tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48248218034967778472024-03-12T19:25:57.578-07:00Astro-PolA fresh progressive perspective on politics based
on universal concepts, including planetary and
historical cycles, and the principles of the I Ching.Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-46449013376314191292009-08-27T17:45:00.000-07:002009-08-27T17:48:41.392-07:00Obama Inspires Baby Names, But Perhaps Not Babies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SpcpMm7q5pI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/n3_wsdLpocY/s1600-h/obama_wins.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 253px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SpcpMm7q5pI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/n3_wsdLpocY/s320/obama_wins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374809976875968146" border="0" /></a><br />by Terry Lamb<br /><br />August 27, 2009<br /><br />If you recall, I reported last November on the possibility that an Obama baby boomlet could occur in August (this month). It’s time to report on whether that actually occurred.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-talk-obama-baby-boomaug11,0,1797240.story">Chicago Tribune</a> reports that, “In Chicago, ground zero for Obama's election celebration, area hospitals confirm that they have not seen a noticeable surge in births.” However, one medical center did report that “nurses were unusually busy” (presumably in the birth center).<br /><br />Speculation has it that births are more planned and managed in modern society than they were at the time of the baby boomlet that Obama was a part of. If you recall, about 40 weeks before his birth was the election of JFK.<br /><br />The Trib goes on, “Though his election apparently did not spawn a generation of Obama babies, the president may be tickled to know he has inspired a generation of baby names.” Barack has skyrocketed up the list of the most registered baby names since the time of Obama’s election campaign, from 12,535th to 2,409th.<br /><br />© Terry Lamb<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-86617177427690431012009-08-03T14:48:00.000-07:002009-08-03T14:54:46.685-07:00President Obama’s Litmus Test: Healthcare Reform and the Planets of August<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SndcTL7tsYI/AAAAAAAAAJs/r1Vfb8jL8s0/s1600-h/obama_spk2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SndcTL7tsYI/AAAAAAAAAJs/r1Vfb8jL8s0/s320/obama_spk2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365858965725753730" border="0" /></a><br /><br />August 3, 2009<br /><br />by Terry Lamb<br /><br />Healthcare reform is all the politicos are talking about. It’s a gigantic battle, and the planets of August reflect this process — every one of them.<br /><br />There are many ways to see the battle:<br />• a struggle between corporate oligarchs and government of, by, and for the people (Saturn opposite Uranus)<br />• the ideals of the people to be free of impossible burdens (Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune in Aquarius)<br />• a shake-up and breakdown of huge structures — corporations, banks, etc. (Pluto in Capricorn)<br />• focus on health and healthcare (Saturn and other planets in Virgo)<br />• focus on care and nurturance (Venus in Cancer)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Yod of August</span><br />One of the things we are experiencing is a yod pattern (a giant triangle) pointing at the hugely important Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune conjunction in Aquarius, with Mercury sextile Venus at the base. (See Chart A.) What is also interesting is that the Sun will fill in the release point at about 25̊ Leo around August 15.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SndcSxI3rAI/AAAAAAAAAJk/ADzefgchZq8/s1600-h/charta0809.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SndcSxI3rAI/AAAAAAAAAJk/ADzefgchZq8/s320/charta0809.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365858958533176322" border="0" /></a><br />What is also interesting is the fact that this is the degree of President Obama’s Uranus, and very near his North Node. This gives us insight into Mr. Obama’s purpose on the planet, as well as what qualities he is refining in his character.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Leo, the People-Pleaser</span><br />Leo is one of them. Leo has a tendency (especially a Leo with Sun square to Neptune, I might add) to sycophancy (people-pleasing). Obama needs to step up to the bully pulpit and carry the energy of Uranus the disrupter in order to get healthcare reform to pass.<br /><br />This is his lesson — not to get this particular reform in place (although that may fit in with other factors in his chart, such as Pluto in Virgo), but to stand up to people he admires or are his elders. Uranus in Leo must break through their cycle of adulation and approval-seeking to speak from the heart, perhaps stridently, to accomplish a goal.<br /><br />North Node in Leo suggests that he must lead in the right way — by motivating, inspiring, and persuading. He must also lead using his Jupiter in Aquarius (triggered by July’s Solar Eclipse).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lunar Eclipse near his Birthday Brings Challenge.</span><br />What’s also significant is that the Lunar Eclipse this week occurs one day after Mr. Obama’s birthday, and this puts pressure on his Sun-Neptune square to get over his adulatory tendencies. He may feel “snowed” right now, but he has to get his message out there consistently.<br /><br />It is my opinion that he has been doing a pretty good job of this, but the corporate media are participating in minimizing his air time. In fact, many other corporate sources are working to minimize his effect by running spurious ads and issuing talking points to right-wing pundits and legislators. It is very clear: The stranglehold that the health insurance industry has on the US and its people creates a near total eclipse of the people’s power (tied to the current series of eclipses).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Presidential Turning Point</span><br />There is no question: This is a turning point in Mr. Obama’s presidency, as well as for the nation. In particular, we will see the pressure on him and his policies reach a peak in mid-month, and his response for the rest of August will show us how well he is using these energies. He has done surprisingly well in the past to exceed expectations. Let’s hope the trend continues.<br /><br />© Terry Lamb<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-9479471922696281652009-07-21T07:00:00.000-07:002009-07-21T07:00:01.713-07:00In the Shadow of the Eclipse: A Watershed Time for the US<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SmVNUtxl_lI/AAAAAAAAAJc/Ze5OCXQtviA/s1600-h/us-eclipses-0709.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SmVNUtxl_lI/AAAAAAAAAJc/Ze5OCXQtviA/s320/us-eclipses-0709.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360775949734772306" border="0" /></a><br />July 21, 2009<br /><br />by Terry Lamb<br /><br />The eclipses in Cancer and Capricorn are always significant for the US, because the nation has so many planets in these signs: Venus, Jupiter, Sun, and Mercury in Cancer; Pluto in Capricorn. (See the chart at left.) Every 9.5 years, we enter a new period when the eclipses occur here, one that lasts for about 18 months. In the shadow of an eclipse we can see everything. The unconscious, which is usually hidden in the brilliant light of the Sun, can't hide when we are eclipsed.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Before Liberty There Is Life.</span><br />Cancer and Capricorn are the “survival” axis. We could say that the US as a nation is very sensitive about its ability to survive. This sensitivity was certainly triggered in the wake of 9/11, especially with the fear-mongering that reigned supreme once Saturn entered Cancer in mid-2003. It is this sensitivity that leads to the reactionary stance of some gun-owners that they must be able own any gun under any circumstance. The slogan, “Don’t tread on me,” has been associated with the US since the American Revolution.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cancer-Capricorn Eclipses in Recent History</span><br />The last time the eclipses were in Cancer-Capricorn was July 2000 – December 2001. The Lunar Eclipse before 9/11 was on July 5 and conjunct the US Sun. The Lunar Eclipse chart cast for New York City or Washington DC was critically tied to the 9/11 events. Nine years before (July 1990 – December 1992), the US became the sole superpower as the USSR collapsed.<br /><br />These eclipses contact the US chart in two primary places: The Lunar Eclipse placed the Sun conjunct (and the Moon opposite) the US Sun (2̊ orb) and square the US Saturn (1̊ orb); the Solar Eclipse places the Sun-Moon opposite the US Pluto (2̊ orb). The US Mercury Rx is indirectly involved.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Lunar Eclipse in the US Chart</span><br />Whenever the Sun in a chart of a person or other entity is eclipsed, it is safe to say that the person/entity will be reassessing their identity. This was certainly true 9 and 19 years ago, and it is even more true today as Pluto in Capricorn approaches its first return since the country’s inception. What issues tie into this?<br /><br />• Where does the US stand on civil liberties, and what will it do to recognize and stand behind international law (such as the Geneva Conventions)? How will the nation address blatant violations of the conventions by VP Dick Cheney, Sec-Def Rumsfeld, and others?<br /><br />• How do we see ourselves — as a nation that takes care of all its citizens, or as a super-capitalist libertarian dream that lets the underprivileged fall to the bottom and be used by the powerful?<br /><br />• What is our position on the rights of the individual? Do we have the right to health care? The right to the privacy of our own bodies? The right to direct our own health care?<br /><br />When a nation or a person has Saturn square Sun, it means their feet are being held to the fire. With an exalted Saturn, a position of privilege cannot be abused without penalty. This is codified in the Constitution and in law. Equality is the standard to which we must all aspire. Current issues related to this include:<br /><br />• The blatant racism that is coming to the surface through an unbelievable Republican double-speak (calling Judge Sotomayor a racist while being the real racists).<br /><br />• The still prevailing sentiment that the financial masters of the universe on Wall Street and Fleet Street are above the law.<br /><br />• The challenge to see the truth behind the smoke screen regarding the economic collapse.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Solar Eclipse in the US Chart</span><br />With the Solar Eclipse triggering the US Pluto, it takes us right to the heart of our identity, because the nation was born out of a revolution. It was nothing less than a transformative idea in government, an experiment. This is the first test of whether the experiment is succeeding. The big issue that we must deal with is, quite simply, a return to democracy. Are we a plutocracy (with an all-powerful president-king), an oligarchy (with all powerful businesses), a soft fascist state (with security placed above individual rights)? Here are some of the issues:<br /><br />• <span style="font-style: italic;">Money is not speech.</span> Campaign finance reform is the key to bringing the essential balance of power (constitutional checks and balances, the vote of the people) back to the nation.<br /><br />• <span style="font-style: italic;">A corporation is not an individual and should not be treated as such.</span> A corporation is amoral and does not die a natural death. Corporatism can only be overcome by reversing this court decision.<br /><br />• <span style="font-style: italic;"> No one in government should be above the law.</span> It will bring the death of the nation. If the Bush Administration is allowed a free pass on torture and other antics, a situation will arise on the US Pluto return (if not before) that will so change the form of the nation as to kill it.<br /><br />There are signs of hope and life. AG Eric Holder is in the process of pursuing indictments against select Bush Admin officials (yet to be named). We have a new Supreme Court Justice who is likely to see through the convoluted arguments that lead to the twisted decisions that have come out of the Roberts court thus far.<br /><br />Look at the issues that arise over the coming month and see how many carry themes related to these underlying issues.<br /><br />• The soldier captured by the Taliban — is he being tortured?<br /><br />• The health “care” corporations — will they win the battle over healthcare reform legislation?<br /><br />• Swine flu — will the less-privileged have equal access to a vaccine and care in the event of illness (and what will it do to all of us if they don’t)?<br /><br />• Torture prosecutions — what is going on?<br /><br />• Justice Sotomayor — has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?<br /><br />• Perhaps the biggest bomb of all: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Family-Secret-Fundamentalism-Heart-American/dp/0060560053/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248147699&sr=8-1">The Family</a> — the secret “Christian” house on C Street in Washington, where fallen members’ transgressions are justified and sanctified, even applauded. It’s the home of Mark Sanford, John Ensign, Tom Coburn, and Zack Wamp. How Cancerian is that?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">President Obama’s Eclipse</span><br />The Solar Eclipse also contacts President Obama’s Saturn-Jupiter conjunction. This will trigger a test of his leadership ability, and we’ll get to see his true mettle.<br /><br />The eclipses coming at the end of year and through January 2011 will continue to light up this part of the US chart. The effects of each will build on the ones before. Stay tuned for more developments.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-10115819224485132982009-07-02T20:40:00.000-07:002009-07-02T20:51:30.878-07:00Between the Shadow and the Light: Tales of Uranus and the Summer Eclipses<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Sk1-9-f-l-I/AAAAAAAAAJE/G71nCPwDW1A/s1600-h/franken-ctdec-2wh.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Sk1-9-f-l-I/AAAAAAAAAJE/G71nCPwDW1A/s320/franken-ctdec-2wh.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354075135227631586" border="0" /></a><br />by Terry Lamb<br /><br />July 2, 2009<br /><br />We are currently feeling the dramatic effects of two planetary patterns. On Wednesday (July 1), Uranus began its 5-month retrograde period, while the energy is building toward a Lunar Eclipse on Tuesday (July 7). Another eclipse, a solar on July 21, is also being felt now.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Amy Klobuchar Is Psychic.</span><br />The last drama of last fall’s election is over: Al Franken will be sworn in as the junior senator for the State of Minnesota sometime next week. Amy Klobuchar (the senior senator from Minnesota) and I were right. She said that he would be sworn in by “the time the corn reaches knee high” (traditionally by the 4th of July).<br /><br />I was right in expecting the Lunar Eclipse to be involved in the timing, and Uranus too played its role. Uranus is actively opposing Senator Franken’s Saturn, is about to back up over it for the second of three contacts. Uranus is the “clearer of the path” sudden-style. The Lunar Eclipse opens a new chapter in our book of life. Finally, Frannie Franken will get to take that bag that she had packed in the corner and finally move to Washington. There are other contacts too , enough to know that this is a milestone event in Franken’s life. Sun to Uranus-Venus tells us it’s a sudden change; MC to Venus says it’s good news; Sun quincunx his Sagittarius Moon suggests an awkward change of residence made in haste. Saturn to his South Node tells me that it fulfills a deep longing to serve — it’s a dream come true. He is also going to serve on the Health Committee, symbolized by Virgo.<br /><br />Also noteworthy are two major aspect patterns focused on Mercury. The planet of winged feet and humor, so important to a Gemini, is in a T-square to Saturn-Uranus and a grand trine to the Moon in Libra and the Aquarian threesome (Chiron-Neptune-Jupiter).<br /><br />The eclipse is focused right on his Venus and the MC for the announcement of the court decision. Al Franken goes to Washington!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Sk1--OXaxMI/AAAAAAAAAJM/BAUMtpKrJgo/s1600-h/mjackson-dth-2wh.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Sk1--OXaxMI/AAAAAAAAAJM/BAUMtpKrJgo/s320/mjackson-dth-2wh.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354075139486696642" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What Do Michael Jackson and Billy Mays Have in Common?