Astrologer Bill Attride

Sun Enters Taurus (April 19, 2024)

What are you made of?

Today we move into the second realm in the Circle of the Living Ones, the sign of Taurus. Always somewhere in your chart, and especially at this time every year, you will find great wisdom, inspiration, alignment, and peace from this sacred vessel of value.

For the past 30 days, the light behind creation has illumined your experience of your self-awareness, of what I call your “presence”, which is how you learn to strive to meet each moment upon your path with awareness and proper intention, where you move-yet-remain-forever in the space of the One, in “the eternal now”. It is by Aries that you meet the first gift of Spirit, here in the opening of the Fire Signs you explore and find your sense of yourself, as you must answer the first question of life which is, “who are you?”

But perhaps a more profound mystery is before you here, because in Taurus you encounter the second question in your journey of becoming. It is in this sacred space that you “simply” need to understand “what are you?”, that is, what are you made from, what is the value of you?

You and I may feel and think that we are a single, distinct, separate being. We certainly have this intuitive experience of being a “one”, which ultimately comes from the gentle whisperings of our higher self, from our precious monad or atman, our innermost spark of the divine. But we are really made from a composite of many energy-forms, of many lives and bodies, ranging from the seemingly dense matter forms of our cells and organs onto ever more insubstantial forms, rising through our physical body with all its molecules and organs, into our astral body, to our emotional body, into the lower and higher mental bodies, and finally held as one by our higher spiritual self.

Whether you take the path of faith or the path of science, by metaphysical alchemy or by physical chemistry, the universe is formed by complex intersections of energy-forms. We and all of Creation are truly a field of energy-forms that are intimately interconnected with one another, as we are immersed, surrounded, and interpenetrated by all the energy fields and forms with whom we journey. The Universe is in fact a Field of fields, a Hologram of holograms.

According to the Ancient Wisdom, (and more and more by modern scientists too, though they use a very different paradigm), the Universe is formed at its most fundamental level by pure Spirit, which in its essence is just the most etherealized form of Matter, just as Matter is the densest manifestation of Spirit…in effect, they are truly one and the same, for all these energies, fields, and beings are really the Mind, Body and Spirit of the One. I like to say, we are spirit dancing through the material worlds, winging our way through the cosmos, becoming ever more conscious co-creators of Creation.

You are a unique dewdrop of the one Divine Light; you are Spirit-Life-Consciousness whose most sublime energy-form is held by your precious monad, itself formed as a triad of Atman, Buddhi, Manas. From these three-in-one, you unfold and form the denser bodies or vehicles required for existence here on Earth.

So, exactly what are you made of then, what is it that creates the value of you? It is quite evident that moment to moment, day after day, from the beginning of your life until the end or your days, you will experience the value(s) of yourself as waxing and waning, as warping and weaving into new qualities and quantities of value and meaning. With so much variation in any one day, or year or during your entire life, what is it that forges and forms the essential or root value of you?

The Root of all value, the primal Energy-Form that shines through all the innumerable hierarchies of Spirit-Life-Consciousness in the Universe is this: it is the Unconditional Love of the One. This fountain-source of Light and Love is in all of us as it is in every single particle of Creation. The everlasting Truth behind Creation and in each one of us is that we are all “priceless”, for we are made of the Unconditional Love of the One, and we are here because of this Love, and we are here to live by this Love.

Yet you and I are imperfect, so that for the most part we do not experience ourselves as priceless at all. We are not fully formed or perfected humans because our self-realizations, whether bodily, emotionally, mentally, and even spiritually, are not yet what they can be and will be someday.

You and I are on a journey through many forms and lives, and we are here for one reason only, to learn to become a better human, to be more attuned and aligned with our higher self. But to do this we must learn to choose what is more perfect from less perfect, to be more loving, and less fearful, and this takes many days, years, and lives; we make ourselves into what we will be by many joyful and painful experiences until we become a fully awakened One, a being of pure Light and Love.

So, what you experience as value rising and falling, that is real. Some days you feel on top of the world, and on some you may feel as if the world is on top of you! But you should know this, that as much as the arc of your life and the value of you will wax and wane in any life, it will also, because of what you are truly made of, you will rise and reach towards the inevitable, as the physical strength of your youth will yield to the gifts of spiritual wisdom and grace as you age.

Indeed, it is this very arc of your life, of powers waxing then waning, it is this which will bring the fundamental truth home to you, that you will only find everlasting peace in the value that will never diminish.

Yes, the heart of you, your spark of the Divine and the Love it holds will remain as you were in the beginning and will always be, for it is the source of all measures, beyond all measures. You are human now, but that is merely the form of your self-realization at this point in your never-ending journey as a one of the One. But you need to understand that you are a spark of the Divine who is on a never-ending journey of the “Self-That Is Becoming”. You are a monad, an unfolding Spiritual Fire of Life-Spirit-Consciousness.

Yes, it is in Taurus that you appreciate the Divine made real, the infinite potential of Spirit made to shine in the sunrise and the sunset, in the flowers and trees, in the oceans and mountains, in the moon and the stars…and forever in you.

Behind it all, shining through one and through all,

Is pure, unconditional love.

That is how you came to be, that is why you are.

This is what you are.

Love.

2024-3-24 Radio Show Transcript 2024 Preview - A look ahead Part 3

Astrological Musings — 2024, A look ahead Part 3 – More National Charts and World Leaders

(If you wish to listen to the show instead, here is the link on BlogTalk or Apple Podcasts)

Today I would like to examine the charts of countries and world leaders that we did not cover in the last two shows, and if we have enough time I may circle back to the USA and look at the History of the USA through the lens of its series of Progressed New Moons as I mentioned briefly in our last show.

Personal Astrology examines the character and life of individual people. Mundane Astrology, which we are working with today, uses many of the same techniques but applies them to the world of nations, organizations, and their leaders. In our last show, we looked at the chart of the USA with regards to 2024, and also examined the charts of Joe Biden and Donald Trump. We then examined the Astrological indications for the charts of Ukraine and Russia, along with Zelensky and Putin. We also examined China and Xi Jinping, North Korea, and Kim Jong Un, and Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu.

I will certainly come back to consider the USA chart throughout this year, as well as Joe Biden and Trump, along with Ukraine, Russia, and Israel, but I thought that it would be good to look at some other major players on the stage of world history here in 2024.

Iran
Since we ended our tour of other nations last time with Israel, let us continue with the conditions of the Middle East and start with Iran and its leader Ali Khamenei. Iran was experiencing in 2023 a major transit of the planet Neptune, a conjunction over both its Mars and Mercury, and in 2024 Neptune continues to conjunct Mercury.

Mars in a nation’s chart rules the energy-form of the actions that hold a nation together or drive it apart, and equally the characteristic manner in which it meets up with other state and non-state actors on the world stage. Iran has its Mars in Pisces, which means it would hold itself together by Faith (or Fear), and that it would “defend” and define itself as being in a struggle to preserve and extend its faith, to sometimes act as a martyr, and to act sometimes with subterfuge or deception. With Neptune, the ruler of Pisces on Mars in 2023, Iran would certainly have leaned into these actions with even greater intensity, so that its internal measures of cohesion and external measures of defense or aggression would have been extreme as well, with obscure or hidden means to maintain internal control and outward defenses or offensive actions.

Mercury rules all forms of communication and networking in a nation whether that be transportation physically or messaging systems, so it is like the nervous system as well as the “mind” of a nation, and therefore indicates education, literature, intellectual matters, and schools. With Neptune conjunct Mercury for 2023 and 2024, Iran’s messaging could have seen more than its normal level of misdirection and subterfuge.

In addition, all through 2023 Iran had Pluto opposite its Jupiter. Jupiter rules a nation’s common values, beliefs, and truths; it rules its ideologies and religion or religions. Of course, given that Iran is a state defined by one religion, Shiitism, it is also the means to political control as well as the governing principle of Iran’s relationship to the rest of the world. With Pluto going over Jupiter, Iran would on the one hand see itself under tremendous pressure from the other world actors, needing to reinforce their defense against the threat of being diminished or defeated in a battle of faith, and equally feel the need to increase their attempts to spread their “truth”, to support other Shia communities and to convert others. Now with Pluto moving beyond Jupiter, I would expect Iran to pull back somewhat in its attempt to expand its influence for now.

If we look to the chart of the leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, (for which we have no time of birth, so one has to be a more circumspect in delineations), it is probably not surprising, but certainly reaffirming, that both the transiting Neptune and Pluto were very active in his chart in 2023 too. Neptune was conjunct his Jupiter, the planet of truth and belief, and so he was going through a rather challenging year of questioning and confusion, less confident and uncertain as regards his understanding and motivations. Moreover, this transit, especially for an older person, oftentimes indicates a health issue regarding the liver or pancreas. Meanwhile, Pluto was squaring his Sun, so he most certainly felt the need to protect his power and boundaries, and perhaps push back quite strongly against any real or imagined threats to his power. Both these transits are fading away, again possibly indicating a more subdued leader and Iran.

