News & Comments.

Mercury retrograde.  

 Mercury is at present retrograding, so as usual we can expect transport difficulties, delays with mail, computer breakdowns, and communication problems. I have on many occasions also pointed out that Mercury retrograde will cause many of us to retrace our steps, looking at old issues with a view to making changes and updates. Glad to see people are taking notice of of my observations on this phenomenon, especially Sun Sign astrologer Jonathan Cainer who now mentions it. Strange how he never mentioned it before. 

Here is another observation: Note the Sign through which Mercury is retrograding then equate this to the House ruled by that Sign. In this case the retrograde is taking place in Libra and hence the 7th House. It is easy to see that people will be taking stock of their close associations perhaps making adjustments or simply reminiscing over old times. Agreements previously in place may also come under the spotlight and have to be renegotiated or amended in some  way. You can see this on the National stage with the frantic need to broker new arrangements to bail out the greedy banks. In keeping with retrograde Mercury, don't expect quick results. 

Doom & Gloom? 

Okay, let's forget about the over-the-top predictions of certain Sun Sign Cowboys and get real. One doesn't need to be an Astrologer to predict how the current 'economic downturn' will eventually turn out. History shows that after every boom there is a bust and that after every bust there is a boom. The bust period is normally much shorter than the boom. The same thing will happen again, so eventually the gloom and depression will lift, matters will improve for a while, and then inevitably we will all find ourselves in difficulties once again. The lesson is; don't ever presume that the good times are going to continue forever, so spend wisely and don't fall for the greedy tactics of banks and financial institutions. Keep sufficient reserves in hand for the bad times. 

At the moment Saturn is transiting the Solar 6th House and Saturn being what it is - a planet indicating slowdown, delays, obstacles, and depressing trends - the effects can hardly be encouraging. Manufacturing, retail, and service industries will have to adjust to poor trading conditions and a slowdown in output. The squeeze will be put on jobs as everyone tightens their belts. Fortunately, Saturn leaves the 6th House in the last quarter of next year after which time things ought to improve noticeably. 

The crisis in the financial sector was entirely predictable and it is down to the curse of the human race - greed. Greedy banks, greedy people who thought they could make a quick killing in the housing market, and people who jumped in at the deep end because they though they could cash in on the boom [which was going to go on forever - right?] The retrograde of Pluto - a normally sound indicator of financial matters - back into the Solar 9th House was bound to sound the death knell for these institutions. The time of reckoning has come, as it was bound to do. Banks going bust? Unheard of. Yet they have only themselves to blame for being irresponsible and greedy, caring nothing about ordinary people who are now suffering as a result of their actions. 

Pluto is set to return to the Solar 10th House on the 27th November this year and this will herald changes in the financial structure. More on this later... 

Doom & gloom cont'd.  

During the return of Pluto into Sagittarius we witnessed the last of the current round of greed and stupidity now endemic in our financial institutions. Panicking governments bailing out the banks on this scale? Unheard of. So what now? 

Pluto often indicates power struggles, and this is very likely to happen with the inevitable loser being you and I. Banks never lose; the system sees to it that it simply cannot happen. And that is the root of the problem. Safe in the knowledge that no matter how greedy and incompetent they get, financial institutions can do whatever they like. They already do. But here is the crunch. The financial institutions have got all the money - governments are now in debt to them, so guess who pulls the strings? Guess who are now heading for supremacy? Governments cannot win, they will try but the ingress of Pluto into Capricorn suggests that in any power struggle between banks and governments the banks will win and will go on winning until they dominate the agendas of just about every government, in turn affecting all our lives for the worse. Harsher and more devious methods of financial control will be exercised by governments, partly to try to pay off their ever-increasing debts, partly to appease the banks. The new slogan will be: Money wins - okay? 

It is time we wised up to the corruption and manipulation heading our way, and through the ballot box removed the mealy-mouthed politicians who are sold on 'fiscal policy' and who bow the knee to the banks. We need people who are above such things and who actually care about people. What chance of this happening? Probably less than the Sun Sign astrologers actually leaning about Astrology. 