</span><br />Uranus exactly squared the Vertex in Jackson’s chart. This alternate but sensitive Descendant is often featured in sudden “pressure-cooker release” events. For Billy Mays, Uranus was opposing his Moon (with Saturn conjunct it), and the Solar Eclipse on July 21 would have been on his Sun (a classic heart attack contact).<br /><br />In both men’s charts, the Aquarian triple conjunction (Chiron-Neptune-Jupiter) is strongly featured. While they are more idealistic than dramatic like Uranus and the eclipses, they are more powerful even if on background. For Michael Jackson, they were exactly conjunct his IC, a potent force that perhaps led him to decide (on some level) that he couldn’t climb out of the hole he was in. Both men were born in 1958 and going through their Chiron returns. Chiron’s completes at 51 years, and it is a time when in some cultures a person would be considered free of social obligations. It is also involved in transitions of all sorts, including death.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Sk1--dM-qFI/AAAAAAAAAJU/EFQtf3XCs3E/s1600-h/billy-mays-dth-2wh.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Sk1--dM-qFI/AAAAAAAAAJU/EFQtf3XCs3E/s320/billy-mays-dth-2wh.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354075143469443154" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Health Care on the Operating Table</span><br />Health care reform is also on the front burner right now, and this leads us naturally to think about Saturn in Virgo. Can we reach the goal of restructuring health care before Saturn leaves the sign? Perhaps in some ways. Teddy Kennedy introduced a new plan that includes a public option and that will cost considerably less than the plans so far proposed. This appears to be the choking point for many legislators. Will Kennedy’s Uranus “splash” make waves in the legislative process? Yes, but they will probably not reach shore until the fall.<br /><br />The chances of health care reform passing before the summer recess are slim, but the eclipses enhance that possibility, however, because they hit the chart of the US at significant points. The Lunar Eclipse is very close to the US Sun, while the Solar on July 21 contacts the US Pluto. These factors make it certain that new, critical information will be revealed in July.<br /><br />Although wide-ranging in their nature, each of these events and issues are characterized by the sudden change that characterizes both Uranus and eclipses of the Sun and Moon.<br /><br />© Terry Lamb<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-48621522565979584862009-06-25T12:30:00.000-07:002009-06-25T12:44:38.452-07:00Power to the People! Pluto, Jupiter, and the New Iranian Revolution<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SkPSnPst48I/AAAAAAAAAI0/m7dMA_KB8_o/s1600-h/neda_agha-soltan+w+cross.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SkPSnPst48I/AAAAAAAAAI0/m7dMA_KB8_o/s320/neda_agha-soltan+w+cross.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351352353917100994" border="0" /></a><br />June 25, 2009<br /><br />by <a href="http://www.terrylamb.net/">Terry Lamb</a><br /><br />When I wrote about Iran last week, it was before we knew how both people and government would react and interact as millions of Iranians began to rebel against four more years of Ahmadinejad in the presidency. In that article, I considered only the chart for the formation of the republic, rather than the revolution, for that shows the viability of the government.<br /><br />However, the conscience of the people may be seated more reliably in the chart of the revolution two months before. I say this because the current revolt clearly peaked as we reached the culmination of the yearly Pluto cycle — the opposition to the Sun which occurred on Tuesday (June 23). Pluto does not strongly impact the chart of the Iranian government, but it does the chart of the revolution! (Chart shown below.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SkPSneEIBVI/AAAAAAAAAI8/mgeMceJO4os/s1600-h/iran-rev-3wh.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SkPSneEIBVI/AAAAAAAAAI8/mgeMceJO4os/s320/iran-rev-3wh.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351352357773378898" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pluto Is a Primary Timer.</span><br />On the weekend of the election, Jupiter was making its retrograde station, and the people responded with Jupiterian confidence. The following weekend, however, Pluto became the dominant planet, and Grand Ayatollah Khamenei assumed absolute power in violently quashing the peaceful demonstrations. Neda Agha-Soltan, a quiet bystander, was shot dead in a random act of violence by the basij militia. She has become a symbol of the new revolution and the Plutonian power of the people.<br /><br />In the chart for the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pluto whispers. However, in the chart of the revolution, it shouts. If we are looking to see what the people will do and when they will do it, observation teaches that the timing will come from the chart for the Islamic Revolution. The primary timer in that chart is Pluto, which is sitting at the top and proclaiming, “Power to the people!”<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Where Does It Go From Here?</span><br />In the aftermath of the crackdown, the demonstrations seem to be morphing into a general strike. This is how the previous government was brought down. Protests continue, but with telecommunications in a stranglehold the movement may be having difficulty organizing. We on the outside are having difficulty finding out what’s going on, but what we are hearing is not good: Detentions, disappearances, and deaths are becoming more frequent.<br /><br />If it were only Pluto, there would be a lull in the action, but there are many other planetary events involved. Many of these I covered in my first article on the subject. Key dates to watch in the near future are (+/- a few days):<br /><blockquote>• <span style="font-weight: bold;">July 1</span>(Uranus stationary retrograde): conjunct potentially volatile Mars/Mercury in the chart of the republic<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;"> July 21</span> (Solar Eclipse): This Sun-Moon conjunction (New Moon) in an incredibly intense total eclipse. It makes contacts in both charts for Iran. In the chart of the republic, it is conjunct 12th-house Jupiter, suggesting an increased level of sick, injured, and incarcerated people. The prisons are swelling with dissidents.<br /><br /> In the chart of the people (the revolution), the eclipse contacts progressed Jupiter (Cancer) and Venus (Capricorn), which are in an exact opposition to each other. This speaks to the plight of women in Iran (symbolized by the shooting death of Neda Agha-Soltan). These fall in houses 5 and 11 respectively, symbolizing a shift in public sentiment, loss of playfulness, and strictures on legislative forms of government.<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;">August 5</span> (Lunar Eclipse): This Full Moon (Sun-Moon opposition) is a weak Lunar Eclipse. The Moon conjuncts the Sun of the revolution chart. This can create overt action on the part of the people as they attempt to assert their freedoms against an oppressive government. This is the general time frame for Ahmadinejad to be sworn in for his new term as president.<br /></blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Pressure Is on the Religious Leadership.</span><br />Jupiter — natal, progressed, and transiting — features prominently in the coming weeks. It was at the Jupiter station (in freedom-loving Aquarius) that the new revolution began. Among other things, Jupiter connotes religious leaders, law and the judiciary. It also represents the honor of a nation. Venus opposing Jupiter by progression indicates an active drive to become a true res publica, a republic or government motivated by the wants and needs of the people, instead of those of the theocracy.<br /><br />It has become increasingly obvious that, whatever the appearances, Iran’s true rulers are the Imams of the Governing Council. They and the puppet president of the hard right are currently running Iran under martial law, against their constitution.<br /><br />This progressed opposition also indicates that there is dissent among those on the Governing Council, and this we have seen as Khamenei has said one thing and the more moderate Ayatollah Montazeri something else. When the Solar Eclipse hits this opposition (and the Jupiter of the Republic), can the religious leadership hold to its current position and structure? Almost certainly not. Something will change.<br /><br />Since this is a Solar Eclipse (a New Moon), the shift will be profound but it is likely to be internal to the Governing Council and not evident to those outside at first. We may have to wait for other contacts to Iran’s charts to ripen over the next year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It’s Not Over.</span><br />If Jupiter has the megaphone right now, Pluto will take center stage next year. This is when Pluto makes its two stations in contact with the angles in the chart of the revolution. Its retrograde station on April 7, 2010 (5̊ Capricorn) is exactly square the Ascendant, while the direct station on September 14, 2010 will be exactly on the MC. These are dates of maximum intensity on points of maximum sensitivity. They will define the boundaries of a period of extreme tension in Iran, if not unrest that leads to the formation of a new government. It is also possible that Iran will enter a new dark period of plutocratic control, with no guise of democracy, in the coming 18 months.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Third Path</span><br />There is a third possibility. If the change is internalized, a quiet and gradual shift could take place that gives the people what they want and need over time. So much of the current response from the government is about face-saving. Gradual change permits the mullahs to save face and could lead to the best outcome, resulting in a freer society and preventing Iran from fragmenting into a number of small warring tribal regions.<br /><br />© Terry Lamb<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-81533636745417199962009-06-19T07:00:00.000-07:002009-06-19T07:00:21.374-07:00Time for Change in Iran? An Astrologer Looks at the Possibilities<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SjraSf8nsuI/AAAAAAAAAIs/Ckjra2tR1-8/s1600-h/iran-bwh.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SjraSf8nsuI/AAAAAAAAAIs/Ckjra2tR1-8/s320/iran-bwh.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348827518804144866" border="0" /></a><br />June 19, 2009<br /><br />by Terry Lamb<br /><br />The Islamic Republic of Iran has seen protests unprecedented in its brief history. Around the world, we watch in horror of the violence and awe at the courage of those who are standing up for their rights. What can astrology say about this moment in Iranian history? Will it be a footnote or a turning point?<br /><br />Iran was born in violence, and it shows in its chart. From the Sun opposition Pluto to the Moon opposition Neptune to the unaspected Uranus in the 4th (the people’s) house — the chart for the current republic is full of challenge. Now those points are being triggered as the latest election reveals suppressed conflict and the desire for greater freedom.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The People Want to Expand. (Jupiter SRx with Chiron-Neptune in Aquarius)</span><br />When the election results announced a win for incumbent president Ahmadinejad on Saturday, June 13, the strongest planet in the astrological heavens was Jupiter — nearly at a standstill to its retrograde. This is the planet of expansion, and the fact that it is highlighted right now tells us that the Iranian people are chafing at the suppression of their freedoms.<br /><br />Jupiter, if you will recall, is in a triple conjunction with Chiron and Neptune in freedom-seeking Aquarius, so we have to consider the impact of these three planets on Iran’s chart. Ironically, they do not make strong connections to the chart of the nation, and this speaks volumes. It tells me that, although the people seek freedom, they have no connection to the processes that leads to reform in government. Their movement, their wishes, will be disregarded, at least initially.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The People Want to Be Free.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> (Saturn-Uranus, Uranus SRx)</span><br />Saturn and Uranus, which have been opposing each other, are also central to the events in Iraq. Uranus is also near its station, getting ready to turn retrograde on July 1. This strikes at the real heart of the Iran chart, falling at the midpoint of its excitable Mars-Mercury conjunction. Between now and July 1, the volatile energy of Uranus will intensify, making people more prone to take up a cause, regardless of the danger.<br /><br />Saturn is on the North Node of Iran’s chart, reminding the people (including its leaders) of its original purpose for being — its responsibilities to the citizens. There are very pragmatic (Virgo) reasons for a moderation of policy back from the extreme expressed by Ahmadinejad.<br /><br />As Saturn and Uranus continue to interact, a long-term process of adjusting power in the Iranian republic will take place, but the change will take place as a series of eruptions. It will not be complete until next summer.<br /><br />The Essentials of the Situation will Unfold in July and August.<br />July and August bring contacts to Iran’s chart that will reveal how the current government will deal with the crisis in the short run. July and August brings several events of note, but there are others in the fall as well:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Essentials of the Situation will Unfold in July and August. (Eclipses)</span><br />July and August bring contacts to Iran’s chart that will reveal how the current government will deal with the crisis in the short run. July and August brings several events of note, but there are others in the fall as well:<br /><br />• The solar eclipse of July 21 (July 22 in Iran) is exactly conjunct Iran’s Jupiter (29̊ Cancer).<br /><br />• The two lunar eclipses of the summer square Iran’s Pluto (July 7) and contact all of Iran’s angles (August 6).<br /><br />• The opposition of the Sun to Jupiter is also significant (August 14). Jupiter retrogrades back until it connects with Iran’s Descendant. This will occur on October 12 and occurs near to the time of other planetary peaks happening in the fall.<br /><br />This is clearly a turning point in Iran’s history. With Jupiter and the eclipses involved, a change in leadership seems likely. There is a rift among the clerics of the Assembly of Experts as to what direction to take with this situation. The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, called the shots on the events related to the election so far. The real shift in power may come when a new Ayatollah is chosen that indicates a shift in the philosophy of the ruling council of clerics.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Peaceful Transition Is the Only Good Solution.</span><br />Many commentators have speculated that internal changes are due. One <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/6/18/740719/-An-Iranian-Kossacks-Perspective-On-Iran-UPDATED-x2">DailyKos reporter</a> states,<br /><br /><blockquote>My theory, for what it's worth, is that Mousavi’s victory was originally acceptable to Khamenei, not really being THAT drastic a change considering the Supreme Leader is still the one in charge; however, it WAS a drastic change to have the kind of pro-democratic fervor in the streets leading up the the election, and (if numbers leaked from the Interior Ministry are correct) to have 3/4 of the Iranian electorate vote for the two reformist candidates, leaving Ahmadinejad and the other conservative candidate in the dust. Khamenei saw this coming, panicked, and a fraud was hastily assembled.</blockquote><br />Regarding a potential outcome, he comments that the Supreme Leader will string out the election investigation process to diffuse the protests. It is unlikely that the protests will continue at this level, but if they do, they will be put down violently, Tiananmen-style. But he says that Khamanei and the theocracy will fall together.<br /><br />If Iran falls suddenly, a blood bath could ensue, resulting in the fracturing of the country into smaller tribal units. He says that, “Change must happen very slowly and peacefully for the theocracy to be overthrown.” With so many planets involved in the process, it bodes well for Iran's leaders to make a slower, if not more graceful, transition to a government that takes individual needs and the urge for freedom into account.<br /><br />In the short run, there will be continued unrest and volatility at least through July 1. The eclipses and other events could be reflected in continued popular activism through mid-August. It is hard to imagine that the population could sustain their show of peaceful solidarity for long periods; short outbursts are more likely. However, many dedicated Iranians feel that now is the time for change, and they are not likely to give up any time soon.