Friday May 10th 2002 - edited by Bernard Fitzwalter This week in Astro News: ~ Sexiest day in the heavens? ~ ~ AstroDiary ~ ~ Astrology & Fertility - Can you help with some research? ~ It's the sexiest day of the year in the heavens today as Venus and Mars finally meet in Gemini, having managed to get past Saturn and find a little space to themselves. The magic moment of conjunction is just before nine o'clock tonight, but I don't think minutes matter; something this good is worth taking time over, don't you think? You can see the pair of them just after sunset low in the west, but a better viewing day will be next Tuesday, when the crescent moon will be underneath them, making them easier to spot. So does this mean that all Geminis are about to be seduced? Not quite. For that to happen, you have to be born at that exact part of Gemini where the planets meet, which in this case means those born on June 9. Venus and Mars together is simply the mating call of the heavens. It announces new love and new life, and gives us all new hope. Coming now, in the spring, after such a dire winter, and while we're still struggling to leave Saturn and Pluto behind, it's the best thing we could wish for, and in a lively, talkative sign like Gemini it has a lovely fresh feel to it. Final thought: A friend remarked on how many children in her daughter's class have birthdays this week or next. It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that there was a Venus-Mars conjunction nine months before they were born, would it? Politics is going through one of its extreme phases – right-wingers active in France and at home, political assassination, and terrorism world-wide. It's all connected to the opposition of Saturn and Pluto. The colours representing the extremes of the political spectrum are red and black: but did you know that the planets have colours associated with them, too? Guess what the colours of Pluto and Saturn are? You've got it – red and black. AstroDiary Monday May 13: Astrological Lodge of London. Chris Korycinski – Music of the Spheres. Theosophical Society, 50 Gloucester Place, W1. 7pm. £5 (£3 members/conc.) Monday May 13: Northern Lights Astrology Society. Kathy Rowan-Drewitt – Planetary Cycles. Waterloo Hotel, Waterloo Rd, South Shore, Blackpool. 8pm. £2. (01253 402137) Saturday May 18: London School of Astrology. All-day seminar. Melanie Reinhart – Astrology & the Chakras. £40. Holloway Road (advance bookings only: 0700 233 44 55). 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 on the Archive Thought for the Day link in the left hand frame.