Saudi Arabia
For Saudi Arabia in 2023, the main transits were Neptune conjunct the Moon and Saturn conjunct Venus. The Moon in a nation’s chart represents the masses, what we call the common people and also the entire population. It is the vessel of popular opinion and mass movements. With Neptune on the Moon, the people of Saudi Arabia were experiencing a dissolving of their previous sense of themselves as they dreamed and wondered about who they are and who they are becoming. The mood of the public was shifting from one understanding into another. Venus in a nation’s chart is the value of the nation, sort of “the glue” that holds a people together to form a state or nation. The likes and loves of a people hold them to one another and to their state without force but by affection, as realized in the arts, entertainment, and other shared pleasures. With Saturn conjunct Venus, the people of Saudi Arabia, and maybe even more the women of Iran, (as Venus can be seen as ruling especially too), were “not feeling the love” in 2023. Whether the dissatisfactions were formed internally by some loss of value including economic conditions, or by a weakening or breaking down of relationships externally, and so equally forming a test of agreements with other nations or other world actors. I certainly could see the crisis in Gaza, Israel, and the relationships with both of them and other states in the Middle East, that this would certainly have been a major source of the loss of value for Saudi Arabia.

And in 2024, Neptune is squaring Neptune, while Uranus is trining the Sun and Jupiter. Neptune in a nation’s chart is the vehicle for the visions, dreams, and ideals of a better future. Whether a return to a golden age, or dreams of a new age, Neptune inspires but can also lead to delusions, deceptions, and disillusionments. With Neptune on Neptune, Saudi Arabia is in the midst of wondering and wandering regarding what is “the good”, or what is our national dream, for 2024. The Sun in a nation’s chart rules its character and core energy-form and will often indicate the supreme authority or leader too, whether they be president, prime minister, king, or queen. It often shows the central character or persona of a nation, the story or myth that it projects to the world. The influence of Uranus brings change, hopefully chosen and not imposed, to move towards a more expansive and truer expression of the entity in question. It can bring shocks, surprises, and upsets, but the whole purpose behind Uranus is to lead to liberation and freedom. But if misunderstood and misapplied it can lead to rebelliousness and extremes of contrariness and defiance. Here with a trine, there is a much higher likelihood of a growth in the Sun nature, so that Saudi Arabia (and its ruler) will be more inclined to move in a direction of ingenuity, innovation, and openness to change, and that this will also be seen with regards to its approach to its truths and teachings with Uranus on Jupiter.

Let us turn to the ruler of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad Bin Salman (Al Saud), and again we do not have a time of birth, so we must proceed with some greater degree of conditionality regarding our observations. In 2023 and 2024, MBS is going through a very strong series of alignments of Uranus to several planets in his chart. For 2023, he had Uranus squaring his Mercury and opposing his Saturn, and in 2024 he has Uranus squaring his Mars. 2023 was going to shake up Bin Salman’s mind and thoughts (Mercury) and challenge his understanding and experience of reality (Saturn). But through the challenge to his Mercury, he would have had an opportunity to, or had to, open his mind, and consider other data points and points of view. In the end, he would have hopefully experienced the shock as freeing him from a more limited understanding so that he would have been able to grasp and work with new approaches and solutions to the challenges he faced. And with Uranus on Saturn, he would have had the experience of his old reality, his set of certainties and structures of his world, that they were challenged and sometimes broken or thrown down. He might have seen this as a great loss during part of this period but may have come around to realize that the old reality was not enough, and it was time to reset and create a new reality structure in his life. I most definitely believe that the earthquake in the middle east initiated by Hamas, and the ongoing crisis there was a major component of this shift in reality for him.

For 2024, the transit of Uranus over Mars holds even greater possibilities but equally greater dangers too. MBS may be a Virgo by his Sun type, but his Venus, Mercury and Mars are all in Leo. So, he wants to be a Leo with Venus, he thinks like a Leo through Mercury, and he acts like a Leo by Mars, and that Mars is the planet leading his Sun around his chart, so it forms a very defining and prominent feature of his character. Mars is the planet of desire, of action, of our “thrust” in this life. A Leo Mars will forge a purposeful and strong type of leadership, but if misaligned or misunderstood can make a person prideful and arrogant too. Mars in Leo will lead MBS to be a person who believes that he acts with respect and honor, and that he deserves to be honored as well. But if he feels that he is being disapproved of or disrespected, well he could become very angry.

Uranus brings shocks, forcing a break but also eliciting strong actions and reactions with Mars. It can manifest as unforeseen upsets or obstacles blocking his aims and actions, and he might react with anger, and he may lash out, (which of course may only make things worse). Or he may respond to Uranus with understanding, hold himself more in a manner of positive self-assertion and leadership rather than aggression. He may realize the time has come to pursue a new goal, or a new way to a goal, and if he does then he can be an agent of freedom for himself and for others.

Turkey
2023 was a challenging year for Turkey, with a devasting earthquake in February, followed by lesser quakes, then torrential rains and floods in those same earthquake regions in March. I prefer to look at cycles and processes and periods of time, rather than any one moment in any chart. But it should be noted that Pluto (the ruler of birth, death, rebirth) aligned with Turkey’s Uranus, (the ruler of earthquakes) at the time of the February quake. Sometimes a particular moment and event does matter…

The major transit for Turkey in 2023 was the favorable Saturn trine to its Sun. Since the Sun rules the character of a nation and oftentimes the ruler, it indicates a period where great progress can be made as a nation, and often by its ruler. That is quite interesting as in Erdogan’s chart he had Saturn making a conjunction to his Sun all year and that would also favor an individual with regards to a major moment in their life. Many observers had projected that Erdogan would have faced a difficult reelection in 2023 after the February earthquake exposed much of the shoddy construction that led to so many deaths, but with Saturn on his Sun exactly at the time of election, and with Saturn trining the nation’s Sun, Erdogan won easily.

For 2024, Turkey is encountering a significant double-transit. Neptune is squaring the Moon for 2024 and 2025, and Uranus is opposing Jupiter. The Moon rules the populace, and with Neptune, the universal solvent, the planet that dissolves boundaries in order to allow for transformation and awakening, the mood and character of the people of Turkey will be greatly changed by this experience. Ranging from the most sublime inspirations of spirit to the most illusory or delusional, Neptune’s touch will and does lead to the most uplifting experiences and equally the most disturbing. Certainly, the people of Turkey will be deeply reexamining the question, “what is the dream for our people”, yet equally wondering what kind of people or peoples are we? A cautionary note must be made, as the last time Neptune passed over Turkey’ Moon was in 1984, which is when the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers Party, a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary movement began a campaign of terror in southern Turkey. It is not a coincidence that Neptune rules socialist and communist movements, and though history never repeats itself, there are resonances and echoes that ring through the halls of time. Meanwhile, Jupiter, the planet that rules the common values and truths and faiths of a nation, is being opposed by Uranus, the planet that brings about a challenge to the status quo by asserting the principal of freedom and independence. That might certainly tie into the Neptune transit, combining a movement with dreams for greater freedom taking action that shocks the people. But the drive towards greater self-realization and freedom will swing both ways, and it should be noted that the two previous transits of Uranus to Turkey’s Jupiter were in 1980, when the military seized power in the third coup in Turkey’s history. Civil liberties were curtailed as the military pushed back against both far-right and far-left movements and banned the Kurdish language; and then in 2001, as the religious parties were rising to the point of taking majority power in Turkey, the Constitutional Court banned the pro-Islamic Virtue Party in 2001. Then, in November 2002, the Islamist-based Justice and Development Party (AKP) won in a landslide election.

For Recep Erdogan, 2023 was a very challenging but ultimately a rather successful year, due in no small part to the favorable intersection of Saturn on his Sun while trining the Turkey’s Sun. But 2024 may prove to be more challenging for him as he will experience Uranus square his Pluto. Yes, the same planet aligning with Jupiter in Turkey’s chart in 2001 and now in 2024 is aligning with the planet that rules power and control in Erdogan’s chart. And who was that leader that secured the triumph of the religious movement and its newly formed party, AKP, in 2001? Of course, it was Erdogan who led that party to victory. And he has wielded power and control as prime minister or president ever since. What does that mean for 2024? With Uranus it means change is here, and if properly channeled by the human actor or actors, it will bring about greater freedom, but if misunderstood and mishandled it can lead to instability, disruptions, and in this case political earthquakes.

United Kingdom
Let’s turn our focus to Europe now and consider what 2023 and what 2024 will be like for the United Kingdom. The major influence in 2023 was the semi-square of Neptune to the UK’s Mars. Mars in a nation’s chart rules the energy-form of those forces that internally hold a nation together or drive it apart by assertion or aggression, and equally the characteristic manner in which it asserts itself with other state and non-state actors on the world stage. The UK has its Mars in Taurus, and its expansion outwardly was by being a mercantile and colonial power base on trade and manufacture.

