Lunar Eclipse 16th September ~~ love your vulnerabilities~~ 24° Pisces

This lunar eclipse is the final of the season and is exact on Friday 16^th September at 8:05pm in the UK at 24’19 Pisces.

It will be visible from the UK, and reaches its closest point at 19:54.  However, this is a penumbral lunar eclipse; meaning the earth’s shadow falls on only a small portion of the Moon and so the change in light will be barely noticeable.

Although only a partial and therefore less potent eclipse; astrologically we have quite a powerful and emotional chart, with the Moon in Pisces sat next to Chiron the wounded healer.  Whilst Chiron is only regarded astronomically as an asteroid, it has a very powerful affect in an astrological chart.

I regard Chiron to be the ruler of Virgo as it correlates with the perfectionist, hygienic and self-deprecating traits of the sign; along with showing the triumphs of conscientiousness, kindness, service to others and innate patience which come from the taking ones owns own needs out of the equation. 

Where Chiron falls in a chart will tell you a lot about your deepest vulnerabilities and fears and I will always look to this area of the chart to understand how best to empathise and understand somebody’s true needs.  By connecting with somebody’s Chiron, you will be able to develop a truly deep bond, so long as your intentions are entirely genuine. 

Chiron is exalted in Gemini, as by expressing and sharing your wounds you can connect with others on a deep level and encourage them to share their own.  Chiron is connected with anorexia, OCD and self-purging kinds of behaviours when at its most difficult and suppressed positions.  Facing the fear of others’ judgement and acknowledging your weaknesses in this area is where this energy triumphs into connectivity, and healing begins.  Hence, many of the best healers, carers, nurses and nurturers have a strong Chiron position and have learned how to recognise the wounds in others, by understanding and having already integrated these within themselves.  We’ve all heard that the best counsellors are those with personal expertise in the applicable area. 

The main focus of this lunar eclipse is upon accepting ourselves, acknowledging our deepest fears and in turn being sensitive to those of others.  With Mars closely square the Moon-Chiron eclipse point, there may be fallouts and disagreements triggering these weak spots.  For those of you who find yourselves in an argument with somebody you care about around this time, do try to breathe, step back and recognise that many of us become angry when we at our most scared.  By looking at the source of behaviour, rather than reacting the behaviour itself we have the opportunity to become closer and create a bridge between those who may have formed chasms of self-preservation.

As always the key to the best possible outcome is to consider, “what would love do now.”  When in an ego state the tendency is to defend one’s position and fight to win an argument, or cover up a part of the self that we fear others seeing.  Love on the other hand has nothing to hide, and knows that where it exists then more love will manifest.  We always end up a reflection of what we project, and this isn’t only the case on a conscious level, but on all levels of energy.  Spending time chanting mantras every day will eventually re-programme the subconscious into positive patterns, but this needs to be corroborated with good intent at other times too.  It is not what we say to others, it is what we think to others that matters the most.

Words can help and with Chiron they can create a form of connection between people which breaks down the most inpenetrable barriers, but sending love is just as powerful, often more so.

Is there anybody in your life who you feel anger for?  Are you seething, or festering an energy which has the effect of draining your core spirit?  Is there an impasse which causes you distress or upset?  Are you holding on to a scenario from the past and replaying it in your mind?

I read an article this week about how the neurons in the brain work as muscles and become stronger and more able to perform wherever they are exercised the most.  Which areas of thought do you over-emphasise?  Do these thoughts serve you and help you create the next stage of the life you wish for, or do they hold you back and reinforce a negative view? 

We can re-programme anything we wish if we believe so.  Amends can be made with any person we want, there are no boundaries, only those which we create for ourselves.  Sometimes those which have been created for us by others in our childhood and we have replayed through habit, rather than choice.  Chiron often reflects early programming which has been passed by parents and peers to us through our formative years.  Often those who fear ‘ending up like their parents’ are the ones who end up exactly as their parents. 

The key is choice.  We cannot change our wounds, we cannot discount our vulnerabilities but we can turn them into strengths and connectivity.  We can look at our own defensive, or angry, or subversive responses to weakness and recognise these same mechanisms in those around us.

Chiron is the key; the key to understanding that we all suffer the same wounds, the same fears but we are also all capable of expressing the same love. 

If you’d like me to have a look at how Chiron functions in your chart and which areas this eclipse will emphasise in your life, then contact me at: waxlobster@hotmail.com and I can provide a reading by email, skype or in person for just £20.

