head’ – a reference to its symbolic significance, and it was associated with the god Amon-Ra, who was depicted as a man with a ram’s head and represented fertility and creativity. Because it was at the invisible point identified as the location of the spring (vernal) equinox, it was called the “Indicator of the Reborn Sun.”

Historically, the stars of Aries have also been envisioned in human form, as an agricultural worker. But the Ram has triumphed supreme.

The position of Aries at the zenith at that time coincided with the rising of Sirius in the east and the flooding of the Nile and the Temple of Amon-Ra at Karnak bore the likeness of the supreme sun-god with the horns of a ram.

Though long ago recognized as a constellation, and though the ancient Greeks oriented the construction of many of their sacred temples in relationship to the brightest star in Aries, Hamal, Aries was not listed as a constellation until the second century, by Ptolemy.

The Zodiac Archetype

All the zodiac signs represent archetypes, meaning something that is considered to be a perfect or typical example of a particular kind of person or thing. Aries is a cardinal sign, marking the start of a new season. The other cardinal signs are Libra, marking the start of autumn in the northern hemisphere, and Capricorn, marking the onset of winter. The cardinal signs are traditionally considered the most innovative and proactive, the signs most at ease with driving change.

Aries is frisky, young at heart, the metaphysical ‘baby’ of the zodiac; adventurous, optimistic, generous, curious, brave, passionate, direct, self-willed and inclined to lose its temper if denied or crossed. Aries represents the concept of The Self. It seeks to express itself through exploration and pushing at boundaries, and it wants its own way.

But of course there is no such thing in reality as THE Aries personality. You are a unique individual. Your zodiac sign (sun sign) is a major keynote, but it is nothing like the full picture in real life – or in astrology either. There are many other factors in play; your ascendant or rising sign, your Moon sign; the planets in your houses and their aspects, and the decan and degree of the actual day and moment you were born.

Aries in the Tarot

The Tarot cards associated with Aries are The Emperor, the Queen of Wands and the 2, 3 and 4 of Wands.

The major arcana card associated with Aries is The Emperor, setting the overall tone for this zodiac sun sign. The Emperor of the Ram seeks to claim territory and to create and impose order in that territory. At his best, he rules wisely and with care and justice. He is the best of fathers. Or he is an able administrator. At his worst, he is a bully; an overbearing or inefficient bureaucrat, or a tyrant and a warmonger.

From the Smith Waite Tarot

Card Meanings: a man of authority, virility, parent, employer, a military man, maturity, order, experience, hard won leadership, discipline, authority, government, organizations, rules, bureaucracy, doing things by the book, ego, I am in charge, what I say goes, Drawn reversed: bully, tyrant, warmonger. Note the ram skulls decorating his throne.

Every suit in the Tarot has its own court with a king and queen, a knight and a page. The Court card associated with Aries is the Queen of Wands though this card may equally represent a man born under Aries. Aries is ruled by the element of fire in the Tarot, Wands is the suit of fire. Aries is ruled by the Sun, the Ruler of the Day, and this Queen holds a sunflower in token of her royal sceptre.

From the Smith Waite Tarot

Card Meanings: A helpful woman, a mother figure, a lucky person (signified by the black cat, also notice the royal lions) She is proud, with good instincts and may possess occult abilities. Warmth, directness, spontaneity and independence, nurturing, generosity, enthusiasm, impatience, ambition and competitiveness are her archetypal qualities. Queen of Clubs. Be there or be square. She may be either male or female in a real life reading. A man born under Aries may appear in a reading as the Emperor, a King of Wands or the Queen of Wands.

Lastly, the minor arcana cards associated with Aries are Two, Three and Four of Wands. These are the cards that talk about the decans (or decanates) of Aries. If you don’t feel like you are a ‘typical’ Aries, well, we are all unique, but perhaps you are also a second or third decan Aries sun sign native, rather than a ‘most typical’ first decan Aries.

The decans

The Zodiac is the belt of sky we can see from earth, tracking the path of the sun across the sky over the course of the year. We call this annual pathway of the sun ‘the ecliptic,’ as mentioned previously when we were talking about the spring/vernal equinox.

In the second century, Ptolemy, the Greek mathematician, astronomer and astrologer, chose twelve of the constellations straddling the ecliptic, and named the sun signs after these chosen twelve constellations: Aries, Taurus, Gemini Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and lastly, Pisces. Ptolemy chose only twelve for reasons of elegance of arithmetic in dividing the 360 degrees of the wheel of the zodiac.

Each of these zodiac signs therefore represents a 30 degree section of the zodiac belt. Each sign is then further sub-divided into three blocks of ten degrees, each about ten days in length though with slight variations. This gives us the ‘decans,’ from the Latin meaning ‘ten,’ (also called decanates.)

Nicknamed the ‘thirty-six faces of astrology’ the decans bring added depth and nuance to the story of the zodiac sun signs.