Neptune dissolves boundaries so that a particular structure of reality must let go of that ordering and move beyond to a new form of manifestation. But as a result, at least for us humans, it means that we will experience during such times of transition some greater degree of uncertainty, doubt, and confusion. The last time Neptune lined up with the UK’s Mars, it was 2003 and Tony Blair and Parliament decided to join the USA in the invasion of Iraq. In 2023, the mounting series of labor strikes and the lackluster recovery from the Covid disruptions has so deeply wounded the Conservative led government of Rishi Sunak that if elections were held the Labor Party would triumph in a landslide, (and an election will be necessary by at least early 2025). For his part, for much of 2023 and continuing through the first quarter of 2024 Sunak has been experiencing a very challenging double transit, as Uranus formed a conjunction to both his Mercury and Sun. Uranus brings shocks and surprises, sometimes a pleasant surprise or discovery, but also upsets and shocks of a disturbing nature. He is being challenged to open his mind and deal with many different problems and points of views from others, and if handled well it will have stimulated his intelligence to consider problems in a new light and come up with innovative solutions. But no matter what, the juggling of so many minor and major challenges can cause mental exhaustion. Meanwhile, with Uranus on his Sun, it brings to bear a very personal question for himself, which is, "does this role and responsibility I have, does it fulfill me now or not?".

For 2024, the United Kingdom will be experiencing two major transits, Uranus squaring Saturn, and for 2024 and 2025 Pluto opposite Jupiter. Saturn in a nation’s chart is the holder of the State itself, the institutions of the nation and the nature or degree to which the State and the Nation balances order with freedom, so it also rules the legal system, the civil service, and other preserving organizations. With Uranus the disrupter and agent of freedom going over Saturn, we should expect a general shakeup in the State itself, (like a change in leadership, and remember the conservatives have been in power since 2010, which means 14 years, basically half of a Saturn cycle). We should also expect that the continuing disruptions in labor unrest in the civil service, like in the National Health Service and others, will continue but hopefully lead to new and inventive ways of providing such services.

The Pluto opposition to Jupiter is a deeper challenge. Remember, Jupiter rules the common values and beliefs which hold a people or nation together, whether by culture, religion, science, or spirituality. Pluto brings the power of the will to bear, raising the issue of control and self-control, and often leads to strong cathartic changes which may ultimately bring about a rebirth. The last time Pluto aligned with the UK’s Jupiter was 1984, which witnessed one of the most significant labor struggles in its history, the coal miner’s strike. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had prepared for this struggle and the state brought many pressures to bear upon the miners. Thatcher prevailed and forced the union to concede in 1985, and power of unions and the labor party was broken. 

For 2024-25, we cannot know in what form or in what area a struggle may arise forcing a breakdown and renewal of what holds the UK together, but we should expect that just as the UK moved from being shaped by powerful unions before 1984, something similar today that holds the people of the UK together will be tested and transformed.

For Sunak in 2024, the major transit is Uranus opposite Uranus, while it equally is squaring his dharma/karma lunar nodes. Uranus opposite Uranus is one of the markers of moving through what is commonly known as the mid-life crisis, which I like to call the mid-life time of opportunity. The Uranus-to-Uranus portion of this asks the individual to consider the last 20 or so years of their life and to see where they are now, and ask themselves this, “are you fulfilled with this path, are you happy with your life, are you ‘being you’”?  It is a moment to look back and consider whether one wants to continue on this path for the next 20 years or not.

So, Sunak is going to look at himself, his life, his position and either decide to continue or change his path. And, at the same time, the contact with Uranus to the nodes means that fate is forcing upon him a change in direction. He may be influenced by meeting a new group or a person, and his life changes. He will certainly experience shocks and upsets, but some of which may be quite liberating. No matter what, there is change ahead for the United Kingdom, both as a nation as a whole, and most probably in its leadership.

Well, I see that our time is down to when I would begin to respond to callers’ questions, so I guess that is all we will cover for today. I do want to continue at some point looking through this lens of Mundane Astrology, and not only with regards to history and current events, but also with regards to the very nature of peoples and nations and what is going on in the world, such as the world-wide phenomenon of the rise of authoritarian groups, regions, parties and nations and why that is and what that means for the world at large and for us here in the USA. So perhaps that might be a good seed for the next show.

Astrological Musings — 2024 Preview - A look ahead Part 3 (March 24, 2024)

Astrological Musings — 2024, A look ahead Part 3 – More National Charts and World Leaders

In my third show of 2024, we will continue our look to the planetary indications for nations and national leaders in 2024 and beyond. We looked at the Astrological conditions for United States and the two leading contenders for the 2024 election, Joe Biden, and Donald Trump in our last show, and we also examined some other nations and leaders as well. Today we will look at other important charts for 2024 such as Iran, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Germany, along with some other world states and state actors as well. If time permits, I would like to circle back and look at the history of the USA through the series of New Moons in the USA chart, which I mentioned at the end of the last show.

If you wish to suggest a subject or topic for a future show, please email me as I would be happy to hear from you. My email is: [email protected].

Here is the main link to Astrologer Bill Attride Radio:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/astrologerbillattride

Here is the link to the show on Sunday March 24^th @ 2 pm EDT:

https://www.blogtalkradio.com/astrologerbillattride/2024/03/24/astrological-musings-2024-preview--a-look-ahead-part-3-march-24-2024

The phone number to call if you wish to ask a question during the live show is: (516) 531‑9638.

Please join me on Sunday March 24^th @ 2 pm EST as we look at the current astrological indications and what they mean for you.

If you miss the show, it will be available as a Podcast shortly after on BlogTalk or my Apple Podcasts.

Sun Enters Aries – The Equinox (March 19, 2024)

Who are you?

Where did you come from, why are you here, and where, where are you going?

Today we enter the first house of the Holy Ones, the sign we call Aries, and at this time of the year, and forever somewhere in your very own chart as well, you need to consider what your journey is all about, to experience what lies at the heart of all of this and of every one of us, and to understand exactly how you need to face and meet your “journey of becoming”.

For the last 30 days you have wandered and wondered in the realm of Pisces. The purpose of all of the water signs is for you to connect, to feel the realm of Spirit that supports and holds you, as you go to your roots and the self at the center by Cancer, as you join with one another through unions in Scorpio, so that you may finally reach above and beyond to all of Creation with Pisces. The gift of Pisces dissolves the illusion of separation as you move by love, compassion, and grace to the source of self, and you feel once again that you and all of the entirety of Creation are one in the One.  

Yes, it was in Pisces that you were able to hold in your heart and mind the whole journey of your life to this point, to feel the loves and the losses, to see the triumphs and the setbacks, to hold them all as they are, the very experiences that shaped you into the spiritual vessel that you are today. You understand that your errors and mistakes, and their eventual correction and overcoming, that they were the very forge of spirit that made you better today, so that you are wiser and more humble, both stronger and gentler, and so you are ready to once again turn and face what lies before you now, the only place you can ever be in Space-Time, the Eternal Now.

Today you enter the realm of Aries, the sign of emergence, wielder of the power of new beginnings, and you welcome the first gift of spirit, the formation of Presence. As much as in Pisces you experienced the encompassing truth that all of Creation is formed by the one energy-form of Divine Unconditional Love, so that in truth every speck and mote of Creation shines with this sublime light, and that everything and everyone are all eternally inseparable from one another, now it is here in Aries that you must equally understand and embrace the truth that you are also a unique spark of the Divine, that you are separate and distinct, formed by your very own Swabhāva or Quintessence, and that there is no other like you in the entirety of the Cosmos too.

What Aries holds is this this fundamental truth about your experience of being and time, that you have feelings and memories of your “past”, and you hold hopes and dreams about your “future”, but in truth there is only one place that you will eternally be. Throughout your journey from unself-conscious spark of the divine to a completed human, now shining as a deva or angel, it is this omnipresent space of creation that you live and love in, the ever-unfolding forge of Spirit known as “the eternal now”.

As you journey through every life, “you move yet stay” in this space-time of the everlasting moment of creation, the only place you can be, in the eternal now. The past is behind you, and it cannot be changed or undone; the future is awaiting and will in some way be made by what you do or do not do in the now.

But what you encounter in this forge of Creation is not an empty or virgin space, no it is full of what you and countless ones have made just a moment ago, and thousands and thousands of years ago too. The purpose of Aries is to remind you of this ever-folding moment you are in, and that you must be aware of the importance and power of how you meet this moment, for it will make the next moment, and the next after that and forever after.

The gift of Aries is the forging of your “presence”, it is your bearing, your demeanor, your persona, or personas, that you meet with in the moment that awaits. You must be aware of what you are here for, what are your truths that forge your motivations, that create your intentions and lead to your actions. And yet you must be equally receptive, sensitive, and prescient as to what is in this moment already, and sense what it may need or require of you.

I like to say that we experience life as if moving through a series of rooms one after the other, and just as you enter you must quickly sense what “kind” of space you are entering. Is it quiet or loud, is it peaceful or unsettled? As you enter you must sense what is before you and what it might need of you. If it lacks energy and direction then bring your lively, bolder self to bear, and if it is disturbed or chaotic, then bring your gentle and calming self instead. Moment to moment, day after day, you will make a difference in what you offer to the eternal now, when guided by this power of presence that you forge day by day.

And when you really master yourself, when you have formed all your various personas and masks to meet each moment, and as you lead with your very best, then you become a “one”, a leader of light and love, building that better future for yourself and for one another too.

