The rise and rise of Rolf Harris was always somehow improbable, and though his fall has only just begun, it makes an excellent study of how easy it is to fall into the trap of misplaced self-belief. Many of my generation are reeling somewhat from the news that Rolf Harris, whose cheerful, positive and uplifting... Continue Reading →
With the inconjunct and semi-sextile, you have aspects that are vaguely out of tune with one another. Planets that are 150° apart are awkward, and whilst the aspect creates a desire for connection, there is an discomfort, and a vague clumsiness surrounding the association. They're like strangers thrown together on a blind date, both hoping... Continue Reading →
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 →
Just recently there has been a rash of investigative astrology in relation to the untimely and unfortunate death of Paul Walker, an actor I'd not heard of, but my interest was piqued because of the comparisons made between Walker and the iconic James Dean. This prompted me to revisit Dean's grand travail, the impeccable exploration... Continue Reading →
Here, among other effects, Orcus complicates issues of identity and creativity. Rudyard Kipling, with Orcus conjunct Sun in Capricorn and the 5th house, squaring Neptune, was perplexed by who he was, where he came from, and what he would become, from the age of 7 and on. It became an obsession to him after he... Continue Reading →
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 reckoned peregrine if it be in mutual reception... Continue Reading →
Much has been written about the astrology of the Mayan end-date tomorrow, with particular reference being made to the Yod formed from a Saturn Pluto sextile to Jupiter, retrograde in Gemini. For me, this Yod holds no especial promise. Indeed, it has some intimation of a fixation with communicating a glib set of values to... Continue Reading →
Something remarkable is going on in the heavens right now, but it’s not generally known about. There’s the eclipse of course, at 6 Gemini – Sagittarius, but this actually forms a Grand Cross with Chiron’s current opposition to Orcus. Chiron – Orcus is the wound of integrity of course, and in the Virgo and Pisces... Continue Reading →
I have given it some thought and I have determined that it might be useful to say a few words about the current Solar Eclipse at (close to) 22 Scorpio. Of course you can read plenty of commentary on this from various astrologers who will all tell you that this eclipse will signify a... 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.
Recently I had a conversation with Nate, he had read “Orcus” and wanted to share his own experience. The book spoke to him, he said, and indeed as he explained his many perspectives I could only agree, he was deeply connected with a positive expression of Orcan energy. One of the real challenges of writing... Continue Reading →
While Saturn travelled through Libra, we were tasked with new learning. Saturn is always about learning as evidenced by the fact that wherever he resides in your chart is a place where you are especially under-prepared. If you have Saturn in Libra therefore, you start out with a difficulty in relating in a mature and... Continue Reading →
Any full Moon represents either the culmination, or we might say fruition of a relationship, or the end of it. There is much talk about lunar cycles and how they ought to affect us as individuals, but rarely is there a recognition of the basic implication of Sun and Moon when it is discussed. Sun... Continue Reading →
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 →
I've been asked a couple of times for the contents of the book; here it is: Table of Contents Acknowledgements. Part I Mythology. The Swearing of Oaths. Orcus the Implacable. The Etruscan Orcus and the Grim Reaper. Orcus the Wild Man. Hubris. Imprisonment. Stacy Keach. Mike Tyson. Terry Waite. Nelson Mandela. Punishment. Unconscious Programming. Dehumanisation.... Continue Reading →
Here is an extract from "Orcus", on the contacts to Mercury. All the planetary contacts are covered in detail in the book. You can buy your copy here (US), or here (UK). In my view, this is an uncomfortable pairing in the extreme. Mercury’s rather whimsical predisposition to flightiness suffers inordinately under the implacable dictate... Continue Reading →
I am very excited to announce the publication of my first book whose subject is the phenomenally important transneptunian body, Orcus. It has taken three years to get this far (I started researching Orcus seriously in 2009) and I am delighted to be able to share this knowledge with the wider astrological community, who, I... Continue Reading →
A seemingly vast number of people have presented me with the question: can Pluto be a good thing? I approached this question in my last article and made the seemingly unequivocal answer of ‘no’. Whilst, upon initial examination, this is as much as the topic needs, there are of course other nuances to consider. The... Continue Reading →
Most often I am asked, "is there any circumstance in which Pluto can be good?" Or some approximation (evaluative or otherwise) thereof. I think this misses the point almost entirely and betrays a fundamental misconception about the intrinsic nature of Pluto. Pluto is unconscious domination energy. You can ask then, is there any way in which nuclear material can be good? because this is fundamentally the same question. Let us examine it just a little and uncover its innate paradoxes.
