R.I.P, T.O.T.P

It was the end of an era tonight as Top of the Pops finished a 42 year run on British TV. Admittedly I hadn’t watched it in a long time, and apparently towards the end no one else did either, but still, there was a certain comfort to be had from its continued presence in the TV listings, and I'm going to miss it.

I had a look at the charts for the start and end of the run, and was fascinated. TOTP was born under the sign of Capricorn, as the first show broadcast on January 1st 1964 (with a line-up that included both The Beatles and The Stones!), and Cap is the sign of longevity so it’s no surprise that so many candles ended up on the cake. The Sun is a degree away from the South Node, which puts North Node in Cancer, and N.N. ruler Moon in Leo sitting near a 14 degree Leo ascendant.

This Capricorn Sun/South Node conjunction got my attention because it means it also makes a conjunction to the Sun in the United Kingdom birthchart (Jan 1st 1801). No wonder TOTP is so embedded in the nations psyche.
Other synastry between the UK and TOTP (opening show) charts are a Venus/Venus conjunction in Aquarius, and a Neptune/Neptune conjunction in Scorpio. Neptune squares Saturn in Aquarius at 20 degrees. Which means Neptune in the final show chart conjuncts Saturn at 19 degrees of Aquarius.
Currently, Saturn sits opposite at 14 Leo (remember moon and ascendant of first show chart). The UK chart also has Saturn in Leo, and as a nice finishing touch, final show chart has Moon in Libra crossing UK chart’s ascendant. Confusing to explain, but worth it to see the synastry in action.

Top of the Pops was so very British, and such a tradition that only Capricorn could explain it. That North Node in Cancer is interesting too, as it was always such a family show. It’s why Brits of so many generations go misty eyed at the mention of it, because of the childhood associations.
Actually one of my earliest memories is of watching Top of the Pops in the early 70’s, terrified out of my tiny mind by a glitter packed performance of ‘Blockbuster’ by glam rockers The Sweet. I was still smaller than the TV, and standing so close that the singer’s larger than life bright blonde head scared the wits out of me. There was something menacing about his fringe apparently.

As a farewell nostalgia trip, I found a link to that performance by the Sweet here, and couldn't resist the Rolling Stones here, John Lennon here, Oasis here, and the wonderful Goldfrapp here.


astrology, top of the pops

The Astrology Page

Glad to have found The Astrology Page . Susan Custer has some fine articles, including a refreshing perspective on interpreting the astrology of those difficult events in our lives. She says:

"In the old paradigm, I would have looked at the messages to see what I had done wrong, where my thinking was wrong. [We are all going into or are in a new paradigm now, so instead of blaming ourselves for circumstances, we are learning to read things in a new way.] Something told me to wait and see what transpired".
Read the full article here

Great stuff. You know, I'm supposed to be working, but this is much more fun...

New Moon In Leo, July 25th...

…at about 5:30am UK time. I really think this is an important new moon, not just because it’s in the VIP sign of Leo, but because the full moon that follows on August 9th happens right over the now famous Saturn/Neptune opposition, when the sun will sit close to Saturn in Leo, and moon next to Neptune in Aquarius.
That full moon is the culmination of the energy set forth in today’s new moon in Leo, and Leo energy is always, always about the creative power of the individual. It’s the power in all of us to make choices about our future experience, through focused desire. Leo is a fixed fire sign, which is pretty much what focused desire means – it’s the Eternal Flame energy, the God/dess within; it’s that connection via the heart that we all have, to the energy that creates worlds and moves mountains (Now you know why Leo stands so tall and majestic, because this sign knows instinctively that what it desires happens)

We all have this creative power, symbolised in astrology by the sun, Leo and the 5th house, and I believe we can use this moon cycle to become aware of what kind of future we are in the process of creating for ourselves through force of desire, by recognising what we are choosing to focus this Eternal Flame energy towards. In my opinion no one speaks better on the subject of this creative power than Abraham-Hicks, so here are a few of my favourite quotes…

“When you talk about what you want and why you want it, it always brings you to your center. It always brings you to the vibration of your Core, and when you vibrate in harmony with that which is the Core of you, then you have the perspective of your Inner Being. As you start talking about why you want to be over there, you'll vibrate as if you are over there. Then your vibration in your Now is that point of attraction, and over there comes here where you are and becomes your physical awareness”.


“Unfortunately many people think that the uncomfortable feeling of wanting something they do not expect to experience is what the feeling of desire is; they no longer recognise the feeling of pure desire as that fresh, eager, feeling of expectancy that they knew when they were younger. The feeling of pure desire is always delicious, as it represents the vibrations that are stretched out before you into your unseen future, preparing the way for the Law of Attraction to match things up on your behalf…”


“Your work is to keep looking at [or visualizing] what you want and find a way to feel good when you look at it”.