With love and connectivity~~~~~ x

At a standstill – the retrograde days of May and June 2016 - aubergine

Those who follow astrology will already know that Mars and Pluto both turned retrograde a couple of weeks ago now; on Monday 18th April.

During the 10 days which have elapsed since, neither have even moved beyond the degree at which the stationed retrograde. For more than a week they have appeared to be practically stationary, from a geocentric perspective. As they begin to speed up their backwards motion, Mercury joins the retrospective gang; of which Jupiter and Saturn are already the ringleaders.

If you feel like you’ve made no progress at all so far this month, I’m afraid this is very unlikely to change during May!



On a more positive note, such a strong collective of retrograde planets does not need to be counter-productive; rather it encourages a more introspective and reflective time. There are many tasks which are benefited by the non-gregariousness of mass retrograde. For instance, whilst I would never tell somebody this is a good time to move house; it is an excellent time to review what you really want to change, the reasons you're considering moving and the pluses and minuses for such a choice.

It is also an excellent time for clearing out anything you don’t need, or haven’t dealt with in recent times. Whilst this also could be applied in a metaphorical sense, the truth is when there are this many planets retrograde anything unresolved in a physical and practical sense will become very clear.

Ghosts from the past are unavoidable with Mars retrograde, and with Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto all asking for recognition also, these can be complex times. They say, “what you resist, persists” and throughout the coming two months niggles will become issues if you try to ignore them.

Mars turned retrograde at 8° Sagittarius, so for early Sagittarians and late Scorpios this will feel more intense. For those born around 30th November this is personal! By the time Mars reaches the degree of your natal Sun sign again on 23rd August 2016 – although the retrograde itself ends on 30th June - you will have changed your mind about a couple of things that you were certain of a few months earlier. {I would have to look at the houses and position of your natal Sun within the context of the rest of your chart to be more specific}.

Many are familiar with the issues of a Mercury retrograde that often there are computer issues, technology failures, mechanical slowdowns, traffic problems. These side-effects of a Mercury retrograde are usually viewed with disdain. With 5 planets retrograde throughout the whole of May these delays will be more pronounced than ever, so let me offer another perspective here…

Firstly, a retrograde occurs when a planet *appears* to be moving backwards. When viewing the position of planets in a chart we do so from the earth’s perspective and so it makes sense that there are times when the orbits of the other planets are viewed from earth to be ‘backward’ or ‘retrograde’. The occurrence of such is completely predictable, as it is all easily calculable mathematically. Just like the times on our watches and clocks.

The timings that we live to are based upon the earth’s orbit around the Sun (1 year) and the earth’s rotation around its own axis (one day) and the minutes and hours that we live by are divisions of these simple and predictable factors. Or at least we think they are predictable, what if they are not? What if there is a variance in the earth’s rotation around the Sun? We have a leap year added every 4 years to make up the differential in the divisions, our dawn and dusk timings vary on the basis of the season, as well as on the basis of the quarter of a day inaccuracy in the system of ‘time’. What if the actual rotations are not quite accurate either? What are we living by when we are following the clock?

Every day that I work I am expected to arrive at a certain time. It is expected that I will be able to awaken at the same time, clean and dress myself, leave my home and travel to work and do all this within a particular allotted period of time which results in me arriving to work in the same way I did last time I came to work. All of this is seen to be perfectly acceptable and usual but, the longer I live the more peculiar it seems to me.

I follow the planets, I live in the moment, I try to be present in my surroundings {or not, should my thoughts be more captivating}. I know from this experience that no two days are ever the same, that even each minute can be quite, quite different. It seems that most people I meet also appreciate that life consists of inconsistency and yet….we are expected to ignore this and act as if life is the same, each day, in each way.



I could go further into the psychology of this and look at the control elements which are inherent and implicit within the procurement and maintenance of social routines. Perhaps even analyse and check the correlations between addiction and routine and how the two are not just linked but that for addiction to be a concept, habit has to be established, and for a habit to be created; a routine or sorts must already be in place. I won’t go into that though! ;-)

When considering the factors which make up the framework of ‘time’ that we are all tied tightly to in Western ‘civilisation’ then the concept of retrogrades can be viewed slightly differently. If you were living on Mercury a day takes about the equivalent of 59 earth days and year takes around 88 earth days. How would you divide up time then? Can you accept time as a concept when you view it from outside of the earth plane? If you are in a space rocket there is no time. There is no gravity, which is what gives us the illusion of aging, there is no sunrise and sunset which helps us to decide when to go to sleep (or did before artificial lights were prevalent).

