President’s Report - December 2022
Welcome to the December edition of the AANSW newsletter Orbits, the final edition for 2022. It’s hard to believe that Christmas has crept up on us again, and after a break of three long years AANSW can welcome the return of our annual Christmas Party. Since we returned to face-to-face meetings in the last few months, attendance at monthly meetings has continued to grow, with local, regional and interstate FAA members still joining the meetings online. For all its lockdowns and health crises, COVID-19 has been instrumental in expanding our audience and our pool of speakers to include interstate and international, and this will continue.
As there are rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in the Sydney area, we are well advised to remain vigilant. At the Christmas Party, which will follow Molly Talbot’s presentation on Astrology and Tarot, the AANSW Committee will take steps to ensure the COVID-safe delivery of food and drinks for each individual. In addition, to assist in creating a COVID-safe environment for members and guests at Drummoyne Community Centre, the Committee asks anyone who is feeling unwell on Saturday 10th December or several days prior to please stay home. You will be able to join the monthly meeting online, though unfortunately not partake of the Christmas fare. If you are more comfortable wearing a mask indoors, please follow your own guidance, as committee members and possibly other attendees may be wearing masks.
If you would like to attend the monthly meeting online via GoToMeeting, please contact Kate Holden through the AANSW website. The deadline for bookings is 12:00 pm (noon) on Friday 9th December and Kate will send the link on Friday evening. Remote AANSW members and interstate FAA members are very welcome to attend the monthly meeting online.
Our social media presence on Facebook is steady over 100 members, thanks to Ann Leung and Jordan Reed who is assisting Ann in monitoring social media. Penny Walters has created new social media accounts for AANSW including Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Page, and she invites you to join the conversation and add content or comments. If you experience any problems please contact Penny at penny@astrologynsw.com.au. You may have noticed Michelle Mravunac taking lots of photos at the November meeting to post online. Michelle will also be interviewing upcoming speakers and posting interviews online, so AANSW members can get to know upcoming speakers before their presentations.
Over the last month, the AANSW Committee has also begun a project to refresh and modernise AANSW’s branding, and Penny Walters is liaising with a graphic designer overseas whom she highly recommends. To advance this project, the AANSW Committee formed a Branding Sub-Committee which comprises Penny, Michelle, Anita and myself. The Sub-Committee has met twice already to define AANSW’s specifications, and the project is well underway.
Kate and Anita are currently sharing a roving role as Newsletter Editor, and Ann is doing a wonderful job compiling the Speaker’s Report - Jordan filled in for Ann at the November meeting when she was unable to attend. Monthly content updates for the AANSW website are being implemented by website developer, Keely Worth, with Anita coordinating our website management. In addition to other social media initiatives, Penny and Michelle have begun to investigate the modernisation of the AANSW website using the Squarespace platform, so in the future AANSW will be able to maintain its own website.
At the November meeting of AANSW, we were treated to two marvellous live presentations on equally fascinating topics. Firstly, we welcomed Marc Laurenson who was visiting Sydney from the Gold Coast, and Marc spoke on the Opposition Aspect. Our second presenter was Linda Thackray from Sydney, originally New Zealand, who spoke to us on Face Reading.
