Dave Irwin

“The wobble of the earth’s axis, “… describes a cone in space. Because of precession, as it is called, the equinoctial point appears to shift slowly backward through the zodiac… For that reason the signs and constellations do not correspond. Precession, however, has no bearing on the signs, which are based on the seasons. The signs never change, though once every twenty-six thousand years or so the signs and constellations roughly coincide.” (From ‘A Fated Sky’ by BENSON BOBRICK)

I’m thinking about cycles… from the 26,000-year cycle of the precession of the equinoxes to the monthly cycle of the moon… and even right down to the daily cycle of the signs over the horizon (which pinpoints the rising degree in our charts)… astrology is a study of the symbolic meaning of those cycles. In this part of the solar year, the sun is moving through the sign of Gemini, with Mars also moving through this sign as part of his 2-year journey around the zodiac.

I’m offering a workshop at the end of the month (24th June, 2017) based on a talk I gave recently on Astrology & Healing (there are still places available if you’d like to join us). Gemini is the sign associated with the arms, hands and shoulders – those parts of the body that we use to gesticulate! Gemini also rules the lungs (the element of air is connected to breath and movement) and the nervous system (the mutable quality of this sign combined with the air element is easily thrown off centre – like the Ayurvedic dosha of Vata is the first to go out of kilter). Jacaranda (Australian Bush Flowers) is a lovely essence to help with the Geminian susceptibilities of scatteredness and anxiety (which might also be due to a high or stressed air element – or even a challenged Mercury, whether natally or by transit). There’ll be opportunities in the workshop to explore the energies of the Bach Flowers and the musical tones (amongst other things) associated with each sign and tune into what resonates for you personally.

The ruler of Gemini is Mercury and in his yearly cycle he dances with the sun – sometimes he’s behind and sometimes in front (depending on the retrograde cycles). Since his recent retrograde (this planet retrogrades three times a year), he’s behind the sun in the sign of Taurus. Someone with a Gemini sun sign might have Mercury in Taurus, Gemini or Cancer, depending on the cycles. Venus is in Aries just now (she retrogrades once every 18-19 months) and might be in Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer or Leo if you’re born with a Gemini sun. And the moon is currently waxing in Virgo (having reached the first quarter earlier this afternoon).

Jupiter and Saturn take approximately 12 and 29 years (respectively) to move through all the signs of the zodiac, with the outer-planetary energies (Chiron, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) taking approximately 51, 84, 165 and 248 years. Your natal chart is a snapshot of the planetary energies contained in a house system (worked out from the degree of the sign that was rising at the time of your birth) which delineates areas or circumstances of life (e.g., the third house is the house which rules siblings, schooling, neighbours and thought-processes – the house often associated with the sign of Gemini).

Do join me in dipping a toe into the synchronicities of astrology – if you can’t make the workshop (suitable for beginners, refreshers or those wishing to explore the healing correlations), these things can be explored in a one-to-one consultation.

Love and blessings from Helen x

(Photo courtesy of paisan191 at freedigitalphotos.net)

“A Hephaestus (man/woman) is an intense, introverted person.  It’s difficult for others to know what is going on… or for him (her) to express… feelings directly.  (This archetype) can become an emotional cripple, a smoldering volcano, or a highly creative productive (person).”
JEAN SHINODA BOLEN

(I reworked an old newsletter as time was slipping through my fingers!  And, interestingly, have already received more feedback than usual… synchronicity – I love it!)

Hephaestus was born of Hera and rejected by one or other of his parents, depending on which version of the mythology you’re reading.  He is associated with the Taurean mythology by virtue of his relationship with Aphrodite (Venus rules Taurus).  As a couple they are representative of our struggle to define what we value: Hephaestus was a cripple and Aphrodite was the beautiful goddess of love; Hephaestus was a gifted craftsman and Aphrodite was his unfaithful wife.

Jean Shinoda Bolen explores this archetype in ‘Gods in Everyman’, strongly emphasizing Hephaestus’ introversion and ‘bottling up’ of intense emotion as well as his sense of being an outsider when attempting to join in with the crowd.  Finding rewarding, absorbing, creative work can be the making of a person with this archetype strongly in their psyches.