The gift of Aries is to live as you are, a redeemer of the past and a path-maker to the future.

With light in your eyes, and love in your heart,

You know who you are, and why you are here.

You are here to make right what is not,

And turn what was lost into a bright shining future.

A new year has begun,

May you shine like the rising Sun that you are!

Sun Enters Pisces (February 18, 2024)

The Jewel in the Lotus, the Light in the Darkness, to Dream and Become

We have reached the last month in the Astrological calendar, today we enter the sign of Pisces. At this time every year, yet truly present every day in some place within your own chart too, you need to hold yourself to the truth behind all truths. That you are a one of the One, and that the divine spark within you, that is you, and that this forms the essential nature and truth of every particle of Creation too. The Truth behind all of this is that we are One in spirit.

At the end of every hour, of every day, of every year, and every life, you will look back so that you might look ahead. You seek to understand the what and why, the where and how of the mystery of life, of all that is, of all of this, the why behind it all, why are any of us here.

The Ancient Teachings hold the Stories of Creation, and central to all of them is the “Circle of the Living Ones”, the Zodiac, which forms the framework or web of Creation. These are the twelve Energy-Forms that shape and form, that inspire and guide every monad, atom, molecule, particle, being, star and galaxy that fill the firmament, and it is this which forms the luminous body of the One. The Zodiac is the Design Body or framework for Creation, and it is from these sacred twelve that we can understand the what and the why of our journey.

Do you know what you are? You are a spark of the one Divine Light. Do you know why you are? Because the One became the many, and each and every spark of the Divine began a journey, which is to follow the essential purpose of Spirit, which is “to be and become”. You, and all of Creation, you are here to unfold your pure essential self, your Swabhāva or Quintessence, because you are an essential part of the mystery and majesty and the promise of Creation.

Yes, each sign of the Zodiac holds a piece of the puzzle, forming and inspiring each particle of Creation, according to its particular level of self-realization, and here at the end of the stories of the Zodiac, of all the stories and chapters of your hours, days, and years, you need to hold each strand and story of your life together as they must always be, as one.

This is the gift that comes from all of the water signs, which is to move beyond the bounds of mind so as to feel and intuit, to listen for the gentle whispering of the immortal within, and so catch a glimpse beyond any limit of ordinary thought or mind, to dream and discover some greater understanding of the meaning and purpose of your life.

Yes, each sign holds a most special truth, about what makes you, you. The final special gift, the awesome power and responsibility that we have from Pisces is this, that what you are and how you are and why you are is because you are the “creator of you”. That it is all that you think, and all that feel, and all that you do, that this is what makes the future you.

What is the most special gift from Pisces? It is that in your heart of hearts you are the “dreamer-creator”, that you are inspired by the spirit within you to imagine and dream of what you and your world might be…and then you make it so. But then why, why is the world the way it is? Because you, and everyone else is still learning. You are imperfect, and when you create what your dream might be, you also mix in, sometimes more, sometimes less, you also mix in what you also fear might be. And so, what you create is a future that is just as you are, not quite as you imagined it would be.

That is why the gift of Pisces is to see the whole story, to realize that we have made this world as it is. We, like all of Creation, are held within the Law of Karma, and what we sow we shall reap. That is also why the gift of Pisces is to realize that our final test is before us now, and that the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.

And how do you do that, how do you learn to live without fear?

This is the greatest gift from Pisces. How do you overcome fear? You become free from fear by your faith. Not by a leap of faith, or faith in some divine intervention from above or beyond ourselves. The gift of Pisces is your “living faith”, that you are indeed the creator of your future, and that you have nothing to fear because whatever you will face, you were the one that made it…and you can face it and you can change it.

All you need to do is believe, to have faith, and remember what makes you what you are. You are the living embodiment of the source and the power of faith.

Your faith is the Love of the One, and that is why you are here.

We are the ones of the One, we are made by divine love.

We are here to love one another and this entire Creation.

We will not live in fear, and we will make that better future by dreaming-creating and loving today, tomorrow and for all our days to come.

And may we all live in the Light of Truth, Love and Understanding.

2024-1-28 Radio Show Transcript — 2024 Preview - A look ahead Part 2 - National Charts and World Leaders

2024 Preview - A look ahead Part 2 - National Charts and World Leaders

(If you wish to listen to the show instead, here is the link on BlogTalk or Apple Podcasts)

We took a look at the general astrological conditions for 2024 in our last show on January 7^th, so I thought we would turn our attention to specific charts in today’s show. Though there are a number of ways to approach Mundane or Worldly Astrology for an understanding of world history, one of the most common is to treat organizations, whether they be community-based, political formations, corporate entities, nations, or international organizations, to treat them just like we would any human individual with their chart.

We look at the beginning of an organization, its incorporation or announcement or a significant event, and create a “birth chart” for it. Then we analyze its inherent nature and consider the timeline of its development through its natal progressions and transits, just like we would with an individual’s chart.

USA
Let us will begin with the chart of the USA, and the two leading candidates for President in the 2024 election, which are Joe Biden and Donald Trump. We did a show on September 17, 2023, where I looked at 2024 for the USA chart, and at both charts for the candidates, (and if you wish to review that show the transcript was published on my blog on September 20^th). Some of what I am going to say will be a review of what I said then, but I am going to add to that first look as well.

The primary indicator of where the USA is for 2024 is shaped by where it is within the progressed Sun/Moon cycle of approximately 29 years. 2024 will be the year in which the USA has its 9^th New Moon, which indicates a time when a seed is planted, and a new infusion of inspiration and energy will begin to inform its journey. This New Moon will occur on March 24, 2024, at 19 degrees and 26 minutes of Pisces, which astrologers will commonly round up to be 20 degrees of Pisces. In my practice with individuals, I will often refer to the Sabian Symbols to interpret a New or Full Moon for a client, and the Sabian symbol for this New Moon degree is this, “A table set for an evening meal”.

Now that might seem a rather odd and not very relevant image, but with symbolic languages we must remember to stretch our hearts and minds to move beyond mere appearances and look deeply into the significance of a scene or image. An evening meal implies the end of the day, which indicates we are at the end of the cycle (even though this refers to a New Moon, to a seed being planted, it is really about the meaning or understanding of an ending too). So, for us in the USA, we will find ourselves at a moment when we are to experience the results, what comes to us at the end of a cycle, enjoying or facing what we have provided for ourselves by our own efforts. Spiritually, it would signify that after a “long day”, after a series of moments for the USA, which in our case may mean since the last New Moon in 1994, or truly going back to the beginning of 1776, that we are now to experience a return to our soul or spiritual roots, a return to our spiritual source or home, a return to our foundations.

I would see this as a sign that we are being guided to remember and to return to the integral agreement of our founding, to our Declaration of Independence, and perhaps equally to our second founding after the Civil War and Lincoln’s memorable restatement of who and what we are. The way I like to frame this is that the USA was founded upon a compact and a pledge to be guided by a fundamental principle, that we the people of the United States would seek to fulfill our livelihoods and dreams, that our individual happiness would only be made possible, by our mutual understanding that we are to be one another’s means for self-fulfillment. That each one of us belongs to and finds our fulfillment through many communities, and by holding these together as the fields of mutual self-realizations, it is by our fellowships that we forge our Union so that our livelihoods are made and sustained. That we hold as our central truth, that in the end what we hope and wish for, which is that we all should be able to pursue our happiness, means that what unites the vast majority of us is far deeper and much wider than what divides us, or by those who seek to divide us.

I would also argue, that given this central theme that is America, that those who seek to divide us from one another, those who pit “us against them”, will continuously lose the support of the vast majority of Americans, and that this is what has happened since 2018 with the so-called MAGA movement. MAGA (and a greater portion now of the Republican party), keeps losing elections up and down the ballot, as it did in 2018, and again in 2020, and in 2022 and in 2023. And the more they lose, the more their leader doubles-down on his principal vision, witnessed in his words and deeds that strive to divide Americans from one another. Trump, whose claim to fame is that he is the greatest winner continues to be the biggest loser, and I do not see that changing in 2024.

With regards to the major transits in the USA chart, the most important one is the waxing square of Uranus to the USA Moon. The Moon in a national chart is said to rule or indicate “the people”, and Uranus is the planet that brings a quickening of Individuality, a stirring and stimulation of what I like to call the Quintessence, which in our example concerns the nature of the people of the USA.

The USA has its Moon in Aquarius, which means that the people of the USA are to be inspired and shaped by a firm belief in the specialness and uniqueness of each individual, group, and community, and by extension to the very notion of the USA as a whole. As our motto so succinctly puts it, “Out of many, one”, which means we celebrate our diversity as our strength, our collection of cultures and peoples as being what it means to be “American”, and that tolerance and understanding is what creates a community and a society where the individual flourishes, where our humanity and love for one another is the core principle for helping to make our dreams come true with and through one another. This is what de Tocqueville noted in his writings about America in the 19^th century, that the character and strength of America was to be found in its voluntary associations, of a people coming together to help one another.

