Lunar phrases - The lady of many faces.

The cycle of the aspects formed by the Moon to the Sun from a geocentric perspective is known as the lunation cycle. It lasts on average 29 days, 12 hours, 44½ minutes, a unit of time called the synodic month which because the Sun is also moving in direct motion through the tropical zodiac takes over two days longer than the sidereal month, which is the measure of the time the Moon takes to orbit the earth.

The lunation cycle is divided into eight units called 'phases', each covering 45º of the geocentrically viewed cycle of the Moon's application to and separation from the Sun. Astrologers have studied the effects of the natal and progressed lunar phases.

In the natal figure, for every Sun sign there are three possible Moon signs for each lunar phase.The lessons of each phase and the soli-lunar aspects within apply equally to natal phases and to those of the progressed Moon to radical Sun, and radical Moon to progressed Sun.

New Moon

The New Moon phase lasts from the Moon's exact conjunction with the Sun until its separation by 45º from the Sun, forming a separating semisquare. It emphasises instinct and oblivion of the past. Individuals born under the New Moon phase are impulsive, instinctive, and inclined to self-dramatise and self-project, rendering them very noticeable to others.

They are more inclined to follow their instincts than analyse their behaviour or apply forethought; and have a strong inclination to impose their personal vision on the world.Under the progressed New Moon, individuals reorientate themselves inwardly and experience a major change in life that may be more apparent with hindsight but that is typified by a free, open response to a new guiding power.

In this phase, a conjunction of Sun and Moon is characterised by intensity, concord between the emotions and ego needs, and a highly subjective outlook, with little awareness of the results of their actions.

A semisextile can indicate a latent, raw talent that is frustratingly imperfect, leaving the personal ego dissatisfied, but with potential through persistent endeavour to render the talent effective.

A semisquare brings slight difficulties and mental irritations that frustratingly restrict the individual from full self-projection.

Crescent

The Crescent phase lasts from 45º until the separating square at 90º from the Sun. It is characterised by exertion and breaking away.

Those born under the Crescent phase are likely to be closely emotionally connected to their families, but inwardly moved to break with their family values or tradition, both materially and philosophically, struggling to establish their own values and criteria and means for self-worth, and to self-assertively challenge the established order and influence the collective direction.

The focal point of their restlessness or avenue for expression of this drive will be shown by the placement of the Moon and by the house on whose cusp Cancer is found in the nativity.

Under the progressed Crescent Moon, the new direction adopted subjectively under the New Moon is at first exposed to resistance by the external world, followed later by opportunities to develop it in more substantial form.In this phase, a semisquare causes irritation and discomfort, often relating to personal communication or educational objectives, motivating the individual to seek to self-develop to a more contented, tranquil condition.

A sextile brings opportunities for advancement from restrictive situations into more productive ones, through their own choices taken.

A quintile shows a perfected talent whose activation transforms the individual's situation, as though helped by a higher force.

A square shows an energetic struggle to take action to achieve a step forward toward some goal.

First Quarter

The First Quarter phase lasts from 90º to the separating sesquisquare at 135º separation. It is characterised by energy and forward motion with courage and action.

Those born under the First Quarter phase are good at learning to relate to others objectively, responding to crises and concretising new ideas that represent their own beliefs. They have a a pressing will to act; eagerness to experience life; executive and organisational abilities; and an attraction to liberating change. They are inclined to enlarge and expand their scope in the world and philosophy of life.

Under the progressed First Quarter, the capacity for the establishment of the new life direction in reality and renouncement of the past becomes the driving force over which the individual must take control, especially after the turning point of the square, committing courageously and confidently to the challenges of integrating the new life direction.

In this phase, a square between Sun and Moon produces an energetic urge to take action that will lead to the manifestation of their beliefs in the outside world, but a risk of conflict with others arising from insufficient objectivity, and sometimes a requirement for higher education.

A trine motivates to growth through education, philosophy or religion, and brings expansion in these areas relatively easily at the possible expense of it being far-reaching, while showing easily outwardly expressed earned talent, which may require disciplined application to overcome its inherent laziness.

A sesquisquare shows well-developed self-awareness that is difficult to express outwardly, leading to feelings of solitude in belief, but bringing identification with those of similar beliefs, and aptitude for teaching objective awareness of higher truths.

Gibbous

The Gibbous phase lasts from 135º separation to the opposition at 180º. It is characterised by discrimination, and learning to perceive and contribute to value.

Those born under the Gibbous phase are accepting duty and responsibility; seeking areas of value in the outside world in which to involve themselves; rendering their behaviour answerable to a specific purpose or reason; and eliminating from their lives whatever does nothing to support this system of values.

The placement of Saturn and the house on whose cusp Capricorn falls will indicate the focus of their value and sense of responsibility. They are relatively introspective and questioning, and concerned with expressing their intellectual talents

Under the progressed Gibbous Moon, productivity is great, and the individual struggles to persevere commitedly to the commitments established in the previous phase, while retaining flexibility in the face of everyday realities.

In this phase, a sesquisquare shows lonely self-awareness and earned power requiring disciplined application if it is to be harnessed constructively as opposed to destructively.

A biquintile indicates a unique talent requiring self-discipline to be expressed productively, rather than simply being held within introvertedly, leading to disillusion.

A quincunx shows the need to take an important decision, make adjustments, and dedicate oneself to the realisation of a seemingly karmic personal or social goal which otherwise tends to seem always to be elusive.

An opposition indicates the attainment of success through acting responsibly (in an area of life indicated by the house placement of Saturn) on awareness of others (the nature of the work for whom will be shown by the house on whose cusp Capricorn is found); but with the requirement for dedication and compromise in order to resolve opposing influences and attain fulfilment as opposed to separation.

Full Moon

The Full Moon phase lasts from the opposition to the applying sesquisquare at 225º. It is characterised by fulfilment and the perception of opposite poles.Those born under the Full Moon phase have open, clear minds, seeking personal fulfilment mediated by inner illumination, and demanding of themselves thought and understanding prior to action.

They are considerate of others and learning self-expression to a partner or to a greater cause than themselves, seeking the perfection of an ideal relationship and an existence integrated with the colllective and defined through what lies outside themselves.

Under the progressed Full Moon, the efforts made to establish the new direction begun at the progressed New Moon are reflected in a clear light, which may manifest as deep fulfilment or disturbance and defeat, depending on the success or failure of meeting the challenges along the way; and objective consciousness of the progress of the cycle so far should be cultivated in order to prepare the way for the ensuing search for meaning.

In this phase, an opposition between Sun and Moon brings a requirement for applied awareness of the needs of whoever or whatever is being related to, in order to reconcile opposing views, using the mind to consider all options before acting and to communicate.

A quincunx requires mental adjustment to a spiritual attitude in order to attain fulfilment or concord that appears otherwise to be karmically elusive.

A biquintile brings creative potential whose expression is impeded by its obsessive or potentially hallucinatory quality.

A sesquisquare brings a talent or mental awareness that is difficult to communicate, requiring effort to be presented into a form readily understood by others on a verbal and emotional level.

Disseminating

The Disseminating phase lasts from 225º to the applying square at 270º. It is characterised by love, and giving something of value.

Those born under the Disseminating phase have a need to share and an aptitude for the dissemination of a cause or the distribution of information, whether through writing, broadcasting, or any other means.

These people assimilate and evaluate their ideas, perceptions and insights then promote the conclusions to others. The placement of the Moon will indicate what has to be disseminated; and the houses on whose cusps Taurus and Libra are found will hold clues to the outcome.

Under the progressed Disseminating phase, there is a need to connect with others and demonstrate one's recently developed capabilities and awarenesses to wider society, which may include reforming drives, and the development of a practicable life philosophy and ideology in the light of understandings integrated from what has been observed previously within the cycle.

In this phase, a sesquisquare between Sun and Moon brings mental awareness that is strongly and deeply felt, as though its origins lie in an unearthly source or past time, yet whose ease of verbal expression is relatively limited until the individual is motivated by the love of an activity pursued to develop that awareness further.

A trine brings easy, seemingly perfected talent for the expression of a duty, love or value, something learned as though from a past incarnation.

A square shows the expenditure of great effort in a particular direction to attain success that requires the surmounting of obstacles.

Last Quarter

The Last Quarter phase proceeds from 270º to the applying semisquare at 315º. It is characterised by rebellion, and breaking free from external expectations into individuality.

Those born under the Last Quarter phase experience a crisis characterised by mental awareness of their due destiny of difference, in their desire to forge a socially unusual individuality and liberate themselves from the expectations of others.

They are motivated by integrity and commitment to a progressive ideal they feel responsible for embodying and demonstrating publicly.

Under the progressed Last Quarter, meaning is gathered from the consciousness developed over the cycle; and the individual is inclined to dispose of obsolete areas of life and thinking that do not harmonise with this awareness.

In this phase, a square between Sun and Moon brings conflicts requiring a new kind of action in response; as though in a newly enlightened state the individual, dissatisfied with bygone ways, suddenly and unexpectedly seems finally to initiate new paths that respond to the stored up internal need for changes and depart completely with the modes of the past.

A quintile brings a special new talent that requires to be combined with the roots of the old, and may manifest in artistic areas and in the handling of people and society, the attracting of their assistance, and their awakening to new modes of thought.

A sextile shows a relatively easy opportunity for change and reorientation of the ways of old, often mediated by other individuals encountered.

A semisquare brings slight, irritating problems in everyday affairs, requiring control guided by the individual's awareness of them, since the smooth functioning of such matters is needed for the achievement of longer-term and more far-reaching goals.

Balsamic

The Balsamic phase completes the cycle, from 315º back to the conjunction at 360º. It is characterised by commitment and the development of a new level of consciousness.Those born under the

Balsamic phase are complex, pioneering in their involvements, and poorly integrated into mainstream reality, needing to make a major adjustment to their lives, and perceiving a different meaning of life from that perceived by most people.

They experience deep, intense relationships, but are inclined to forget whatever lies in the past once it is over, training their eyes on the future, into which they have the capacity for exceptional insight, if they are open to channeling intuitions from higher sources.

They bring to the world something that lives beyond their death, and feel compulsively drawn to social action and the communication of visions.

Under the progressed Balsamic phase, individuals are inclined to withdraw into relative introspection and separate from their followers, tuning into new needs arising from the summation of the consciousness brought by the outgoing cycle, needs whose fulfilment will be sought in the cycle to follow.

In this phase, a semisquare between Sun and Moon brings minor frustrations and irritations, often projected onto others but arising from within, that build up, stifle the individual, and block major achievement until they are wilfully forced aside or employed constructively.

A semisextile brings co-operation between ego and emotions that can give rise to a latent workable talent, often exposed only after a process of internal transformation, and requiring channeling in a productive direction, which may depend on more energising aspects or transits being tied into the configuration.

A conjunction brings complete concord between the ego and emotions, with a unified direction to efforts that favours the attainment of prominence in fields indicated by the sign placement.

The moon, our closest planetary power beyond our own earth can be a tool of great personal insight as well as guidance for once the relationship to our own chart and lunar positions is known we are far more equipped to transcend the present conflict to a greater assimilation of higher goals, making it more then just a lady of the night but a ethereal light in the darkness of our own ignorance.

