Anne Whitaker's Blog, page 9

The Ever-Fascinating Moon’s Nodes

Analytical Hypnotherapist and Psychological Astrologer Ana Isabel has interviewed a number of well-known astrologers on her brilliant Lightways podcast, including Christina Rodenbeck, Victor Olliver, Alex Trenoweth, most recently Steven Forrest – and here is my second interview with Ana which we did on 18th October 2022. ( You can listen to the first one HERE )

Ana had just read through my newly completed study, not yet submitted for publication, centred round the lives of four volunteers and their striking experiences during the 2020-2022 transit of the Moon’s Nodes through the signs of Gemini/Sagittarius and how that related to their natal Nodes. However, our conversation ranged widely from the Ancients’ powerful relationship with the night sky, to the Nodal links between Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein and Greta Thunberg, climate change campaigner, to the sense of the numinous we both had felt at times during our own Nodal transits. It also gave me a chance to mention my earlier in-depth study The Moon’s Nodes in Action – and to read one or two relevant extracts. And – as before – we managed to fit in a few laughs…

Does the Aquarian Age exist? Is it a metaphor? Where are we now? For Episode One of “Beginners Mind Astrology”…Andrew Paine interrogates Anne Whitaker…

Well, it’s been an exciting couple of weeks! As an antidote to the turmoil currently engulfing our world in general and UK politics in particular (“You could not make it up” has hit a stratospheric level here this week) I have been busy reshaping my blog/website, with the very able tech support of the wondrous Michael Wright. You may now notice some differences: I’d love some feedback – always a dangerous request I know, especially in this era!(i)

Jupiter/Saturn conjunction in Aquarius12/2020

Whilst attempting in this process to create some order out of various kinds of behind the scenes chaos, I’ve been concentrating on rounding up some videos: of promotional readings I’ve done for my latest book “Postcards to the Future”, of interviews I’ve done for colleagues websites, etc, as I attempt to create a well-organised video channel.

Last night, I was delighted to find a 30 minute pilot video which my colleague Andrew Paine and I did in which Andrew asked me various questions centred on how astrological symbolism could assist him – as a person with a beginners mind interest in the more in-depth dimensions of astrology – in developing a helpful perspective on the turbulent times which we are living through.

The content ranged over past, present – and some thoughts on what kind of future we may be moving towards, as “The old order changeth yielding place to new…” (ii) The content is even more relevant, if anything, than it was in June 2020 when, because of pandemic lockdown, we ‘met’ on zoom.(iii) I do hope you find it interesting, and perhaps even helpful as one way of making sense of our current unpredictability and chaos at so many levels.

And – if you’d like to read one of my in-depth articles on planetary cycles, check out this one, which appeared recently on Astrodienst: “Some Notes on Cycles in a Time of Crisis …”

Endnotes

(i) But no worries. If you are rude, I shall block you and bin you.

(ii) Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892), from his great epic poem Morte d’Arthur.

(iii) It was entirely unrehearsed and spontaneous: after many decades of doing preparation for teaching an amazing variety of classes to an equally amazing variety of adult ed students (teaching astrology beats the hell out of civil service clerical English for interest value, let me tell you!!) I am now permanently allergic to prep…

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Jupiter/Saturn conjunction in Aquarius 12/2020

400 words copyright Anne Whitaker 2022

Leo, Aquarius, a climate bill, a monarch’s death, Pluto – and a changing world order

What a week!

As UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson famously quipped during the UK’s sterling crisis in 1964: “A week is a long time in politics.”

It feels like a very long time already since much of the UK – with, supposedly, around half the world’s population – watched Queen Elizabeth ii’s state funeral, signifying the end of an Era as the longest reign in British history came to an end. But, as I write, it is less than a week.

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 And what a week – indeed, what a month it has been since Tuesday 16 August 2022 when US President Joe Biden signed into law the Democrat’s hard-fought healthcare, climate and tax package the Inflation Reduction Act. The law directs a colossal $369bn toward investing in renewable energy and reducing America’s planet-heating emissions.

“With this law, the American people won and the special interests lost,” Biden said.(i) 

To me, this powerful Aquarian statement by the US President aptly signifies the turbulent, changing world era we are going through at present which the larger planetary cycles have been symbolically revealing to us so powerfully as we tiny humans struggle to cope – and try to make some sense of it all. His words are so apt. 

