Amy was only 27 - is your company 27?

The latest Leo zine covers Amy and Janis and the 27 club. An astrological technique can explain this phenomenon.


Also in this zine - calling all 27 year old companies - no charge consultancy for you.


Amy's photo from amywinehouse.com

My heart goes out to Norway

What a terrible experience it must have been yesterday in Utoeya Island and in Oslo with the bombing. At present it seems to be the work of one person, which may or may not be more comforting than a bigger organisation claiming the deed. Being able to keep tabs on a single person has always proved to be impossible in these devastating cases. The sad fact is many people have died, (91 at the time of writing) all of them far too young.

Although with events like this, I, like many astrologers, look at the charts to try to make sense of them, astrology doesn't really provide much solace. It shows the themes of the moments and bringing these themes to light might go some way to an explanation of the drives of the murderer.

The island case appears to be another example of an aspect in the heavens coming into sharp focus. The same aspect that is not yet exact, and won't be until next year. I'm afraid we might still be in the warm up stage, but perhaps there is hope that this type of event might make us more alert as to how this energy needs to be transformed.

I haven't seen an exact time for the shootings. It seems to be about 2 hours after the bombing which was took place at 15:26 Oslo time.

The bombing chart shows the planet Neptune right at the bottom of the chart. Underfoot so to speak. Neptune creates chaos and loss, in this case at the fundament of the Norwegian capital. Great grief. But Neptune can also act as a smoke screen of deception which seems to have been the case for the murderer. It could suggest that the motivation was one of being 'addicted ' to very strong ideals, (in this case extreme nationalism). It suggests someone who will make sacrifices. Neptune is next to Chiron which is about a deep, some would say karmic, wounding. There may be an old wound being opened here so that it can be healed.

But certainly a great wound has been caused.

I can't find an exact time for the shootings but assuming that is was about 2 hours later than the bombing, one of the planets in the aspect mentioned above, Uranus, has reached the same spot. The planet of shocks is now underfoot and is in an aspect with the planet of death, Pluto. Uranus together with Pluto can create terrible and shocking violence, as in this case. Uranus underfoot is like an earthquake. Norway must be shaken to the core. The sign that resonates with Pluto, Scorpio, was on the horizon for both of these charts. The image is one of transformation and already the media are pronouncing deep changes -  Norway will never be the same. It is being called Norway's 9/11 and I think looking at the chart that is a good description.

Uranus is working together with Ceres, who I think will continue to use Uranus as a wake up call (as she gets closer to him) for what we are doing to the environment. Uranus is the planet of adolescence and Ceres represents an older wise woman so what wonders what these teenagers were discussing. It was a Summer camp run by the ruling Labour Party. Maybe this will give their topics a stage. A wake up call to create a better environment for the future.

It is also interesting in connection with Ceres, who I think has a theme of women's emancipation, that the Commissioner of the Norwegian police is a woman, Ingelin Christine Killengreen, and she is also a Scorpio. Norway has a very good record for equality of the sexes. Perhaps this a relevant theme that will be highlighted too. Looking at the charts, I suspect Ingelin Killegreen might have an important role to play as this terrible case unfolds.

The Prime Minister described the sudden (Uranus) transformation (Pluto) in this case as one of "from a pardise to a hell".  His shock is great. He was scheduled to speak at the gathering.

The suspect, Anders Behring Breivik, has been arrested and he is very Uranian. He is very intelligent, an IT consultant, very active on social media and very right wing. He is against immigration especially of Muslims. This is an indication of someone who knows he is right and nothing will change his views. Uranus this way can produce a very cold and cruel individual. He is (if web info is correct) an Aquarian, confirming these qualities, albeit in a negative way.

Pluto and Uranus can indeed transform. I hope we can use this growing energy to transform on the same scale but in a powerful, innovative and positive way.

Do Not Enter the Netherlands

This week this advertisement appeared in the NY Times. It is a response to proposed government cuts on subsidies for Culture in the Netherlands. It had the desired effect... much outrage. On top of this at the moment and all at the same time, three major museums are fully or partly closed  in Amsterdam.

As an astrologer I can't keep my hands off a chart when something like this happens. "What is going on in the Netherlands chart",  I asked myself -  always nice to have someone who might provide some sort of answer.

I thought Venus - the boss of culture and art and all things beautiful  - might be the culprit and indeed she is being put on the rack by Saturn - that hard task master who wants us to be responsible and take the economic mess (also Venus) seriously.
 And he's not finished with her yet.