Sometimes we need encouragement to value the attributes we have, rather than railing against the ‘gods’ or the circumstances of our lives (remembering that this encouragement might not come from the place we expect it).  In Hephaestus’ case, he was rescued by Thetis and Eurynome (two sea nymphs) and learned to make beautiful jewelry whilst in their care.

Perhaps there’s a way to more be more fully with ourselves through this archetype?  Hephaestus is not motivated by getting it right for other people and can be quietly absorbed in the process of his creativity (very much an attribute of the fixed signs).  Jean Shinoda Bolen tells us that Jung felt motivated to play with building blocks (which he remembered doing as a child) as a way to get through the painful episode where he was rejected by Freud:

“I went on with my building game… every day… in the course of this activity my thoughts clarified… it released a stream of fantasies which I later carefully wrote down… and at any time in my later life when I came up against a blank wall, I painted a picture or hewed stone…”

Maybe you can think of something in your life which has enabled you to re-centre and move forward in this way?  And Jung’s experience may offer a strategy for getting the most out of Wednesday’s full moon in Scorpio (10th May 2017 – 20Scorpio24 at 21h44 GMT)?

These mythological themes might play out through planets in Taurus, or through the house which Taurus rules in your chart.  Equally, they might be attached to Venus’ position – especially when it’s challenged by other planets, hidden in the 12th or retrograde (and you may find some relevance to themes brought up during Venus’ recent retrograde phase depending on where it fell in your chart).  Do let me know if you have any feedback on how this sits with you…

(The anvil and hammer are associated with Hephaestus and the photo is courtesy of Jeff Ratcliff at freedigitalphotos.net)

Love and blessings from Helen x

(Photo courtesy of vectorolie at freedigitalphotos.net)

“Saturn’s approach to faith is not like (Jupiter’s).  He takes away the crutches.  He shows us darkness, impossibility, certain defeat.  The he asks: “Do you still have faith?”  STEVEN FORREST

There’s often work to be done in the area that Saturn is triggering in our charts.  The tasks he sets us can bring us to a place of integrity and self-sufficiency, to a place where we don’t need any outer approval – but it’s not easy!  And, as he’s getting ready for his next retrograde period (moving back from 27Sagittarius47 on 6th April – to 21Sagittarius10 on 25th August – anyone with mutable planets take note and for the rest, do have a look which house/s these Sagittarian degrees fall in), we may feel more alone with our process and need to rely more on our inner strength to get through.

Saturn is also making a square (challenge/tension) with Chiron which carries us through most of April, and Melanie Reinhart talks about the coupling of these planets leading to a sense of blame and unworthiness; an encountering of our own rigidity and tyranny.  She quotes Kahlil Gibran: “And if it is a despot you would dethrone, see first that his throne erected within you is destroyed.”  Coming to a centre of integrity around issues to do with father/authority-figures takes time and self-discipline (all things connected with Saturn).

A ‘synchronistic’ article (for me), shared on Facebook coincided with this square of Saturn to Chiron.  It was entitled ‘Sky-gods and scapegoats: From Genesis to 9/11 to Khalid Masood, how righteous blame of ‘the other’ shapes human history’ and looked at (amongst other things) the way religion and violence go hand in hand (I’ll provide a link for those of you who would like to read some more).  The scapegoat theme also reminded me of the intensely moving film made about Jeanne d’Arc, starring Milla Jovovich, which also has the most amazing scenes where the Devil’s Advocate figure (played by Dustin Hoffman) takes away Jeanne’s ‘crutches’ and faces her with her doubt, fear and sense of unworthiness.  This facing of self, though, is actually the thing which brings her to the inner knowing that she needs in order to die without the absolution of the church.

It’s also time for another Mercury retrograde (oh joy!) from 9th April through 3rd May, 2017 (from 4Taurus50 – 24Aries15) providing more inward energy for us to reflect on all this along with the occasional (or frequent) glitches in communication and transport, etc., which often accompany.  And this reminds me: how is your Venus retrograde in Aries progressing (see last month’s newsletter for that one)?

For me, this is the time leading up to my second Saturn return.  I was born with Saturn in early Capricorn, and I’ve been having very strong reminders to look after my skeletal health!

