Steve Judd's monthly Forecast.

GLOBAL
The Saturn/Pluto square has faded into the background for a few months, and Neptune is noticeable for most of us by its lack of action.  But Uranus… the new Moon in Pisces on the 15th March is exactly on top of Uranus, bringing a time of radical change, innovation, novelty, chaos, unpredictability and new beginnings.  This is big folks, really big.  Times like these are the equivalent of throwing fishing lines into the future for many years to come.  This time speaks of the decline of orthodox religions and the increasing emergence of the holistic and self empowered philosophies and belief systems.  And with Jupiter also racing through early Pisces, particularly affecting those born around the 1st to the 8th of March, things will not be small. Add to this the fact that over the whole month Mars is standing still at the very start of Leo, a feisty and fiery position if ever there is one, and I anticipate a lot of sudden developments this month that will change our ideas of how the future will be.  This is a month of compressed and concentrated change.  It will either be focussed on specific objectives, or it will be random and unpredictable.  But change is here…get your surfboards ready!


Go here for all your March 2010 Sun Signs >>

Steve Judd's monthly Forecast.

 After a minor technical hiccup last month Steve Judd continues with his unique insight into this month's Sun Signs.

Go here for all your December Sun Signs >>

Steve Judd's Monthly Forecast.

Global
 
With both Mercury and Venus coming together with Saturn in the first half of October, this is a time not only of decision but also of action for many of us.  Inaction now will only lead to further inertia, which in its turn leads to complacency and stagnation.  The new and full Moons are tame compared to recent months; the biggest thing happening is the movement of Saturn from Virgo into Libra on the 29th, a time that symbolically represents the moving from 4th into 5th gear on our recent evolutionary cycle.  Things are going to become much more black or white, yes or no come November, so individually we’re all best off recharging our batteries this month whilst we can. 

 Go here for all your October Sun Signs >>

Steve Judd's Monthly Forecast.

Global
 
There’s a big Mercury retrograde happening over most of September, something that happens seven times every two years but is different every time.  For many of us, especially those who have been under strong limitation and restriction since this time last year, September represents the final breakdown of the old structures that haven’t  proved flexible enough for the changing circumstances of life.  Brick and steel boundaries will crumble: but those that are made of unbreakable rubber and elastic will survive and flourish.  Clarity won’t come until October – September is a month not of big decision and plan, but of dream, vision and imagination from which solid structures will emerge next month.  The new moon on the 18th is a kind of pimple on top of the boil.  The symbolism is of edifices and monoliths crumbling with (please no!) brief turbulence, even warfare at the end of the month as a remedy out of economic disorder.  The new will come in a month or two’s time, but first the decks have to be finally cleared in preparation.

 Go here for all your September Sun Signs >>

Go here for all your August Sun Signs >>

Interview by Sally Teixeira

With astrology becoming more and more the lingua franca of alternative and complementary cultures, I decided to ask our resident astrologer Steve Judd to give us all an insight on the world of modern astrology. The only astrologer in the UK with a High Street practice, Steve has not only studied Astrology for thirty years, he’s also one of only a select few people in the world to hold an MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology.  Anyway, here’s what he told me…
 

Sally:   How did you get into astrology?
 
Steve:     Since I was a child I was interested in puzzles, patterns and shapes, and when I left the army at twenty I found the emerging alternative culture of the early/mid seventies.  I picked up my first astrological books then, but didn’t really begin to calculate charts or understand the patterns until the early eighties.
 
Sally:   What is astrology, and what use is it in today’s world?
 
Steve:     Look around you.  Astrology is everywhere, in every tabloid, all over the web; it’s the biggest seller outside of sex.  All elements of society, from the royal courts and the politicians to the church and layman use astrology, some daily, and others more generally.  It gives people a twenty first century relationship with the divine and spirituality that no other practice or theology does.  As to what it is….it’s a combination of mathematics, geometry, pattern recognition and intuition that gives a perspective on the world and the universe unlike any other.
 
Sally:   What is astrocartography?      
 
Steve:     Basically, it involves overlaying a map of the planet with your horoscope.  The spots on Earth where certain planets were rising or setting on the horizon when you were born show geographical areas where you can be successful in different ways, i.e. wealth, health, romance, career etc.  Alternatively, it also shows areas to avoid…….
 
Sally:   What does an astrologer actually do?
 
