by Alison Price
by Alison Price
We have experienced several challenging planetary placements in recent years. I am of course referring to the Uranus Pluto square which has had astrologers and laymen alike buzzing with excitement.
Enter the Jupiter Uranus fire trine.
Whilst it is typical that we have both easy and challenging aspects within the zodiac at any one time, it is the individual and combined mixture of flow and resistance between the planets making the aspects that shape our lives.
That Uranus appears in both aspects (square Pluto and trine Jupiter) is telling. He seems to want to fit in and stick out at the same time.
We can live with this.
Aspects
One way to interpret an astrology chart is by a technique called aspects
Astrological aspects are the angular distances between the planets.
Every planet has a measurement in degrees with the other planets but only certain angles are noted in astrology charts.
By dividing the circle of 360 degrees by any whole numbers we get the aspect angles.
The Trine Aspect
If you divide 360 by 3 the result is 120 degrees (360/3=120) and this is the size of the trine aspect.
Two planets that are 120 degrees apart in the zodiac will be in trine to each other.
The aspect degree does not have to be exact but can be within 8 degrees (the orb) either side of 120.
So when the two planets become between 112 to 128 degrees apart they are considered to be trine to each other.
Transiting Jupiter Trine Uranus
When the slower planets like Jupiter and Uranus trine each other it is to be noted.
It is a phenomenon that only happens around every six years then there is a gap of seven years before the next trine.
The elemental sequence is fire, earth, air then water. With two trines in each element, one waxing and one waning trine. Then it slowly shifts into the following element.
The Jupiter Uranus Synodic Cycle
Jupiter and Uranus have a fourteen year synodic cycle.
This means they are together and Jupiter (which is quicker off the mark) races off around the zodiac as Uranus moves forward slowly. Jupiter will catch up with Uranus around fourteen years later.
In 2010 Jupiter was conjunct Uranus at zero Aries. They will next be conjunct in 2024 at twenty-one Taurus.
Looking further forward in 2037 22 Cancer direct and in 2038 at 20 Cancer retrograde.
This shows the conjunction moves around either 30 degrees when at the retrograde three pass conjunction, or around fifty-one to fifty-four degrees and fourteen years during a one pass direct conjunction.
Because there is a trine in place for such a long period, when planets pass through the other fire sign of Sagittarius, they will create a fire grand trine when they trine both Jupiter and Uranus.
The most frequent planet to do this is the Moon.
It will provide huge opportunities and original approaches to how you can use that planet in Sagittarius.
The trine from Jupiter offers good things in line with your natal planet being aspected and the trine from Uranus offers unique and up-to-date solutions which allow things to move forward with ease and flow.
Get fired up!
Fire is all about inspiration. It gets the juices flowing and everyone hot under the collar. It gets people raving about things and issues. It creates fireworks and burning issues. We can get incandescent and want to burst. We are filled with bright ideas and get excited about anything with fire in it like dragon’s breath, candlelight, torches, barbecues and camp fires.
Make the most of this special fire trine.
by Alison Price
Astrology and Herbs
In astrology the planets rule many things in daily life of which some examples are the days of the week, our body parts, colours, birthstones and plants. Most plants fall under the auspices of one of the planets. Therefore each planet has many plants to which it is related.
Some planet/plant affinities are clear to see such as that the sunflower comes under the Sun, and the Moonflower under the Moon but others are not obvious connections at all.
These planet to plant connotations and affinities have come to us through the ages over time. For those early correlations we have to go back to the older herbalists who were often astrologers as well.
See Gardening with Astrology for more on general gardening.
Nicholas Culpeper
The most famous herbalist is probably Nicholas Culpeper (28 October 1616, 12:12pm). Born in Oakley, England he was, amongst other things, a herbalist and an astrologer.
I refer you to Culpepper’s Complete Herbal for many of the planetary correlations I refer to here.
I am also a huge fan of Margaret Roberts from Johannesburg, South Africa who is a charismatic herb grower and author of many wonderful books on herbs and herb growing.
Herb gardens
I used Margaret Roberts schematic for the laying out and planting for both of my herb gardens that we built in Cape Town and Phalaborwa.
The first one in was in a new house in Table View, and yes that means with a view of Table Mountain, this first garden was laid out behind the house in a thin strip of land but a spot onto which the dining room faced.
Here I was able to position the birdbath (which is the focal point in any herb garden) in the centre of the window scape as you looked out at dinner. Those were the days when we as a family ate at a table each night.
The second herb garden my husband built with his own fair hands at a time when I was recovering from a most difficult surgery and could not rise from my sickbed for about a month. He wanted to create something for me to get out of bed for and hopefully to aid my long and painful recovery.
I must say I was intrigued from the enthusiastic stories from the kids about what Dad was doing as I flopped about unable to stand unaided. It worked, and indeed one day I managed the long walk to freedom down the passage and outside the house into the back garden.
What a beautiful sight to behold the red paving bricks were in a ten metre circle and all the little paths where they should be. He had been listening all those days in the past when I was chattering on about the importance of the circle and the measurements of the whole thing. I was very impressed and immediately set about making a list of the plants I now needed to fill the beds.
But when it came to it I did not need that many plants as my “sickroom” visitors came with not just gifts of biscuits and cake but of little herbs plants, packets of seeds and cuttings from their garden. The word had spread to the small community in which we were living and everyone who heard about my herb garden wanted to be part of it. Even the teachers from our kids little school donated something living like a plant or seeds with the potential for life.
For this generosity I am grateful.
But sadly we moved away and now new people have the benefit of a well stocked herb garden. In fact I believe the herb garden was a selling feature for the house when we moved. It was the only formal herb garden in the town when we built it and it maybe so today.
Definition
Herbs are a group of aromatic, culinary and medicinal plants typically grown in the subtropical regions from the 23rd to the 35th parallel on the Earth in both the northern and southern hemispheres.
Herbs are usually small leafed and grow under one meter in height.
Examples of herbs are parsley, sage and thyme.
Spices are usually grown in the tropical regions on the Earth between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn from the equator to the 23rd parallel and therefore are usually naturally found closer to the hotter areas than herbs. Spices are often harvested for their roots, seeds and leaves which pack a powerful heat and taste.
Examples of spices are turmeric, ginger, and peppers.
Therefore herbs have a wider growing area parallel to the Earth’s equator and so are cultivated in many countries.
Some tree bark, leaves and fruit are also loosely considered “herbs” and in modern culture we accept cinnamon, the bay leaf and elderberry etc.
Herb growers
In my experience people who grow herbs are the nicest and most generous spirited folk as they readily share their bounty of seeds, cuttings, and flowers and homemade produce of soaps, jams and preserves.
Herb growers typically spend many hours a week in their herb garden or tending their pots of little plants on their windowsills.
Herb benefits
We have known of the benefits of herbs for centuries. Many have connotations with the planets and astrology and it is interesting to see which plants related to each planet and sign.
In future posts I plan to discuss the astrology of herbs and those that I like and find the most useful.