Cainer - latest daft prediction. 

On the 4th December Sun Sign Cowboy Jonathan Cainer wrote: 

While preparing my latest set of spoken predictions, I kept staring in amazement at next week’s Full Moon. One week from today, the Moon will be directly opposite Mars. Mars, in turn, will form a right angle to Uranus which is opposite Saturn. Think of the zodiac as a clock face. The Sun and Mars are at 6. Uranus is at 3. Saturn is at 9. Next Friday, the Moon turns full as it reaches 12. This is what we call a mutable cross. It is potent, intense and bodes wonderfully well for all who wish to create change! 

This is complete nonsense. Anyone with even the slightest knowledge of Astrology knows full well that a Grand Cross - be it cardinal, mutable, or fixed - is an indicator of difficulties and stagnation, not an indicator of success, and certainly does not indicate change. References to this can be found in: 

Dynamics of Aspect Analysis.  by Bill Tiernery.

The Modern Textbook of Astrology by Margaret Hone. 

Teach yourself Astrology by Jeff Mayo. 

I queried this with Cainer who, as is usual with Astrological questions, refused to reply. You may draw your own conclusions, bearing in mind that Cainer has been predicting great things throughout 2008, none of which appear to have happened.   

Coming soon: Jonathan in Blunderland - a comprehensive log of failed predictions and vague statements. Not to be missed! 

Comment: Solar Eclipse.  

This phenomenon occurred on the 26th January 2009 and was heralded as 'life-changing' by one Sun Sign Cowboy. I confidently predict that this eclipse will have absolutely no effect on anyone's life, but many of the fake Astrologers will try to profit from it. 

Update: Told you so. 

Some questions. 

 Why is it that people who pretend to be legitimate Astrologers writing in Astrology forums hide behind names such as silverlight and starchild? Don't they have real names or are are they hiding something, and if they are what is it? Why is it some go one stage further and offer to 'read your chart' [for a fee, of course] then send you a cheap computer report generated by software that hasn't even been set up correctly? Why is it that not one of these people can even type up a basic report of the sort any 1st year student could do yet pretend to be Astrologers? Perhaps it is much easier to stay in their comfort zone, sitting around swapping rubbish and flattering their egos, I think. 

Jonathan Cainer is now in Tibet - why I can't imagine. However, here are some easy questions, Jonathan. 

Who is typing up your personal reports, reading Tarot cards, or giving I Ching interpretations by reading the Yarrow stalks for clients while you are away? It is all done by computer and automated, and therefore light years removed from the real thing. So why don't you come clean and admit it? 

Comment. The triple conjunction myth. 

I would like to begin by pointing out that anyone can post information and ideas about Astrology to the Internet which means that there is no vetting procedure to ensure that such information is accurate and truthful. Very often it isn't, due to over-imaginative minds and in many cases pure lies for the purpose of extracting money from unsuspecting victims. 

Take, for instance, the ideas put around concerning Sedna a little piece of rock, one of millions floating about in the Solar System which for some strange reason has been singled out for special attention and which now has 'interpretations' attached to it. This is a prime example of an idea which has no basis in fact and is totally unproven, yet some so-called Astrologers insist on including it in the Astrological scheme. There are, of course, many other examples of this type of folly, including the Harmonic Concordance, the Venus transit, and an assortment of comets. All completely daft and unproven. Do remember the golden rule: 

Just because it appears on the Internet does not mean it is true. 

If in any doubt one should always refer to recognised sources of accurate Astrology such as The Modern Textbook of Astrology by Margaret Hone. 

The problem with the Internet is that this misinformation can so easily become the 'norm' and thus widely accepted as being the truth even though it is in many cases complete nonsense. 