Yet we still live in a world where almost everything we do is entirely dictated by the so framework of the clock.

The clock which was invented only 700 years ago.



When the profundity of time is viewed as an attempt at enforced perfunctory, uniformity it offers a new perspective upon the inconvenience caused by retrograde planets. Yes, there may be delays but why are you actually rushing to your destination. Why is it expected that you should be able to defy all that is possible on a motorway standstill, simply to sit in a room for an allotted period of time; with or without other people. If your computer is breaking down; is it really an awful thing, or could it be an excuse to pick up a pen and start writing or sketching your ideas free-form.

If your mobile phone falls in a puddle maybe it's a reminder that you used to always have a book that you were immersed in, that fed your imagination, your soul and your inner world far more than a brief sojourn with social media ever could. Perhaps that person you've walked past the last 3 mornings in a row would be heartened by a smile of acknowledgement?

Retrogrades give us an opportunity to not only look within, but to be the person that we are inside. The kind of things that are halted, are the things that are intrinsic to nothing but distraction from interaction.

I will be writing a series of articles about planetary configurations during this retrograde period. Taking the time to spill out some of the many theories and ideas I use in my readings, but rarely share on a general basis. As always I'm available for person readings. During the retrograde period these will be more face-to-face in style.

If you'd like a reading contact me at waxlobster@hotmail.com. Tarot can cost as little as £10 for a brief email/telephone reading.

Blessings of getting to know the beauty of YOU again this Summer ♥

Full Moon in Libra ~23rd March 2016~ "illuminate your true self"

The sign of Libra is ruled by Venus, the charm, charisma and beauty bestowed on those with prominent Libra chart placements is; discernible, notable and characteristically Venusian. To me Libra is unquestionally Venus ruled (some disagree) and Aries is unquestionable (by all) ruled by Mars.

This is the only axis in the chart which embodies the polarity of Venus vs Mars; female archetype vs male archetype; giving vs receiving; yin vs yang. This is the axis of smoothing the waters vs expressing the true self and this, is the message of this full moon. What is more important to you; how you appear to others (Libra), or how you actually wish to express yourself (Mars)?

The Sun is now traversing through Aries, announcing loudly that the Spring has Sprung and the Moon becomes full when perfectly opposite to the Sun, in this case at 4º Libra. On this occasion however, there is a partial lunar eclipse at the same time. The beautification which the full moon in Libra wishes to sing out to the world is obfuscated by the shadow of the earth. Expression is halted, beauty is obscured, light is shadowed.

So the question needs to be asked on this Full Moon – what IS beauty? Is beauty the glow of expensive make-up on your skin, or the muscles bulging from your arms? Is it the perfectly coiffed hair and the waxed moustache? Or is it something deeper and more profound? Do all these things appear beautiful when cast into shadow, or does the visual translate into more meaningful depths?

Of course visceral appearances aren't only about beauty; but also about acceptance. I watch the world around me and people trying to please, wanting to be liked, wishing to impress, desperately trying to fit in. I sometimes ask them why, I sometimes find myself doing the same, but most of the time I know why. They're scared. You're scared, I'm scared, we are scared. Afraid that we will be alone if people don't like us, worried that we will lose our jobs if we don't agree with everything, concerned that if we stand out we will be ostracised and treated like we still live in a century where uniqueness was treated with burning or drowning.

We're controlled by fear, dictated to, set into regimes of nicely presented suits and shiny cars. Politely queuing behind lines and lines of others doing just the same. Most bristling with anger, frustration, obscenities on the tip of the tongue and sometimes tripping off it.

These same people spend time reading about extending their lives whilst not actually living at all.

This full moon chart; interestingly brings in all the elements which add up to us creating and maintaining façades. The 27º Cancer Ascendant brings the family dynamic to the mix and the Moon is ruled by Cancer. In the chart the Full Moon itself lands in it's home, the 4^th House also. Asking the question, who are you when you are at home with yourself?

If you spend some time considering the elements you most like and admire about yourself and then match up these qualities with the ones which are encouraged by others, how do they match up? Are you surrounded by people who love the you that you love, or do you feel that you have to adapt to be more like they imagine you to be? Do you ever apologise for sharing your feelings, or talking about yourself? Do you feel that cannot be outspoken without evoking conflict?