First Decan Aries (0-10 degrees)

21 March-30 March

Two of Wands

From the Smith Waite Tarot

Card Meanings: vision, ambition, trade, exports, entrepreneurship, agreements, partnerships, government, meetings, the world is my oyster. Reversed: fear of the unknown, overweening ambition, lack of planning, delays and disappointments

The ruling planet is Mars and the co-ruler is also Mars, giving this first Aries decan a forceful double dose of fiery, headlong Mars, bringing out the positive and dominant side of this Aries subject. They are up for new challenges. This is after all, the first decan of a whole new zodiac year.

Aries seeks power and often has great charisma too. But one of the nicknames of this card is ‘The Melancholy of Alexander,’ referring to the restlessness of the conqueror Alexander the Great, who won great lands but was never satisfied.

The personality is independent, forceful, temperamental, often generous, while potentially domineering, dictatorial or even aggressive. This super active first decan- not coincidentally- tends to be athletic and sporty. They are also known for a gift with words and public speaking abilities.

These natives of Aries think fast and act fast-sometimes too fast. They can be hasty and irritable with others who act more slowly. This person learns quickly and seemingly effortlessly, and will often perform well in a leadership role, but they need to learn to moderate their impatience and practice patience and understanding to have the best experience with other people and get the best from them in return. Respect, it must be remembered, is a two-way street.

Famous first decan Aries natives: Harry Houdini, Robert Frost, Elton John, Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Lady Gaga

Second Decan Aries (10-20 degrees)

1 April-10 April

Three of Wands

From the Smith Waite Tarot

Card Meanings: progress, expansion, overseas opportunities, new horizons, a launch, your ship comes in, planning, critical timing, preparation, teamwork: Reversed: lack of foresight, timidity, thinking too small, unexpected delays

The co-rulers of this decan are Mars and the Sun, the ‘Ruler of the Day.’ The sun is the centre of the solar system, the bringer of life itself, and here it stands for dignity, honour and ambition. This Aries personality not only welcomes change but actively seeks it out, relishing a challenge. This gifted Aries native desires a creative challenge and maybe a global challenge too, why not, while they are at it.

They are generally known for their directness and honesty, but they can be rather stern in outlook. They will tell you something to your face, but though they really do not like to be told what to do, they won’t hold back from telling others.

This Mars-Sun combination is considered a particularly lucky planetary combination. Everyone gets their own mix of luck, good and bad. That’s just life. But still, The Sun governs pride and personal ambition, and this lucky influence can offset the more challenging aspects of the Mars effect. These Aries natives have a knack of landing on their feet.

Famous second decan Aries natives: Otto von Bismarck, Hans Christian Anderson, Bette Davis, Al Gore, Russell Crowe, Jackie Chan, Celine Dion, Quentin Tarantino

Third Aries Decan (20-30 degrees)

10 April-20 April

Four of Wands

From the Smith Waite Tarot

Card meanings: celebration, achievement, professional qualification, property improvements, building, setting up home, homecoming, publishing, creating an artwork. Reversed: bad luck, frustrations, roadblocks

This Aries native is generally more peaceable and easy-going than the other two decans; co-ruled by Mars and Jupiter, the God of Fortune. Jupiter brings good fortune and opportunity in alliance with the energy, drive and ambition of Mars.

There is sincerity, honesty and a gracious, warm-hearted nobility in this last Aries placement. Like the second decan Aries, these Aries natives often have some particular and well-developed creative or artistic talent. They are witty, personable, and with a sense of humour, and gracious to others, although they have a short fuse. These are passionately devoted family people with a keen sense of justice, much concerned with right and wrong. They can become a tad righteous, some might say self- righteous on occasion, and others may find them arrogant, as with other decanates of Aries. They are proud, and they may well have every good reason. They just need to remember that others have their own dignity too.

Famous Third Decan Aries natives: Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, Charlie Chaplin, Tom Clancy, Francis Ford Coppola, Victoria Beckham, Gary Kasparov

The Cusps of Aries

Pisces-Aries

If your birthday is March 21 through to and including March 21, you are an Aries sun sign with Pisces tendencies and your ruling planets are Mars and Neptune. These natives are known for combining unusual intelligence, understanding and originality with a studious and cautious approach, and though they are amiable they deeply resent being forced or interfered with in the way they do things. These natives may well have a special talent for mechanical or electrical sciences and they like to lead and direct others. These natives tend to be independent critical thinkers, happiest outside the mainstream. They have an adventurous streak, are loyal to their small circle of friends and often end up with a career very different to where they started out. They can do very well indeed if they can learn to curb a certain tendency to impatience and irritability

Aries-Taurus

If your birthday is April 17 through to and including April 20, you are an Aries sun sign native with Taurean tendencies and your ruling planets are Mars and Venus. This sun sign cusp native is fiery, romantic, ambitious and determined, hardworking and talented but with an impatient or nervous streak. They dislike disorder and can get rattled when things can’t be done properly, one thing at a time. The Aries-Taurus native is competitive, wants to succeed and most likely will, but not at any cost, not if it means trampling roughshod over the rights of others. These natives are exacting and demanding in their own standards, and in their expectations of others. They may come across as arrogant to some, but are well-respected by family, friends and business associates for their honesty, integrity, their sense of honour and fair play.

