August begins in the middle of an eclipse season which continues until the 15^th. Last month was an intense journey for many, with solar and lunar eclipses challenging even the most balanced among us! As we embark on a new month we have one more solar eclipse to come on the 11^th before things begin to ease.

This weekly astrological journal is based on planetary influences, and offers perspectives and insights to assist you in making the best use of current energies. This column is not intended as prediction. Your own experience will be more specifically defined by transits to your personal chart.

Although symbolism and meaning will some­times overlap from planet to planet, each planet has its own distinct vocabulary and flavor. Saturn is no different. If I had to pick a flavor, I would say Saturn is sour, not sweet. Cold, not hot. Matter-of-fact, not passionate.

July is a month of deep inner movement which, like a quake far below the earth’s crust, may well shake foundations, but is less likely to bring the structures of our lives crashing down. With up to six retrogrades throughout the month, two eclipses (one also a Supermoon) and Mars still on the South Node, our internal world is in the spotlight while the external one may disappoint.

June 2018 finds us in the ‘waiting room’ of the next eclipse season beginning in July. How we manage the waiting, the growing sense of anticipation or anxiety, the mounting tension… or is it excitement?….depends largely on how happy we are to let things fall into place. Or would we rather force them there, before discovering we’ve jammed yet another square peg into a round hole?!

May 2018 heralds the next major astrological shift as Uranus, the planet of radical disruption and liberating change, begins its journey through Taurus, the sign of steadfastness and stability. It last made the same shift in 1934, so this is a fresh (and significant) energy for most of us.

Mother Earth has suffered shockingly as a result of human ignorance, denial and narcissism for way too long. She lies bleeding at our feet and still we look away. But no more. Once Uranus begins its entry into Taurus in May 2018, the extent of our planet’s unbridled rage and unbounded love will become apparent in equal measure.

Whatever your priorities at this time, hold fast to the belief that you can manifest positive change in your own life. It may not be easy and there are often many forces which seem to be stacked against us when we try, but the evolutionary thrust which fuels human aspiration is more enduring than the obstacles which lie in wait.

Eris, in all her mighty glory, comes to set things straight. Eris knows the power of the feminine, the raw, primal force of childbirth, the fierce protection of a mother’s love, the enduring strength of a broken but embracing heart and the power of an awakened womb which nurtures deep within the hopes and dreams of generations.

Generally speaking, eclipses get a bad rap, no doubt due to the fear they provoked in days gone by when total eclipses plunged people into blackness and the life-sustaining light was eradicated by a seemingly all powerful force. These days we are better informed...

2017 is a year of surprises and unexpected twists and turns, ego battles, spiritual stand-offs and defining moments in the shaping of this evolutionary time. Just as we feel we’ve found our way, a new possibility rears its intriguing head and we are once again in a maelstrom of change.

Mercury stations retrograde in the final degree of Sagittarius, reminding us that sometimes it really is worth looking back before you leap. This retrograde passage of Mercury augurs a time for reflection on what inspires us to action, what gives our life meaning and how we can go about expressing those values in our every day.

A black moon is a particularly powerful new moon which augurs a significant new phase. We can use its energy to prepare for shifts in our inner and outer worlds so powerful they may change the very course of our life. Each black moon cycle lasts until the next black moon, two and a half to three years later...

We all know people who show us the negative side of their Sun sign... every sign has its negative side. What is going on inside people when they display such negative behavior?

Mercury is retrograde between 9^th April and 3^rd May 2017 (GMT). This Mercury speaks of the need to trust our instincts over and above the reason of ‘common sense’ logic. There exists great mystery within this process....

In Sagittarius, Saturn requires a broader view of our lives, beyond our personal present. It helps us identify connections between apparently random experiences and reveals how past decisions, attitudes and behaviors have painted the picture that is our life today.

At each Saturn Return, we experience the maximum pressure to conquer the weakness in ourselves that is blocking growth; we have the opportunity to pierce the resistance that is keeping us from breaking through into our greatest potential evolution.

April 2017 sees an increase in retrograde activity, with roughly half of the month (9th – 15th April & 20th April – 3rd May) featuring four retrogrades. This is something we’ve not seen since September 2016 and is a celestial pattern which invites us to retreat, revisit and reflect.

This eclipse speaks of over-due endings and fresh starts. A new way of being is in reach, born of wisdom gleaned from past experience and freedom from shackles that no longer bind. But these endings may not match our expectations...

If you’ve been wondering what on earth’s going on lately – if life has been too good to be true, too tough to endure or too confusing to warrant taking seriously – this eclipse may just help clarify the cause behind the effect and the part we play in life’s unfolding.

Apparently 2017 will be my year – indeed, it is a good year for everyone born between November 22 and December 21 under the sign of Sagittarius – half man, half horse, all myth.

We may be disappointed if we want life to go gently with our feelings as the year closes, for there are more potent agendas at work, in service of truth-telling and revelation no matter the cost. This Mercury won’t let anything be swept beneath the carpet for a more convenient time.

Astrocartography is the study of localities which are best suited to you according to your birth chart and power of astrology in our lives, specifically in respect to choosing a city or country in which to live.