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.

Stories of Scorpio: Part 2

The Death card and a psychic dream premonition

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is pexels-photo-5005210.jpeg — Photo by Jo Kassis on Pexels.comcaption…

Last time I was talking about on the origins of the Scorpio story: the history, natural history and the scorpion itself, the symbolism, and the astronomy and astrology. Now for a further look at the archetype.

The Scorpio Archetype

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. The zodiac signs paint a ‘poetic’ portrait of a person born at a particular time of year.

Scorpio is The Sorcerer, The Witch, The Investigator, The Hypnotist, The Alchemist and the Necromancer. Scorpio is also the World Serpent, and the Eagle, and the mythological Phoenix, the fire-bird of resurrection, as new life rises from the ashes –The Phoenix.

a blurry photo of a yellow flower — Photo by Egor Litvinov on Unsplash

Scorpio is the season of fast dwindling daylight and with this comes the new season of chills and influenza. The medical salt associated with Scorpio, the tissue cell salt Calcium Sulphate, performs a cleansing and cooling function in the body. Injury or infection may produce pus which may form a boil, and then the boil bursts, expelling infection and with it, expelling the dangerous heat of inflammation. But better out than in. Though like a volcanic eruption, the immediate aftermath may be destructive. This can be viewed as an allegory of world events.

What has been festering, must either turn inward, bringing sepsis, rot and death, or must find a way to break out. Scorpio breaks out with heat and violence and/or conceals by means of stealth, wealth, secrecy and intrigue.

New readers will often discuss the water cards in terms of how healing they are, and and sensitive, ‘spiritual’ and emotional. True. But great emotions will just as readily wreak great turmoil. There are terrifying floods. There are storms at sea. Heaven help Jamaica at the time of writing. There are tsunamis. The fixed water sign that is the Scorpion of the zodiac is ruled by Mars and the red star Antares. It doesn’t freeze. It may steam. It may simmer. But it may scald. It may boil.

a pot sitting on top of a fire next to a log — Photo by Adams Arslan on Unsplash

The cards representing the fixed water zodiac sign of Scorpio are The Death card, The King of Cups, and the Five, Six and Seven of Cups.

The Death card sits in between two mutable cards: The Hanged Man card of Pisces, denoting twelfth house matters, hidden matters, and a time of inaction, and Temperance of Sagittarius, representing ninth house matters, and the power of right timing and targeted action, just as the arrow of the Archer flies to its mark.

Temperance is also the card of healing where Scorpio is Life or Death.

The Tarot is saying that Death too may be a way of healing. Or rather perhaps, that Death itself is healed. That the Dead go forward into the unknowable with the safe escort of the angel of Temperance, thought to be Michael, the angel of Fire, returning home again. They are going home to the source whence they came, reascending though the Gate of the Gods in Capricorn, rising through the Milky Way, straddled by the constellation of The Archer.

As mentioned last time, and the tarot readers here know all this, the major arcana card in the Tarot representing Scorpio is the Death card, one of the most feared cards in the Tarot deck. Note the Biblical ‘pale horse’ of Death and the white rose. The rose signifies beauty and immortality. The rose is meant to suggest all that has ever once been, is recorded somewhere, somehow, forever.

The Death card is rather played down these days. Many readers rush to assure us that the appearance of the Death card does not predict a death, or not in the physical sense. Rather, it is the end of a chapter. And this is often true. But not always. I have learned in my own experience as a reader, the Death card can mean exactly that, and there can be no bottling out. The Death card demands we face the truth of our existence.

A long time ago I saw in a dream the death of a long-ago neighbour, a friend of my parent’s. She was still only quite a young woman, the mother of five children. I woke haunted, the dream was still so vivid, and it sat with me all day. I had not seen this family friend, let’s call her L. for some years. What was she doing in my dreams? So often, when we wake, if we remember them, we clearly see that our dreams have only been processing recent events and conversations.

But what do you do with a dream like that? What can you do? Nothing. You forget it, blame it on cheese at bedtime, or you might log it and put it on one side. A fortnight later I was visiting my parents, and while I was helping my mother in the kitchen, I said, “by the way, Mam, how is L. W.…have you heard from her at all lately?”

My mother turned sharply. Her face set hard like stone.

“Why do you ask?”

“I had such a strange dream about her.”

“Tell me.”

I described the dream. How I had seen people and cars arriving at L’s house one street away from where we had used to live when I was growing up. Some, though not all of these visitors, wearing black. But it was my mother who opened the front door to greet them, and not L or her husband. L did not appear in this dream, herself.

The absence of L, at her own front door, with visitors arriving dressed in black, said this was a dream of death.

And now my mother told me, she had just heard from L’s husband who was a close colleague of my mother’s, that L., only fifty at the time, the mother of five children, a fun, brave and vivacious person, a real fighter always, a local politician, an educator, and something of a social justice warrior, had just a few days previously been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.

In terms of the date, I will never know how closely the news of this dreadful diagnosis coincided with the dream of the funeral or wake. But how much closer did it need to be, my God.

L. had been in a minor road traffic accident. She had hit another car, no great damage done. But she hadn’t seen the other car. So she went to the opticians who saw something he did not like the look of, who referred her to a specialist and then they found the tumour.

How long did dear L have, my -always very hard-headed- mother now asked. How long did I think?

