At the Lodge - 1st March 2004

Lodge Lecture | Members' Classes | Charts Discussion

Lodge Lecture

Frank Clifford is a Lecturer at the London School of Astrology. He also teaches and has written books on Tarot. This evening he gave a talk on how Astrology comes alive when you hear people 'speak their chart'. Some say that if you live long enough you will experience every part of your chart. I think I know that one.

The first thing he looks at are the Planets and their position in the chart. The signs for him add colour and the houses context. So the first thing he looks at is the Moon. It speaks our needs, our eating habits, attachments, mother, responses and reactions. It speaks our fundamental relationship needs. We look at the Sun when we are talking about life purpose, philosophy etc.

He then zooms in to planetary conjunctions, particularly with the inner planets. Oppositions are good for one to one relationships (what someone did to me). Of course there are the angles. If a planet was placed in 3rd, 6th, 9th or 12th houses it would speak that planet. He then went on to review the placement of the planets in houses. Then we looked at charts of certain well known people. This proved to be very informative.

Members' Classes

This was the second week of the classes on Electional Astrology with Peta High. This week she focused on business. She showed the chart of a business that was run by herself and her husband which was very successful. But - the chart broke all the rules. For example Mars was applying to the angles, though she did say it took eight years to get there. Of course you have to look at where the planets of the parties concerned lie in relation to the chart of the business and those were, in this case, well placed.

The second chart we looked at was one brought in by one of our Members. It concerned the refurbishment of a family property in order to sell it. The Sun was trine to Neptune, showing the selling of a dream. The ruler of the 2nd house was in the 8th showing theirs and other people's money involved. The Moon was also in the 2nd house.

What was interesting was the way the planets of the parties concerned played together with the chart, showing that the house came from the roots, conjoining the South Node. So this week the rules went out the window!

Carole West

Charts Discussion

Charts discussion was a little subdued at the start due Gill's absence but we soon warmed up. Indeed, Passion was very much in evidence as we considered the horoscope of Mel Gibson (3 Jan 1956, 16.45 EST +5.00, Peekskill, NY, USA, 41N17, 73W55, Rating B) and the timing of his new controversial film of the same name. As would be expected, the significators of his many violent films was immediately evident: Mars(23) conjunct Saturn(29) in Scorpio in 5th square Pluto(28) in Leo and Jupiter(1) in Virgo in second; he certainly is capable of being a Lethal Weapon. Also feeding into the are Mercury at 29 Capricorn opposite Uranus at 1 Leo, square Neptune at 0 Scorpio and the Moon at 0 Libra. Mars also closely trines the MC and is its triplicity ruler.

It is well known that off screen Gibson is a committed Catholic and family man and this is shown by his Cancer rising and Moon in 4th. The fourth house is also the father and we discussed the influence that his father's firmly held religious beliefs may have had on Gibson and the nature of the anti-semetic accusations which have been aimed at the film. The group felt that his father had had an enormous influence on him, as shown by the Capricorn Sun, Mars Saturn conjunction and Saturn ruled Venus and Mercury.

For someone to make a film called "The Passion" and for it to hit the box office as Neptune transits his Venus is rather neat symbolism. Gibson describes it as "the film which God wanted him to make" and the product of the last twelve years soul searching after his wife gave him an ultimatum. Jupiter (12 years) seems to be am important cycle in his life: he left the USA for Australia when he was 12 and his natal Jupiter would have been subject to some pretty intense planetary activity due to the Jupiter opposition Uranus and Mars which took place last autumn.

Interestingly, the film is doing very well in commercial terms when everyone, Gibson included, thought it would be a financial disaster. One of the major groups of attendees are the many Christians of middle America and it has been reported that many preachers have ended their sermons with instructions for their faithful to visit the cinema that afternoon - now that's what I call a powerful Mercury, Neptune Uranus T square.

Next up was Oscar winner Sean Penn (17 August 1960, 15.17 PDT +7.00, Burbank, CA, USA, 34N11, 118W19, Rating AA). Jupiter in Sagittarius in the first, seven degrees off the ascendant speaks volumes about Penn's legendary independence and opinionatedness. Jupiter also closely trines his Sun and Uranus giving a star quality - Penn is reputed to have stolen the show in the first TV series he stared in. He was originally drawn to the law - Jupiter and Sagittarius and Sun ruling the ninth house - and the Moon in Cancer in the seven and Venus in the ninth ruling the MC show the importance of the women in his life: Venus in Virgo in the ninth is very literally Madonna.

We also looked at Johnny Depp (9 Jun 1963, 8.44 CST +6.00, Owensboro, KY, USA, 37N46, 87W07) who was also Oscar nominated. Many people have commented that Depp's performance in "Pirates of the Caribbean" was wildly over the top and that the director lacked the necessary gravitas and experience to channel Depp's energy; this is a fabulous way of describing Saturn in the seventh house and Mars conjunct Uranus in the first. Depp has always been eager not to be type cast as a pretty boy - Venus conjunct Mercury square Uranus and Mars - and to take more unusual roles which would challenge his acting ability. He is another actor, along with Penn, who doesn't play by the Hollywood rules and lives in France where he is happily married to French singer Vanessa Paradis - Venus conjunct Mercury in Taurus: a singer, trine Saturn in seventh house.

This is also a great example of how the symbolism in a chart flows through the whole of a life: Mars conjunct Uranus in Virgo - Edward Scissor Hands and Venus conjunct Mercury conjunct Capult Algol (associated with loosing your head) - Sleepy Hollow which featured a headless horseman.

To finish we looked at Haiti (1 Jan 1804, no time but chart set for noon, Gonaives, Haiti, 19N27, 72W41). This is from Nick Campion's Book of World Horoscopes and for the granting of independence. What ever the time of day, Pluto will be opposite the Moon which describes the fate of the people all too well. Dictatorship after dictatorship have beset the people of the island; for some, the only think they know about Haiti is its association with Voodoo. Saturn had recently opposed the Sun and squared itself and Jupiter passed over the Moon. Even though we don't know the exact degree of the Moon, the Jupiter opposite Uranus and Mars would certainly have stirred things up. It was the opinion of the group that the people - Moon - needed to get out from under that Pluto and that trying circumstances provide these types of opportunities. They do say that it is darkest before the dawn.

Claire Chandler

Lodge Lecture | Members' Classes | Charts Discussion