The British Horoscope England, as we know her today, was ‘born’ on January 1st 1801 with Minerva at 8 Leo. Minerva is one of three heavenly bodies in Leo, the lion. The other two are Jupiter and Saturn. The British identity is caught up with these three legendary lions. You can see them on coins, coats of arms and football shirts.

Three lions

Minerva, the Third Lion is the Roman goddess of wisdom. Minerva at 8 Leo will be transited  on Sunday 24^th June 2012 when second-round tickets for the London Olympics are issued. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee is also in place.

The Royal Banner of England

Pluto Square Uranus Pluto represents people and organisations who are passionate and dominating. They take, and take over. Then they are dwarved just as Pluto was in 2006.  Uranus symbolises freedom and revolution. He was found in 1781, when America won the War of Independence. It was also a milestone  for the French Revolution.

Let America Shake Born on July 4^th 1776, America  has Uranus at 8 Gemini. For entirely different reasons, the USA will also shake. There will be a revolution and rebellion involving the internet and media on  or close to June 24th.

Understanding Uranus Uranus was discovered by an army deserter named William Herschel, in 1781. He originally named it The Georgian Star, after King George III.  The French refused to use this name, so the planet became Uranus, named after the Roman god whose son Saturn rebelled against him and castrated him. At 8 Aries on June 24th, he will trine the position of Minerva at 8 Leo in the UK chart. Leo is traditionally the sign of royalty.

The UK Union Horoscope (Click to enlarge).

How June 24^th Affects You   The symbolic clash between power and freedom on the world stage will indirectly affect you. Pluto and Uranus both demanded control. Both of them lost it. This is about a push for independence. Capricorn is the sign associated with global corporations and skyscrapers. This Fortune magazine cover symbolises it well. Fortune magazine was founded in 1930, the year that Pluto was discovered.

The trickle-down effect on you from the Uranus-Pluto square is a temporary cracking sound in your life. A rupturing, somewhere in the fabric. If you were born with heavenly bodies at 8 degrees then it’s personal. Even if your chart lacks these (check at www.astro.com) you are still going to find the people around you carrying more stress than usual. Uranus tries to keep people down and it never works. Pluto is also about dominating (and it never lasts for long). Put these two in a boxing ring together, squaring up to each other, and you can see why June is going to be loaded with creative potential – quite apart from the potential for conflict. Updated March 15 2012. 

Pluto in Capricorn

Jessica Adams is the author of Essential Astrology for Women (HarperCollins).

UK Union Horoscope data from The Book of World Horoscopes, Nicholas Campion, The Wessex Astrologer.

Filed April 5, 2012

Greece won't wait

Greek rebels should note, though – Mercury is retrograde so what we have here is a message failing to connect, a grand statement that will come to nothing – or a computer system that’s never going to work. The revolution will not be televised;  it will not even make it to air properly.

The Greek revolution will not really be articulated  until the direct Mercury-Uranus conjunction on Sunday April 22^nd at 9.28pm. In both cases these times hover around the start times for television and radio news – just after 5pm and 9pm. It’s megaphone time.

The Greeks have a proud history of resistance (particularly during World War Two) and also of hell-raising. Or should that be Hellenic-raising? In any case, the astrology is clear.  This is going to a long, hot painful summer. As traumatic for some, as it is liberating for others.

Why Greece? Because in all her incarnations, she has planets at 4 degrees. Her March 25^th 1821 revolution chart shows the Sun conjunct Mercury at 4 Aries.  Her Independence chart, set for January 13^th 1822, shows Uranus at 4 Capricorn. Her democracy chart, set for July 24^th 1974 shows the Moon at 4 Libra and Pluto at 4 Libra.

Here are some more dates to watch – on Saturday March 24^th, the Sun conjuncts Uranus at 4 Aries at 6.20pm. Again it’s just after the news slot.

A thoroughly Greek castration

There’s another key moment on Saturday March 31^st, as Mars at 4 Virgo forms the quincunx to Uranus at 4 Aries. That takes place at 10.02am. Then on Tuesday April 24^th the Sun at 4 Taurus will trine Mars at 4 Virgo, enabling the God of War.