I am a Taurus sun sign sun native. People may not tend to think of the earthy mid spring sign of Taurus in terms of all things psychic, supernatural or occult. But The High priestess which is widely associated with Pisces, represents Hathor and the Bull Cult of Apis, and Walpurgis Night is in Taurus, April 30, May Eve, the spring time equivalent of Halloween and all things the other side of The Veil. The crescent moon of her headdress does double duty as the cow horns of Hathor, her throne festooned with the pomegranates of Persephone, queen of the Underworld.

Scorpio is the opposite sun sign of Taurus and vice versa. The shadow sun self, one might say, while my own personal Taurus natal sun is in the eighth house, ruled by Scorpio.

We are not defined by our birth charts. Or by our sun sign. We are zodiac kaleidoscopes. But still, we are the children of the place and season into which we were born. The rocks, the light, the animals, the flowers, the birds, the skies at night at the time of our birth. The hours of daylight and the vitamin D of our mothers. The melatonin. Our zodiac sun sign is our touchstone and our totem.

Back to my mother’s grief stricken question. How long did our friend L. have? Those children at home, and the youngest still only little? Of course I do not know the answer to such questions. Nor do I want to. But I told my mother what I felt, that she had maybe two years, and sadly, it was not even quite that. L died at home one night aged 52, sitting up suddenly, fighting for air, in the bed she still shared with her husband, and with her mother who had come to stay to help with the children, there in the next room and beside her when she died.

God bless and keep L. and her mother, now also long gone, detaching gently from the tree like a faded leaf.

But unpopular Pluto, Hades, lord of the Underworld has a compassion all his own. It is not Death itself that is our enemy, or the enemy of Life itself, but despair. Like the song says, after all, the ‘Seasons Don’t Fear The Reaper’.

Scorpio confronts us with Death. But this is not about any kind of a death wish. It is the cry of Life’s own longing for itself.

Many years later, when I started to work with the cards, I was trying to understand more about this dream, and other such experiences. Where did such dreams come from. And what was the point of them? What good did they do anyone?

I did not like it. But it is what it is. And later, when I started to learn to read the cards, I sometimes saw death in the cards, although I will never predict it. But still, a reader should be prepared to “go there” and at least discuss it if someone asks in all seriousness. To walk the road alongside. No ducking the tough discussions. There is much that can be discussed. Not least, family matters. Usually, a legal professional is already being consulted, as is wholly appropriate. But people have still wanted this other kind of conversation and there is a careful, critical line between respect, ethical responsibilities, and officiousness or nannying.

It is important to note that there are other cards in the Tarot deck that may indicate a death. The Three of Swords or the Six, Nine or Ten of Swords, for instance. The Death card, in my experience so far, has tended to denote a peaceful natural death.

The entirety of human experience is encapsulated past, present and the future unknown in a deck of only 78 cards. It is of no use for a reader to seek to work with the tarot or any oracle, shirking the most difficult questions, though we must still adhere to strictest ethics, and like Hippocrates, first we must do no harm.

It’s a tricky line at times. Readers are on the one hand, fallible, and need to remember this at all times, while on the other hand, to be of service, we have to trust ourselves sufficiently to speak clearly, and to the heart of the matter in service to this oracle of the human spirit.

full moon covered with clouds — Photo by Hulki Okan Tabak on Unsplash

“The man, who has seen the rising moon break out of the clouds at midnight, has been present like an archangel at the creation of light and of the world.”~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Old age is not our natural birth-right. Few animals reach old age living in the wild. The scorpion itself lives 2-3 years in the wild…although in captivity, incredibly it may live 25 years. The price of freedom, hey? But it is this sharp focus of such an awareness that gives Scorpio its drive, intensity, its passion, or its preoccupation with the “darker” side of life, and with the occult and the mysterious, but also its power of regeneration, and the drive to procreate new life.

Thank you for reading.

Back soon…the decans of Scorpio, and Halloween

Till next time 🙂

Season of The Scorpion 2025

The Stories in the Stars

undefined — **From Uranias Mirror 1825**

The fixed water sign of the celestial Scorpion is the zodiac archetype of Halloween. Still waters run deep, truly, but this is water as steam, like the steaming geysers of Iceland, bursting out from sources deep down in the heart of the hot rock.

Traditional Associations

Zodiac glyph

Scorpio’s glyph is symbolic of a serpent representing the life force energy, the flow of that energy and the release of it. Imagine the M as a coil with the energy flow going outward with an arrow sign attached. This arrow represents the sting of the scorpion. It also represents futurity, but is also the arrow of Sagittarius, the next sign of the zodiac. The other “m” glyph in the Zodiac is Virgo, but here the M is imagined as a coiling serpent with its tail folded inward in protective, healing mode.

Ruling planets: Traditional: Mars. Modern: Pluto following Pluto’s discovery in 1930.

House: The Eighth House of power, secrets, sex, death, finance, legacy

Symbols: Scorpion, Serpent, Eagle/Phoenix (nearby constellation, Aquila, the Eagle.)

Element: Water (but this water STEAMS.)

Quality: Fixed

Keywords: I desire. I transform

Hebrew letter: Nun, meaning the snake. Scorpio has three glyphs, the only sign to do so; the snake, scorpion and eagle (or phoenix.) The snake sheds its skin and thus represents transformation, healing and magic.

Colour: Dark red

Birthstone: Yellow Topaz, Opal, Aquamarine, Tourmaline

Body: reproductive/sex organs

Tissue cell salt: calcium sulphate, repair of tissues and resistance to infectious diseases.