Our first presenter was astrology consultant and teacher, Marc Laurenson, who presented ‘The Natal Opposition - Straddling the Cosmic See-Saw’. Marc explored how we integrate the two parts of our psyche represented by the opposing planets which exist in dynamic tension and need their own space to flourish. Marc also focused on the higher purpose of these challenges and in seeking an optimal potential for growth. Marc is the creator and principal teacher at the popular Sydney Astrology School, and he is an accredited astrology teacher (AAT) with the Federation of Australian Astrologers. Marc also runs a busy consultation business with a waiting list for consultations. His style of astrology is Evolutionary with a psychological bent, and embraces the goal of empowering people and guiding them toward more fulfilling lives. Marc is a highly popular speaker at local and international conferences, and he also writes for many publications including Wellbeing Astrology and the FAA Journal. You can find out more about Marc Laurenson’s presentation in the Speaker’s Report in Orbits, and you can contact Marc at www.marclaurenson.com and www.sydneyastrologyschool.com
Our second presenter was dynamic speaker and teacher, Linda Thackray, formerly from the corporate world, who presented ‘Your Face – Your Road Map’. In her interactive talk, Linda provided many insights on identifying personality traits and interpreting habitual emotional and thought patterns which show up in a person’s face and body. Willing volunteers from the audience had an opportunity to receive a mini-face reading and Linda also took part in a Q&A session. Linda is a Psychosomatic Trainer / Therapist, Registered Teacher of The Psychosomatic Therapy College, and President of the International Association of Psychosomatic Therapists. Linda worked in the corporate world for 25 years before transitioning to the wellness industry, and is passionate about empowering people to see redundant patterns and make changes in their lives. She teaches Psychosomatic Therapy, along with related trainings to individuals, therapists and health care practitioners for personal and professional development. Linda is a regular guest speaker and consultant at the Elysia Wellness Retreat in the Hunter Valley and also with other professional groups. You can find out more about Linda Thackray’s presentation in the Speaker’s Report in Orbits, and you can contact Linda at www.thefaceandbodyinterpreter.com.
At the AANSW meeting on Saturday 10th December, prior to the Christmas Party, Sydney-based astrologer, numerologist and tarot consultant, Molly Talbot, will be our final speaker for 2022. Molly’s presentation is titled, ‘The Links Between Astrology and Tarot: Exploring your Astrological Make-up and the Year Ahead’. Molly says the Major Arcana consists of 22 tarot cards each of which corresponds to one of the 12 signs or 10 planets. By exploring these links, an understanding of the signs, planets and the cards will deepen. She invites attendees to discover which cards represent their Astrological make-up and to be prepared for some surprising insights! Molly says the Personal Year in Numerology links to a Major Arcana card and can reveal insights into how to deal with that Year and the ways it may unfold. She will look at the Personal Year card for 2022 and also what to expect in 2023, so bring along your Astrology chart and Tarot cards.
Molly is an insightful practitioner whose long experience enhances the depth and quality of her work. Also a gifted and passionate teacher, Molly has introduced many people to Tarot and Astrology. Molly’s philosophy is ‘learning should be fun’ and students enjoy her unique ability to break down a complex subject into simple steps. Molly is a Professional member and Vice President of the Tarot Guild of Australia and she is also a Professional member of the Federation of Australian Astrologers. You can find out more details on Molly’s courses and consultations at www.mollytalbot.com.au, and she can be contacted directly on 0432 619 249 or by email at molly@mollytalbot.com.au. You can read about Molly Talbots’s presentation in the Events Sectionof Orbits.
Year 2022 is a Universal Year 6 [=2+0+2+2] which suggested that ‘peace and harmony’ may be possible, however there were also undertones of transformative change in the Ingress Chart for 1st January 2022 [Pinnacles 279 and Challenges 555]. With the benefit of hindsight, we now know that 2022 turned into a stressful year globally following Russia’s brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine. Hope springs eternal, so it’s natural to look forward and wish that Year 2023, a Universal Year 7, can be a more peaceful year. When either the Universal Year or an individual Personal Year is 7, this usually signifies a time for deep reflection and looking into the deeper mysteries of life. Universal Year 7 can sometimes show itself through unresolved collective mysteries, such as the unexplained disappearance of flight MH370 and the downing of flight MH17 [both in 2014]. The Ingress Chart for 1st January 2023 [Pinnaces 281 and Challenges 666] suggests in addition that setting boundaries and defining identity clearly will be paramount, as well as taking full responsibility for the past. It will be very interesting to hear what Molly Talbot and the Major Arcana cards have to say about Years 2022 and 2023.
