PREVIOUS THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY August 26 2013 to September 1 2013 Monday August 26 Flip Charting Earlier this month, I appealed for help with my quest to pinpoint precise dates when the Sun's magnetic poles have flipped in recent years. Several people have been kind enough to pass me weblinks but, though I have diligently followed and studied these, I am little the wiser. There's no definitive way to measure the pattern and thus little on which an astrologer can base predictions. One expert says the magnetic field can flip at intervals between 9 and 11, 12 or even 13 years. He has checked recent data and is reluctant to predict when the next will occur. Tuesday August 27 Spot Checks Astrologers can make predictions, partly because we always know exactly where the Sun, the Moon or the planets will be in the sky at any point in the future and precisely where they were in the past. We can't yet use solar phenomena to make similar predictions. Though sunspots also appear to follow a cyclical pattern (hitting maximums and minimums at intervals of roughly eleven years) these rhythms are subject to as yet unexplained variations. And the science behind those periodic flips in solar magnetism is also, so far, too sketchy to form the basis of an esoteric art! Wednesday August 28 Pole Position Several readers have responded to my recent coverage of the solar magnetic pole shift by describing patterns in their lives that seem to repeat every 11 years. But I mentioned this figure only because I was drawing on a news report that quoted this 'average interval'. It can, I now discover, be a couple of years longer or shorter. I need to study more before I base predictions on this phenomenon, especially as there are already several other 11-year cycles in astrology which affect us all, including the quarter points in the synodic period of Saturn and Uranus. Thursday August 29 Mysterious Ness I've spent the last few days visiting Loch Ness in search of ancient stone circles. As I've never been here before, I couldn't resist going out on the water in search of mysterious creatures. The most other-worldly thing I have to report so far is a distinct magical atmosphere by the water. Later, when we went to Ullapool, on our way to the Isle of Lewis, my daughter saw a seal diving as it swam through the harbour. 'Maybe that's what the monster is,' she said. But I'm not keen to dismiss a historic, exciting legend so swiftly! Friday August 30 Anxiety Attack We remain in the midst of a series of seven squares between Uranus and Pluto. The fourth in the sequence becomes exact on November 1st but these are slow moving celestial bodies and to all intents and purposes, the next right angle is happening now. Pluto may no longer seem so important to astronomers but it is still astrology's most reliable indicator of mass hysteria. Uranus long ago earned its reputation as a symbol of sudden change. Nothing in this alignment insists on escalating global conflict. But it all suggests a wave of ultimately unfounded anxiety sweeping across the globe. Saturday August 31 Your September Monthly Forecast September brings the annual conjunction of Venus and Saturn. This is often seen as an auspicious indication for those who seek commitment in relationships. Venus represents love, Saturn symbolises structure. Many astrologers would recommend this month as good for marriage ceremonies. Creative, artistic and inventive people may also benefit from the celestial suggestion, from the same planetary pairing, that 'form can be given to theory'. Also this month comes a sharp angle from Mars to Pluto. That's bad news for anyone who has recently felt inclined to pick fights. They are more likely to hurt themselves than anyone else! Sunday September 1 Week Ahead - Love Focus Remember, your Love Forecast today doesn't just cover romance. A love forecast may also have something to say about your family life, your closest friendships and even some of your most important working relationships. Back to Index   Click here for Jonathan Cainer's Daily Zodiac Forecasts