VOC diary for the week beginning 28th April 2014

British Summer Time

Monday 28th April:  VOC in Aries ends at 15:23
                                                 

Tuesday 29th April:  Solar eclipse in Taurus at 07:14

Wednesday 30th April: VOC in Taurus from 16:53 to 21:55

                  

Thursday 1st May: ***************************

                                                 

Friday 2nd May: VOC in Gemini from 00:31

Saturday 3rd May: VOC in Gemini ends at 07:12
                                Venus enters Aries at 02:21

Sunday 4th May: *************************

Hong Kong Time

Monday 28th April:  VOC in Aries ends at 22:23

                                                 

Tuesday 29th April:  Solar eclipse in Taurus at 14:14

Wednesday 30th April: VOC in Taurus from 23:53

                  

Thursday 1st May: VOC in Taurus ends at 04:55

                                                 

Friday 2nd May: VOC in Gemini from 07:31

Saturday 3rd May: VOC in Gemini ends at 14:12
                                Venus enters Aries at 09:21

Sunday 4th May: *************************

Image courtesy of Bandrat / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Ascendant - the mask you put on to greet the world

What does the ascendant symbolise?

It can describe:

- the kind of mask you put on to greet the world

- how you begin new projects

- the first impression you give others

- the type of lens you put on to see the world

- the condition of your birth

- your physical appearance

(N.B. planets in the 1st house and aspects to the ascendant can influence the original expression of the ascendant)

I remember during my early days as an astro beginner, I read from somewhere that the ascendant is what we gradually become after the age of 30.  Later on, I learned that the ascendant is the route we take in order to reach our sun sign (i.e. our solar quest).  I was ever so grateful to discover the latter explanation  because it simply makes SO much more sense than the former.  

Using my own chart as an example, I have Sun in Pisces and Leo Rising.  According to the first rule, I am gentle, shy and compassionate before 30 and will become more flamboyant and confident after 30.  Even before reaching 30, I've had plenty of moments where I was confident, flamboyant, proud and melodramatic.  On turning 30, I still had my fair share of shyness and a tendency to procrastinate.  Personally, I find this rule totally unhelpful. However, if we apply the second model, we would have a completely different interpretation:  the sun is what we are developing towards, so I still have other qualities of the Sun which I have yet to attain, for example, to be more forgiving, to break out of victim mode. In order to pursue my solar qualities, I use my Ascendant to take me there, i.e. to be proud of who I am as I pursue my spiritual goals; to forgive my past actions, shed my shyness and step radiantly onto the solar stage.  By accessing the Leonine energy, I am able to take one step closer to my Piscean Sun.  

Take a look at your chart, what is the link between your Ascendant and your Sun?

Image courtesy of num_skyman/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

VOC diary for the week beginning 21st April 2014

British Summer Time

Monday 21st April:  ***********************
                                                 

Tuesday 22nd April:  VOC in Capricorn from 00:20 to 05:17

Wednesday 23rd April: Mercury enters Taurus at 10:16
                                   VOC in Aquarius from 17:10

                  

Thursday 24th April: VOC in Aquarius ends at 07:55

                                                 

Friday 25th April: VOC in Pisces from 21:02

Saturday 26th April: VOC in Pisces ends at 11:00

Sunday 27th April: VOC in Aries from 12:01

Hong Kong Time

Monday 21st April:  ***********************
                                                 

Tuesday 22nd April:  VOC in Capricorn from 07:20 to 12:17

Wednesday 23rd April: Mercury enters Taurus at 17:16

                  

Thursday 24th April: VOC in Aquarius from 00:10 to 14:55

                                                 

Friday 25th April: ***************************

Saturday 26th April: VOC in Pisces from 04:02 to 18:00

Sunday 27th April: VOC in Aries from 19:01

Image courtesy of Bandrat / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Solar Eclipse in Taurus 2014

The Solar Eclipse occurring at 8 degrees 51 minutes in Taurus on 29th April is a powerful new moon, therefore, besides heralding a new beginning, it is also a signal (an alarm clock) to wake us up and bring to our conscious attention, matters which we have been avoiding or ignoring.  Check the house in which this eclipse falls in to find out the area of your life in which seeds of intention can be planted.

