Halloween (Samhain) is in the rear view mirror as time seems to be bolting along… Before us we have ‘the month of the ancestors’ where we may feel the breath of the Gone Befores at our cheek. I love the drawing in of the evenings, some how the dark has a distinct quality at this time of year, enveloping and private.
This, of course, in stark contrast to the brightness and blessings of the Yuletide season that beckon from just around the corner. Communion with loved ones, excitement for the little people (in all of us), plans, food, exchanges of greetings and gifts. It is a season with mixed reviews but also a time for renewing a sense of hope as the Dark finds its longest night and we are slowly but surely ushered into another turn of the wheel, a cycle of renewal and faith.
This Yuletide/Christmas/Hannukah, share the gift of personalised insight, vision and opportunity with your loved ones. An astrology gift certificate provides a doorway to the Soul, revealing our essential nature and our strength and foibles, dreams and mission.
A reading consists of an hour long recorded astrological interpretation and includes a copy of the Natal chart.
Contact: info@marlowpurves.net.
Order before December 1, 2025 and receive a 20% discount on a natal chart reading. Type HOHOHO25 in the title.
And all of a sudden… it’s Autumn! or well, almost… It’s definitely Virgo season though and there is generally a feeling of rolling up the sleeves! It’s time for a change of pace, something new… people, ideas, skills?
You are SO MUCH MORE than your Sun Sign!
I am looking forward to starting afresh with a new class and sharing my passion for astrology with We are Stardust. In the six week series, we explore a bit of the background of the ancient art and then really look ‘under the hood’ to get to grips with the mechanics of the zodiac.
The aim is for you to be able to look at an astrology chart and learn to interpret its unique story. We ALL have a story to tell, one that has a clear beginning and an unfolding narrative that lasts a lifetime.
Over successive weeks we will explore the various elements of the chart, the planets, signs, houses and aspects (each with a story of their own) and thus build a complete picture of your chart when you will begin analysing or ‘reading’ it.
Come and see for yourself!
Commencing September 23
Book before September 15 and receive a FREE 20 min. taster reading of your chart.
We’ve seen the Summer Solstice, the longest day, come to its zenith over the past weekend. Solstice means ‘sun standing still’. In June, here in the northern hemisphere, we enjoy the longest days before tipping into the inevitability of declining light. Though we often conflate Solstice with Midsummer they are, in fact, different days and serve to ‘bookend’ the stillness between the tangible effects of the lengthening and the shortening of sunlight hours.
There are four days between the Solstice (0 degrees of Cancer) and Midsummer. Solstice is associated with the Alchemical Marriage or Hieros Gamos. At this time we are offered an invitation to be still, a kind of cosmic ‘Pause’ button. Shakespeare took full advantage of the languorous liminal time to enchant us with the story of lovers, magic and deception invariably resulting in union and re-union.
Today, Midsummer, is doubly interesting, as it not only marks the ‘end of the enchantment’ but (this year) also coincides with the ignition provided by the New Moon. A new moon marks the very beginning of a new cycle, occurs when the Sun and Moon occupy the same degree of the zodiac. We are awakened from our sleep into the emergence of a new dream, new possibilities…
With an astrological eye we examine the placement of all the planets at the new moon to glimpse the flavour of the upcoming weeks, a kind of snapshot of the energies at play in the world. As this new moon falls in the sign of Cancer, a focus on home, family, nurture, fun, security and protection is likely to occupy our thoughts.
Cancer, being the first of the water signs, means that our intuitive nature will never be far from our awareness, so finding a way to acknowledge our emotions without being swept away by them is going to be particularly important, as there is a great deal of tumult and change occurring in the world right now. This particular moon is an encouragement for us to turn within and to honour our feeling nature while taking care not to get caught up in external events. It is not a passive phase, on the contrary, Cancer heralds a time of active introspection and recharging.
If you are interested in learning more about astrology and how it can inform your world every month, please join me for Stardust – An Introduction to Astrology – an Online course.
Commencing Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025
Six sessions of two hours+ each, during which we will cover the History of Astrology, Planets, Signs, Houses and Aspects, the building blocks of an astrology chart.
Sessions are live and will be recorded to ensure an interactive experience.
Each participant will receive a copy of their birth chart to use as a platform for the course.
