VENUS RETROGRADE & DIVINE PROPORTION

If you are a Libran, Taurean or have these signs on angles in your chart you're probably feeling as if your life has slowed to a virtual stop. That's because Venus is standing still in the sky today - what astrologers call stationing - in preparation for it's about turn tomorrow as part of its retrograde cycle. If you are interested in reading more about Venus cycles you may like to visit this site which has a seven page article on the astronomy and astrological meaning of this phase.

The diagram at the top of the page shows the retrograde cycle marked out from 2001 to 2007 and I will discuss the symbolism of this shape later on in this post.

The last time that Venus reversed in the sign of Virgo was in July - Sep 1999 and although it is interesting to look back and see what your circumstances were in the cycles since 2001, it is the 1999 phase that will most reflect what is reoccurring with you now.

All retrograde cycles call for review and reflection. For many people this week will see a turn around in some area of your life and a need to revisit something, or someone, from which you thought you had moved on. As Venus is most closely associated with matters pertaining to who and what we love and value, it is these things that will be most highlighted. In Virgo, Venus points to indecision in matters of love, intimacy, financial and employment contracts ( check the details) and diplomacy. As Venus has correlations to the hormones, kidneys, thyroid and venous system, if there has been ill health you may want to think about how best to support these areas of the body through dietary changes ( less sugar!).

Venus is not well placed in Virgo, it is known as the sign of its fall, this renders it weak and ineffectual. Venus will travel back into the sign of Leo on August 9th when it naturally gains more strength and 'feels happier'. The obvious symbolic relevance of this is that Librans and Taureans will all feel a lot better about life by August 9th, but until Venus goes direct on September 9th it is still a time to review how far your life is from where you want it to be and to instigate changes, if not complete reversals or retreat The main advice is to focus on internal values and make adjustments to your external goals as a result of what you discover.

Librans will find more time to enjoy friendships in August (and sort out any that have gone astray). Many worries will temporarily lift. It's also a good time to look once again at any plans for the future and spend more time with your children.

For Taureans it could be time to reassess your foundations, whether that be the emotional support you receive or the foundations of your life - and this may include your home. Partners' jobs may also be up for review and discussion in August. Children may need more time and support too.

Leo's will find the 'love and light' returning to their lives in August after a period of dealing with issues of self worth and financial concerns. They may need to review partnerships vs independence issues and those involving siblings and neighbours.

Virgo's have enjoyed a short taste of what is to come in their life while Venus has been in Virgo but now need to go back and make sure that head and heart align and deal with unfinished business you have been avoiding. Inner wealth vs material wealth, and people at a distance, are your key issues now.

All of us will be impacted by the retrogradation of Venus. Ancient texts advise this is not a good time to make large purchases, redecorate, to have hair cuts, plastic surgery or beauty treatments ( all venusian ruled) as the work may need to be 'gone over again' at a later date.

Venus retreats then disappears from view entirely, rising back above the horizon in the Mid August. It then turns to direct motion on Sep 9th 2007 but does not return to the position it is at today until October 11th, so this entire retrograde cycle is one of review and retreat and then slow emergence with a new outlook from what one has learned about oneself during this period.


THE PENTAGRAM OF VENUS RETROGRADE
It's interesting to note that Venus is associated with love, harmony and proportion when the pentagram that its 5 retrograde cycles describes in the heavens contains a ratio that conforms to the Golden Mean. The Golden Mean is also known as phi- 1.618, or Divine Proportion. Since the 'discovery' of phi by the Greeks it became obvious that 'God Geometrises' and that the world is essentially founded upon the arrangement of number.

The pentagram has all sorts of occult connotations but it is actually one of the oldest symbols known to man next to the circle. We know this as it has been found etched into cave walls dating back to prehistoric times, showing that Man was obviously tracking the cycles in the skies above him. Next to the Sun and Moon, Venus is the third brightest object in the sky and it periodic disappearance from view at phases in its cycle would have been of tremendous symbolic importance to ancient tribes, whose world stretched only as far as the visible horizon.

The pentagram divides the ecliptic up into 5 equal sections of 72 degrees, which is the quintile aspect in astrology. The quintile refers to creativity, inspiration and the forging of links. Albert Einstein possessed quintiles which brought his Moon, Jupiter and Neptune together in the 5H chart. Here was a Man whose inspiration came in the form of his 'geometrisation' of physics.