Pluto’s Aquarian long march begins…

We will see some major developments at all levels as Pluto completes his 2008-2023/4 traverse of Capricorn and power (Pluto) shifts towards The People, away from crumbling traditional Capricornian institutions, plutocrats, oligarchs, and from politics rooted in gaining material power and control through exploitation of planet Earth’s diminishing resources.

Next spring, Pluto’s long 2023-2044 journey through Aquarius begins. The sign of the human collective, Aquarius symbolises an energy driven to pursuing and promoting ideals regarding how we should be moving forward in order to create a fairer, more equal world. It is a highly rational, technology and future-oriented, “Let’s get together to make the world a better place”, kind of energy. 

The Jupiter/Saturn conjunction at 0 Aquarius on the Winter Solstice of 2020 (WHO chose that date?!) symbolised the end of that defining conjunction’s long trek from 1803 through the Earth Element, heralding the beginning of a new 200-year Air era,  heavily weighted towards Aquarius in its opening stages by Pluto’s imminent entry.

Along with many other astrologers whose primary interest is in the outworking on planet Earth of the larger planetary patterns, I have been fascinated – and at times awestruck – to see how that oft-quoted ancient maxim “As above, so below…” has been playing out especially vividly in recent weeks. As Pluto transits the final degrees of Capricorn, and Saturn-ruled Capricorn/Cancer loses ground to the rising power of Uranus-ruled Aquarius/Leo in this very turbulent time world-wide between changing eras, we have seen those symbolic energies play out ‘on the ground’ so clearly.

Leo/Aquarius as the Air Era rises – dramatic world events

Here are a few highlights, in which the interplay between the Ruler(s) (Leo) and the People (Aquarius) can be seen with the dominant energy of the rising Air era coming to the fore and the ‘old order’ crumbling and collapsing.

 In the spring of 2022 Vladimir Putin’s Russian army invaded Ukraine, confidently expecting victory within days. Six months later, the enormity of his misjudgement is becoming increasingly evident as the tide of war turns in Ukraine’s favour owing to the people’s courageous resistance – and solid Western support. 

In early July, UK’s prime minister Boris Johnson finally resigned after a growing crescendo of scandal and popular dissatisfaction leading to mass resignations from his government forced him out. Then we had the historic USA climate bill in mid-August, already mentioned. Currently, too, the net of the USA’s legal system appears to be tightening around Trump and his family. 

Also, this week in Iran, women have been at the forefront of escalating protests across the country – especially by young people – against the punitive mediaeval rule of male clerics, sparked by the death in custody of a woman detained for breaking hijab laws.

And, most dramatically in the UK on 6 September, Boris Johnson formally demitted office to Queen Elizabeth ii, who welcomed Liz Truss as the new UK prime minister –then died aged 96 two days later, doing her Capricornian duty to the end. The ancient archetype of the death of a monarch has caused powerful ripples through our collective and personal lives, regardless of what politics we espouse.

The Queue – Aquarian herald of the Air era

For me personally, the most moving manifestation of the incoming Leo/Aquarius polarity as the old Cancer/Capricorn era fades out, was observing the UK public’s reaction to our Queen’s death and short lying in state in Edinburgh, followed by the longer lying in state in London. What an enormous flow of The People filed past the Queen’s coffin both in Scotland and in England, accompanied by thousands of citizens from all areas of the UK as well as much further afield. 

It was astounding that hundreds of thousands of people were prepared to wait all night in a queue which ultimately wove its way through the streets of London for 4-5 miles in the days before Elizabeth’s state funeral on Monday 20th September: Aquarius – the People – came to pay their last respects to Leo – the Monarch. 

Striking, too, was the Aquarian ‘feel’ to the famous Queue. Many people expressed the view that being in The Queue was an event in itself. New friendships were made, people shared food and drink, generally supporting and entertaining one another during the very long wait. Wouldn’t it be great to think of that community spirit growing stronger as Pluto enters Aquarius and hopefully turbo-powers our interconnectedness?