<br /><br />© Terry Lamb<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-42942410499875247682009-06-10T07:00:00.000-07:002009-06-10T07:00:00.480-07:00Get Ready, Mr. Franken! An Astrological Update on When He’ll Be Called “Senator”<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Si89tBhRcfI/AAAAAAAAAIc/GoFu-nmmESA/s1600-h/Al_Franken.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 149px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Si89tBhRcfI/AAAAAAAAAIc/GoFu-nmmESA/s320/Al_Franken.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345559126423466482" border="0" /></a><br />June 9, 2009<br /><br />by Terry Lamb<br /><br />On the first day of business after Mercury returned to forward motion (following a 24-day retrograde), the dragon of the Franken-Coleman court battle emerged from the deep. In this, the final throes of the battle over the Minnesota (US) Senate seat, the Minnesota Supreme Court heard arguments from both sides, principally from Coleman, who filed the suit. Here’s what <span style="font-style: italic;">Talking Points Memo</span> reporter <a href="http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/06/minnesota-supremes-grill-coleman-lawyer-on-lack-of-evidence.php">Eric Kleefeld said</a> following the day’s events: <blockquote> It's always a tricky business to read clues into the questions that judges ask the lawyers during these proceedings -- despite some basic assumptions about how this works, judges can surprise you. But if we just go by the basic assumptions, it didn't look good for Coleman, with the judges asking pointed questions of [Coleman’s attorney Joe] Friedberg that at certain points amounted to ridicule of him for putting on a shoddy case.<br /></blockquote>The four judges quoted by Kleefeld, three of them conservatives appointed by current Republican governor Pawlenty, all expressed deep concerns and doubts about the viability of the Coleman case.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop</span><br />On the 4th, it was reported that Coleman will not take the case beyond the Minnesota Supreme Court according to insiders. However, there is no speculation at this point as to when the Minnesota Supremes will rule on the case.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mercury Rules!</span><br />If you recall, in my article of April 23, “<a href="http://astro-pol.blogspot.com/2009/04/please-be-seated-senator-franken.html">Please Be Seated, Senator Franken: An Astrologer Looks at When It Will Happen</a>”, I gave a time line for when we might see a shift of fortunes for Mr. Franken. I suggested that key dates in the process would tie to Mercury’s retrograde, which started on (Senator-Elect?) Franken’s Sun-Mars in Gemini. Here’s what I said then:<br /><blockquote>It is possible that, during the three weeks of Mercury’s retrograde, the race will be below the radar.</blockquote>This is in fact what happened. However, in the subsequent list of significant dates, I overlooked that a planetary station is also a time when related events can occur. I should have added May 30-June 1 as a period when we might see progress in the case, which we did.<br /><br />To cut to the chase, this was perfect timing astrologically — perfect in that it fits the Mercury time line and perfect in that it bodes well for Franken. Not only were the judges openly skeptical of Coleman’s case, but the fact that Mercury (ruling thought and communication) had just changed direction bodes well. It suggests that the judges will be “thinking straight” when they make their ruling.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Si89tZ2ZBYI/AAAAAAAAAIk/lZZfsCnRrfs/s1600-h/franken-ctdec-061509.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Si89tZ2ZBYI/AAAAAAAAAIk/lZZfsCnRrfs/s320/franken-ctdec-061509.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345559132954494338" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">So, When Will It Be?</span><br />The next date that comes up in the Mercury time line is June 14. This is when the planet makes its third and final contact with Franken’s planets. (Since the 14th is a Sunday, we might expect an announcement on Monday, June 15.) While this chart does not particularly favor Franken, the overall pattern is worse for Coleman.<br /><br />If this date slips by, new planetary cycles seize the spotlight, principally Jupiter, which begins its four-month retrograde period on the 15th, followed by a series of three eclipses. While Jupiter’s imprint on Franken’s chart might get him to move house (like, going to Washington?), in Coleman’s chart it is more like the death knell for hope. Jupiter joins with Chiron and Neptune in opposing Coleman’s Leo Sun. This is the same cluster that undermined Sarah Palin’s hopes in November (well, that and her unique unfitness for the job).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Do We Have to Wait for the Eclipses?</span><br />The eclipses should seal the deal. They trigger Franken’s and Coleman’s charts with equal vigor, and ironically show slightly more pleasant contacts to Coleman’s chart. However, they are the contacts one might associate with retirement or taking a vacation (e.g., Sun sextile/Moon trine Neptune), not leaping into the fray in the nation’s capital. In Franken’s chart, they show a sudden change (Sun conjunct Franken’s Venus-Uranus in Cancer) around July 7, like the kind when you suddenly start doing something completely different. The third eclipse, another lunar eclipse is also conjunction Franken’s Midheaven, the point of public recognition. This is precisely the kind of contact we would expect in a major change in public statute, such has having the title “Senator” in front of your name.<br /><br />The third eclipse does not occur until August 6. This is during Congress’s summer recess, and common sense suggests that he’ll be seated before this time. However, it gives undeniable support to Franken’s eventual ascent to his new position of service to his state.<br /><br />Governor Pawlenty, to his credit, has said repeatedly that he will sign the document certifying the election when told to do so by the courts. This does not appear to be an impediment to the swift resolution of the situation once the court announcement is made.<br /><br />© Terry Lamb<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-68492600164809009892009-06-04T20:47:00.000-07:002009-06-04T21:05:55.223-07:00Will the Real Barack Obama Please Stand Up? Our President, One Mercury Cycle Later<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SiiX42McXYI/AAAAAAAAAIU/otXwBahN-tM/s1600-h/obama_cht.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SiiX42McXYI/AAAAAAAAAIU/otXwBahN-tM/s320/obama_cht.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343687960751267202" border="0" /></a><br />June 5, 2009<br /><br />It’s one Mercury cycle into the first term of President Obama, and not surprisingly the media have responded unconsciously by issuing several reports on what our new president is REALLY like. In particular, the feature section of May 25th issue of <span style="font-style: italic;">Newsweek</span> was devoted completely to such assessments from several commentators and news analysts.<br /><br />This gives us a chance to reevaluate him in light of his birth chart. Most of the reports describe him as being “harder” than he portrayed himself during the campaign, but I wonder if that's just the surprised response of those without the enlightened perspective that his birth chart provides.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">He Is a True (Sun in) Leo.</span><br />“He has learned that he enjoys power — the capacity to shape reality in his image and by his lights.” (<a href="http://www.newsweek.com/id/197889">Jon Meacham, What He’s Like Now, <span style="font-style: italic;">Newsweek</span> 5/25/09</a>) The Sun outshines all other bodies in our heavens when it is above the horizon. Even in the night sky, it directs the movement of the planets with its unseen hand. The Sun rules Leo, which is the placement of Obama’s Sun. It the sign of the sovereign, the one in whose presence all other light pales. This does not mean that Obama presumes to take this royal role, but he does have that air about him. Other words or phrases that are used to describe him are (except where noted, from Meacham):<br /><br />• moving as he wishes to move, the world bending itself to him<br />• shapes policy, even in sub-policy areas (e.g., auto maker restructuring plans)<br />• prefers to stand alone, not using others as policy authorities<br />• catlike (Christopher Hitchens, Jacob Weisberg) = Leo the LION<br />• He sticks out his chin when challenged, his eyes flashing, and wants the upper hand. (I saw this petulance in one of the debates with Hillary Clinton.)<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">He Is, According to His Chart, Designed for Power.</span><br />If there is a theme in Mr. Obama’s chart, it is the (right) use of power. Although there are checks and balances there that create caution and have at times slapped him down (his wife is one), he is built for the redirection and management of power. Key power points in his chart include:<br /><br />• Sun in Leo (its rulership)<br />• Jupiter conjunct Saturn: This is a well-known traditional placement of great leaders. It was in the heavens when Jesus was born (by the most reliable records), which is why the three magi (read: astrologers) went searching for him. Martin Sheen (who played President Bartlet in The West Wing) has this conjunction, as does Dick Cheney.<br />• Mars in Virgo: This placement makes him efficient and dedicated, good with details and hard-working. It also contributes a note of humility (one of those checks and balances).<br />• Uranus conjunct North Node (Pluto not far away): The deep desire (and perhaps destiny) to be an agent of change.<br /><br />Some of the writers’ phrases that speak to these contacts are:<br /><br />• He revels in his power (in an understated way).<br />• He loves that all of what he’s doing matters.<br />• He feels his authority and effectiveness.<br />• little small talk, no smarminess<br />• wholly businesslike, “time is valuable”<br />• He finds crisis [to be] defining, bracing, and useful.<br />• He exhibits pragmatism and a willingness to change his mind when presented with new info.<br />• He is realistic about his decisions and the possibility of making mistakes.<br />• He takes “A Highly Logical Approach” (Meacham).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">He Plays Well With Others.</span><br />Mr. Obama is the ultimate balancer. With the Sun opposing his Ascendant, he often seeks reconciliation as an end in itself, whether with Congress, foreign powers, or Republicans (often to the dismay of his supporters). Jacob Weisberg (<a href="http://www.newsweek.com/id/197924">Getting to Know Obama, <span style="font-style: italic;">Newsweek</span> 5/25/09</a>) complains about the moral hollowness of this approach, making the following points in unwitting support of this part of his chart:<br /><br />• For Obama, the middle ground is the high ground.<br />• He seeks true reconciliation of opposite factions.<br />• He enjoys engaging opponents.<br />• He lacks a moral stance - what does he believe? Examples: He repudiates but won’t investigate torture. He supports gay equality but won’t take action (marriage or military).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">He Is a Cool Cat.</span><br />We already see the feline in the lion, but that coolness comes from his Aquarius Ascendant (rising sign). But how cool is he? Aquarius, a winter sign in the northern hemisphere, can be downright cold. He also has Jupiter and South Node in Aquarius.<br /><br />• He is cool in crisis.<br />• His economic policy is self-described as “ruthless pragmatism” (His Jupiter-Saturn also fits this characterization.)<br />• He cuts off meetings when it covers familiar ground<br />• His habit of confidence and self-reliance (coming from his fatherless childhood, says Meacham) “creates the impression of iciness”.<br /><br />He is not willing to sacrifice principle for political loyalty, even though his principles may still be difficult to see in his actions at this early stage. This can be linked to his Moon squaring Pluto.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Bushel Full of Subtlety, Ambiguity, and Contradiction</span><br />His chart is full of subtle planetary interrelationships — with contradictory energies that he is constantly forced to (attempt to) blend. With such inner challenges, it is no surprise to hear him described as embracing complexity with the sophisticated intelligence of a well-developed mind. Obama says, <blockquote>“The American people, I think, not only have a toleration but also a hunger for explanation and complexity, and a willingness to acknowledge hard problems. I think one of the biggest mistakes that is made in Washington is this notion you have to dumb down things for the public.”</blockquote>As a person with strong Neptune contacts — and elected under its beams — public perception has been idealistic, even verging on idolatry. Now that Mercury has completed a revelatory retrograde past Neptune, we can see more of the real man, and the media are dutifully providing a sobering reflection of our new leader.<br /><br />© Terry Lamb<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-71440882726611280442009-05-26T14:32:00.000-07:002009-05-26T19:18:25.305-07:00Create Your Own Weather: Critical Mass, Firestorms, & What They Don’t Want You to Know About How It Really Works<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Shxhwk7H2GI/AAAAAAAAAIM/ANYLNVZ-2s4/s1600-h/criticalmass_2.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 107px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Shxhwk7H2GI/AAAAAAAAAIM/ANYLNVZ-2s4/s320/criticalmass_2.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340250745327835234" border="0" /></a><br />by Terry Lamb<br /><br />May 26, 2009<br /><br />It’s always a breath of fresh air and a hit of real sanity (not the fake sanity that the conventional world offers) to visit San Francisco. On last week’s visit, my good friend Linea told me about <a href="http://www.critical-mass.org/">Critical Mass</a>. This isn’t a physics discussion, it is an “organized coincidence”, where over 2,000 cyclists take over the streets on the fourth Friday of every month. Since then the movement has spread to over 300 other cities around the world. It is described variously as an intentional community, a way to connect with others “outside the steel box” of your car, and a way to raise consciousness about alternate means of transportation.<br /><br />It is testament to the power of single-minded groups. When they sweep through the city, they become a rolling force field. Critical Mass creates its own momentum and affects the momentum of the whole city. While they are crossing town, traffic stops as signage and stop lights are ignored. The riders are fully regaled, text-messaging madmen (and -women) for their cause.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It Also Happens to Fire.</span><br />When the wildfires swept through southern California in 2003 and again in 2007, I learned something chilling about fire: When it’s big enough and bad enough, it creates its own weather. The heat causes dramatic updrafts that shift and intensify winds, until fire storms develop. They consume the countryside in giant gulps, throwing huge whirling balls of flame into the air. The fire creates whirlwinds, cyclones, and smoke that fills the sky with darkness.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Create Your Own Weather</span><br />Both wildfires and Critical Mass create their own weather, and they exhibit for us an important physical and metaphysical law: We can do it too.<br /><br />We find ourselves in the midst of the most significant planetary pattern since the triple conjunction of Saturn-Uranus-Neptune in 1988-92. The new triple conjunction of Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune opens the door to healing the Great Wound within us, on all levels from the most personal to the lesson(s) that all humanity needs to learn. We will see this played out in political ways, from the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court to the launching of a nuclear test by North Korea as attention-seeking behavior.<br /><br />We will reveal our wounds so we can heal them. (To experience the link between wounding and healing in an evocative way, see the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orxEawi9qro">short video on Chiron</a> by Humanity Healing.