The cycles of Venus were of particular relevance to ancient civilisations in particular the Mayans. They saw time, not as linear but as a series of interlocking cycles and it is mainly from their observations of the Sun, Moon and Venus phases that they have predicted the end of one vast cycle of Man for the date of 2012. It is now perhaps easier to cast out any 'conspiracy theory' that the classic era Mayans were part of a super advanced intergalactic race. This theory had been postulated based on the fact that the Mesoamericans (and the Egyptians) appeared to know about Phi long before it had been 'discovered' however it's abundantly clear that the tracking of the heavenly cycles allowed these ancient races to discern the divine geometry inherent in nature and they used this knowledge as the basis of their architectural designs. Their pyramids, towers and other monuments were all observatories from which they tracked the heavenly movements and/or offered sacrifices up to the Celestial Gods and many were based on the Divine Proportion.

It was also the cycle of the planet Venus which the Mayans used to time the start of their wars*. Although Venus, and the quintile in modern astrology, is associated with harmony rather than discord, the opposite planet to Venus is Mars, the known planet of aggression. The Venus ruled signs of Libra and Taurus are both opposed by Mars i.e Taurus/Scorpio Libra/Aries. So it may be that due to their natural understanding of the law of polarity (in which the meaning of opposite signs is inextricable) the Mayans saw both Mars and Venus as significant of conflict and diplomacy and vice versa. Venus is never far away from the Sun, and was even thought to be its twin by the Mayans, but for certain periods in its cycle Venus disappears from view This gave rise to the mythology that it had a periodic sojourn in the Underworld, or was devoured before being resurrected. This may be one reason why the Mayans timed their wars to begin with the heliacal rising of Venus and why to this day it has correlations of aligning with the loss of reputation of old leaders and the rise of powerful new ones.

The next heliacal rising - the first observable rising of the planet in the morning twilight after it's symbolic retreat- of Venus above the eastern horizon will occur this year on August 24, 2007 at 05:44 EDT for New York and August 26, 2007 at 05:25 London local time for London. It will be interesting to watch news headlines around this time.

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I should also add that the Mayans related Venus cycles to pestilence - the ancient term for disease. On these pages here you will find an article abou the correlation of modern day flu epidemics to the cycle of Venus.

If you would like to read more about the Mayans and the Venus Cycle please go here. and here

*In some older astrology texts that I have in my possession Venus is clearly linked to wars, especially when entering the 5th house, which is given as 'the battlefield' probably because it is 'the stage'. It would be revelatory if astrologers could look back through the start dates of more recent wars to see if Venus was prominent.

THE BECKHAM'S MARRIAGE IN LOS ANGELES - UPDATED

AstroCartoGraphers look at the individual natal charts of a couple and relocate them to see how they might fare in locations across the globe. Unfortunately though we have no precise time of birth for Victoria Beckham, so this has not proved possible. However, in my work with Astromapping over the years, I have developed another technique which I have found to prove very valuable - I call it 'The Marriage Map'.

Everyone knows their exact marriage details and by converting this data into a map we can see what influences will be brought to bear on a couple in various cities. We can do this because symbolically the moment of commitment describes the birth of the marriage and can be looked at as a separate entity, with cycles and phases of its own.

We can look at these relocated ACG maps but, what's more, we can also look at the Local Space maps. Looking at the one for the Beckhams we can discover the precise areas they are likely to enjoy being in whilst in L.A., the ones that will prove problematic, and the ones they should probably give a miss. For example Santa Monica, Montana Ave, Third Street and the beach look good for eating, swimming and general family fun and clothes shopping, but it's Pacific Palisades that may produce some thrilling and/or unexpected encounters!

I will post this map and interpretations in the features section on my website later this week. I will also look at David's personal ACG (as we do have his birthtime) and his Local space maps. These should be up by Friday - I'll keep you informed. Now though I want to look at the Beckham Marriage and how it will fare in LA.

THE MARRIAGE

The Beckham's were married at Luttrellstown Castle near Dublin on July 4th 1999 (Independence Day!) and they were pronounced Man and Wife' at 16.02. The map below shows the position of the planets in Los Angeles at the time of their marriage. It informs us about the influences they will meet as a couple in this region for the duration of their union.



The dark blue line running directly through the city (click to enlarge) is Jupiter on the Midheaven JU/MC. Jupiter has correlations to expansion, sport and luck. The standard text book interpretation from Jim Lewis of this placing reads:

Here is one of the best places to be – there are easy meeting with remarkable, rich and powerful people and you are preferred in work situations and tend to rise socially as business and personal status increases.

At first glance, it certainly looks highly auspicious for 'new beginnings' for David and Victoria. Jupiter MC is a position associated with beneficial contacts, promotions and opportunities and it is being brought to the utmost prominence in Los Angeles. It is a regal planet and thus this couple have easily slipped right into the role of Hollywood royalty. In the marriage chart though, as with all charts, we must look at what aspects Jupiter is forming before making our final considerations. Here we find it in alignment with Neptune and Mars. Whilst this is an aspect associated with huge celebrity status, artistic pursuits and spiritual aspirations it is also seen to correspond to exploitation, marital differences and un happiness or ill luck in the midst of wealth. It has correlations to feelings of inferiority, it can also bring danger from water sports and give a greater propensity to food poisoning and hard to diagnose ailments. The biggest danger it brings is that of ' the bubble bursting' syndrome, through over- expansion or over-'hype'.