There is also an opportunity to join an ongoing group (online) as part of developing community that will extend beyond the course.
Cost is £250 (Early Bird Price £225 before August 23 – New Moon in Virgo!)
Ultimate, NOT best, but because it is the fourth and final element in the creative ‘wave’ of expression of Life. It is the element of connection, where Air is that which passes between, water permeates, dissolves and merges what is with what is not. Commonly associated with emotion, it is ephemeral and changing while its currents can guide the ship. Our emotions in-form us, sometimes subtly as intuition and sometimes… more akin to a tsunami. The key here, is IN-form, water is the major constituent of our bodies, our intuition (inner teaching) comes from the connection through the water element.
In its the capacity to nurture life, dissolve mountains, and connect people, water is unbounded and can flow around or dissolve obstacles. Water is also arguably, the most sensitive element of the zodiac, feeling the slightest of changes and registering them in the emotional scape.
Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces – Connectedness, Feeling and Dissolving
CANCER – Relation
Cancer, with the symbol of the crab is a creature that lives on the margins, between earth and water. Defined by its shell, boundaried and given shape, the soft tissue within is forever defined by its relation to the other, its shell. In this case, with the Moon as its ruler, Cancer is in constant orbit around the M-other. Subject to the tides and the swells, Cancer is eternally in motion filling and emptying. Pinchers for defense offer protection but also allude to the tenacious ‘holding’ quality of Cancer, holding on to emotions, moods or relationships. In contrast to the flighty energy of Gemini, a seismic shift happens as Cancer pulls us down and into the experience of emotional foundations. These connections are made intuitively not intellectually. Family, belonging, nurture, care, s-mothering, this is the ‘child’ of the zodiac, vulnerable, demanding, playful, charming – and a veritable genius of invention with an eye to the wonder of novelty.
The glyph for Cancer is made of two curving lines, leaning into one another, cradling and contained in a circle of enclosure and intimacy. Cancer is often concerned with security, in a different way than Taurus, where the concern is material security, but more in an emotional sense. There can be a slamming of doors if the family or inner circle is threatened in any way… in a darker sense, clannishness or Mafia comes to mind. Caution is a by-word for the Crab and they can slip into hypersensitivity and moodiness if they aren’t able to find time to recharge their emotional batteries with solitude and dreaming.
Cancer is a deeply caring character, first and foremost.
SCORPIO– Feeling
Arguably the most feared or ‘slated’ sign of the Zodiac, Scorpio is definitely the deepest . It finds its placement following Libra and the airy Scales of Justice, if Libra is the impartial judge, Scorpio metes out the punishment. There are three elements to the symbolism of Scorpio.
Fundamentally a feminine archetype, it contains the Scorpion with its capacity to sting and kill, the Snake that is associated with death, sexuality and transformation and ultimately, in its most exalted expression, the Eagle, flying above the fray, poised and able to hunt with surgical precision. Whatever the circumstances, Scorpio has links to the deepest well of experience and intuition and is exquisitely tuned to the slightest sense of threat. Not known for a forgiving nature, “once bitten… you’re dead”, Scorpio can appear calm and impassive (even cold or calcutlawhile experiencing a maelstrom of intensity beneath the surface. This is the sign of sex, death and plumbing the depths. The extraordinary tuning to the emotional currents enable them to make calculated decisions that seem uncannily accurate. Sex and death are doorways to another world/consciousness and Scorpio is able to navigate the darker sides of human nature without flinching. The up-side of Scorpio is their capacity to ‘hold’ these intense aspects of human nature and are thus make EXCELLENT guides as psychotherapists. This gift is not coming from a place of study and intellect but rather a deeply felt sense of their own pain and vulnerability, they KNOW the terrain.
Loyal, driven and possessive, Scorpio enjoys the dual rulership of Mars and Pluto. Magnetic, passionate sometimes vengeful and suspicious. Scorpio marks the turning point in the zodiac, it is the descent into the Underworld, the annihilation of Ego.