<br /><br />As we encounter these lessons, from dreaming a new economic model that supports the people to living sustainably on the planet to learning to love one another, we can create our own weather. We can do it as individuals, but we can do it most effectively in community. This conjunction of planets is found in Aquarius, the sign of community and the sign of the new/next Age of Humanity. Under this pattern, which starts a 13-year, a 14-year, and a 100+ year cycle, we will find ourselves drawn to form community with like-minded individuals. Like Critical Mass, and like the firestorms of southern California, we will shift and flow, creating our own weather, our conditions of reality that others will adapt to — not in a malevolent way as with the fires, but in a joyful and live-affirming way. This is the model for change that we will find ourselves thrust into, drawn effortlessly into the flow of the good and the true.<br /><br />© Terry Lamb<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-36053851648384872012009-05-13T12:41:00.000-07:002009-05-13T23:02:00.748-07:00Dreams of the Future, Chimeras from the Past: Our Tangled Planetary Web and the 27th Degree<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SgskXQzl07I/AAAAAAAAAH8/PPqTK9G1IqA/s1600-h/26th_degree.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 275px; height: 275px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SgskXQzl07I/AAAAAAAAAH8/PPqTK9G1IqA/s320/26th_degree.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335398165617431474" border="0" /></a><br /><br />May 13, 2009<br /><br />© Terry Lamb<br /><br />There is a quiet orchestration occurring right now in the heavens, a celestial conspiracy to create harmonic resonance in the human consciousness at the 27th degree (anything over 26̊00'). It is at once perilous, powerful, and beautiful, with the potential to lift us up out of ordinary consciousness and create miraculous change. To get at what’s going on here, we have to look at the contributing planets and their cyclic interactions.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Contributing Planets</span><br />From May 21 through June 10, four slow-moving planets will be at 26 degrees and change in their respective sign: Uranus (Pisces) and Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune (Aquarius). On May 26–27, Mars joins them from its position in Aries, boosting the chance of a harmonious human response. (See image above.) They will all be vibrating on the same “note” of the 12th harmonic, and this opens the door to profound change. It also allows us to check in on changes we began as a human collective in 1992.<br /><br />The entire time that any of these planets is at this degree spans a broader expanse of time from April 14 through August 10. Since every planet but Mars backs off this degree, they will return to it later but in a dispersed form, with Jupiter reaching it first at the end of December, Chiron-Neptune connecting at that degree in February, and Uranus reaching it in March. This suggests that, whatever comes up now feels like a now-or-never “crunch time” that we must respond to urgently; and that a more dispersed and gentle resolution to the issues that develop will come about early in 2010 — that is, if we respond well to those issues.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Simple Take</span><br />At first glance, this means that any person, group, leader, or nation that has planets at this degree will be transformed by these energies. It also means that issues that began showing up in April will face turning points in the next two weeks, when critical decisions will be made. What issues are we talking about?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SgskXiDyJYI/AAAAAAAAAIE/OrQB-7LW5Qc/s1600-h/27th_degree_USA.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 255px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SgskXiDyJYI/AAAAAAAAAIE/OrQB-7LW5Qc/s320/27th_degree_USA.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335398170248750466" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We can get a clue about the answer by looking at the US chart. Depending on the time you use for it, the Moon may be at this degree. (However, it is not in the chart I use.) Regardless of that, the US directed Jupiter is at 27̊05' (or thereabouts) in Aquarius, the degree at which transiting Jupiter will station on June 15. (See image above.)<br /><br />This is a “hook” into the US chart, and it suggests issues that affect society and its well-being. In the chart I use (Dobyns-Boehrer timed for 9:36 am), this falls in the 6th house of workers and the health of the nation. It suggests that we are not doing all that is necessary to support the engine of the US economy, its workforce, and that we are also weak in health (care). These must be rectified in order to live long and prosper as a nation.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What’s It All About?</span><br />Accordingly, here are the matters that seem to tie in to the planets at the 27th degree.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Health Care</span><br />From Max Baucus’s one-sided meetings with insurers and big pharma (pointedly <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/5/8/729443/-Doctors-explains-Why-we-risked-arrest-for-single-payer-%28updatex2%29">excluding proponents of single-payer plans</a>) to President Barack Obama’s more universal approach, there is no doubt that health care is on the table and will be dealt with in some form in the coming months. If it follows this time table and is addressed wisely, we will see a new plan in place by the spring of 2010.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Economy</span><br />We have to regulate. This may mean some reinstated or revised regulations (like breaking up the big banks — a MUST!), or simply enforcing the regulations that are there (like the Sherman Act). Nothing must be too big to fail anymore; and the Wall-Street mindset of Geithner, Summers, and the big bankers must be opened to consider what is happening to the people who are (currently still, sadly) their victims. It is beyond belief that so much money could be pumped into the financial industry and so little benefit (in fact, even more punishment) extend to the people. The banks (with some exceptions) remain adamantine in their disregard for the people who drive the economy and therefore their wealth. For more on what’s going on, stay tuned to Rachel Maddow, especially her May 12 <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/">interview with Eliot Spitzer</a>, and read the blogs of <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2217811/">Spitzer</a>, <a href="http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/">Paul Krugman</a>, <a href="http://www.thenation.com/directory/bios/william_greider">William Greider</a>, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-kuttner">Robert Kuttner</a>, and <a href="http://www.davidcayjohnston.com/">David Cay Johnston</a>. Bill Moyer also covers this topic regularly on his <a href="http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/index-flash.html">Journal</a>, as does <a href="http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/fareed.zakaria.gps/">Fareed Zakaria on CNN</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Environment</span><br />Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar is proving to be a Bushie in Obama clothing. He has refused to increase <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30635672/">protections for the highly endangered polar bear</a> and <a href="http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2009/uranium-exploration-05-05-2009.html">has allowed permits to go through</a> for the mining of uranium near the Grand Canyon, a direct threat to the water supply of southern California, as well as the area surrounding the mining sites. These permits are currently being <a href="http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2009/uranium-exploration-05-08-2009.html">challenged in court</a>.<br /><br />Directed Jupiter in Aquarius in the US chart can also signify the level at which people are direct participants in maintaining or (re)gaining their freedom. Transiting Jupiter’s retrograde station on this point could signify a necessary learning curve for the public in the need to become more actively involved in creating the world they want to live in. The alternative is for lobbyists to continue to be the driving force behind the direction the country takes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">On a Deeper Level . . .</span><br />There is so much depth and richness to this set of planetary interactions. There are three new planetary cycles beginning (Jupiter-Chiron, Jupiter-Neptune, and Chiron-Neptune), as well as a trigger to one that started in 1992. The latter is the Uranus-Neptune conjunction, which occurs every 171 years or so. The word on every tongue at that time was “reinvention”. What are we reinventing? Nothing less than the way humans live on the planet, the way we dream about our possibilities, and the ways we live, interact, and communicate with each other.<br /><br />Uncannily, the last time we considered real health care reform was in 1993, when <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_and_Louise">Harry and Louise</a> — a front for the Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA), a health insurance industry lobbying group — put the brakes on the Clinton health care plan. We get another shot at this now, as Uranus and Neptune resonate with each other once again. It gives us yet one more layer of awareness to make the right thing happen.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-57273698460227783982009-05-08T06:00:00.000-07:002009-05-09T18:02:51.967-07:00A Tortured Specter of Franken Flu & Other Mercury Tales<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SgNM_SLYb_I/AAAAAAAAAH0/CdfltptQsOk/s1600-h/arlen_specter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 245px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SgNM_SLYb_I/AAAAAAAAAH0/CdfltptQsOk/s320/arlen_specter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333191033831845874" border="0" /></a><br />© Terry Lamb<br /><br />May 8, 2009<br /><br />Mercury is retrograde now, and there is a complex series of interwoven planetary events that is taking place. Without going into the details (these are in <a href="http://www.terrylamb.net/latest_forecast.htm">my May forecast</a>), there are many interactions that may feel unpleasant or disconcerting but are good for us collectively and individually in the long run. (Connections are always good, because they help us figure things out. It’s better to have bad breath than no breath at all.)<br /><br />Here’s a partial litany of the issues that are “up” right now for us collectively:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Swine Flu (Update)</span><br />Can we save ourselves? If this H1N1 outbreak follows the pattern of the one in 1918, the spring version of the influenza is mild. However, the following fall-winter, the outbreak was acute and deadly, and it killed the most healthy among the population. This was caused by a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytokine_storm">cytokine storm</a>, where the immune system goes into hyper-drive and overwhelms the body so that it essentially drowns in its own immune response. There is evidence of heightened cytokinic activity with the current flu outbreak.<br /><br />The wisdom gained from the 1918 Spanish Influenza allows us to anticipate that the virus could become pandemic in the fall and winter — and this gives biologists time to come up with a vaccine. The vaccine could become available no sooner than October, and a question remains as to how effective the vaccine will be because of the trial-and-error nature of the process.<br /><br />In the fall, temporarily Saturn cuts its ties Uranus when it goes into Libra, connecting with Pluto at the end of the year. It then returns to Virgo to make two more connections to Uranus before leaving it behind. This is fodder for a more serious outbreak — and for humanity to get its public health act together.<br /><br />I have no speculations on what will occur, but we have an open window now and many public health officials and biologists are aggressively pursuing avenues for our safety. There is a stepwise developmental process that will lead us to our experiences this fall, as well as many opportunities to ameliorate the situation.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Torture Memos</span><br />As Mercury first reached the heart of the pattern it triggers (the third week of April), torture memos and reports began peeling off like layers on an onion. As Mercury stations, the hits just keep on coming! I will watch this process with fascination and hope for justice.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Specter of Vacillation</span><br />It takes some getting used to, but Arlen Specter is the latest ghost to haunt the Democratic Party. If he could only get used to it! He has responded to the Mercury retrograde in typical fashion — by misspeaking in stating that the Minnesota Supremes should do the right thing and declare Norm Coleman the winner of the never-ending senate race with Al Franken. “Now, what party was I in?”<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Franken Sense</span><br />Mercury stations on Franken’s Sun-Mars conjunction — oh, my! But the only misstep has been Specter’s. The <a href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/anneschroeder/0509/Franken_schools_heckler_.html">sole news item on Franken</a> as this planetary moment passes is the heckler that got politely dissed by Franken at a Washington restaurant Tuesday night. So far, he’s clean!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Return of Bush, Salazar-Style</span><br />Yesterday, the Bureau of Land Management released reports that Quaterra Alaska Inc. has been authorized to engage in uranium exploration near the Grand Canyon, in direct defiance of a congressional resolution prohibiting such mining for three years. Environmental groups, canyon-country lovers, and people that like to drink water in California are evaluating what to do about this. There is already a lawsuit in the courts against previous interior secretary Kempthorne. To take action on this situation, contact your senators and congressional representative, urging them to enforce the emergency resolution of the House Natural Resources Committee, and to pass the <a href="http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=443&Itemid=27">Grand Canyon Watersheds Protection Act of 2009</a>. This bill has not yet been numbered by the House or Senate. Stay in touch with the <a href="http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/">Center for Biological Diversity</a> and the <a href="http://www.grandcanyontrust.org/index.php">Grand Canyon Trust</a> for how you can take political action.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Here's to Your Health (and Good Luck With That)!</span><br />The chair of the Senate Finance Committee Max Baucus held his first hearing on health care reform yesterday, and he specifically and pointedly excluded anyone who was interested in or advocating a single-payer plan. Fully represented among the 15 participants were health insurers and big pharma. Eight people representing groups advocating for a single-payer system attended, but when they each, one by one, stood to comment on the exclusion, they were led from the room. At least 59% (AMA) and by some estimations more than 80% of physicians favor a single payer system. At least 60% of Americans do. Senator Baucus receives more campaign funding from insurers and big pharma than any other senator. We need Mercury retrograde (and <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/30629823#30629823">Ed Schultz</a> on MSNBC's <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30031533/">Big Ed Show</a>) to raise awareness and give us time to get it right.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wounding, Healing, and Dreaming</span><br />The unifying theme of the coming six weeks (an over-arching theme of the year) is wounding, healing, and dreaming. We in America are busy healing the American Dream, removing the materialism that has tainted it in the last 30 or so years, and the anti-populism that has existed longer than that. We citizens are the key. We have to become involved in our government, or we will lose even more of what the founding fathers established for us.<br /><br />Healing the dream means taking the lead in some areas of human evolution simply because we can, so we must step into that responsibility with wisdom and conscientiousness. Whether it is in public health policy, land management, restoring civil liberties, or letting the people’s will be done, we are discovering the wounds (painful) and have the opportunity to heal them (joyful) as Mercury makes its way backward for the next three weeks.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-14290502861405349932009-04-27T21:13:00.000-07:002009-04-27T21:29:56.731-07:00Swine Flu Pandemic or Soon-to-Be-Forgotten News Item? The Planetary Patterns Give Insight.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SfaETTxUU3I/AAAAAAAAAHs/CaOrxUW6knA/s1600-h/1918flu.