Friday April 25th 2002 - edited by Bernard Fitzwalter This week in Astro News: ~ Saturn - Neptune - Pluto ~ ~ AstroDiary ~ ~ Astrology & Fertility - Can you help with some research? ~ Is it me, or have the last few weeks not been as dire as we thought they might be? And has it all started to get rather tense again in the last few days? I think so. Let me explain. For months now astrologers have been going on about Saturn and Pluto, how they have been glaring at each other across the skies since last summer, how they have produced that mood of gloom and depression that we have all been feeling, and how at the end of May the situation will improve. All this is true, but what has been happening in the last few weeks is that Saturn has been given a break, a chance to do something other than wrestle with Pluto. Neptune has intervened, and the effect is like your kids taking their music somewhere else - it doesn't stop them listening to it, but it's in the background instead of in your face, and you can hear yourself think again. Saturn and Neptune isn't the best planetary combination, but it's a lot better than Saturn and Pluto, and we've noticed the difference. It has given us some ideas for the future, and helped us see a way out of the darkness we were in. When we get into June, and our present sticky patch is over, maybe we can put some of those ideas into practice. Saturn has enjoyed his holiday, I am sure, but just like the rest of us, he has work to do. So in the last few days he has moved out of contact with Neptune, and is turning his attention towards Pluto again for their final confrontation. The Marines are back in combat in Afghanistan, European politics is in uproar, and the Middle-East rumbles on. Pluto tightens his grip, and we head towards the final stage of this planetary alignment, notorious for creating a mood of tension. Let's get it over with, and then we can enjoy the rest of the year. What a fuss over the French presidential elections! And what astrology, too. Mars meets Saturn on May 4, and opposes Pluto on May 8. In between are four days of unbearable tension when almost anything could happen. Right in the middle, on May 5, is the French election itself. The key to it all is the 15th degree of Gemini. It's the most significant place in Le Pen's chart; it's the base point of Chirac's, the point he comes from, so to speak; and it's where Mars and Saturn both are on that day. There's astrology for you � finding points in time where destinies cross. AstroDiary Monday (April 29): Accurate Predictions � Fast and Simple with Adrian Duncan, Astrological Lodge of London, 50 Gloucester Place W1. 7pm, �5 (�3 members & conc). Advance notices: May 8: The Life Of Brian (Wilson) with John Etherington, Company of Astrologers, 4 Marty's Yard, 17 Hampstead High St., NW3. 7.15pm, �5 (�4 members). May 11: The Astrologers' Feast, The Anglers public house Walton-On-Thames. 3:15pm, �35 (in advance). Details 01227 362 427. September 6-8: Astrological Association of GB 2002 Conference, University of Wales, Swansea. Many events. Watch this space. Please double-check with the organisation before attending any events listed here - we cannot accept any responsibility for events changed/cancelled. Are you holding an astrological event - especially one outside London!! - that you would like others to know about? Write to [email protected] with subject heading: Astro Events with website links. Please note - we cannot promise to include ALL submissions but will do our best. Research into Astrology and Infertility by Pat Harris, MSc., D.F.Astrol.S. I would like to thank everyone who has responded to my earlier notices on Jonathan's website and who volunteered to take part in the research that I am conducting as part of my PhD in astrology and health psychology at Southampton University, UK. I now have quite a number of people taking part which will help me in conducting my study into factors that may or may not correlate with fertility treatment outcome. I should have a progress report out soon. However, I am still looking for women who are currently pregnant - not necessarily as a result of fertility treatment - and who would like to contact me about details of my research to see if they would like to take part. My email address is: [email protected] New Service is Top for the Charts The Astrological Association of Great Britain is proud to announce that you can now speak LIVE to an expert astrologer. For an instant in-depth telephone consultation about your full horoscope call 0845 120 1416 or +44 207 436 9101 (a confidential 30-minute reading costs �29.50, payable by credit card. Or cheque/postal order from UK.) Lines are open 9am-9pm GMT, Monday to Friday. A few weeks ago, the Astrological Association of Great Britain launched this new, live fixed-fee, telephone chart reading service. It has since proved big hit with callers from all over the world. AA President Roy Gillett told Astro News: "I am delighted with the warm response that we have had. Once, if you wanted a reading of your full birth chart, you would have to struggle to find a genuine, reputable astrologer. Then, you would have had to make an appointment and travel miles. Now, at last, there's a quick and easy way to get your questions answered by a real expert - from the comfort of your own home." Mirror reader Julie Roberts from Rochester was equally enthusiastic. "I rang last Tuesday and spoke to an astrologer called Maria. Within moments, she was telling me details about my childhood that she could not possibly have known... then she said some fascinating things about my future. If you missed any of Friday's Astronews articles, click on the Archive Thought for the Day link in the left hand frame.