Trees: Walnut, hawthorn, blackthorn

Tarot Cards: Death, King of Cups, 5, 6 and 7 of Cups. The major arcana card in the Tarot representing Scorpio is the Death card, one of the most feared cards in the Tarot deck. Note the Biblical ‘pale horse’ of Death and the white rose. He comes for all, the king, the archbishop, the child. But the rose signifies beauty and immortality. All that has ever once been, is recorded somewhere, somehow, forever.

The Death card is not usually about the literal death of any person. It may represent the death of something else, like the ending of a situation, chapter, project, plan, or relationship.

But. BUT. I have learned in my own experience as a reader, the Death card can mean exactly that, physical death, like it or not. The cards can mean exactly what it says on the tin and this has more than once hit me hard and very close to home in the literal, physical human sense. There is no Life without Death. We die. Even rivers can die. Even the stars die.

Old age is not our natural birth-right. Few animals reach old age living in the wild. It is this sharp focus of such an awareness that gives Scorpio its drive, intensity, its passion, or its preoccupation with the “darker” side of life, and with the occult and the mysterious, but also its power of regeneration, and the drive to procreate new life.

The Real Life Scorpion

A scorpion crawling on a piece of wood — Photo by Andrey Tikhonovskiy on Unsplash

The scorpion is a staggeringly ancient creature. The earliest evidence dates from the Silurian period 450 million years ago, when the first scorpion ancestors left the seas for the land. Fossils from the Carboniferous 300 million years ago indicate little change since then but early scorpions may have had compound eyes.
They are arachnids: arachnida scorpiones, with a body in two sections, 2 pincers or pedi-palps, 8 legs like a spider, and an exo-skeleton made of chitin. They are more closely related to Harvestmen than spiders.
They dance before mating, a stately promenade. They give birth to live young and carry them on their backs until the babies have their first moult and disperse. The mothers may eat the young if resources are desperately scarce.
They have a long life span compared with other arachnids, 2-3 years in the wild but they have lived up to 25 years in captivity. They can live a year without food and they eat insects, spiders, other scorpions and lizards. They also eat small mammals, such as mice.
They glow in the dark except when newly moulted. Scorpion fossils still fluoresce, despite spending hundreds of millions of years embedded in rock.
They are famously venomous. However of the nearly 2,000 known species of scorpions, only 25 have venom powerful enough to be dangerous to an adult human. In the U.S., the Arizona bark scorpion, Centruroides sculpturatus, produces venom strong enough to kill a small child, but anti-venom means deaths are rare.

The Stars of Scorpio

Nature, science, religion, astronomy and astrology were intertwined in the ancient world.

Scorpius is a massive, spectacular j- shaped constellation located in the skies over the southern hemisphere near the centre of the Milky Way. In the Northern hemisphere it can be seen in July and August, and in the Southern hemisphere, it’s visible from March to October.

Sometime around four thousand years ago the Babylonians looked up, discerned the huge and brightly leaning “J”- shape in the summer stars, saw in this the shape of a gigantic scorpion and called this constellation MUL.GIR.TAB – the ‘Scorpion’, literally read as ‘the (creature with) a burning sting.’

The movements and relative positions of Scorpius were mapped by Babylonian magicians and astrologers, who left written records of the omens they observed.

“When a halo surrounds the Moon and Scorpio stands in it, it will cause men to marry princesses, (or) lions will die, and the traffic of the land will be hindered.”

A comet appearing in Scorpius (Scorpio) was read as a dire warning of a coming plague, but when the Sun rose in Scorpius, alchemists saw their chance for the transmutation of lead into gold.

There are 18 known stars in Scorpius, the most famous being the red giant star Antares (rival of Mars, the god of war and the original planetary ruler of Scorpio) Antares, its biggest star, is almost unimaginably huge – our sun is barely more than a dot in comparison- is one of the brightest stars in the night sky.

Methuselah

Scorpius contains exo-planets, some extremely old, while others may be potentially habitable. The planet PSR B1620-26 b, nicknamed “Methuselah” is estimated at 12.7 billion years old (The universe is about 13.7 billion years old.) Methuselah has a mass about twice that of Jupiter and it orbits around not one, but two stars.

Cue existential angst. I may need to lie down awhile in a dark room. Where, pray, is the eau de cologne?

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/Zr9MxbFBV70?start=12s&rel=0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0

Scorpio Season 2025

Hot water under pressure but it’s in a hosepipe this month, and it has sprung a few leaks, spouting scalding jets and clouds of steam. Water as steam. Full force.

Veritable spiders webs and networks. Flexing. At home here in the UK, amongst so many other terrible and furious things on the world stage right now, we see China threatening the UK government behind the scenes. Long suspected. Now we see it in plain sight. We are told it is presented as a case of “You will authorize the building of this monstrous new super embassy in the historic heart of your capital. Or there will be consequences.”

One thinks of the unquiet ghost of the failed Guido Fawkes. There are fireworks outside my window even now.

a bunch of fireworks that are in the dark — Photo by Jez Timms on Unsplash

More hopeful news, The Met Police are now declaring they will no longer be policing NCHI’s – Non crime hate incidents. No more knocking on the doors of the citizenry to threaten them over social media posts that have upset “someone.” May the other police forces now swiftly follow suit. This is Britain, not North Korea, and there can be no apologies for drawing the parallel.