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SfaETTxUU3I/AAAAAAAAAHs/CaOrxUW6knA/s320/1918flu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329592676299068274" border="0" /></a><br />© Terry Lamb<br /><br />April 28, 2009<br /><br />Four days ago, the alarm was raised regarding a swine flu outbreak in Mexico City, where more than 100 people were reported dead. The WHO (World Health Organization) has said that this flu has “pandemic potential”. The first outbreak has recently been identified as probably in La Gloria, Veracruz, in eastern Mexico. This village is 12 miles from an American-owned industrial pig production facility, although they claim no involvement in the illness. However, the national health authority suspects that waste from the factory could be the source.<br /><br />In 2005, I did some research on a subject that had long fascinated me, the 1918 “Spanish” Influenza. Based on that research, I wrote an article, “<a href="http://www.terrylamb.net/planetarymiasms.htm">Planetary Miasms</a>”, exploring the planetary patterns of the time. I also looked at other epidemics that were classified as pandemics and speculated about future possible times when such could occur again. In that article, I pinpointed one time when the patterns, the “miasms of planets”, were similar enough to those of 1918, and that was in 2009-10.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Anatomy of a Pandemic</span><br />Typically, at least one new mutation of the H2N3 flu type develops every year. However, from time to time a flu virus is born that is more virulent. These virus are of the H1N1 variety, a form of swine flu. The 1918 flu pandemic was an H1N1 strain. Its outbreak lasted from late 1917 through April 1919, or about 18 months. There were two outbreaks, the first mild and the second deadly.<br /><br />Any virus can take several months to a year to catch hold in a human population. Large gatherings, cold weather, other factors reducing the resilience of the immune system such as stress — all play a role.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What Can We See in the Planets?</span><br />In 1918, the most notable patterns involved layered interactions between Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Jupiter and Pluto were also “near-missing” each other, but not interacting with the other three heavy planets.<br /><br />In the other two epidemics that were labeled pandemics,(based on the number of cases) in 1957 and 1968, none had comparable numbers of cases or deaths. The planetary patterns were not as intense either.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">So What About Now?</span><br />We have two patterns occurring right now, and both are powerful. Saturn and Uranus are opposing each other, the same mathematical contact they made in 1917-19. In fact, the entire outbreak was timed pretty exactly to the time that these two planets were interacting. Saturn and Uranus this time around have been interacting since Fall 2008 and will continue to face off until July 2010.<br /><br />The other pattern occurring right now involves Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune, which first started coming together in February and will be very strong in May, August, and November. These planets appear to be involved in timing the outbreaks, as the first one happened in February. However, the recent spread of the disease occurred when Saturn and Uranus were being contacted by Mars, which occurred between April 4 and 14.<br /><br />If it is clear that these planetary patterns are implicated in the disease process, it is likely that the new H1N1 strain developed last fall at the first Saturn-Uranus contact, but that it took its usual underground route into the human population, emerging in February as these planets made their second connection. Following this timing, there is an increased chance of a virulent outbreak in the days and weeks around September 15, their next time to link up. They have two more connections after that, and if the outbreak has not been contained by then, we may see a resurgence around those times, April 26 and July 21, 2010.<br /><br />Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune do not appear at this time to be implicated in the timing and virulence of this swine flu outbreak, but they could be involved in exacerbating the circumstances under which the virus is spread. More likely, however, is that they indicate a human response, such as a curtailment in travel (Mercury retrograde square this expansive combination), as we head into a month where they are heavily featured.<br /><br />For all these reasons, my conclusion is that the Mexican swine flu will be a problem but not as big a problem as the biggest of them all, the influenza of 1918. The world economy and social interaction will be affected by limitations placed on human movement, but the flu will be relatively contained.<br /><br />Robert Blaschke has noted astutely that Mexico’s chart has a high level of Pluto activity in it, and that “viruses are ruled by Pluto”. (<a href="http://mountainastrologer.com/tma/swine-flu-outbreak-in-mexico#comments">TMA Blog</a>) I would not make so blunt a statement, as the many facets of disease processes involve many planetary energies. I relate viruses primarily to Neptune because of their fluid, unseen, and insidious nature; they do not always involve death or deep transformation, but where they are deadly Pluto is unquestionably a factor. Uranus gives us the energy of mutation, and Saturn the limitations placed on human populations, both in terms of population growth and population movement, as well as human failures.<br /><br />Jupiter spreads whatever it touches — perhaps here it is spreading awareness of what happens in the world’s disadvantaged populations when one of the many possible health threats to them materializes. As it is tied to wounded healer Chiron and virus-associated Neptune, the potential for spreading through poor public health management is considerable. However, if this is a time that we respond as a species to the need for improved health care for all people, the planets are bringing a great human wound to the surface for humanity to work on together. (See my <a href="http://www.terrylamb.net/latest_forecast.htm">May forecast</a> for more on the great human wound.) This situation underscores the fact that we all sink or swim together. When we support those in need around the world, we support ourselves.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-83760109381697917462009-04-23T07:00:00.000-07:002009-04-23T07:34:19.987-07:00Please Be Seated, Senator Franken: An Astrologer Looks at When It Will Happen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Se_1QuFRyoI/AAAAAAAAAHU/y6cs1zF6an0/s1600-h/Al_Franken.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 149px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Se_1QuFRyoI/AAAAAAAAAHU/y6cs1zF6an0/s320/Al_Franken.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327746551799466626" border="0" /></a><br />© Terry Lamb<br /><br />April 23, 2009<br /><br />Maybe it’s because I met the guy, but I’ve been quite fascinated by Al Franken’s long journey to the US senate. When I met him, I asked what his birth time was, and he gave it to me (within a half-hour time frame). On the basis of that chart, data from memory, we might be able to see when he’ll take his seat as senator.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Senate Cliffhanger</span><br />When I was trying to prognosticate as to how many senate seats the Democrats would win last fall, I kept looking at Minnesota’s numbers, and they were — crazy! Double digit variations from one source to the next, with a third-party spoiler. (Minnesota seems to come close to having multi-party elections.) So, I looked at both Franken’s and Republican incumbent Norm Coleman’s charts (Coleman’s untimed chart is cast for noon.), and I couldn’t see a clear winner: Both charts looked insufficiently strong on January 5, the day the oath of office was administered.<br /><br />I predicted (privately) that Franken would win, but it would be a long, drawn out process to decide who would take the seat. I have not been disappointed. It has turned into the circus I knew it could be unless Coleman decided to grow fairness genes over Hanukkah.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Franken Declared Winner</span><br />On April 13, a panel of three state court judges declared Al Franken the winner, but Norm Coleman has appealed the decision to the Minnesota Supreme Court. There, it is expected that three judges will need to recuse themselves, leaving four judges to rule on the case.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Se_1QpOnyRI/AAAAAAAAAHc/Uw8yOnuXaCg/s1600-h/al_franken_cht.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Se_1QpOnyRI/AAAAAAAAAHc/Uw8yOnuXaCg/s320/al_franken_cht.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327746550496479506" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mercury Retrograde Could Play a Role.</span><br />When will Senator Franken be seated in the Senate? A look at his chart can give us clues. What I find interesting about Franken’s chart is the fact that he has Sun and Mars conjunct at 0̊ Gemini (no wonder he has been a comedian). Mercury is set to go over these points three times when it turns retrograde on May 6 just past these planets (at 1̊45' Gemini), effectively standing still on Mr. Franken’s Sun-Mars. This does not sound like swift movement into his designated seat.<br /><br />However, Mercury has been known to shake things loose. Mercury does not tangle with anyother of his planets. In contrast, it will square Coleman’s Sun in Leo three times. Sounds like bad news for Mr. Coleman! It is possible that, during the three weeks of Mercury’s retrograde, the race will be below the radar. However, if there is news, it will be on the days that Mercury contacts Franken’s Sun-Mars, which are April 30 – May 2, May 12-13, and June 14.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Any bets on June 14?</span><br />Although there are many factors to consider, and divining a date for such an event is a bit like guessing when a baby will be born, June 14 or thereabouts is a good possible date for when the Minnesota Supreme Court will make a decision, and it will be in his favor. It is possible that a decision will come on one of the other dates, and if so, the time table moves up, but the dates still apply in some fashion.<br /><br />Governor Tim Pawlenty could ostensibly decide not to sign the document authorizing Franken to take the seat, especially if, as expected, Coleman appeals to the US Supreme Court. However, if he does so, he cannot do so on the same basis as he is currently using. He will have to claim that he was denied equal representation. This is a substantially different argument that would result in the election being thrown out. Widely held speculation suggests that the Supremes will refuse to hear the case, but this will take time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Se_1RWKV-4I/AAAAAAAAAHk/pZb7n95bZeQ/s1600-h/coleman_cht.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Se_1RWKV-4I/AAAAAAAAAHk/pZb7n95bZeQ/s320/coleman_cht.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327746562558131074" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coleman's Game</span><br />Of course, the name of the game (well, there are two of them) is: One, win by any means necessary; two, delay the seating of Senator Franken as long as possible to weaken the Democrats in the Senate and to shame Al Franken as much as possible. A little on the backstory here. In 2002, just before the election, the incumbent Senator Paul Wellstone was killed in a plane crash while campaigning in his state. His opponent was Norm Coleman, who was losing badly to this popular senator. Coleman, the Republican Party at some level, and the right wing media conspired to defame the Democrats before, during, and after Wellstone’s funeral, in a shameful example of human behavior. Coleman won against Democratic replacement candidate Walter Mondale and held the seat for one term.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eclipses Could Play a Role.</span><br />If the senate seat remains in limbo past this time, the eclipses will come into play. A Lunar Eclipse on July 7 picks up Franken’s Venus/Neptune square, plus Coleman’s Mars/Neptune square, with equal intensity. The Solar Eclipse on July 21 triggers neither chart, but a rare second Lunar Eclipse on August 5 falls near enough to Al Franken’s MC/IC to suggest that he is likely to take or be in office at this time.<br /><br />This is a rough estimate, and not a definitive analysis; let’s see what unfolds.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-85006899658800336012009-04-17T07:00:00.000-07:002009-04-17T07:00:03.766-07:00Venus is Going Direct . . .What’s Next?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SegW90-N2OI/AAAAAAAAAHM/9lWOqcydMW4/s1600-h/sat-uran-plu_glyphs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 216px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SegW90-N2OI/AAAAAAAAAHM/9lWOqcydMW4/s320/sat-uran-plu_glyphs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325531810813040866" border="0" /></a><br />April 16, 2009<br /><br />© Terry Lamb<br /><br />It was a wild ride! When Venus turned retrograde on March 6 in Aries, we went into a 6-week transition period that ends tomorrow. It was complicated by several other planetary patterns and events, all of which are key culprits in the economic situation we currently face. The Saturn-Uranus opposition was triggered by Mars; Venus squared Pluto; and Pluto began its four-month retrograde period. (If this means nothing to you, suffice to say that it's a handful.)<br /><br />So what happened? The stock market went up, and many are proclaiming that the end of the recession is in sight. Is it really?<br /><br />Venus says, “Yes, yes, yes”, but the other planets say, “No, no, no.” Saturn-Uranus were coming together as the crash began to take shape, and they were in exact focus as it occurred. They will continue to interact in a similar fashion through July 2010. The whole economic transformation began when Pluto first entered Capricorn, in January 2008, with the market manipulation caused by French trader Jerome Kerviel when he engaged in fraudulent futures trading in 2007-08. This occurred on January 21-24, and Pluto entered Capricorn on January 25, 2008. Pluto will be in Capricorn for 15 more years.<br /><br />This tells us it’s not over, but it is true that it is over in the form it has taken on the surface, the form that Venus represents. We may be able to recover now — but the forces that caused the crash and subsequent downturn are still able to wreak havoc on the system. To understand why I say that, we have to dig a little deeper. We have to look at the backstory on what brought on the instability in the banks and what made these titans fall. It wasn’t your subprime mortgage.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Naked Short-Selling Is at the Core.</span><br />It was naked short-selling, where a trader creates phantom shares for a company that cause its market value to crash. To learn more about what happened, watch this video by Judd Bagley, “<a href="http://vimeo.com/3722293">Hedge Funds and the Global Economic Meltdown</a>”. Although there undeniably were conditions that set us up for a fall of some grandeur sooner or later (mortgage-backed securities, the housing bubble, fraudulent loan practices involving subprime mortgages, falsified credit ratings), the crash would not have been so deep nor the credit tsunami so catastrophic without the criminal behavior of several Lord-of-the-Universe hedge fund managers who to date have been untouched and appear untouchable.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Planetary Suspects</span><br />After the shock on January 24, the first hit from inside the US was landed on Bear Stearns on March 11, 2008, although the activities that led to this blow surely started before then. The planets that were activated then were Uranus and Mars-Pluto (the third contact of Mars with Pluto after its retrograde). This turned $1.7m into $270m in one week. Bear Stearns was rescued by the Federal Reserve and JP Morgan Chase (based on $29bn in taxpayer dollars to guarantee the merger) after employees lost more than $5bn on company holdings. Eight thousand lost their jobs. So, Uranus and Pluto, with a smattering of Mars, are the primary timers of events. Saturn joined their party by mid-summer, when it moved into range of Uranus, thickening the stew.<br /><br />Here are some of the correlating events:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pluto’s Retrograde Station</span><br />As Pluto went retrograde a week later, the Senate banking committee met in early April to figure out what happened to Bear. When they questioned SEC Chair Chris Cox, he sounded unconvincing as he made a commitment to investigate who did what and prosecute them. And he was all too revealing of his future actions: Nothing was done.