In the Spotlight!

What I've said to some of the astrology phone-in callers

Over the past 12 months I've talked about each of the astrological houses when I've been on air, and you can read about the meaning of the 12 Houses, or area of life experience on the "What is Astrology?" page.

What I'm going to do each time I'm on air is select one of the callers I've spoken to on Tim Wedgwood's Show, and then write something in a bit more detail about their planetary line up. I won't decide who this will be until after the programme - but one person each time will be able to see what I've written about the position of the planets at the time of their birth. By looking at my Radio Stoke page they will be able to find out if it's their planetary line up that will be in the spotlight, and I will also say something about which psychological life phase they are moving through, according to the Huber's LifeClock.

On Monday 22nd May I spoke to Barbara, who was born on 24.7.1942 at 4 pm. Her planetary line up comes under the spotlight this month.

Barbara was born just as the Sun entered the Sign of Leo. Although only just over the cusp into this Sign, the Sun in Leo suggests that she will be a lively and outgoing person, with a supply of fiery energy with which she can be creative.

As she was born at 4 p.m. this would put the Sun in the Seventh House,  were I to set up her full chart, giving her the potential to have good contact with other people and enthuse them with some of her sunny Leo energy. The Sun signifies the mind, the way we think, so I would expect Barbara to be positive and lively, wanting recognition for herself. She would probably also be a good, true and loyal friend.

Her Moon is in a fiery Sign too - Sagittarius - which will emphasise her outgoing potential. The Moon relates to our emotional nature and feelings; Barbara could be optimistic and fun loving, possibly one to enjoy a practical joke and she will probably be forthright about her feelings and emotional needs.

The fiery theme in Barbara's planetary line up is continued with Mars, the planet of assertion and energy, also in Leo, which will endow Barbara with additional get up and go. This fiery energy is offset by Mercury, Venus and Jupiter all being in the watery, caring and sensitive Sign of Cancer. Because of the time of birth she gave me, I think it's likely that these planets would be in the Sixth House of service, and caring and doing things to help others.

Barbara said that for 25 years she had worked as a Home Visitor, taking care of the elderly in their own homes, aiming to bring a breath of fun and some laughter into their daily lives as she went about her job of nurturing and caring. She clearly enjoyed her work and I suspect she brought a sparkle to it as well.

Just by looking at these few planets by Sign, it is possible to see that Barbara is likely to be an enthusiastic, lively person with a heart of gold, who is able to be caring and sensitive to the needs of others, and who is well able to take friends, family and probably all-comers under her wing and nurture them.

Barbara's LifeClock shows that she has probably already retired and is moving through this current phase of life enjoying the freedom of having more time to herself and seeking out the company of like-minded friends. She's going to be a bit choosy about who she spends time with and will not necessarily mind being on her own sometimes, reflecting upon and recalling the good times she has already experienced. This period of life is one of taking stock, being a bit more choosy and separating the wheat from the chaff in our lives.

This is a brief, thumbnail sketch of Barbara's planetary line-up, and so much more could be seen if a full chart were to be set up for her by an API UK qualified astrological counsellor. For details of astrological counsellors and consultants in your area, see our Consultant's Page.

On Monday 19th June I spoke to Ron, who was born on 5.5.1944 at 6 am. His planetary line up comes under the spotlight this month.

Ron is a Taurean, and not only is his Sun in Taurus, he has Mercury and Venus there as well, making him very strongly Taurean. The time of birth he gave me was 6 am, and as he was born in early May, the Sun would almost certainly have risen. This would place it in the 12th House of the chart - an area of life experience which is more about withdrawal, being quiet, taking time out and recharging the batteries. Ron agreed that this was right for him - especially when I asked him if he liked to get away into his garden, and if he is he a keen gardener. He is!

Taureans love nature, so it was no surprise that Ron loves his garden, but he also agreed to being a handyman, and a bit of a “Mr. Fixit” when it comes to making things. Taureans are very skilled in practical ways, and are good at using the resources around them, very creative with their hands, so making things in this hands-on way not only comes easily to them, they enjoy it as well! Taureans love anything which will bring the senses into play, from the smell of freshly cut grass to the taste of their favourite food! Taurus is an Earth Sign, so there is a strong practical streak at work here, but with Venus in Taurus, Ron will love creating something that is as attractive and beautiful as it is functional.

