Instead of trying to produce ‘good human beings’, we need to create joyful human beings. Joyfulness is the greatest insurance against all evil.
~ Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, yogi, mystic, humanitarian

Astrology Monday:
Just the facts, please! 
An American icon from 60s television, hard-boiled detective Joe Friday always insists on “just the facts”.

This week’s no-nonsense forecast:
Venus dances for Jupiter… will Jupiter respond?
Venus enters Cancer with Jupiter on 31 July. Jupiter is your highest intention; Venus is your love of comfort and pleasure. Who will win? The one you put most trust in, of course! Hint: Jupiter does well in Cancer and helps you triumph over adversity. Venus? Venus likes to compromise; in Cancer this does you no favours. Be watchful of sacrificing your integrity and higher goals for the need for human love and touch. 😉

Ongoing
Jupiter is your all-season pass
Jupiter in Cancer is primed to expand your inner wisdom. Through the summer of 2026, your highest possibility can be realised when you give yourself over to discovering your highest intention. No, it’s not easy — but it is essential for a joyful life.
Mercury Retrograde? Great!
July 18 thru August 11 Mercury goes retrograde in Leo. Mercury in Leo wants you to learn how to gauge people and situations accurately — does the potential in your head match with realistic possibility? Very possibly it does NOT, so step back, don your objectivity lab coat and look again. Now you’re ready to take action! 
Saturn Retrograde? No worries!
Saturn will be retrograde from now thru 28 November. This brings an opportunity to review your plans and fundamental vision; are they realistic? Practical? Supportive of where you want to go? In short, now’s the time to review, review, and review your plans. Tweak where necessary — abandon ship and climb aboard a more seaworthy option if the one you are on is sinking.
Uranus in Gemini!
Uranus entered Gemini for four months. Uranus is is your authentic nature crying to be unchained. If you are struggling, it simply means you are not honouring your authenticity. You are living a lie and Uranus wants to put an end to your falsehoods and pretence. Let it point the way.

Quick World View
Donald Trump and his administration have a string of victories around the world that is making lots of people nervous, especially those who have a vested interest to see him fail. Such people want more wars and more division because that is how they maintain power. Jupiter in Cancer promotes honesty, fairness, and the rule of law, and helps bring justice to those who have been practicing corruption at the highest levels. Perhaps it’s time we all gave Trump a second look and resist branding him a bigot and buffoon because nervous people say it to be true. Jupiter in Cancer is a boon for Trump; not so much for the wicked. 😉

Hint: If you have trouble believing Trump (or any politician) is up to any good, lean on your Jupiter’s Joy. Jupiter in Cancer can give one a powerful ability to “see” — when looking through joy tinted glasses, the world suddenly reveals its mysteries. 

“The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exist.” — Hannah Arendt in her 1951 work, The Origins of Totalitarianism.

Dear wonderful neighbour and fellow traveller;

Jupiter is in Cancer and this means enormous possibility, but only if we resist the allure of the external world (Venus and Mercury) and allow our highest good to show us the way forward… Jupiter in Cancer means Joy, and it is Joy that leads with Love…

Each week, I never know what this newsletter will become until I sit down and write, usually the weekend just before the Monday it arrives in your inbox. At times, inspiration comes from a simple observation experienced in daily life, or a headline from the news. For this issue, believe it or not, I searched for images that matched the phrase people as lemmings. 😁  However, instead of lemmings, I somehow found the wonderful photo of the little girl bringing joy to the world in her own way and my theme for the week…

Economic elites and powerful groups have attempted to reshape society to fit their worldview since Day One. Today, they seek to mould us common folk into ‘good people’ primarily through over-reaching legislation and organised education: you WILL be good — or else! To this end, the UK has recently been standing front and centre. Hate crime laws are being enforced that give grandmothers multi-year prison sentences for losing their cool on social media, private schools are being taxed out of existence, and 16-yr-olds have been given the right to vote in national elections even though they have been deemed unfit to get a driving license until aged 17 or buy alcohol or cigarettes or be drafted into the army until 18.

Such “good” is not for any real good, but to acquire and maintain a grip on power. Vaguely worded hate crime laws are a convenient way to censor public opinion, dissuade debate, and discourage dissent. Private education is a threat to the “company view”, and allowing 16-yr olds the right to vote is a simple and inexpensive means to expand an impressionable voting base. These are not done in the interests of society, but to ensure the powerful and rich remain in power.