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Uranus’s Retrograde Station</span><br />The second hit was against Lehman Brothers, starting June 27, in which criminal naked short-selling brought the price of Lehman Brothers down by 40% over two weeks. It was Uranus again, this time at its retrograde station (stationary retrograde). The SEC belatedly <a href="http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2008/2008-143.htm">took action on July 15</a>, choosing to require additional regulatory oversight starting July 21 over naked short-selling of the stocks of 19 large financial institutions like Lehman Brothers and Fannie Mae. This order was allowed to lapse mid-August.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sun Conjunct Saturn and Opposite Uranus</span><br />Evidently the culprit(s) lay low for a while, and then on September 9 they struck again. After 90 million failed trades hit the market that week and the Fed decided not to bail them out, Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy on September 15. For the two days following, traders leapt on Lehman like vultures, eaking every last cent out of it. By the 18th, this 158-year-old company had vanished. This is when the global economy crashed. The Sun-Uranus opposition was on September 12, and the first Saturn-Uranus opposition was on November 4.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">And the Winner Is . . .</span><br />According to Judd Bagley, the bad guy(s) can be found among a handful of short-selling hedge fund managers, yet the SEC has yet to investigate them.<br /><br />Since then, we have been in transition mode — the election, the new administration getting staffed and finding its feet, economic ups and (mostly) downs. The market psychology was confused, and this was certainly just as true during the past Venus retrograde. What was different is that there were a few indicators that leveled off, and this led to gains in the stock market. If there are no further giant hits to the markets, these gains may be more than window-dressing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Breathing Room</span><br />However, the planets tell us that if the underlying problems are not fixed, we are in for more hits. It is my expectation that it will take another round of direct government intervention to get the financial system back to some semblance of normal. I also expect the process of re-regulating and of truly investigating the naked short-selling crimes to become the primary focus of government by the fall, when the next Saturn-Uranus contact occurs (September 15). This will start the final round of Saturn-Uranus experience, giving us the opportunity to rectify the system as best we can see how.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What After That?</span><br />It is hard to envision what will come after summer of 2010, when the final Saturn-Uranus opposition occurs. Uranus heads on to square Pluto, and this is the biggest challenge yet. We have a chance to get it right and dull the force of this momentous energy. At its best, we will be well launched into our green economy and seeing ever more ways to dampen our effects on the planet. We will have ameliorated the situation of those in the worst poverty and the most peril, so that when peaks of conflict and climatic extremes occur they will not be so dramatic. It is possible to uproot the worst of these challenges, and in many ways President Obama is approaching them wisely, at least in the arena of foreign relations.<br /><br />Where the economy is concerned, in my opinion our leaders are on a steep learning curve. The financial systems as they currently exist defy the understanding of the most brilliant mind. This is, I believe, why the SEC hasn’t made any successful investigation of naked short-selling and related fraudulent trades; Chris Cox and his employees did not understand them. It remains to be seen if Obama’s SEC will do any better, or if we need a new regulatory body to manage the situation.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">We Matter.</span><br />Incredible as it may seem, we matter. If we don’t become educated and speak out, the only advisors Congress and the Obama Administration will be able to listen to are the Lords of the Universe themselves. We don’t want these foxes guarding our henhouse.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">How Long Do We Have Now?</span><br />We’ve probably got until June 2010 before the economic system will be subjected to any more events that will change the landscape, the game, and the rules substantially. At that time, there will be a palpable change in perspective and priority as three major planets enter cardinal signs: Jupiter, Uranus, and Saturn (in that order). (The cardinal signs are Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn.) We’ll make another shift in course based on conditions as they exist then.<br /><br />To be in harmony with the cardinal planets, we have to be courageous and pioneering, ready to think and act in a new way, and broad in perspective. Venus introduced us to the cardinal reality with her retrograde in Aries. She began the tempering process that we will experience during the coming 18 months of her current cycle (until her next retrograde) that will acclimate us to cardinal energy. Other emphases in cardinal signs will develop over that time as well, including eclipses starting this summer. (Eclipses occur roughly every 6 months.)<br /><br />So, we can manage it, because we don’t have to take it all on at once. There are many doorways between now and then through which we can pass to make the situation better. The more enlightened we are about the time structure established by the planetary cycles and the human behaviors that correlate with them, the more prepared we will be to handle our experiences as they arise and make wise decisions to gain from them. We have the chance now more than ever to create a truly balanced and humane world.<br /><br />Here’s what I wrote about this in my <a href="http://www.terrylamb.net/forecast0309.htm">March forecast</a>:<br /><blockquote>Hexagram 28, Preponderance of the Great, certainly speaks to our current economic situation. It refers specifically to a time when great power is unleashed in the universe and felt in human affairs. It is likened to a home whose roof sags in the middle because the beams overhead are poorly supported. Although we may have a tendency to think of such times as perilous and impossible to manage, the I Ching counsels us that it is “a time of great opportunity, so a time to take great care” (Carol Kay Anthony, <span style="font-style: italic;">A Guide to the I Ching</span>). Hexagram 26, The Taming Power of the Great, describes a situation where forces are so strong, they threaten to throw us off balance (or already have). It describes a build-up of tension that often creates fear or anxiety and results in rash action. We are counseled here to “hold still, hold firm, and hold together”. (Anthony)<br /><br />When we find ourselves in these circumstances, the first thing the I Ching advises is to reframe what is really going on: These surface appearances are signs that deep change is afoot, and that these are times of great opportunity — this is what great opportunity looks like. The next millionaires are created in an economic downturn. Even if you’re not the millionaire type, we each have the chance to reshape our lives more easily and build a more robust foundation because of the forces that are unleashed. The power that has been held in lockdown for years — in the financial empires, in the halls of government — is suddenly available to us. We can use it to start a new business or transform an existing one; to join a political movement that suddenly has a voice; to volunteer in creating social reform; and to carve our own unique path of meaning.</blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-50308354440985600882009-04-08T16:59:00.000-07:002009-04-09T16:55:28.737-07:00Tough Love: Paul Krugman & Obama’s Economic Policy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Sd073tD4ZrI/AAAAAAAAAHE/7feuoTHSPs0/s1600-h/paul_krugman_cht.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Sd073tD4ZrI/AAAAAAAAAHE/7feuoTHSPs0/s320/paul_krugman_cht.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322476162796512946" border="0" /></a>by Terry Lamb<br /><br />April 8, 2009<br /><br />Large chart images: <a href="http://www.terrylamb.net/graphics/paul_krugman_cht.jpg">Paul Krugman</a>, <a href="http://www.terrylamb.net/graphics/obama_cht.jpg">Barack Obama</a>, <a href="http://www.terrylamb.net/graphics/christina_romer_cht.jpg">Christina Romer</a>, <a href="http://www.terrylamb.net/graphics/larry_summers_cht.jpg">Larry Summers</a>, <a href="http://www.terrylamb.net/graphics/paul_volcker_cht.jpg">Paul Volcker</a><br /><br />The cover story in last week’s <span style="font-style: italic;">Newsweek</span> was “<a href="http://www.newsweek.com/id/191393/">Obama’s Nobel Headache</a>”. In it, Evan Thomas lays out the facts to a mystery I’ve been pondering since Obama started putting together his economic team: Where’s Paul Krugman?<br /><br />Right before Obama named his team, Paul Krugman became an even more glittering star in the living economic pantheon by being given the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics “for his analysis of trade patterns and location of economic activity”. He is also a professor in Economics at Princeton and the London School of Economics, and a member of the Group of Thirty international economic body as well as the Council on Foreign Relations. He writes regular op-ed pieces for the <span style="font-style: italic;">New York Times</span> in his column revealingly called “<a href="http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/?8dpc">Conscience of a Liberal</a>” (title perhaps inspired by a book by the late Paul Wellstone). He has shown special fascination for and understanding of macroeconomics, especially international trade and finance and “economic geography”. His economic ideology is of the “European social democrat” ilk. He decries the growing gap between rich and poor and feels greed needs to be held in check — hence is pro-regulation.<br /><br />He is also outspoken and prefers being an outsider, according to Thomas. His op-ed pieces have carried more than a few draconian pronouncements, like the one on March 23, 2009 (when Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner spelled out the details of his bank-rescue plan). He called the plan “cash for trash” and said it “filled him with a sense of despair”. His preferred plan: The government must quickly act to nationalize the big, “zombie” banks (to stop the bleeding through bonuses and other self-interested actions) and guarantee the liabilities of all the nation’s banks. The lack of funding of the current plan will lead to a downturn like Japan’s “lost decade”, which started in the 1990s.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What Is It with Paul Krugman, and Why Is He Saying These Terrible Things about Us?</span><br />Well, now I know that Krugman disagrees with Obama’s guys (but is probably more aligned with Christina Romer), but why is he on the outside? What does he think is going on? What makes him tick?<br /><br />To go a little deeper into the mystery, the wise astrologer uses the tools of her trade. We have an untimed birth chart for Mr. Krugman, shown above. Even without the birth time, which gives us the location of the planets around the wheel and the degree of the Moon, we can see a great deal about a person. The resulting solar chart shows that Krugman was born a Pisces with a Virgo Full Moon.<br /><br />The Pisces is evident in descriptions of him. Evan Thomas describes Krugman as shy, sweet, not a prima donna, wears his fame lightly, gentle, a little absent-minded, and adaptive. These are all Pisces traits, when Pisces is not masked by a stronger energy. A mentor, Robert Solow, describes him as “very unassertive, mild mannered” as a grad student. His demeanor in public appearances is humble and unassuming. When he won his Nobel Prize, he was not out there blowing his horn. It was another day in the life, despite it being the accomplishment of a major goal for him.<br /><br />The Virgo Moon comes out as “nervous[ness]” and nerdiness and contributes to his reputation for gentility, lack of hauteur, and adaptiveness. Being an academic is second nature to this Moon. What may go unnoticed with these placements, however, is the quality of the Full Moon: It has “crisis consciousness” in two forms. First, it can adapt to and deal with crisis when it actually arises. Second and less favorably, it can see crisis in everything that moves.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Assertive Mr. Krugman</span><br />Pisces-Virgo does not describe the whole man. No description of Paul Krugman would be complete without noting his strong Aries streak, a part of him which is well known to colleagues, friends, and probably his wife. It certainly comes out in the more strident tones of his op-ed pieces and his sometimes need to dial back on the rhetoric.<br /><br />Does it surprise you then that he has Mars in Aries? This powerful rulership placement overpowers nearby Venus in Aries (her detriment), while the two oppose his early-fifties trademark Saturn-Neptune conjunction. This is both complex and deep, speaking to what drives him and his sense of purpose in life. One thing for sure, whatever Saturn-Neptune represents, he is driven to express it, or express against it. He is likely to be “anti” about the things he's interested in. This is even more the case when the universe throws in Uranus in Cancer and Chiron in Capricorn. The resulting cardinal grand cross gives us a revolutionary, or as he describes himself, “anti-establishment”, made quiet by Pisces-Virgo.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Saturn-Neptune & the 50s Crowd</span><br />For those born in 1952-53, Saturn and Neptune were conjunct each other, and all those born in this age group share a common awareness and related purposes. At its core, on a social level Saturn-Neptune is about how wed we are to consensus reality, that dream that we all dream together. This dream plays a huge role in an economy. We learn that money has value, so it has value. If we were to lose our faith in money, that a particular currency (or even money in general) faithfully represents our goods or efforts, the currency stops working. If we lose our trust that a system will reward us fairly for our goods or efforts, or that it will protect us against harm to their value, the whole system falls apart. Krugman carries this seed forward with his attunement to the economy and humanity's macro trends and systems.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dream a Little Dream of Our New Economic Future</span><br />One good thing about Krugman is that, with so many planets in cardinal signs, he can pioneer new concepts. He can create the future. He is uniquely equipped for this when we add the visionary qualities of Pisces and the pragmatism of Virgo.<br /><br />You see, it takes courage, knowledge, wisdom, and vision to see the future, not the least because what we see is what we create. Although Paul Krugman may be glum about how Obama’s administration is handling the economic crisis, I keep asking myself, “And this is bad because . . .”. Krugman does suggest that substantive changes will take place in the world economy, changes that he still couches in terms of the old reality. However, he does have a vision of a better future, where the distance between rich and poor is flattened, greed is curbed through regulation, and where it is possible to do good and still succeed.<br /><br />In a fascinating report on Monday, “<a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=102851827&m=102851799">Economic Downturn Signals a New Normal</a>”, Robert Siegel ponders the question of what will become the new normal once the new economic reality becomes established, whatever that is. He asks, “How will the recession change our country in the long term?” “They change us in ways we can hardly imagine,” says historian David Kennedy. Some of the suggestions: less credit, more saving; less home-buying, more renting; less spent on possessions, more on experiences; changes in what is considered a luxury experience or item; a smaller role for the U.S. Krugman would surely sign up for some of these possibilities if he weren’t so busy still trying to give voice to a better path to them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why Doesn’t Obama Listen to Krugman?</span><br />President Obama, for all his strengths, is human. He has been known to defer to his advisors, especially in areas of great complexity or where he is less well-informed, such as the economy (the former) or military policy (the latter). Obama’s advisors may be telling him that Krugman’s position is too extreme; Krugman feels that Geithner is too close to the crisis, including the people who created it, and has adopted too much of the investment banker mindset. He feels that Larry Summers has more resiliency in seeing through their foibles, and he hasn’t yet given up on the administration to move closer to his idea of what will work.