GOSSIP, BACKBITING & WEAKNESSES
Just off the coast of Los Angeles we see Mars and Mercury*. These planets have correspondences to a great deal of concepts; whilst they speak of a frenetic lifestyle, lots of contact with children and nimble footwork, (whether this is in the form of dance routines for Victoria, or Soccer for David) these planets can also highlight injuries and inflammatory disorders to the hands and feet. Intestinal problems or chest/lung pain and disorders can occur.

Mars and Mercury are also related to communication. In this location we may hear more coming directly from the couple through interviews and the written word rather than through hearsay, unfortunately these two planets are also the significators of fickleness, gossip, opinionated outbursts and angry exchanges. This can come 'at' the marriage or be a factor within it. They may come under more scrutiny and criticism here than they had ever anticipated.

David will undoubtedly indulge his passion for cars in L.A. but both should be careful to avoid driving convictions as Mars and Mercury suggest fast drivers and, impatience. The Beckham children may also be particularly high spirited and accident or fever prone in this location.

VENUS IN VIRGO
The progressed Venus in the marriage chart has just moved into the sign of Virgo - this coincided with the move. The passionate volatility and flamboyance of the relationship we knew since they married, has now moved on. The relationship dynamic will be replaced with more introspection about how to make it work and keep it on track as new work regimes, daily routines and practical considerations begin to take their toll on the romance. Their ability to communicate is enhanced but so is the propensity to nit-pick and measure their relationship against an ideal. Diet and health issues will come to the fore, as will David's well documented fastidious habits. Both will have to become highly organised to fulfil their requirements as Mom and Dad as well as maintaining 'Brand Beckham'. One or other( or both) in this relationship may suffer from trying too hard to be all things to all people.

When planets change signs it denotes a significant shift in the things that the planets relates to. Venus speaks of love given and received, financial dealings, possessions and their style of relating and dressing.

As Virgo rules 'Daily News' we will undoubtedly hear even more about the minutiae of their daily life and habits. Victoria has already been slated for her ‘Coming To America’ documentary. To the majority it was clear that the whole programme was 'staged ' and dripping in irony and sarcasm - both very Virgoan traits. Unfortunately this was lost on many viewers who took it at face value. As Virgo is also related to staff and people we employ, it was interesting to see that acres of press coverage have been given over to the 'Victoria & Assistant' dialogue, which was taken as factual and revelatory. Far from it, not only was the assistant played by an actress but Victoria Beckham is one of the most controlled women in the public eye (Mars/Saturn conjunction in her chart) and whatever image is portrayed will be exactly what she wants you to see - her ad-lib lines are well rehearsed! Unfortunately these attempts at trying to control what viewers think of her often backfire badly. As Saturn is moving towards the marriage Venus in Virgo,this kind of mis-interpretation will have to be guarded against if both of them are to win over the American public.

Life will certainly never be dull for the Beckham's here but it is not a place to come if they were wishing to seek more inner tranquillity. The relocated Sun in the 12th house suggests they may have to deal with the emergence of deep rooted psychological issues that they may have been trying to gloss over. It sounds a cliche but some good old fashioned therapy could be just what they need the most here.

PROGRESSED CHART
Let’s now have a look at the progressed chart. Progressions show us the dynamic in the relationship. Nothing stays static in life, everything is in a constant state of motion. As the planets move on in their cycles they mirror the unfolding of the relationship. In ACG mapping they tell us what the prevailing influences are at a location at this time – if any. In their progressed map the progressed Mars/Jupiter opposition is now exact over L.A. Jim Lewis’ interpretation for this combination says:

The symbol for this aspect might be the Roman Soldier. It is imperialistic, militant and vigourous with a respect for authority as well as a delight in athletics, sport, competition and power – this being the ideal location for an athlete.

Mars and Jupiter together in the sign of Taurus and Scorpio is a mark of controlled expansion and huge expectation. Earthquakes may strike during their residence here, or they may experience emotional quakes and rumblings in the foundation of their emotional relationship. Their attempts to establish themselves here could be very taxing as they find change much harder than they realised. Arguments will abound behind closed doors. Stubborn behaviour will be to the fore. A great deal of competitive people are also likely to cross their threshold. This marriage has remained newsworthy mainly due to David prowess as an athlete and sportsman. Victoria has struggled to find fulfillment. Mars and Jupiter suggests full on competition between the two as Victoria seeks to carve out a name for herself and break away from being just an appendage to David.

Some astrologers associate Mars and Jupiter with increased sexuality and sexual activity. Lewis goes onto say:

You imprudently grasp for power, lack moderation in sensory pursuits and experience strong sex needs.

