Through grey mist a ship of fools floats out to sea under the Golden Gate Bridge. The year is 1950, exactly half way through the “American Century”. Much has been written about Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film The Master. It’s a warp and weft of images, sounds and words [...]

Yesterday evening my daughter told me that her friend has been receiving nasty anonymous notes. These have been left in her desk for about a week. It is a recrudescence of previous bullying but in a new form. I thought it was a perfect example of astrology in action. Mercury, the planet of [...]

A detail from Hieronymous Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights “Beware the slinking whisperer who whispers into the hearts of people, whether he is from the world of spirits or the world of humans.” – Sura 114, The Qur’an “The mind is its own place, and in [...]

After I gave birth to my first daughter in a London hospital, I shared a room with three other women – a Palestinian, an Israeli, and a London Iranian. No kidding. There was some awkward negotiating around drips, cots, nurses and nappies. But the presence of tiny new babies creates a certain [...]

Neptune in Pisces – right at the beginning again. Chiron, the wounded healer, in Pisces too. Both planets have turned direct this week. If you need to cry, let your tears flow. It is part of the healing. Listen to kd lang (Sun conjunct Neptune, Chiron in Pisces) and Roy Orbison (Chiron-Moon [...]

Where is Woody Harrelson when you need him? (as Tallahassee in Zombieland) My friend the doctor has some really hard choices to make. He told me this week that he’s having to write up the “Do Not Resuscitate” protocol for one of the care homes he visits. The problem is this. [...]

Amy Winehouse (born with Saturn in Scorpio) Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just gloss over the nastier side of human nature and pretend there’s no jealousy, no murderous rage, no stomach churning fear, no madness? We could all live in a happy, smiling Libra world…. but we [...]

October by James Tissot, who was born with Sun Libra, Saturn and Mercury in Scorpio. Saturn moving into Scorpio represents a major energy shift, and it’s time to apply some astrological knowledge instead of just theorising about it. Saturn likes rules, boundaries and organisation, so [...]

It turns out that the seven-times Tour de France champ Lance Armstrong cheated. Apparently, he was doped up to the eyeballs, bullied other team members into joining him and lied and lied and lied. The US Anti-Doping Agency says Armstrong was the leader of “the most sophisticated, [...]

William Turner: Snowstorm at Sea Neptune, the planet of illusion and delusion welcomed Saturn, the planet that rules old age, acquired wisdom, maturity, rules, boundaries, reality into the realm of water this month. What could this mean? Saturn is at 0° Scorpio trining Neptune at 0° Pisces. [...]

Mahatma Gandhi was born today, October 2 1869. He exemplified the best of Libra the peacemaker, with Sun and Ascendant in the sign of the scales. But he was also a revolutionary. Here’s something he said: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” He had Uranus [...]

Marc Chagall The Eve of the Day of Atonement Today, 27 September 2012, is the Jewish Day of Atonement. The Books of Life and Death have been closed, the tally of good and bad deeds has been taken for the year, and you’ve apologised to your family, friends, colleagues, the milkman for the [...]

Ivan Shishkin. Autumn My mother is celebrating the end of Saturn’s passage through Libra with a new hip. The symbolism could not be simpler. She has a Sun-Mars conjunction at 24° Libra. This represents both her actual body and her physical energy among other things. Saturn, which rules [...]

When Pluto walks into town it could be time to retire to the back room with the shutters down and a loaded shotgun. Or maybe just get under the covers and hum a cheerful little tune. The problem is he’ll flush you out of your hiding place. This is the planet of purging, drains, [...]

The Bather, Ingres.He was born with Venus in Leo and Sun in Virgo. This picture combines Virgo mastery of technique & perfectionism with Leo luxury. The planet of beauty is in the golden sign of Leo, what could be more luxurious. Here are some suggestions of how to make the most of this [...]

OK – I’m on holiday, but I was just popping by to update the horoscopes so I thought I’d briefly post on the Olympic Opening Ceremony – what a hoot! Have you ever wondered what the shiny, happy face of Pluto might be? If so, you might want to watch the Opening Ceremony [...]

What with all those shiny bodies flinging themselves around giant stadiums filled with cheering crowds – the marching, the uniforms, the survival of the fittest, the faux-historical ceremonies – there’s always been more than a touch of fascism about the Olympics. Jesse Owens going for [...]

Freddie Mercury. Mercury, the trickster, lay down and took a nap in the Sun last week. Now he’s staggered to his feet and is laboriously retracing his steps through Leo. He’s a little dazed and confused poor fellow, asking this question: who am I? Mercury in Leo: it’s about [...]

Gustav Klimt’s Pallas Athena, 1895 Pallas Athena, the asteroid of strategy and weaving is in a cosy huddle with Uranus, the god of bright ideas. And the Moon is right there with them today, shining a soft silver glow on proceedings. The Ram is, of course, the sign of beginnings, [...]

Lord Shiva, the transformer Today, the god of transformation is joined by the Full Moon in the sign of institutions, establishment, organisation. And the head of Barclays Bank resigns… The Moon slides over Pluto at 8° Capricorn and then opposes then Sun, which is at 12° Cancer. If you [...]