For Manchester, London and yes – sex

Gemini 2017

I didn’t feel like singing ‘Happy Birthday Mr President’ for my Gemini post. Although I had something lined up to say about number 45, I was going to wait for Cancer time (mothers and children) to post about Manchester. But I haven’t, as it is much more important than any wandering president. I feel so sad about Manchester, and all the other places where carnage is taking place. And now, as I am writing, London has suffered a heart-breaking attack as well. Many of us feel disheartened and powerless in this cruel world. However I can offer some food for thought on these events – in fact that’s all I can do. So here are my thoughts.

As an astrologer, working with clients who are dealing with painful issues, my approach is to discover where a particular pattern comes from. How does this pattern work and what is behind it? My belief is that diagnosis of a problem, and the gaining of insight about it, can lead to possible solutions. And after years of experience and thousands of clients, I know this is a helpful approach.

Charts for Manchester and London
We can do the same for companies, events and even countries – in this case a sort of ‘country therapy’ approach. Let’s face it – most countries need therapy! There are three horoscopes relevant to making an analysis. One is for the time the bomb exploded in Manchester, and one for the time of the London attacks. These show the energy of the moment – what was being constellated at that time and place.

The other is the horoscope of the United Kingdom. I use the one that most astrologers I know use – January 1st, 1801. By using this chart as a basis, we can see what is being triggered now for the UK. It is an important time for many reasons, including upcoming elections and Brexit.

The moment of the bombing
Police recorded a time of 10:33 pm on May 22, for the first report of the Manchester bombing, which, due to communication systems these days, is probably pretty close to the time of the blast. The base of this chart shows a lot of Aries energy underfoot. Again we have Uranus, the disruptive rebel, working together with the whistle-blowing, female warrior, Eris. I mentioned this is an earlier post.

 

In the myth, Eris causes competition among beautiful women. Is this a theme? The concert performer was Ariana Grande, who is young and beautiful. Many young girls see her as a role model – more of her to come. The Moon and Venus are also together in Aries at the base of the chart. So we have mothers and beautiful young women or girls together, meeting this violent energy – exactly the description of many who were either at the concert or waiting to pick up their daughters. I would read this as an attack on the feminine.

The perpetrator
In another part of the Manchester chart we see Mars – an angry young man? – right on the horizon, he is ‘setting’ – going into the ‘underworld’. What is amazing, is that this same pattern occurs in the London attack time, which was given at 22:08 on June 3.

This is a powerful part of the chart. Aggression against others that gets noticed! Mars in Gemini suggests the perpetrators have a message. We can further describe the Manchester bomber, Salman Abedi, by looking at the other planets Mars picks up in this horoscope. These are the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron and also Eris. To me this would mean he might be:

Moon – moody and sensitive – apparently he was prone to sudden bursts of anger.

Jupiter – religious – this could mean he has a certain philosophy. He was brought up in a religious Libyan family. And he was in this country just before the bombing. I imagine that in Libya you have to pick your ‘side’. This aspect can produce fundamentalist actions.

Saturn – fearful but also perhaps following orders.

Neptune – a victim, or someone who has been brainwashed. Again sensitive. He has been described as very gullible. His parents left him with his brother in Manchester when he was 17, when they returned to Libya. He fell in with a gang and was known for his drinking and drug-taking – perhaps he was addicted – a very Neptunian theme. I imagine he was an easy target to use for self-sacrifice.

Chiron – wounded in many ways.

Eris – a young, warlike angry energy. Someone who could enjoy the idea of causing discord.

Although it is hard to feel sympathy for someone who causes such pain, I think he too was a victim of his background, upbringing and country, and what the rest of the world has done to Libya.

London attacks
The attackers in London also have a message, however they are described by (some) different planetary aspects – Venus, Saturn, Uranus and Chiron. Their motives seem to be different in part. Venus touching Mars might suggest a sense of enjoying the bloodlust together. Perhaps they want to appear brave and ‘manly’ to the opposite sex. And Uranus suggests they want notoriety – to be special, to shock and wake everyone up. Very different from Abedi.