Ron’s Moon is in Libra, an Air Sign, which is focussed on communication of all kinds. The Moon is about feelings and emotions; in Libra it is going to want harmony and peace to reign. Ron said he doesn’t like unpleasant atmospheres, but most of all, he likes to keep a good sense of balance and harmony within himself, something he doesn’t always find easy to do. He said he can get very agitated and go off like a box of fireworks. Jupiter’s placement in Leo is going to encourage “larger than life” behaviour; if I were to set up Ron’s chart I suspect I might find in it an aspect pattern called an Irritation triangle, with Jupiter as one of the pinning planets. Ron agreed that once he’s exploded, he calms down and everything goes back to normal again; what he was describing is exactly how an Irritation triangle can be seen to work.

Ron’s Mars in Cancer will make him a bit of a softie, not someone to make too much of a fuss, preferring to soften the blows a little when he has to assert himself, and Saturn in Gemini might make him more likely to organise and structure his thoughts, words and ideas.

By looking at these few planets by Sign, it is possible to start building up a picture of Ron - a man who loves his garden, enjoys working in a practical way to create or mend things, and quite often prefers to do this in his own quiet space. Genial and friendly, he wants the best for those he makes contact with, but he is prone to getting things off his chest in a somewhat spectacular way.

Ron’s LifeClock shows that he has probably retired and is moving through this current phase of life enjoying the freedom of having more time to himself, perhaps seeking out the company of like-minded friends, but certainly with more time to “potter” and do the things he likes. Ron will not necessarily need to be with other people as he admits to enjoying time spent alone on his chosen pursuits. If he does get together with friends he’s going to be a bit choosy about who they are.

On Monday 17th July I spoke to Yvonne, who was born on 12.8.1955 at 9 am. Her planetary line up comes under the spotlight this month.

Yvonne is a Leo - and how! Her Sun, which represents her sense of self and her mind, will, and ability to be creative, is in Leo, along with several other planets. These are Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter. This is some line up and as a Sun Leo, with so many other planets in this Zodiac Sign as well, I would expect Yvonne to be the kind of person who loves to be in the limelight, can be “regal”, and who is a capable of making a big impact on those she meets. She is not likely to be shy and retiring and is very capable of getting her message across in a dramatic way which will demand attention. I suggested to her on air that she might be involved in amateur dramatics, or acting, and maybe performing in some way. As she’d sent a text in to the programme, I wasn’t able to talk to her, but she did text back after she’d heard what I’d said about her planetary line-up, and gave feedback, saying that most of it was true for her - thanks Yvonne!

For Yvonne, a line up of 5 planets in Leo will emphasise the Leonine qualities of warmth, loyalty, creativity and needing recognition and feedback for things that have been done. As she was born at 9 in the morning, this puts her Sun in the 11th House of the chart, where she may “hold court” to a group of like–minded people. It would be very possible that her self-expression is in some way bound up with working with groups of people, and this area of life holds a lot of potential for her.

Yvonne’s LifeClock shows that she is approaching 51 years of age. This period of her life is one where she is more likely to be interested in delving into what makes things “tick” in the world around her, so could be looking at different life philosophies, and maybe at comparative religion, the validity of the law and so on. Quite deep issues may be of interest at this stage of life because it is now that we begin to ponder on what is the real meaning of life for us.

You can find out more about this by reading the Huber’s book “LifeClock”..

I took a break during the summer months as I was away on holiday, but by early October was back in the studio, and the calls and texts were coming in thick and fast!

On Monday 3rd October I spoke to John who gave his date of birth as 12.2.1944. I made a comment about him being an Aquarius, and probably needing to have plenty of freedom and space, particularly in relationships, and he came back at that by telling he’d been married 3 times! John’s interesting planetary line up comes under the spotlight this month.

John has a good sense of humour, and was happy to take the gentle ribbing that Tim Wedgwood, the presenter, gave him when he confessed to having been married 3 times. John’s airy Aquarian Sun and his need for freedom is at odds with the planetary placement of his Moon, Mercury and Venus, which are all in earth Signs. His Moon, representing his feeling nature and emotions, is in Virgo, suggesting that he can be quite picky and choosy about saying how he really feels. There will be a certain reserve in this area of his life, and his discriminatory ability will be engaged when it comes to choosing who to tell how he feels, and who not.