Of course, we have not realized that fuller dream of America, but it is the dream that we are here to become. It is by joining together, person to person, group to group, community to community, that we made what we are and holds our promise of what we aspire to be. We look to our seers, our artists, creators, dreamers, but most especially to all those who do build and support communities to make this better world we imagine. And we look to our leaders to remind us of who we are, where we are and what we must do to make our dreams come true. So let us look at what the planets say about Joe Biden and Donald Trump for 2024.

Joe Biden/Donald Trump
The planetary influences for Joe Biden and Donald Trump this year are both supportive and challenging. The progressions and transits in any chart will have a hierarchal dimension of effects that range downwards, moving from the spiritual plane, to the mental, to the emotional and finally to the physical body. With this in mind, we are all very aware that we are examining two rather older men, and the grueling journey of a presidential campaign, not to mention the demands of a four-year term in office, well that should make us realize that it is not at all certain that either one of them will be able to weather such intense pressure this year or in the years to come. Nevertheless, let us see what is in store for them both this year.

Joe Biden
For Joe Biden, the most favorable influence in 2024 is the trine aspect by Neptune to both his Sun and Venus. Neptune holds the influence of the second quality of Spirit, that the entire Universe is formed by and made from Divine Unconditional Love. The Sun in a chart of an individual represents the Self, the pure potential of that person; Venus represents the personal values and the human expression of love for that person. Building through 2023 and climaxing here in 2024 there is a powerful influence that is shaping Joe Biden to be inspired by and guided in a spiritual attunement to a selfless and sacrificial purpose. Where he faces an opponent filled with anger and resentment, who promises revenge and retribution, Joe Biden is focused upon a path of compassion and healing and love.

And what is remarkable about this moment, is that Joe Biden was born with Neptune in his chart so that it forms both a sextile to his Venus and to his Sun, and that Neptune’s placement in his chart is in the 10^th house of his public life and responsibilities. This is, in some sense, the very time in history that Joe Biden was made for.

The most challenging influence in 2024 for Biden is Pluto squaring his Moon. There is no doubt that this is a difficult energy. Pluto rules the power of the will, and principally for an individual forms their capacity for self-control and determination, of how they both preserve their own sacred space while equally respecting the sacred space of others. Biden will experience extraordinary pressure emotionally this year, from family, from friends and from the world around him, trying to bend and make him yield to their needs or wants or fears. Biden’s challenge is to remain centered in his truth, to his moral compass and to not listen to or be swayed by guilt or manipulation. Fortunately, once again, it is Neptune which will help him here, because at the very same time that Pluto is squaring his Moon, it will be making a trine to his Neptune. He will be inspired to be guided in his actions by his uppermost planet to stay on the path of true sacrifice, and to understand that at the root of all these negative energies around the world, and of those directed at him, that they all originate from fear. By remaining faithful to his truth and path, he will not over or under react (Pluto squaring the Moon) but remain steadily purposeful to lead by the example of love.

Donald Trump
For Donald Trump, the most “favorable” influence in 2024, (and it is by no means certain that it will be favorable), is being brought by Uranus moving into his 10^th house of the public life, of one’s career, of one’s purpose and standing in society. Uranus is the planet of Individuality, which is the incessant spiritual energy within each monad of the divine, and that propels us to be an ever truer and freer expression and experience of who and what we are.

I call Uranus “the awakener” as it brings about shocks and surprises that are meant to free the individual from their self-limitations, which may close a path if it is no longer right and perhaps lead to another that is more significant or appropriate. Typically, Uranus brings about circumstances that break open and shake up things, all in order to free you. The key to knowing whether it will lead to greater freedom or not will depend upon what you bring to this moment, which is the character and quality of what you have done in the world, and what your motivation is with regards to Uranus’ message of freedom.

When I first examined Trump’s chart in depth in 2016, I noted that one of his principal features was that he was born with Uranus next to and leading his Sun, and opposite to his Moon. This two-fold alignment forges an individual who believes in their being exceptional, being an iconoclast, a breaker of icons. But because this disruptive energy influences both his essential nature and his emotional being, he will be a person who is unpredictable, unstable, and more often than not chaotic. There is no certainty with Uranus, except to expect the unexpected. Uranus is returning to where it began in Trump’s chart, and he will be reaping what he has made of his life and be faced with the consequences of his own making.

The most challenging influence in 2024 for Trump is really a double transit to his ascendant being formed by Neptune and Pluto, each of which is forming an inconjunct or 150-degree aspect, with Neptune from his 8^th house and Pluto from his 5^th house. When two inconjuncts form together in this manner, it is called by astrologers a Yod formation. The ascendant is your persona, the presence you have as you walk through time, as you make your journey through the Eternal Now. Here we have these two shapers of our journey, Pluto the planet of the Will and of self-control, and Neptune the planet of Unconditional Love and sacrifice, each of them is pushing and pulling on Trump’s way of being how he holds himself and presents himself to the world. The challenge is two-fold, to maintain self-control and neither be controlling or out of control, while at the same time being compassionate and sacrificial without playing the role of victim or martyr. This would be quite a challenge and achievement for any individual, but from what we have seen of Trump, he is certainly seems unable to control himself, nor is he has ever shown an ability to sacrifice himself.

And this brings up another interesting indicator that I have not mentioned before, at least not publicly. There is another class of indications one can use to determine the meaning of various points in a chart, which may be especially relevant in the case of a well-known individual. Astrologers have studied the influence of what are called the Fixed stars of our local space Zodiac, with each such star holding various qualities of character that come with specific warnings too.

In Trump’s chart a truly important star is right on his ascendant, on his presence in the world. It is the star Regulus, which is called “the Heart of the Lion” and the “Watcher of the North” and is found in Trump’s chart at 29 degrees of Leo, which is also Trump’s ascendant. It is one of the great four or Royal fixed stars, each of which endows a person with the potential to gain great success and to fulfill their ambitions, but only if that person faces and overcomes a particular nemesis. The nemesis that must be conquered with Regulus is Revenge. Which means that with Regulus prominent in the chart, you will have the potential to gain great fame and fortune but if you ever stoop to revenge you may lose your power and your position.

So, we find ourselves here in 2024, with the gift of Regulus for Trump, which offers the blessing of being able to attain fame, power, and fortune, and with Pluto and Neptune triggering this degree, which means that he may find his path to success being brought to an end by his inability to forgive or let go, by his incapacity to feel for anyone other than himself.

There are a number of other important aspects occurring in both Biden's chart and Trump's chart, and in the USA chart, and perhaps we will examine those in a future episode. But I do see that our time is precious, and I need to turn to you, the audience, at some point here. So, what I will do is rather than going into any detail with these other “worldly charts” of countries and leaders I will just do an overview, and then we'll come back and look at them in more detail for our next and future shows.

Ukraine/Russia
Starting with Ukraine and Russia, and that means also looking at Zelenskyy's chart and Putin's chart for the Ukraine/Russia war. What does 2024 hold, and even looking to 2025?

It was going to be a very confusing year for Russia in 2023 with some pitfalls and mishaps in terms of misreading things. But as we move into 2024, it seems there is less confusion and disruption and more purposefulness and determination. Whereas for Ukraine, which seemed to be holding its own under the under some very difficult aspects in 2023, some really challenging aspects are showing up in the chart of Ukraine for 2024 and even moving into 2025.

When we take a deeper look at both of those charts for Russia and Ukraine, in a future episode, I will go into more detail about those indications might be. But I do think that things are not going to look too well for Ukraine, at least from this view.

And if we look at the charts of the individuals leading these two countries, at Putin's chart and Zelenskyy’s, chart what do we see? Putin was under the similar influence as that of Russia with a strong Neptune aspect in 2023. That would have caused him to find that his efforts were being somewhat thwarted, sort of misdirected or misplaced. But in 2024 that is lifted, and he will be able to focus more on achieving what he may wish to achieve, at least in the short term.

Whereas Zelenskyy finds himself under tremendous pressure. The pressure that was there in 2023 remains the same in 2024. So, the stress he has endured will not be letting up for him whatsoever. When we meet next, I will look at 2025 and see how that looks for both him and for Putin. But it looks to me that the war between Ukraine and Russia is going to be rather difficult for Ukraine in 2024, and given what current news reports have been indicating, that seems to be no great surprise to me, or probably to you.

China/Xi Jinping
If we then look another major player on the world stage, and we will into more detail with our next show, let’s look at what happened to China and Xi Jinping in 2023. There has been a great disruption over the issue of value in China because of a major planetary transit. Uranus opposite to China’s Venus. And for Xi, spanning both 2022 and 2023, he has experienced a great loss of confidence and self-assurance, leading to self-doubts about himself and what he is doing, with Neptune squaring his Sun. That may lead to him during 2024 to continue to pivot in terms of his aims and actions of his goals and means as Pluto aspects his Mars.

 But there may be some kind of great disruption coming to China, leading to the question of the security or stability of the land in China in 2024. That is because Uranus, the planet that shakes things up moves into the 4th House of China, which is the root of the chart, of where we come from, but also literally the land issues of a country. And one of the big problems we all know that has occurred in China of late is this very large real estate and building bubble, that they are trying to resolve. But with all of that debt hanging over China, a couple of big failures there could really cause them great difficulty. So, it looks like more challenges are to come and that could lead to some kind of a reckoning and realignment for China in terms of security and stability, especially with regards to their foundations in 2024.