One such silly idea is now doing the rounds and is popularly known as the Jupiter-Neptune triple conjunction. Jupiter and Neptune is okay but the inclusion of yet another lump of insignificant rock known as Chiron is particularly ridiculous. Chiron is not part of the Astrological scheme, in fact it is the product of over-fertile minds who have elevated this inert rock to high status without one shred of evidence to support their claims. I challenge any one of them to prove that Chiron, or indeed any other lump of rock in the Solar System, is of any significance whatsoever. I would say that anything attributed to this insignificant speck of dust can be attributed to other factors within the chart. Prove me wrong... 

But there is more, far more to this story as you will see. [To be continued]. 

Beware of the Triple conjunction scam. 

Comment. The triple conjunction myth cont'd. 

Jupiter and Neptune are in what is known as transit, in other words moving through the Zodiac. There are rules to be observed here.

For any pair of transiting planets to be considered conjunct they must be within plus or minus 1 degree of each other, outside of that and they are not conjunct. This makes nonsense of the assertions of Sun Sign Cowboys that this transit has been with us for some time and will continue right into 2010. Also, we have to consider the rules of applying and separating aspects. Briefly, when two planets are coming together approaching exactness they are said to be applying. When they are moving apart they are known as separating. Planets separating have little or no effect, only applying planets carry any strength and meaning. With this in mind the dates when this transit is actually in force are considerably reduced and are: 

14th May - 15th July 2009.  15 December - 21st December 2009. 

Quite a short period I think you will agree. More to follow... 

Comment. The triple conjunction myth cont'd. 

Some would be Astrologers try to give you the impression that an astronomical event, such as the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction, has important personal implications. This is not strictly true. It all depends on where the configuration occurs in your chart and what aspects, if any, are being made to your natal planets. Naturally, this will vary considerably from person to person and can only be assessed by an individual examination of your chart, particularly the Solar Return. There is also the important point that unless this configuration occurs in your birth chart it's effects are negligible. 

So, to imply that the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction is 'life changing' is complete nonsense and I suspect that those expressing this view are either unaware of the rules of Astrology or are deliberately setting out to deceive for the purposes of taking money from people who trust them. So, don't be fooled by the rubbish put about concerning Jupiter Neptune; chances are it will have little or no effect on you as an individual. 

Comment. Triple conjunction scam. 

This is complete nonsense and I challenge Jonathan Cainer to prove otherwise. 

Comment. 'All that glitters is not gold'. 11th March 2010. 

It is a sad fact that we really cannot believe everything we read in newspapers, and this is equally true of the Internet. Anyone can publish whatever they like, even if it is untrue, and this allows scammers and fakes of all kinds to get away with deception and fraud. It also means that dreamers, idealists, and outright crackpots can also say whatever they like with relative impunity. And, how are you the public to know if a web site is honest or the content factual? You don't. Of course not all web sites are misleading but in the case of Astrology most are. Sceptics and critics of Astrology publish all manner of silly comments berating Astrologers and Astrology itself, yet not one of them has even bothered to study the subject or even worked through a standard textbook. Would-be Astrologers also publish all manner of ludicrous ideas even though they haven't checked their facts. Again, how would you know if the material you are reading is correct or the product of some idealist with little grounding in Astrology? 

Shortly after becoming aware of the problem I decided to publish what I believe are the correct standards for Astrology, such as choice of House system, correct orbs, etc, together with exposures of fakes and scammers, and the process has continued ever since. If in any doubt you ought to consider looking at the files on offer here - they could save you from going down the wrong path and they could alert you to potential scams.  

Comment. Jonathan Cainer and the [mythical] T-square. 18 March 2010. 

Those of you who regularly follow my comments on this web site will be aware of the warning I gave in February about the so-called T-square between Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto. In keeping with most of Jonathan's fads, this one is complete nonsense, but worryingly it is being used an an excuse to make money out of people who believe that Jonathan can do no wrong because he is a qualified Astrologer. He isn't. This T-square does not exist and never will exist, so avoid this like the plague.  

Comment. More mad science. May 5th 2010. Updated 27th May 2010. 