Well, certainly we had never seen the couple in such raunchy, almost seedy poses as we did in the photo shoot designed to introduce them to America in W magazine. These photos were shot in Spain. Lets take a quick detour and see what their marriage chart shows for that location – their second home when David played for Real Madrid.


The red local space Venus line runs right through Madrid.

David is a Taurean ruled by Venus, so he felt very at home here and he was very vocal about his love of living in Madrid.What does Lewis say of Venus lines?:

Love tends to be with projected images of the self so that fetishes come to hold fascination. Romances may occur and standards of erotic perception are set for life.

This interpretation is interesting in view of the photo shoot but also because it was in Madrid that David was unable to resist the lure of illicit romance. He conducted a well documented affair with his openly bi-sexual personal assistant Rebecca Loos. Rebecca was born in the city of Madrid. Venus lines are known for describing the birth locations or meeting places of lovers. It is said that the influence of the planet Venus can either devote or devour. The consequences of that move to Madrid and David's affair are directly responsible for the Beckhams being in the USA at this time, perhaps because it almost devoured their marriage.

It should be remembered though that the mantra of AstroCartography is that 'wherever one goes, you take yourself with you'. It is possible to emphasise the positives and negate the negatives - that is the essence of ACG practice - but in times of stress the basic nature will prevail. I doubt David strayed through lust but probably more through feeling the projection of Victoria's need for freedom against his need for stability and security - but that's another article.

Let's return to L.A.....As Venus is about to turn retrograde in the sky this week, David may continue to have to take a back seat due to illness and injury. 9/10th Aug and 6/7 Oct should bring further headlines. As a couple, Venus turning around could mean that they will be very undecided until the autumn about whether they have made the right choice and public opinion will remain undefined until this time too. Contracts may be rescinded or agreements changed now.

CONCLUSION
My overall assessment of the couple in Los Angeles is that they will like the lifestyle and the enterprising and entrepreneurial spirit of the Americans. As mentioned, Mars and Jupiter are concerned with expansion. We will hear more about David’s plans for sports academies for children across the globe. Mercury close to the Ascendant suggests more writing projects, speaking engagements and continuing press and TV coverage. The Beckham children may take a while to settle in and one in particular may take up more of their time and attention.

Neptune strongly placed in David’s personal maps, plus Mars and Mercury in the marriage map show that he may suffer more from general ill health and injury in California and should guard against reactions to drugs or increased recreational alcohol intake. At the time of writing, David is not certain to be able to play at the first LA Galaxy match scheduled for 21st July 2007. The planet Venus is about to turn into retrograde motion for a few months, this happens on July 27th. One hopes that David will be able to live up to the media hype that has surrounded his arrival - but Venus retrograde does suggest this may prove difficult. Mars and Jupiter are the primary significators of legal action and ethical considerations. We can expect the couple to be more involved as spokespeople for humanitarian and political causes here but they must be careful not to be too outspoken or exploited for others people's agendas.


If the energies are harnessed and the couple are committed to each other, and to the contracts they have signed, this location could be very happy for them and inject some new spark into their marriage. If however they over-extend themselves, or get too indulgent, they could suddenly find themselves being bitten by the hand that feeds them. It is important for the Beckhams to keep their image clean. Any transgressions on either side could be disastrous for their contracts and friendships whilst the couple are resident in the ultra-litigious and image conscious California. There is a lot of unpredictable energy around now (and again in March 2008). Uranus in the relocated 7th signifies instability, change and a few shocks in the marital dynamics and the public arena, so this one will be interesting to watch.

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Update: I have just noticed that Mercury turns retrograde in the Beckham marriage chart on Nov 10th 2007 preceding a New Moon in their marriage chart in December. This is a pivotal turning point in their marriage, especially as Venus is now in Mercury's sign of Virgo. Expect a quite dramatic reversal by the end of the year. As Mercury rules contracts and ball games, this doesn't look great for David. Mercury is now slowed right down in the marriage chart. Transiting Venus is almost stationery -and so at this point it seems is David.

'08 Update: David remained unable to play due to injury for many. many matches.His injuries have dogged his entire time at Galaxy.

Latest '08 Update: David is now off to Milan for a few months 'leave' from Galaxy. Milan, like Madrid are bang on his personal prosperity map lines whereas although he has Propserity lines in Nevada and off the coast of California there are no prosperity lines in California itself. David obviously has made money in Los Angeles but it has by no means been an easy place for him. The Marriage Map shows a Venus/Saturn paran crossing through Milan suggesting he will be separated from Victoria here for long periods.