Now, we have to wait and see what next Spring brings – but strong clues re the possible shape of the new era are already evident, as discussed in this article. People power is on the rise. Let’s hope that the enormous changes ahead, eventually, bring more light than shadow…

Endnote

(i) UK Guardian 16.8.22: “ ‘Biggest step forward on climate ever’: Biden signs Democrats’ landmark bill…”.

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View of the entire near-infrared sky by NASA Goddard Photo and Video is licensed under CC-BY 2.0

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1000 words copyright Anne Whitaker 2022
Licensed under Creative Commons – for conditions see Home Page

Mercurial Musings: on Fate, Neptune Transits, Teaching Astrology, and more…with Ana Isabel…

Analytical Hypnotherapist and Psychological Astrologer Ana Isabel has interviewed a number of well-known astrologers on her brilliant Lightways podcast, including Christina Rodenbeck, Victor Olliver, Alex Trenoweth, most recently Steven Forrest – and here is my interview with Ana which we did on 12 July. I am still amazed at how much she got out of me!! (I’m a Mercury conjunct Saturn/Pluto person, not known for giving away much…)

So – grab a coffee, (or something stronger!) kick off your shoes, put your feet up, and have a listen. We really enjoyed ourselves. Hope you do too!

And – Leo New Moon blessings!!

100 words copyright Anne Whitaker/Ana Isabel 2022
Licensed under Creative Commons – for conditions see Home Page

Where we live…

Pluto enters Aquarius in 2024: some thoughts on a major step in ‘boldly go’-ing…

In a stimulating wander this morning round our thoughts on the current turbulent state of a world in transition, my colleague Christina Rodenbeck of The Oxford Astrologer and I were immersed in reflecting on the upcoming shift of Pluto into Aquarius in 2023/4.

Suddenly I remembered I had written about this momentous astro-event in a 2017 post: my words seem highly relevant now, beginning with a description of The European Extremely Large Telescope…:

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“…It will …perform ”stellar archaeology” in nearby galaxies, as well as make fundamental contributions to cosmology by measuring the properties of the first stars and galaxies and probing the nature of dark matter and dark energy. On top of this astronomers are also planning for the unexpected — new and unforeseeable questions will surely arise (my emphases) from the new discoveries made with the ELT. The ELT may, eventually, revolutionise our perception of the Universe, much as Galileo’s telescope did, 400 years ago…’ (1)…

Now – here is the bit that made me sit bolt upright, almost spilling my tea:

…First light, ie the first use of a telescope (or, in general, a new instrument) to take an astronomical image after it has been constructed,  is currently planned for  – 2024…(2)…”

To read the whole post including my thoughts in 2017 re what the 2023/4 Pluto into Aquarius shift might bring, click HERE…

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243 words copyright Anne Whitaker 2022
Licensed under Creative Commons – for conditions see Home Page

Some thoughts on Prediction at the Summer Solstice…

Solstice Greetings, Everyone!

I thought I’d celebrate this special astrological point in the year when the Sun hits the highest point in the heavens as in enters the sign of Cancer, by storytelling: here, the strange tale of how a serious astro-dismisser ( myself, many years ago ) had a highly Uranian encounter in a laundrette in Bath, England, and in the process received a prediction which accurately foretold a major change in the direction of my life.

I also give you some of my Thoughts on Prediction ( decidedly mixed) by way of introduction.

So- pull up a chair, grab a coffee/glass of wine, and have a listen.

And – by the way – the latest lovely review of “Postcards to the future”. Thanks, DL!

5.0 out of 5 stars : from DL Gordon.

Captivating!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 June 2022

“…I’ve found this book absolutely captivating from the first page! Anne’s writing has such depth and richness, it’s a joy to read and I think could be enjoyed even without any great knowledge of Astrology. The Astrological insight and wisdom is an added bonus for Astrologers. A book that’s difficult to put down and will no doubt be revisited again and again :-)…”

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Anne Whitaker’s new book ‘Postcards to the Future: Mercurial Musings 1995-2021…’ is available everywhere on Amazon, here for Amazon UK , locally in Glasgow G20 at the lovely Opal Moon, in Glasgow G3 at The Yoga Extension, in London at The Astrology Shop and Watkins Books – and from The Wessex Astrologer, 

Anne is on Facebook at Anne Whitaker, Twitter @annewhitaker, Instagram @stargazerh12,  and on her website  www.anne-whitaker.com

Julie and “Postcards…”

300 words ©Anne Whitaker/DL Gordon 2022

Licensed under Creative Commons – for conditions see About Page 

Mercury Retrograde in Gemini: more book surprises…

More lovely book PR surprises this week…

Sister-in-law Julie, visiting daughter Ciara in London, found time to drop by The Astrology Shop in Covent Garden, check out ‘Postcards…’, and say “Hello” to the Shop’s proprietor (and legend) Barry Street. Thanks all!!