References: Philip GravesBernice Grebner, Leyla Rael Rudhyar, Haydn Paul

Channelling a Sun - Moon square aspect

For those that have a Sun square Moon it can be quite the stressing astrological aspect to possess but one that also thankfully possess an extraordinary potential for prompting evolution.The square aspect (or as it is sometimes known as; quadrature) between two planets shows us the existence of a strong internal conflict between the energies of the involved elements.

Any square to the Sun in a person chart is easily interpreted as a very weakening aspect for the persons sense of self because the person primary of source of energy (projected and assigned as the sun) is blocked or is not in resonance with the other planet energy.

This alignment presents itself with a resistance to self communication and expressions The Sun-Moon square is even more weakening than any other square because of the direct connection between those two elements.

With the Sun as our inner self, the consciousness, which is seen as the primary resource of our corporeal energy and the Moon represented by the subconscious in direct opposition to one another's flow the result is that the person with this aspect tends to be permanent unhappy and nothing that is doing bring her peace and happiness.

There is most often a sense of being trapped and bound in a situation that seems without exit or release: when they decided to do something in a willed Solar manner, knowing that this action is the best possible way to progress there is still a inner emotionally in-tune voice that resists this.

The same is also applicable if the person, utilising there Moon based intuitions is feeling something from the emotional point of view, the mental aspect of that person most often at first denies or delays realisation of it.

This situation may lead to destructive reactions and delayed actions...the person may project his internal conflict to the outside world and with the resistance to the emotional and mental cooperation they are most likely to present themselves as a rebel without a cause.

There is also a tendency to think that this internal problem may be caused and of blame to the external factors of friends, children, co-workers etc – which not only gives length to the conflict but guarantees that without review that the situation will remain unresolved. Like myself when

I first started this journey you may feel overly happy and secured that in your chart you don't have this aspect – but alas we may all never the less experience its lesson for a duration of a year through the medium of our solar return.

If you are among those that have the challenge of a Sun-Moon square in a SR chart then it is best to deal with this internal conflict as soon as it is known, or at the very lest make motions and preparations for engaging the challenge and transmuting it to something warmly in your favour.

I'm currently awaiting my own Solar Return with this aspect in is, so hopefully these words of received guidance will be more then just words but a remembrance that regardless of the flow of light the inner illumination is both a sun and lunar reflection onto itself.

The solution seems to consist of becoming increasingly more conscious about your self and about this inner conflict.

First thing to do is to accept it and becoming aware of which is an internal issue and what is a external conflict.

Any reflection of sorrow or stress is within us and not in itself of the outside world but more a by-product of our egos encounter of it. Therefore if we are to overcome such things we need to release any blame on others and remember that the domain of such emotions depends entirely on ourselves.Secondly; focus and concentration is a vital tool of ascending above this challange.

It is most often advised that we set our targets and priorities, making our decisions and not allowing ourselves to waste any more time on this process.

With any done action there is no way that they can be undone, so in assuming the responsibility of our actions and resisting the long and endless debate of "Would I of, Should I of, could I of" you ease the lunar and solar conflict and allow the true will to rise through the fluidity of motion.

This is of course not to say that debate and review is not important (as it it) but only when it is about growth and adjustment and not the self torture of endless second guesses.

And finally by starting to use the positive side of this aspect we can not only prevent it from being a burden but turn it into a beacon of future light.

The main strategy for this is to use any internal anger and lack of satisfaction on improving your situation (both spiritual and material).

The secret is to focus it on the productive area of your life and to apply with a sense of control.
Setting targets before starting something and not allowing yourself to divert from them until they accomplish the goal may be a frustrating idea – but in encountering such an aspect is one that unless encounters rare situations should be for the better part kept to.

Initially by denying the initial battle and conflict of Lunar and Solar energies we can win the war.
This ensures that the self can be allowed to grow to a more empowered state, which at a later stage will be far more established onto itself and secure in the engaging of this aspect – by turning a bane into a beauty we can not only tap into a deep sense of power and energy but can end a sense of conflict that undermines a potentially deeply rewarding life.

Health and Astrological indicators.

This week I've being shaking off the lingering tail of a cold, and here prompt on my bed, amongst fallen tissue soldiers, victims in the battle of a man against his germs (yes darn it, it's dramatic! lol) I started to think about how astrological aspects can indicate more long term illnesses and personal weaknesses in immunity.

Within a natal chart there is allot of information that can tell us of a persons predisposition to certain health problems, through my own review I've confirmed a lot of them for myself over the years (which of course you are more then welcomed to debate for yourself) but there's still many that I cant help but question due to the planetary relationship and elemental constitution.

Before I start into a new rant on the planets and the illnesses associated with them, it may be best to keep in mind that although the aspects may be in the natal chart it does not means that are in effect.

At some point in time, the transits or progressions will trigger the aspects for the expected health problem to occur, or at the very least stir the symptoms.

Of course after saying that it is also possible that these illnesses may never occur, or individuals die from other illnesses or accidents before they can be initiated – some people through diligence and precaution may even successfully challenge the planetary influence sufficiently enough on the internal plane to avoid it's lesson from being manifested physically.

I suspect and find plausible that there are other indicators that also determine how serious an effect an illness will have on an individual, mostly depending on the degree on the ascendant and the longitude of the planets and the signs in detriment or debility.

While looking at a chart in search of health it is suggested that one looks first at the riling planet.

That's is of course to say look at the planet that rules the sign on the ascendant. If you are looking at a Taurus ascendant, look at what is happening to Venus etc

While this is being held in mind look for the Aspects.

Squares = Difficult and strongest effect.
Oppositions = Difficult but open to early engagement.
Conjunctions = Effect is noticeable but changeable.
Minor aspects = Most changeable, except semisextile (30 degree's) which continually portray a difficult effect.

It is also important to take into consideration the combination of planets that are involved in an aspect to the ruling planet. Each will have some deeper correspondence with the health problems.

Here's a rundown of some of the traditional health problems most associated with such aspects:

Pluto: (That which consumes)
Contagious disease
Polio
Paralysis
Severe disability

Uranus: (That which is strange)
Genetic disorders
Lupus
Albino
Irregular chromosomes
Brain damage
Cerebral Palsy
Seizures
Epilepsy
Deformities

Neptune: (That which wastes)
Glandular imbalance
Cancer
Lethargy
Leukaemia

Jupiter: (That which is excess)
Blood disorders
Varicose veins
Phlebitis
Circulation
Diabetes
Obesity
Enlarged heart

Saturn: (That which diminishes)
Skin conditions
Asthma
Arthritis
Allergies
Bone diseases
Gauntness
Hearing
Dwarfism

Mars:(That which inflames)
Inflamatory disease
Scarlet fever
Rheumatic fever
Yellow fever
Encephalitis

Venus:(That which is stillness)
Kidney disease
Throat ailments

Mercury: (That which keeps silent)
Respiratory ailments
Lung problems

Moon:(That which flows)
Hydrocephelus
Edema
Lymphatic ailments
Poor constitution

Sun:(That which sees)
Blindness
Heart ailments

**When dealing with the aspects:

Moon = Cold
Mercury = Minor injuries / digestive problem
Venus = Virus / sore throat / injury by glass / laryngitis
Mars = Fever / Headache
Jupiter = Swelling and infection / abscess
Saturn = Asthma attack / weight loss / stress / backache
Uranus = Nervousness
Neptune = Loss of energy / sleepiness / dizziness
Pluto = Contagious diseases.

To note though that the Moons aspect depends on the phase that aspects your natal Sun.

If it's not a Moon phase it doesn't have an effect. For an example, if the first quarter Moon is at 27 degrees of Virgo it will square my Sun and you'll be highly susceptible to getting a cold. If the first quarter Moon is at 1 degrees of Virgo, when the Moon moves past 27 degrees it will have little or no effect.

I hope this has illuminated the determining of susceptibility to various illnesses. As when the arena of illness is located and the planetary power is drawn to attention much can be done to correct the situation and aid healing by channelling the aspect through it's more dignified setting.

Mercury Direct - Fresh winds in the sails

Yesterday Mercury the celestial power of communication moved back to its forward progression. If like myself and countless others you've been plagued with frustrated misunderstandings, communication problems, computer issues, or transport or travel difficulties (people of the passport office you shall see me AGAIN shortly!) thankfully now everything will be in the process of adjusting back to a flow of normality.

**Enter chorus of joyful angels singing**

Mercury rules the mind, thought and all forms of communication; as the immortal wing-footed messenger of the gods he also rules transport, transmission and travel. Mercury is also a relatively small planet who spins around the sun in a tight orbit and stands as the passing medium between the earth and that of the sun. Mercury represents the speed of thought and the mental gifts: that of analysis, reason, logic, knowledge, learning, education and even intelligence itself.

Mercury is the power that restlessly chatters behind Gemini's reputation for witty, lively, amusing conversation as well as there passion for the technological age. In today's world where communication, transport, travel and swiftness are so important, Mercury is a god with greater influence and recognition than he had in ancient times.

Although a patron of the technological age Mercury still presides over none-technical forms of communication like conversation, gossip, speeches, all forms of writing, comics, people watching and has sway in documentaries and even movies. It is said that even the ways we 'speak,' personally and culturally, are within his domain.Where the sign Mercury was visiting at the moment of our births reveals our personal style of communication, the ways in which we think and learn.

For example, if you have Mercury in Scorpio you would be an intense communicator who gets to the heart of the matter with sometimes brutal and unbridled directness.

While a Mercury in Cancer might try to communicate all the shifting emotions and thoughts that course through their mind by being somewhat intimate and revealing allot of there emotional sensitivity in order to create a sense of empathy.

If you were born with Mercury retrograde your style of communication is often quite different from those around you, which is often interpreted as eccentricity but also gives you the benefit having an startlingly unusual array of interesting ideas along side the challenge of having those ideas understood and appreciated by others around you.

Mercury makes this transit three times a year, for three weeks at a time. To the ancients it was because of his swift fast pace and huge responsibilities and demand that a regular period of rest and rejuvenation was in order. Whenever possible, we should try to adjust to work with his rhythms, as such cosmic currents set to serve us well.

The retrograde Mercury is a change in course; it seeks to make the demands of reassessment, review and reappraisal. In order to get our attention and therefore promote our positive action, Mercury is said to disrupt communications which force us to notice things that were done haphazardly or undisciplined and to set them right.

If you've experienced communication issues with loved ones or co-workers the Mercury retrograde is a time of review that revealed where you need to correct matters or at the very least acknowledge problems.

If you haven't had time to reflect on how Mercury has revealed what need to be addressed, now with the fresh transition is the perfect time to do so.With Mercury again available to get communication going clearly and effectively; he lends all his quickness and clarity to fix any areas that were affected. If these times are used properly, in which we at first during the retrograde slow down and notice problems, then afterwards correct the problems, communications year 'round go more smoothly.

The problem is that in the modern world of ours we hate to stop moving forward - all the time. To plan for a Mercury Retrograde, schedule time with as little important communications and travel as possible; and then afterwards make necessary readjustments.