As Year 2022 comes to a close, Russia’s ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine which began on 24th February is still continuing. However, Russian President Putin has come under pressure at home as Ukrainian troops have made significant advances and public opinion in Russia has turned against the war, especially following the conscription of young Russian men who didn’t manage to escape from Russia. Only 25% of the Russian public are now reportedly in favour of the war. In a recent televised meeting with mothers of soldiers, Mr Putin cynically told them it was better that their sons died for Russia in Ukraine rather than from drinking vodka! At some future date, karma will catch up with Mr Putin for the tens of thousands of military and civilian deaths, the wanton destruction of Ukraine’s power infrastructure, the torture of civilians and other heinous war crimes committed in Russia’s name in Ukraine.
President Putin [born 07/10/1952] may have ‘dodged a bullet’ by not showing up at the G20 Summit in Bali in November, when BALI [10/1, 5 = 15/6] matched the major challenges in his birth chart [156 is similar to Mars], but he won’t escape fate in 2023 when his Personal Year = 15/6. This trigger will be active throughout 2023, and in addition his birth chart interacts with the Ingress Chart for 2023, producing this same pattern [156]. On the one hand, this influence will stimulate Mr Putin’s urge to fight on - indeed one 9-year cycle ago in 2014 he invaded and annexed Crimea - but it could also prove to be his undoing in 2023. The Kremlin’s media arm is reportedly trying to instill fear in the Russian people that they will all be held responsible by the West if Russia should lose the war in Ukraine, while senior Russian officials are apparently very concerned they could find themselves facing a war crimes tribunal!
We will examine President Putin’s astrology at the February 2023 meeting, but suffice to say that in his Solar Return of 7th October 2022, Chiron opposed the Sun suggesting Mr Putin may endure a Chiron-like wound - in other words, he may ‘shoot himself in the foot’. It appears Mr Putin has already set this ‘self harm’ in motion by invading Ukraine! Russian leaders who lose wars can expect harsh reprisals at home. An upcoming transit of Saturn in opposition to Mr Putin’s reported Leo MC will occur on 19th December. At an earlier pass on 23rd August 2022, an attempt was made on a close associate’s life, but due to a mixup over who was driving his car home, the associate’s daughter instead was killed by a car bomb.
Fortunately, Australia is not involved in a desperate life-and-death struggle such as is presently taking place in Ukraine. However, we are still locked in a ‘battle’ for clarity of mind, vision and purpose. This battle involves several challenging squares during 2022-2024 from transiting Neptune in late degrees of Pisces to natal Jupiter, Mercury, Chiron in late degrees of Sagittarius and natal Neptune in late degrees of Gemini, forming a dynamic T-square configuration. ‘Wishful thinking’ will be accentuated over ‘rational thinking’ under various scenarios that will test Australia’s ability to see the way forward with absolute clarity; compassion may override common sense. Such is the potential during transiting Neptune squares for confusion, delusion, deception, and belief without validation.
In Australia’s birth chart, Neptune opposes Jupiter, Mercury and Chiron, and as a result there will be innate tendencies towards lack of clarity, inflated thinking, idealism, ideology, fuzzy thinking and virtue signaling to name a few, without the nation even realising. Transiting Neptune will accentuate and expose these innate tendencies, so Australia becomes ‘more aware’ of the issues to be addressed. Adding to the challenge, as Neptune transits through the compassionate sign Pisces, decisions may be made based on emotionality rather than rationality.
In stressful transiting configurations like squares, Neptune could manifest as deception, boundlessness, mystery, delusion, confusion, non-sense. Neptune, applying to Jupiter (optimism, expansion, lawmaking) could lead to false optimism, nonsensical new laws; with Mercury (communication, transportation, trade, education) to fraud, leaks of data, online deception; with Chiron (virtue, healing, ethics) to virtue-signaling (especially with Jupiter involved); and with Neptune to existential issues for Australia - on truth, reality and vision.
Beginning in the September Orbits, I began to monitor these Neptunian trends in The Neptune Square Watch-List’, and added an extensive list of perceived issues relating to Neptune square Jupiter, Mercury, Chiron and Neptune in the October Orbits. Needless to say this list has continued to grow in November, and reveals a increased tendency for the new Labor Government to head back to the past in certain policy areas. Furthermore, a growing number of major policy positions have been unveiled which were not revealed to Australian voters prior to the 21st May federal election. Judging by the ongoing popularity of the Albanese Government, however, either a majority of the voting public are totally in favour of heading back to the past, or more worryingly, they haven’t even noticed!