An out of control Mars
What all the attackers have in common though, is the wounding suggested by Chiron, and a major feature of both charts – Mars opposite Saturn across the chart – bringing this aspect heavily into focus. Mars is what is known as out of bounds (OOB) at the moment too, which means he is outside the limits that the Sun reaches above and below the equator. This suggests that he can operate in an ‘out of control’ fashion. He can go his own way without restraint. He is OOB between 14 May and 29 June 2017 suggesting aggression and violence may reach a peak in this period.

We have to talk about sex
But Mars is also masculine sexual energy. The desire to conquer and win. Trump referred to Abedi, as a loser. For Trump, with Mars very strong, this is the worst insult he can give. Mars is about winning. And competing, including for females. The warrior, and defender. The leader who wins. The one who gets the girl.

Saturn wants to make Mars grow up and take responsibility. To have discipline. In many religions, which are still very Saturnine and rule-oriented, this sexual urge is denied. Celibate priests, and demanding no sex until after marriage, are symptoms of this. As is all the vitriol directed at homosexuals. When Saturn triggers a very angry, frustrated Mars, as he does at the moment, this energy is expressed in negative ways, in order for this masculine energy to avoid feeling impotent. The misogyny that is clearly apparent at the moment, and the violence and over-powering of woman and girls, is, in my view, a result of religious views about women over many years. The fact that many mosques are influenced by Saudi Arabian leaders, makes negative views on women very strong in many Muslim communities. But they are by no means the only ones. Fundamentalist Christians and white supremacists have a lot in common with extreme terrorists in the ways women are treated.

What men want?
Young men need to learn how to express sexual energy in a positive and loving way. But instead they are being inculcated with violent messages – also from films, and internet. They are not taught how to be real men – just how not to be ‘losers’. We need masculine Mars energy to defend, protect and fight. But violence and war have never been and never will be the solution to protecting our homes, families, and countries.

And what about the girls?
Back to Ariana Grande. She is a symbol of what is amiss on the other side of the sexual divide. The girls who follow her are longing to be like her. To be grown up. The youngest Manchester victim was 8 years old – what a sad loss of a young life. Many photos of Saffie Rose Roussos, show a lovely young girl wearing lipstick. I also wanted to wear lipstick and my mother’s high heels when I was eight, but I had no idea of the sexual connotations of this. The sexualisation of very young girls by advertising, media and films is sad and dangerous. And my problem with young and beautiful pop-stars is that they are role models for the very young and are very sexily dressed. I have no problem with older girls being sexy – far from it! But young girls are not ready to handle this energy. And cultures that find talking about sex difficult (most of them!) make this a very confusing time for teenagers of both sexes. No wonder young girls get preyed upon by sexually repressed older males, who are role models for young men. And so it goes on.

Is there a solution?
Ok so here is my take on it. There is no short term solution for the terrorism problem, which is mainly the territory of angry men – both young and old. Mars needs to be used differently. In the mythology Mars and Venus go together. For sex, yes – quite right – but they need to be in balance. War and peace. Defence and attraction. What you want vs. negotiation. Mars is way out of balance. Practically all leaders now are advocating weapons, fighting, being tough on crime, making even more security measures to ‘fight’ terrorism. As I have said many times before, this is the wrong use of this archetype. The feeling of impotence created by terrorism understandably creates a knee-jerk reaction, but Venus would be better. She can ‘disarm’ Mars. Love is the answer, but true love requires a valuing of both parties. Give and take. A grown up Mars and Venus can help the world, but that means we have to help women to be valued. Strong women are the ones who can help solve problems. These are wise, perhaps older mothers, who can give their sons a sense of value. But we require wise men too – as role models for younger men in terms of valuing women.

Help the women
Practically, this means helping women in many religious communities to take their place in families as a wise feminine presence. Taking on misogyny wherever it raises its head. And taking on the exploitation of children, even if, because of religious or ethnic sensitivities, it might appear to be politically incorrect! Instead of more Mars – nuclear weapons, wars, aggression and cruel defence, we need a Venusian balance, which is not ‘gorgeous’ young women and girls, but a positive upsurge of valued feminine energy. The real question is: how can we empower women to be true to who they really are? If mothers of young boys were equally valued in families and society, I am convinced that fewer young men would go astray.