Aries Season 2024 – Astrology

moon and clouds — Photo by Jack Taylor on Unsplash

March 25 -Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse in Libra

This penumbral lunar eclipse begins at 4:53 UTC on March 25, 2024. This will be 12:53 a.m. EDT in North America. Greatest eclipse is at 7:12 UTC on March 25 (3:12 a.m. EDT.) Its total duration will be 4 hours and 36 minutes.

The spring awakening of the spring equinox 19 March is reinforced a week later by the March 25 Libra full moon, the first eclipse of 2024. This lunar eclipse is at 5 degrees of Libra. The corresponding Tarot card is the Two of Swords, signifying a pause, indecision, a truce, a standoff, or a stalemate.

From the Smith Waite Tarot

This lunar Libra eclipse links back to the new Moon and solar eclipse in Libra which happened October 14, 2023. The Two of Swords suggests we will now see, if not a ceasefire, then a stalemate or a standoff to do with the shocking events in Israel and Gaza, international efforts of diplomacy, and the threat of an impending humanitarian disaster in Rafah.

On a personal level, this first lunar eclipse to aspect Pluto in Aquarius may cast an eerie or melancholy light on troubled relationships or partnerships, and some may now have run their course. It is time to let something go. We may well have no choice in the matter. But how we handle loss is up to us, and only we can decide to let bygones be bygones.

April 1-April 25: Mercury retrograde in Aries

The two week period between the lunar eclipse 25 March and the approaching solar eclipse 8 April is likely to bring significant developments in global events, national events and also possibly, closer to home. More haste, less speed, as the old saying goes, and this is not a time to act in haste. We are liable to have an accident. We can’t go wrong the last week of the month, backing up data and devices, reading the small print or making calls, double checking documentation, plans and arrangements.

April 8 New Moon/Total Solar Eclipse in Aries

This total Solar Eclipse on April 8th, 2024 will be happening at 19 degrees and 24 minutes of Aries, most directly affecting those born with personal planets and points at approximately 14 to 24 degrees of the Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn.)

The first New Moon and eclipse of the Astrological year is a powerful launching pad for new beginnings. However, it is also occurring during a Mercury retrograde in Aries. This may be the time to try again with something that failed to take off before, or to finish something that we started before but never completed. Meanwhile we can expect all manner of revelations and surprises. It could get pretty intense. With the North Node in Aries and the South Node in Libra all year, there is a powerful push and pull between the First and Seventh Houses in our natal charts.This is “me” versus “we” energy, navigating heightened conflicting needs and obligations of sovereignty/alliances, independence/co-dependence/partnerships, autonomy/exchange.

The degree of this eclipse corresponds with the cusp between the second and third decans of Aries, and the corresponding Tarot cards are the Three and Four of Wands. This may be anticipating imminent fresh challenges to do with trade, shipping, and naval power in the Red Sea, the Black Sea or the South China Sea.

white and black wind chime on brown wooden table near sea during sunset — Photo by Rafik Wahba on Unsplash

A solar eclipse is classically associated with the advent of a departure of a highly significant man. This can mean a head of state. Astrologers are particularly fascinated by this eclipse, not only because Aries represents the idea of The Emperor or Head of State, or potentially war, thereby doubling up on that reading of the omen, but this one this will be the only total solar eclipse in the 21st century that will be visible throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada occurring at the time of the first Pluto return of the United States. The Roman Empire endured two Pluto returns. A metamorphosis is taking shape in the United States but it may take until at least 2028 to see what it will look like

Where else will it be visible? See here: https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/where-when/

March 11- April 4 Venus in Pisces

For all the heat and action, there is also an undertow of nostalgia in the air, tender and affectionate. A sense of longing for something difficult to define and hard to satisfy. Borders and boundaries blur under Venus in Pisces. The shadow side of this position is illusion and delusion, falling prey to wishful thinking, or we may find we are only getting part of the story, dealing with poor information or evasive or dishonest behaviour. We might overspend. We might overlook practicalities. We need to pay attention, and listen out for what is not being said.

But Venus is exalted in Pisces. It’s deep, beautiful, compassionate, generous and capable of sacrifice. Here is Art and Heart. Here is Grace. Venus in Pisces somewhat soothes, slows and offsets the heat and energy of Aries 2024.

a statue sitting on top of a rock next to a body of water — Photo by Matteo Panara on Unsplash

Thank you for reading.

Back soon with a general Tarot spread for the coming season….

Here comes Aquarius 2024 (and here comes Pluto in Aquarius)

We have entered the sun sign territory of Aquarius today, and also today, the small but symbolically mighty and radical dwarf planet Pluto has entered or ingress-ed into Aquarius for the first time in 266 years.

But what’s the ancient story behind the sun sign of the Water-Bearer?

Traditional associations of Aquarius

Element: Air

Quality: Fixed (meaning a sign that corresponds with the height of a given season) Ruling planets: Saturn the Taskmaster (originally) AND Uranus the Eccentric Up-heaver.

Body: The circulatory system, shins, and ankles.