In the data collection for November, I have made extensive notes on a number of topics considered relevant to the Neptune square dynamic, many of which appeared in the October Orbits but will only be mentioned briefly this time. The two major topics which appeared in the press almost daily were the Industrial Relations legislation which finally passed in the Senate after various amendments on 1st December, and the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
Updates to the Neptune Square List
Cyber security continued to be a prominent issue, with ongoing leaks of Medicare customer data. Medicare refused to pay a ransom, and the Federal Government is moving to impose higher penalties on cyber criminals and on companies not protecting customer data.
University cheating on assignments was recognised as a serious problem at Sydney University and University of NSW, and a Sydney University report showed the level of cheating could pose a threat to the integrity of the higher education system.
Literacy problems in the reading skills of teenage boys - found to be the poorest in 14 years, partly due to online gaming; employers scolded schools for issuing semi-literate students. Apprentices with inadequate skills for work often need literacy and numeracy support.
QLD Health Department’s DNA Laboratory continued to make headlines, with cases of contaminated samples, bone-saws, incorrect links to crimes, alleged concealment of the problems by senior management. The Royal Commission style inquiry will report next week.
Return of ISIS Brides was a policy initiative which was not declared in the Labor Party’s election manifesto. The Home Affairs Minister, under considerable public pressure, finally met face-to-face with community leaders in Western Sydney and reassured them that their vulnerable communities would not become a dumping ground for so-called ISIS brides.
Trust, Integrity and Scrutiny was a prominent issue in November, with the passing of legislation for a National Commission against Corruption. A Royal Commission into the Robo-debt scandal began on 1st November; Prime Minister Albanese moved and passed a censure motion against former Prime Minister Scott Morrison on 30th November and attacked Mr Morrison for secrecy and undermining the democratic process. On the same day, ironically, Mr Albanese refused to release diary details of his first 100 days in government!
Climate and Nuclear Energy has pushed its way into the energy and climate debate, promoted mainly by the National Party and energy experts who are promoting the potential for base-load power with low emissions. The federal government has resisted so far insisting nuclear energy is the most expensive form of energy, while neglecting to factor in the much longer lifetime of small modular nuclear reactors (estimated 60-80 years) compared to solar and wind (estimated 20-30 years); the huge cost of transmission lines required for solar and wind; energy independence for Australia with one of the world’s largest sources of uranium; and a very significant national security risk of sourcing solar panels and windmills from China given the possibility of future relationship issues. Former Labor Prime Ministers Gough Whitlam and Bob Hawke saw the potential for nuclear power, but this seems to have escaped Anthony Albanese who grew up in the ‘Ban the Bomb’ era, and may be stuck in that past!
Election Mandates became a prominent focus in November with leading journalists writing that the Albanese Government did not have a pre-election mandate for some of the legislation it planned to pass or had passed, and policy positions it may take. Examples are the Multi-Employer Bargaining provisions of the Secure Jobs, Better Pay legislation which stimulated a major backlash from business leaders and small business while receiving generous plaudits from the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU); the return of ISIS brides; permanent residency for 31,000 illegal migrants on temporary protection visas who mostly arrived in ALP’s previous term of government; family reunion rights to these same migrants.
Rush to Pass Legislation also became a prominent focus in November with leading journalists often questioning “why the big rush” to pass legislation or advance key policies without sufficient time for discussion? The main bones of contention were the Industrial Relations legislation, and the Indigenous Voice to parliament. Too much rushing can cause details to be glossed over and legislation passed without sufficient rational debate.