This careful use of Mercury will put you into touch with the natural astrological rhythms - the Music of the Spheres and make such knowledge of a fresh direct a welcomed continual initiation into being a more whole'istic person.

The Synastry of physical attraction

Synastry is the art of relationship Astrology. It is a somewhat fascinating and illuminating study of how individuals interact with one another, how the factors of there natal chart find conflict and companionship.

Many of us are familiar with the study of Sun Sign Compatibility and often ask akin to "Does a Cancerian get along with a Leo?" and while these comparisons have some value, they are very general and often just based on a elemental correspondence between the signs.

For a more accurate and overall impression of compatibility between two people many other factors are involved in the evaluation.

Although Synastry itself is a very complex system, we can all (with a little effort) turn to some especially useful methods of studying relationships that will help shed light on our interactions.

With the upcoming Valentines in mind below are some of the traditional pointers of physical compatibility.

When somebody's Mars falls in your 5th house, heart-pounding reactions and strong romantic/sexual desires and crushes can be activated. You want each other, although the attraction may not last long unless there are other stable aspects and positions in your synastry.

When somebody's Mars falls in your 8th house, that person inspires deep sexual urges and physical desires in you.

A conjunction of someone's Mars to any angle (that is, the Ascendant, Descendant, Midheaven-10th cusp, or IC - 4th cusp) in your natal chart will pull out gut reactions and intensity of desire--although the feelings can go either way.

Mars-Sun conjunctions, squares, and oppositions usually inspire a need to make the relationship physical and generate a sort of "buzz" of energy between the two people involved. Trines generate some physical attraction, but of a more pleasant kind.

Venus-Mars conjunctions and squares can inspire quite a bit of fuss and sexual interest, while Venus-Mars sextiles and trines offer a more pleasing, less in-your-face attraction.

Venus-Pluto conjunctions, squares, and oppositions are one of the most potent cross-aspects for sexual and emotional attraction. Although both people are generally attracted to each other, it is the Venus person who is the most enthralled and even obsessed with Pluto—Venus is consumed with the attraction. Ultimately, it is the Pluto person who has the upper hand in terms of whether the relationship is going to endure.

Moon-Mars aspects can generate strong feelings that are often both physical and emotional at once, with the Mars person involved taking most of the initiative in the relationship, which can be very attractive to the Moon person (at least at the outset of the relationship).

Venus-Uranus conjunctions and squares can generate so much interest to the point of enthrallment, and often result in sexual activity between people before they know each other well.

This can be a confusing and destabilizing contact in the long term, but these aspects generally inspire initial attraction. When these relationships last, the Uranus person is often seen as inconstant by the Venus person and there can be many ups and downs.

Mars-Pluto conjunctions and squares are often powerful indicators of initial attraction and sexual intrigue. Trines don't necessarily draw people together, but once together, they are some of the most powerfully sexual aspects between two charts.

Ascendant-Ascendant conjunctions, sextiles, and trines, while not as strong as the indicators above, give a pleasing sense of physical harmony.

When someone's 8th house planet or ruler of their 8th house forms a strong aspect with one or more of your planets, you are likely to ignite passion in that person.

The asteroid Eros also plays a role in sexual attraction as well. Most potent are Eros-Venus, Eros-Ascendant, Eros-Psyche, and Eros-Mars links. Conjunctions, oppositions, and trines are often seen as best.

A couples guide for surviving Valentines day

Today after drifting pass a battle like march of waving Valentine balloons I had myself a bit of thinking (yes, I too can have my moments) that with all the fuss of Valentines day and the fierce spirit of expensive romantic restaurant meals and hallmark cards in love full bloom, that we can all, all to often allow the focus of intrigue and Eros to blind us to the daily supplication and maintenance of what we already possess.

So much so that I did a little bit of tinkering about the astro chart in an attempt to tap into the essence of the day and to stir some thought on what may help to maintain a sense of unity and harmony with the other half in the year to come -

Here are the points that came to me – they may be worth the ponder!

Venus in Aries and the first house;
Have realistic expectations for your relationship.

The teaching of this aspect is direct in its intention for people to realise that their relationship will be different than they had planned and thought it would be. Unrealistic expectations can ruin and undermine the hopes and aspirations of what is really just a normal stage of getting to know each other better.

While at first those dreamy eyes of your beloved may excuse the fact that they are regularly late to go out to dinner, or deny the annoyance of having to watch a game of footie or soapy and those magical kisses can dismiss a messy house that later makes you want to kick down a door and attack the place with a vacuum (ok, ok I've being there! lol) but when we remember ahead of time that we will have growing pains throughout a relationship it will help when us to notice these little things bothering you and therefore more enabled to overcome them. The Moon in

Libra enters the seventh house;
Commit to lifelong relationship:

Although this seems to inspire a sense of horror in most people to making this decision can help us when we faced with disappointing times in your relationship or allow us to remove ourselves from something we do not feel is worth it.

A strong union is not build only on happiness (although there will be much of that... thankfully), it is built on a commitment to one another. All unions are going to go through a change physically and emotionally and we ourselves will also change in their eyes. Making a commitment to the other to help them through the sicknesses, financial stresses, disagreements and unforeseen issues can end up doing far more then just strengthening a loving bond as you tackle them together.

Saturn in opposition to Uranus;
Realize you were made differently;

Such a fundamental idea is easy to see from our physical differences. From our very features to the clothes that we wear, however, in a relationship we can get mixed up into thinking we should each want to snuggle, kiss, socialize, spend money and look at situations the same which can lead to great frustration, confusion and agitation.

In understanding and remembering that we we are different and that we are therefore to some degree made to think and act differently, when we encounter a differences of opinions a friendly lets just agree to disagree attitude can be all that is needed to lighten the air.

Jupiter and Mars are aligned in Aquarius in the twelfth house;
Have a plan to resolve conflict.

It is important when faced with a conflict to have a workable tool designed to help us through
our issues. Even though I only go dancing occasionally (thankfully... and much to the horror of those who have to endure my near seizure like dance on the dance floor) I believe it it to be a great example.

While dancing most dance as a team, (just like in a union) using each other’s rhythm to flow with the music. The same is true in compromising. Both throw out ideas and motions and both use it to move to new actions rather then continue to replay the same old rigid routine of self construction. When we come to a workable compromise, we both win, no matter who came up with the idea. We don’t win by challenging each other; we win by working off each other’s strengths. Either both win in a union or you both lose.

Mercury aligned with Pluto;
Spend quality time together:

This is the basic logic of Mercury that is often overthrown by Pluto but as we live in a busy hectic world in where we are kept busy with work, tv, the Internet, blog reading, spending time with friends and family, our hobbies, chores, commitments... along with so many other things to occupy our time. How many of us had best friends that are now past acquaintances because we didn't stay in touch?

The same can come to pass in relationships; while of course there's no expectations to be joined at the hip (and in truth he'd probably of muffled me by now) but spending some quality time together, heading out for dinner, a movie, a drive, going for a romantic walk, kiss and cook together, or just simply do something that will lighten the communal load.

When we refuse to let other less important things get in the way of the relationship, and if we come to feel they are more important than perhaps we should re-evaluate what is really important to ourselves and our loved one.

I believe the old saying is still true: we don’t realize what we have until it’s gone. Relationships are a great and rewarding gift to be shared with those that we love, but it is also one of the hardest things we will ever experience. Staying together takes work, and as it should – as a loved one should never be overlooked or taken for granted.We can mistake love as a magical thing; it simply happens because it’s love.

Yet we have been told over and over again by speakers and on plaques: “Love is kind, patient, doesn’t envy and doesn’t seek its own way.” which certainly sounds like there is allot for us to consider in our own behaviour for the success of the union.

A sign of the times...

For the last few weeks now it seems that my own personal horoscopes has been setting me up for some disappointment. Although it has successfully promised success at work and in my personal life, and extolled the virtues of patience and humility while these blessings come to fruition. If the early stargazers knew anything about the variations of Cancarian they would realize that patience in the promise of reward is not an attribute that characterizes our often stubborn, type-A personalities.

I'm making my way though Gay Astrology by Michael Yawney (I thought it best that after such a earlier rant and large amount of quotation of older sources that it was about time that I explored more modern takes on Gay astrology as well as review the given theories) and I must admit that in a partial defiance of all I said that I have never felt more closely defined by my primary sun sign of Cancer.

Sometime ago I noticed that gay men seem to be more adherent to the principles and practices of astrology than others, something that has always intrigued me. For all around our world, our country, our family, even with our government we seem to be guided by social and interpersonal influences to a predetermined particular religion or path; but the zodiac is all encompassing and quite arbitrary. It requires no initiation to be an Capricorn, no special ceremony to declare ourselves a Sagittarius, it’s as simple as the range of dates your birth falls on and yet as complicated as the way the stars aligned at that special time to determine what course our fate would travel and our personality would develop.

So do we gays love the inclusiveness, the idea that our star sign, like our sexuality, was gifted at birth, another trait out of our control? Or the fact that its most often used system of belief not only fails to dominies our sexual behaviour, but also doesn’t bother to overtly state or even consider that we are to be accepted?

In my earlier collage days a strong willed Taurus house mate could tell a Leo before they ever share their sign with him, his resentment for these late summer birthday celebrators runs so deep. I myself too on occasion sometimes shudder when I discover a boy I’m interested in shares the sun sign of certain exes. I may even, like many others out there think better of allowing the relationship to continue without some serious review.

Debating as we all do in the trusting of a greater force or the denial of there possibility, for trusting in something does not mean one remains blind to the pondering's that it is all our minds, and in saying that the debating of the credibility, despite years of example of the stars really dictate our fate is something I find grounding – like a spinning compass the stars direct, but we alone choose the path, and as a astrologer and follower of the ways of astrology it is all to easy to forget that people are more then the titles we give them.

In slow accordance to exploring the book I still hadn’t recompiled a list of my best lovers and cross-referenced with their particular sign (as although I have a deep seated passion for Astrology, when it comes to my personal life I have decided that I would rather explore openly the possibilities of others as individuals rather then begin my own process of preempting there motions, I've being there once and to be honest it's quite addictive and while it can provide a very informative and reliable platform for information allowing a passion to consume is rarely in benefit of the art itself) but from what I can remember I wasn't at all surprised of the similarities emerging.

For now I recall it was a nasty Sagittarius that took my virginity, a slippery Pisces who first captured my imagination, the forward Taurus who first took my breath away in bed, and the proud Leo who first stole my heart. Each as different as his sign, and I still can’t help but wonder what each says about my sexual appetite.

Like always (for some things may never change) I still don’t think Gay Astrology or any of the books on astrology can answer this in definitively for me, for what astrology teach us is about ourselves, our love lives, our passion, our essence in perpetual motion and that the stars are constantly changing.

One night Mars may rise in Venus’s house and the next he’s going down on Uranus. Our many loves and lovers may be born under the house of Saturn or the banner of fall, but it is up to us to listen to own inner astrologer and chart our course for what makes us feel ecstatic.

While listening to and interpellating the flow of a sign is of great importance in making yourself aware of the possibilities ahead, they do not always limit or define the situation – as they are simply not meant to, and while horoscopes and natal charts have being in recent times moved to the entertainment section, there link with the deeply mysterious and wildly divine divinational process remains constant and a willing bedfellow for anyone willing to explore there place in the living world.