Birthstone: Amethyst

Tarot Card: The Star (Hope, Vision, Ideas, Systems, The Wider Collective, Humanity as a whole, Recovery, Equilibrium, Bridging, Searching, Exploration, Technology, Space Exploration)

Minor Arcana cards: the 5, 6 and 7 of Swords.

The figure is unclothed because The Star (Truth) has nothing to hide. The truth is naked, unadorned.

Astronomy

From the Earth’s perspective, the Sun actually passes in front of the constellation of Aquarius from February 17th to March 11th, a month later than the dates associated with its zodiac sign.

However, zodiac constellations are not to be confused with zodiac signs. The dates did used to coincide, but Western (Tropical) astrology is a fixed arithmetic system dating back to more ancient calendar systems.

The dates of the zodiac signs and the constellations after which they were named have separated over time due to the ‘wobble’ of the Earth – an effect known as precession.

Astronomers who deride astrology on these grounds are not taking into account the basis and history of western (Tropical) astrology as a mathematical, not an astronomical model of the heavens.

Aquarius the Water-Carrier is one of the oldest identified constellations of the Zodiac (the area of the sky as seen from Earth through which the sun, moon and planets all pass, occasionally or regularly.) Aquarius is the tenth largest constellation, a big though faint constellation in the southern hemisphere, and its appearance is almost universally associated culturally and historically with sky, clouds, water- and therefore rain.

Aquarius lies in the dark region of the sky called The Sea, containing other ‘watery’ constellations; Pisces (the fish), Eridanus (the river), Cetus (the whale), Capricornus (the Sea-goat), Delphinus (the Dolphin), and Hydra (the Water serpent). The start of Eridanus can be seen to the right of Rigel, the bright star at the left foot of Orion The Hunter (seen on the bottom right of Orion as we are looking up from Earth).

See Eridanus the River in the January sky

Helped out here by those added lines, we see the pitcher of Aquarius, pouring out water.

The brightest stars in Aquarius are two yellow super-giants, several times more massive than the Sun; Alpha Aquarii (Sadalmelik) and Beta Aquarii (Sadalsuud) 537 light-years distant.

Sadalsuud is the brightest star in Aquarius, with a mass six times that of the Sun. It’s 2,200 times more luminous than the Sun and its name comes from the Arabic phrase sa’d al-suud, meaning the “luck of lucks.”

Other deep-sky objects include the Aquarius Dwarf Galaxy and the quirkily named Atoms for Peace Galaxy.

Aquarius also contains the Saturn Nebula and the Helix Nebula, the remnants of dying stars, and these are the closest planetary nebulae to Earth, 400 light-years away.

(Talk about The Eye of Sauron)

Aquarius is home to at least 3 meteor showers. The Eta Aquariids, 5th and 6th of May, are the strongest with up to 35 meteors per hour coming from materials shed by Comet Halley as it travels through the solar system. The less active Delta Aquariids peak twice: on the 29th of July and again on the 6th of August. The weakest is the Iota Aquariids, peaking August 6th each year.

The constellation of Aquarius is large but faint, complicated and not easy to spot, though it can be seen from almost anywhere on Earth. The best time to see is 9-10 PM in October but you will need a dark sky to pick it out.

History and Mythology

Throughout the whole of human history, arguably the number one danger to Man has been the threat of flood, knocking spots in terms of the sheer frequency of threat off even the Biblical Horsemen of the Apocalypse; War, Famine, Pestilence and Death. Though just one volcanic winter could, and once did come pretty close to making the human race extinct altogether. Toba.

Aquarius overhead meant winter rain was coming to the lands of Mesopotomia, and this meant the waters of life itself- aqua vitae -but it wasn’t all good news.

The water carrier, the cloud, brings new life but can also act as an agent of death, destruction, flood and disease.

For the Sumerians, Aquarius was a frightening figure, holding the vessel from which a great flood flowed from the heavens onto the earth, while the Babylonians called Aquarius’ appearance in the night sky ‘the curse of rain’.

To the Babylonians Aquarius was the god Ea, or GU.LA , ‘The Great One’ in the Babylonian star catalogues, often shown holding an overflowing vase. During the Early Bronze Age, the appearance of Aquarius, or the ‘Way of Ea’, corresponded to the period of 45 days on either side of winter solstice, when the Babylonians regularly experienced destructive levels of flooding.

In Ancient Egypt, their own version of Aquarius, the god Hapi, God of The Nile, was associated with the annual flood of the Nile when Hapi put his jar into the river, and this marked the beginning of spring, replenishing their farming soil. But their flooding season was June.

Greek mythology describes three floods, the flood of Ogyges, the flood of Deucalion, and the flood of Dardanus. The Ogygian Deluge, they said, ended The Silver Age, and the flood of Deucalion ended the First Bronze Age, ‘parting the mountains of Thessaly.’

The Greeks said that Aquarius caused a great flood which inundated the Earth during the Bronze Age, of which only Deucalion, son of Prometheus, and his wife Pyrrha survived, either by climbing in a chest and toughing it out, or building a great boat stocked with provisions, just as later in the Old Testament, Noah built his Ark.