And also, the latest lovely review of ‘Postcards to the Future’. Thanks so much, Armand!

Here it is:

(from Dr Armand Diaz, published Spring 2022 in the USA’s NCGR MemberLetter)

When was the last time you curled up in your favorite chair and opened up an astrology book that you knew was going to be informative, entertaining, and would really get you to think?

Pretty often, if you’ve been reading the books I’ve been reviewing in this and past editions of Memberletter. But Postcards to the Future offers something different, because it’s a collection of essays on a wide range of topics, from specifics like the cycles of the planets, to professional issues like ethics, all the way to the “Big” questions about astrology, life, the universe, and everything.

That’s a tall order, but Anne Whitaker is up to it, as she takes a heart-centered and thoughtful approach to the topics. The essays contained in this book were also written over time, so that they are the products of the author’s reflection and consideration. One outstanding characteristic of her writing, to me at least, is that Whitaker doesn’t come from one hundred percent within the realm of astrology. As much as she is an astrologer, and an accomplished one at that, and as much as she has extensive knowledge and experience, she comes across as curious about astrology, and that curiosity leads to an openness that is very refreshing. There’s no dogmatic insistence that she has the right answer, and no tacit understanding that the reader will agree with everything she says.

One of my favorite essays is on “The Art of Astrology: Healing, Wounding, Or Both?”, an extended discussion of how astrology helps, but also how it can wound. Encouraged by the report of a one-time client she had seen years ago, Whitaker asks her long-term students to write about their experiences with astrology. Typical of her style, the author assumes little going in, and is cautious in dealing with the (encouraging) results.

Science and astrology is always fertile ground for debate, and Whitaker doesn’t disappoint. After a brief introduction to the topic, she states – correctly – that “I know it’s not like me to rant.” Her first short essay in this section should be required reading for astrology students, not because it will help convince skeptics (it will not), but because astrologers themselves need to understand enough about why astrology can be valid while not fitting into the scientific-materialist paradigm.

There’s so much more. A section on the Moon. Mundane transits, like Saturn’s ingress into Aquarius. There’s a section on fate, and one on teaching. Throughout all the many topics, Anne Whitaker’s friendly, comforting, insightful style pervades, inviting discussion. She’s probably out on a walk in the lonely Scottish landscape, and you’re curled up in your favorite chair. Have some tea. And read this great astrology book.

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Anne Whitaker’s new book ‘Postcards to the Future: Mercurial Musings 1995-2021…’ is available everywhere on Amazon, here for Amazon UK , locally in Glasgow G20 at the lovely Opal Moon, in Glasgow G3 at The Yoga Extension, in London at The Astrology Shop and Watkins Books – and from The Wessex Astrologer, 

Anne is on Facebook at Anne Whitaker, Twitter @annewhitaker, Instagram @stargazerh12,  and on her website  www.anne-whitaker.com

Julie and “Postcards…”

600 words ©Anne Whitaker/Armand Diaz 2022

Licensed under Creative Commons – for conditions see About Page 

Mercurial Musings on May Day…

Mercury is now in Gemini, going retro on 10th May 2022, and doing a merry dance ( or rather, slow waltz…) over my 29 Taurus MC/North Node conjunction for the next six weeks, and we’ve just had the first solar eclipse of the Taurus/Scorpio eclipse season. And it’s May Day!

S0 – perfect timing for another bout of promoting my latest book, “Postcards to the Future”, subtitled Mercurial Musings 1995-2021.

“Postcards…” has been in whimsical mood today, as you can see from the image below – dropping in on the Kingdom of Faerie:

Photo: Anne Whitaker

“Postcards…” has been getting great reviews: here is the most recent one from Moon Zlotnick which appeared in the Spring 2022 Issue of The Career Astrologer. Thanks so much, Moon!

