Most Haunted Live In London

It's the 3rd night of 4 tonight, of the live televised paranormal investigation, Halloween themed of course. I have a theory that they have a better response from the ghosts etc, when they do these shows around the major festivals of the year (equinoxes, solstices, etc), so high hopes for this investigation.
There have been some pretty nasty rumours running through trashy-type tabloids recently, allegations of the show being faked, which I think is a bit strong and misleading. I think main medium Derek is a bit of a showman, but he's no fake. As an astrologer, tarot reader and psychic myself, I know that there is no way a programme such as this was ever going to get away without huge criticism, accusations and much scoffing. It just wouldnt happen. It goes with the territory it seems - in this business you have to learn to develop a thick skin, keep your head down and just do the best work you can regardless.

Tonight the show is from the East End of London, and looking at the astrology chart for the start time of 9pm, the Moon is the ruling planet, and is sitting at the degree of the south node. In english that means it could be interesting, as the south node is always about the past. Mercury has just moved into Sagittarius today; Mercury relates to communication and Sagittarius is interested in what lies beyond known horizons… going where no one has gone before, that kind of thing… it gives an adventurous energy to the proceedings. Sun and Jupiter in Scorpio is fantastic for a ghost hunt of course, so all that’s left is just to see what happens next…
Live webcams here

Mars Revealed

Mars and Pluto rule the sign of Scorpio, and this weekend the red planet is as close to earth as it will be for another 13years. You can check out the storm on Mars with even a modest backyard telescope according to this story. If you don't have a telescope don't worry, you can check out the astrological effects in the news, with stories such as the Scorpio themed storm that is sweeping through the US government at the moment. More here

Venus and Pluto Brief Encounter

This weekend Venus and Pluto are together in the sign of Sagittarius, the sign of faith and belief. Pluto is recognisable through the intensity it brings to situations. It has a real pressure cooker feel - powerful, potent, BIG energy, and with Venus involved it all revolves around relationships, values, self worth and self esteem.
Pluto brings things up. It raises things to the surface. Anything we have tried to bury and forget is fair game for Pluto to bring into full view. So no matter what happens this weekend, remember that it was already an issue somewhere deep down. It's not new stuff. It was in storage somewhere in the cellar of the psyche.

And while it certainly doesn't have to be a negative experience, it often feels that way, so it's important to keep in mind the Pluto purpose: that stuff is only raised to clear our path, to move us on, lighten the load, and keep us true to ourselves.
The negativity comes as a result of us hanging on, clinging on to what is not our truth, to what we don't need anymore, or what doesn't serve our real happiness. Possessed by fear it all gets murky, messy, co-dependant, paranoid and painful, all wrapped up in an uncomfortable sense of urgency. So it's a call to be brutally honest with ourselves and confront the control freak deep within; it's the faith in fear that needs to be brought to the light and dealt with.

Sun In Scorpio: What Lies Beneath

Yes, the season of the Scorpio is upon us. More than any other sign in the zodiac, I think people are familiar with the attributes associated with this one. It has a formidable reputation which is part fact, part fiction, and as those born under this influence are fully aware of the benefits in having mythical status, they don’t bother setting the record straight.
It’s all in the eyes and aura with this lot, which means they are the easiest sign to recognise through physical characteristics. I mean, is it any surprise to anyone that Condaleeza Rice is a Scorpio? She also has Mercury, Venus and Saturn there too, as well as her career indicator. Other famous Scorps are Picasso, Prince Charles, Bill Gates, Hilary Clinton, Sylvia Plath, Demi Moore, Dostoevsky... and Bram Stoker of course.
There's also Michel Gauquelin, a scientist who got fed up with the wild claims of astrology, and set out to debunk it all. But after much testing he ended up switching sides on the debate, and became one of its greatest fans, eventually providing a large contribution of research and scientific proof, centering around what he called the Mars Effect. (Mars is co-ruler of Scorpio, btw) More on him here.