I don't know how many of you saw The Wonders of the Solar System presented by professor Brian Cox. During one of the episodes Cox made the outrageous statement that Astrology was rubbish. How would he know? Has he ever bothered to study the subject? Almost certainly not. 

This is quite typical of arrogant and bigoted scientists who dare to presume they know everything there is to know and have the answer to all things. A complaint to the BBC resulted in the usual defensive answer stating that Cox made his comments because Astrology wasn't scientific - whatever that means. It is still inexcusable. It set me thinking about the general consensus of opinion out there in the scientific world, and sure enough the same narrow-minded attitude is the norm - see below. 

I have complained to the BBC and on each occasion have been fobbed off with the excuse that this is Cox's opinion not the BBC's. So that's all right isn't it? From this we can assume that any bigot can say whatever he wants on air with impunity. Not good enough! I have referred the matter to the Editorial Complaints Unit on the grounds that this was indeed a bigoted comment which they recorded and passed, edited and passed, and then broadcast. It will be interesting to see what they come up with. A whitewash I suspect. 

I came across a web site featuring the usual 'scientific' criticisms born out of ignorance. Here are some of the questions posed listed under 'How to prove Astrology is a fake'.  

Why can't astrologers explain the mechanism by which objects in space influence our lives? Perhaps it is because there is no influence and, hence, no force to carry it.

No one who has ever studied the subject properly subscribes to this myth. It is purely the product of over fertile imaginations taken up by Sun Sign Cowboys who either don't know any better or have an eye for money-making. Planets do not influence our lives - they simply act as indicators of events and psychological traits. Any half decent Astrology textbook would explain this. 

Astrology has traditionally placed importance on the placement of constellations in the night sky - but why? Constellations are created by us and do not exist independently, so how can they influence our lives? This shows that astrology is not science, but magic.

Astrology does not use the constellations - they are irrelevant. We use the Zodiac which begins at the intersection of the ecliptic and the equator. The ecliptic is then divided into 12 equal sections, known as the Zodiac, starting from this point. Again any textbook would explain this. So why didn't they look? 

Why does astrology rely upon the birth of a person rather than the conception? What makes the time of birth so important and time of conception so irrelevant? 

Time of birth is important to an Astrologer because it marks the beginning of life. Given this, we can produce a chart and make deductions. Does anyone have a reliable method for calculating the exact moment of conception? No they don't, so we can't produce a chart. Simple. 

Can astrology predict the fates and character of identical and fraternal twins as well as genetics? No, and that indicates how astrology is not scientific. 

What a stupid assumption. Of course we can deduce the character traits of twins. And, there will be differences because no two people are born at exactly the same time. 

If astrology can predict a person's fate, can astrology also predict the occurrence of mass tragedies? The answer is 'no', and this suggests that astrology is not credible. 

No. What it suggests is that some scientists are uninformed bigots. Anyone who has studied the subject knows full well that in order to make predictions one first needs a chart. There are no reliable charts for countries, so we can't be specific. The best we can do is look at the transiting planets, especially when they change to a new Sign, and attempt to make predictions. It isn't foolproof, but it's the best we have at the moment. 

If astrology is valid and scientific, how did it manage to operate for thousands of years without noticing three of our solar system's nine planets? Why did astronomers, using math and science, discover them first? The answer is that astrology is not scientific. 

Astrology doesn't pretend to be 'scientific', but it is valid.  How did astronomers mange when they had no knowledge of the three outer planets? They did what we Astrologers do -  the best they could with the available information. Astronomy eventually discovered the outer planets and incorporated into their scheme. Astrologers did the same. 

If any of these 'learned' gentlemen would care to pick up a standard textbook on Astrology they might just learn something. They should also look at In Defense of Astrology by Robert Parry where they will find even more answers to the real workings of Astrology. Better than simply accepting the ramblings of Sun Sign Cowboys the the often silly ideas to be found on the Internet. 

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