POSTCARDS TO THE FUTURE by Anne Whitaker

‘…,Part memoir, part anthology, and part deep musings about everything from ethics in astrology to the chart of Mary Shelley, Whitaker shares her ideas thoughts and experiences from over four decades of professional involvement with astrology. Having studied with many well-known astrologers including Liz Greene and Alan Oken, and also read and studied Carl Jung, her musings are deeply psychological and profound. 

The subtitle of the book is “Mercurial Musings” and it does move lightly from subject to subject.  The book is comprised primarily of essays and columns written for The Mountain Astrologer, Apollon, FAA journal, Dell Horoscope, and more. In one chapter she is interviewed by someone from the AFA about her book Jupiter Meets Uranus, while in another she reviews a book by Liz Greene. There is a chapter of an exchange of very lively letters between her and Victor Olliver. This book is never boring, as each new chapter covers different areas of astrology.

Her tone is conversational at times, educational at others, and even deeply philosophical in some chapters. Throughout the chapters she includes very personal experiences and anecdotes that relate to transits and progressions in her birth chart, leaving the reader with the distinct feeling of having entered the inner sanctum of her life.  

The book begins with a discussion of critical degrees and then illuminates what it means to be born on a cusp, and follows with a classroom experience studying the chart of a set of twins, a study that confirmed my own theories, partly from my own twin studies, but more from being a twin myself. She continues with an interesting look at cycles, particularly the Saturn/Pluto cycle culminating in 2020. 

One of my favorite parts of this book is how Whitaker includes her students and clients’ feedback. In the chapter called “Ingresses” she chronicles four of her students’ lives as Jupiter entered Libra in 2016. After giving us basic chart information she includes quotes from her students illuminating both their inner and outer experiences, a true hands-on learning experience. In the chapter called “Healing and Wounding” she includes letters from her clients describing the healing impact astrology has had on their lives. Each one of these case studies is a gem. 

The final section of the book looks to the future and expresses Whitaker’s ideas on the supposed “Age of Aquarius” with the Jupiter/Saturn 20-year cycle having moved in December 2020 into Aquarius – and the Air element for the next 200 or so years, and Pluto due to move into Aquarius in 2024.

I skipped around while reading this book, and read several chapters over and over, finding new gems and insights all along the way. If you’re a seasoned long term professional like me, or someone who is early in your studies there is much to be enjoyed and learned from Postcards to the Future…’ 

Photo: Anne Whitaker

‘Postcards to the Future: Mercurial Musings 1995-2021…’ is available everywhere on Amazon, here on  Amazon UK , locally in Glasgow G20 at the lovely Opal Moon, in London at The Astrology Shop and Watkins Books – and from The Wessex Astrologer

Anne is on Facebook at Anne Whitaker, Twitter @annewhitaker, Instagram @stargazerh12,  and on her website  www.anne-whitaker.com

Anne W 2021

Writing from the Twelfth House Publications

700 words ©Anne Whitaker 2022

Licensed under Creative Commons – for conditions see About Page 

An Easter Meditation

 ‘…Our life is a faint tracing on the surface of mystery…’

Easter Eve always finds me in a meditative, introspective, usually melancholy mood. The powerful metaphor of crucifixion as Good Friday approaches seems even more grimly appropriate this year, as we contemplate the terrible suffering of the people of Ukraine with horror and disbelief – and reflect on that which has brought those of us fortunate enough not to be caught up in war and persecution, nevertheless to our own personal pain: for Life crucifies us all, one way or another. If we are fortunate, we eventually emerge, hopefully deepened and strengthened.

Leaf with Lights…

This year, I have returned for solace and perspective to a favourite book “Women in Search of the Sacred” by Anne Bancroft, from which that wonderful header quote by Annie Dillard is taken. Where lies the sacred, in which our deepest solace is to be found? What are the ways that lead us to its discovery? To some, organised religion is the path to a spiritual life, while to others the natural world reveals the transcendent within the everyday, the holiness of what is. This fascinating book surveys the careers of ten very different women and examines the ways in which they have developed their spiritual lives.Those skilfully and sensitively interviewed by Anne Bancroft include Iris Murdoch, Susan Howatch, Sheila Cassidy, Vivianne Crowley, and Annie Dillard, the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and nature mystic. The book, though published in 1996, is still available…I truly recommend it as an inspiring read this Eastertide.