In The Dutch chart, Saturn's first assignation with her was on November the 26th last year. Saturn is in Libra at the moment so he has his sights on cleaning up general Libra topics globally, which include art and culture and also relationships and negotiations. Not to mention money. He likes some structure and he likes contracts or agreements in relationships. And responsible spending. It's all about taking repsonsibility for these things.

For the Netherlands though, he is also in direct opposition to Venus, the planet, which apart from art and culture, also rules norms and values and what we enjoy. So this period is of course about more than just Culture with a big C.

Venus in the Dutch chart is in Aries, so there is a love of pioneering, challenging, competing, haggling, and going for it when it comes to money. For a small country there has been a good deal of daring exploration in the past, those brave adventurers coming back as conquering heroes. There is also a love of doing things on the spur of the moment, a kind of bravery but perhaps not always with consideration of the possible consequences. Saturn is questioning that. Saturn restricts to give you time to think.

So let's look at the dates to see if we can get some insight and advice. The first date of November 26th last year, resulted in tickets for concerts for 2011 going on sale early, due to the fact that Government had introduced sales tax on these tickets. The early sales avoided this cost with the resulting loss to Government coffers.

Saturn contacts Venus three times, so this whole period describes a process with high points. The 26th of November was the first and the second was 30th March this year. What was announced then, was that Government would play a smaller role in Culture. (Article in Dutch) For the first time there was a group set up known as the "Table of Six", which represents the whole art world. They reached agreement at this date to present a proposal to Government with a new vision for financing Culture in the Netherlands, which involves a better balance between the market and other financiers. They are against the radical cuts which are proposed.

There is one more meeting to go between Saturn and Venus on 22nd August this year. The struggles continue. Yesterday in the Hague there were more clashes during another demonstration. Artists are accusing the police of being much too heavy handed and agressive - out of proportion with the events.

So what should Holland be doing and learning?

The second date gives some hope for a good outcome after August. What is needed is a structure and some new clear rules. Artists must take responsibility for the money they receive - so they need to make business-like proposals when Saturn is around. Delivery of Culture should fit in with market needs but also art lovers need to be prepared to pay a reasonable fee for what they love. For example a lot of music is downloaded for free which doesn't really show appreciation for artists. Everyone has to live within their means at the moment. There is a restructuring necessary. For a small country there were a lot of subsidies which probably could be better focussed.

On a personal level we need to take the things we love seriously. Whether that is art or people let's take responsibility and pay for these things with our money and/or our time.

Gemini 2011 E-zine up - Unfold your life...

This month's Ezine includes a service that gets your C.V in order. Match your horoscope to your C.V. to reflect who you really are and what you want. Special rate if you book before Leo time.

The main article is about three ways that your life and your company or country unfold over time.

• Your biological Clock
• the world coming at you and
• a personal unfolding

are all explained in the continuation of the series:

"What if astrology is a good model for looking at the world?"

Killer Salads

I was just reading a blog post (in Dutch) by my friend and colleague Liz Hathway. She analysed the chart of the time that the first E-Coli victim in Germany reported sick. Knowing Liz she has done her research into how that time was found! I agree with her -  it is a good example of the fight between those two heavy Gods - Uranus and Pluto - lining up for their first real bout. Putting the two archetypes together we get sudden deaths, strange killings, but also, I fear, death through technology. So it was with some trepidation that I read an article about how this strain of E-Coli may have been man-made. The Natural News site is sometimes a bit consipracy theory for me but interesting nonetheless. There is also an interesting article on there about E-coli and antibiotics in meat.

Farmers are furious and I look at the pictures of what is being thrown away, because of the panic and confusion, in horror. What an incredible waste, surely there is a way of testing in this day and age that can find a bacteria on vegetables that means that they don't have to be dumped.

But of course we still have Pluto not working optimally in Capricorn so instead of someone in the lead taking overall responsibility, the main focus is on finding out who is to blame - with up until now dire consequences- particularly for Spain. And of course who pays. Did you notice, being a bit conspiracy theory myself, that organic farming was also a target?

Anyway back to the chart, as I also like to see what might be the lesson here.
Don't eat salad?
Raw food will kill you?
Eat junk food it's safer?
Show Europe a lesson (this one from Russia?)

I noticed in the chart that there was a connection between the Moon and several other planets. She is opposite Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury with Mars not too far away. It is often instructive to see what the result of the event is and the fact is that it has affected mostly women. The Moon and Venus are female planets but they oppose each other. Jupiter is about philosophy or our beliefs and Mercury is about communication but also our opinions. With the Moon being opposite Venus etc. I wondered if the philosophy of 'women who eat salads' and the opinions they hold about this - read keeping slim and healthy - is actually in opposition to what they actually need to nurture them (the Moon). Mars may be challenging this belief.