PISCES – Undoing
The expression ‘slippery fish’ was invented for Pisces. The symbol of two fishes, swimming in opposite directions – one toward matter and the other toward Spirit – tied together and thus in endless circling motion. Cancer provided the boundary with land/earth as the boundary for its emotional content, Scorpio is the deepest well, penetrating to the underworld and mystery, Pisces the last of the water signs and the last of the entire cycle of signs is WITHOUT bounds. It marks the dissolution of all that went before it and in so doing, contains ALL possibilities. Fishes are not aware of the water, it is their all, their medium. If we substitute water for emotions, then we begin to understand the conundrum of reality being the swell and the current of emotions where we cannot discern where we begin and the emotions end.
Some suggest that Pisces is not a water sign at all, but it is representative of The Fifth element – Ether – utterly other, utterly animating and invisible/insensible.
We assign Jupiter and Neptune joint rulers of this elusive sign. Jupiter traditionally as the archetype that links us to Spirituality and the world beyond expanding endlessly. Neptune brings in another quality, Lord of the Seas, it makes the link between the realm of Spirit and the connection with creativity, illusion, fantasy and dream. Pisces is an otherworldly sign indeed, often struggling with what it is to be in a human form, the sense of dislocation often leading to a keen sense of suffering and disorientation.
Suffering and victimhood, fantasist, addict, poet, visionary, dreamer, these are all aspects of Pisces, torn between the exquisite suffering felt and witnessed and the desire to escape and be relieved of the ongoing experience. The paths of compassion and forgiveness are ways of channeling the relentless buffeting of the world and art… poetry, music, colour and sound are means by which expression of the ineffable is made possible.
As there is no separation, no boundary with Pisces, they are often the conduits through which Spirit communicates… sometimes it’s genuine and sometimes it’s not. The fishes will often find themselves swimming with the current, moving in and out of illusion and revelation in equal measure.
The Piscean dissolution – undoing is the necessary precursor to Aries, Cardinal Fire.. initial spark and emergent identity.
Fire is the spark, the first differentiation, Earth is the formation of that spark, Air the idea that animates and communicates, Water… the infusion of soul through emotion. There is a development through each of the elemental expressions which demonstrates the extraordinary variety and nuance of Spiritual expression.
Air is the third of the elements in the series, it is ubiquitous… we depend on its existence and yet we can do nothing more than observe the secondary expression of it as evidence of its presence. All we have are words… to convey the essence of Air, the idea. What is being expressed in words is essentially intangible, ethereal, fleeting, abstract and precise; it is thought.
Ancient texts remind us that ‘In the beginning was the word…’, which is necessarily propelled by air, vibrating the tissue of the larynx. Before the formation of words was the idea… Air might be equated to ‘before the beginning.’
Air as breath, In-spirit-us, Inspiration and our direct communion with Spirit. Birds are commonly associated with Air, their feathers represent the effect of air and its possibilities, they are masters of the invisible realm and invite our imaginations to soar to the heights. Air IS the space between…
Gemini, Libra and Aquarius – Ideas, Connection and Abstraction
GEMINI (the first air sign), is synonymous with communication.
Ruled by Mercury, the God of Communication, Gemini possesses a multiplicity of gifts. Trickster and truth teller, mover between all the worlds, Gemini is a traveller and story teller, gathering, as a magpie, every idea without prejudice or loyalty, and then putting it down again! Following on from Taurus, the earthy representative of WHAT IS, Gemini introduces the possibility of WHAT IS AND WHAT IS NOT. The glyph is comprised of two parallel lines, joined at the top and the bottom and destined never to meet.
Associated with The Twins, this is the first symbol to introduce duality into consciousness, Shadow and Light. The constant exchange of ideas and perspective happens at lightening speed and as the two pillars cannot meet (they are fixed on parallel paths) in fact, ultimately Mercury’s realm is ‘the Space Between’. If we consider the anatomy of the brain with it’s left and right hemispheres, it is as if there is no bridge between the parts and so the messenger, Gemini, is dispatched to make the link.
Chatty, articulate, restless, impulsive, playful, intelligent, entertaining and charming Gemini is the ultimate social butterfly. Gemini is keen to explore and is a perennial gatherer of ideas, people, and experiences without the need to cling to any of them. They are orators of great persuasive power, politicians in every sense of the word!
Provocative, deceitful, mischievous and conniving ‘the game is the thing’ and so they are not to be depended upon. Seldom malicious there is a curious neutrality to Gemini.
A characteristic that is often overlooked with this fast-paced character is the silence. In contrast to the witty public persona, Gemini also has the capacity and, indeed, need to retreat to an inner world of silent contemplation and reception.