<br /><br />Astrologically, there are many connections between Krugman’s and Obama’s charts, but the key points of annoyance appears to be first, one of personality, and second, one of ideology. The personality differences are many, but you get prickles when you put a Leo (Obama) and a Pisces in the same room. There’s something about the attention-seeking of Leo that really gets under a Pisces’s skin. (Perhaps it’s what Pisces secretly wants but spends so much time studiously avoiding.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mystery Solved, Partially</span><br />But with Obama’s Saturn directly square to Krugman’s, Obama is at once too pragmatic for Krugman; and with Obama’s Pluto on Krugman’s Moon, Obama is the wrong kind of pragmatic for Krugman. In fact, with Krugman’s Pisces-Virgo approach to life, he could be called the Idealistic Pragmatist. And if he didn’t have such romantic notions of being the nerd who saved civilization (born of reading Asimov’s Foundation series in his youth), he might be willing to compromise more on his viewpoints — but would it help us if we didn’t have the caped economic crusader speaking for the poor masses huddled at the door of the big banks?<br /><br />Obama may end up listening to Krugman. He and Larry Summers stay in touch and share a mutual respect. However, it will go through the Summers filter. If Summers buys it, it will be transmitted and perhaps used. Summers is an idealistic Sagittarius who has more astrological connections with Obama, especially ones that give him that father-figure feel (Summers’s Saturn on Obama’s absent-father Neptune).<br /><br />More troubling is the fact that Obama’s economic team is decidedly old school, with the exception of Christina Romer. While this is a cause for concern in my opinion, it doesn’t trouble me as deeply as it would if this were still the case at this time next year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Saturn-Uranus Provide the Timing.</span><br />We are still in the first half of the Saturn-Uranus opposition period. Because they interact over two yearly planetary cycles, there is a two-step process in “getting it right”. This pair is heavily implicated in the economic crisis we are now experiencing (but are not the only culprits). By the fall, it will become apparent that the administration’s approach will need adjustments. Obama and Summers (with the help of past Fed Chair and elder economist Paul Volcker) may find their way to a more Krugman-like direction. What is now considered slightly lunatic fringe may become the new mainstream.<br /><br />If you think Krugman is a lone voice in the wilderness, think again. There’s William Greider, Robert Kuttner, Dean Baker, Robert Reich, and Nouriel Roubini, to name a few of those who speak with a similar voice. Once we see what type of regulation policy the Obama Administration embraces, we’ll know how contented this bunch will be. Regulation is likely to be the strongest feature of Saturn-Uranus Phase II.<br /><br />For now, patience, optimism, creativity, and informed activism are our best economic policies. I’m not sure that we can or should save the banks, myself. However, that’s the path we’re on, and if we’re going to do it, we should do it right.<br /><br />© Terry Lamb<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-51501641220453626462009-04-02T07:00:00.000-07:002009-04-02T07:00:00.279-07:00Obama as World Leader<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SdRJwp-IZPI/AAAAAAAAAG8/uKfmj1i1mPg/s1600-h/obama_map.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 453px; height: 255px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SdRJwp-IZPI/AAAAAAAAAG8/uKfmj1i1mPg/s320/obama_map.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319958160080397554" border="0" /></a><br />by Terry Lamb<br /><br />April 2, 2009<br /><br /><a href="http://www.terrylamb.net/obama_map_big.jpg">link to large map</a><br /><br />On Tuesday, President Obama embarked on his first international trip as leader of the free world. His eight-day, five-country itinerary includes visits to the UK for the G-20 meeting, followed by stops in France, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Turkey. His first visit abroad brings to mind the larger question of international relations with Obama at the helm. With the capable Secretary Hillary Clinton at the helm of the State Department, we can expect foreign relations to be better than under George W. Bush.<br /><br />However, there is much that can be pinned on Obama because he has the ultimate leadership role. What kind of relations can we expect while he is president? What countries might be his special strengths? Where might he have difficulties unique to him?<br /><br />There are several ways to assess this astrologically, but one of the most elegant is accomplished using an astro-locality map, like the one cast for his chart, show and linked in larger format above. Although we can look for specific planets that typically indicate difficulties, I think it is most useful to look at what planets are difficult for Mr. Obama to manage in his own life. These planets, when they are associated with a particular locality, may be projected onto his experience of the locality and be associated with difficult relations. Conversely, planets he uses well will be associated with positive foreign ties.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Obama’s Chart</span><br />The good news is that Obama has focused a lot of energy on self-actualization, and he uses most of the planets in his chart very well. The planets he has the most difficulty with are Mercury and Neptune (which squares his Sun and Mercury). Mercury is unaspected except for its square to Neptune, and in Leo it can be less than objective. Jupiter also ties into this and, in my opinion, provides balance and objectivity, since Jupiter is in Aquarius.<br /><br />We will also look at Chiron and Pluto, which are opposed to each other. Typically, these planets represent challenges. He uses them most in his relationship with his wife, where he’s had the opportunity to develop a give-and-take balance of power. She is famous for bringing him back to reality when he gets a little too aristocratic or pedantic (a little too much Leo).<br /><br />The planets he uses well include, of course, his Sun in Leo, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and his Moon. Mars, the planet of war, is often one to watch. His Mars in Virgo is more oriented toward work than war. He’ll try to work things out, develop “working” relationships. It’s part of his pragmatic side, and it trines his Saturn very nicely. While conventional wisdom would suggest that this is a planet to watch, I do not agree. I think that if Obama goes to war, it will be because he is swayed by others (Mercury square Neptune) rather than making such a decision on his own steam. While he has many other checks and balances in his chart to make this a manageable factor, it is one to watch nonetheless.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Obama’s Potential Trouble Spots</span><br />Eastern Africa [Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, former Yugoslavia] (Pluto)<br />Mexico and Guatemala (Mercury-Neptune)<br />Eastern India, Bangladesh, Burma (Mercury-Neptune)<br />Brazil, Venezuela (Pluto, Chiron, Moon’s Node)<br />Russia (Neptune)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Obama’s Sweet Spots</span><br />United States, Canada (Moon, Sun, Jupiter, Saturn)<br />Australia (Venus)<br />Western Africa (Sun, Jupiter, Saturn)<br />Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran (Venus)<br />Central America (including Mexico) - Sun<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Other Places of Interest</span><br />The following have mixed planetary associations, which will bring Obama’s focus there but the issues are potentially more easily resolved:<br /><br />Central and southern Africa (Moon’s Node, Uranus, Chiron, Moon)<br />Mexico, Central America, and South America show up with both difficult and supportive planets.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Closer Look at Mars</span><br />Mars, which is not particularly warlike in Obama’s nature/chart, is still worth watching. It most notably passes through Japan, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Moscow (Russia), and Brazil. There is no doubt that Iraq currently requires the more military side of Mars, but Mars in Virgo is thoroughly constructive, not destructive. Obama’s Mars efforts are more likely to be directed toward community-building, both locally and internationally.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What’s Missing</span><br />There are some obvious international hotspots that are missing from the list: Israel, Lebanon, Syria, the Palestinian territories, Pakistan, Afghanistan. This suggests that relations can be generally improved in these areas and that they will not need to receive as much focus as expected. I do not want to sidestep the obvious deep and difficult issues with Pakistan and Afghanistan; only that this perspective suggests that these countries may not be as important over the course of Obama’s presidency as it now appears. Perhaps diplomacy will win the day!<br /><br />In general, because Obama is a more able leader and uses his planets with more understanding than our previous president, we can expect to see international relations improve dramatically, not just between the US and the other nations, but among the other nations as well. Tensions will drop as a leader takes the podium who has the ability to eloquently frame the issues in a positive and perceptive manner. Even though Obama has his weaknesses, his strengths are notable. It is possible to talk about world peace again as a viable reality.<br /><br />© Terry Lamb<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-82734269258725016782009-03-26T07:00:00.000-07:002009-03-26T07:00:03.134-07:00Women on Top: Venus Retrograde Tales<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/ScsD4Gg9oOI/AAAAAAAAAG0/rhWmZaBxmss/s1600-h/roxana_saberi_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 120px; height: 90px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/ScsD4Gg9oOI/AAAAAAAAAG0/rhWmZaBxmss/s320/roxana_saberi_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317348047397429474" border="0" /></a><br />March 25, 2009<br /><br />As Venus continues its passage backward through Aries, women are in the news in surprising ways.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Saudi Arabia</span><br />In the past few weeks, King Abdullah, 85, has sacked the head of the Mattawa, or religious police, and the minister of justice, who were noted for terrorizing women, and especially for leaving more than 100 schoolgirls locked in a burning residence hall to die because they weren’t properly attired. As if this weren’t enough, he introduced a number of reforms that will equalize the education of men and women. First, he named Nora al-Fayez his deputy education minister, making her the first women to climb so high in Saudi history. Then, he appointed progressive son-in-law Faisal bin Abdullah as minister of education, charged specifically with modernizing the school system toward equalization. (<a href="http://www.newsweek.com/id/190350">Christopher Dickey, <span style="font-style: italic;">Newsweek</span></a>, March 30, 2009)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">North Korea</span><br />Two US reporters, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, were arrested at the border with China before dawn on March 17 and charged with spying. It is interesting that a male cameraman traveling with the women was not detained. Since the US has no diplomatic ties with North Korea, the Swedes are requested consular access with the detained women on behalf of the US. (The Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC, March 25, 2009)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Iran</span><br />Roxana Saberi, an American-Iranian student and reporter, is in the news lately. She was arrested on January 31 (before Venus turned retrograde) for practicing journalism after her press credential had been revoked. Although Iran assured US officials earlier in March that she would be released soon, they now say that she will be detained indefinitely. Her father has been permitted contact with her in recent weeks, and now the US State Department is requesting consular access for her with the Swiss government to monitor her well-being and negotiate her release. (The Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC, March 25, 2009)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">United States</span><br />Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continues to make headlines by supporting sane, humane foreign policy initiatives, including owning up to the responsibility that the US bears in contributing to Mexico’s civil war. Top leaders from the US have become fully present to this issue, as Secretary Clinton, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, and Attorney General Eric Holder give face time to Mexican President Felipe Calderon. (And by the way, the right is still targeting her.) (Andrea Mitchell, on <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/">The Rachel Maddow Show</a>, MSNBC, March 25, 2009)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nevada</span><br />In a state where prostitution is (in many locales) legal, a budget-balancing $5 tax is proposed for each prostitution service provided. (<a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102314296&ft=1&f=1001">NPR.org</a>, March 24, 2009)<br /><br />When Venus is retrograde, conventional wisdom says that this is a “bad time for women”. However, energy is energy, and it is there to be used. It will work better for some than others. All we can say is that women are making advances toward true equality: They can be leaders or political prisoners — or be taxed for business activities — on a par with men.<br /><br />© Terry Lamb<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-26713506748128918342009-03-17T11:31:00.000-07:002009-03-17T11:58:19.874-07:00We’re All Secretaries Now: AIG and the Growing Challenge to Corporatism<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Sb_yIL8e4UI/AAAAAAAAAGs/0A2zQxd9Vw4/s1600-h/AIG_fx.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 183px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Sb_yIL8e4UI/AAAAAAAAAGs/0A2zQxd9Vw4/s320/AIG_fx.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314232307779821890" border="0" /></a>March 17, 2009<br /><br />Back in my 20s, I found myself from time to time in a job as a “secretary” (now dressed up as “administrative assistant”). I quickly learned how challenging such a position could be, then later as the concept of job stress emerged, I learned how secretarial positions rank pretty far up the stress scale, because they trap the hapless employee in a position of responsibility without authority. I suspect this is true of nearly all customer service positions as well.<br /><br />So when AIG announced that it was issuing $165m in “retention awards” to the Financial Products Unit (the ones that brought the whole economy down through their approval of high-risk credit default swaps), I got that old familiar feeling of being a secretary again. This on top of the $440K party, the $86K executive fox-hunting trip to the UK (outrageous in itself), and who-knows-how-much to hire four PR firms to spin us into liking them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Money Without Strings — Time to Par-tay!!!</span><br />Last September, the Federal Reserve Bank acted within its authority to loan $85bn to AIG. Without us propping them up, AIG would not exist. We should note that this is not a part of TARP nor of any bailout funds approved by Congress, but a 24-month loan arranged by the Fed.<br /><br />When our naive Fed made the loan, they assumed that AIG would act responsibly and in the interests of the American people (HA!), a laughable extension of the “free-market fundamentalism” that has been nearly thoroughly discredited. The loan was granted with few strings attached, and certainly none regarding employee compensation. However, the purpose of the loan is stated in <a href="http://federalreserve.gov/newsevents/press/other/20080916a.htm">the letter announcing the loan</a> as,<br /><blockquote> . . . to assist AIG in meeting its obligations as they come due. This loan will facilitate a process under which AIG will sell certain of its businesses in an orderly manner, with the least possible disruption to the overall economy.</blockquote><br />However AIG got plenty of those too, though with more restrictions, to a total of $170bn. The result: Now the government owns 80% of AIG. That’s you and me — we own 80% of this donkey.<br /><br />But still, the government (Treasury, Congress) has asked for no control and little oversight over the corporation. Evidently, the dreaded ghost of nationalization looms too large for us to consider it. This brings us to that old, bad feeling of responsibility without authority: We have to pay for it, but we have no control over how the money is used or what the outcome will be. We are all secretaries to AIG.