Taurus brings to our attention the need to form a healthy relationship to our physical bodies and to release any unhealthy attachments to material possessions.  We are urged to think about our new plans carefully and steadily with Mercury in conjunction to this solar eclipse.  We still have the cardinal grand cross in effect so be open to new ideas and changes to your pre-existing beliefs; actually 'new ideas' is an understatement, it's more like a paradigm shift with Uranus in the picture.  From this dynamic grand cross, we have Pluto sending this eclipse a lovely trine, so although a certain level of discomfort could be felt, deep down, you know it's for the best and are ready for some profound changes.  This is also likely to be an opportunity for some healing to take place with Neptune sending a sextile to this eclipse.  The eclipse ruler, Venus, is in the compassionate sign of Pisces (in a trine to Saturn in Scorpio) - release the old and be kind to yourself. 

Do you have natal planets/points/angles between 5 degrees 51 minutes to 11 degrees 51 minutes in fixed signs?

Image courtesy of Zirconicusso/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Eclipses, retrogrades, cardinal grand cross in April

My reaction to the recent 'blood moon' business has been pretty nonchalant.  We get 2-5 eclipses each year and as I have mentioned in previous posts, eclipses are like alarm clocks, waking you up to issues in your life which require your attention. 

I don't believe that this tetrad blood moon phenomenon is portending the end of the world nor anything particularly inauspicious, take a look at this article for a more comprehensive explanation: http://www.therefinersfire.org/blood_moons.htm

On a personal level, if your chart has planets/points/angles in cardinal signs between 22 to 28 degrees, then a hidden message or something which you have been ignoring is likely to come to the fore.  It doesn't have to be anything glaringly obvious to the world.  The message/outcome could be more internal (especially with Pluto going retrograde 8 hours before this lunar eclipse), triggering a part of you which is only visible to yourself.

We must not forget that besides the lunar eclipse (and the solar eclipse next week), we are also in the middle of the Mars retrograde in Libra period and also the cardinal grand cross becoming exact on 22/23 April.  Look out for natal planets/points at 13 degrees cardinal signs to see if this configuration aspects your natal chart.  I have my mutable sun at 13 degrees so although I can feel life's challenges on my shoulders, I am much more aware of the need and am  (relatively) ready to go with the flow.

For more information about the cardinal grand cross configuration, take a look at Elsa P's fantastic blog posts:

http://www.elsaelsa.com/astrology/2014/04/01/what-to-expect-from-the-cardinal-grand-cross-april-2014/

http://www.elsaelsa.com/astrology/2013/11/25/cardinal-grand-cross-13-degrees-april-22-23-2014/

Image courtesy of Vectorolie/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

VOC diary for the week beginning 14th April 2014

British Summer Time

Monday 14th April:  ***********************
                                                 

Tuesday 15th April:  Pluto goes retrograde at 00:47
                                    Lunar eclipse in Libra at 08:42
                                          VOC in Libra from 08:42 to 17:19

Wednesday 16th April: ***********************

                  

Thursday 17th April: VOC in Scorpio from 08:09 to 22:43

                                                 

Friday 18th April: ***************************

Saturday 19th April: *************************

Sunday 20th April: VOC in Sagittarius from 02:16 to 02:27
                Sun enters Taurus at 04:55

Hong Kong Time

Monday 14th April:  ***********************
                                                 

Tuesday 15th April:  Pluto goes retrograde at 07:47
                                    Lunar eclipse in Libra at 15:42
                             VOC in Libra from 15:42

Wednesday 16th April: VOC in Libra ends at 00:19

                  

Thursday 17th April: VOC in Scorpio from 15:09

                                                 

Friday 18th April: VOC in Scorpio ends at 05:43

Saturday 19th April: *************************

Sunday 20th April: VOC in Sagittarius from 09:16 to 09:27
                Sun enters Taurus at 11:55

Image courtesy of Bandrat / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

VOC diary for the week beginning 7th April 2014

British Summer Time

Monday 7th April:  VOC in Cancer from 19:13
                                    Mercury enters Aries at 16:34
                                                 

Tuesday 8th April: VOC in Cancer ends at 10:50

Wednesday 9th April: ***********************

                  

Thursday 10th April: VOC in Leo from 07:25 to 23:07

                                                 

Friday 11th April: ***************************

Saturday 12th April: VOC in Virgo from 18:11

Sunday 13th April: VOC in Virgo ends at 09:33

Hong Kong Time

Monday 7th April:  Mercury enters Aries at 23:34
                                                 

Tuesday 8th April: VOC in Cancer from 02:13 to 17:50

Wednesday 9th April: ***********************

                  

Thursday 10th April: VOC in Leo from 14:25

                                                 

Friday 11th April: VOC in Leo ends at 06:07

Saturday 12th April: ***********************

Sunday 13th April: VOC in Virgo from 01:11 to 16:33

                                 

Image courtesy of Bandrat / FreeDigitalPhotos.net