LIBRA
Following the discerning endeavours of Mercury in earthy Virgo, Libra develops the ‘idea’ and ‘exchange’ of Gemini’s communication to the contemplation of opposites and thus, the pursuit of balance. The wheat has been sorted from the chaff and divided, Libra now steps in to weigh the merits of each, one from the other. Just as the glyph for Gemini represents the eternal non-union of opposites, Libra is charged with the task of RELATING them to one another and the symbol for Libra turns the pillars of Gemini on their side conjuring a horizontal expression of exchange.
Venus as the ruler of Libra invites a different quality of expression than we saw in Taurus. She is now in her guise of relationship, mediating, managing, adjusting, tuning and refining any imbalance perceived in view of the duality revealed by Gemini, the first Air sign. She is the ‘voice’ of reason.
Libra also marks the first opposition of the zodiac, as it is placed directly across from Aries. The age old love tussle between action and relating, will and harmony is the hallmark of the Aries/Libra axis. It is the Equinox point, a time of balancing opposites. It is easy to mistake Libra’s dedication to bi-partisanship for indecisiveness. However, Libra is every bit as active as Aries insofar as she is constantly adjusting, refining and fine-tuning the dynamics of balance.
Pleasing, beautiful, gracious, balanced, refined and discriminating. Libra’s iteration of discrimination is not about discarding or rejecting (based on utility, as with Virgo) but seeking the counterpoint that contributes to representation of ‘the Whole’.
Argumentative and oppositional Libra can sometimes be seen to be contrarian though far from the desire to sow discord, Libra is passionate about BOTH sides being fairly represented. The symbol of The Scales is the only inanimate symbol in the zodiac which indicates the abstract, airy and dispassionate quality of Justice. FAIRNESS and reason are the by-words for Libra and she’ll fight to the death for it.
AQUARIUS
Aquarius is the final chapter in the story of Air. If Gemini is what went ‘before’, Libra is how to relate to what is ‘now’, then Aquarius is undoubtedly ushering in the future. It follows the ultimate realisation of earth (Capricorn) and tips us into ‘what is next?!’
Capricorn and Aquarius are both ruled by Saturn, but with a twist… Aquarius enjoys dual rulership including Uranus. If Saturn (in Capricorn) is about rules, boundaries, material evidence and authority imposed from above and without, Aquarius takes it to the next level by internalising the authority, emerging as an inner-orientation based upon principles and concepts rather than physical structures, tradition or force. Uranus, as a planet has a very eccentric elliptic, the irregularity of this path is a perfect allegory for the nature of Aquarius.
Distant, cool, dispassionate and seemingly at a remove from the drama of human existence (disconnected?), Aquarius can be inscrutable, sometimes cruel. Alien, Other, different and unpredictable there is a sense of rogue boundlessness to the sign of the Water Bearer. The symbol is sometimes misunderstood to signify that Aquarius is a water sign, in fact, the wave like symbol represents radio waves or frequency underscoring its capacity for instantaneous transmission. Air creates no impediment to movement and thoughts occur at lightening speed.
Aquarius has an innate ability to see the BIG PICTURE, unclouded by emotions, material concerns and passions. This perspective invites us to enlarge our perspective and to move into a kind of timeless space. Uranus, the ruling planet, is also known as the Great Awakener, and so with sudden flashes of insight and awareness, direct knowing is afforded, lending the label of Genius to the Water bearer. The all-inclusive nature of Aquarius extends to all that is, humanity and all of creation and the most treasured value is FREEDOM. The concept of what ispossible and thinking beyond what is known, the development of technology and space exploration are very much within the scope of Aquarius’ purview.
Air, the invisible link… free and unimpeded, unformed and abstract, ever present.
COMMUNITY NOTES! In keeping with the theme of The Space In Between, my friend and colleague is hosting a Summer Solstice Day Retreat
Honouring and celebrating the magic of Summer Solstice 2025 with Emma Kerr (Somatic movement), Lisa Sibley (Breathwork) and Marlow Purves (Astrology)
A day of Meditation, intention, ritual and deep relaxation with a Sound Bath to conclude.
Refreshments and lunch are included, all the be shared in the beautiful Anstey hall, Trumpington, Cambridge. Hope to see you there!!