If you are interested in having a look at how your marriage or important relationship might work out in another location, my colleague Martin Davis is offering phone consultations about your marriage map or your personal ACG. You can contact him to discuss prices and arrange appointments via my website

EXPLOSION IN NEW YORK - the astrology

Just before 6pm local time on July 18, 2o07 an explosion occurred in Midtown Manhattan, NY. A steam pipe burst and this has been attributed to a failure of the infrastructure. The astrology is interesting.

We have just had the completion of the -180- (opposition) phase of the SA/NE cycle. We are now moving towards the opposition of Mercury and Neptune and the Sun and Neptune. As I have mentioned on many occasions Neptune in astrology corresponds to gas, oil, water - infact anything that has no defined boundaries until contained. It also corresponds to things which collapse as their structure 'loses definition'. This collapse can be caused by natural means or by deliberately detonation -as in the case of the gas (NE) cannisters (SA) used by the terrorists in the UK a few weeks ago, or by accidental conditions such as the plane going into the Gas station (NE) in Brazil causing the buildings to collapse and the plane to disintegrate.

In the chart of New York (29 Aug 1664)we find that the Moon is placed at 20 Sagittarius and Saturn is placed at 21 Sagittarius. This places the planet of public (Moon) and infrastructure (SA) in direct resonance with the -180- phase of 25 June SA/NE cycle which took place at 21 Leo/Aq as tr Neptune is still in -60- sextile to that natal Saturn. As the Earth turned on Wednesday evening Pluto rose over New York this made a resonant connection and triggered this sextile of the planets correlating to the steam pipes; Saturn (pipes) and Neptune (water vapour i.e steam) as thhis happened inthe skies the explosion was happening on the Earth. A witness, investment banker Heiko Thieme, said the explosion "was like a volcano erupting".To those with a knowledge of planetary symbolism this is perfect description for a Plutonian triggered event!

Having said that Pluto, as we can see from this map, was not only rising over New York but also over a great band of cities on the East coast. Click to enlarge and look at the white diagonal line

In order for an event to take place there has to be a specific orientation towards that particular person or place, otherwise the event remains in the realm of possibility but is not 'earthed' and brought into manifestation. A whole slew of factors must have come together at just before 6pm on the 18th to cause an event in New York.

Many of these factors are still unknown to astrologers but with the advent of more sophisticated computer technology we are slowly getting a bit nearer to being able to predict locations at risk before the event happens. Whether we will ever be able to single out an exact location or event may be along way. Presently the best we can hope for is to describe the intrinsic nature of a likely event and use the maps to try and pinpoint locations.

One of the factors that should be considered by those on this quest was the exact midpoints of the Sun and Pluto and mars and the Moon's node over the longitude for New York between 17.55 and 18.00 - see the red and blue line on the map. We can also note that in the maps for the previous New Moon on July 14th, the midpoints of the Sun/Neptune and Moon/Neptune were on the MC directly over New York. (For any fellow researchers, this is a fascinating discovery and flags up the need to watch midpoints far more closely).


Again though these midpoints highlighted the whole longitude. What singled that street in New York out?

From historic evidence we know that the Manhattan district is 'primed' to respond to planets arriving at 18 degrees of the mutable signs i.e Pisces, Virgo, Sag and Gemini. We know this from the 9/11 charts. If we put yesterday's explosion over that 9/11 chart the correspondences are remarkable. Infact I defy any sceptic of the importance of planetary cycles to explain how this type of coincidence in orientation and harmonics of an earth divided into divisions of time and space can occur at random.















As you can see from the chart above, at the exact moment of this explosion the Moon has come to oppose Uranus ( sudden events involving the public) at the same degree as the Sun occupied on Sep 11th 2001. This alignment was also joined by tr Mars,so we had a Moon/Uranus/Mars orientation to the 18 Virgo Sun of 9/11 producing a public event that brought fear of a repeat attack (Neptune conjoined to 9/11 Uranus)to the citizens of New York. The midheaven of the event was at the same degree as the Ascendant of 9/11.

If I continue to look, perhaps at the last eclipse chart or the Saturn/Neptune cycle charts I may find more links but ultimately this is heavy duty research. I would need the charts of the day the pipes were laid, charts for the people caught up in the explosion, charts for the company responsible for the pipes, charts for the day that exact road junction was formed etc., etc., etc. We are talking about an impossible task. However, there must be a way for scientists and astronomers to join together with astrologers to make better sense of these connections and their place in the web of events that occur in our world. One day there has to be a way but it can only happen when enough people have the will to look at celestial and terrestrial correspondences as totally intertwined.

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McCANN UPDATE - Calling anyone in Portugal

Although everyone is doing their utmost to resolve the mystery of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, there are no traces of her, no clues and still only one suspect.

There's endless speculation and this enquiry has reached across borders and even continents. Statistics show however that most missing children are found close to where they disappeared from. Using the new technology of Google Earth it may be possible to use local space techniques to locate missing people. Looking back at cases that have already been solved the success rate of this technique is higher than average although not 100% accurate.