Mercury, the planet we associate with communication, is always found in the same Zodiac Sign as the Sun, or in the one before or after. In John’s chart, it’s in Capricorn, which will add caution and a sense of propriety to what he says and how he says it. Venus, which represents our drive to form relationships of all kinds, is also in Capricorn and this made me pause and comment on how John, with his Aquarian need for freedom, might have been married 3 times, since he is likely to have been quite cautious and even conservative in his relationships.

John was interested to hear this, and said that the woman he is now married to has her Sun in Capricorn, which offers good opportunities for their relationship. The Huber method of chart comparison is made by looking at the “Clicks” each partner’s planet makes with the others in the chart. You can read about this in the booklet on “Clicks”, available from the API Book Shop.

I never got to the studio on 3rd November as I wasn’t well, but I did make it the following week. So during the phone-in on 13th November I spoke to June who was born on 18.6.1937 - and was appropriately named June! We talked about her Sun in Gemini and she agreed that she loved variety in her life, enjoyed chatting to her friends and family, was an avid reader and loved gathering snippets of information - all in typical Gemini fashion. With her Mercury also in Gemini, I wondered how heavy her phone bill was!

I noticed that her Moon is in Libra - another Air Sign - which would emphasise her drive to communicate. June is sensitive to the needs and feelings of others, and with her Libran Moon she strives at all costs to maintain a pleasant atmosphere. She dislikes unpleasantness and is able to draw on Libran skills of diplomacy when needed, and seeks to pour oil on troubled waters.

What we hit on during our conversation was that June has Venus in Taurus. This, alongside her Libran Moon, would probably make her interested in beauty and fashion. I asked June if she loved all things beautiful. Does she appreciate beautiful textures, colours, design, like lovely clothes, enjoy the luxuries of life, appreciate good food and drink, beautiful gardens etc. You get the picture? Venus in Taurus will love and desire all this and more; there will be a heightened sense of quality and taste. June agreed that yes, she related very strongly to all of these and enjoyed many of them! She particularly mentioned her love of colour, saying she wears pinks and lilac shades.

We didn’t have time to chat for long, but looking back on our conversation I realise that June is 69 years old - she certainly didn’t sound it! In Age Progression that puts her Age Point in the 12th House of the chart. This House covers a psychological life phase where the individual withdraws from the outer world and looks more within. In “LifeClock”, Bruno and Louise Huber say of this period of life “The thoughtful and mentally active individual will become conscious of many things, and will review all he can”. In my brief chat to June, she seemed to be this kind of person.

On Monday 11th December I had not one, but two texts from Jill whilst I was on air - she was persistent and texted twice because she thought her initial message had been passed by. We dubbed her “Two-texts Jill” and I said I’d put her in the spotlight as she clearly wanted to be there!

Jill was born on 17.3.1968 at 12 noon. This birth time puts her Piscean Sun right at the top of her chart, suggesting that she seeks recognition for what she achieves ( would that seeking recognition be anything to do with those two texts?!). With a Piscean Sun she is likely to be sensitive, possibly artistic, maybe dreamy and at times could be indecisive. Her Moon is in Scorpio, so she may well have hidden depths and perhaps keeps her deepest and innermost feelings and secrets to herself. She will be unlikely to divulge her emotional needs unless she feels she can trust those she shares them with.

Jill’s Sun and Moon are both in Water Signs, which are associated with feelings, fluidity and the ebbing and flowing of moods. Venus, the planet that represents our drive to form relationships and create harmony and balance in our lives and in world around us, is also in a Water Sign because it, too, is in Pisces. I suspect that Jill is a sensitive and most probably a perceptive person as well, when it comes to sussing out how others might be feeling.

The “Watery” flavour of her planetary line-up will endow Jill with much feeling ability, and it could be that sometimes she can appear to be a bit of a softie - but don’t be too fooled on this count. Her Mars is in Aries, and if she was born at noon it’s likely that Mars would be in either the 10th or 11th House of her chart, were I to set this up for her. Mars in Aries suggests that she’s able to stand up for herself and take action when this is needed. She may be a powerhouse of energy at work or in groups of friends or organisations she belongs to.

She is 38, and her Age Point is currently travelling through the 7th House of her chart, suggesting that psychologically she will be offered opportunities to learn about herself via her one-to-one relationships. She may experience a crisis in her partnerships as she observes herself as seen through the eyes of others she is close to, and this could lead to a complete revision of her lifestyle.

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