Steve:     A good astrologer should be able to translate the horoscope into English, not astrobabble, which means showing the client where their particular skills and talents lie as well as where any potential challenges are and how best to work with them.  They should also be able to put recent events into context and supply an objective perspective on current situations, as well as make suggestions for the future.
 
Sally:   How can you measure the planetary effects upon us?
 
Steve:     It goes without saying that the Moon affects us – just ask police officers or hospital accident and emergency staff what their work is like when it’s full Moon. Sensible surgeons don’t operate then because they know that blood flow is greater at full Moon.  You can hear Jupiter on a short wave radio, so if its radio waves are hitting us they must be having an effect of some type.  It’s possible to demonstrate how certain metals lose their conductivity during eclipses.  The list goes on….
 
Sally:   What about sunsign columns?
 
Steve:     I have to be careful here, because I write for your magazine!  Most sunsign columns aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on.  How can just a few lines of generalised drivel mean anything to anyone?  Few of the newspaper astrologers write their own stuff- Jonathan Cainer being a notable exception.  The art lies in being able to write words that could easily mean many things to different people.
 
Sally:   Can you use astrology to mix and match individuals?
 
Steve:     There’s the composite chart, a mixture of two individuals horoscopes.  This shows how the relationship works (or doesn’t!) and in which areas of life its strengths lie.  I also compare individual’s charts against each other, this is called synastry. If your Venus is on their Mars, then you’re going to want to drag each other off to bed.  But if their Saturn is on top of your Sun, then right from the word go the interaction will be more parent/child rather than equal/equal.
 
Sally:   Is it ‘written in the stars’?  Is it fate or free will?
 
Steve:     Ah, that old chestnut.  An answer to the first question is no, it’s not.  The planets impel, not compel.  The second part is a little trickier.  Perhaps the easiest way to demonstrate the difference is to visualise yourself in a tree, with one straight trunk going down to the ground, representing the past (fate), whilst the future is along any particular branch ahead of you that you choose to go down (free will).
 
Sally:   So if I had a reading from you what would I get?
 
Steve:     At the end of the day you’d get an objective and detached perspective on your life as well as suggestions and ideas on how to make your life work more effectively and efficiently.  You’d also get a timing perspective, seeing how events and times from the past (as demonstrated through your horoscope) act as a kind of blueprint of potential for the future, and how to utilise the present time to your best advantage.  And of course, you’ll get the whole thing on CD and a colour print out horoscope to go with it.

Sally:   What sunsign are you?

Steve: I'm an untypical home loving Cancerian

Sally:   Do you consider yourself to have the typical characteristics of your sunsign?

Steve: Hopefully not, because Cancerians can be incredibly moody at times.

Sally:   Do you have a favorite planet? Which one and why?

Steve:    I'm initially tempted to say Mercury because of its communication skills, it gives me the gift of the gab, and I fancy myself as a bit of a wordsmith. Or Uranus, because its changeable and sudden qualities inspire the amateur anarchist in me that sometimes wants to upset the applecart despite knowing that it's not the sensible thing to do. But realistically, it's Saturn, because there is just no substitute for hard work, and whilst at times he's a miserable old git, he will help you persevere and work hard through any type of challenge. It's only since my late forties that I've really began to appreciate him, probably because one of his nicknames is 'old father time'.

Sally:   How far in advance do you work out your sunsign forecasts?

Steve:    Before I started writing for anyone else and had no deadlines, I would write them either the day before posting them or on the 1st of the month itself. These days, I sometimes am as far as three months ahead, which gets a little weird sometimes, I come out of writing them not sure what week or month I'm in.

Sally:   What do you see or intuit will happen in 2012?

Steve:    Astrologically, 2012 is not hugely significant, at least compared to the years around it. But 1999 – 2010 represent a peak of astrological activity, with the times of late 2010-2016 showing as a time of result and development as a result of that activity. I think that next year (2010) will bring life changing circumstances into our lives more than anytime so far.

Sally:   Do you need a person's time of birth to do an accurate personal reading?

Steve:    The more accurate the time, the more accurate the reading. But I've been doing it so long that I can still do a 75-80% reading with no time of birth at all. Then of course, there's rectification – birth time detection. This is done by specifying events from the past over a broad time scale, finding which year/month the events happened, and by a process of elimination refining the birth time down.

Sally:   How often do people normally come for personal horoscopic readings?

Steve:    Of my client base, about half return annually, some six monthly, a few monthly and some only when they feel like it!

Sally:   What type of details can you tell them if they come very regularly?