Secure Jobs, Better Pay The federal government’s Industrial Relations Reform bill to implement multi-employer bargaining across industry sectors continued to meet widespread resistance from business leaders who claimed it would take Australia back to the 1970s when many more days were lost to industrial action than now. In an interview on ABC Insiders pre-21st May election, Treasurer Jim Chalmers reportedly denied industry-wide bargaining was ALP policy! Former Labor Prime Ministers Bob Hawke and Paul Keating dumped industry wide bargaining and moved to single enterprise bargaining which freed up the economy. However, the RBA governor was attacked by federal government ministers for calling for flexible working arrangements. Business leaders were also concerned that competition could be diminished by the new multi-employer bargaining arrangements. International studies have revealed that multi-employer bargaining has not raised wages as the government suggested, and single-enterprise bargaining was much more effective. The federal government has three economics PhDs in the Labor Caucus (Yale, Harvard and Oxford) yet none of these experts in economics are in cabinet! Questions have been raised by leading journalists on why this policy was being implemented - was it a ‘thank you’ to the Union Movement?
Indigenous Voice to Parliament There continued to be opposing views expressed for and against the federal government’s initiative to heal the nation’s past. The National Party has announced its position and says it will oppose the Voice, as not enough detail has been provided by the government and the National Party doesn’t believe it will improve the lives of Indigenous Australians in remote communities. The announcement raised the ire of many pro-Voice proponents, however anti-Voice proponents say there is significant constitutional risk in a Voice in the Constitution. The National Party’s announcement was significant, as no referendum since Constitution in 1901 has passed without bipartisan support - 44 referendum proposals have been put to the Australian people and only 8 have passed. The Labor Party has proposed 25 referendums and 24 have failed. A few pro-Voice activists believe it will be different this time, however past experience does not support this view. Perhaps Prime Minister Albanese believes he can persuade the Australian people to support the referendum on the basis of ‘the vibe’, but what if that approach fails? Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney has said that it would be a disaster for reconciliation, if the referendum should fail.
As astrologers, we can immediately see the problems of ‘no details’ being provided by the federal government - under major transiting Neptune squares the Australian people need to see the details in case the proposal doesn’t stack up. We can also see ahead that positive triggers will appear in 2025 from transiting Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto to Australia’s nodal axis, not dissimilar to the positive series of transits by Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Chiron to the nation’s North Node in early degrees of Sagittarius in the years prior to Federation in 1901. It is vitally important that the nation does not miss this grand opportunity for change.
In my humble opinion, it is Prime Minister Albanese’s prime responsibility to ensure that a referendum proposal passes which acknowledges the original Indigenous occupancy of the continent of Australia, and gives a Voice to Indigenous Australians. One way to achieve this, which I believe a large majority of Australians would support is firstly to alter the pre-amble to the Constitution, and secondly to legislate a Voice to Parliament. The sticking point in the current process appears to be including the Voice to Parliament in the Constitution, which has legal implications, for example adjudication on disputes or advocacy left to an un-elected High Court. Mr Albanese must listen to genuine objections and craft a referendum proposal which will sail through, rather than risk disaster and leave failure as his legacy! The buck stops with Mr Albanese. Once-in-a lifetime transits by Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto to Australia’s nodal axis in 2025 must be used transform the nation’s relationship to its past.
In February 2023, following a tradition that has developed over the last few years, I will be leading off the lecture program, looking into the emerging global standoff between ‘Autocracy and Democracy’, and in AstroChat looking back at 2022 and forward into 2023.
AANSW invites you to join with like-minded people at the December meeting in person or online on GoToMeeting. If attending online, please register with Kate Holden by 12:00 pm10(noon) on Friday 9th December for AANSW’s online meeting on the Saturday 10th December. Doors will open at 1:15 pm and the monthly meeting commences at 1:30 pm featuring Molly Talbot who will be speaking on ‘The Links Between Astrology and Tarot’. Following Molly’s presentation, AANSW will be holding its finally re-instated Christmas Party.
Chris Thomas and Gary Curci have discontinued South Coast Group meetings as members can attend AANSW’s monthly meeting online. The South Coast Group may organise an occasional astrology workshop at Wollongong Library, and for advanced news of future events, please refer to Orbits and the AANSW website.
You don’t have to be a member of AANSW to attend our meetings, everyone is welcome. Do come and join the Christmas Party festivities.
Dr Neil Hair, AANSW President