Yet, we remain largely silent. Why?

Neil Postman (1931 — 2003), a cultural critic who warned against our increasing reliance on technology to make us happy, wrote “We were keeping our eye on 1984. When the year came and the prophecy didn’t, thoughtful Americans sang softly in praise of themselves. The roots of liberal democracy had held. Wherever else the terror had happened, we, at least, had not been visited by Orwellian nightmares.

But we had forgotten that alongside Orwell’s dark vision, there was another – slightly older, slightly less well known, equally chilling: Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing. Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley’s vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.

How many of us will rock the boat that feeds our hunger for happiness? J.D. Salinger, author of Catcher in the Rye, the quintessential novel of teenage angst and loss of innocence, wrote in Nine Stories: “The fact is always obvious much too late, but the most singular difference between happiness and joy is that happiness is a solid and joy a liquid.” Happiness arises from the pursuit of form; joy is an intrinsic part of our nature and takes the form we give it.

In 2015, I took an advanced 4-day, 3-night residential programme with Sadhguru at his ashram in Tennessee. At the end of this incredibly profound retreat, I walked to a pond to sit with myself and reflect on the previous days. It was a sunny afternoon and I noticed the clouds and the surrounding pines reflected in the still pond. As I sat, a comforting wave from an all-encompassing Perfection washed over me and I experienced myself in perfect harmony with the world around me. In this state, there was nothing to change, nothing to do, or think; there was simply the experience of perfection, not as I thought it to be, but as it was, exactly as it was: the trees, the pond, the dragon flies that danced among the lilies, and the small fish I could see just below the water’s edge. Most of all, I was a part of this perfection. Perfection, I discovered, is a state of mind.

Does the world need changing? Perhaps. Perhaps we will all hold up signs and march in unison along the boulevard. Perhaps we will be compelled to glue ourselves to a work of art, or admonish a Holocaust survivor for being Jewish. Or maybe, just maybe, we will understand that our limited perspective is what drives the world’s problems. Stuck in the pursuit of happiness, we have forgotten to simply be joyful…

I encourage all of us to step back from our political party, our social circle, even our family and friends, and certainly our knee-jerk reactions conditioned upon past trauma. There is only one way to do this: be joyful. Let happiness come and go as it may, but let us discover the state of joy within. We may indeed change the world, but not because it needs to change. We will change the world because Joy and Love and Compassion compel us to do so.

This year, Jupiter in Cancer invites you to discover your Joy.

 🤗

David 🔆

astrologyofjoy.com


In this issue:

• Weekly Planning Forecast
• Astrology of Now: The Shadow Mind
• Hero’s Journey: Free App

Shadow Mind Special! Want to know the potential and possibility of Uranus, your “personal authenticity meter”? Contact me here.  £45/hr online

Peace through Strength and Strength through Peace
Issue 27 Volume 8          30 June 2025

The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realise their relationship, their oneness, with the universe and all its powers, and when they realise that at the centre of the universe dwells Wakan-Tanka (Great Spirit), and that this centre is really everywhere, it is within each of us. This is the real peace, and the others are but reflections of this. The second peace is that which is made between two individuals, and the third is that which is made between two nations. But above all you should understand that there can never be peace between nations until there is known that true peace, which, as I have often said, is within the souls of men.
~ Black Elk (1863 – 1950) a medicine/holy man of the Oglala Lakota Sioux; best known for his conversations with poet John Neihardt who published these in Black Elk Speaks  (ed. 2008).

Astrology Monday:
Just the facts, please! 
An American icon from 60s television, hard-boiled detective Joe Friday always insists on “just the facts”.