Steve:    Once I've done their chart the first time, I never need to include the analysis again – regular clients just get an overview of the recent past, current situation and a forecast for the coming month or two in specific details, where necessary to the day.

Sally:   Can you explain what the Age of Aquarius really means?

Steve:    No! In a nutshell, it's one of those minute wobbles of the Earth that says that the stars rising at Equinox on the 21st March would have risen on the 21st April just over 2,000 years ago, and in just over 2000 years time will rise about the 19th February. It's called the precession of the Equinoxes, it's really boring and it ties astrologers up in knots truing to find the actual starting date of the Age of Aquarius. Somewhere out there is an electronic trance version of that song with me superimposed over the top rapping 'Age of Aquarius – don't talk to me about the bloody age of Aquarius'.

Sally:   You're well known for being committed to Green ways of working ... can you tell us a bit more about that?

Steve:    What can I say? Since early days I've known it was intrinsically wrong to abuse the environment and its peoples, so I've made behaving ethically a central tenet of my personal lifestyle. I've been active in the past, advocating non violent direct action (NVDA), and I'll remain committed to Green principles till I fertilize my tree. Not the politics, but the lifestyle. I recycle, try not to fly, don't have a car, buy conscientiously – practice what I preach.

Sally:   How can people help themselves most through these times of transition?

Steve:    Well, a good sense of humour and an appreciation of the ridiculous always help in my opinion…..

Sally:   Do you enjoy star gazing at night... assuming there are no clouds?

Steve:    Constantly. It is possible to see the whole creation myth in front of your eyes over the UK summer, it makes you realise how unique we are on Earth. When we got off of our knuckles and stood erect a million years ago, the first thing we would have seen would be the sky at night with it's moving little points of different coloured light. Stories were made to understand this, thus astrology was born.

Sally:   Do you have a telescope?

Steve:    Unfortunately, no. Offers gratefully received.

Sally:   Which star or planet is the brightest in the northern and southern hemispheres?

Steve:    Easy. The brightest star from both hemispheres is Sirius, the dog star or diamond star. Find Orion – come on, everybody knows Orion – and follow the line of Orion's belt to Sirius. It's only about eight light years away; there are a number of factual accuracies of Sirius' orbit and nature known to indigenous tribespeople that defy scientific rationalisation.

Sally:   Do you have any tips to help us distinguish a bright light as a satellite in the night sky rather than a planet or star? I love looking at the night skies but am never sure what I'm looking at!

Steve:    Satellites move fast against the backdrop of the sky, going from one horizon to the other in a few minutes. Stars never change their position relative to each other, or at least so minutely that we never notice it, whereas planets can be seen over a period of time to move relative to the stars behind them. And how do you tell the difference between a planet and a star? Easy. Stars twinkle, planets don't.

Sally:   I am a Gemini, with my birthday being 28 May 1966... what comes to mind first? Apart from asking too many questions!

Steve:    Off the top of my head? Pluto would have trashed you over 1997/8, pushing you into Limbo. Uranus suddenly and dramatically would have brought you back in 2004/5, whilst September 2007 through to June 2008 would have examined all of these times, and now doors are permanently shut. Things are easier nowadays…

ST


More about Steve Judd
Steve would be happy in a caravan in the woods - he has uncomplicated lifestyle needs and wants based on green philosophies. He feels he is 'on a mission' to help effect a necessary change in consciousness. His method is Astrology and he wants to reach out to as many people as possible.

• View Steve's Profile
• Visit Steve's Website
• Contact Steve here

Steve Judd's Monthly Forecast.

Global: Jupiter, Chiron, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are all retrograde this month, there’s no new developments going to suddenly up the ante. With both Venus and Mars in Gemini, most of July will be verbal, fast, mobile and intellectually stimulating, if a little ‘edgy’. There are three times of note. These are at the very start of the month, where there may be fast and sudden news bringing information about a fresh start, followed by the Capricorn full Moon on the 7th working very well with Saturn, suggesting that the economic situation should be more opportune for social sharing. And at the very end of July, Mars squares up to Saturn in a way that will bring festering situations ongoing since October to a final head in early August.

Go here for all your July Sun Signs >>

Steve Judd's Monthly Forecast.

Global: It’s all about the inner planets this month, with Venus and Mars together throughout June in the sign of Taurus, bringing a much more earthy and sensual feel into the group dynamic. There should be a bonding of people; this combination is healthy for all types of relationship and romantic development. But the new Moon on the 22nd is opposite Pluto, indicative of some type of metaphorical scalpel, sudden incision or ending – probably quite sudden and dramatic. And the full Moon on the 7th is squaring Saturn, but this is bringing the beginning of the end of the pressure that so many people have been under since October. The tide is turning, but don’t expect a quiet month.