A bill to introduce Islamophobia as a new crime has not passed in the House of Commons. Thank goodness. But after all the furore a few weeks ago, they seem to have kept that rather quiet. England finally did away with blasphemy laws in England in 2008. The history is cruel. Ans so are the things that still happen now, in countries where blasphemy is still punishable by death. We do not want blasphemy laws creeping in again by the back door, enabled by our government in the name of so-called diversity and inclusion.

Just as in Scorpio season 2024 we are challenged with keeping our own equilibrium while watching yet another intense month of massive threat and fury in world events. And keep it we must, while maximising our own energy bursts to fix, to clear, to burnish, to cherish all those and all that which we most rightfully hold dear.

**Eruption of the Strokker Geyser, Iceland, public domain, credit Andreas Tille**

This month we are all children of The Scorpion. Scorpio may sting. And it may heal us. Scorpio is a great healer. Natural charisma and…anti venom.

Human Uses of Scorpions

I beg your pardon

I never promised you a rose garden…

But remembering the Death card, and Death offers a perfect white rose. Still, there are roses, always and for ever, even in the season of the Scorpion.

a black and white photo of a rose — Photo by KOKESHI on Unsplash

Salutations to the celestial Scorpion. Wishing a very Happy Birthday season 2025 to our savvy, deep and subtle Scorpio friends.

Till next time 🙂

Royalty and Innocence: The Lion and The Dog Days of Summer

Leo Season 2025

Katie-Ellen Hazeldine

Jul 22, 2025

On July 22 we entered the zodiac domain of Cancer the Crab; the zenith of the summer in the northern hemisphere, and moved into the sun sign territory of Leo until 22 August. But what’s the ancient story behind the zodiac sun sign of The Lion, and what is the astrological mood-board this Leo Season, 2025?

Settle in for another long one….

Traditional Associations

Ruler: The Sun Lucky Day: Sunday

Symbol: Lion Element: Fire Quality: Fixed

Hebrew letter: Av (father, regal) Tet (coiled serpent) Tov (goodness)

Astrological House: The Fifth House of joy, vitality, self-expression, life passions, children and childhood.

Metal: Gold

Body: Heart, aorta, circulation, blood pressure, spine

Constitutional salt: Magnesium Phosphate (Mag Phos) Leo rules the heart and this salt is a cardiac tonic. Magnesium Phosphate is a muscle and motor nerve nutrient, helping to empower the muscles, or to relax them, helpful for all types of cramp or spasm, whether induced by physical exertion or by the menstrual cycle. May be beneficial dissolved in warm water for cramps in the stomach, or for colic in babies, crushed and rubbed onto the gums

Trees: Palm trees, laurel, walnuts, olive trees, lemon and orange trees.

Plants: Marigolds, sunflowers, dandelions, (dents- de- lion =”lion’s teeth”) celandines, passion flowers

Gemstones: peridot, sapphire

Key phrase: I love/I desire (The Strength card of Leo is called Lust in the Thoth Tarot deck)

Norse rune: Sol/Sowilo/Sigel: meaning Sun, signifying or invoking happiness, health, success, victory

Tarot cards: Strength, Sun, 5, 6, 7 Wands. The Strength card (Major Arcana 8- in the Thoth Tarot, it is Major Arcana 11) signifies health, vitality, power, physical courage and moral fortitude

Astronomy

Leo is the 12^th largest constellation in the zodiac, one of the most recognizable in the skies of the northern hemisphere due to its many bright stars, and its distinctive shape suggesting a crouching lion facing to the right, located between the constellations of Cancer to the west and Virgo to the east. The bright planet beneath Leo is Jupiter.

The best time to see the Leo constellation is in Spring in the northern hemisphere, from around the March equinox, and in the fall/autumn in the southern hemisphere where it can be seen in the northern skies, but is seen as if upside down. By late July and into early August, the Lion is fading into the sunset before disappearing, and by late September into October it is visible again, reappearing in the east before dawn, below the Big Dipper or as it is also known in the UK, The Plough, which is visible all year.

Archaeological evidence suggests that Mesopotamians recognized the star grouping we later came to know as Leo as early as 4000 BC. The Persians knew this constellation as Shir or Ser. The Babylonians called it UR.GU.LA (“the great lion.”) The Syrians knew it as Aryo. The Turks called it Artan, or, and most famously Aslan, as in Aslan the Lion in The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis. The Greeks associated Leo with the story of the Labours of Herakles/Hercules, and the slaying of the man- eating lion of Nemea.

The Lions of The Nile

and the Dog Days of Summer

a plowed field in front of a body of water — *Photo by Mohamad Sameh on Unsplash*

Leo season includes the so-called Dog Days of summer, July 3 to August 11, is the window of the warmest days in the Northern Hemisphere. The ancient Egyptians and later the Romans, had noticed that Sirius, “The Scorching One,” aka The Dog Star, aka, Canis Major, reappeared in the sky, rising just before the sun, rising in the east 21- 23 July when the sun entered the zodiac sky territory of Leo. Sirius is pictured at the bottom, below Orion.

This was immediately prior to the annual flooding of the Nile River which started around August 15 for two weeks every year. The Nile floods, while potentially massively destructive, replenished the soil, bringing forth new life, renewing the lifeblood of their agriculture- and the nation entire. New life. This is the almighty power of the Sun in Leo.

adult lioness lying on ground — *Photo by Chris Rhoads on Unsplash*

Lions were once a common sight in Egypt, roaming the semi-desert regions either side of the Nile Valley, with surviving depictions of pharaohs hunting lions. But that was long, long ago. The lions began to disappear during the New Kingdom (c. 1550-1070 B.C.) until eventually they became extinct in Egypt as the climate and environment became drier and the human population increased. But not before they had become an eternal part of the zodiac story.