Watch what happens near Sunday June 24^th at 10.12am when Uranus at 8 Aries squares Pluto at 8 Capricorn. This triggers Venus at 8 Pisces in the Greek Independence chart.  On Friday June 29^th, the Sun at 8 Cancer will oppose Pluto at 8 Capricorn and square Uranus at 8 Aries. Her independent side will be well and truly triggered on those dates.

What people are really looking for, in any kind of rebellion, is hope for the future. Therefore it might just be the optimistic sextile from Jupiter at 8 Gemini to Uranus at 8 Aries 22^nd July, which sees the peak of the Greek revolution. Jessica Adams.

*All times for London GMT.  Add or subtract a day for your time zone. Data from The Book of World Horoscopes, Nicholas Campion, The Wessex Astrologer (2004). Images Wikimedia Commons. All predictions written and posted on March 15th 2012.

Apollo is asteroid 1862 (look him up in your chart at www.astro.com and choose Extended Chart Selection). He is Jupiter’s son and describes that part of you which leads. By sign and house it shows where you inspire and mentor other people to follow you.

This Transit of Venus is about global media and it is, very specifically, about a huge comeback for Mr Murdoch.

Apollo at 15 Gemini and Mercury at 15 Pisces

Rupert Murdoch was born on 11^th March 1931 at 11.59pm in Melbourne, Australia (Rodden Rating A) if you want to see his chart for  yourself. Or click his horoscope above to enlarge.

Rupert Murdoch was also born with Mercury at 15 Pisces square Apollo at 15 Gemini. So the part of him that takes the lead (Apollo) with media (Gemini) is at odds with that part of him which communicates (Mercury) with intuition (Pisces).

Maybe this explains Rupert Murdoch’s 2012 crisis!

There is also a further twist to this pattern in his horoscope – Chiron is at 15 Taurus. Chiron is your inner maverick. In Mr Murdoch’s horoscope, his maverick is money-minded (Taurus) and also part of this striking astrological display. You couldn’t make it up for News Corporation. A square involving Mercury and the sign of Gemini, hitting the sign of Taurus.

So what happens on Wednesday June 6^th?

It’s a Sun-Venus conjunction with a difference. But it’s public, it’s about partnership and it’s about power.

There will be a highly-publicised comeback for Rupert Murdoch in the second half of 2012 and first half of 2013. Not only because of the Transit of Venus at 15 Gemini, but also because Jupiter will cross 15 Gemini by next year.

Born lucky, you might say.

Lots of astrologers ignore Apollo – but he is crucial to chart interpretation. Mainstream astrology puts asteroids like Apollo in the too-hard basket, but this multi-talented god was just as important to the Romans (who birthed our astrology for us) as Jupiter, his father. Apollo is the wow factor in your horoscope and if you don’t know where he is by sign and house, you’re missing out.

Something else to consider at the Transit of Venus on Wednesday June 6^th. Not only is it visible in Melbourne, Australia (where Mr Murdoch was born) – it also follows a partial lunar eclipse at 14 Gemini 14, on Monday June 4^th. That is very, very close to the 15 Gemini pattern too in Mr Murdoch’s horoscope too.

So this is fate. It’s written in the stars above Melbourne. 

What do you get when you cross the Sun, with Venus, with Apollo in Gemini? With a twist of creative conflict? You get a massive media comeback born out of crisis. And because the Transit of Venus has global implications in the sign of Gemini, what happens for Mr Murdoch in June and beyond, happens for the world.

This isn’t just about news, or even News Corporation. It’s also about the internet, publishing, television and radio. Stay tuned. No matter how bad things looked in April for News Corporation, what is unfolding now is seeding a new beginning. You only get one Transit of Venus at 15 Gemini in your life, and Rupert Murdoch was destined to have this moment, even when he was in his pram.

Jessica Adams.

Venus (Creative Commons)

We had one transit in 2004 and there won’t be another one in our lifetime. If you were born with chart factors at 15 degrees then this transit will personally affect you. Check your chart at astro.com if you don’t know it.

In plain English, the Transit of Venus means Venus will pass between the Sun and the Earth. It’s a bit like a solar eclipse, which is why every astrologer will be dusting off the telescope for a perfect view. It will be seen in progress at sunrise throughout Europe, western Asia and eastern Africa. A partial transit will be seen at sunset in North America, Central America, Western South America.

