Friday January 31st 2003 - edited by Bernard Fitzwalter This week in Astro News: ~ The Sun and Neptune ~ ~ AstroDiary ~ The Sun and Neptune were conjunct in Aquarius yesterday. Astrologers say they are ‘aligned’, ‘together’ or ‘meet up’, but the meaning is the same: two planets appear at the same place in the sky. They don’t actually meet, though. If they did, we would have exploding planets all over the place. All that happens is that from the point of view of someone on Earth, two planets appear to line up together. Usually the faster-moving one overtakes the slower one. If conjunctions are especially close, one planet might pass in front of another, so that the second one seems hidden for a while. That is quite rare, and when the sun and moon do it, we call it an eclipse. So, if the two planets never physically meet, what do conjunctions mean? Well, think of a clock at midnight. The hour hand points upwards, the minute hand comes up to cover it, and at exactly midnight the second hand covers them both. Bong! It’s a new day. Conjunctions in astrology work like that. Your birth chart is like the hour hand, telling you what time it is in your life, the slow-moving planet is the minute hand, and the Sun is the second hand. When all three get together then a new era starts – which in this case is a new Sun- Neptune cycle, bringing new ideas and hopes for the future. This weekend’s New Moon in Aquarius heralds (as the New Moon in Aquarius always does) the start of the Chinese New Year. The year of the Sheep (or the Goat) is about to begin. AstroDiary Monday February 3: Astrology of Parenting, Mavis Klein. 7pm, 50 Gloucester Place London W1. £5 (Astrological Lodge members £3) www.astrolodge.co.uk Tuesday February 4: Astrology of the Global Village, Mark Fountain. Black Boy, Guildhall Street, Bury St. Edmunds, 7.45pm. £3.50 (Members £2.50) www.earthsea.co.uk/sas 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@bubble.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