By August the desert lions were becoming increasingly desperate after weeks of drought, coming ever closer in sight of the walls of the cities in their search for water. But this lowest ebb in the lives of the desert lions was a welcome sign that the Nile floods were now due, the tributaries far upriver massively swollen by tropical storms over the highlands of Ethiopia and southern Sudan, and in their joy, the people honoured the lion with festivals. Statues of lions can still be seen along the course of the Nile River, while the lion-headed fountains so popular with later Greek and Roman architects was a legacy of this great story of the zodiac, symbolizing the life-giving waters released by the sun in the season of Leo.

Lion statues on a water fountain — *Public Domain, photograph Petr Kratochvil*

The Zodiac Archetype

Leo is ruled by the Sun, bestowing radiance, warmth and vitality. Leo is energetic, decisive and pro-active. The major arcana cards in the Tarot representing Leo are The Sun card and Strength, denoting not only physical strength vitality and courage, but moral courage; resilience, stamina, discipline and fortitude in the face of adversity. Leo acts on instinct, sometimes on impulse. Sometimes in haste. To be effective, is a message of this card, strength must be wisely directed. There is no Strength without the inner strength of self-control, self mastery. The figure in this card, the Lady Una, has the lion on a loose chain. But it is on a chain all the same. The lion represents her own inner fire, passions and impulses, and she has them under control.

Strength from The Illuminati Tarot, The Sun and King of Wands from The Gilded Tarot Royale

The charismatic King of Wands represents Leo, regardless of the sex of the individual Leo native. This card represents communication, travel, sports, entrepreneurship, exports, estate agents, higher education. He is both visionary and warrior.

There is of course no such thing in reality as THE Leo personality, and this applies to all zodiac signs. You are a unique personality. Your zodiac sign (sun sign) is a major keynote of your natal chart, but it’s nothing like the whole story. These archetypes are based on thousands of years of observation, however, and your decan, which depends on where your birthday falls within your zodiac sign, digs a little deeper.

Tarot Cards

First Decan Leo: 23 July-1 August

Proud, passionate, purposeful.

Tarot card: Five of Wands: ambition, test of strength, contest, competition, stress, conflict, honest intention, summer thunderstorms

This Leo born native, ruled by the Sun twice over, does not just enter the room. It makes an entrance. Lively, confident, warm, talkative. Others who are quieter, or who are less confident or energetic may find these Leo divas loud, overpowering, or even arrogant. And Leo may be any of these things, but the chances are, it is just a natural exuberance. First decan Leo will finish what it starts, and they set themselves exceedingly high standards and targets, though they tend to be fair minded and realistic in their dealings with others, asking only that others do their best.

Second Decan Leo: 2 August-11 August

Name, fame, reputation

Tarot card- Six Wands: victory, progress, vehicle, travel, pride in success, team, determined effort

Subjects of this decan may be literally taller and bigger than other Leo decans, and (apparently) with a collective tendency for having rather noticeable neat, square white teeth. The influence of its sub-ruler, cheerful, outgoing Sagittarius makes this Leo the life and soul of the party when they are in the mood, but this smoothest-talking decan is somewhat restless, for travel, for adventure – or learning. This is Leo on a quest of some kind, hungrier and less settled in temperament than the other two decans. This Leo in general tends to be more of a cat walks alone. Yes, it loves people, but still retains a certain aloofness. Its sub-ruler Sagittarius however, is about groups and communities, and it is this, somewhat more communal spirit, which sets the second decan Leo slightly apart from the other decans. But second decan Leo is something of a philosopher.

Third Decan Leo: 12 August -22 August

Fire, focus and curiosity.

Tarot card- Seven of Wands: courage, moral courage, stamina, endurance, outnumbered but fighting your own corner, defeating the odds

This decan is sub-ruled by fiery Mars- Leo with a double-dose of warrior energy. Third decan Leo is confident, competitive or combative. Driven, ambitious, sometimes this Leo decan loses patience and may not finish what it starts, due to restlessness, but it operates on its own terms, and is an excellent planner and problem-solver, finding failure almost intolerable. This decan needs peace and quiet when its mind is working on something, to figure things out in its own way. It has the usual Leo warmth but with, possibly, an explosive temper at times. Leo in general is quick to forgive and forget, and is not known for bearing grudges, though others may not necessarily be so forgiving in return. Third decan Leo is particularly curious about other people.

A few dates to watch this Leo season 2025

July 24: New Moon in Leo Perhaps not an easy New Moon, this one. Emotionally demanding. Tensions close to the heart. We think we can see a way ahead. Others do not agree. Mercury is retrograde this Leo Season until August 11, and this new moon symbolically suggests dusting something off and shining it up again, perhaps a passion project and now you know how to give it a new lease of life supported by Neptune (vision) and Saturn (focus and attention to detail)

July 31-August 25: Venus goes into Cancer. Tarot card: the 2 of Cups. Cheers! Sociable, romantic, collaborative. Ah, now that is nice. AND the Sun is conjunct Mercury. You may be acting as a messenger. You may be someone’s very angel.

August 8-10 Mars opposite Saturn and Neptune: a mood board that says stay calm, do less, avoid arguments with older family members or senior staff at work. Travel over water could be bumpy, metaphorically or literally, or beware picking up a tummy bug. The so-called Lion’s Gate, August the Eighth, the 8 of the 8th, is a mythical portal said to represent a peak of intensity in human affairs. As if we need any more intensity. But anyway, here is a bit of the background story, The Lions’ Gate Portal via Forbes.

