Dark, shadowy, little understood; the Hadeans, even under the most intense scrutiny, give away almost nothing of their true nature. Pluto, the best known of the Triumvirate of the Underworld, is so fundamentally dimensioned that despite countless studies and analyses, we cannot ever be sure if we have truly burrowed to his dark essence. Like... Continue Reading →
(An excerpt from my forthcoming book.) The term peregrine is much misunderstood in astrological practice. Nicholas DeVore in his Encyclopaedia of Astrology defines it as being “Foreign, alien. Said of a planet posited in a sign where it possesses no essential dignity: where it is neither dignified nor debilitated. ... However, no planet is... Continue Reading →
What a delight Neptune is, with his glorious, undermining illusions. A few months ago, somebody asked me to look at the case of an aging relative who was becoming ‘confused and forgetful’. We talked about it for a while, science, in the form of a kindly, but ultimately noncommittal doctor had no answer to the problem, nor any advice it seemed, except to “monitor the situation”. The fear was, naturally enough, Alzheimer’s.
I believe that Neptune is given a fabulously good press by contemporary astrology, and one that is scarcely deserved. Certainly, Neptune’s reputation is enormously positive compared to his brother Pluto’s, and yet I am endlessly sceptical about how deserving of his many generous epithets Neptune truly is. Like the ocean, Neptune seems beautiful, yearning and restive, a vastness of potential and a personification of a gentle eternity, but it seems that way from the perspective of the safe shore. Anyone who has been beyond sight of land in a black and angry sea understands that Neptune’s power is just as dread as his brother’s; equally as alien and inhumane.
This is an interesting diagram which delineates the 'strength' of Pluto through the signs. With Pluto, stronger does not mean better, it means, well, stronger. To have sympathy with an energy does not always mean to have more of it, indeed, Pluto is subtle, deep and most of all hidden, so to have Pluto in... Continue Reading →
What you can see here is a diagram of my devising which places the planets in the context of human consciousness. They are calibrated in this way using a specific methodology which has been checked against a number of spiritual perspectives and which (ultimately) feels correct, intuitively at least. I do not wish to make... Continue Reading →
Make no mistake, Pluto is strong stuff. Hard to handle, and while there is much to understand about Pluto and his mechanisms and expositions it is important to remember that the planets do not control us, they cannot 'make us' do anything at all, it is only our determination to be the master of our... Continue Reading →
May you live in interesting times! This is an old Chinese curse, although some mistakenly attribute it a blessing. Interesting times are of course, times of change, times of upheaval, times where the old and sedate ways of the world are undergoing transformation. They are, quite simply, Uranus-Pluto times. We live in such times. As... Continue Reading →
This is the final instalment of my series on spiritual astrology, discussing in some depth the midlife transits, the Pluto and Neptune squares, and the Uranus half-return, among others. Thanks to everyone for their support and encouragement; I aim to record material on new topics later in the year, I am under some pressure to... Continue Reading →
My book on Orcus is nearing completion and I have to say it's been a really incredible journey, I am so very much looking forward to sharing this important discovery and its many insights with the astrological community. I have no hesitation in proclaiming my belief that Orcus is not a minor planet, indeed, I... Continue Reading →
I raised my head. The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky--seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness. - Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness, Part 3 Last week I wrote about how... Continue Reading →
Today I wanted to convey a basic tenet of Pluto, possibly the basic tenet of Pluto; that being the manner in which it is the root of all compulsion. We can understand this when we consider that the Lord Hades is hidden. Mythically, the stories tell us that he inhabited the Underworld - Tartarus -... Continue Reading →
Today's article will be something of an experiment. Because the time and effort required to produce these educational astrology articles is considerable, I am hoping to encourage a positive energy exchange with my readers (up to 800 a day!) so for major pieces I will produce the work in a PDF document which you can... Continue Reading →
Every day begins with ritual. And yet, in these confused times our rituals have lost their wonder, their heart. Hygeia, Ceres, Vesta, we can honour the Goddesses in the simple rituals of awakening, washing, breaking fast and then, before we begin attending to our livelihood, we attend to the hearth, especially upon these cold winter... Continue Reading →
Many years ago I knew a man who went by the name of Pete Woolly-Hat. I have no clue as to his birth name, but he was so known because he wore a woolly-hat wherever he went, rain or shine, winter or summer. He was a musician and probably (at that time) in his thirties,... Continue Reading →
In a life without trines, everything is hard work. Is that how it should be? I wanted to read my book but that feels like slacking. "Self-improvement is work too!" I hear myself cry, but it won't change my inner perspective. I find myself looking forward to waiting rooms because at least then I won't... Continue Reading →
In "Iron John: A Book About Men", Robert Bly relates an anecdote wherein a friend announced to Carl Jung that he had just won a promotion; Jung responded by saying "that's terrible, but I'm sure if we all stick together then we'll get through it," and conversely, when the same friend announced that they had... Continue Reading →
Why exactly all the fuss about the 12th house Sun? I hear the reality of a 12th house Sun bemoaned on a frequent basis. That Venus in the 12th has its plus points too, but generally, wouldn't it be better for me if...? It's funny, because nobody makes a great hue and cry about having... Continue Reading →
My days of late have been taken up with re-reading Robert Graves and a host of other commentaries and originals, such as Horace, Virgil, Herodotus, Hesiod and of course, Homer. I studied the classics at school and have continued to go back to those wonderful stories time and again over the years. Reading of the... Continue Reading →
Today I would like to focus on an issue highlighted by several comments and questions that I have received on this journal and by email. Here are two example questions which illustrate the broad principle I should like to expand upon: Jacque asks in response to Advanced Vulcanology: aspects of Pluto: "I have Sun... Continue Reading →
