“Myth, says a Church Father, is what is believed always, everywhere, by everybody; hence the man, who thinks he can live without myth, or outside it, is an exception. He is like one uprooted, having no true link either with the past, or with the ancestral life which continues within him, or yet with contemporary society. He does not live in a house like other men, does not eat and drink like other men, but lives a life of his own, sunk in a subjective mania of his own devising, which he believes to be newly discovered truth. This plaything of his reason never grips his vitals. It may occasionally lie heavy on his stomach, for that organ is not apt to reject the products of reason as indigestible. The psyche is not of today; its ancestry goes back many millions of years. Individual consciousness is only the flower and fruit of a season, sprung from the perennial rhizome beneath the earth; and would find itself in better accord with the truth if it took the existence of the rhizome into its calculations. For the root matter is the mother of all things.” - Carl Jung, September 1950

Set against the backdrop of the potential foretold by the Grand Conjunction chart of 28 May 2000 and the Aries Ingress chart of 20 March 2000, the theme of self-undoing and wanton folly for South Africa is set to continue until the year 2020. Some may argue that the mistakes made are in keeping with an infantile constitution and governmental rule that is only eighteen years of age, and that in the big scheme of things, this is but a fleeting moment in time. The other side of the coin is that the life-span of a human being is much shorter than that of a country and this time period of twenty years is an enormous chunk out of the life of any individual; the ramifications of this turbulent period for the individuals who reside in the country have the potential to be severe and are of course subjective.

“Is my idea to start a new business a good one; will it be successful; should I pursue this idea?” The idea to start a second business, one far removed from the client’s normal line of work, was nothing more than a creative idea at this stage. A seed had been planted and she wished to know that if she pursued this line of creative thought, if it would be beneficial for her financially and emotionally. It is advisable to assess these matters before investing money in the extensive preparation required to launch a new venture. Here the focus was primarily on the idea or brainchild of the client and we needed to determine whether or not she should invest anything more, including time, in putting her thoughts on paper and if there was merit in formulating a business plan, corporate identity, and everything else that is required when launching a new business.

We tend to focus on personal tenth house matters only when imminent activity requires it such as when we change jobs or receive a promotion or an award. We all have a tenth house in our natal chart, immaterial of where we are in our working-life hierarchy and the manner in which we allow this potential to manifest in the world impacts on those around us. The ripple effect of ‘acting out’ our tenth house has far reaching consequences both internally and externally on a holistic level: our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing is altered through tenth house interaction, for better or for worse. The chart is dominated by the tenth house cusp or Midheaven and the significance of this is more profound than simply assessing the manner in which we can earn our daily wage.

The September Equinox, also called the Autumnal Equinox, occurs on the 23rd. This has always been viewed symbolically as a period of change and the numerous festivals and feasts celebrated around the world at this time bear testimony to that. While it is spring in the summer hemisphere it is the essence that is important, not the accident, and the September Equinox denotes autumn symbolism. Those of us in the southern hemisphere stand poised to welcome spring however, and South Africa’s planetary movement depicts the potential for change in many significant quarters; assessed against the backdrop of the symbolism of the Autumnal Equinox, this adds spicy undertones to the floral top notes.

A client’s teenage daughter arrived home from a night out on the town seriously worse for wear. This was the first time it had occurred and when told that her drink had been spiked (drugs are dissolved into the drink to reduce inhibitions and often used for date-rape), her mother believed her as this had never happened before. However, she had always warned her daughter that should she ever arrive home intoxicated she would have her medically tested for intoxicants and drugs. The mother wanted to know if it was neccessary to subject her daughter to this, hence the horary question to me.

The planetary movement in the month of August depicts the potential for turbulence and there is significant activity pertaining to the financial sector with both Mercury and Jupiter turning retrograde. In the Lunar Return chart for South Africa the main significator Jupiter is posited on the malefic fixed star Hamal indicating potential for the present-day woes to continue.

Any given month exists within a broader time frame and the current cycle of time is one of change and uncertainty. Lunar Return charts of countries are assessed in relation to their Solar Return charts which in turn are delineated within the more complicated charts used in mundane astrology such as the Aries Ingress chart and the relevant Saturn/Jupiter conjunction.

Sensitive viewers may find it difficult to watch the The Cove, the documentary that exposed the slaughter of dolphins in Japan, but the tears shed are well worth it if it means that through creating awareness, something can be done to halt this atrocity.

It is a tragic and heart-breaking story which exposes one of the many consequences of man’s desire nature, filling you with a sense of shame that rocks you to the core; yet it is thought provoking and insightful and offers a glimpse into the ramifications of the senseless slaughter of innocent animals entrusted into our care by God.

The Mercurial thread that dominates these events cannot be ignored from an astrological perspective. The ruler of thieves and tricksters rears his ugly head throughout, and his rulership over speech, communication, the hands and the nervous system is highlighted in the diseases depicted as most likely to manifest in man as a result of the ingestion of dolphin flesh.

“In the heavens you can see man, each part for itself; for man is made of heaven. And the matter out of which man was created also shows the pattern after which he was formed”. Paracelsus: Renaissance physician, botanist, alchemist and astrologer.