August 9: Full Moon in Aquarius: A dash of inspiration, vim and vigour, doing our own thing, away from the crowd.

August 12: Mercury goes direct in Leo. The lion is still in shadow until August 26. But now he is waking and stretching, the lionesses are mustering again, ready to go hunting.

lion and lioness on brown rock during daytime — Photo by Jonathan Cooper on Unsplash

Happy Birthday and Happy Hunting, Leo 2025.

Till next time.

The Devil walks abroad: The Tarot’s Own Psychic Whiff of Sulphur

We entered strange times in 2020. Strange times. The news all over the world right now is almost a perfect storm. Where to focus? What good news to be guaranteed via divination? Great change is here and it is unavoidable. There will be turmoil for quite some time to come, above what we have been used to for a long time. This is not a short term cycle, and we are all affected.

Imagine being a cottage industry weaver, at the time of the Industrial revolution. The enclosure of the land, the decline of the villages, the rise of the cities and the giant satanic mills, that grew the power of the British Empire. Entrepreneurs grew rich, the rural poor got poorer. The urban poor exploded in numbers as people left the land, looking for work in the cities. How to calculate the human cost? The Luddites resisted and were hanged or transported for life.

This is broadly the kind of place we are at again, collectively, living in the early days of the so-called fourth Industrial Revolution, (and some might say, the WEF, and the person who coined this term, Klaus Schwab, are inimical, not friends of humanity, agents of the Devil.)

All this, even without adding in the inextricably interconnected red-hot state of global politics. I will leave this with the mundane astrologers, at least for today, but, unsurprisingly, the Devil card is showing up a lot right now.

The Devil card is not necessarily bad news at all when it turns up in a reading. It may be neutral and entirely benign in a card interpretation. The Devil corresponds with Nature and with Saturn, Old Father Time. He may stand for Pan, The God of all wild creatures, “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,” in The Wind In The Willows.

The Devil may be neutral and entirely benign in a card interpretation. But the Tarot addresses everything known in the totality of human experience and it has only 78 bits of cardstock with which to do it. This cannot be all sweetness and light. The Devil card also has the job of addressing Desire, Hunger, Rage. Fear. Frustration. Power and powerlessness. Dependency. Addiction. Prison and how to break free. How to respond to unwelcome change.

“Change is like death. You don’t know what it looks like till you’re standing at the gates.” – ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’, 2018

a view of a city through a chain link fence — Photo by Vadim Koza on Unsplash

A true Tarot story from 14 July, 2015.

I was away from home, my younger daughter’s graduation in Carlisle and I was unsettled at what I saw in my cards. My question to the Tarot was a run of the mill question, almost idle, really. A general day-ahead reading. What kind of day could we expect the following day? We had another long drive next day, stopping off to see my parents on the way home again.

I drew three cards. The Devil, The Chariot and The Wheel of Fortune. But while I am showing these cards the right way up, the better to display them, I had actually drawn two of these cards, The Chariot and The Wheel of Fortune reversed, that is to say, upside-down or ill-dignified. Not in their positive dignity.

The Devil card may be referring to Capricorn timing. It may be flagging up Tenth house matters (professional life, public life) or it may be pointing at a Capricorn sun sign native. When it turns up as a problem, it may mean passion, wild nature, the wild god Pan. It can mean obsession, addiction, entrapment, fear, rage, loss of control, imprisonment. I have known it to mean manslaughter and a prison sentence. One time the Devil card came up with the Ten of Swords, The Tower and the Ten of Pentacles, prompting me to ask, somewhat diffidently as you will imagine, if a man in this lady’s life had knocked someone down? (The Devil and Tower). Yes, she said. In a fight. And the other man died? I asked. (Ten of Swords) Yes, she said. A fatal head injury. And he had received a 10 year prison sentence? (Ten of Pentacles) Yes.

The Chariot can mean the summer solstice, Cancer season. It can mean parents (most usually the mother) It is the home, or the homeland. It can mean teamwork, success. It can also mean exactly what it looks like. It can be saying car, road, travel, journey, garage, driving test, motorbike, horse, etc.

The Wheel of Fortune in general, means sudden changes and events beyond our direct personal control. Luck, Fate, a gamble for good or for ill. It can mean a Thursday.

I did not like this card combination. I felt it spelled bad news for a vehicle, or a journey. Fear, anger or violence might be attached. I felt a lurch in my tummy, thinking of our drive over the moors next day, and the M6.

I am not an all-seeing psychic with reliable remote viewing capabilities. I do have those experiences. Usually via dreams over which there is no direct control, or not usually. It has happened that I have requested a dream asking a certain question, and received an answer in dream form. But using cards, one asks a question and gets an answer, or at least a response on demand.

So now, looping back to this row of cards above, The Devil, The Chariot (Reversed) and The Wheel of Fortune (Reversed) I considered the cards first and foremost in terms of my general question, what to expect next day, thinking primarily of immediate events in my own situation.

‘We’ll need to be extra cautious on the road tomorrow,’ I said to Il Matrimonio. ‘There’s something here I’m really not liking, something to do with wheels. And that parking space is tight. Why are wheels jumping out at me? I’m seeing tyres. Maybe we’ve got a flat tyre?’