The ancient Greeks largely avoided living near lakes and rivers, it’s thought, for hygiene reasons as well as protection from floods. There are apparently, impressive remains of hydraulic anti-flooding works; dams, walls, and channels in cities and other settlements in the Minoan era, and the Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Roman periods.

Another Greek legend associated Aquarius with the beautiful Trojan prince, Ganymede, who was carried off by that arch-sexual predator Zeus (Did Zeus ever give it a rest?) This time, Zeus disguised himself as an eagle, and Ganymede, whether he liked it or not, became his lover and protégé; the cup-bearer of the Gods.

The ‘Age of Aquarius’

Is it here? What does it mean? What might it portend? There has been a lot of discussion about this, and much excitement surrounding the Great Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in Aquarius that occurred 21 December 2020.

The Age of Aquarius has become synonymous with a mythical new Golden age of Humankind. This year, 2024, as no doubt many of us have been reading ad infinitum, we will be entering a new 20 year period of Pluto in Aquarius. This starts today, 20 February, at 7:56 PM Eastern Time but then Pluto moves back into Capricorn for one last swan song in September before re-entering Aquarius for good 19 November 2024. The last time we saw Pluto in Aquarius was 226 years ago, and it witnessed the first Industrial Revolution, The French Revolution, The American Revolution, the Haiti Revolution…

We are entering a new astrological era of radical change. But is this THE fabled new “Age of Aquarius”?

In astrological terms, an age lasts roughly 2200 years and is identified by the name of the constellation in which the Sun appears in on the first day of spring (the vernal equinox). To know when THE age of Aquarius begins, we would need to agree the start date for the previous/present Age of Pisces- but astronomy and astrology don’t agree, even among themselves.

Some, but not all astrologers say the Age of Aquarius is already here, that it began in 2012. To arrive at this, they are using the star Regulus, the heart of the Lion in the constellation of Leo as the marker of the ancient border between the constellations Leo and Cancer.

Via Wiki

Regulus moved to within 30 degrees of the September equinox point in 2012, Working with the arithmetical model of constellations as calculated by Ptolemy in the second century AD, this places the border of the constellations Pisces and Aquarius at 150 degrees west of Regulus, or at the March equinox point. By this reckoning, the Age of Aquarius started in 2012.

Alternatively, according to the Belgian astronomer and mathematician, Jean Meeus, the sun at the March equinox passed from being in front of the constellation Aries to being in front of the constellation Pisces in 68 B.C.

This would mean that the March equinox will cross over into the constellation Aquarius in 2597. But again, these are the astronomical, not astrological dates.

The Age of Aquarius denotes or predicts on the one hand the space age, the age of super-technology, and on the other, the age of the human collective, The Brotherhood of Man as opposed to the age of the One, and the individual, where the current Age of Pisces is associated with the rise of the monotheistic religions; Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Space Technology 2021

Prefiguring today’s arrival of Pluto in Aquarius, was the mega conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in sci-fi Aquarius on 21 December 2020.

Back in December 2020, this meant Mars was having visitors -us. Oh yes. Put the kettle on, Mars peeps. And we don’t suppose you’ve got any biccies? Sarnies? Cake? No? OK, OK, well, we know we weren’t invited, but you could have just…you know.

Well, never mind. For a month or so, Earth and Mars lined up in a way that made it viable to land a probe. Miss that window, and it would have meant waiting two years for the next opportunity.

The United Arab Emirates, China and the United States all launched in July 2020, all three due to arrive starting with NASA’a mission, scheduled to land Thursday 18 February 2021.

NASA landed its rover, Perseverance in the Jezero crater, an ancient river delta.

China and the United Arab Emirates sent their own exploration missions to Mars…all due to arrive February 2021.

China sent the Tianwen-1 Rover. After sending a rover to the far side of the moon, this mission was called Tianwen-1, meaning ‘quest for heavenly truth,’ and aimed to be the first Mars mission to drop a landing platform, deploy a rover, and send a spacecraft into the planet’s orbit all at once. The rover has been equipped with a radar system that can detect underground pockets of water and will help China prepare for its own mission to return a sample from Mars to Earth in the 2030’s.

The UAE sent The Hope Orbiter, the Arab world’s first mission to another planet, to study the Martian atmosphere.

Russia was planning to send a mission to Mars, as was The European Space Agency, but the Covid pandemic demanded a postponement.

The European Space Agency likewise had to delay the first flight of its new Ariane 6 launcher which was rescheduled to launch during the second half of 2021, and has since had to be rescheduled again for the second quarter of 2022.

NASA is also working to return to the Moon – robotically. The Artemis Project is using commercial delivery services to send science investigations and technology demonstrations to the Moon twice per year, with the first such flight currently scheduled for a flight in 2024.

Cue 2024 and Pluto into sci-fi Aquarius.

We ain’t seen nothing yet.

The Aquarius Personality/Archetype

Aquarius is a Fixed, Masculine Air Sign. The Tarot court card to watch for here is The King of Swords though the Queen may also represent an Aquarius born subject.