Love, blessings and fruitful retrogrades!

Helen x

P.S. I’m giving a presentation at the AGM of the Association for Therapeutic Healers (ATH) in London (flyer attached) on Saturday, 13th May in case you’re interested – and offering some day workshops based on this during the year.  (Do get in touch if you’d like a flyer and are not on my newsletter list.)

“Perhaps we could see Venus as the sensory detector which alerts us to when we need to alter the outer garments to suit the inner self…” ERIN SULLIVAN (‘Retrograde Planets: Traversing the Inner Landscape’)

And once every 19 months she (Venus) gives us an opportunity to reflect on how this works in our lives. Venus is goddess of love and sensuality, of where we find worth, value and beauty – what attracts us! For women, she’s part of how we see ourselves. For a man, she’s more about what he finds attractive in a partner (part of his anima in Jungian terms). She goes retrograde at 13Aries08 tomorrow (4th March, 2017).

The 19-month pattern is part of a larger pattern which takes about 8 years (in March 2009, Venus was retrograde in Aries and moving back into the last degrees of Pisces as she does this year with a couple of degrees difference) and maps out the path of a pentagram in the heavens (the photo I’ve chosen is one from pixabay.com – see below)! Both the pentagram and the pattern of cells in a sunflower head (for instance) are connected to the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci Sequence – what beauty there is in mathematics!

The inferior conjunction (on the earth’s side of the sun) of Venus to the sun during its retrograde takes place on 25th March, 2017 around 5 degrees of Aries. If you have planets around 5 degrees of the cardinal signs, this ups its importance for you but you might not see the results of this inner phase until much later in the year – even into January, 2018 and beyond when Venus reaches her superior conjunction with the sun (she lines up on the far side of the sun for this). The other two degrees to watch out for are the degree that she retrogrades from (see above) and the degree she moves back to (26Pisces54).

In 2010, following Venus’ superior conjunction to the sun in January, I got ‘itchy feet’ and moved base to Chester for a while. The move didn’t happen until August, but the seed was planted during Venus’ retrograde through my second house of security – and acted out whilst both Saturn and Pluto were affecting my nodal axis and natal Mars (ruler of my natal 2nd house). Have a look at your own patterns – which house this retrograde falls in, whether you have any planets/angles at the significant degrees and what was happening back in 2009-10, etc. – and do get in touch if you’d like to organise a consultation to explore this more deeply.

Erin also points out (ibid) that, “(t)he degree of discord that arises within one’s personal life during the retrogression signals the distance that one is from one’s core values and higher creative aspirations.”

And if you are a person born with Venus retrograde, “… during… the darkening of Venus when her power is obliterated by the Sun…” then you’re likely to “… experience more intensely the conflict between inner values and the learned rituals of society…” (ibid).

Love and blessings in this time of rediscovering your deepest values!

Helen x

Photo courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography at freedigitalphotos.net

“To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to the violence of our times.”  THOMAS MERTON

“Be in relationship with your intentions. Get as clear as you can.”  T. THORN COYLE

We’re in the season of Imbolc; the sun is in Aquarius.  This is a time of looking forward to the spring, preparing for the year ahead; for getting clear about our goals (both long-term and short-term).

The quotation from Thomas Merton (born 31st January) struck me this morning as I was reading a social media post by Franco Santoro.  It fits nicely with the T. Thorn Coyle quotation (full post link below as it resonates very strongly with Aquarius for me) in reminding me that I can’t be ‘all things to all people’ if I want to stay connected to my own centre.

Aquarius is in polarity with/sits opposite the sign of Leo (Leo rules the heart which pumps the blood around the system.  Aquarius rules the circulation).  In balance, Leo’s courage might aid Aquarius’ urge to freedom, but Leo’s tyranny may, equally, oppose Aquarius’ quest for truth, with Aquarius’ tendency to ‘throw out the baby with the bathwater’ perhaps, threatening Leo’s sense of purpose (Leo’s ruler is the sun).  All the signs have both positive and negative traits.