He went and checked the tyres, and everything seemed fine. Ok. Well then, I would just have to wait and see, and learn what this was all about with the benefit of hindsight. But I knew I didn’t like it.

Next morning, Friday the 15th (and The Devil is the Tarot’s fifteenth major arcana card) we woke to this appalling news from Nice…

“On the evening of 14 July 2016, a 19-tonne cargo truck was deliberately driven into crowds of people celebrating Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, resulting in the deaths of 86 people and injuring 434 others. The driver was Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a Tunisian living in France. The attack ended following an exchange of gunfire, during which he was shot and killed by police.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, saying Lahouaiej-Bouhlel answered its “calls to target citizens of coalition nations that fight the Islamic State.“

So now I understood that I had drawn The Devil, The Chariot Reversed, and The Wheel of Fortune Reversed only about an hour ahead of the horrible real-time events in Nice.

This had not been an instance of prediction. I had formulated no such prediction. But this had been a clear and terrible instance of psychic foreshadowing. I had “seen”, I had been “shown” Tyres. Rage. Terror.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/m6YDhVeW5Kc?rel=0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0

By now I am left in little doubt there is such a thing as the collective mind. The hive mind. We communicate telepathically en-masse more than we usually get the chance to notice, and we are not constrained in our perceptions by linear time. We, for all our individuality and separateness, and sometimes, loneliness, are more like bees or starlings than we might think. Sleep easy, les pauvres. Vive la France.

Could the Tarot be used to avert such horrors and disasters as this Nice attack? A reading may help an individual to avoid trouble if they heed a warning, and is able to act upon it. I have witnessed this happening, just as I have known of warnings that went unheeded, and the consequences. We have personal agency at all times.

But for an event on a public scale, this would need such precise intel, reporting a detected risk of (event X)-happening at (location Y)- on this day around that time (Z)

And that person in receipt of that intel would need to have the authority and the resources to take action based on that feedback. What happens in maximum security outfits, military and other, who knows. Dowsers are employed by councils to find hidden water pipes underground. I have seen them at work myself, in a field behind my parents house, and dowsing is a form of divination (finding what is hidden)

It was attempted once before, after the tragedy in Aberfan, when a giant coal heap collapsed slipped and crushed a school in a mining village.

“The British Premonitions Bureau was formed in 1966 by psychiatrist John Barker after the Aberfan mining disaster in which 144 people, including 116 children, died when 500,000 tons of debris smashed through the Welsh town and buried the primary school. Reports of precognitive dreams foretelling of the catastrophe prompted Barker to form the bureau in the hope of predicting and avoiding future tragedies.

In the 18 months the Premonitions Bureau was open, nearly 1000 reports of premonitions were collected, and while a few seemed to foretell disasters, over 90 percent failed to predict future events and none prevented any disasters.”

Pitifully, there was more than one story of people experiencing a psychic foreshadowing of this horrific tragedy. One was a little girl, saying she was scared to go to school that day, asking not to go to school that day, and she went and died that day. You can read more about this on my old blog HERE.

A foreboding, like other psychically sourced data, is rarely sufficiently detailed, specific and precise to be treated as directly actionable. This is the meaning of the so-called “Curse of Cassandra”. To feel that something is badly wrong, to know vaguely what this bad thing might will look like, but to be powerless to prevent it, like the seeress Cassandra at the Fall of Troy. She told them not to bring that giant wooden horse in through the Gates. They just thought she was a nutcase. But you would tear your hair out, wouldn’t you?

cassandra troy princess prophetess — Cassandra, Evelyn de Morgan

This is the challenge with divination. One takes soundings. One expects to get it at least broadly right far more often that not. If we can only do 50:50, then a guess is just as good. Only time will tell. But if you ever get a particularly strong whiff of that old sulphur, call on Michael to come and kick ass. And he will roll up his sleeves, buckle up and sigh, “ffs, here we go again.”

Archangel Michael binding Lucifer, Jacob Epstein, Coventry Cathedral

Another tragic and dramatic instance of the Devil card hit the news that same year, in May 2015. A tarot reader had called the police after her client told her he had killed someone. He had told her this by way of feedback after she had drawn The Devil, followed by the Death card and The Emperor Reversed.

The tarot reader, with his permission (!) called 999, and was advised to call the non-emergency number, which she did, going outside to make the call with the client still sitting at the table in her front room. The Police arrived 52 minutes later, arrested him and it soon emerged the man was telling the truth. The Emperor Reversed was the victim, another man, found lying in a pool of blood.

But, asking my brother, who was at that time a serving police sergeant in Wiltshire, what he made of this news story, he was horrified that the tarot reader’s call had not immediately been treated as an emergency. The tarot reader should have been assessed as being at immediate risk. The man could have changed his mind about wanting to confess, and then done her in. BBC interview here

This of course, is The Devil at its most violently extreme. All the Major Arcana cards have extremes of polarity. When The Devil turns up drawn reversed, it tends to indicate that the worst is over, whatever that was, and now order is restored.

The Devil card in its guise as Capricorn embodies the very best of Saturn, and our natural instincts. There is a good reason some artists have depicted him in the tarot as one heck of a sexy beast. “That ole Devil called Love”.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/D7KypAf0iac?rel=0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0

Here is artist Ciro Marchetti’s take on The Devil in The Gilded Tarot Royale. If the force we refer to as The Devil was such a plug-ugly turnoff as he is generally painted, where would be his power of attraction and temptation?