This week’s no-nonsense forecast:
A Time for Good
Today, the Moon’s influence on Mars helps you direct your attention towards doing good. This will help offset any feelings of helplessness or futility that can follow Mars into Virgo. Tomorrow, the Moon will conjunct Ketu, the South Node, offering profound insights into what this good can look like. Nip feelings of “the blues” by remaining focused on providing emotional comfort to others.
Relationship Boon
Shifting perspectives in relationships come through unexpected meetings and situations. Venus conjunct Uranus is a boon for those who want answers; not so much for those who fear change. 
Next Week
Uranus enters Gemini, significant since Uranus is slow moving. This is a four month taster as Uranus will retrograde back into Taurus for several months. Uranus seeks authenticity in what we desire. Expect a very GOOD stirring of your innermost desires. What surfaces will be real. Whatever sinks to the bottom of the pot, let it stay there. 😉

Ongoing
Feel like a King?
The Sun-Jupiter conjunction is a powerful combination when you can make great strides towards embracing your authentic nature. The Sun is your King and Jupiter your wise prime minister. Together they create amazing opportunity. This is particularly helpful if you want to launch a new project or path, and especially true for matters relating to home or home business, education, family, and real estate ventures. This combo helps you take the lead and assume roles of authority, but with the wisdom of compassion. In the Aditya of Indra, this time can help you overcome long-term obstacles.
Strengthen your foundation!
Saturn in Aries is a bit like a ship at sea taking on water during a storm. Knowing what to keep and what to throw overboard can be confusing. Seek a safe harbour through the healthy masculine (authenticity and generosity). Act on your loftiest goals and activate your heart chakra through nature, song, art, and devotion. This is not the time for sensuality and sense gratification, but for sensible action and sensitivity.

Quick World View
When Uranus moves into Gemini next week, the world gets shaken, not stirred. What, you say? More shaking? Truth be told, Uranus indicates revolution. Expect more surprises. 😊

Whatever competence, capabilities, and genius we may have, all of it is meaningful only when there is balance. Without balance, your strength, your intelligence, your genius, and skills will turn against you.
~ Sadhguru yogi, mystic, NYT bestselling author

Dear wonderful neighbour and fellow traveller;

What is strength? 

As a young man, I studied martial arts with Master Wonik Yi who was raised in the Shaolin Temple in Korea during a time of great political unrest. He was an amazing soul who always ended each class with either an episode from the tales of Buddha or a story from his own life which was filled with many extraordinary experiences.

One day after teaching a martial arts class at the University of Texas, he was approached by two very large University of Texas (American) football players in the parking lot. Seeing him in his all-black martial arts garb, they immediately began to tease him calling him Bruce Lee and imitating martial arts moves in a belittling manner. The joking quickly became threatening and they asked him if he thought he could best either of them in a fight. How did Master Yi respond?

First, understand that Master Yi was (is) a master of martial arts. He had already won the world championships in Korea in the unlimited weight category where any blow was legal except to the groin or the eyes and where matches lasted seconds and not minutes. Yet, it was the Buddha’s teachings espoused by the Shaolin Monks and not their fighting ability that defined Master Yi’s character. With great humility, he spoke compassionately to the football players and assured them that he was no match for them. With no place to hang their deep insecurity, the football players went on their way. 

Strength… Strength is not something with which you crown yourself, though others may see you as strong. Real strength is like a shadow you do not see that follows you because you face the light. It is simply a part of who you are because you live in that light. In such a strength, there is utmost humility. There is no need to advertise what you have accomplished because in the depths of your understanding, you experience yourself as a piece of the whole and as a piece of the whole, there is no limit to what you can do. In real strength, there is real humility.

Peace through strength and strength through peace — in reality, it is a never ending road that travels in both directions. All we need do is hitch a ride with those who know and in the end, we’ll experience both peace and strength not as some catchy definition, but as a living reality.

 🤗

David 🔆

astrologyofjoy.com


In this issue:

• Weekly Planning Forecast
• Practical Matters
• Hero’s Journey: Free App

Sadhu Special! If you would like to know your underlying qualities that can help propel you to new spiritual heights, contact me here.  £45/hr online.

Of What is Our Children’s Houses Made?
Issue 26 Volume 8          23 June 2025

You can’t legislate love… It starts in the home. If the father is not in the home, the boy will find a father in the streets. I saw it in my generation and every generation before me, and every one since… If the streets raise you, then the judge becomes your mother and prison becomes your home…  I’m a parent. I think we’re responsible for the problems that young people have. I believe that. I don’t blame them for any of it. I blame us for what we haven’t done as mothers and fathers, not sticking together as a unit.
~ Denzel Washington, actor, director, motivational speaker, and 2x Oscar winner

Astrology Monday:
Just the facts, please! 
An American icon from 60s television, hard-boiled detective Joe Friday always insists on “just the facts”.