Another of today’s astrological ‘moments’ was the passage of the moon in Pisces over Chiron, focusing my feelings on the on-going quincunx between Chiron and Jupiter (in Libra).  The quincunx is a tricky aspect (150 degrees) which usually requires some adjustment as signs at this angle tend to push each other away (‘this town ain’ big enough for the both of us’).  With Jupiter’s hopes for peace, fairness and diplomacy at odds with Chiron’s (at times) overwhelming collective grief, we may well need that proverbial periscope again for these two to see each other well enough to make the necessary compromise.

This quincunx also holds possibilities for growing into a compassion which sees the divine in all beings, but Eric Meyers also points out the need to watch out for that people-pleasing tendency which ends up with us being the doormat for others to walk over – chiming in, again, with the quotations above!

Let’s not get carried away… let’s get clear about moving forward!

Link to T. Thorn Coyle’s article here

Love and blessings for Imbolc/Candlemas!

Helen x

(Photo courtesy of wiangya at freedigitalphotos.net)

“I am convinced that the main effect of the outer planets is through the unconscious… You can always try controlling a transit of Uranus, Neptune or Pluto, but I wish you luck.”  LIZ GREENE (from ‘The Outer Planets & Their Cycles’)

You can work with the planets to some extent, but please don’t beat yourself up when the outer planets (include Chiron in there as well) are transiting (triggering) your natal chart positions and you’re feeling out of control…

Let’s have a look at what the planets (from Jupiter through Pluto) are keying into:

We’ve recently had the first of three Jupiter/Pluto squares (challenge/conflict) and I’ve been reading Austin Coppock’s take on this topic.  He sees Jupiter in Libra as having ‘high hopes’ (this in Libra’s domain of fairness, justice and peace, etc), with Pluto in Capricorn embodying, ‘the relentless inertia of the way-things-are’ (love that phrase!)  Jupiter may feel like he’s banging his head against a brick wall at times then…?  And Mercury’s retrograde (from 19th December) begins in the degree of this Jupiter/Pluto challenge, giving us an opportunity, perhaps, to reflect on these issues in our own lives (you might like to check which house 15 degrees Capricorn falls in your own chart).

This month, though, Jupiter is catching up with an opposition to Uranus (what Sue Tompkins sees as the combination of ‘sudden strokes of luck’ and ‘big radical ideas’) so that might bring some relief in the form of last minute reprieves and perhaps support Jupiter in his ‘high hopes’ (this is another aspect that we will meet again during 2017) – or again, perhaps, contribute to some major shifts in our belief systems?

The above aspects will particularly affect those with planets and angles in the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn).  What may appear like sudden, outer events (Uranus) may have been brewing for a while – and Pluto often acts to dredge up what has been hidden.  Focusing on what ‘truth’ Uranus is bringing for us, and using Pluto’s energy to focus on letting go what no longer serves us can be a helpful way to proceed.

Saturn (the taskmaster), Chiron (the wounded healer) and Neptune (the melting pot) are affecting the mutable signs in particular (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces), with Saturn’s energy likely dowsing that wonderful Sagittarian optimism as he brings us down-to-earth!  With Neptune’s influence it may be unwise to make crucial decisions, as what looks real now may turn out to have been a mirage.  We might use his energy to visualise and dream, and may well need to take some time out, as feeling more than usually drained and confused is ‘normal’ with this planetary trigger!  (Neptune ‘stationed’ direct at 9Pisces14 in November and he’ll be in that degree for a while yet.)

I also recently read (and shared on my facebook page) an article by Empowering Astrology about the energy of Chiron (also in Pisces currently), which was described as ‘the planet of emotional, psychic (and) spiritual knots’ (I can really resonate with ‘knots’ for this planet – and his influence often coincides with periods of illness).  Chiron ‘stationed’ direct at 20Pisces41 on 1st December, so that degree will be energetically charged – particularly for anyone who has planets/angles around that degree of the mutable signs (as will the Neptune degree mentioned above).

As we’re in that ‘Santa Claus’ time of year, I’m offering 15% off my website prices for individual consultations and 10% off the package of five (can be paid for up until the December Solstice for appointments in the New Year).

