Friday October 18th 2002 - edited by Bernard Fitzwalter This week in Astro News: ~ Venus and Mars ~ ~ AstroDiary ~ The Venus and Mars saga continues. Venus is still in Scorpio, slipping gradually backwards through the sign, while Mars continues to move towards her as fast as he can go. What has changed since last week, however, is that since yesterday Mars has been in Libra, which is Venus's sign. In other words, Venus is in a sign which Mars owns, and Mars is in a sign which Venus owns – and that changes the whole situation in a flash. No longer is Mars the predator and Venus the victim; Venus has a handle on Mars now, a point of advantage that she can use against him in just the same way as he did against her. This business of having two planets in each other's signs is called 'mutual reception', and in ancient times great attention was paid to it, far more than modern astrologers do today. What it suggests is that both planets know exactly what is going on. After all, to have someone occupy your territory while you occupy theirs requires a certain recognition and trust, doesn't it? And if they are both equal partners in the enterprise, as seems to be the case, then Mars is certainly not the attacker here, nor is Venus helpless. This is, in fact, a game, a love-ritual played by consenting adults. Mars appears to be pursuing Venus, but actually Venus is seducing Mars, deliberately inviting him to come closer – which he will do for the next six weeks, until they are almost touching. For a lot of people, not just Librans or Scorpios but anyone actively involved in a romantic relationship, these coming weeks are going to be memorably intense; as Venus and Mars draw each other closer, so will you. Today the sun rises next to Spica, a star which represents corn, and thus the idea of food and prosperity. This day has been used as a calendar marker for harvest celebrations for at least 25 centuries, since early Roman times, and is always regarded as a day of good fortune. Think about that as you munch your lunchtime sandwiches. AstroDiary Sunday Oct 20: Centre for Psychological Astrology. Fathers & Daughters, day seminar with Darby Costello. Regents College, Inner Circle, Regents Park, London NW1. £42 email: cpalondon@aol.com; www.cpalondon.com Oct 21: Astrological Lodge of London, 7pm, The Four Humours with Garry Phillipson. 8pm, Members class & discussion. Theosophical Society building, 50 Gloucester Place, W1. (£5, members £3); www.astrolodge.co.uk 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 jon@cainer.com 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: pharris@interalpha.co.uk 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 here for Astronews Archives