In most cases that I have examined the missing person has been found under one of the Vector lines. If birth details are absent but precise abduction times are known those charts too have relevance or can be used to cross reference. In this case we do not know a precise abduction time. The main problems arise in deciding which vector line is the significant one. If we are using this technique to tell someone where to move to we would like to see them move to roads or locations under Venus, Jupiter or Moon lines, assuming these planets are not natally afflicted and depending on what lifestyle influences they wish to invoke. But using the technique to locate people, where we don't know the circumstances i.e alive/dead, on, or in ground, at sea etc finding the significator is problematic. I have resisted posting these maps due to the difficulty in deciding on the vector to use. However, in this case in the total absence of leads and as Madeleine has a strong Saturn/Pluto signature at this time and Pluto is the planet concerned with underworld activity, sex and death, I have chosen the Saturn/Pluto line.

As there have apparently been no breakthroughs at all I can see no harm in asking anyone in the area who is still actively looking to perhaps give priority in their search in these areas. At least it narrows it down so they can be ruled out.

Here then are the maps. If anyone in Portugal can be more open to these locations close to or directly under the Red line. This main Saturn/Pluto vector line is roughly NE . Then in order of importance would be the lines that are almost South to SSE. The vectors run in both directions i,e North east /South West etc but those marked would be a priority.

Madeleine could be anywhere in the world. These lines can be extended out on Google Earth. For example the Red line extends out to a Marina in Lagos and out by Faro airport and into Spain and on across Europe . Others travel down through Africa. My feeling is Madeleine is located under one of these lines and it seems sensible to start with the immediate locality. Those familiar with the location maps will know that the Red line crosses the boundary of the Murat household.

Additionally the lines can sometimes show a direction of travel.
To zoom in further one would have to go directly to Google Earth or maps and trace the lines from this overlay. Again the main ones are NE and SSE from the Apartment.

Please note these lines do not relate to planetary positions in the birthchart. The birthdata is confidential and no information can be gleaned from these maps in that regard.


These lines can be extended ad infinitum around the globe and as said will cross borders into Spain and Europe and down to Africa

TERROR AT TESCO?

Yesterday's New Moon occurred just after 13.00 BST placing it right on the midheaven over the UK. We can expect Britain to be occupying more than its fair share of headlines this month especially regarding its reputation, leaders and business concerns. The New Moon occurred in the sign of Cancer, which is the birthsign attributed to the USA, so our relations with this country are also likely to be having a fresh start - something we can already see with the introduction of a new Government with Gordon Brown as leader.

If we look at the ACG map (click to enlarge) we also see the UK connected via this lunation to Africa - a nation also attributed to the sign of Cancer. The MC lines run down through the country of Ghana, which is in the news this week due to the plight of two young English girls caught smuggling cocaine into the country (claiming they were set up). Also we heard of the kidnapping and release of a British National in Nigeria just prior to the New Moon. Here we can see that Nigeria is again highlighted by the paran lines, as are the countries these lines pass through East to West.

Uranus is on the MC running down the coast of Western America passing almost exactly through San Francisco. This caught my eye due to my recent 'coincidences' about the bridge and fears for Earthquakes in that region. Anyone interested in tracking Earthquake activity and comparing it to ACG map lines may like to look at this link which shows recent activity updated every few minutes. The last one in Central California was 2 Jul. However I must say Uranus IC is more associated with Earthquakes and there was a 5.4 in Tanzania today almost directly under the Paran line and not too far from the Uranus IC line. If you can understand the astronomy of ACG mapping, it is easy to realise that the planet Uranus is not in two places but is wrapping the imaginary markings around the Earth as the Earth revolves. Therefore these are the same lines in Tanzania as you see off San Francisco. Tanzania is also being triggered this lunation by paran so events there are not a huge red flag for California but do increase the possibility of some 'Uranian' type events along that coast. This includes out to Hawaii and right down to Mexico this month.

Mars in the map is on the IC through Indonesia which denotes more activity for the Volcano that has recently been roused there. It also points to civil unrest.

Countries that respond to this New Moon via the birthchart of major political events are : Italy, Thailand, Iraq, Portugal, Cape Verde Islands. Albania, Syria, Jordan, Niger and Germany.

TESCO
Now back to the UK. The Moon was in the sign of Cancer at yesterday's lunation. This sign is correlates to food, homeland security and the 'common people'. It is also indicative of the opposition party to the Government. As Cancer is concerned with heritage and the foundation of society it is also linked to Royalty, landed gentry and all types of land and agriculture, so expect to see all these matters making news headlines.

