On Culture

Art, music, books, poetry, fashion, dance, television… the products of our imaginations and the people who make them. The Oxford Astrologer’s blogs on astrology and culture.

In the Key of Virgo: Beyoncé
It’s easy to see that Beyoncé must have a powerhouse of planets in the sign of partnership — Libra — after all she is one half (arguably the more glamorous half) of the most powerful marriage in showbiz. She was born on this day, September 4, in 1981 Indeed, Beyoncé has Venus [...]
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RIP Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin brought everyone who listened to her glorious voice closer to heaven while she was here on earth. She seemed to her audience like a living vessel for the divine. Her voice seemed to effortlessly catalyse emotions. Just a quick look at her chart is instructive. • There is her [...]
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Juno and the Axis of Desire
This year Juno, the asteroid named after the goddess of marriage and commitment, will be spending a long time in Taurus, a sign associated with passion, desire, obstinacy and obsession. Taurus is, of course, the opposite sign to Scorpio — also a sign known for obsession, obstinacy and [...]
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Astrology of Now: Fish Magic
This glorious watery summer just keeps flowing on. The magnificent Grand Trine in Water — Sun in Cancer, Jupiter in Scorpio, Neptune in Pisces — continues to create magic. This week the Moon in Pisces joins in. In a few days time (July 10), Jupiter will station direct. Then watch [...]
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Imagination and Curiosity
Was there ever a more Gemini image than this one. Twins reading on a moving train? This painting was made during the last tour by Neptune, the planet of the imagination, through Pisces, his own sign. Neptune is, of course, currently in Pisces also, and there are some obvious parallels between [...]
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Astrology & Fashion: Papess Rihanna
Pop mogul Rihanna strode into the Met Ball dressed as a She-Pope a few days ago — and she looked awesome, in the true sense of the word. Indeed, she appeared to be channelling the goddess herself. And no wonder — truly she is blessed by the gods of beauty and mystique. She has a […]
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Astrology & Fashion: Audrey Hepburn & Hubert de Givenchy
One morning in 1953, a slip of a girl turned up at the atelier of Hubert de Givenchy, one of a group of young fashion designers striving to put Paris back on the map as the post-war capital of fashion. She was wafer-thin with short dark hair, thick eyebrows and huge eyes. She wore narrow […]
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The Legendary David Attenborough
He has given us the eyes to see beneath the waves, through the ice, into the dark belly of the earth, deep into the singing rainforest and the snowy taiga. He has shown us the world through the eyes of an eagle, a dolphin, an ant. From your sofa to the far Pacific islands or […]
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Venus in Gemini: The Twinkle
Those of you who follow this series already know that we’re looking at beautiful or extraordinary people to try and get an idea of how Venus, the goddess of beauty, works in each sign. Light, breezy, youthful, friendly, clever, funny — those are Gemini adjectives. Maybe the most famous Venus [...]
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What Aries Has To Teach The Rest of Us: “I Think Therefore I Am”
I’m always interested in how obvious a person’s Sun sign can be — not from how they look but from how they are. So I wondered how philosophers’ Sun sign might show up. This is going to be an occasional series but clearly, it was right to start with Aries. Aries learns best through direct […]
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Saturn in Capricorn: Winter is Coming
This video was made during the one-day workshop held in January by The Oxford Astrology Group here at Trinity College, Oxford. I took a look at the UK chart during the talk as well as touching more generally on Saturn, Capricorn and the shape of 2018. I note that the comment on UK property [...]
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A Moment of Magic in Memory of Hubert de Givenchy
The woman, the dress, the tune, the most poignant opening sequence…. Audrey Hepburn (4 May 1929-1993) wore it. Sun in Taurus, Aquarius Rising, Moon in Pisces, Venus in Aries. Hubert de Givenchy (February 20, 1927 — March 10, 2018) designed the dress. Sun in Pisces, Gemini Rising, Moon in [...]
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Astrology of Now: It’s All About That Base
Between January 14 and 17, there will be so many planets stacked up in one corner of the sky, that you might expect the whole cosmos to tilt with the weight of them. Moon, Sun, Mercury, Pluto, Saturn, Venus and the Black Moon Lilith will all be in the sign of the Goat-Snake, Capricorn. That’s [...]
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Merry Christmas
A very merry and peaceful Christmas to you.
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When Taurus Loved Scorpio: the Passion, the Madness
“I woke up absolutely raging with desire for you my love … Oh dear God how I did want you. Perhaps you were stroking your darling self.” — Olivier to Leigh If sensual Taurus and sexy Scorpio can get it together, the earth really does move, after all these are (arguably) the two most intense [...]
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Astrology of Now: The Beautiful Moon
“And that’s why I have to go back to so many places there to find myself and constantly examine myself with no witness but the moon and then whistle with joy, ambling over rocks and clods of earth, with no task but to live, with no family but the road.” From The Wind in The […]
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In Vogue: Jupiter-Venus Conjunction Today
There’s a lucky conjunction at 7° Scorpio between lovely Venus and munificent Jupiter. You might want to choose to spin the wheel of fortune, or just indulge in some beauty. To help you with the latter. I’ve excavated some old pictures from British Vogue (December, 2010). How well do you think [...]
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A Short Moment of Libran Momentum
Today, September 29, is the birthday of three truly great painters — all masters of colour and movement. Here is Boucher, whose decorative, feathery, rococo paintings defined the taste of 18th century France. Here is Tintoretto, the Venetian colourist, “Il Furioso”, who’s mastery of movement [...]
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#TakeAKnee
I couldn’t help but note that on the day American footballers staged a peaceful protest across the country, Neptune, the higher octave of Venus (planet of peace) and Mars, the planet of warriors, came into perfect opposition. The athletes chose to kneel when The Star-Spangled Banner was [...]
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Steppenwolf
A man, who feels himself to be half wolf, wanders through the rainy night streets of a European city. He comes across a strange door in a wall and sees this sign, or thinks he sees it, but then does it disappear? Magic Theatre  Admission not for everybody — Not for everybody — MAD PEOPLE  ONLY [...]
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