The 2018 World Cup got off to a barnstorming start, at least for the home team who scored an impressive and unexpected five goal victory against Saudi Arabia. Russia and Saudi Arabia - considered the worst two teams in the competition and dubbed El Gasico due to the two nations jointly owning one quarter of the world's crude oil reserves - set the thrilling tone for the next two weeks.
The opening ceremony was short but colourful and Vladimir Putin's speech magisterial, if a little grim. But by the time the last sonorous chords of Robbie William's Angels rang out and a team of dancers tumbled their way around the stadium, it was all fun and games. Welcome to the circus!
Football is not my thing, but my partner is a mad Manchester United fan and with his enthusiastic tutorials I can now understand the rules of the game. I mean, was that offside or was that offside! Get in there!
The chart for the opening ceremony and therefore our astrological view of the whole competition finds Scorpio on the Ascendant with Jupiter having just risen although technically in the twelfth house. Pluto, the ruler of the chart is placed in the second house alongside Saturn which is opposed by Mercury and the Moon.
World Cup 2018
The rising Jupiter was much in evidence in the opening ceremony and the stunning result for the home team, however the chances of a final victory for Russia are slim. Not only is the Sun's position in the seventh house suggestive of a win by another country but also the Moon in Cancer's opposition to Saturn underscores a potential defeat for the home team.
Now, I could be said to be partisan - and what do I really know about the game - but I do like the fact that Venus in the chart for the Cup is Great Britain's natal Jupiter (chart of the Union of Great Britain) and the MC/IC axis of the competition is England's nodal axis.
The Sun enters the sign of Cancer at 11:08 am BST on Thursday, 21st June. It is the summer solstice, and here in Great Britain, celebrated with a Druid ceremony at Stonehenge. No matter how advanced a society we may be in terms of technology and science, that moment when the sun rises and a brilliant shaft of light forces its way through the stone arch is spine-chilling; it stirs something deep within your soul.In pagan times the Sun’s arrival at the highest point in the sky – or to be more technical, the sun, in its apparent journey along the ecliptic, reaches its northernmost point - was celebrated in style: bonfires would be lit, maypoles danced around - all such rituals aimed at inspiring and celebrating fertility.
And indeed, such rituals are still in place today, especially in Scandinavia where the warmth and light of the summer is so precious.Some of you will already know that I moved to Wells in Somerset in April, which is not a million miles from Stonehenge, and during the house-hunting in February and March and many, many times since then I have driven past this ancient site, which sits anachronistically by the side of a major artery, the A 303.
And it never fails to thrill me.We all have busy lives, but I recommend taking a moment out this week, to reflect on our ancient past and replenish out spiritual selves. It’ll feel good, I promise you.
June 2018
Gemini: Money may not be the most important thing in life, but it is necessary, and June brings financial improvements. Read more...
Cooking Under The Stars
An excerpt from Woman&Home magazine...
Penny Thornton learned how to cook at around the same time she was taking astrology classes. Back in the late 1970s, her then-husband was a sous-chef at London's Dorchester Hotel. Then in the mid-90s, Penny, who was living in the US, had a ten-minute daily slot on the Food Network, combining astrology and food.
As Penny explains, "The relationship between astrology and food is based on the ancient belief that all things in the universe are connected. Animals, birds, fish and plants were all 'ruled' by a planet or sign."
Penny's new book, The Zodiac Cooks, embraces her two passions. It's an amusing and informative gastronomic romp through the zodiac alongside delicious recipes. So read on to find out whether you really are suited to spelt...
The Zodiac Cooks is more than a cookery book. It brings the ancient world of astrology into the modern kitchen and gives you a whole new take on why you eat what you eat.
It took me ten long years to write The Zodiac Cooks and in the process I went from an astrologer with a passion for food to a cook for whom sauces, soufflés and sabayons were par for the course.
"All you ever wanted to know about cooking and dining under the stars by one of the world's leading astrologers."
I'm delighted with The Zodiac Cooks and I'm sure you're going to love it as well. You can order yours from Astrolutely now!
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