North Korea/Kim Jong Un
And then right next door, of course, we always want to take a look at North Korea and Kim Jong Un. For Kim, he has reached a moment in his own life where he's looking at the dreams he has of his life and seeing how some dreams have come true and some dreams have not come true. He is going through his midlife crisis. This happens to all of us when we reach our late 30s and early 40s. But of course, with him being a world leader, this is playing out on the world stage. So, he is struggling with how he can realize the dreams I have for myself and perhaps for my nation, and it is uncertain as to what to do. So, he may act in ways that send out very mixed signals as a result of his own personal “crisis”. I think we will get through 2024 without any great difficulty coming from North Korea. But I do look at 2025 as being much more of a challenging year, because that is the year when the planet Pluto becomes much more active in Kim’s chart, going over his Venus and going over his Saturn too. And that will coincide with Pluto going over the Venus of North Korea as well. So, there are a lot of alignments coming in 2025 that should definitely give us pause.

Israel/Benjamin Netanyahu
Let’s take a quick look at what is happening here with Israel and Netanyahu and with Hamas. But with Hamas, well that is much harder to do because it is not a nation state per se, it is an organization founded and declared to be founded on a certain date, which people might commonly use. But is that the real date to use? We are always wondering. We can be much more certain about what is happening in Israel's chart, and certainly with Benjamin Netanyahu's chart.

Israel
The principal influence that is hanging over Israel both in 2023 and 2024, and then something changes here in 2024, is that the planet Neptune, which bring about the possibility or necessity of dissolving boundaries, of moving into a wider understanding of whatever we are encountering, but always when it's working, that very dissolving function and movement into a wider, more encompassing realm, that we all will go through a period between the old reality and the old understanding and the new, we enter that space in between, and we call that confusion.

There was a great deal of confusion last year and it continues into 2024. Neptune is transiting Israel’s Jupiter, the planet that rules truth, the planet that rules our belief systems, whether those be scientific or spiritual or religious or legal. We know that there was this very real crisis in Israel in 2023, with a major legal struggle between and over the kind of democratic structure of that state of Israel. Netanyahu’s coalition was pushing for changes in the balance of power between the legislature (the Knesset) and the judiciary. This struggle over the balance of power and governing code of Israel brought about the largest protests in Israel’s history. At the root of this struggle was the very nature of the state of Israel, of people questioning, “what is our truth, what is the way we are supposed to be?” And that question continues to reverberate down into 2024 for Israel. So, at the very root of Israel’s troubles is a struggle over truth and beliefs. I would say that the people of Israel are very confused about the nature of truth, of what they believe and what kind of nation they will be.

Then what is coming in 2024, and which was not there in 2023, comes from the fact that the nation of Israel is a Taurus nation, and the planet Uranus has been moving through Taurus for a number of years now, and in 2024 Uranus will be going over Israel's Sun which has never happened before. This is the first time Israel has experienced an exact conjunction to the Sun. Every time Uranus touches the Sun, we get shook up and we are made to go through a shock or series of shocks, that leads to a breakthrough and a breakdown, and to the release of new a host of new possibilities ultimately. But it can make for a very great period again of uncertainty, and instability that could lead to a great sense of vulnerability. But it also can be a surprising time, where what was not possible, what was not even conceivable, suddenly becomes normalized and the change that could not be happens. So, a shock is going to be delivered by Israel as well as received by Israel, that is what will happen in 2024.

Netanyahu
When we look at Netanyahu’s chart, he has had the planet Neptune forming an alignment to both the planet Mars which rules desire and action, the planet that determines the thrust in life, and to the Sun in his chart which is his experience of himself. It is like what is happening in Trump’s chart with the Yod Formation. For Netanyahu, Neptune is lining up to Mars in one part of his chart, and at the same time to his Sun in another section of his chart. So, this is a twin influence. Neptune dissolves whatever it is influencing, and it will often appear to be bringing about some sort of weakening for whatever it is touching. Mars is your vitality, so there is definitely a draining of vitality, a confusion about desire and direction often leading to misunderstanding and misdirection. For 2023 this influence affected his vitality and his sense of himself, and his assuredness in himself.

And in 2024 this influence remains, with Neptune continuing to influence his Sun. It is a two-year process, of being not sure of himself and uncertain of what is going on, which others will probably take advantage of his apparent weakness. He will not feel himself, and he will not be fully present in whatever he is doing, and he will send out mixed messages.

We will take a deeper look at all of these charts and at some others that we have not yet considered. We don't have enough time to do this today, so I will go into more depth with these matters and consider them in a future show.

USA
I also just wanted to go back and just remind us of the importance for the USA with this new moon that is taking place in March of 2024. Remember this will happen every 29 years or so. The last new moon in the USA chart was 1990. Before that was 1965, and before that was 1935 and so on. So, it happens repeatedly, and it is an interesting way of looking at periods in the USA's life in terms of themes that may be released and then developed in the course of those 29 years.

So, what is happening now in the USA? We are at the end of what has been going on since 1994, and we are moving into a new era here from 2024 onwards. It is an interesting way of framing and characterizing an era in American history, simply through an examination of these progressed new Moons. But we can and should look at the full Moons too to see the result or climax of that cycle, which will happen about 14 to 15 years later. The new Moon of 1994 reached its climax in 2008, which of course coincided with a collapse of the USA economy, the bursting of the debt bubble and the mortgage crisis. This second "great depression" had been formed by the corporate and governmental policies and actions that had been pursued since 1994. It was this that led to the collapse of our economy and really for the world economy.

The previous new Moon was 1965, and it was the seed being planted that led to a full Moon harvest which was in 1979. That again was a year of a painful economic harvest, of what became termed “stagflation”, to a stagnation in jobs and growth and an inflation in prices. So, these new moons and full moons function like our bookends, sort of framing the history of the USA in one sense. Perhaps in a future show we will look at more of the entire series of new and full Moons to see our history through that method of analysis.

Astrological Musings — 2024 Preview - A look ahead Part 2 (January 28, 2024)

Astrological Musings — 2024 Preview - A look ahead Part 2 - National Charts and World Leaders

In my second show of 2024, we will consider the planetary indications for nations and national leaders in 2024 and beyond.

I will begin with a look at the United States and the two leading contenders for the 2024 election, Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Then we will look at other important charts for nations and world leaders including Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Iran, China and North Korea, and other world actors as well. I am sure that we will not be able to get to all the charts in today’s show, so I will continue our review in my next show in February.

If you wish to suggest a subject or topic for a future show, please email me as I would be happy to hear from you. My email is: [email protected].

Here is the main link to Astrologer Bill Attride Radio:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/astrologerbillattride

Here is the link to the show on Sunday January 28^th @ 2 pm EST:

https://www.blogtalkradio.com/astrologerbillattride/2024/01/28/astrological-musings-2024-preview--a-look-ahead-part-2

The phone number to call if you wish to ask a question during the live show is: (516) 531‑9638.

Please join me on Sunday January 28^th @ 2 pm EST as we look at the current astrological indications and what they mean for you.

If you miss the show, it will be available as a Podcast shortly after on BlogTalk or my Apple Podcasts.

Sun Enters Aquarius (January 20, 2024)

Aquarius by Jake Baddeley

The Way

The Zodiac, what I like to call the “Circle of the Living Ones”, is not something “out there”, found in a network of stars that seemingly surround our Solar System. We must free our minds from this materialized and limited conception of reality and instead understand that the whole of Creation exists as a hierarchy of dimensions of Energy-Forms, ranging from the surpassingly ethereal to the most physical. Throughout all these realms there is an ordering and interconnection that is “formed and informed” by these Twelve archetypes, with the Signs in effect forming the design-body and bestowing the meanings found at the root of the smallest of energy-forms, the monads, which are the sparks of the Divine at the center of one and all.

According to the ancient teachings, the One became the many, and what we call these spiritual monads at the heart of every energy-form of the cosmos began their remarkable journey, which is the story of Creation. It is these monads at the root of all, who in their alchemical combinations bring about the birth, death, and rebirth that we experience as “life”. It is by these series of endless transfigurations that the whole of Creation is forged into the many kingdoms of life that fill the spaces of space, which range from the atoms to molecules to all of the beings, planets, and stars, and it is they, in their totality, which are the majesty and mystery of the One made manifest.

Today you move into the penultimate realm in the houses of the holy, into the last of the airy signs and the final fixed sign known as Aquarius. At this time of the year, and forever somewhere in your very own chart too, you seek to know and understand what comes next, what comes after your accomplishments and rewards that you reaped in Capricorn. For it was there that you reached a greater degree of personal self-mastery; you not only knew what was true, but you understood that this was not enough, because you are here to be this very truth too.

Having fulfilled your responsibilities, to your family, through your work and within your community, you might indeed wonder, “what comes next, what do I do now?” And from the Ancient Ones will come the answer, that it is not enough to protect and preserve what was made by your ancestors and most recently by yourself, because the spirit that is you is not made or held by what was. No, the eternal light of the One that burns within is ever intent to reach for the unmet promise, that unrealized dream of what you and your world are yet to be.