And if you do evoke conflict, is it your conflict anyway? When you do choose to strip away the pretences and the niceties, you can be sure there will people who resist this shift in you and wish you to revert to what they expect. There will conflict from them, there will be those whose egos are threatened by truth, and others who simply become angry when witnessing freedom as they wish to live a life where they no longer have to tie themselves in knots. 

 None of these are reasons to respond however, think mirrors and recognise projection. Fear speaks in tongues and can be invoked by the most surprising of folk at times, but once recognised as it is; fear is powerless and easily assuaged.

There is a transcendental element to all this; echoed beautifully by a Venus-Neptune conjunction, already propagating spiritual love, and transcendence and enhanced further by occurring in the sign of Pisces. A sign ruled by Neptune, so elevated in its own wisdom at times, Pisces can command the upper echelons of true love and revere Venus into exaltation in this sign. Venus rules the Full Moon of this chart and cannot be iterated enough when considering the essence of this Full Moon being about beauty and the over-shadowing of such. When Venus links up with Neptune it tells us stories of love being an effervescent, uplifting and magical connection which has no need for the visual, or even the physical. Physical, masculine, energising Mars is almost thrown out of the picture by this over-emphasised Venus position, but just manages to bring itself back into the picture by forming a sextile to the full Moon position, from Sagittarius.

Again we must bring expression of ones truth back into the picture, and also remember that the axis of this Full Moon is Libra to Aries. A full moon cannot exist without it's opposite, just as light cannot be discerned without the shadows cast.

In just the same way beauty cannot be conceived without the absence of such and so the shadows cast by the eclipse of this full moon will be as revealing as they are diverting.

I invite you to ask yourself during this full moon what it is that you love about yourself the most and how true to this you are. For the closer we appreciating our own beauty, the more those around us will be allowed to see us shine and start to see us as we really are. Beauty isn't in the eye of the beholder, beauty is behind the eyes of the subject and exists most vividly within the inner world of the subject.

Let the shadow cast by the earth over this full moon, reveal to you how to "illuminate you true self"~~

~~if you would like a reading please contact me at: waxlobster@hotmail.com I am currently running an offer on solar return charts which begin on your birthday and tell you about the coming year.  I combine this with complete natal chart information pack for just £50.  It' s a perfect gift.  ♥

January 2010 - General

The first interesting point about 2010 is it actually ends on a Full Moon, so there will be an energy peak, as usual but as Venus is also in the mix it is likely to be one in which relationship issues are illuminated finally. For better or for worse, truths will be uncovered and this will help this to feel like the opportunity for a clean slate.
Any issues which need to be raised as a result of this will likely come to the surface on the 3rd which has an edge of irritation to it. Small arguments and tensions are likely as the reality that the party season is over begins to sink in!

Unfortunately immediate resolutions do not appear imminent, as Mercury’s retrograde motion during the first 2 ½ weeks of the month will result in more communication problems. Also during Mercury Retrograde periods problems with transport, technology and timing are prolific. It’s not advisable to make any promises or buy new equipment during this time and weather difficulties are likely also.

The first weekend of the year is looking mostly uneventful as one would expect after most people will have had their first full week back at work and will probably want to do nothing at all.

A year never truly feels like it’s begun until the first New Moon however and in 2010 this falls on 15th January and begins marks the beginning of the best weekend of the month! There is a romantic glow as Venus, still sliding alongside the Sun, promises a more positive and hopeful 4 weeks ahead. A New Moon is an opportune time to make a wish or begin something you wish to stick with. If you want to show somebody how much you appreciate them then this day is steeped with sincerity and good intentions will be recognised as such.

By the end of this weekend Mercury also moves into Direct motion indicating greater clarity and less annoying set-backs.

When Venus moves in Aquarius on 18th we can expect the unexpected and such plans will not have the same effect. The 18th also marks the beginning of a year long stay for Jupiter in compatible Pisces. Good news for all who prefer the simpler things in life. It’s as if a new lease of life begins in the 3rd week of the month and there will be an element of stability hope on the 22nd. Soon dashed of course by a day of confusion and misunderstands on 25th. It’s not an ideal day to plan negotiations or make long term plans.

The month ends on a mixed note, with the 29th promising to be a high energy, somewhat random day. Certainly a good evening to dancing or planning a lively outing, however expect there to be a few people competing for centre stage.

The 31st unfortunately will have a heavy feeling for most. Worries will resurface, random things will go wrong. Unless you plan to embark on some very serious planning and resolution of problems/finances it’s a day best spent curled up with a good book.