And so to the UK
As I write, election fever is in full swing. And this while the UK chart is starting to be heavily triggered by Pluto. The Moon (mothers and children) in the UK chart is in its own sign, Cancer. Since the Moon in a country chart also represents the people, it shows a need for UK citizens to feel safe and for families to be protected.  Pluto opposing the Moon now, can suggest violence towards UK residents, since Pluto in his worst clothes is a violent abuser. This applies particularly to women and girls, since he is opposite the Moon.

The opportunity here, which is part of the reasoning for my suggestions above, is that women could become more empowered. I think it is not for nothing that we have feisty women prominent in this election. They are symbolic of what needs to happen. Theresa May is often being painted in the media as a negative version of this – a control freak and ruthless. Cruel and heartless. She has described herself as ‘a bloody difficult woman’. Her chart does show Plutonic qualities. And Nicola Sturgeon from Scotland has certainly not been afraid to take on this ‘bloody difficult woman’. She too is no stranger to power, but being a Cancerian perhaps makes her more in tune with the UK population.

Dangerous Women
I find it fascinating that Ariana Grande’s concert tour was called ‘Dangerous Woman’. I admire what she is doing by being a strong feminist – described on one site as advocating a mix of being self-assured, sexy, talented, optimistic, in control and proudly feminine. Young girls are naturally attracted to this form of empowerment. And it is heartwarming that she gave a free concert in the wake of the Manchester bombing. This is the right time to promote empowerment for girls and to help women in the UK to take their power. My only issue is the narrow view of feminine sexiness and attractiveness that she perhaps unintentionally promotes. Of course young women should be sexy and attractive. But does this mean cats ears and revealing clothes? I think we are so much more than that!

With Pluto opposite the Moon, women voters may hold the power in this election. It is time for a huge transformation in how the UK protects and nurtures her citizens. Jeremy Corbyn is doing well because he has tapped in to this sense of voters wanting a revolution in how they are being taken care of – particularly when it comes to the vulnerable and of course the need for transformation of the National Health Service (NHS). Although Brexit is an important step in the UK being in control of its own affairs, Theresa May would be well-advised to understand these more important needs of the public. It will be a very interesting election!

Faye Blake-Cossar

Interesting websites

I find this a fascinating short video from Bruce Lipton. He is having fun when talking about his Ministry of Mobility. However there is a serious message in here. He is suggesting we take a leaf out of the body’s defence system to protect our countries. Instead of using violence and war, he suggests ‘mobility’ which is how our adrenal (Mars) system works to protect us. Food for thought. And I love the name of his president!

Raising Boys
Pluto opposite the Moon can give the opportunity for transformation of many different ‘Moon’ themes. One is transforming motherhood. Celia Lashlie, who, died in 2015, was a fierce advocate of helping adolescent boys develop. She worked in New Zealand on the ‘Good Man’ project, which involved working with teenagers at 25 boys’ schools. This work, and her background in prisons and education resulted in her book ‘He’ll be OK : growing gorgeous boys into good men’. This somewhat confronting book for mothers, offers advice as to how to raise sons. This powerful video highlights her main points and shows her love and respect for boys. A plea for women to step back and for father’s to stand up to their wives, even though she is a feminist!

Quote of the Month

“One boy equals one brain and two boys equal half a brain.” Celia Lashlie.

For Astrologers

Manchester bombing: 22 May 2017, 22:33 Manchester, England.
London attack: 3 June 2017, 22:08, London, England.
UK: 1st January 1801, 0:00, Westminster, England.

Theresa May – current UK Prime Minister: 1 October 1956, time unknown, Eastbourne, England.
Jeremy Corbyn –  Leader of the UK Labour party: 26 May 1949, time unknown, Chippenham, England.
Nicola Sturgeon –  1st Minister of Scotland: 19 July 1970, 15:16, Irvine, Scotland.