Mars in Cancer June 4- July 20 Mars the fiery planet of war jumped into the soothing waters of Cancer last week. It’s time to take action in the realms of emotions, beaches and kitchens. Water Sports Jump on a surfboard — preferably on a wave. Failing that take up sailing or waterskiing or [...]

“There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat, And we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures.” Julius […]

There has been so much fiery energy this spring with planets spending unconscionably long in the sign of impulse and initiative, Aries. The Ram’s fiery inspiration is usually what we need to kick off the astrological year. But in the last seven years, we’ve had an awful lot of it — because [...]

“It’s more like I’m having an experience than making a picture.” — Cy Twombly Cy Twombly’s work is unmistakable: giant scribbles, smudges, words and phrases crash together across vast stretches of white. They look as if they’ve been made in an instant, a flash, a dash, a moment of possession — [...]

In the early spring of 1970, jazz fans were only talking about one album — a rich, textured blast of sound played with freestyle mastery and driven by an enormous rhythm section. Miles Davis, the prince of cool, had plugged in and gone electric. Not only was Davis’ use of electrical [...]

My daughters’ favourite moment during the recent Venus Retrograde was their discovery of a large skeleton in a lonely, crumbling ruin by the edge of the roaring Atlantic — even the 13 year old lost her composure for a full moment. They burst out of the broch — a 10th century miniature fort — [...]

It’s a very complicated picture this month, but things do slow down a lot — and about time too. It’s important to note that from April 9 to 24, Venus will be between just two degrees of Pisces, 26° and 28°. This intense focus from the goddess of love and luck is unusual and will […]

Well, it had to happen eventually. Prime Minister Theresa May will start the legal process of Brexit tomorrow. For the United Kingdom to leave the European Union she must “trigger” Article 50, the relevant piece of legislation, by writing an official letter to the European Commission. She has [...]

The late Alexander McQueen said that he wanted people to feel afraid of the women who wore his clothes. His shows were legendary: shocking, emotional, Gothic, visceral — absolutely exquisite. In 1995’s The Birds — inspired by Hithcock’s movie — models stumbled down the catwalk, dresses torn [...]

I’ll be giving a talk to the Birmingham Astrological Association on Saturday, March 4. It’s about Neptune in Pisces and art. For directions and more info, click here.

Fiery energy is gathering around the coming eclipse on February 26. We are in an unusually unstable period. The times are angry enough and polarised enough already. Know that the planets are stirring the pot this week and next, adding a huge dollop of chilli to the cosmic soup. Be cautious, [...]

Continuing the series on artists with Venus in Aries. The picture tells the story really. Anish Kapoor has Venus at 0° Aries — the Ur degree, the alpha … the very beginning of the whole Zodiac. And well, is here is a great big Mons Venus in Aries own colour. Kapoor loves red. It’s nice that he [...]

Venus, the planet of love and art, harmony and sweetness, spends a long time in Aries, a sign that represents some quite contrary energies, in 2017. So we have an opportunity to look and think about how Venus behaves here. I’ve been looking at the charts of artists, fashion designers and film [...]

Vivienne Westwood started her career running a shop called Sex at the grubby end of the King’s Road — first stop on London’s punk trail in the 1970s. Today, she is a doyenne of fashion world — doing the whole cat-walk-show thing and yet still a social revolutionary. With her North Node and [...]

February is a fast and urgent month with Mars, Venus and Uranus in fiery, furious Aries. Mars in his own sign is rather unbridled, Venus in her opposite sign is not doing her usual harmony, sweetness and light thing and Uranus is spitting sparks. Somewhere in your life there’s probably a bit [...]

Those of you following this Venus in… series will know already that Venus is not entirely about how you look. For that we look at the Ascendant and planets aspecting it. Venus though can tell us what makes you attractive, or even what makes you beautiful. So it’s pretty interesting that the [...]

The Queen, you may be aware, has had a cold. For the entire period of this Mercury Retrograde, her Majesty kept out of the public eye. She didn’t even make it to the Christmas church services — and that was for the first time in — well, forever. Yesterday, when Mercury went direct, she [...]

Mercury turns Rx on December 19 at 15° Capricorn. Meets the Sun on December 28 at 7° Capricorn. Turns direct on January 8 at 28° Sagittarius. Returns to 15° Capricorn on January 27. Squares Uranus on February 1. Leaves Capricorn on February 7. Please take a look at the previous post on this [...]

Imagine you are walking up a mountain trail. You’re slowing down because the way is getting steeper, and rougher — and your sense of dread and unease grows with every step. A dark shadow looms on the path in front of you, filling you with dread. You turn tail and fly, tripping down the [...]

The planet of luck, exaggeration and expansion, Jupiter, is in Libra until October 2017. Here are some ways to work with that rather flamboyant energy. Polish Your Politesse It’s time for manners to make a comeback. Make a conscious effort to say please and thank you, to respond graciously [...]