Why are you here, really? You are here for one reason, to become a better human. That being human means you are on the path of awakening that will lead to your self-fulfillment as a fully conscious co-creator of Creation, what is known as a “free monad”, and no longer utterly bound to the law of karma. Yes, you are on a path that leads to true freedom, and your purpose is to free yourself. But this is also true about the way you become free, that you will equally do this for one another too for this is the way of the living spirit, the community of light and love.

Because it is in Aquarius that you understand this essential truth of being human, that you would not be human, you would not be you at all, were it not for all with whom you have journeyed on this path of awakening. You are the way to one another’s creation, and all that you are is because of the innumerable souls with whom you have been in this life, and in all of your many lives too. Your feelings and thoughts, the source of you and your harvest too, your dreams and deeds, all of this you did with one another, so that you made you through one another, and all of these many souls live on in parts of you as you are a part of them, forever. Truly, you are not an “I” but a “we”, a host of thoughts, of loves and lives that are with you always, as you are part of them forever too.

This is the heart of the teaching held by Aquarius. That you are part of a great human fellowship, a great family of souls, and it is by our fellowships and friendships, it is by our dreaming and doing and loving one another, it is by each and every one of us seeking and striving together to make a better life, it is by this way of love that we forge a better world for one and for all.

Yes, it is for this dream, our dream of the future, that is how and why we are here. We have made our many lives through our loves and by our communities, and we built for one another these dreams that made us more perfect by our love for one another. Yes, it is because we are human, that every one of us is part of something greater, and these energy-forms of our countless interrelationships is where we wield the forge of Creation, which is the alchemy of love, of being the source for one another of the dream come true for one another.

Aquarius looks at what is, and dreams of the better world that is yet to be. We are the seeds of the future; we are the makers of ourselves and the world that was and will be.

You are here for what is to come; and you here, for one another.

And you must remember, you are all for one and one for all; this is our Way.

As it was in the beginning, so shall it be in the end.

We are here for one thing only,

We are here because of love.

We are here to love and be loved.

We are here for the future and the dawn of a better day.

Let it be, may we all be.

The Way.

2024-1-7 Radio Show Transcript — 2024 Preview, a look ahead

Alchemist Heating a Pot, by David Teniers the Younger

Astrological Musings — 2024 Preview, a look ahead

(If you wish to listen to the show instead, here is the link on BlogTalk or Apple Podcasts)

As we move into 2024, it is time for us to consider what Astrological conditions will prevail during this year and beyond. The major planetary alignment of this year includes the first major aspect of Saturn to Pluto since their last conjunction in January 2020, which is a semi-square that is exact in May, September, and January of 2025. 2024 will also be the final year of Pluto’s transition from the sign of Capricorn to Aquarius, and it will the final full year for both Neptune in Pisces before it transitions to Aries, and final full year for Uranus in Taurus before it transitions to Gemini. Those shifts indicate that we will certainly be in a much different world by 2025 and beyond.

This year will also have the usual repeating phenomena of the Solar and Lunar eclipses, three Mercury in retrogrades, and Jupiter changing signs. I will do another show soon where we will look at some of the major national and leadership charts to see what we might understand about the year ahead from that perspective as well.

Saturn semi-square Pluto
The most important aspect in the heavens this year is the first alignment of Saturn with Pluto since their conjunction or “new moon” of January 2020. The cycle of Saturn and Pluto, from conjunction to conjunction, lasts from between 33 to 38 years, and it concerns the integral balance between Order (Saturn) and Will (Pluto), or Structure and Sacred Space, or Spirit materialized and the Alchemical force that is behind the entirety of Creation. In Mundane or Worldly Astrology, this cycle informs the birth/death/rebirth of new political, economic, and social structures. Often the cycle begins with the ending of some kind of order, a breakdown and then a rebuilding of the ways of the exercise of power through structure, of the ways in which order and disorder and reorder echo down the ages.

The most recent conjunctions have been:

The first of the 20^th century occurred in 1914, with World War I which we could see as the penultimate war in the history of colonization. The subsequent semi-square of 1918 brought the end of that war but also the great Influenza epidemic of 1918-1919. The conjunction of 1947-48, saw the real beginnings of decolonization, with the partition of India and Pakistan, the emergence of China finally free from foreign control, but also the establishment of the state of Israel. The subsequent semi-square in 1951 saw the Korean War, and many other South Asian and African wars of post-colonial struggles; the Saturn/Pluto conjunction of 1982-83 saw Israel invade Lebanon, (which it did not completely leave until 2000), but also the “birth” of the internet, and a number of military governments being replaced by civilian ones in as in Argentina and Turkey. The subsequent semi-square in 1988 saw the first internet virus, and the beginning of the end to the Iron Curtain and cold war as the Soviet Union tried to open up its economic system and Hungary opened up to travel between the east and the west.

Now we have our most recent conjunction of 2020, and we have certainly experienced the structures and systems around the world being overmatched and overwhelmed by a world-wide pandemic. We have been made aware how our system of meeting human needs by means of an intricate global trade structure has been proven to be vulnerable and lacking in resiliency. The very way in which we have become interconnected and interdependent, both materially and virtually, has overwhelmed and thrown into disrepute the governing institutions within and between nations, as what had been assumed to be a universal liberal political and economic order has been battered and sometimes shattered by forces of reaction and revolution, by extremists on the right and the left. What we are seeing around the world is a global experience of Millennial movements, whose adherents either want to return their world to a mythic “golden age”, or to a final judgement in which their followers will be spared and exalted.

What this year’s semi-square may hold for us, there is truly no way to know for certain. All we can know is that the essential interdependencies and interconnectivities of the natural world, the beautiful yet vulnerable hierarchy of nature’s ecosystems, combined with the effects of our economic world driven by infinite consumption on a finite planet are growing not fading. We will certainly experience ever greater waves of disturbances, mass migrations of peoples fleeing climate disasters and institutional failures, and this inescapable reality is being brought to bear as the primary and existential challenge facing humanity is the threat of climate change, a transformation of our world that we have created, and which is becoming ever weirder and wilder.

The Outer Planets
But we must always remember that the planetary indications from Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are still the major shapers for any period of history. We have looked at them recently, and we will look at them again in a later show, but we need to remember that we are at the cusp of three major transitions. Pluto is moving into Aquarius in 2024 until 2044, Neptune is beginning its move into Aries next year until 2039, and Uranus is beginning its move into Gemini next year until 2033. The last time Pluto was in Aquarius was 1778 to 1798, the same time as the American and French Revolutions and Napoleon Bonaparte. The last time Neptune was in the sign of Aries was 1862 to 1875, encompassing the US Civil War and Reconstruction. The last time Uranus was in Gemini was 1935 to 1942, the first half of the Second World War. As much as we may have been frustrated by the rigidity between groups and factions over the past many years, these shifts of the major planets will mean that we are going to see a rearrangement/realignment of issues and peoples from 2025 onwards.

With so many outer planets moving into new signs, the combinational or energetic spiritual vibrations will create new opportunities (and new solutions) to our present-day challenges. But they will also necessarily give rise to new problems too. It is upon each one of us to understand the meanings and messages of the planets, but most especially remember the fundamental truths and wisdom that should guide our thoughts and shape our actions year after year. If we can remain centered by the everlasting truths, then we will be able to respond much better to these planetary influences and not react with fear.

Eclipses
Normally every year we will have two Solar and two Lunar eclipses, and this is also true for 2024, with a Lunar eclipse on March 25, a Solar eclipse on April 8, a Lunar eclipse on September 18, and a Solar eclipse on October 2.

Solar eclipses are more significant, and their influence can be expected to last until the next Solar eclipse around six months later, until the next Solar eclipse. The Lunar eclipses are understood to influence the next 30 days, until the next full Moon.

Solar and Lunar eclipses happen when the orbital position of the Earth around the Sun, and the orbital position of the Moon around Earth match up so that either the Moon creates a shadow by blocking out the Sun (at the New Moon), or the Earth creates a shadow that falls upon the Moon when it is full.

The March 25^th penumbral lunar eclipse, which means the Moon only enters the penumbra of the Earth’s shadow and just dims, happens around 3 am EDT at 5 degrees and 7 minutes in Libra, and weather permitting it will be visible in the USA. If you have any planet or chart angle around this degree, it will be important to consider its meaning for the next month or so.

The April 8^th total solar eclipse is exact at 2:20 pm EDT at 19 degrees and 24 minutes of Aries, and the eclipse path of totality will sweep across the USA from the southwest to the northeast. If you have any planet or chart angle around this degree, it will be very important to consider its meaning to you for the next six months, and the area of your chart it falls in will be highlighted for that same period.