You see, Scorpio is into truth because it's where the real power lies, and Scorp likes power best of all. It means that all those born at this time of year, or those with a heavy influence of this sign in their chart, have strong issues with truth and lies, control, betrayal, hidden agendas and uncovering motives - it's the sign of the detective because all Scorpios instinctively know that what you see of a person/situation on the surface is just the tip of the iceberg. Knowing what lies beneath the surface means you know the truth of someone/something, which is a powerful place to be.
It's also the sign of the criminal as well as the detective; the underworld and the darker elements of life. There's also themes of secrets, of skeletons in the closet, and also of ghosts at Halloween. It's the sign linked to the spirit world and all occult matters because it's about the unknown. And like the Death card in Tarot, it's about shedding skins, transformation... a place where what is no longer needed is discarded to make room for what is. In other words it's letting go. Stepping into the dark, the unknown and trusting that what comes of that step is what is necessary, and that you have to close one door to open another.

Scorpio has two ruling planets. Mars and Pluto. Mars is the symbol of desire, and in Aries (also ruled by Mars), it is direct and open, but in Scorpio it's a hidden desire. This is why there's the reputation for being drawn to what they shouldn't as far as relationships goes... in fact as far as anything goes. Anything that dare not speak its name is like a magnet to them.
Pluto is the planet of transformation. The phoenix rising from the ashes, the image re-invented, and the alchemical process. Pluto draws us into the edge of the abyss, like the pull of a black hole, shreds us through its cosmic spin cycle, and spits us out the other side into rebirth and raw newborn rage, a stronger and wiser version of who we were before. Closer to the truth of ourselves that was there but hidden all along.

Scorpio knows deep down that the only thing a person can really own is their inner power, which is mysterious, fathomless, potent and is claimed by going within, rather than through any route in the outside world. This is where the polarity sign of Taurus comes into play, being the sign of ownership and of value.
It's a case of use it or lose it as far as personal power goes. Scorpio is certainly capable of using what others don't value about themselves for their own benefit. If you are giving your power away, some won't waste much time putting it to good use for themselves. A more unscrupulous Scorp type might try to persuade you that your power isn't much value to anyone at all, including yourself, in order to make it feel worthless to you and therefore a free lunch for them. They have to persuade you of that though, they can never just steal it... like every good vampire, they have to wait for an invite.

Until November 22nd, the Sun is moving through the sign of Scorpio, which means the whole world is on that wavelength. Expect the themes and symbols of this sign to express through situations and events, personally and collectively for the duration, and with Jupiter moving into Scorpio for a whole year starting from tomorrow, a brief encounter between Venus and Pluto on Friday, and Mars still retrograde in Taurus until December, expect more updates very soon


astrology, Scorpio

Sun and Jupiter: Pride and Prejudice

This weekend Sun meets Jupiter for the final chapter of the Libra story that has been running for the past few weeks. It’s like a Leo meeting up with a Sagittarius: lots of fire, lots of enthusiasm, and lots of friendly banter hiding behind passionate conviction. There’s also creativity, philosophical perspectives, generosity, bags of faith and optimism, sweeping statements and thumbnail sketches. In fact just put ‘lots of’ before everything and you get the Jupiter idea.
This combination makes the bright side of the road even brighter, but it also makes for those positivity workshops where an over-excited convert sweats into a headset microphone, and whips a hungry for hope audience into a frenzy of feel-good merchandise purchasing.

The Libra influence brings it all to the realm of relationships too, so get ready for big gestures, promises and proposals that are written in fireworks in the sky, and that sort of thing. But there's also over-reacting in arguments. Mountains and molehills.
Both the highs and lows of a Sun/Jupiter combination stem from the feeling of being extra lucky. Super-size lucky. If you feel you can’t lose, you are bound to push the boat out a bit, and then the consequences always seem to match the odds.
Message is to enjoy the warm faith and enthusiastic bubble for life and love, but don’t quote too heavily from the ‘you only live once’ school of wisdom. It only takes one ‘live for today’ and before you know it you have a handful of spent lotto lucky dips, and nothing but a neat pile of scratchcard dustings to show for your uber-belief in ‘seize the moment’ style clichés. On the other hand (Libra scales you see), on the other hand It Just Might Be You.

Neptune Fog

Taurean Tony Blair is squeezing the ID cards through another stage closer again. Read more here
It's worrying that even Microsoft have no faith in the security of the ID card system, as when I start my computer I just have to press cancel on my password prompt and it lets me in.
I love this quote by David Heath, who says the technology works perfectly well "unless you are disabled, or have dark skin, or brown eyes, or whether you are bald or wrinkled. If you make the mistake of being bald and wrinkled, it tells you you have got your head upside down."