In this chart lies an unaspected Mars in Taurus. Taurus is also linked to food production and consumables, shopping malls, financial districts etc. When a planet is unaspected it can go either way - it can remain quiet or it can assume something of a wildcard manifestation, becoming exaggerated in its influence. (One online author notes a correlation of an unaspected Mars to wasps and presumably bees, so it will be interesting to see if honey or bees make a return to headlines) In our chart Mars is posited in the 8th house of transnational corporations. It is also the house associated with public mortality.

Before any UK residents get too worried to leave the house, I must just be sure that this is put in context. Although there is, as we know, a heightened risk of security problems and terrorism in the UK at this time, Mars may remain dormant. So far it does seem that way as the closure of 14 Tesco stores (the equivalent of Wal-Mart in the USA) is not thought to be linked to international terrorism but home- grown extremism from animal rights campaigners.

However, let's have a look at the chart of Tesco and see what's going on.

Tesco was incorporated on 27 November 1947. It has a wonderful Sun/ Jupiter conjunction in Sagittarius, highlighting it's expansion to superstores and becoming a multinational corporation. Its longevity is assured by Mars, Saturn and Pluto in the fixed signs. Customer loyalty is spoken of by Leo and by the planets Mercury and Moon in fixed sign too. The regeneration of its brand name - Tesco had a very downmarket connotation when I was growing up - is shown by the Venus/Uranus opposition. This also speaks of its diversification into the sale of electronic goods, which are sold alongside groceries.

So what's happening to Tesco now? Well Pluto in Sag has seen it explode its market share but this has also brought fierce opposition from small retailers who feel Tesco are singlehandedly undermining the British tradition of the corner shop and High Street. Prices are being artificially inflated by the buying power they have, which leaves the small retailer unable to compete. This monopoly even gave rise to a book on the subject called Tescopoly!

As Pluto moves towards Capricorn and reaches 4 degrees Cap, Tesco may find the first big reverberations from over expansion. They may just be one of the big bastions to take a fatal blow. We might feel the first major stirrings of this in around 11 months time when the progressed moon meets the Saturn Pluto conjunction.

The current security alert in their stores is being triggered by the notoriously nasty trMars to natal Saturn/Pluto square and until Mars passes the 'Tesco' Moon in Taurus and clears 25 Taurus ( a violent position for Mars) at the end of July, the security staff at Tesco should remain ultra vigilant. On the whole with tr Mars moving to square tr Saturn we are entering a period until early August where there could be much public (sign of cancer) unrest in the UK in particular and increased military and police activities (Mars sq Saturn).

The locations most at risk from the tr square of these planets will also be shown in the ACG maps of the Full Moon on 30 Jul. Places highlighted are Mexico, India and Central Africa. For people interested in the ongoing plight of the McCann family, the Full Moon on the 30th falls directly through Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, hopefully bringing the case to some form of conclusion in the last days of July or early August.

ACG maps have much to offer us. They are a superb tool for noting areas of the World that will have particular unrest but it should be noted that like cycles there is a hierarchy of charts with Eclipses being the 'control' map and lunations adding the detail. The last Solar Eclipse of 19th March had eclipse lines through Iran and off the coast of Western California. The Geodetic eclipse lines for that March Solar eclipse ran directly through the UK and Mexico. This lunation picks up those eclipse lines almost exactly.

THE WARP AND THE WOOF

Wow, that was some Mercury Rx. Regular readers might have noted my inexplicably long absence from these pages. It coincided with the reversal of the planet Mercury as it travelled through my ninth house of blogging. My disappearance certainly wasn't intentional, it seems the Universe does indeed factor in periods when we need to be vocal and others when we need to rest and reflect. Whatever my desires were to communicate during this period they were thwarted by events or glitches of one form or another. Now on the very day that Mercury moves forward I'm back with you.

My guess is that until Mercury passes back over the 7 Cancer spot on 20th July I won't get fully back up to speed - or the 20th could coincide with a blog with another plutonian theme. Why plutonian? Well, my last posting was on 27 June when Mercury was at 7 Cancer sextile my Pluto. That post had a bit of a rant at the tail end of it which with hindsight I see concerned the very Mercury/'Plutonian' topic of pornography and paedophilia.

Part of what I wrote read:

'Remember under the influence of Saturn/Neptune all is not as it may seem. Much of our faith in people we should trust is eroded. Policemen are found to be corrupt, authority figures we should look up are revealed to have fatal weaknesses that undermine our trust in them - and their status in the eyes of the world... Policemen, Judges, Doctors, Vicars, Landed gentry, seemingly 'ordinary' fathers. The Saturn/Neptune aspect is bringing all this to the foreground and the message seems to be 'Never judge a book by its cover'.