Of course there is no such thing in reality as THE Aquarius personality, and the same goes for all the zodiac sun signs. Your sun sign is an archetype, a keynote, but of course it is not and never could be the whole story.

The archetypal persona, male or female, is keenly observant, sharp, clever, firm, fair, analytical logical, legalistic, brave, amusing and charming. They are often musically gifted, numerate, and very often work in teaching, or in Law, or music, medicine or dentistry in technical, forensic or surgical consultant roles. This is someone who uses logic and reason to cut through confusion. But they need plenty of personal space and fresh air, and if emotionally challenged, they are more likely to administer advice or medicine than take it themselves. And they can be quietly, stubbornly ruthless.

Aquarius is ruled by two planets, Saturn, known to the ancients as the planet of duty and structure, but also Uranus, ‘discovered’ 1781, designated the planet of upheaval and rebellion. Therefore, as you might imagine, this is a sign of acute paradoxes.

There is on the one hand the authoritarian Aquarian, prone to dogma, and the freewheeling Aquarian archetype. Either way, Aquarius is radically independent in their thinking, often for good, but not always. Even a rebellion may become just another kind of dogma.

Aquarius is generally exceedingly kindly, humane, civilized and honourable in dealings. They set great store on friendship and loyalty, and they need to belong and be of service, just as their symbol is the water-bearer or cup-bearer, a person pouring water for another.

This symbol can be interpreted to imply a destiny to serve others, but by the same token Aquarius may carry water to ‘cleanse’ the world of ‘errant’ thinking. Taken to extremes, Aquarius therefore represents a communal potential for crusading or fundamentalism.

Aquarius excels at cerebral thinking, dealing in abstracts, but does not necessarily see the reality of the individual standing in front of them. Where they make a false step, it may be because they trusted their cerebral processes at the expense of their instinct.

Aquarius may be difficult, moody, prone to bouts of depression, or they may sparkle with the brilliance of diamonds, when their chart is warmed by courage, warmth, honour and charisma.

Famous Aquarius subjects

Abraham Lincoln, Ferdinand Magellan. Galileo Galilei, Thomas Edison. Charles Darwin. Frederick Douglass, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Virginia Woolf, John Travolta, Oprah Winfrey, Shakira

Thank you for reading.

Back soon with a general collective Tarot card reading for this new Aquarius season.

Till next time 🙂

Tarot talking 2024

a number that is written in sparklers on a black background — Photo by Moritz Knöringer on Unsplash

Let’s take a quick look at the Numerology of 2024. The key numbers of this year are 2, 0, 4 and 8. Why 8? This is the number we get when we add up the digits. You’ll notice we have a dominance of even numbers: 2, 4 and 8; all of them divisible by 2.

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This is all about creating or protecting our stability during a time of great shifts, but the 0 stand for the wild cards at work in our lives. Births and rebirths, literally or metaphorically. Zero is the most numinous number, or non-number. Originally invented as a placeholder, The Fool card in the Tarot stands for Wyrd or Destiny, and is the greatest mystery of all the cards in the deck.

The Major Arcana card representing the Number 8 is Strength. This card correlates with Leo, which like Aries, is also ruled by Mars. This card stands for health, strength and courage. This is both physical and moral strength, resilience and fortitude, the kind that says we don’t give up. The one who wins is the last one standing. “Tomorrow is another day.”

There are no easy answers. We will all be tested this coming year, guaranteed, and this will be collectively and personally. This is not a quiet cycle we are in, the whole world is feeling it, and we may not come out of this cosmic wash-cycle that began in 2019/2020 until February 2026 when Saturn quits Pisces for the final time in this current cycle of transits.

When I look at Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy, time and again I draw The Hanged Man reversed, signifying either significant Pisces timing and/or an unwanted compromise that is ultimately reached. This card of Pisces points out that Saturn moved into Pisces in March 2023 and does not finally move out of Pisces until February 2026. This does not mean the war can’t end sooner. The Hanged Man could indicate Pisces season 2025, possibly triggered by events around the time of the eclipse in Libra season 2024. As ever, only time will tell. The reader is always “looking in the glass darkly.”

I have been struck by the physical resemblance to Zelenskyy of this card from The Tarot Illuminati deck. This card below, I drew in a reading for Zelenskyy back in March 2022. I was looking to see if Russia would succeed in assassinating him, as we understood Russia was trying to do at that time, and the feeling was no. The cards showed he will come through all this, but emerge a very different man. Not defeated, not diminished but disappointed. Reading between the lines, Russia’s President Putin will get away with far more than justice says he rightfully should, although much less than he wants.

We are all desperate to see an end to the darkness of the wholesale horror we are witnessing in Ukraine and in Gaza. There could be crucial turning points in these and other conflicts (and also in personal matters) around 14 February, around the solar eclipse of 8 April, during Leo/Virgo season- July and August, and again, around the solar eclipse in Libra, 2 October (ruled by Venus, cards 2/3 Swords- diplomacy/severance) and again towards the end of the year in Sagittarius around Christmas Eve, 24 December 2024, though this last date could likewise prove very tricky.