Love and blessings for a relaxing festive season,

Helen x

“Children often learn to sacrifice their authentic connection to their own inner knowing to preserve the attachment upon which their life depends.”  ORIAH MOUNTAIN DREAMER

I’d been waiting for a sense of what to write about in this month’s newsletter… and Oriah’s words (above) in a recent social media post stopped me in my tracks.

She was talking about the over-riding of our gut knowing being ‘too big a price to pay’, which reminded me that when we’re out of touch with that authentic connection, we lose our centre – that sense of healthy power, which builds confidence, honesty and purpose.  It reminded me also about the myths and stories associated with Scorpio as a sign and the unhealthy relationship with power in characters such as Hades, the Phantom (of the Opera) and Darth Vader (all abuser/controller figures) – and, on the other side of the equation, Persephone, Christine and the oppressed people in the Star Wars myth (all abused/controlled).

This has been brought home to me in my shamanic studies too – that, as a culture, we tend to move between extremes in our relationship with power – perhaps because so many of us have sacrificed our authenticity and lost our sense of inner power – and often even parts of our souls.

Don Miguel Ruiz talks about this issue (‘The Four Agreements’) in his chapter about the ‘domestication’ of children.  Domestication can lead us to, “…dishonor ourselves just to please other people… do harm to our physical bodies just to be accepted… punish (ourselves) endlessly for not being what (we) believe (we) should be…”  He even goes on to say that, “…nobody has ever abused you more than you have abused yourself…”, which, of course, can lead us to tolerating abuse from others because we don’t believe we are ‘worthy’ of anything else.  (Photo courtesy of Kheat at freedigitalphotos.net)

Black Moon Lilith (the osculating apogee) is making her way through Scorpio just now (mean position at 19 degrees as I write), perhaps putting us in touch with the urge to explore the instinctual and irrational side of this sign – as well as that tendency to raw honesty (see Tom Jacobs’ ‘Lilith: Healing the Wild’)!  But the wildness of Lilith often draws other people’s judgement or control, making that connection to our own ‘knowing’ even more vital when choosing who to open up to in this way.

With the sun’s passage through Scorpio (as well as Mercury just now), we could use the energy of this time of year to start the process (if you haven’t already) of connecting with our healthy power, of letting go those negative messages (not a quick fix of course!) and making ready to ‘dream a new dream’ in place of the old self-rejecting dream that we may have been living without really comprehending it.

Love and blessings from Helen x

P.S.  Remember that you can now access my professional facebook page via my website at www.zodiac-healing.com if you’d like to catch up with some of the musings that I share in between newsletters (as well as articles from others that resonate with the topics of astrology and healing)…

(Photo courtesy of sattva at freedigitalphotos.net)

“… constellations are arbitrary groupings of stars that have no actual boundaries, zodiac signs are precise geometric angles derived from the equinoctial and solstice points that divide the year into four quarters (seasons).”

A quotation from the linked article by Glenn Perry in answer to NASA’s claim that there’s a thirteenth zodiac sign.  He asks us to consider the zodiac as a kind of clock where, “…it is the angle the earth makes to the vernal equinox that determines a sign… not the… constellation behind it.”

“But what if I don’t feel like a Libran (the sun’s sign at this time of year)?”  “Might there be something in NASA’s claim?”

My answer is that the sun’s sign doesn’t make up your whole chart.  With sun in Libra, your moon (feelings and needs) could be in any of the twelve signs, depending on the lunar cycles (the moon is in Scorpio today).  With sun in Libra, your way of communicating and thinking (Mercury) might be coloured by Virgo, Libra or Scorpio, depending on the movement of Mercury prior to the sun going into this sign (we’ve just come through one of Mercury’s tri-yearly retrogrades, which shifts hir position in relation to the sun.  The astrological sun is also associated with how you might experience your ‘significant other’, or even your father.  Are you getting the picture?  Your chart is a complex as you are!

A strong, centred Libran energy is a great mediator, looking to bring a peaceful solution to strife in any form.  In the body, Libra rules homeostasis – that constant readjustment of temperature and chemical balance in the body, which helps to keep us within the bounds of health.  Libra’s ability to tolerate and accept another’s point of view (what Steven and Jodie Forrest refer to as “a high tolerance for paradox and ambiguity”) can also lead to ‘bending over backwards’ to accommodate the other.  Once we lose that centre of balance in ourselves, it’s not surprising that decision-making becomes difficult and we find ourselves in the constant role of pacifier – trying to avoid ‘upsetting the apple-cart’ by not saying what we mean/doing what we want.