Australian astrologers can join the Cosmic Intelligence Agency in two special events in June. In Melbourne, Australia, The C*I*A is organising the setting up of 2 telescopes to view the Venus Transit (and Sun filters) at    Abbotsford Convent (their very own Hogwarts) on Wednesday 6th June from 11-2pm. A few Agents will be on hand to  answer questions and guide you through the symbolic meaning of this transit and Jessica Adams (The Astrology Show) will give a short talk on Venus and her son Cupido and daughter-in-law Psyche.

Create an Event Anywhere!

See what you can organise in your town, city or village, wherever you are in the world, and tweet The Astrology Show @theastrologyshow on Twitter, to spread the word.

More useful websites from Julija Simas for the Venus Transit at The Cosmic Intelligence Agency -
http://www.space.com/14568-venus-transits-sun-2012-skywatching.html

http://www.transitofvenus.org/index.php?start=30

http://www.lunarplanner.com/HCpages/Venus.html

On February 3^rd Neptune enters Pisces and the Australian dollar will go loco. Loco is the Spanish word (which I have carefully chosen) for ‘crazy, insane, mad” (The Urban Dictionary). Its new loco phase will probably kick in from 7am on Monday February 6^th, at the latest, which is the next full business day of trading for the Australian Securities Exchange in Sydney after the new Neptune cycle begins.

UPDATE AT APRIL 18  This prediction was made here, on The Astrology Show website, on January 13th 2012 – about three weeks before the Australian dollar did indeed go ‘loco’. Here are four dated news stories -

Forexpros – The Australian dollar rose to a six-month high against its U.S. counterpart on Friday February 3, after positive U.S. employment data boosted demand for riskier assets.

The Sydney Morning Herald – Spanish economy to shrink 1.5% in 2012 (February 6).

The Business Spectator, February 23rd – The Australian dollar has fallen to its lowest level in a month, as the US dollar strengthens and leadership tensions re-ignite in Australia.

And why was the word ‘loco’ carefully chosen for the original prediction? Because…

The Age, April 18th : The Australian dollar is three quarters of a US cent higher after a successful Spanish bond auction reduced fears of a fresh European debt crisis.

Now, back to the original feature from January 13 2012…and watch this space!

The  sceptics on the ABC Digital Radio show on which I am a guest, The Dirty Disbelievers would like to pin me down to specifics  about my prediction (will the dollar go up? Will the dollar go down? but I’m not going to play.

It should be possible to make an accurate astrological prediction on astrology’s terms, which are not – at least for me – about making money from the sharemarket. Rather, astrology is about understanding change. And learning from history. It’s a bit like talking to the universe, and asking ‘So tell me. What the bleep is going on?’

The Aquarian Australian Dollar

The Australian dollar was born on 14^th February 1966. If you are new to astrology it may seem odd to think of currency being born, but astrologers believe that everything (even an apple pie or Australia itself) has a birth chart. What time was the dollar born, and where? I don’t have any evidence of a clock-time transaction in any particular part of Australia (though please get in touch via The Astrology Show if you do).

We might assume, though, that the Australian dollar has a birth chart that looks like this, below – set for 9am in Sydney on February 14^th 1966.

Click to enlarge Australian dollar horoscope

This is an Aquarian currency. The sign to be associated with new technology (the notes themselves pioneered the use of polymer) and also humanitarianism.

David Unaipon, the man on the $50 note today, was an Australian aboriginal, preacher, inventor and writer. He passed away when the Sun was in Aquarius on February 7 1967, almost one year after the new notes had been launched. Australian money shows the big Australian ‘tribe’ in a classically Aquarian way – black, white, male, female, old, young…and often radical. It’s not all about HM The Queen!

Aquarian money

What Neptune in Pisces Means for the Australian Dollar

Neptune is going to confuse and distort Australian currency after February 3 2012 when he enters Pisces, and the Second House of the Australian dollar’s solar chart. In astrology Neptune is associated with the symbolism of the sea, and all things aquatic, oceanic and fluid. This comes from the Roman myth, developed from the Greek story of Poseidon. Neptune is King Neptune and the Poseidon Adventure in one archetype. Whenever he turns up in your horoscope, you tend to be all at sea. Afloat. Adrift.

