La Loge, Renoir. It’s April 1874 and Paris is laughing. A group of painters has had the audacity to exhibit their work outside the Salon – and it’s absolute rubbish: smeary, blurry, amateurish, trash.But by 1890, everything has changed. The revi…
Author: Christina
Mamma Mia: Queen of Pomegranates
Two temples to Hera at Paestum and one beautiful PersephoneA couple of weeks ago, I walked around the ancient city of Paestum under a bright, broiling southern Italian sun. It’s a beautiful place. Buttery yellow temple columns reach into a cerulean sky…
September Horoscopes
Painting by Grandma Moses (b. Sept 7 1860)Oh September. Golden light, ripe plums, a little tristesse for another summer gone.The general feeling of tension continues this month with the Uranus-Pluto square making another exact hit on September 19. This…
Monthly Horoscopes: August
August is looking kind of nice – considering the outer planetary stand-off between Uranus and Pluto which is making the whole summer a little tense.The month starts off on a quirky, good humoured note with an Aquarian Full Moon tickled pink by Jupite…
Olympics: Happy Shiny Pluto and Dippy Dotty Uranus
OK – I’m on holiday, but I was just popping by to update the horoscopes so I thought I’d briefly post on the Olympic Opening Ceremony – what a hoot!Have you ever wondered what the shiny, happy face of Pluto might be? If so, you might want to watch the …
Summer Holidays
Ciao ragazzi! The great golden god of the Zodiac has finally slipped into his own sign and it’s time for me (at least) to kick back and recharge the old batteries. Mentally, it’s been rather a frenzied few months. Astrologically there a…
Olympics: Looking Backward To See Forward
What with all those shiny bodies flinging themselves around giant stadiums filled with cheering crowds – the marching, the uniforms, the survival of the fittest, the faux-historical ceremonies – there’s always been more than a touch of fascism abou…
When The Past Comes To Life
Thomas Cromwell: fixer, strategist, statesman – Scorpio. Hans HolbeinKing Henry VIII – charmer, playboy, wife-killer and the first head of the Church of England – had an axe-man, Thomas Cromwell, whose job it was to facilitate the King’s desires
12 Questions From Mercury Rx in Leo
Freddie Mercury.Mercury, the trickster, lay down and took a nap in the Sun last week. Now he’s staggered to his feet and is laboriously retracing his steps through Leo. He’s a little dazed and confused poor fellow, asking this question: who am I?Mercur…
Vesta and the Olympic Flame
As you probably know, Oxford is a World Heritage Site. There’s Radcliffe Camera, the Sheldonian Theatre, Broad Street, St Giles… all beautiful, historic, and full of life, much used, much loved.Radcliffe Camera: probably one ofthe world’s most famous…