We are not in Nature. We are of Nature. When the Devil strikes and sears our soul, we turn for a salve to the wild god Pan, and rest ourselves, go feed some birds, water some plants, watch a bee, sit out under the moon, get up to greet the dawn. Nature is often cruel, but absent of malice.

My mother once said if she ever met Old Nick she would say, fuck off you. She said, we know he hates us, so why we would we give him the time of day? One of my sisters, a lawyer, said she would ask him in for a coffee and ask him to tell her his side of the story. And no doubt she would be royally entertained. He is a great story teller. The best. But a filthy liar. And nothing wastes precious time like a liar.

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth– Buddha

Thank you for reading.

Back again soon!

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 The Star Lion Leo

Stories of our Seasons in the Stars

Most of us know something about our zodiac sun sign. But what’s the ancient story behind it? This month it is Leo’s star turn under the spotlight.

lion in close up shot — Photo by Luke Tanis on Unsplash

On July 22 we left the zodiac domain of Cancer; the zenith of the summer in the northern hemisphere, and moved into the sun sign territory of Leo until 22 August.

Traditional Associations

Ruler: The Sun Lucky Day: Sunday

Symbol: Lion

Element: Fire Quality: Fixed

Hebrew letter: Av (father, regal) Tet (coiled serpent) Tov (goodness)

Metal: Gold

Body: Heart, aorta, circulation, blood pressure, spine

Constitutional salt: Magnesium Phosphate (Mag Phos) Leo rules the heart and this salt is a cardiac tonic. Mag Phos is a muscle and motor nerve nutrient, helping to empower the muscles, or to relax them, helpful for all types of cramp or spasm, whether induced by physical exertion or by the menstrual cycle. May be beneficial dissolved in warm water for cramps in the stomach, or for colic in babies, crushed and rubbed onto the gums

Trees: Palm trees, laurel, walnuts, olive trees, lemon and orange trees.

Plants: Marigolds, sunflowers, dandelions, (dents- de- lion =”lion’s teeth”) celandines, passion flowers

Gemstones: peridot, sapphire

Key phrase: I love/I desire

Tarot cards: Strength, Sun, 5, 6, 7 Wands

Astronomy

Leo has since ancient times been associated with the sun and royalty, ruled by the sun in astrology, and is one of the oldest constellations collectively recognized as a lion. Archaeological evidence suggests that Mesopotamians recognized the star grouping we later came to know as Leo as early as 4000 BC. The Persians knew this constellation as Shir or Ser. The Babylonians called it UR.GU.LA (“the great lion.”) The Syrians knew it as Aryo and the Turks as Artan, while the Greeks associated Leo with the story of the Labours of Herakles/Hercules, and the slaying of the man- eating lion of Nemea.

Leo is the 12^th largest constellation in the zodiac, and one of the most recognizable in the skies of the northern hemisphere due to its many bright stars, and its distinctive shape suggesting a crouching lion facing to the right, located between the constellations of Cancer to the west and Virgo to the east. The bright planet pictured beneath Leo is Jupiter.

The best time to see the Leo constellation is in Spring in the northern hemisphere, from around the March equinox, and in the fall/autumn in the southern hemisphere where it can be seen in the northern skies, but is seen as if upside down. In early April, the constellation Leo reaches its high point for the night around 10 p.m. By around May 1, Leo reaches its highest point for the night around 8 p.m. local time.

In early May, Leo is beginning to set in the west around 2 a.m. local time, and by June it is descending in the west in the evening, drifting ever further westward. By late July and into early August, the Lion is fading into the sunset before disappearing, and by late September into October it is visible again, reappearing in the east before dawn, below the Big Dipper or as it is perhaps better known in the UK, The Plough.

The Lions of The Nile and the Dog Days of Summer

Leo season includes the so-called Dog Days of summer, July 3 to August 11, the window of the warmest days in the Northern Hemisphere.

The ancient Egyptians and later the Romans noticed that the brightest star Sirius “the scorching one,” aka The Dog Star, aka, Canis Major, reappeared in the sky, rising in the east just before the sun each year 21- 23 July when the sun entered Leo. See more here on You Tube:

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/PFtCuw9VP5Y?rel=0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0

New life, such is the symbolic meaning of the Sun in Leo, correlating with the Sun card and Strength in the tarot deck, and also the 5, 6 and 7 of Wands.

Lions were once upon a time a common sight in Egypt, roaming the semi-desert regions on either side of the Nile Valley, and there are surviving depictions of pharaohs hunting lions. The lions began to disappear during the New Kingdom (c. 1550-1070 B.C.) until eventually they became extinct in Egypt as the climate and environment became drier and the human population increased. But not before they had become an eternal part of the zodiac story.

By August in Egypt, the desert lions were becoming increasingly desperate for water after weeks of drought, coming ever closer in sight of the city walls in their search. But this lowest ebb in the lives of the desert lions was a welcome sign that the Nile floods were shortly on their way, the tributaries far upriver massively swollen by tropical storms over the highlands of Ethiopia and southern Sudan, and in their joy, the people honoured the lion with festivals.

Statues of lions can still be seen along the course of the Nile River, while the lion-headed fountains so popular with later Greek and Roman architects was a direct legacy of this great story of the zodiac, symbolizing the life-giving waters released by the sun in the season of Leo.

August the Eighth, the 8 of the 8th, is known as the Lions Gate, a mythical portal said to represent a peak of intensity in human affairs. 2024 is a number 8 year and we already know we are living in a time of new and increasing intensities.