“What’s your sign?” is a pick-up line that is in recent times seeing a sort of resurgence, well at least in the life of my friends. And although we may not always be happy with the response, it is best to try to keep an open mind, just like that the way stars may change, the planets realign and you can find yourself in heavenly bliss.

It may fade when the stars disappear with the sun, but as long as the universe continues to shift and adjust, our possibilities for love and lust remain as endless as the skies above. And that’s something you could never say about a fortune cookie.

Horoscopes - the week ahead

Aries - March 21 to April 20 - "I am"With Aries in the 4th house and Venus, the planet of love and romance, not due to return to your sign until early next month, it is best not try and push or force things too soon. Your focus needs to be on finding the right balance between work and play, so that you can have it all. Don't worry about the how or the when, just make sure that when it comes, you're ready. Kindness beings its own reward.

Taurus - April 21 to May 21 - "I possess"With Taurus and Vesta in the 8th house, you can be assured that passion and the setting of romantic goals will come into a greater focus. Later this week Jupiter also makes it's visit to your domain, making the seeds sown at this time one's that will carry far more auspicious potential the usual. With such a combination you should be far more open to embrace the concept of positive change.

Gemini - May 22 to June 21 - "I think" You begin the week with Mercury in a retrograde motion in your financial sector, causing some communication breakdowns, but more importantly giving the past a voice in order for your future to be heard. On Wednesday, Mercury leaves that aspect, and on ending his retrograde phase ignites the flow of financial progression and stability. Fulfil the choices you have made by action on them.

Cancer - June 22 to July 22 - "I feel"The new solar year beginning on Monday will be one that's destined to open up a whole new future, with life's Wheel of Fortune finally turning your way. At the same time the doors to the past will for now remain open, allowing you to pick and choose what you want, with second chances and new opportunities both there for the taking. The question do you truly know what you want...

Leo - July 23 to Aug 23 - "I shine"Not only do you have Mars, planet of drive, urging you to move beyond the wounds of the past, you also have Saturn is in retrograde motion in your relationship sector, stirring doubts and anxieties of where you are and where you wish to be. Let this be a lesson well learned, as no words or actions will ever convince you of anything other then what you want to believe. You are enough.

Virgo - Aug 24 to Sept 22 - "I critique"This week with Virgo and Pisces in opposition it reveals just how many different layers and varied opportunities there are on the professional front, giving you an early indication of the positive year that awaits ahead Take responsibility for past mistakes, knowing that it's by looking back and seeing what you could have done differently, that you'll learn not to make the same mistakes again.

Libra - Sept 23 to Oct 23 - "I choose"With Libra in the 12th house you are more then overdue a fresh start, and the current stillness is the dawn about to break. Something has been worrying you for several days and it's about time it gets sorted out. As your aspects move back into a familiar pattern you will get the chance to discuss the matter with people you trust. Be honest with them, and with yourself. Travel calls but adventure answers.

Scorpio - Oct 24 to Nov 22 - "I desire"With Scorpio Rising and Pluto in Sagittarius it reveals a need to cleanse, revise, and expand your beliefs about the nature of life. Dogmatism, zealous and one-sided convictions need to be shed in order for you to fulfil your deeper desires. You need to believe enough in yourself in order to succeed otherwise you will never grow beyond the doubts sowed by those that know little about you.

Sagittarius - Nov 23 to Dec 21 - "I aspire"With the Moon in Sagittarius there is a greater sense of sensitivity and a focus on your own reactions, habits, and emotions that influence the conduct of your private life and family relationships. Astrological aspects suggest that you are resisting the change you have called for, denying your very own sense of freedom by accepting things as they are. Fight for you.

Capricorn - Dec 22 to Jan 20 - "I build"With fiery Mars in the more orderly sign of Capricorn, this position will subdue and control how you are approaching life. Mostly you won't come across as particularly enthusiastic; rather, more of a low-key but determined force. Right now your emotions and personal biases are apt enough to cloud your objectivity, so a realistic guide of self reflection may be of great benefit.

Aquarius - Jan 21 to Feb 18 - "I know"With the sun moving into Aquarius now is your time to shine, the renewed energy and enthusiasm will be a great for the days ahead. But be careful not to take on more then you can handle, as you may find yourself burning the candle at both ends. Be sure to put some of your energy into soul-searching – for now more then ever its the seeding of an important future harvest.

Pisces - Feb 19 to March 20 -"I care"Putting aside the lingering effects and confronted memory of the Venus's force of wayward want within your family unit, the abode of Pisces is somewhat quiet. This may be in direct reflection of not truly communicating and discussing the problems, issues and complaints that are in earnest need of rectification. Speak your mind and lay your worries to rest, as its about time!

January's Astrological guide to keeping the New Year Resolutions

It's being twenty days since many of us have made declarations and promises to reform an old habit, change life style, get fit, grow, quit smoking... and the list go on. But how many of us have actually kept these very same promises we held so dare to ourselves at the dawn of the new year.

That's the very same question I asked myself as I chomped down on my first chocolate bar this morning, after throwing all thought of such a thing to the winds of change and affirming that this year, the year of 2009 would be a good healthy one, one with fruit and salads, long walks and blissful morning runs...

Now while I won’t pretend to know the answers, I can share five of my own goal setting astrologically in-tune tips (what a tongue twister!) on how to keep New Years resolutions... or at least, like my own experience, prolong the dedication to the goal and guide the ship back on course if by chance the captain happened to fall victim to a deliciously inviting, drool worthy, heaven in a wrapped... ok ill stop there, but by god that chocolate was worth it :)

Venus conjuncts Uranus on January 23, 2009

Such an aspects made between Venus and Uranus emphasise the spheres of social and intimate relationships, with the energy and intention focused towards exploring the external world through an extroverted personality, reflecting that while it is healthy to ask the big questions about where your life is going, what your truly doing and where you really are, to ask them too often often results in ending up in a twirl of directionless (its a word now!) despair. This reminds us to take the pressure off from constantly changing the goals and chosen path of achievement, as while small adjustments are to be expected a constant rehash of the initial plan will only erode any sense of progression once you meet a conflict. Stick to the essence of the goal and there is far more of a living possibility of success.

Venus opposes Saturn on January 24, 2009

With Venus opposition to Saturn, we are most often inclined to regard our experiences as being almost useless and without aid to our current situation. With this aspect in play, we will be challenged by our distractions, a process that will continue until you realize how important our success or failure really is to us. We must be wary of underestimating our self-worth. Reminding ourself that we can match our competitors, and do not need to give then more control over our lives than we deserve.

In order to succeed we must stop hiding the truth from ourselves, after all there were legitimate reasons for such resolutions – and most likely that hasn't changed, but by drawing to a direct focus the emotional intention and the cold resistance to change we can at the very least be far more prepared for our own self disillusioning acts.

Annular Solar Eclipse on January 26, 2009 in the 13th degree of sidereal Capricorn.

This degree is symbolized as “A tripod with flames of fire blazing froth from a braziere”, it is the degree of Aspiration and Higher goals. Practical and productive actions will be needed to be taken in order to find fulfilment of the wish. Although this is a sign of war or struggles it is quiet adapt for such a situation – as we often fight and war with such change. One way in order to overcome this is to apply Capricornian strengths, such as a logical practical plan, like a chart, created as a physical reminder of the mental aspiration.

Such a alignment suggest that to keep New Years resolutions it wouldn't help to write our goals in enough detail for everyone to understand and agree with what's meant. An example would be, if my goal was to buy a house, I would need to put some flesh on the bones by saying my goal is to buy a three bedroom house, with garden, near my place of work, for no more than three times your salary. Allowing the idea to be far more intense, observational and focused.

Mercury conjuncts mars on January 27, 2009

A Mercury conjunct Mars indicates that at this time our minds will be far more restless and eager to gain new information, and may feel that the progression we make will somehow not be final. Our creative ideas at this time will be more intensely imaginative, something that could be exploit energetically but it also has a warning itself suggesting that too much imagination and macrocosmic view will only increase a sense of apathy and anxiety – instead if we break down the main goal into smaller more manageable goals we are far more equipped to achieve them.

Jupiter sesquiquadrates Saturn on January 31, 2009

This is a sign of guidance stemming from others, and the reminder that much light can be born from darkness, which makes quite allot of sense when applied to a new year resolution – going it alone may have it's glory but as the song goes with a little help from my friends...”
Here's an unusual game to stir the insight of those around you. Start a conversation with a friend, family member or someone who's guidance you trust in.

Explain your New Years resolution to then. If we used the new home resolution (not one of mine by the way... one mortgage is enough thank you!) Tell them what it's like in the house, the decorations, the layout, get them to ask you questions about how you got there e.g. how did you get the initial viewing, who spotted it first etc.

This is where you will be put on the spot and have to come up with plausible answers. Aim to "keep it real" with your answers, as it's probably best not to rely on winning the lottery to fund the plans, as after all this is a resolution in a achievable goal. Keep this conversation going as long as possible, with as much detail as you both can muster.

This might sound like complete madness, telling fantastic fibs and wild rants about how we can achieved our New Years resolution. The truth is that the questions we ask forge links in our minds, creating a map that make it easier for us to achieve your long term goals.

I hope this stirs you as half as much as it has me, as this is one year that has all the markings of those that echo on for many years to come!

Pleiades – the Ancients homosexual constellation.

Since ancient Rome (and perhaps earlier) the constellation of the Pleiades was known to the western astrological traditions for its association with male homosexuality, symbolised by the “seven sisters” it's link to the modern age, although a weak echo of its once strong song, it still survives along side the stereotypical interpretations and associations of effeminate males – thankfully though it's range of meaning and inspired virtues are far from a slur on the gay soul, suggesting a evolutionary growth and union of the internal being to a more unified and balanced personality, beyond a sinplistic embodiment of male assertiveness but a more holistic and truthful balance of polarity.

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Astronomically, the Pleiades is located in a corner of the zodiac sign of the Venusian ruled Taurus and consists of several hundred stars about 500 light years from Earth. Most often with an unaided eye six stars are usually visible, at especially auspicious times the seventh Pleiadian star can also be seen, more than a dozen may be seen using field glasses, and several dozen more than that with even a basic telescope (making the Pleiades a favourite object of observation for amateur astronomers) as well as love lorn astronomers of the gone by ages.

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Mythologically, since the days of ancient Greece the myths surrounding the Pleiades always speak of the Seven Sisters (a questionable name that has never the less helped preserve its lineage as being a gay constellation) who were divine sisters, caught amongst the adventures with various gods and goddesses whom in there voyage to true individuality and rebellion of social expectations took flight in the form of doves, a symbol of love, and eventually settled among the stars.
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According to tradition they would stand though out the ages as a reminder to those that would follow in there steps of revolution, promising that all burdens endured would lead to a greater brightness that would withstand the darkness of mans own ignorance, as well as become a part of the divine onlookers that searched the earth from the heavens for those that shone with the illumination and cause that they themselves once stood for.