I can also still clearly recall the profound, uplifting impact many years ago of reading Annie Dillard’s account – in her Pulitzer Prize-winning book ‘Pilgrim at Tinker Creek’ – of what is, essentially, a mystical experience. She was only 27.

“…..Then one day I was walking along Tinker Creek thinking of nothing at all and I saw the tree with the lights in it.  I saw the backyard cedar where the mourning doves roost charged and transfigured, each cell buzzing with flame.  I stood on the grass with the lights in it, grass that was wholly fire, utterly focused and utterly dreamed.  It was less like seeing than like being for the first time seen, knocked breathless by a powerful glance.  The lights of the fire abated, but I’m still spending the power.  Gradually the lights went out in the cedar, the colors died, the cells unflamed and disappeared.  I was still ringing.  I had my whole life been a bell, and never knew it until at that moment I was lifted and struck.  I have since only rarely seen the tree with the lights in it.  The vision comes and goes, mostly goes, but I live for it, for the moment when the mountains open and a new light roars in spate through the crack, and the mountains slam…..”

–Annie Dillard, ‘Pilgrim at Tinker Creek’ (1974).

‘….I’m still spending the power….’ I know what she means. I was fortunate enough to have a mystical experience myself once, at the age of 24 – out of the blue, on a clear, starry autumnal night with Venus rising over the Perthshire hills in the Scottish Highlands. It has sustained me through many difficult experiences, and in Annie Dillard’s unforgettable words,‘…. I’m still spending the power….’

Leaf with Lights…

550 words ©Anne Whitaker 2022

Licensed under Creative Commons – for conditions see About Page 

“Postcards to the Future” : bringing astrology to life…

Here is another lovely review of my latest book ‘ Postcards To The Future’ this time from Trish Marin of the Astrology Quarterly magazine, from the January/March 2022 Issue, Vol 86, No 4. 

“Postcards…”

Thank you, Trish!

“…Anne Whitaker’s mercurial musings weave through the last quarter century, unpicking some of the highlights of astrological patterns and mundane events. Postcards To The Future reveals the correspondences and synchronicities between our everyday lives and planetary movements in a convincing display of astrology of the moment. 

The book is an entertaining compendium of some of Anne’s prolific blog posts and articles published over the years by a wide variety of sources. Broad in scope, it whizzes authoritatively through planetary cycles, notable conjunctions, typical beginner’s questions, interview Q&A and correspondence, while scattering generous gems of astrological wisdom. 

As an astrology teacher and meticulous researcher, Anne provides clear explanations of some complex concepts presented in an engaging and memorable way. As she explains in the book, she was initially a sceptic, until her ‘encounter’, described here in humorous detail. Throughout, the astrology is brought to life with witty and amusing examples and stories from her own life experiences and those of her clients and students. Sprinkled with literary references and philosophical reflections it makes an enjoyable, illuminating read. 

I felt compelled to reach for the ephemeris and to look again at the Jupiter/Uranus conjunctions and the part they played in my own past adventures. Secondary progressions had always seemed a rather subtle, internal influence but I was prompted to re-examine their impact with some unexpected insights. 

Anne admits to being obsessed by Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, and has written of her synastry with Dolly the Sheep, as Frankenstein’s real-life enactment. Furthermore, Mary Shelley has a twenty-first century counterpart who, like her, is sounding a siren for the future of the earth; Greta Thunberg, born nearly two hundred years later, carries her message forward. 

A mercurial book, suitable for both beginners and experienced astrologers, delivered in bite sized chunks it can be dipped into or savoured in larger portions. I highly recommend it to all our readers…” 

To read more five star reviews, click HERE

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‘Postcards to the Future: Mercurial Musings 1995-2021…’ is available everywhere on Amazon, here in UK for Amazon UK , locally in Glasgow G20 at the lovely Opal Moon, in London at The Astrology Shop and Watkins Books – and from The Wessex Astrologer,

‘Postcards…’

400 words copyright Anne Whitaker 2022

Licensed under Creative Commons – for conditions see Home Page of Writing from the Twelfth House