My cards have not so far seen a second term of office for Donald Trump. I first looked at this in 2021, looking to see signs of a second term after the Capitol Riot.

Link to that 2021 reading is here.

But nor are they showing me a second term for Joe Biden. I will be looking more closely at this later, as will twenty gillion other readers and astrologers. Some Vedic astrologers do say it will be Trump.

May-June could prove the most productive and easygoing months this coming year when Jupiter moves from productive Taurus into agile arch-communicator Gemini.

The April solar eclipse in Aries suggests a window of opportunity, bold decisions finding ways forward, and at a personal level for any of us, but especially for the Aries native or those with Aries rising, brave new initiatives in prospect.

The tarot card of this eclipse at 19 degrees of Aries is the expansive, outgoing and far seeing Three of Wands.

The possible negative interpretation of this card is the clear and present danger and obvious potential in 2024 for an escalation of maritime aggression in any of these areas: the Black Sea, the Red Sea, the Straits of Hormuz, in the South China Sea or the Straits of Taiwan.

This is a twitchy year and the very end of the year may prove the trickiest time.

Image from The Legacy of The Divine Tarot.

First comes the vision, but planning, co-operation and timing is everything. We are equal to these challenges, and we can achieve more by approaching our most personal problems with an attitude of kindness and respect. The lady in the Strength card does not subdue the lion by killing it. This card references an old story, Una and the Lion from Edmund Spenser’s 16th-century poem The Faerie Queen. Una is the daughter of a king and queen who have been imprisoned by a dragon. Most unfortunate.

Una undertakes a quest to free her parents, but on her journey she encounters a lion. Rather than eating her, the lion is so captivated by Una’s innocence that he follows her instead, accompanying her as a protector, and in the painting by William Bell Scott, Una gently rests her fingers in the lion’s mane, as they make their way together through the autumnal wood.

But the lion is not going her to kill her, either. She calms its threat by holding her nerve, moving decisively but quietly, and using a carefully measured restraint with the lightest touch.

Image from The Gilded Tarot.

This is a year of gravitas. We are changing, and we are feeling that change. There is a sense of a greater self discipline, but also striking out in a new direction, expanding our lines of vision, enlarging our horizons as per the Three of Wands. We are starting new things or revisiting old things and re-imagining them anew.

These are just seeds or buds in 2024. We won’t see the results this year, but we are changing direction. The particular nature of this, and the life departments it will affect will depend on our own natal charts.

Jupiter is on our side in 2024, and he can be a big old bully. But Jupiter is also “the bringer of jollity.” People need to eat, but they also need beauty. They need laughter and they need other people. Jupiter keeps it large, and Jupiter in Gemini can be a big fat beautiful butterfly, the symbol of Psyche, the soul.

Airy, breezy, airy pollinator of renewal of the richness of the earth of Taurus, Jupiter enters Gemini 25 May 2024 and stays there until 9 June 2025. This can be all manner of good news, with April, May and June are the most promising months for communications, networking, teaching, publishing, business, study, travel and progress in the most general terms.

Jupiter in Gemini is endlessly curious and enquiring. Jupiter is however, in detriment in Gemini, meaning that Jupiter is opposite the sign of Sagittarius where it is exalted (most naturally at home.)

There could, in politics and geo-political conflicts, be a lot of dithering, delaying and fair- weathering.

person holding butterfly — Photo by Natalya Letunova on Unsplash

But even so, Jupiter in Gemini may bring better things to the world, while the Aries Eclipse in April is an even bigger hitter this year. Big and brave. What brave new stories shall you be creating this coming year?

Thank you for reading.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year, 2024.

Songs of Solstice, Capricorn the Cosmic Sea-Goat

On 22 December 2023 at 3 AM we experienced the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, and thereby entered the first decan of the zodiac sun sign of Capricorn the Goat.

Traditional associations

Symbol:

Date of Birth: 21/22 Dec to 20 January

Ruling planet: Saturn

Lucky Day: Saturday

Lucky Numbers 2 and 8

Energy: Yin

Element: Earth

Quality: Cardinal (the start of the season of winter)

Key phrase: I build, I use

Body: Skin, knees, skeletal system

Birth Stone: Red Garnet and Black Onyx

Colour: Deep red

Herbs/Flowers: Wintergreen, Ivy, Carnation

Origin Story

The story of Capricorn evolved from an ancient creation myth of the Akkadians and the Sumerians. Enki the Mer-Goat, the wise teacher, found himself all alone when the rest of his kind left the oceans for ever, and went on to the land, ascending to the mountains.

Enki mourned the loss of his children, and in his terrible loneliness was placed in the heavens where he could look down and still see them, following their new destinies as creatures of the land. The Greeks later told a similar story, in which Enki was known as the Sea-Goat Pricus.

But why was earthy Capricorn ever seen as a sea-goat? A mer-goat? Here is one of those curious things. The planet Neptune was discovered in the constellation Capricornus, near Deneb Algedi, the brightest star in the tail of the goat, on September 23, 1846.