This article explores the symbolism of The Grand Cross of Matter and explains its importance to man, especially in light of the imminent change pertaining to one of its four 'Watchers of Heaven'. The more we learn about our universe and about the connection between all things, the more we realise that nothing is random; understanding this is crucial to our understanding of life itself.

Millions of people watched the wedding ceremony of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the 29th of April 2011; the time of the conclusion of the vows provides the official event chart of the marriage. In so far as I can see this was most likely an elected chart and as pertains to all matters on earth, we are given the trials and tribulations together with the blessings.

This article takes a brief look at the major pitfalls, strengths and aspirations of this high profile couple and while it is technical in nature, the gist can be grasped by everyone.

On 18 May 2011 South Africa went to the polls in the 4th municipal elections since 1994 - one day after Full Moon; the ANC’s leading role in ending white rule helped it secure more than 60percent support across the country in every election held since the first all-race vote in 1994 - this remains unchanged. The national results saw the ANC's share of the vote decrease from 65.9 to 62percent with the DA increasing their share of the vote from 16.6 to 23.9percent. The gain in voter confidence for the DA bodes well for a democracy where a strong opposition party is crucial, but the minimal loss by the ANC in comparison depicts that the DA gained the majority of its increase from the loss in votes by smaller opposition parties and not from the ANC.

A regular comment made by men, especially when at the 13th (14th or 15th) ‘watering’ hole, is that they do not understand women; when women hear this they shake their heads in despair and frustration, wondering what it is about them that is so unfathomable. At the outset it is necessary to stress that both genders discussed in this article are assumed to be of sound mind, possessing a relatively high level of EQ: we are not addressing the (majority) of the population that is neurotic, addicted to something-or-other, co-dependant, emotionally unstable, commitment phobic or simply foolish. If you have a sincere desire to understand the female species and wish to enrich your romantic relationships you should find this insight beneficial; but be warned: action is called for.

2011 has been an eventful year to date; the major newsworthy events being the unrest in Egypt and Libya and the devastating earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan. The planetary movement in April suggests that further change can be expected, including that of an unexpected and militant nature; simply put, April could be another month of international chaos. The Grand Cross of matter is shifting this year with the last of the 4 fixed stars, Regulus, moving into Virgo: Regulus watcher of the north, Fomalhaut watcher of the south, Antares watcher of the west and Alderbaran watcher of the east will all be in mutable signs. Life as we know it will slowly (over 200 years) shift gear. Those who are able to think on their feet apply flexibility and plan for the unexpected will be the least sensitive to change.

I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul. - Jean Cocteau

Chiron entered my life in October 2006, approximately 6 weeks old and a hissing, spitting, feral bundle of fur. I was still involved in the sporting industry at that stage and was working at the 94.7 Cycling Expo; my sister and her Yorkshire Terrier had stumbled on a feral mother and her litter of kittens in a drain at their complex during one of their walks. After 2 hours of pleading, coaxing and waving Woolworths chicken fillets around, they managed to tempt only one of the kittens into the open.

“Say not, ‘I have found the truth’, but rather, ‘I have found a truth.’  Say not, ‘I have found the path of the soul.’  Say rather, ‘I have met the soul walking upon my path.’  For the soul walks upon all paths.  The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed.  The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals.”  - Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, 1923. The quest for the soul’s purpose is as old as man and equates to the many myths surrounding the search for the Holy Grail, the Philosopher’s Stone and others of that ilk. We all yearn for knowledge of our soul’s true purpose here on earth to be revealed to us; the one tool available which can come close to that, which can provide a brief glimpse into the soul’s contract, is that of the ancient celestial science of astrology. The birth chart is unique to each individual and is thus able to provide answers to this question for the individual.

Event charts were assessed for the remaining fixtures of the 2011 Six Nations rugby tournament. Event charts, although at the bottom of the astrological food chain, are not always straight forward; some present challenges which require subtlety of judgement and experience in order to reach a definitive conclusion. Event charts are used in sports' questions instead of horary charts when the querent has no specific favourite, the matches are not major league events or if there are multiple games being played within a tournament at different times (not at the same time); they are also used for a host of other events such as court cases/trials and to determine the outcome of major meetings such as when cabinet meets to decide the demise of the repo rate.

Will South Africa win the 2011 Cricket World Cup?

Jupiter the great benefic, opposes Saturn the great malefic on 28 March: these two planets are known as the Great Chronocrators or “timekeepers of the cosmos” and are applied specifically as such in mundane astrology (the study of events in the world). Does this planetary movement have major significance globally and for South Africa specifically?

West Rand gangster Ralphie Haynes, the last member of jailed apartheid hit man Ferdi Barnard’s “Gangsters Incorporated”, disappeared on Friday 28 January 2011. He was last seen boarding a helicopter belonging to former cage fighter and bush war soldier Frikkie Lutzkie outside Pretoria. Speculation abounds as to whether he is dead or alive – did he fake his death (disappearance) or is he still alive? He leaves behind debt estimated at R80 million and a trail of fraudulent and corrupt dealings.

Will the petrol price increase substantially on 28 January 2011? Next week petrol prices in South Africa could rise 26c/litre and diesel prices 29c/litre if current market conditions remain stable for the remainder of the week, as shown by the latest figures from the Department of Energy.