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Historically, by the time the ancient Romans were compiling the known astrological literature of the world, the Pleiades were firmly linked to homosexuality. Unusually as a civilization, the Romans did little to advance or develop the study of astrology on their own, but what they did do to a large extent was to codify and organize earlier astrological traditions from Greece, Egypt and perhaps others that are now lost to us.
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Modern research into the astrology of the ancients is still in its early stages and while it will always remain somewhat clouded by the passage of time, and the natural adaption of those that followed it and held it alive through the ages, it has not yet being discovered how or why the ancient astrologers connected in essence; homosexuality to the Pleiades.

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But given the known lack of imagination amongst Roman astrologers, it is likely they borrowed the association between the Pleiades and homosexuality from an earlier civilization.
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For instance the ancient Greek culture, which the Romans greatly admired, to a degree valued and accepted homosexual relationships alongside heterosexual ones, and what we do know about early Roman astrology is much of the interpretations of which the Romans compiled had been derived from the earlier ancient Greek society.

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Sadly in true imperial Roman style, the Roman astrologers failed to preserve any attribution about where the references to the Pleiades came from.
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Instead the Romans simply spelled out what the then current thinking was about the constellation, which historically is nothing less then a shame as although it has maintained the connection, it has lead to the origins of such a link to be lost among the ebbing sands of time.

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Here is an example of Pleiades astrological lore from the Roman astrology of 1900 years ago as found in the "Astronomica", Manilius, 1st century AD. (Edited and translated by G. P. Goold, 1977 by President and Fellows of Harvard College):
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"The Pleiades, sisters who vie with each other's radiance. Beneath their influence devotees of Bacchus (god of wine and ecstasy) and Venus (goddess of love) are born into the kindly light, and people whose insouciance runs free at feasts and banquets and who strive to provoke sweet mirth with biting wit.

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"They will always take pains over personal adornment and an elegant appearance they will set their locks in waves of curls or confine their tresses with bands, building them into a thick topknot, and they will transform the appearance of the head by adding hair to it; they will smooth their hairy limbs with the porous pumice, loathing their manhood and craving for sleekness of arm.

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"They adopt feminine dress, footwear donned not for wear but for show, and an affected effeminate gait. They are ashamed of their sex; in their hearts dwells a senseless passion for display, and they boast of their malady, which they call a virtue. To give their love is never enough, they will also want their love to be seen".

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Admittedly it is easy to accept that the ancient Roman astrologers were not advocates of Gay Liberation (although Roman society was remarkably tolerant of homosexual behaviour. Several Roman emperors were gay or bisexual, and one, Emperor Trajan, had his "paedogogium", a travelling harem of young men which accompanied him on his journeys throughout the empire) but it is never the less interesting that while the ancients did not ascribe homosexuality to the Pleiades as the constellation's prime attribute, they do quite often (and in fact most often) stipulate that it is a secondary attribute.
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(The primary attributes were commonly said to be successful journeys, particularly for sailors, success in agriculture, and success through use of intelligence. Negative omens for the constellation included blindness and wantonness.)

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Unusually though the references I was able to find from ancient Rome seemed to imply a homosexual association with the Pleiades are for men only. This may of course be due to the record keeping and an unusually ignorance of the very existence of lesbians, even among the ancients. So far at the moment I am unaware of such similar correlation between the Pleiades themselves and women amongst the Roman astrological writings, however, this said there are extant fragments from the ancient Greek lesbian poet, Sappho, making references to the Pleiades, which may shine allot of light on the possibility of it being a constellation of Homosexality itself beyond that of male generalisations.
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Δέδυκε μεν ἀ σελάννακαὶ Πληΐαδεσ, μέσαι δὲνύκτεσ πάρα δ᾽ ἔρχετ᾽ ὤρα,ἔγω δὲ μόνα κατεύδω. [transcription]

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The moon has set, and the Pleiades; it is midnight, the time is going by and I recline alone.
The sinking moon has left the sky, The Pleiades have also gone. Midnight comes--and goes, the hours flyAnd solitary still, I lie.
The Moon has left the sky,Lost is the Pleiads' light;It is midnight,And time slips by, But on my couch alone I lie.
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Translation by J. A. Symonds, 1883.

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This singularly beautiful fragment is quoted by Hephaestion from the "Hymn to Aphrodite", it was the first portion of the Poems of Sappho to be printed in 1554 and seeing as it deals with the female homosexual impulses of love and desired union it offers up much food for thought in relation to the possibility of the Pleiads having associations with the gay female form.

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The guidelines to astrology set by the ancient Romans were (more or less) the reference point for western astrology for the next thousand years following the fall of Rome. It is ture that during the Middle Ages, and indeed until very recently these references to homosexuality were anything but complimentary, but at least the homosexual presence was being noted, however negatively.

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Since modern Western astrology traces its roots back directly to the Roman codification of the earlier astrological studies, one might leap to the conclusion that the association of the Pleiades with homosexuality was preserved assuredly to the present times.
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Alas, that's not quite what happened, although not for any specific reasons of anti-homosexual intellectualism (although that was common enough in astrology up to and including the twentieth century see my earlier rant on that issue two posts down), but instead it is mainly because of an unrelated development in the evolution of western astrology, in which the Pleiadian connection began to wain.

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Over the past 200 years or so in Western astrology, study of the so-called fixed stars has fallen from use because of technical advances in astronomy. Fixed stars (and this includes non-zodiac constellations) were, up to the late 1700s, an important part of interpreting a natal chart.
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But better telescopes began an era of discovery of new outer planets, starting with Uranus in the late 1700s, and western astrologers have dwelt significantly on the new planetary bodies the astronomers have been locating ever since.

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The Pleiades constellation is simply another (minor) grouping of fixed stars which has been swept aside by western astrologers as heavies such as Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, the asteroids, Chiron (the centaurs), and the trans-Neptunian planetary bodies have grabbed the attention of most modern astrologers. Modern thinking (and I in part subscribe to this thinking) is that these newly-discovered planetary bodies are far more interesting and useful to our current evolution and situations than the fixed stars ever were.
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Still, realizing that we may have lost something by forgetting our past, a few modern astrologers are starting to research the forgotten ancient astrological methodologies to see if any are still relevant. Some of the ancient astrological techniques likely will be worth dusting off and re-incorporating into our modern study. But frankly, I have my doubts that the Pleiades connection to homosexuality will even make the cut, and for this I can think of two main reasons.

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First, as I expound at length elsewhere in this blog (again see two posts down for my rant) no astrological configuration of any sort can be called a "homosexual signature," notwithstanding the repeated failed attempts by many astrologers to try and find one.
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The second (and surely the most certain) reason why Pleiades may never regain its once and former association with homosexuality, is that when it comes to an appreciation and development of ancient studies there seems to be a strong vein of apathy among astrologers as well as those of a homosexual persuasion.

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Astrology once the science of divination and the study of stars, has become nothing more then fortune telling, instead of being a tool for development and foresight it remains in its secondary role of guidance – although that in itself is an authentic lineage and indeed has its place a total dedication to this narrow perception is limiting us to never fully utilising and appreciating the ancients in all there variety and humanity.
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Gay flag association:

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It may also be interesting to note that a few years ago I noticed that the seven sisters are a somewhat mimic of and symbolic to the seven virtues of the gay pride flag, along side the qualities of true individuality they are easily held within a harmonic spiritual embrace of both the community and its potential future growth.

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According to the early work of Diodorus Siculus in his records, Library of History, the Pleiades were the daughters of the Titan Atlas and the nymph Pleione, and each are said to hold a coloured candle for there greatest virtue:
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Electra – red for strength
Alcyone – orange for courage
Asterope – yellow for faith
Celaeno – green for mercy
Maia – blue for generosity
Taygete – violet for Hope

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Merope – Justice had only on occasion a candle, some say this was because Merope, who was ashamed of her love for the mortal Sisyphus (Σίσυφος) often hide her true face from the eyes of the outside world.
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It doesn't take much imagination as to why through the synchronistic name associations, the rainbow colour array and the all to often familiar behaviour has in part allowed the Pleiades to linger on as a constellation that in part reflects the homosexual spirit through the ages... and long may it continue!

Week ahead

I'm thinking that it is about time that I introduce these on the blog :)

Aries - March 21 to April 20 - "I am"

Current astrological alignments suggest that someone's been playing with your emotions and your not happy about it. There will come a time when the tables can be turned and a sense of order restored, but for now it may be best if you just pretend you are not bothered in the slightest. For there are times in life that you win, by simply not playing the game.

Taurus - April 21 to May 21 - "I possess"

By nature you may be very outspoken, but with Taurus in the 12th house this week it is probably best to watch what you say about others, because if you come on too strong you could end up in bad order as far as some important people are concerned. With Venus the planet of your Domain in Pisces, expect to be far more sensitive then usual and awash with the dreams of yesteryear.

Gemini - May 22 to June 21 - "I think"

This week with your ruling planet Mercury still held within retrograde some upheaval is to be expected, so take it in your stride and don't worry what the outcome might be - as experience tells you that it is rarely as bad as you may fear. Now is the time for reconnecting at home and laying the past to rest, when it comes to old wounds try your best to bury the hatchet – just not in them.

Cancer - June 22 to July 22 - "I feel"

As your Dominion, the Moon moving into Libra a restored sense of balance will arise but don't take such times for granted for much work still needs to be done in order to get you to where you wish to be. Travel is in the stars offering up not only the opportunity to get away from the hassle of life but to get closer to who you truly are. It's perfectly fine to dream quietly, as long as you live loud.

Leo - July 23 to Aug 23 - "I shine"

This week your quirky sense of humour is likely to cause some trouble, make sure if you are joking around that others know you are not being serious. If they take what you say at face value you could end up with allot of chaos. The strands of a loving romance will develop right now if you accept people for who they are and allow them to blossom at there own pace. Have faith in love.

Virgo - Aug 24 to Sept 22 - "I critique"

A retrograde Saturn in Virgo and the 4th house means that health matters are under changeable stars at the moment, you will need to be at your best physically over the next few days, so get plenty of rest and don't take risks with your well being. Financial matters will enter a time of strain, nothing you cant handle but it teaches a lesson in planning and budgeting that you need to learn.

Libra - Sept 23 to Oct 23 - "I choose"

With the intuitive Moon in your domain you are reminded that challenges are merely opportunities in disguise. You may have a craving to get away from it all but now more then ever you are needed exactly where you are. You do not go unnoticed for those who are single will find now is more then ever an opportunity to find a loving embrace. You need to clear out the old before the new can grow.

Scorpio - Oct 24 to Nov 22 - "I desire"

This week you will be required to step in and keep warring factions apart. Alas you won't get the thanks you, in fact you run the risk of both sides turning against you, but if you stand aside the results could be bloody. It's best to act and know you've tried. You may need to remind others and also yourself that regardless of experience you opinion holds both merit, insight and great value.

Sagittarius - Nov 23 to Dec 21 - "I aspire"

Someone you have grown used to is about to go off on a journey, but there is no need to be sad about it. Not only will they be back soon but while they're away a new friendship will blossom. Time can often provide a healing balm for the errors of the past, so with patience and a bit of self faith this week could be a week of renewing forgiveness. Let your courageous heart speak its mind.