This week’s no-nonsense forecast:
Feel like a King?
The Sun-Jupiter conjunction is a powerful combination when you can make great strides towards embracing your authentic nature. The Sun is your King and Jupiter your wise prime minister. Together they create amazing opportunity. This is particularly helpful if you want to launch a new project or path, and especially true for matters relating to home or home business, education, family, and real estate ventures. This combo helps you take the lead and assume roles of authority, but with the wisdom of compassion. In the Aditya of Indra, this time can help you overcome long-term obstacles.
Strengthen your foundation!
Saturn in Aries is a bit like a ship at sea taking on water during a storm. Knowing what to keep and what to throw overboard can be confusing. Seek a safe harbour through the healthy masculine (authenticity and generosity). Act on your loftiest goals and activate your heart chakra through nature, song, art, and devotion. This is not the time for sensuality and sense gratification, but for sensible action and sensitivity.

Quick World View
The world gets some reprieve with a helpful Sun and Jupiter. The farther we move out of Saturn’s influence, the more likely the Sun and Jupiter can bring relief and benefit through better leadership and guidance. 😊

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.

Dear wonderful neighbour and fellow traveller;

Children are the future. Are we doing enough to ensure their future is bright with possibility and overflowing with opportunity?

For at least a decade, I have told anyone who would listen that we must do better for our children. As a society, we have an obligation and a responsibility to hand off a world at least as healthy and prosperous as the one we received from our parents. Yet, this is the low bar; why not hand off a world better than the one we received?

Every other generation has done so. Unfortunately, we are failing to even maintain what we received. Consider this: millennials are 50% less likely to own a home than their Baby Boomer parents and when they do, they are paying nearly double. They have 300% more school debt from ballooning tuition fees that have increased by as much as 310%. More millennials live with their parents than not and delayed marriage and child rearing is the norm. And what of Gen Zers, those born between 1996 and 2010, who are in the early stages of their adult journey? They have 86% less purchasing power than Baby Boomers did in their twenties. Something is rotten and it’s not just in Denmark. 😉

There are many reasons for this travesty: stagnant wage growth overwhelmed by a spiralling cost of living, increased financial burdens related to student debt and essential services like healthcare, energy, and transportation. These contribute to a widening gap between rich and poor reducing investment opportunities for a disappearing middle class. As the saying goes, you have to have money to make money.

As an archaeologist-astrologer examining global trends, I have been struck by the steady erosion of fundamental principles crucial to both prosperity and emotional wellbeing. Seeking progress is natural to being human, but too often we sacrifice sound concepts that have worked since forever for progressive ideologies that put personal perspective and virtue signalling above universal truth. Narcissistic compassion is still narcissistic. 

Two days ago while discussing with me the state of the world, a politically liberal young woman of Gen Z shared how no one she knows in her extended circle of liberal-minded friends and acquaintances shares the extreme views so commonly expressed in mainstream media. For example, she knows of no one who supports wide open borders, transsexual surgery for minors, or abortion up to birth (recently decriminalised in the UK). What she does support is a world where everyone gets a fair chance to live as they wish without fear and uncertainty, a world where people treat each other with respect and dignity.

I believe her words hint at the root of the discord and division we experience in today’s world. I believe that most people do not live in the extremes of right or left, but are somewhere closer to the middle. It is in the middle where constructive dialogue and opposing views find fertile ground for compromise. It matters not that one is right or left, but that each is allowed to think independently.

As mentioned in this newsletter a zillion times for the past year, Saturn is debilitated in Aries for the next three years. Saturn is the ground upon which you have built your house. Is it on rock or is it on sand? Will your house fall down like that of the two little pigs whose houses were obliterated by the big bad wolf of karma or will it stand strong like that of the third little pig whose house was made of self-effort and discipline?

Let’s teach our children to build a house of effort and self-discipline. And if karma becomes too great, they will find strength in humility. And if it becomes greater still, we can always teach them to dance. You can’t legislate love… but you teach them to dance!

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance…dance!
~ I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack (lyrics by Mark Sanders and Tia Sillers; 2000)

 🤗

David 🔆

astrologyofjoy.com


In this issue:

• Weekly Planning Forecast
• Astrology of Now
• Hero’s Journey: Free App

Saturn Special! If you would like to know the potential and possibility of your personal Boundary Buster for the next 3 years, contact me here.  £45/hr online