This illustrates a powerful mythic connection between earth sign Capricorn and the deep water sign of Pisces the Fishes. This connection is many ages old and goes back to the Babylonians 21 centuries BC. But how did the ancients know? How could they have known, to have come up with the story of the Sea-Goat?

So far as we aware, they didn’t. They could not have known about Neptune to have made any such connection. And yet somehow they seemed to have apprehended this cosmic connection, poetically, understanding that life on Earth had begun in the seas, and then some of that life had left the seas for ever.

a mountain goat standing on top of a snow covered mountain — Photo by Jack Charles on Unsplash

The constellation of Capricorn which gives its name to the sun sign, was known to the Neo-Platonists as The Gate of the Gods, through which the souls of the newly dead ascended, returning home to the Source of all things.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is capricorn-stars-wiki-256px-capricornuscc.jpg

Tarot

Tarot cards: The Devil (Pan/Nature, Mystery, Charisma, Fascination, Obsession, Powerlessness, Fear, Entrapment.) Also the Queen of Pentacles and the 2, 3 and 4 of Pentacles.

Tarot card: The Devil (Pan/Nature, Mystery, Charisma, Fascination, Obsession, Powerlessness, Fear, Entrapment.)

This card from the Gilded Tarot deck paints The Devil as one hell of a beguiling sexy beast. We know that the Devil- whether this is our own worst nature or Nature itself -can be downright cruel, vile and nasty. “Nature red in tooth and claw” (Tennyson)

But one can appreciate the artist’s take on this. The Devil is also the angel of the Morning Star, fallen or not. And if he is invariable hideous and stinky and manifestly hostile, who is going to let him anywhere near them? Whom shall he snare? Whom shall he tempt? And entrap.

The complexity here is that the cardinal earth sign of Capricorn is the most grounded and self-disciplined of all sun sign archetypes. Responsible, shrewd and also devoted. But “all that glitters” is not gold. For someone to get EVERYTHING they want, who is going to get hurt? Who else is going to do without? Capricorn at the macro level is about worldly power and the price that is paid for that power, and by whom. Capricorn represents the rock bottom line of our material reality and all that attaches to it: safety, comfort,identity and the luxury of free time.

Resources are not infinite. Who loses so that someone else gains? Here is the the danger of Capricorn as the Devil. Here is the flex playing out on the world stage as power-monger Pluto gets ready to leave Capricorn by stages in 2024. Pluto sweeps a board clean, but not kindly, and not without creating a whole lot of mess.

History has shown this many times. When Pluto changes signs as it will finally do in November 2024 when it settles in Aquarius until 2043, world changing events occur.

1853 Pluto into Taurus: The Crimean War

1914 Pluto into Cancer: World War One

1938/1939 Pluto into Leo: Spanish Civil War/World War 2

It does not always or necessarily signify war when Pluto changes sun signs, but it is always huge.

1984 Pluto into Scorpio: the AIDS epidemic

2008 Pluto into Capricorn: the financial crash which impacted the entire global financial system, caused by bad lending practices which created a mortgage crisis in the United States.

In 2024 we say farewell to Pluto in Capricorn. Astonishing things are in store during Pluto in Aquarius, the sun sign of I.T and Space Tech and “The People” versus “The Establishment.” The possibilities are fascinating, the challenge being that history shows us “The People” have a way of becoming “The Establishment.”

The Queen of Pentacles

From The Sacred Circle Tarot.

The court card of Capricorn is The Queen of Pentacles. She may equally represent a Taurus or Virgo subject, and she may be male or female when we are reading for someone, but this is her specific archetypal card.

She is the Queen exalted in the Earth. Born older than her years. Wise and canny, shrewd and patient, she initiates. She works. She provides. She creates and conserves all things beautiful. Her feet are planted in the soil, connected with the wild creatures but her spirit spans the globe. She is a cook. She is a gardener. She is a keeper, a curator, the queen of rocks and gems. She is a wise woman, consulted by many, bridging traditions of the the ancient past with the present, building a future, sure-footed, one nimble step at a time.

In some tarot decks she is called the Queen of Pentacles. In others, the Queen of Coins, Disks or Stones.

The Stone People

We are the people and we are the stones

The greater the stones the higher we stand

We are the stones, our feet in the earth

And under the earth and over the ground

The shape of the stones is the shape of the land

And the shape of the land is what shapes us

And the shape that we are says who we are

The shape of our land is the secret of us

And we are the stones, and our bones are the stones,

And the stones are us, are us.

Margaret Whyte, 23 December 1939-27 February 2023

Capricorn says we stay earthed and grounded. We keep our own counsel. We look out of the window, lick our finger and stick it in the air to feel the wind direction for ourselves. We neither preach to others nor do we subscribe to mass hysteria, dogma or disinformation. It is hard right now, not to get angry and upset at the things we see and hear. But Capricorn has a way of going high while staying rooted. We know where we came from. We are children of the stones of our forefathers. We know where we belong. We are of a people, shaped by the landscape that formed our people, whomever they may be.

But a people, however distinctive, is not a homogenous, uniform entity.

Capricorn says we honour the land but we think for ourselves.