Capricorn - Dec 22 to Jan 20 - "I build"

You know that good things are coming, so whatever the reason it is taking so long you are advised not to let your impatience get the better of you. It will happen when it is meant to happen, so calm down, sit back and enjoy the show. A deepening awareness of the opinions of others will push you a bit of track, reminding yourself what's truly important will bring you back in line with your dreams.

Aquarius - Jan 21 to Feb 18 - "I know"

With Neptune in Aquarius and the 9th house it is best to avoid extremes this week, even if people you work alongside try to convince you that it's okay to push the boundaries. If it all goes wrong guess who is most likely to pay the price? Think and act positive, even if you at first don't feel it, as such motions will set the seeds of a brighter future. A old friend seeks you out with.

Pisces - Feb 19 to March 20 -"I care"

With Venus in Pisces you may be feeling especially sensitive this week, take such an opportunity to clear out the old, especially those sentimental things that link you to a past no longer wanted. Your hard work pays off as this week will bring you an amazing opportunity for growth and self reward. Someone will make you feel proud and despite recently uncovered secrets, you deserve to be.

Gay Astrology?

I was recently asked wherever astrologers believe homosexuality could be represented within an individuals natal chart?, and found it to be a very interesting question that got me thinking; especially in relation to our ideals of gender, generalisations and an active search for cause and indicators of such a a path of sexual orientation - I feel that it is about time that I at least cast a casual eye on the subject itself.

(In reflection this is anything but casual, a bit long, winding and badly edited so I suggest that if you are up for it you grab yourself a nice cuppa)

In beginning this blog entry I feel that I could simply change the title to homophobic astrology as it seems it would better represent some of the works on modern astrology, that are sadly by and large either very homophobic or incredibly under informed on the reality of being gay.

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It may be best to start with stating that I have always been sceptical in regards to this aspect of astrology, even though there are indeed may interesting points for an opposition to that opinion I have never being able to make peace with the ideals of a solid predestination in a sexual regard – as this seems to be quite rigid, hollow and not held within a state of reflection of the primary and secondary variations of an individuals chart nor the individual evolution of a person in both mind and body.

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Personally without getting too much off the point I define homosexuality generically as the inherent state of being primarily sexually attracted to one's own sex. Of course homosexuality and being gay itself is far more than just a sexual orientation but sadly our current reductive Virgoan society demands that individuals sexually polarise and identify themselves as either homosexual or heterosexual, instead of being somewhere in between or beyond a fixative label of orientation.

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When I first began my path with astrology and being gay myself I undoubtedly like many other gay neophyte astrologers out there researched the topic, immediately I was struck by a number of problems:

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The inadequacy of material available in astrology on same sex relationships or indeed on any aspect of homosexuality in astrological literature. What material that has been available, I have found to be superficial, moralistic, highly negative in tone, frequently flippant and often plain inaccurate.

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To my knowledge the earliest study of homosexuality in an individuals natal chart was compiled by Karl Heimsoth in Germany in 1928. Sadly it is clear from his work that he assumed (as many astrologers and most of the general public still do) that homosexuality was a neurosis and astrologically linked it with Uranus hard aspects to the inner planets. Unfortunately as the researcher J Lee Lehman has pointed out the case studies he used were in fact not even homosexual.
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(Heimsoth selected people he suspected of being gay, on “evidence” such as speech and walk. It is interesting to note that one person he selected was Edward the 8th later Duke of Windsor).

What little astrologers have written to date about homosexuality merely to my eyes underlines the still widely held notion that homosexuality is a neurosis, a departure from the "norm" and hence can be detected in the astrological chart.

But none of them have ever as far as I am aware backed this up with sound empirical evidence. The following quotes taken from an article by Peter Clamp which can also be found in some current astrological texts (that are currently widely available) are among some that I believe will support my view:

Derek and Julia Parker state that aspects between the Sun/Moon and Uranus "…are often present in the charts of homosexuals of both sexes." They suggest however "…that students do their own research; the situation is usually not so clear cut".

The reader may be as confused as I am by these contradictory statements. The first statement is fatuous or at the very least founded on some very strained interpretations as believe it or not (as my good friends Mark, Paul and Sandra will gladly testify) such aspects between the Sun/Moon and Uranus are "often" present in the charts of heterosexuals as well!

Moreover, if aspects between Uranus and Sun/Moon are often present in the charts of homosexuals, then the situation I would suggest is clear-cut. I suspect that the Parkers do not really know and are simply hedging their bets. Narrowing something as complex as sexual orientation to a single aspect in a chart seems dangerous, especially when dealing with a living evolving holistic discipline like astrology, so if one believes the truism that a person's sexuality is reflected in the whole chart and is an expression of the whole personality, how often would "often" be?

Francis Sakoian and Louis S Acker in The Astrologers Handbook (which is a very popular paperback published by Penguin Books since way back in 1974) has associate the hard aspects of Venus/Neptune and Mars/Neptune with homosexual expression.

Regarding Venus square Neptune they state quite seriously that:
"…in extreme cases there are secret sexual debaucheries. Natives may be homosexuals."
Without picking too much at the casually typed words of others (hec, who among us haven't said anything easily interpreted in the contrary essence it was meant with) I couldn't help but notice the proximity of the words "debaucheries" and "homosexuals", a clear implication that homosexuality is a definite moral negative.

With Venus opposition Neptune the situation is worse: "There is danger of practicing or being the victim of subtle sexual seduction. This can in some cases manifest itself in homosexual tendencies."

This implies that people with this aspect may be lured into sex against their will. Moreover linking "subtle sexual seduction" with "homosexual" reinforces subliminally, the totally unfounded prejudice that homosexuals are sexual predators preying on the innocent. Mars square Neptune elicits the following statement: "This aspect like Venus square Uranus or Neptune could indicate sexual deviation."

But the authors also caution that this is only if other factors in the chart confirm this such as 5th House involvement. I would have thought this caveat would also apply to Venus/Uranus and Venus/Neptune aspects.

Perhaps one day these authors will enlighten us and tell us what these confirmatory factors are. I suspect like Derek and Julia Parker that they do not really know. Seemingly it is always the hard aspects that are associated with non-mainstream sex as if God is voicing moral disapproval through the hard aspects in the chart.

This is symptomatic of an ultra-simplistic and utterly naive view of the astrological chart, where numerous "easy" aspects means you are "good' and numerous "hard" aspects means you are "bad". Most astrologers know that a grand trine can be a binding curse as well as a blessing whilst a difficult T square can be the spur to great achievement. One could equally argue that so called "easy" aspects such as Venus trine Uranus and Mars trine Uranus indicates someone who is at ease with unconventional sex and has no problem with it. In some respects easy aspects can be as troublesome as hard ones as they lack the tension required for accomplishment and/or resolution.

In a later book Arroyo's, Relationships and Life Cycles, the situation in which astrological elements seem to support homophobia does not seem to of improved:

"There's often a certain coldness (about Venus/Uranus aspects), Uranus is always somewhat impersonal, and that, hitting Venus, gives a kind of impersonal tinge to their attitude toward emotional and sexual behaviour. You're apt to find this manifestation of this interchange quite often, especially in women who go through lots of partners or who have gotten into homosexuality, although, again, the vast majority with Venus/Uranus aspects are not practicing homosexuals."

Here Arroyo, like some other psychological astrologers, links coldness, impersonality and promiscuity with being homosexual with not a shred of evidence for this connection, reinforcing the hoary, unsubstantiated old cliches and myths about gay and lesbian people, and pandering to the homophobic collective shadow. He seems to be in need of taking his own advice and stick to the key meaning of planetary aspects. In its widest sense, any major aspect between Venus and Uranus in my view signifies an unconventional attitude to relationships and relating in general; the need for personal freedom and personal space (Uranus) has to be blended somehow with the desire to unite and share with another (Venus). This key issue prevails in all kinds of relationships, same sex or otherwise.

I feel that the modern astrologers needs to focus on the freedom/closeness dilemma, which is at the core of Venus/Uranus aspects and discussing this with the client if it is causing significant problems in her or his relationships. I believe it is the quality of a client's relationships that is the really important issue for astrologers; beyond support and nurturing of this lineage of personal pride the mode of physical expression is and should be irrelevant.

Arroyo also manages to link hard Venus/Pluto aspects with "sexual problems". He states that: "Homosexual or bisexual inclinations are not uncommon; and even in those who don't act out all their urges, there is often an intense emotional resentment towards either the person's own sex or towards those of the opposite sex."

He does add that this resentment is also found in those whose sexual behaviour is exclusively heterosexual. But again as with Venus/Uranus aspects he is subtly demonising gay and lesbian people; the impression is being given that homosexuality is inherently unhealthy. The core issue regarding Venus/Pluto aspects in my view is that the need to relate is connected with the need to survive; there is a great fear of abandonment and loneliness.

The consequent feelings of extreme vulnerability produce a compensatory desire to control every aspect of relating. Inevitably the object of control gets free eventually and the fearful expectations are realised. This scenario is repeated until the individual gets wise to the situation.

The person eventually has to stand alone and must start the often painful process of forming a relationship with herself or himself whilst learning to let go of the "other".

This very familiar scenario transcends gender and sexual orientation and there is no justification, apart from perhaps a covert need to reinforce an intolerant, heterosexist position and one's own fragile sense of normalcy, to bring in homosexuality.

It must also be stated though to his credit that Arroyo does add: "… not all gay people have Mars/Uranus aspects motivating them. There are other factors too." while I am unsure if this is to discredit the entire homophobia alignments the "other factors" seems more then open to abuse and far from being above reproach.

Another writer John Townley has looked at the traditional associations of Uranus with sexual perversion and like Charles Carter has yet to find any real link between sexual perversion and the natal aspects of Uranus or indeed of any other planet.

In his review of Townley's book, F. Richard Nolle suggested that astrologers should "…revise their opinions of the importance of natal Uranus in sexual deviation, or perhaps society may be overdue for a reevaluation of what really constitutes abnormal sexual experience."

Unfortunately in many astrological and analytical circles we are all still waiting.

Wim van Dam's book Astrology and Homosexuality draws similar conclusions to both John Townley and Richard Nolle. He was unable to find in his research any significant correlation between any planetary aspect such as Venus/Uranus and homosexuality. He found that all existing theories on the astrological indicators of homosexuality fail to fit all or even the majority of cases.

In frustration it seems he resorted to the Hindu "namvamsa" chart, which seems to be based on the 9th Harmonic (40 degree aspects) and claims to have discovered some significant results. With gay men, van Dam found difficult aspects between the Moon and Saturn either in the natal or namvamsa chart to be very common, in fact he claims in ¾ of cases.

He also uses conjunctions between the 9th harmonic chart and the natal 12th harmonic chart with regard to the Moon, Saturn and the "debilitating": house cusps 6 and 12. But the number of charts he uses is only 10, too small to be taken seriously in the statistical sense. 2 of these charts are easily ruled out of court; in chart 5 the orb between the 9th harmonic Saturn and natal Moon is too wide (even when I was trying to support the argument) whilst in chart 12 the natal Moon and natal Saturn are sextile, which hardly constitutes an afflicted Moon. Richard Nolle rightly comments that difficult Moon/Saturn aspects may be found equally regularly in heterosexual charts.