Two days later on 29 June shockwaves reverberated around the globe as the London bombings ('failed - Mercury Rx, ) were found to have been perpetrated by an Al- Qaeda cell who were all Doctors. I'm not trying to claim some direct astrological 'hit', after all I was alluding to paedophiles in that post, but it does stress how good the outer planetary aspects can be in identifying underlying trends.

The Saturn/Neptune aspect may be waning but the moment it reached the opposition point on 25th June was the symbolic birth moment of the incoming phase of this cycle. Unfortunately as the Al-Qaeda movement was effectively formed on the -0- of this Sa/Ne cycle, their quest and fight with the 'Great Satan of the West' reached an important turning point on June 25th. New tactics, new recruitment methods and indeed a greater infiltration of their 'operatives' into the halls of power could be on the cards.

I don't want to get all negative though. I have Venus in Sagittarius, as such I like to look at the broader picture. Where is this war with the fundamentalists going to end?

Some profound changes are currently occurring in the collective conscious. We see these changes echoed in more than one cycle. Many strands are woven together in the warp and woof of the Cosmic Loom, the influences filtrating through a variety of channels for the ultimate purpose of human evolution. Pluto moving towards Capricorn and the Saturn/Pluto cycle and Saturn/Uranus all point towards a transformation to rigid (or Earthbound) viewpoints. Sure, these cycles mean many others things may occur in this 'War' - none too joyfilled. I could start talking about backlashes in the Senate; Bush really up against it; Homeland security stretched to its limit, the UK exposed - but these cycles may also coincide with a shattering of the still widely held belief that we are somehow separate from one another and the Cosmos. They may even herald a world event or change that is bigger than any ideological dispute.

Just because the Saturn/Neptune cycle is no longer at a critical juncture does not mean the effects have come and gone. Rather they are now part and parcel of an emerging reality, albeit one that has been unfolding over eons. In this 21st Century, life is no longer 9-5 it is 24/7. What we believe and perceive is no longer concrete. The last great barrier that divides us all and still stands firm is our religious beliefs.

Pluto is in its dying days of Sagittarius. This denotes a de- emphasis starting next year, but especially in 2009, on religious wars, space exploration and the search for spiritual knowledge. The end of globetrotting for many of us may be nigh, either due to terrorism and border controls or carbon footprints. Airlines will start to merge or fold as fuel and passengers become scarce. In its place will come a greater focus during the next decade on the Capricorn/Cancer axis. This just happens to be the position on the ecliptic that the Solstices take place. (more of that in my next blog on the Mayans). The 10th/4th Cap/Cancer symbolism relates to our hearth, history, heritage, lineage, the ground beneath our feet and the skies up above us. The 10th, or Capricorn, position correlates to authority figures and ancient knowledge. In fact, lookey here - the 4th correlates to Mankind and the 10th to our evolution!

Many astrologers, myself included have been talking about the likely changes that will be ushered in with Pluto in Capricorn; we'll see women presidents and leaders, terrorism in our halls of power, changes to traditional hierarchical structures and an upsurge in interest in ancient cultures but the Saturn/Uranus cycle points to some unexpected shock that could revolutionise our view of history and alter our course.

That's a big statement and you are forgiven for thinking that during the Mercury Rx period I lost my mind somewhere but I have been pondering how this placement represents not only authority but THE supreme authority- that which we term God. Is Pluto in Capricorn set to transform our fundamental beliefs about our place in the Cosmos, where we have come from and what our purpose is? Certainly the ancient Mayan culture believe that these next few years to 2012 are a countdown to some major event.

The cycles of Saturn/Uranus and Saturn/Pluto are historically closely aligned with Islam, one of the most ancient cultures of them all, full of incredible wisdom. The Grand Design must be to move us back towards some of that wisdom and towards more unity, not to blow us into oblivion. It would take centuries for any new belief system to be inculcated and permeate down through the minds of Islamic fundamentalists. So, what could halt this? For what it is worth my feeling is that only some huge natural earth shift or scientific discovery could indeed set us on a new course by 2012. If that discovery calls into question the theory of evolution that we have taken for granted, life on other planets or our global survival - or even the nature of God - a War would suddenly seem slightly more insignificant.

The Saturn/Uranus opposition occurs in Nov 2008 but will start to make it's presence felt as early as September this year when Saturn moves into Virgo. This 45 year cycle has historically been equated with the earthing(Sa) of sweeping change in the collective(Ur); new inventions, revolutions; reforms and breaks with tradition. It is this cycle which could trigger the quantum leap in consciousness that many have been expecting. Nothing is going to happen overnight but to be clear, I put it to you that discoveries and shocking (and amazing) announcements from the scientific community could be the first steps towards a radical new reality by 2012. Perhaps one that causes us to question the very nature of reality and religion as we know it.

With an important experiment due to take place with the Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator facility in Geneva in 2008, I may not be that far off the mark.

What will this experiment unleash? All eyes to CERN