The path of totality will sweep from Mexico and into Texas, then up through Arkansas and Missouri into Southern Illinois, and into Indiana and Ohio, then on into western New York and through northern Vermont and New Hampshire, through Maine before finally ending in the eastern provinces of Canada.
Here is a map of the April Eclipse Path:

I had actually mentioned this eclipse in 2017, because in August of that year we had another total eclipse sweep across the USA from the northwest to the southeast, starting in Oregon and arching through the Midwest and intersecting the 2024 eclipse in southern Illinois and moving further southeast to exit in South Carolina. 

It seems rather significant to me, and I am sure to many others, that the USA will have experienced two total Solar eclipses, 7 years apart, that form a perfect “X” centered just east of the continental center of the USA, and actually right on the median spot for population of the USA. Here is a map of the two Eclipse paths:

The September 17^th partial lunar eclipse, which means the Moon enters most of the full shadow of the Earth, but a small crescent appears on one side, is exact at 10:34 pm at 25 degrees and 41 minutes of Pisces, and weather permitting will be visible in the USA. If you have any planet or chart angle around this degree, it will be important to consider its meaning for the next month.

Finally, the October 2 annular solar eclipse, which means the Moon is a little too far away from the Earth, so that a small ring of sunlight, which is called the “annulus”, is seen around the Moon and is exact at 2:49 pm EDT at 10 degrees and 4 minutes of Libra. It begins in the Central Pacific and arches down to South America passing through southern Chile and Argentina. If you have a significant planet of chart angle around 10 degrees of Libra, you will experience this area of your life becoming more consequential for the next six months.
Here is a map of the October Eclipse path:

Mercury Retrogrades
Let us now consider the Mercury retrogrades for 2024. Usually, we will have three Mercury retrogrades in a year, and that is true for 2024. Of course, we did begin this New Year with Mercury turning direct on January 1, as it had been retrograding since December 13^th.

The meaning and message of each retrograde period will be indicated by what sign or signs Mercury is moving backwards through, and for each of us individually by what house or houses of your chart it is moving through as well.

No matter what, the Mercury retrograde period presents an opportunity for everyone to become more reflective and pensive, more drawn to and more able to take advantage of this time of introspection, so as to help clear up poor thinking or communication by self-critical analysis. In so doing, your manner of observing, thinking, and communicating with one another is improved and uplifted.

But each period also requires that we remember that the “weather” has changed for one and all, and although everyone is affected by this shift of energy-forms, many do not know what is happening or how to manage it. That is why we experience a rise in miscommunications and a surge of misunderstandings in the world generally. In each encounter between one person and another, the general condition for all minds means that either one or both individuals are not receiving as well as they might think, nor are they transmitting as well as they should.

So, during these periods we should use this time for mindful, thoughtful self-renewal, but when engaged in communications with others we must strive to listen or read more carefully and speak or write more clearly.

The first Mercury retrograde of 2024 begins on April 1^st and ends on April 25^th, with Mercury moving from 27 degrees of Aries back to 16 degrees of Aries. Whatever area of your chart this involves, by which I mean whatever house or house it is moving through and what planets it may contact, you will find it important or necessary to review and revise your thoughts about this area of your life. For one and all, since this retrograde is in Aries, behind the issues being addressed will be the Aries experience of being more mindful of your “presence”, by your attitude and demeanor, so that you can meet each moment of the eternal now in the most meaningful manner.

The second Mercury retrograde begins early on August 5^th for the USA east coast, but in the late evening of the 4^th for the rest of the USA, moving from 4 degrees of Virgo back to 21 degrees of Leo when it turns direct on August 28th. Again, whatever area of your chart this involves you will need to review and revise your understanding of that. For one and for all, since this retrograde involves both Virgo and Leo, it will encompass and link both sign’s meanings. For the Virgo phase, a time to reflect and amend the “order” of one’s life, to strive to maintain or bring into greater integration all the parts of your life, and during the Leo phase to reflect on the meaning of respect for oneself and for one another.

The third and final Mercury retrograde begins on November 25, and ends on December 15^th, moving from 23 degrees Sagittarius back to 6 degrees Sagittarius. As before, whatever area of your chart this involves, you should use these three weeks to reflect and revise your understanding of that. For one and all, the retrograde through Sagittarius will provide a period to question the hierarchy of truths and beliefs that form and guide your understanding and actions.

Jupiter
The planet Jupiter is the largest in our solar system and completes an orbit of the Sun roughly every 12 years. That means Jupiter will spend about one year in each sign. Since May 16, 2023, Jupiter has been in the sign of Taurus. It will enter Gemini on May 25, 2024, and remain there until it moves into Cancer on June 9, 2025.

Jupiter is the pathway to and the vessel of Truth, whether those truths be Spiritual or Metaphysical or Scientific or Cultural. Whatever sign your Jupiter is in your chart, it will indicate the type of truths you will guide your life by, and the pathway you will follow to reach a greater understanding. But just as there are many paths that will lead us to our eventual awakening, we should be open each year to the various forms of truth that Jupiter will hold for us as it moves through the signs.

When Jupiter is in Taurus, it will foster a purposeful and persistent search for the truth. Those who have Jupiter in Taurus will hold to a firm belief in Teachings and Values that are Eternal. Any individual with Jupiter in Taurus has an underlying optimism and faith in humanity, or really in all of life or Spirit. Most individuals with Jupiter in Taurus have an abiding belief that humanity is on a continuous and upward path that will lead to the fulfillment of some form of a Divine Plan. During this past year and until May 25^th, humanity has been influenced by Jupiter to follow a path to Truth that is founded and forged by Everlasting Value, which is of course Divine Love.

When Jupiter is in Gemini, it will foster a path of development that is formed by an insatiable curiosity and constant exchange of information. Any individual with Jupiter in Gemini will be more able to take the often-times chaotic multiplicities of inputs from the universe and be more capable of organizing and giving them coherent meanings, whereas for many for others they might experience this surge of energy as noise or even chaos.

During the upcoming period of Jupiter in Gemini, humanity will be influenced to follow a path to Truth that is filled with insatiable curiosity and wonder. The injunction with Jupiter in Gemini is that no matter what level of understanding you have achieved, in order to remain true to your spiritual nature you must follow the eternal Voice of the Silence which whispers, “Walk On!” Those who claim to have all the answers will be seen for who they truly are, they know nothing.

Moreover, 2024 will be the first of the four major alignments that Jupiter will make with Saturn during their cycle of 20 years, which is the waxing square. The beginning of their last cycle in December of 2020 was historic, as it was the start of a new 200-year cycle of Jupiter and Saturn conjunctions in the Air signs, starting with Aquarius. The previous conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn were: 1980-81, 1961, 1940-41 and 1921. And the moments like our own of previous waxing squares were: 1986, 1965, 1945 and 1926.

What was released at the end of 2020 has reached a critical turning point. The opportunity is put before us to choose which way we will go now, either to rise with courage and faith, or to fall backwards because of fear.

The waxing square presents us with a challenge, whether we should choose one way or the other, or whether we can find a way to hold together two very different energy-forms, to find a way to blend two very different messages and ways of acting in order to meet this moment of the challenges laid before us, (and we must always remember that those real challenges are what we forged in the past by our prior actions and inactions).

The question posed by the square is in our case between Saturn in Pisces and Jupiter in Gemini. If we can find a way to hold them together, we will find the wisdom that is there on the middle path of spirit. If we choose to hold to one and deny the other, then we will likely fail to make the most of the choices we need to make. 

Since Saturn is the “slower” moving planet in this pairing, we should consider that its meaning and message should shape and guide the expression of Jupiter as we face whatever challenge is before us. Saturn in Pisces reminds you of your ultimate test, which is that the only thing you have to fear is fear itself. That means if are you still a captive of fear, circumscribed by your own self-cast shadows and a fear-filled fatalist about your life, if this is so you will be unable to pierce through the cacophony of Jupiter in Gemini, with those countless points of views and distractions will lead you into a morass of half-truths and confusion.

But if you have begun to understand that you are a Creator/Dreamer, who has a living faith that is founded upon your Immortal spiritual nature, then you will know that you have nothing to fear whatsoever. Anchored by your higher self, you will be able to discern fact from fiction, truth from half-truths, and you will know in your heart and in your mind what you must do. You will see through the shadows and fog, and the bright shining light that is there within every one of us, the light sublime, Divine Unconditional Love, will inspire your thoughts and guide your steps as you meet the choices that 2024 will bring.

May the Light of Truth, Love and Understanding be with you all, now and forever more.

May it be.

Bill Attride : 2024 Astrological Forecast -- The Suzane Northrop Show

This month, Suzane welcomes a special guest, Bill Attride to discuss the possibilities for 2024.

Bill is known for his unique integration of the spiritual and the psychological dimensions of Astrology. He has been featured in articles in such diverse publications as New Woman Magazine, Avenue Magazine and the Sunday Business section of The New York Times.

Bill is a brilliant astrologer who can shed further light on what to expect in 2024. Suzane had Bill on as her guest for the first show of the last several years; he got great reviews each time, so he is returning for Suzane's first show of 2024!

Join me tonight on Suzane's BlogTalk radio show at 6 pm EST.

Here is the link to her show: 

https://www.blogtalkradio.com/suzanenorthrop/2024/01/15/bill-attride-2024-astrological-forecast--the-suzane-northrop-show