Even Van Dam admits that no one signature will ever fit all cases. My feeling is that if there is a homosexual astrological signature, it should be apparent in the conventional 12th harmonic natal chart. Linking the 9th harmonic chart with the 12th harmonic natal chart admits of too much special pleading for me as well as doubling the chances that hard Moon/Saturn aspects can occur.

Additionally, if there is a homosexual signature in the chart, it has to follow that there must also be a heterosexual signature against which it can be compared.

Betty Lundsted, in her book, Astrological Insights Into Personality, has little doubt that homosexuality can be diagnosed from the chart. And she seems to have little doubt that homosexuality is neurotic too. She associates the hard aspects between the Moon and Venus with female homosexuality but presents no real evidence to back her assertion.

With the Moon/Venus conjunction, she states: "…if the rest of the chart agrees, this aspect may indicate a homosexual female. Often the lady she falls in love with is fifteen to twenty years older than she, since she may be looking for a mother substitute. She has difficulty considering the idea that she may be tied to Mother in some kind of incestuous manner." She continues thus: "If a woman is homosexual and the rest of the chart doesn't look like she has reason to be, this aspect is one that will help to find the key to why she is the way she is."

There are a number of misconceptions put forward here. Betty Lunsted clearly belongs to the "nurture" school where homosexuals are supposedly and independently "made" by their environment. She seems to be referring to some kind of homosexual Oedipal Complex; this idea has been widely accepted in analytical circles, though there has never been any real evidence for it. It merely accorded with the accepted prejudices of the times and therefore no one has really questioned it until recently.

When she talks about the Moon square Venus aspect the stereotyping becomes quite farcical.
"…she may function on a homosexual level; everyone is so busy diagnosing her 'homosexual problem' that they never look into the underlying cause - a fear of motherhood, a rejection of the biological role."

This idea is just hearsay and without foundation. There is this mythical quite prejudicial perception that not only do homosexual men and women lead a freer and less onerous lifestyle compared with married people, they are deliberately avoiding having children by being gay or lesbian.

However the number of lesbian women and gay men who are having children or want to have children is steadily increasing in the more "liberal" countries of the world. Moreover the reason why they have not had children before is obvious; it is because of numerous social prohibitions such as discriminative legislation, negative moralising from established religions, physical intimidation and social ostracism. So much for the freer less onerous lifestyle.

After all this Betty Lunsted does add a face-saving footnote which really only makes matters worse:
"Not all homosexual women are avoiding motherhood. Determining homosexual behavior is at least as complicated as determining heterosexual behavior. The subject is too vast to be discussed with any clarity here."

Having just stated that the underlying reason why women become homosexual is the avoidance of motherhood, Lundsted now says this is not always true. I would add this is rarely the case. Some heterosexual women do not want to have children but they are not stigmatised and pathologised purely because of their sexual orientation! Female and male homosexuals just "are".

I feel astrologers and psychologists should stop trying to treat them as people who are "imbalanced" and ipso facto can be "balanced" through chart analysis. They are little better than those who try to "cure" lesbians and gays through some form of reparative therapy. The only "choice" homosexual people have had in practice is whether to come out in a hostile world half of whom would still like to see you dead or hide behind a heterosexual front.

The view that homosexuality is a "problem" is the result of very narrow political, social and cultural ideas about sex; the Christian religions view sex as purely procreative denying its wholesome perfectly natural recreative component. And people still like to think it is a choice despite mounting scientific evidence to the contrary to maintain their persecutory and judgmental stance and avoid confronting their own sexual shadow. Rather than own the devil within they collectively project the devil without.

People who have a problem with homosexuality from my experience have a problem with sex in general and the whole Plutonian side of life, but rather than openly acknowledge it, prefer to take the easy option and project their repressed instinctual "shadows" on to lesbian and gay people. Homophobia is symptomatic of the general community's fear and pathologisation of sex itself, a fear which is conveniently projected on to a scapegoated sexual minority.

Moreover, if homosexuality is as vast and as complex as Betty Lunsted suggests (and she's right about that) I really question her authority in including any references to it in her book. And if determining homosexual behaviour is as complicated as determining heterosexual behaviour I find it hard to understand why she can still maintain that she can ascertain homosexuality from the astrological chart.

This of course presupposes that heterosexuality too can be ascertained from the chart, which the majority of readers would regard as completely nonsensical. One can therefore imagine how lesbian and gay people feel about the whole patronising business.

Betty Lundsted's book is still in print (and a copy rests on my shelf if anyone wants to borrow it) She may have changed her position in the meantime. But I wish she and other psychological astrologers would come out and say so.

Since the early 1980s there has been a deafening silence from astrologers on this whole issue and I suspect it may be the silence of indifference, ignorance or embarrassment.

Thus far we have had the following planetary aspects (hard ones of course!) linked with homosexuality by the following noted astrologers:

Sun/Uranus - Derek and Julia ParkerMoon/Venus - Betty Lunsted

Moon/Uranus - Derek and Julia Parker

Venus/Mars - Betty Lunsted

Venus/Saturn - Liz Greene

Venus/Uranus - Frances Sakoian & Louis Acker, Stephen Arroyo (maybe)

Venus/Neptune - Francis Sakoian & Louis Acker

Venus/Pluto - Stephen Arroyo

Mars/Uranus - Stephen Arroyo

Mars/Neptune - Stephen Arroyo, Francis Sakoian & Louis Acker

Mars/Pluto - Stephen Arroyo

It is quite evident that astrologers do not agree at all as to what planetary aspect or aspects are associated with homosexuality. In my journey of acquaintanceship with astrology, I have heard nearly every zodiac sign linked to homosexuality bar Leo. (Though I await it!).

I think it is time astrologers stopped theorising about homosexual signatures in the natal chart because it is quite clear from their own highly conflicting unfounded and muddled evidence, there are none. Writers like Stephen Arroyo have hinted at other factors in the chart which need to be looked at in relation to homosexuality but neither he nor anyone else has ever spelt them out to my knowledge. The reason is that either they do not know or they are just not that interested.

J Lee Lehman is one of the very few astrologers who have statistically tested existing theories on homosexual signatures. She found that none of the theories were valid. Moreover she thinks that the main reason why none of these theories stood up was the invalid premise on which these theories were based, that homosexuality is pathological and abnormal. This makes a lot of sense to me.

Looking for astrological signatures presupposes that homosexuality is abnormal and it is significant after thousands of years that no astrological consensus has ever been reached on what chart signature or signatures can be linked with it. I suggest astrologers give up this futile and demeaning research and start treating their lesbian and gay clients like everyone else, which is the underlying message of this whole article.

I would have to agree with the position Marion March and Joan McEvers adopt in their book, The Only Way To Learn About Tomorrow. They express great scepticism about homosexual signatures in the chart. They quote recent estimates that 1/6 of the population is bisexual or homosexual and logically conclude that they cannot all have the same astrological signature anymore than the heterosexual majority.

Astrologers seem to be in accord with the view that neither race, religion, nor gender can be detected from the astrological chart and I firmly believe sexual orientation should be added to the list.

March and McEvers, like most astrologers, continue to view homosexuality as behavioural, as psychologically problematic caused by poor parenting. They do however commendably "correct" themselves in their following book on relationships, The Only Way To Learn About Relationships. Here they refer to recent scientific studies that strongly suggest that homosexuality is rooted in biology. Indeed the scientists involved in the research have stated unequivocally that they would not be spending all their time and money researching the "gay" gene unless it was implicitly understood that homosexuals are born not made.

Liz Greene in her book Relating stated way back in 1978 that the topic has been "exhaustively explored". Contrary to Liz Greene, I find that the subject of "Homosexuality" has been exhaustively ignored by astrologers and Jungian analysts (which was the point of view the book was written from) who seem to treat it as irrelevant, a minor aberration of human behaviour not worth worrying about.

In fact we have had to wait until 1989 for the 1st serious monograph on homosexuality to be written from a Jungian perspective and even then other Jungian analysts questioned the need for it.

"While amongst Freudian and Adlerian psychoanalysts, homophobia most frequently takes the form of pathologisation and condemnation, amongst Jungians, it typically takes the form of neglect.".

It is only in the last 10 years that some Jungian analysts have started to take it seriously in their considerations of the human psyche after pressure from feminists, lesbians and gays sympathetic to Jung's work.

Carl Jung himself rarely mentions homosexuality in his Collected Works and his followers seemed to have unquestioningly followed suit. When they do deign to comment on homosexuality, they tend to emphasise what they perceive as the negative rather than the positive aspects.

Liz Greene's use of the word "exhaustive" in 1978 is significant in that it implies that for her, everything has already been said on the subject, which is hardly the case even in the more enlightened open 1990s. The first ever collection of essays on same-sex love from a Jungian perspective only came out in 1993, which hardly constitutes an exhaustive flood [32]. Liz Greene comments that astrology has "…its arsenal of preconceptions and misconceptions about sexuality".

It is unfortunate that in my view like other psychological astrologers she has added to them herself with regard to homosexuality.

I bear in mind that books like Liz Greene's Relating were written over 20 years ago when gay liberation and gay affirmative psychotherapy was in its infancy. She is one of the very few intrepid astrologers who have attempted to write at any length about the astrology of homosexuality, which is why I will be commenting on what she has written at some length. She initially tries hard to adopt a non-judgmental, tolerant stance, questioning the whole concept of sexual normality.

Tolerance however is very different from acceptance. Tolerance to me implies a superior/inferior position and whilst she strives hard to be fair in an intellectual sense, I detect a distinct unease about the subject in Chapter 6 of her book, Relating, entitled
"The Sex Life of the Psyche". She rightly states that nobody can judge whether different forms of sexual expression are normal or abnormal. Additionally, like Marion March and Joan McEvers, she thinks there is no clear way of telling whether one is homosexual from the natal chart.

The tone initially is seemingly tolerant, fair and balanced, the appearance liberal and non-homophobic.

But after this, I believe she shows a darker side and her writing reveals far more about her own relationship to homosexuality than about homosexuality and its relationship to astrology in general. After cloaking herself with the language of tolerance and saying that homosexuality is not a sickness, she appears to contradict herself.

She states that homosexuality often (there's that precise word "often" again) involves a complete repression of unconscious figures, a state of mind that does not sound too healthy to me; in fact it sounds downright pathological. Her discomfort with the subject I feel is further exposed when she comments on Freud's concept of latent homosexuality.

"…it is also a pity that Freud's concept of 'latent homosexuality' should still be an old bogeyman for many individuals who feel that expressing the transsexual side of their natures will somehow make them homosexual. If anything, the opposite is likely to be true; for what we call homosexuality is often the result of a complete repression of unconscious figures which - like any other component of the unconscious - will become antagonistic and overwhelm consciousness if they are treated with arrogance or contempt by the ego."

Ironically, Freud himself unlike most of his followers was in some ways fairly relaxed in his attitude towards same-sex relationships and this may be reflected in his concept of latent homosexuality. But Liz Greene seems to be unsettled by the very idea that "heterosexual" people may also have occasional sexual feelings towards people of the same sex, ignoring Kinsey's concept of a sexual continuum between homosexuality and heterosexuality.