This is what is about to happen to the Australian dollar from February 3 2012 until 2026 when the cycle stops. Boundaries will disappear. The old structure will be replaced by something new. A non-structure. Or at least, a structure which is porous and lets almost any influence in to cause chaos. Where will the buck stop for Australia in this new cycle? Nowhere. It will slide all over the place. It’s going to feel like surfing.

It’s a short leap from the symbolism of the planet Neptune, so soon to affect the Australian economy, to concepts like ‘floating’.

Pisces image - www.ianridpath.com

Neptune was discovered September 23 1846, – the year that the saxophone was patented and the first operation in Europe to be carried out with anaesthesia took place. One floats under anaesthetic. The sax itself has a floating lever. The national currency is no longer on dry land from February 3^rd. It will drift like a saxophone. It will take us into an altered state. Like anaesthetic.

Floating Currencies

Australia has a floating currency which suits the symbolism of Neptune. It’s not the only country, of course. Spain floats too. A fact I’d like to underline for February 3^rd. Also on the IMF ‘floaties’ list are: Albania, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Congo, the EU (currently rather loco in its own way, thanks to Spain) and countries important to the Australian economy like Japan and New Zealand. The UK, of course, is another important floater. The Australian dollar was originally tied to her.

The Floating Australian Dollar Chart

On Monday 12 December 1983, the Australian dollar was floated, allowing its value to fluctuate. Pluto was at 1 Scorpio at 7.00am in Sydney on 12 December 1983 for the ‘floating dollar’ chart which means that Neptune at 1 Pisces will trine natal Pluto in March 2012. A remarkable astrological pattern.

Click to enlarge

According to this chart, March 2012 will be a pivotal month of change for Australian currency.

Not only will the currency go through a rare Neptune-Pluto trine, the month of March also sees a stellium in Pisces, passing through the solar second house (economy, treasury, share prices, currency) of the Australian dollar. All eyes will be on the changes, then.

Australia is Aquarian too!

Do Prime Ministers ever consult sun-sign astrologers when launching currencies? There is no evidence this ever happened in Australia, unless Sir Robert Menzies did it under the tablecloth in a Kings Cross parlour. But when the powers that be decided to create the Australian dollar on February 14^th 1966, they made the currency Aquarian. Australia is Aquarius too. She was ‘born’ on Australia Day – January 26^th 1788. So her fortunes are tied to her dollar.

Fantastic Plastic

It would suit the symbolism of the new era (starting February 3^rd 2012) if the actual Australian dollar notes themselves were to shift. Perhaps we’re looking at new denominations. New illustrations. Maybe the issue will be the composition of Australia’s plastic (polymer) notes. One might expect discussion to  begin over this, or major events to take place, in March of any year from 2012 through to 2026.

January 2021, at the Ceres-Neptune conjunction in Pisces, seems a strong contender for one month when the composition of the notes – or just the value of the currency – is set to reach a major crossroads. But that’s another story and another episode of The Astrology Show.

Prediction published January 13, 2012.

Read Kelly Surtees in Wellbeing.

Kelly Surtees  is one of our special guests in the April-May Astrology Show. Kelly holds the FAA Practitioner’s Diploma and regularly lectures at international astrology conferences, (including UAC in May 2012). Traditionally focused, her areas of focus include predictive cycles and horary astrology. A past committee member of the NSW FAA, her written work has appeared in many publications, including The Mountain Astrologer and WellBeing. Kelly travels regularly between her dual home countries of Australia and Canada, teaching and consulting in both. Kelly also hold qualifications in counselling and life coaching. Contact Kelly through her website or by email admin@kellysurtees.com

Pluto wants control (David Heschler/Wikimedia Commons)

On Saturday April 14^th Pluto will quincunx Venus at 5.51pm. On Wednesday April 25^th Pluto is square Mercury at 3.51pm and on Sunday April 29^th there is a trine from the Sun to Pluto.

If you have heavenly bodies at 9 degrees in your chart (check at www.astro.com if you don’t know) then these Pluto patterns personally affect you.

Even if you don’t, it is worth updating yourself on Pluto and his impact, in a year when he dominates nearly every month.

Domination, of course, is what Pluto is all about:

“We often experience incredible feelings of power or powerlessness with respect to those planets touched by Pluto. What we do with that power will vary. Whilst it certainly is the power behind the most annihilating destruction it is also a power that can be used for the good.”