You might have planets (or angles) in Libra and be able to relate to this.  You definitely have Libra somewhere in your chart – it’s a part of the wheel of the zodiac.  Have a look at which house begins in Libra for you (counting anti-clockwise from the Ascendant which is the cusp of the first house).  With Libra on the third, for instance, you might have no difficulty speaking your mind in most circumstances, but if something happens with the neighbours you have to ‘keep the peace’.  The third house has other associations, e.g., siblings, cousins, the school you go to, your thought-processes and skills, so there are lots of examples that would fit Libra on the third – it’s not ‘fixed in stone’!

Libra is being challenged just now by Uranus (22Aries59), Pluto (14Capricorn56), Jupiter (5Libra10) and Mars (4Capricorn04).  Uranus’ energy challenges us with truth and unexpected events and Pluto’s energy with what we need to let go of/transform.  Jupiter’s energy expands what it touches, so the Libran energy feels ‘centre-stage’ just now.  And Mars (into Capricorn 27th September, 2016) challenges Libra to take action, to be more forthright – to choose!

Love and blessings in this lovely autumn weather, from Helen x

(Photo courtesy of Dr Joseph Valks at freedigitalphotos.net – and entitled, ‘Entrance to Time Machine’)

With no planets in air signs, it hasn’t been an easy time to think things through and communicate our thoughts, so Venus’ ingress into Libra (with Jupiter to follow) brings a breath of fresh air as we approach the eclipse season…

“…eclipses seem to deal… with the creative realm of timeless ideas… (they are) indicators of events, rather than… timers of events… An eclipse on a degree in the chart of a native… alerts (us) to the fact that a major event may be expected…” (from David Ovason’s, ‘The Book of the Eclipse’)

There’s such a lot of hype about eclipses, and David Ovason’s book really helped me to get some clarity (a good word for the upcoming New Moon in Virgo, perhaps?) about them.  He points out that the influence of an eclipse spreads out forwards and backwards in time depending on the length of the eclipse (one hour = one year), with a one hour eclipse influencing 6 months before and 6 months after the eclipse itself… Tomorrow’s new moon happens at 9degrees21, so if you have a planet or angle up to a degree either side of that in the mutable signs (particularly the Virgo/Pisces axis), this is the one to watch.  This eclipse lasts 3 minutes and 5 seconds according to my ephemeris so its orb of influence extends about 9-10 days either side of Thursday, 1st September (2016).  Later in the month (at the full moon), there’s a lunar eclipse at 24Pisces20, affecting that degree in all the mutable signs.

The fact that these important lunations are happening during Mercury’s retrograde brings an inner, reflective process to bear.  Austin Coppock talks about this combination in terms of a ‘wrym hole’ which takes us, “…down the tunnel of confusion, through the winding course of accident and coincidence…” and into our own ‘libraries of buried truths’ (ibid – link to the full article provided).

We’re also in mid-process with three exact Mercury/Jupiter conjunctions (this paragraph is extracted and condensed from one of my social media posts), leaving us more than usually prone to absent-mindedness and, perhaps, heightening that Mercury retrograde tendency for mistakes and accidents.  You might be feeling drawn to broadening your mind or your horizons, or trying to fit a hundred-and-one things into a short space of time!?  This could also be a good time to focus on the meaning behind events happening in your life (first conjunction happened 22nd August, next one 2nd September – and the final one, at  around 7 degrees Libra, takes place on 11th October).  Or maybe it’s time to create a new vision-board for the future, write a new story, or plan your next trip to faraway places…?

And – as if that weren’t enough, we’re approaching the last of the Saturn/Neptune squares (late November, 2015 – mid-June, 2016 – early/mid-September, 2016)!  I’m going to ‘attach’ my edited musings on that (from a June social media post) rather than refer to it, so that you can choose whether that’s important for you just now.

Love and blessings in this mutable season, from Helen x