She dismisses Freud's view and labels homosexuals in the process as walking hotbeds of unconscious repression to reinforce her argument and maintain heterosexual normalcy. What unconscious figures are being repressed she does not say; I assume she is referring to the Soul Image, the animus/anima concept, the unconscious masculine/feminine images which are supposed to be present in all of us.

Erin Sullivan in her insightful book Dynasty - The Astrology of Family Dynamics hammers home the point that "astrology is not gender-biased", that " masculine and feminine do not necessarily always refer to men and women.".

Astrology itself unlike the various psychologies has no problem with homosexuality; whether one is in a straight or same-sex relationship the same planetary and sign dynamics apply. The astrological chart does not discriminate, only astrologers do.

I suggest that Jungians are challenged to enlarge their concept of anima/animus to include the homosexual, transsexual and bisexual experiences of life instead of rigidly adhering to a restrictive, non-inclusive, heterosexist model. Again astrology shows the way. The energies represented by the planets go beyond gender, beyond masculinity and femininity and are dynamic in their own right.

I cannot see anything particularly dynamic about a stereotypical union between an uncommunicative knuckle dragging man who spends all his time down at the pub with his mates (perhaps he is "animus" possessed!) and his neglected wife who stays at home all the time.

But this scenario is stereotypical and cliched just as mincing queens with vanity-ridden animas lisping their way around the gay bars is. The human psyche is in my experience "…Byzantine in its complexity" and we should try to grapple with this complexity and explore it instead of abrogating our responsibility and saying it is all too difficult. Homosexuality, far from "neutering" the fundamental masculine/ feminine, eros/logos polarity actually broadens and enriches it and frees all of us from bondage to narrow and inhibiting stereotypes.

Homophobia is in reality a form of self-hatred, a conscious or unconscious hatred of one's primeval instincts masquerading in a projected form of hatred for a sexual minority. Coming to terms with our own homophobia means we are all free to be ourselves with our unique blends of feminine/masculine and it is astrology, above Jungian Psychology, above all other psychological systems that clarifies this through the natal chart.

Partly through Jung's influence, Liz Greene seems to be perpetuating homosexual stereotyping and adding to rather than detracting from astrological misconceptions about sexuality. The closer I look at Chapter 6 "The Sex Life of the Psyche" from her book Relating the more concerned I get as it seems to portray such a hackneyed, distorted view and indeed out-moded view of the supposed homosexual psyche and experience and the astrological aspects that she associates with it. She quotes random opinions on homosexuality to show confusion about the subject.

They would be forgivable if they were at least witty; instead she merely trots out jokes such as "all interior decorators are homosexual" that were worn out even in the 1970s.

On the one hand, Greene suggests that homosexuality is "chosen". Then in the next paragraph she admits that homosexuals perhaps "…are truly 'born' with their propensity."

The 1978 Concise Oxford Dictionary definition of homosexuality as a propensity for the same sex, I would suggest, is incomplete. From my experience, being gay is far more than just a propensity, an inclination, something you can put on and take off like a shirt; it is an integral part of one's very being. One does not choose a lifestyle that runs counter to the mainstream, risking real social ostracism, endemic queer bashing, exploding bombs, soul murder by some psychoanalysts and potential familial estrangement unless this is so.

The only choice homosexuals have had up to now was whether to hide their sexual orientation, openly live it braving the inevitable hostility or self-destruct. Many do in fact self-destruct in adolescence, which is one of the major causes of the high youth suicide rate. The coming out of young homosexuals is often traumatic as families infected by collective homophobia are frequently hostile.

If homosexuality is chosen, then logically heterosexuality is chosen too, as according to Liz Greene we have a choice in the matter. I cannot think of any heterosexual person of my acquaintance who has consciously chosen to be so, for them it is just instinctive and ingrained; they don't even think about it. I make the radical suggestion that the same could also apply to homosexuals. And recent scientific evidence increasingly supports the biological view.

If one is confused as Liz Greene appears to be as to whether homosexuality is genetic, behavioural or an indeterminate mixture of both, then I fail to understand how she can attempt to speak about the subject with any clarity or conviction particularly in its relationship to astrology.

Liz Greene has done a great deal in broadening and deepening astrological chart interpretation through her extensive experience as a Jungian analyst. But any psychological system is inevitably circumscribed by the peculiar characteristics of their originators and Jungian psychology is no exception. Carl Jung was a heterosexual man whose model of the human psyche is understandably heterosexually based and biased. He wrote very little about homosexuality to the extent where in comparison with his total output, he virtually ignored it. This is not necessarily a criticism of Jung; unlike some of his followers he quite correctly seemed reluctant to discourse on something he had little personal experience of. And so I get concerned when psychological astrologers like Liz Greene use the Jungian model of the human psyche in conjunction with astrology to deny homosexuals the right to be treated as psychologically equal to the rest of the population.

To illustrate my argument I will examine what Greene says about Venus/Saturn aspects in her book Relating. When she talks about hard Venus/Saturn aspects in men's charts she reveals to me quite clearly that she regards homosexuality as pathological. She says that with difficult Venus/Saturn aspects in a male chart: "All kinds of by-products may ensue, ranging from coldness, lack of feeling and withdrawal to eventual homosexuality."

The clear message here is that coldness, lack of feeling and withdrawal is associated with the homosexual state; male homosexuality for her seems to be about repression of feelings especially towards women. My perspective on Venus/Saturn aspects is that deep feelings are definitely there but there is a lid on them. There is a fear about openly expressing them, about showing love and affection and a caution about emotional commitment in all relationships, opposite sex or otherwise.

This caution is underpinned by a need for certainty, definition and security. To drag in homosexuality into this equation and imply that it is the ultimate result of denial of feelings is to completely misunderstand and misrepresent homosexuality.

Greene is doing exactly what Stephen Arroyo has done; comment on something negative such as violence and repressed emotion and then drag in homosexuality in the same sentence for no sound reason at all. I have found hard Venus/Saturn aspects affect all relationships not just those of the opposite sex variety. This is a classic example of the dangers in assigning different planetary energies to one or other gender and making sexist assumptions based on that.

If one regards the Venusian energy as the ability to relate, unite, join and harmonise, this ability is inhibited and restricted when combined in a hard aspect with Saturn. There is caution, fear and vulnerability around the whole relating business and a man or a woman with this aspect would have problems freely relating to anyone regardless of gender. But to conclude that this fear of relating in a man's chart leads to eventual homosexuality is to my mind a ludicrous argument.

Liz Greene's commentary on Venus/Saturn aspects is a classic example of how some analysts and astrologers can continue to wittingly or unwittingly pathologise homosexuality in covert and subtle ways whilst still publicly waving their liberal banners. Clearly for Liz Greene homosexuality is still very much a " problem" because it is based on the repression of feelings and the alleged inability to relate to the opposite sex. Of course it depends what you mean by relating to the opposite sex.

I contend that men do not have to sex with women the whole time or any of the time in order to "relate" to them and vice versa. In my experience, many gay men generally relate to women very positively; they feel comfortable with them talking about feelings and emotions. And from my experience our most important relationship experiences are just as often asexual.

In short, Liz Greene has done little in her book Relating to correct the negative image that homosexuality has in astrology, and in fact has continued to perpetuate negative homosexual myths and stereotypes. Whilst she warns against being judgmental, she simultaneously denies homosexuals the right to be treated equally with heterosexuals in a psychological sense. Jungian psychology reflects the personality of its originator; it is heterosexually biased and fails to recognise and incorporate the reality and the validity of the homosexual experience.

The current fierce resistance to the androgynous view of the psyche amongst the majority of its followers is testimony to that. Liz Greene's book "Relating" psychologically discriminates against homosexuals and from my point of view has done more harm than good in raising people's levels of acceptance towards sexual minorities. I find it hard to conceive that she would write this chapter on "The Sex Life of the Psyche" in exactly the same manner now as she did in 1978. She may or may not have modified or altered her position in the meantime but I have not heard or seen anything to that effect. I presume she stands by what she has written.

But the fact is that Relating is still in print, still very popular, yet still disseminating what I believe are grave misconceptions about homosexuality. The only comment she appears to have made on homosexuality in the chart since 1979 has been in The Inner Planets - Seminars In Psychological Astrology Volume 4]. And it is significant that she only comments on it when prompted by a member of her seminar audience.

When she discusses Venus/Moon aspects, she states that the same psycho-astrological dynamics apply to homosexual as well as heterosexual relationships. One planetary energy is consciously "owned" whilst the other is projected on to the partner in the relationship. The theme is the same for everyone, balancing the need for security with the desire for erotic fulfilment.
Greene appears to have shifted to a more androgynous view of the human psyche than before, implicitly accepting that homosexual relationships operate on the same fundamental logos/eros polarity as heterosexual ones which is quite a different position to that which she adopted in Relating.

Yet Relating continues to be printed unaltered, and in my opinion, continues to badly misinform readers about homosexuality and its relationship to astrology. Above all, it subliminally reinforces the widely held view that homosexuality is inherently inferior to heterosexuality and continues to help to create a climate where gay and lesbian people are treated as second class citizens.

No wonder her main character of "Victor" resisted analysis. In fact many gay and lesbian people including me have resisted analysis until recently because of the entrenched homophobia in analytical circles (I was astonished to read that until 2002 there were still no "out" gay psychoanalysts in Ireland).

People may well ask why it has taken so long for someone like me, on a blog like this to question what has been written by astrologers in the last 20 years.

The answer I feel is partly "internalised homophobia".

When one has been bombarded throughout life with highly destructive remarks from the collective about one's sexual identity, there is a tendency to unconsciously take some of it on board. I have worked hard on my own internalised homophobia and now see things very, very differently.

What Liz Greene wrote on homosexuality in Relating during the 1970s was, believe it or not, a considerable advance on anything written before that by astrologers. But in the context of the nineties and naughties it is no longer tenable and has become objectionable because of its heterosexist bias and unconscious homophobia.

The same comment can also be made about the very questionable comments on homosexuality and its supposed astrological significators by Stephen Arroyo, Betty Lundsted and others.

In conclusion I would suggest that searching for a homosexual signature in the natal chart is a complete waste of time and quite irrelevant. This search in itself seems implicitly homophobic. There is absolutely no consensus of opinion amongst astrologers about it. The multitude of astrological signatures that have been suggested are just hearsay and are not backed up by any serious empirical evidence.

There is no evidence or authentic tradition that the hard aspects (square, opposition and sometimes conjunction ) between Mars/Venus and the outer planets are more likely to be linked to homosexuality than heterosexuality.

The fact that astrologers have suggested this link in the past speaks volumes about the prevalent ill-informed prejudices against gay and lesbian people.

Moreover, the search for an astrological signature for homosexuality presupposes that it is abnormal in some way. The fact that this search has been spectacularly unsuccessful speaks for itself. Sexual orientation like race, religion and gender cannot be detected in the chart; the chart does not judge whether a person is normal or abnormal and neither should we.

The same dynamics exist in homosexual relationships as well as heterosexual ones. The planetary energies are ultimately beyond gender and belong to us all.