Sue Tompkins, Aspects in Astrology, Destiny Books

Pluto takes, and takes over. People, organizations or situations which do the same are a classic feature of a Pluto transit.

Pluto takes over (John Smith/Wikimedia Commons)

He was found in 1930 as Hitler rose to power, ahead of the global power struggle of World War Two and the power-sharing agreement of the United Nations which came after the most powerful weapon of all, the atomic bomb, devastated Japan.

Writing in her book, Making the Gods Work for You, Caroline W. Casey observes, “Pluto says, “The order you are clinging to is inhibiting your life. You may think you need it, but in fact, letting go will give you more life.”

This is a function of the Pluto myth. Pluto took Proserpina, the daughter of Ceres. In doing this, he took over the world, as Ceres was in charge of agriculture and the loss of her daughter resulted in her depression manifesting as famine.

Ceres asked Jupiter to stop Pluto, and return Proserpina to her. Instead, he suggested a power-sharing agreement. Pluto would have Proserpina for half the year. Ceres would have her for the other half.

A new order is a typical result of a Pluto transit. And letting go is essential. Pluto, Ceres and Proserpina all had to learn to release their control, and then share it.

Dennis Elwell, writing in The Cosmic Loom, notes “When Pluto was discovered in 1930 the outstanding British astrologer of the day, Charles Carter, set about investigating the new planet by a careful observation of what happened in his own life when Pluto had been active.”

What Carter found was this: “Pluto is concerned with beginnings and endings. He is the planet of climax and crisis, and thus, in a sense, of upheaval. He brings matters to a head, ending one chapter of life and ushering in another.”

This is exactly what happened in the myth. Pluto ended the mother-daughter relationship between Ceres and Proserpina. By doing so, he started his own marriage to Proserpina.

The Pluto transits from now through April will remind you of the simultaneous ending-beginning story in your own life. The house of your horoscope where Pluto is transiting at 9 Capricorn will show you where this monumental process is taking place.

On a global level, the sign that Pluto transits shows which area of life the world will experience the climax and crisis that Charles Carter first noted in 1930.

In Capricorn, the sign which rules corporations and big business, Pluto will continue to deliver crisis for many years, as he is only one-third of the way through his journey in this sign. In 2012, large global companies will be taken over by others – or just ‘taken’ by unstoppable trends.

You will see the first signs of this in the business and financial pages of the press within 24 hours of the Pluto transits listed above. Those dates to watch, again - March 29, April 14, April 25, April 29.

How is Pluto working in your life? Let us know @theastrologyshow on Twitter.

Jessica Adams

Astrologer, journalist, writer and author of  True as the Stars Above, Neil Spencer,  has the scoop on Aries for March. Happy birthday Aries!

Aries

Does love really make the world go round or is it the grimmer realities of money, work and status that keep everything in motion? Expect March to ask that question insistently. The realities of how you earn a pound or three are certainly not going away according to your ruler Mars, which remains ensconced in your zone of hard graft for months to come. It isn’t so bad, however – with the red planet helpfully aligned mid-month, you can reap financial rewards for your efforts (not least from energy you invested last year), plus win admiring nods from the heavy hitters in your profession. Everything to play for then.

The synergy at work in your ‘scope is nonetheless compromised by the pesky retrograde of messenger Mercury, which turns backwards in your skies from the 12^th until April 4^th, requiring you to be tiresomely specific in all matters of communication – expect tweets to fall flat, e-mails to bounce and snail mail to be wrongly delivered. It’s do-everything-twice time.

All of which might make the advent of your birthday month on March 20 a less than obvious leap into spring. Don’t be fooled by a few details going awry. The new Moon of March 22 is a pivotal moment in your year, with developments in the final week of the month casting a long shadow into the future. Push hard for what you want while recognising that the rest of the world doesn’t necessarily share your impatience. The electric, inspirational qualities associated with the planet Prometheus/Uranus remain a signature for 2012, especially for March birthdays.

Deciding whether love keeps planet earth turning is likely best left until the end of the month. With the Sun in a secretive and reflective sector of your ‘scope until the 20^th, a little silent communion with your romantic soul is in order. Venus leaves your skies on the 5^th, when it opposes Saturn; a moment when realism is likely to triumph over hope.

Read all of Neil’s forecasts, for each sign of the zodiac here.