This morning I experienced another serendipitous moment when I happened upon the concept of the solar feminine. I’ve been interested in mythology and astrology for years and hadn’t come across this before - after all, the sun is traditionally viewed as masculine and the moon feminine.

So what does it mean? According to a quick Google search, the solar feminine is “creative, passionate, focused, pulsating and radiant feminine energy” - the sort of energy that is fuelled by compassion and purpose and creates powerful positive change. This is the sort of energy the Dalai Lama was referring to when he said “the Western woman will save the world”.

I love this story. After all, we are still witnessing the damage done to the planet by an unfettered solar masculine (radical misuse of fire through war and the burning of fossil fuels, among other things), so perhaps it’s time to balance it out with the three Cs of solar feminine energy - creativity, collaboration, compassion.

According to cutting-edge astrologers Adam Gainsburg and Eric Francis, the Venus transit of the Sun, which takes place on June 5, is “a moment when the world will see Venus not as a bright feature of the night world, but as a celestial feature visible in the light of day”. This rare astronomical event, they say, heralds the emergence of the solar feminine.

Venus is our most recognisable symbol of feminine energy in both its light and dark forms but there were some pretty kick-ass solar goddesses in antiquity. I particularly like the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet, whose name is translated as “the powerful one” and is often depicted as a lion-headed woman with a sun disc on her head. She was associated with the fierce heat of the midday sun and like many goddesses was seen as both the giver and destroyer of life.

In her warrior mode, she went on a rampage and nearly destroyed all of humanity, but she was also a goddess of healing. Hopefully the new solar feminine won’t have quite such a lust for blood.

This is the thing, though, about solar energy as opposed to lunar: it is all about being seen in the world. So now I’m thinking about the best ways to embody this new solar feminine energy. It’s got to be time for women to shine.

Here are some of my favourite images of the stunning Venus/Jupiter conjunction currently visible in the night sky. The main photograph was taken by Polish photographer Marek Nikodem in Szobin, Poland, on March 12. “They are like lanterns illuminating the darkness,” he said. “It’s a wonderful sight.”

In astrology, Venus and Jupiter are the benefic planets - they tend to be a positive, constructive influence and thus can be viewed as a good sign! You could say that, quite literally, optimism is in the air right now.

The two planets are conjoining in Taurus, which is the zodiac sign ruled by Venus. To astrologers, this means that Venus is at her strongest and her energy is being amplified by Jupiter. As Venus is the goddess of love, this is the time to appreciate beauty and open your heart to give and receive love. 

This is also a great time to be creative - to write, paint, draw, sculpt, craft, make music, whatever stirs your soul - and to reconnect to the earth, which is getting easier now that spring is almost here.

Venus also governs money, so cultivating a healthy relationship with your bank balance is a good move right now. Being grateful for what you’ve got will set the tone for abundance.

Rather than overindulging yourself, which is one of the negative manifestations of Venus and Jupiter, pay attention to whatever gives your life meaning and substance. Give to charity, give freely of your time and energy, be emotionally generous.

Then go out tonight, look at the sky and be in awe of those lanterns illuminating the darkness.

I jumped straight into March yesterday in the spirit of the god Mars, after which the month was named. By being fierce, and by taking a leap of faith.

On the spur of the moment, I volunteered to give a five-minute talk at an event taking place at the end of the month. I have only a sketchy idea of what I’d be talking about, and I’ve never given a talk before, but I felt the frisson of fear and did it anyway. 

I’ve no idea if I’ll be accepted, and if I am I’ll be terrified all over again, but a voice in my head just said - leap. Do it. Seize the opportunity. Carpe diem, and all that.

Standing up in front of a group of people and speaking my truth is way out of my comfort zone. But if I want to go where the magic happens, that’s what I have to do.

Welcome to the month of Mars. He is, of course, the Roman god of war - and in astrology he is the planet of energy, action and desire. When the energy of Mars is upon us, we are direct, adventurous, driven, assertive and forthright. But if we’re acting out negatively, we can be rash, aggressive, impatient and forceful. 

March was named in honour of Mars by the Romans because our third month used to be their first, and marked a recommencement of battle. So it’s a good time to fight the good fight - but make sure you engage your brain and your inner wisdom before you make your move. Don’t be the fool that rushed in, be the wise one who chose the right course of action.

This month, the planet Neptune moved into the sign of Pisces, where it will stay for the next 13 years. The significance of this will not be lost on anyone who is interested in astrology - as I have been for many years.

If you are receptive to the language, astrologers have demonstrated time and again  that the movement of the outer planets affects us all, and when they change sign it heralds a shift on the collective level.

So what does Neptune moving into Pisces mean? It could manifest in any number of ways, from the highest to the lowest vibration, but most importantly, Neptune is now in the sign of its rulership, thus it is able to express itself in the most powerful way.

Neptune’s shadow can lead us into delusion, deception, drugs and depression. But on the positive side, the highest manifestation of Neptune in Pisces is all about compassion, altruism, unity and oneness - about everyone waking up and realising that we are all connected, so we’d better start pulling together

Human beings have a deep need for connection. Even the gaze of a complete stranger makes us feel more connected. When a stranger passes you by without acknowledging you, you feel more disconnected. It hurts.

Feeling connected doesn’t only make you happier, it can add years to your life. The need to belong is so strong that it may not make a difference which group you belong to as long as you do belong.

Even though there has been much jeering from the mainstream media about “virtual friends”, social media has been very effective in connecting people. But now it’s time to connect on a much deeper level than “likes” and “LOLs”.

It’s time to reach out to people in the physical world and act with compassion, especially to the needy and underprivileged. It’s time to recognise how similar we are, rather than fixating on minor differences.

Neptune in Pisces is simply a metaphor that represents a new age of compassion and understanding - no less than a spiritual renaissance. Let’s hope we make it real this time and don’t get stuck in a dream like we did in the Sixties…

Peace and love, man!

How do I know it will be exceptional? Because it’s Olympics year, it’s the Queen’s Golden Jubilee year, it’s a leap year, it’s the Year of the Dragon, it’s the end of the Mayan Calendar year, it’s the year of some extraordinary astrology, it’s the year I’m going to become a full-time human potential coach, it’s the year I hit the midpoint of my 50s. More of all that in later posts.

However, first things first. My pearl for 01/01/12 is this - my favourite quote from one of my all-time favourite films, Field of Dreams: “If you build it, they will come.”

OK, on the surface the movie was about Kevin Costner hearing voices which told him to build a baseball pitch. But it’s so much more than that. It’s about paying attention to the whispers, the little voices that speak to you about your heart’s vision - however foolish or over-the-top they may sound.

So if you have a project in mind for this year and the loud voices in your head (a gang of thugs with members such as the Inner Critic, the Perfectionist, the Pusher, the Controller, the Realist and the Protestant Work Ethic) are telling you it’s a waste of time, that you’ll fail, it’s pointless, who are you to be doing this, no one will be interested anyway - stick with the still, small voice of your intuition and quietly prepare the ground. If you create good, solid foundations then whoever “they” are, they will come, because the project will be managed by your authentic self. And you couldn’t find a better gaffer than that.