But anyway it isn't really the issue, it's the whole 'undercover of terrorism' thing that is being used to get people fearful and insecure, and therefore open to the idea that this is necessary. I am noticing these kind of stories start surfacing during Neptune aspects. Remember Bush's speech... It really feels like it's a case of undermining people's sense of security and then cashing in on the fear. In true negative Neptune style we then start looking for a rescuer, someone to protect the flock from the hungry wolves... enter Tony and his ID machine, and George and his war.
Taurean Tony won't give up of course. He has both Sun and Jupiter in Taurus. He also has a few planets right where the eclipse just landed on Monday: Mercury in Aries opposing a Saturn/Neptune conjunction in Libra... and then this happens the day after...

Text Addict On 700 A Week Habit

Communication planet Mercury currently in obsessive and intense Scorpio makes this kind of story not much of a surprise to hear about. Apparently it's not an isolated case, people getting addicted to text messages. Personally I can think of nothing worse than tapping out endless letters, looking for full stops beyond exclamation marks, hitting an S instead of a T, then not being able to find the right effing word on autocomplete, but apparently this young man found 'something comforting' in it all...

Full Moon Eclipse In Aries Tomorrow

The Sun is in Libra and the Moon in the opposite sign of Aries. I put my interpretation of the Libra pattern in earlier posts, and the Moon in Aries brings a new energy to that pattern. Like all things Aries it's an 'as the crow flies' energy. Direct and to the point, Aries wants what it wants and that's the end of it. No moralising, no discussion, just how can I make this happen for myself as quickly as possible. Bravery and courage are born as a result of this, as well as an open agenda - no point in being secretive about something so important as personal wish fulfillment (And what could be more important than the wishes of The Ram?).
There are countless ways this theme could play out for people, but I think for everyone there will be a general need to prioritise, to honour our desires, stand up and be counted and act on what is really important to us. The Libra new moon presented options, and choices to be made from those options. To make those choices we have to know what it is we really want... enter full moon in Aries. And as it's the second half of this eclipse season, it will all feel more relevant, the impact more widespread, the results long-term.

Venus In Sadge, Moon In Aquarius

Positive vibes are with us and most welcome, thanks to this combination, with faith and freedom as the keywords du jour. Venus is frisky in Sagittarius, upbeat and confident; while Moon in Aquarius is a cool and soothing hand to a hot and bothered forehead. It's difficult to ruffle Moon in Aquarius... it's an unshockable, unconditional energy, and much needed now as we drift between eclipses till the 17th.
Both these signs need lots of space to breathe though, so keep a detached nonchalance re new romance, at least until the Moon marshmallows into Pisces in a couple of days.

All Ablaze

The ring of fire was captured beautifully by Klipsy on Monday. More of his past eclipse photos here.
This is our dominant psyche symbol for the forseeable, as we move swiftly onto the next stage in the astro drama with an approaching conjunction between Mercury and Jupiter, again in the sign of Libra. Remembering that Libra loves relationships, I am starting to think that the keyword for this whole period of current planet patterns is UNION. The Moon eclipsed the Sun, while Venus and Mars were confronting each other, and now we have Mercury and Jupiter occupying the same degree.
The signs Gemini, Virgo, Sadge and Pisces are most influenced by this Merc/Jupiter get together, but for everyone it's about mind expanding experiences.
(photo used with permission)

technorati: lunar eclipse

The Libra Process

As mentioned previously, you can see the astrology of an eclipse in action by looking for the symbols and qualities of Libra as a theme in current events.

Examples are scales...as in justice, but also as in music. Harmony. Balance. Equality. Also relationships, relativity and resonance. Choices. Triangle situations. Co-operation, co-dependancy and Karma (nature's balancer). Beauty, but not necessarily with truth or depth. Keeping up appearances. Catching more flies with honey.
Scales are the only inanimate object in the zodiac which shows the objectivity and lack of bias the Libra process requires, but also possible cold calculation in judgement. The lesson of Libra is that scales need heart and soul to prevent inflicting scary evolutionary faux pas on the rest of humanity. Hence why Love Goddess Venus is the ruling planet presence.