Just as Fire inspires and ignites us, it can be fleeting and ephemeral. The paradox of nature allows us to flirt with impermanence with the rise and fall of form and substance. Earth is by definition – ‘soil, ground’ and it affords the eternal, ineffable Spirit to manifest.
Just as we explored the three expressions of the element of Fire, so do does Earth find its representation in a variety of ‘styles’. Our planet IS Earth, and as such, each of the earth signs have a particular appreciation
Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn – Tangible Expressions of the Intangible
TAURUS, the first of the Earth signs is the STOP! to Aries’ GO! Because Taurus is the second sign, it can serve to consider it in relation to the first, where Aries is bolting into identity and creation, Taurus is setting up shop, measuring the parameters and staking a claim. It’s all about consolidation, rooting, growing and sloooooooooooow motion.
Symbolised by ‘The Bull’, it has two horns and broad shoulders, fit for the purpose of creation, generative and balanced. In contrast to its fiery predecessor, Taurus is solid and often stolid and slow to rouse.
This unhurried pace has much to recommend it insofar as there is time to linger, to literally smell the roses and appreciate the lusciousness of life and promise of Spring. Sensually driven, Taurus revels in beauty (as it is Ruled by the Goddess of Beauty herself – Venus), comfort, good food and the natural world.
Typically conservative and measured in its approach, The Bull can seem immovable and obstinate when challenged or feeling uncertain. Better to hold one’s ground than to risk (<—- DANGER!) what is unknown… If threatened, Taurus is a formidable foe…powerful and determined, patient and unrelenting.
VIRGO – Like Taurus, follows a fire sign… but in this instance we see a development in form, of the creative impulse that is Leo. Virgo is the Queen of refinement, adjustment, precision and perfection. Where the glorious swathe of colour is splashed by the enthusiastic Lion, Virgo with its ability to understand ‘what works’ emerges, to adjust the shading and arc of the design.
Virgo, of all the signs, gets a bit of a bad rap. It is it symbolised by The Virgin and as such does not boast a glamorous, sexy kind of vibe. She is Mistress of teh Harvest and as such is responsible for sorting the wheat from the chaff. She is thoughtful and ruled, as she is, by Mercury is keen to understand and analyse. This iteration of ‘Earth’ signs is consumed with practical application and the drive for meticulous examination and perfecting the minutiae of form so that it may serve the larger vision or intention. Service is a key element in the understanding of Virgo.
One of the affinities of Virgo is a keen interest in health, hygiene and natural lifestyle. Again, earth… herbalism, homoeopathy, nutrition… These are all disciplines that illustrate the connection with Chiron (The Wounded Healer), the ‘other’ planetary ruler of Virgo.
When stressed, Virgo is very prone to stress because of their exquisite sensitivity, the default setting can be critical, perfectionistic and very tense.
CAPRICORN – The third and final development of the earth element by sign. Capricorn is the ultimate CEO. This is a sign that combines the innate practicality and no nonsense groundedness of the earth signs with POWER and ambition. Not content with smelling the roses and appreciating the bounty of nature, nor with the intensive scrutiny of detail, Capricorn wants to take charge and direct.
The symbol associated with Capricorn is the Fish Goat, an arcane and unlikely combination of a mountain goat, scaling the heights of mountains with surety and strength, with the tail of a fish extending down into the waters of the unconscious, drawing on the primordial intuition of the seas.
To ‘drill down’ into the symbol, the heights that Capricorn aspires to are informed by experience, and a formidable interest in proving ‘what is possible’. Magnificent strategists, they have an exalted view (informed by the idealism of Sagittarius) that enables them to orchestrate the unfolding vision. This is THE sign of achievement, because achievement is evidence, it is irrefutable proof of what might have been a dream. Reality actualised, proof of concept. These are ideas that perfectly echo the qualities of Saturn, Capricorn’s ruler.
Like the other earth signs, Capricorn can seem a somewhat sober sign, serious, focussed and dedicated. There is BUSINESS to attend to, dependable and thorough they can sometimes lose sight of the importance of emotional connection and might be accused of a lack of empathy.
Earth is the ballast, the embodiment of all that is desired with Fire. If Fire reaches UP, Earth grabs us by the ankles and demands that our feet stay connected to what is REAL and tangible. Earth is the matter of creation.
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