Let's get to work then...


technorati: astrology, new moon, leo, abraham-hicks

North Node In Pisces And Saturn Opposite Neptune

I'm having problems with writers block. It's like pulling teeth to be honest, trying to get anything done… awful stuff… all words have vanished and I have to go labyrinth questing for each and every one of them. No flow, just a fuzzy, foggy head and blank mind. It's been much easier to just close up the computer and let the tears flow instead.
There’s been some pretty heavy outer planet action going on in my chart for months now, but this is a new twist on it all that just started recently when Mercury turned retrograde, yet looking at the process - the wall of resistance, the feelings of powerlessness, dissolving into tears, victim feelings, the feeling that The Block is boss, and the boss is The Block - it's all a classic Saturn/Neptune mix of associations, only this opposition isn't exact till the very end of August.

However last month, around the time of the summer solstice, the north and south nodes of the moon moved into Pisces and Virgo respectively, to stay till December 2007, and the nodes are powerful indicators in a chart. Some say it’s all karmic; that the north node indicates what we are here to develop in this lifetime, and the south node is what we bring in from past lives, for good or ill. Who knows? I’m a bit iffy about the karma thing, but I do think this theory rightly emphasises the influence the nodes have in shaping the flow of energy, through patterns that recognisably link to the node sign.

I also believe that looking to see what the ruling planets of the nodes are up to can reveal more information on how and where these long-term energy patterns are manifesting at any time, and the events that do manifest might benefit from bearing in mind their connection to the nodal polarity in question.
Neptune is co-ruler of Pisces (with Jupiter), and Mercury rules Virgo, so maybe here is where my fuzzed up Mercury stuff fits in, because both natally and by transit Mercury is having an interesting time of things in my chart. It certainly feels as if the south node move into Virgo is activating a whole fresh hell, sorry, a new significant pattern; expressing through the SN ruler still retrograde in Cancer, after having begun the shadow phase of the period at 21 degrees around midsummer solstice time, when the nodes made their sign transition.

And maybe this is why the Saturn/Neptune opposition is being more keenly felt, sooner than expected, as the Neptune link to the north node means its the expression of the challenge that needs confronting or integrating. Star IQ say the south node in Virgo task is to
"set aside the excessive criticism and analysis of this sign to fully engage yourself in whatever you do...Pisces is a sign of forgiveness that erases barriers, overcomes prejudices, and points towards the unity of all things. It is a sign of dreams and inspiration, as well as spirituality and faith that reconnect us to the universal source of all life. There is more to be gained in making errors by following feelings now than by avoiding errors through careful calculation" (full article here).
This is something to bear in mind for the approaching Saturn/Neptune opposition. And for my writers block.


technorati: astrology, saturn opposite neptune, pisces, virgo, north node

Full Moon In Capricorn - Feeling The Pressure

It's the annual full moon in Capricorn on July 11th at around 4am, UK time. Full moons tend to bring situations to a head, symbolising the culmination of a phase as a result of emotional forces. It can be when circumstances change and decisions are reached because you feel you’ve had enough of things as they are, or because you're just ‘fed up’ with things as they stand.

Through Capricorn this can manifest as a build-up of pressure, stress and expectation to achieve and accomplish something constructive. Time is of the essence to Capricorn; deadlines and limits are always an issue, as this is a sign that thinks long-term but is also aware of its own mortality. It knows there's only so many long-term choices it can make, and must choose its commitments wisely.

When Capricorn is a focus in a chart so is ruler Saturn, and over at the Intuitive Living blog, there's an interesting article by Stephanie Austin regarding this full moon; she points out something that had completely passed me by - Saturn in Leo retrograded at 11 degrees 18 last November, and it has taken until today to reach this degree again. She says "Saturn crossing the degree where it last stationed retrograde indicates that we are now ready for a big step forward..." (Read the full article here)
What with Mercury retrograde changing signs, Jupiter now direct, and Saturn freshly into unchartered waters, it might feel we don't know if we're coming or going, but this full moon seems to be bringing to a head this urge to take the next step in manifesting plans that have been on the cards for quite some time.


astrology, full moon, capricorn

Mercury Retrograde etc...

I knew the dates of this retro phase was July 5th - 29th, yet it still feels this one crept up on me. Wonder if that's because it's all wrapped up in a Mars/Neptune opposition? I have been pretty spacey the past few days, and since Mercury stationed I have been stationary myself. Just can't get moving for staring out the window in a daydream.

Mercury is both my chart ruler and sun ruler, and is also retrograde in my progressed chart; so I'm pretty sensitive to its retro phases. Last phase in March I experienced a classic Mercury retro tale of computer problems, when Mercury went retro opposing my natal Uranus in Virgo (read all about it here). That was when I finally learnt to take my own astro advice. Now I am walking it like I talk it... which means I will leave this here, and instead start backing up my essential documents :-)

Here is some great info on Mercury retro...
- Lynn Hayes at Astrodynamics has an article here
- There's this one from Alpha Life Trends
- Crystalinks has this page
- and finally there's this classic article by Eric Francis, which captures the full essence of Merc retro in action and proves the important point that the astrologer and astrology aren't seperate...


Tecnorati:astrology, mercury retrograde