It certainly must raise the question of what we eat and how we get our food. As a society is our food actually nurturing us or are we eating what we are told is good for us. I'm a big fan of eating what you enjoy- life's too short! I do think food shouldn't be messed about with though.  

The Uranus - Pluto fight can bring us a brave new world of technology and I haven't anything against science. But I think we may have lost the plot here and are still looking in the wrong place. The wide use of antibiotics and general messing about with nature needs to be addressed. We need to take responsibility for trying to be in control of everything edible (not to mention nuclear power - but that's another story), having failed miserably. There are good things happening - yesterday a possible breakthrough at Cern and a possible new Cancer drug and I love this video from TED talks about bacteria.

But in the meantime, I'm growing my own! At least I know where they've been - although the DNA in the seeds is a bit of a worry!

C&A and the Brenninkmeijers

A few years ago when I was doing my dissertation for my MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology, I was lucky enough to get an interview with one of the managers at Athos, the managing company of C&A in Amsterdam. This week in the press, there was an article about them, confirming what I had discovered then.

They had just become more 'open' as a company, but they were the only one of my research companies for which I couldn't get a start date and the only one who wouldn't give me permission to use any of what I found through interviews, in any of my publications. 'Open' apparently has different meanings! The article also refers to this fact. They play everything very close to their chest. (Picture of logo is from C&A site).

I was researching how my 'Company Clock' model (one that shows organisational development phases), worked for C&A. Because I had followed the phases then, I was interested to see what they were up to now. The article referred to the fact that they are structured so that they don't have to publicise any of their figures. I discovered that this structure was set up in the crisis point of the 8th phase - related to Scorpio - the mid-life crisis phase for people and companies. They made sure in this phase, to do lots of Scorpio things, keep control, maintain privacy and totally reorganise.

According to the Volkskrant, C&A is 150 this year, a real achievement for a family company. That's not strictly true as according to their own website they were founded in 1841. However the opening of their first branch was 20 years later. Today, the Brenninkmeijers are one of the richest families in Holland. Now that they are 170 (I use the founding date), they are in the 4th phase again, so I was delighted with the last sentence in the Volkskrant Article of 23 May 2011. "En de volgende generatie is alweer bijna aan bod." It's almost the next generation's (of Brenninkmeijers) turn. My model seems to be working even for them!

What I've discovered in this Cancer phase in many companies, is that there are often changes in management. Major new players in the boardroom. For people, this phase,(which happens first between 18 and 24, with a crisis point between 21-22), is when we make our own nest. We leave home and create a new 'family'. Companies seem to do this too.  It would be interesting to know what happened in C&A the first and second times round in this phase. These were between 1859-1865 and 1931-1937. I tried to discover this during my research, but the only thing I could really ascertain was that in 1861 the 2nd store in its history was started and perhaps more interestingly looking at the economy now, in 1934 a differentiation in the range was made so that high-class people, now with less money, would feel at home. Also because of their non-Jewish policy, permission was given for a store to open  in Leipzig in 1937.

It seems some themes never change!

We can use the age of 150 years for the stores, as the 170 applies to the whole company. This means that the stores have their own life-cycle which is even more interesting as they are entering the 2nd phase again, the one concerning Taurus, where core products need to be redefined and finances need to be put in order. It's all about money! Interesting then, that in the last two rounds of this phase, C&A created the then new slogan  “C&A is toch voordeliger” in 1924 which was used for a long time, (difficult to translate but something like C&A is actually cheaper). Today the English version is "Fashion You Choose". Are we in for a new positioning and slogan in the coming 6 years? And in 1995 H&M started heavy competing with C&A. My advice for C&A is to get ready to go back to basics and expect competition.

The move to a new dream

I have written a few times about the fact that Neptune is in the middle of going backwards and forwards changing sign from Aquarius to Pisces. I talked about us developing a new dream. Here's what I wrote in the Capricorn 2011 zine.
"Although we will continue to experience the power of all this technology and experience sudden new innovations and breakthroughs, Neptune changing sign provides us with a new addiction, a new dream, a new something where we go over the top. The addiction to technology will slow down, as will the number of new techno-products just for the sake of it."

I think Seth Godin's blog today expresses this change well: "But one reason for our ennui as technology hounds is that we’re missing the feeling that was delivered to us daily for a decade or more. It’s not that there’s no new technology to come (there is, certainly). It’s that many of us can already imagine it."