ADDENDUM 31/05/09 – the first couple of weeks are comparatively tame, a number of endings with the full Moon but nothing too serious I hope. The full Moon on June 22 is a kick backside Moon, the final eliminator in readiness for the eclipse of July 22. It is a turbulent month, but it is final jockeying for position in readiness for the ‘off’. It is the transition point between what I call the correction part1 and part 2.

All June's Sun Signs...

Steve Judd's Monthly Forecast.

Global: The first half of May offers a brief respite from the madness that was April, but by the middle of the month the next wave of challenges is coming in.  The second half of May is governed by the massive conjunction of Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune at the end of the month, being squared at the same time for two weeks by Mercury standing still at the end of Taurus.  These are the times of the false prophets, there will be many attempts to influence individual and group through philosophy and theology.  It’s a time of spin and hype, from which you shouldn’t expect results until at least December.  Yet at the same time it’s a great energy for dream, idea and vision, from which plans and actions can be made – later.  Now is the time for new ideas, stimulation and novelty. All May's Sun Signs...

Steve Judd's Monthly Forecast.

Global: The Taurus new Moon on April 25th is quiet, but the Libra full Moon on April 9th is full of opportunity for some, with real chances for growth and expansion. Over the long term, April is seen as a month of energies jockeying for position in readiness for what is coming in mid/end May. But in the short term,... Read On

Steve Judd's Monthly Forecast.

Global: There are three significant pointers during March. There is the Virgo full Moon on the 11th March, right next to the planet Saturn in the heavens and also opposite Uranus. This will bring a ‘cap’ to the economic and political earthquakes of the last six months, and initiate the preparation of the ground... Read On

Steve Judd's Monthly Forecast.

Global: The start of the month sees the second passage of the Saturn/Uranus opposition, so I expect a degree of friction in a number of areas at that time. But by the 5th/6th there’s a notable shift in the energy as Mars enters Aquarius, and up until the middle of the month performs a romantic and humourous dance with both Venus and Jupiter, suggestive of successful negotiations and general balance... Read More

Although we'll be publishing Steve Judd's January Sun Sign forecast this time next week, today we have a exceptional festive bonus. In a comprehensive heads-up to help us navigate the universal energies awaiting us in 2009 Steve has charted an extra special forecast for the year ahead. For this invaluable and insightful peek behind the astrological curtain — Read On...

December is a monumentous month, with repercussions from recent months becoming increasingly apparent.  The month starts with a lovely Moon, Venus and Jupiter conjunction in mid late Capricorn bring a degree of hope and optimism into the world, followed by an absolutely critical full Moon squaring both Saturn and Uranus on December 12.  And the Mars/Pluto conjunction between December 24 and 27 brings to a conclusion things that have been in development since the end of September of last year, peaking last Christmas, echoing at the end of February and mid August and ending finally at the end of this year.  By New Year, it’s a different ball game and situations can be reassessed.  But until the end of December we collectively are in the mix. Now go here for Steve Judd’s comprehensive review of December’s Sun Signs...

It’s that time again and with Hallowe’en now behind us it’s safe to come out from behind the sofa and see what Steve Judd’s November Sun Sign Forecasts have in store for your Romance and Relationships, Business and Finance, Health and Spirit.

What a wonderful way to spend an autumnal weekend!  Back in my home city of Edinburgh, I spent Saturday and Sunday with the lovely souls attending my Universal reflexology workshop... you know, the one I might possibly have mentioned once or twice over the last couple of weeks!

Well you can relax now, it was a great success (pics below)... which means I’m now free to mention my forthcoming Belfast Workshop dates on the 31st October, 1st & 2nd November!  In other news... Read On...

Welcome to Universally Rio’s First Anniversary and our inspirational new site!  As you can see it’s undergone a complete transformation, one we hope will inspire all our readers and contributors, old and new.

As you will discover over the coming days, weeks and months, Universally Rio’s biggest leap forward this year is the introduction of a far more dynamic flow to our pages. This means we will be continually updating them — on a twice-weekly basis — with fresh articles, news, stories and links. No more standing still for us! We will actively lead the way forward with inspirational material to help you along your own Healing Journey... so make a mental note, add us to your RSS feed, and check back later this week! Read On...