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">We May Not Be Secretaries for Long.</span><br />The money is clearly NOT meant to be used for employee bonuses. However, can anything be done to stop it? Tim Geithner (who incidentally was head of the NY Fed when it doled out the cash) has said that nothing can be done through legal channels. AIG says its hands are tied — it has to honor the contracts. What’s more, AIG refuses to produce a list of names of those receiving bonuses. The message from AIG to the government (that means us): “Get stuffed.”<br /><br />However, other sources are not so sure. Senator Arlen Specter thinks the awards violate public policy and would not stand up in court. Congress isn’t waiting, however. There are two bills afoot to tax the bonuses at a high rate, one with a tax rate of 100%! We may not be beholding to AIG for long.<br /><br />This is a classic David-vs.-Goliath struggle of the behemoth corporation against the people it has victimized. As Pluto, in the second year of its Capricorn transit, slows to a near stop before its retrograde (apparent backward motion) begins on April 4, let’s call this the opening salvo in the battle to take the government of the US people to be by and for the people once again, instead of bought and paid for by big business.<br /><br /><br />© Terry Lamb<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-55396034971388045342009-03-11T13:40:00.000-07:002009-03-11T14:08:52.990-07:00News Flash: Saturn Sends Signals to Earth!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Sbgnx_xSwuI/AAAAAAAAAGk/gWEKz-9nWC4/s1600-h/sat_caric_cred.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 162px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Sbgnx_xSwuI/AAAAAAAAAGk/gWEKz-9nWC4/s320/sat_caric_cred.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312039500368757474" border="0" /></a><br />March 11, 2009<br /><br />“<span style="font-weight: bold;">You humans have been very naughty.</span> Ignoring your own long-term well-being for instant gratification. That is so Mars and Jupiter! Now you’re set on self-destruct, and it’s time for me to assert myself, so that you begin to take your long-term prospects into account when making decisions. Just to ensure that I get your attention, I’ve made an arrangement with Uranus. You can bet we’ll be sure to disrupt your lives until you shift your old, bad habits. And just in case you were in doubt as to my sincerity, you can expect to hear from me many times in the coming years. In celebration of my stay in Virgo, the first problems you must address are health care and the health of Planet Earth.”<br /><br />So says Saturn, just in time for the peak in his yearly cycle, which occurred on March 8. Here are his talking points:<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;">Get real on health care.</span> The current “fend for yourself” health care offered in the US right now is a massive drain on the economy and couldn’t be more inefficient. The health insurance industry has brought us all to our knees. Health insurance premiums have gone up 20% in the past year, and the insurance companies are digging in, refusing to recognize, or care about, the massive inequities in how healthcare is doled out in this country. (Reported by <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/29622991#29622991">Ed Schultz, 3/10/09</a>)<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;">Don’t use the economic downturn as a reason to put off health care reform.</span> It is a primary reason for the downturn, and as people lose their jobs, the numbers of uninsured will skyrocket. This is a disaster waiting to happen. It will place a crushing economic burden on state and local governments to fill in the gap. The current health care system is a disincentive for travelers. Many who could travel to the US and pump valuable dollars into the American economy will not because they fear for their financial well-being if they should experience illness or injury while in the States. Many American citizens find it cheaper and just as supportive of their health to go to foreign countries for health care. The time for health care reform is now.<br /><br />• It’s also time to <span style="font-weight: bold;">take responsibility for your own health.</span> Those who leave their health in the hands of another person and completely abdicate their responsibilities will suffer more and experience poorer health. This means eating well, exercising, and knowing as much as you can about what makes your body work the way it does. Passively letting your doctor tell you what to do on the basis of tests will no longer cut it. You need to stand up for yourself, become informed, and make your own health care decisions with you as the lead member and most active proponent of your health care team. According to the <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2009-03-10-americandreamsurvey_N.htm">Gallup-Healthways Project</a>, Americans are eating fewer healthy foods, exercising less, and increasing unhealthy behaviors like smoking and drinking since the economic downturn began last year. Now, anyone can tell you that fruits and vegetables are cheaper than cigarettes and alcohol, and a walk around the block is free. If you recognize yourself making unhealthy choices, it’s time to get back on the bandwagon.<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;">Get off the gas-guzzlers.</span> Sure, maybe you can’t do it now, but if you have two cars, drive the one that is more fuel-efficient when only one car is needed. Walk or bike when possible (this gives you a two-fer, since you’re getting exercise too). But don’t think for a minute that your responsibility ends here. The biggest polluters are in business and industry. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Seek out the polluters</span> and help them see the errors of their ways.<br /><br />Saturn has indicated that he will issue more memos in the future. He will be watching and sending signals to each of us. Don’t forget that his current companion, Uranus, has the ability to shock us into new awareness if we are lagging behind the curve.<br /><br />C’mon! You know this is good for you! Remember Saturn’s mantra, “Think long term, think long term.” You’ll get rewards that stick with you, provide the foundation for your next enterprise. How bad is it if you have great health? What’s not to like?<br /><br />Saturn promises an update on how we’re doing on April 5, with a new global bulletin on May 16.<br /><br />© Terry Lamb<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-59440543562686388012009-03-04T07:00:00.000-08:002009-03-06T14:19:27.319-08:00From a Culture of Selfishness to Mutual Support: Venus Retrograde in Aries<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Sa3YhQ2q98I/AAAAAAAAAGU/rz4zF1nPqKs/s1600-h/temper_tantrum.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 238px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/Sa3YhQ2q98I/AAAAAAAAAGU/rz4zF1nPqKs/s320/temper_tantrum.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309137601711241154" border="0" /></a><br />March 3, 2009<br /><br />We can see it in stock market traders, Wall Street bankers, and partisan politicians, but it exists in all of us somewhere: We all have our selfish interests. It is particularly stark in investors who whine about the restrictions they’ll have to endure under Obama’s economic plan and new regulations. They claim that they won’t be able to live without the world the way it used to be, where they could play the stock market like a casino. Poor little babies.<br /><br />Now, it’s certainly true that there is some real anguish among people who invested their hard-earned wages in a 401(k) and have seen its value vanish. But it is notable how (some of) those who live off the wage-earners are now shedding crocodile tears and threatening to take their football and go home because the game is changing so that now they have to play by some rules. Last week, financial reporter Rick Santelli’s rant against helping out homeowners in need failed to recognize the negative impact these homes had on their neighborhoods and overall economy — or himself — even before we get to community mindedness. Instead he was caught up in the arrogance of his own selfish interests, because he is all that matters to him. The deepest irony of this situation is the fact that traders and bankers have already had their bailout (and are set to get more), and it seems they are eager to deny one to the people beyond Wall Street.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Venus to the Rescue!</span><br />This petulance is worthy of lower life forms, and while some might argue that traders fit into this category, even they are capable of rising above such toxic beliefs. So, here comes Venus to the rescue, in the form of its retrograde in Aries, which starts March 6. When Venus is retrograde, we get a chance to go deeper into a human weakness that blocks true interconnectedness between us. As this is occurring, the pattern that needs to be changed comes out in emphasized form. This is what we have been seeing over the past few weeks, especially the past week.<br /><br />In the US chart, Venus will trigger three important planets — those that are largely associated with the US’s largesse: Sun, Venus, and Jupiter. There is no doubt that this will bring out moodiness and self-centeredness in the American public (as well as Congress), and this will be reflected in the stock market. As the stock market continues to go down, some are blaming Obama instead of observing the psychology behind the behavior. It’s like daddy has imposed some new rules on the kids, and they are pouting and throwing a temper tantrum. If daddy holds firm on the rules, they’ll eventually calm down and abide, even benefit, by them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Selfishness Comes from Fear.</span><br />Underneath all the rhetoric is fear. No matter where it’s coming from, selfishness is based on the fear of not getting enough. There’s plenty of fear to go around, and I am sympathetic to those who are experiencing fear during this economic downturn, and this is all of us. During Venus’s retrograde, if we set aside our fears and instead reach out to others in community, we will be rewarded and help to push the world of human experience into the new economy of mutual support.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Are We There Yet?</span><br />We can expect the shift from selfishness to play out in several arenas over the coming three months as the retrograde cycle unfolds. Perhaps unwittingly, the Whiners of Wall Street will try to take the stock market down with them in an effort to extort concessions from the new administration. We will certainly see the stock market reach a new bottom during this time, and it may be an absolute bottom for this cycle. In the meantime, the stimulus package is going to begin to work. By the time the Venus retrograde ends on April 17, we’ll be entering our new economy and an 18-month transition. Let the recovery begin!<br /><br />© Terry Lamb<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-82401217486176317212009-02-23T11:13:00.000-08:002009-02-23T11:21:49.146-08:00What the H*** Is Up with Illinois?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SaL2ycQ17kI/AAAAAAAAAGM/vMG8Ahvve9Y/s1600-h/illinois-biwh.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SaL2ycQ17kI/AAAAAAAAAGM/vMG8Ahvve9Y/s320/illinois-biwh.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306074657436593730" border="0" /></a><br />February 23, 2009<br /><br />First it was Blagojevich, then it was Roland Burris. And before that, an improbable presidential candidate from Illinois won the presidency. Clearly, Illinois is in the news. What’s up with Illinois?<br /><br />Illinois has a long history of power grabs and corruption, and this seems to be a habit that dies hard. A look at the astrological chart cast for the time that Illinois became a state gives us insight into the hidden dimensions of current events.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Seat of Corruption</span><br />Although planets don’t have to be used to foster corruption, in Illinois there is a tradition of doing so. We can point to a couple of areas that could be the source of such frail human expression. First, there is the cluster of planets in the 12th house — Uranus, Mercury, and Neptune — in expedient Sagittarius. Then there is the Mars-Sun conjunction earlier in the sign in the 11th. When used indiscretely, Sagittarius is a sign that rushes to judgment, revels in skipping steps, and repeats the mantra daily, “Only too much is enough, only too much is enough.”<br /><br />Both Mars-Sun and Uranus-Mercury tend to act with lightning speed. And when you put planets in the 12th house, OR when Neptune enters the mix, there arises a mistaken impression that “no one will notice”. All of this ends up a toxic mix for the unenlightened.<br /><br />There is one more potential cluster bomb in Illinois’s chart: The Chiron-Fortuna-Pluto conjunction on the 3rd cusp in mysterious Pisces. This reminds us of the Democratic Machine and (still disputed) vote rigging and ballot-box stuffing of the Boss Daley era. It also speaks to a mindset where much activity in government takes place <span style="font-style: italic;">sub rosa</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Unfortunate Resonance</span><br />Which of these groupings is more responsible? We don’t have to decide, because they are connected to each other so that their overall effect is augmented. They form a complex square configuration that would challenge the most honest among the powerful.<br /><br />It is even more telling that this configuration is being spotlighted over recent months (since, oh, about the time that Obama announced his candidacy for the presidency two years ago), but even more dramatically since last fall, as the Saturn-Uranus opposition began to harden.<br /><br />This has brought the veritable worms out of the woodwork, first in the form of newly impeached Governor Rod Blagojevich, now all those who have been touched by him, including Roland Burris. It is worth noting that each man’s natal chart ties in with this part of Illinois’s chart.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What’s Next?</span><br />If you thought Illinois were going to disappear off the map of current events, you are wrong. Saturn and Uranus continue to dance across the corruption configuration through March 2010. However, there are many other ways to use this pattern, and Illinois has many other fine attributes, leaders, and moments in history. For one thing, there will be some form of celebration for the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth throughout the year. For another, our shiny, new President Obama is from this fine Midwestern state.<br /><br />On the darker side though, it is possible that the situation with Senator Burris may not be resolved until into 2010, when the Senate seat may be up for election; or if the legislature changes the law as is expected, when another person takes the senate seat after a special election.<br /><br />Of course, the criminal case against Blagojevich could easily stretch on into 2010 — and beyond.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-83259029459159432902009-02-17T07:00:00.000-08:002009-02-17T07:00:00.448-08:00He’ll Just Fade Away: What the Planets Tell Us about Kim Jong-Il & the Future of North Korea<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SZpOG9b28lI/AAAAAAAAAGE/1WjyhgKPvPg/s1600-h/kim-jong-il.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SZpOG9b28lI/AAAAAAAAAGE/1WjyhgKPvPg/s320/kim-jong-il.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303637392659771986" border="0" /></a><br />February 17, 2009<br /><br />© Terry Lamb<br /><br />Yesterday (Monday) was Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Il’s birthday, complete with the obligatory fanfare and dancing. This was Kim’s first birthday since two rumored strokes have kept him out of circulation since September 2008.<br /><br />Looking at his birth chart, it is no surprise that he has had health difficulties. Although there are many planetary events to point to, the primary culprit is Neptune. This planet of dissolving influences was strong in his chart (square to Uranus) when he reportedly suffered his first stroke in September. A second contact transpired over late December through the first two weeks of January.<br /><br />Given that Chiron, the Wounded Healer, and Jupiter are traveling over the same point this year, he may not be long for this earth. Chiron and Jupiter are frequently featured in charts at the time of death, since death involves a release from the constraints of the physical body into the unbounded inner realms.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Madeleine Albright Had It Right.</span><br />If you want to keep North Korea happy and peaceful, you have to give Kim attention. It is very obvious that he falls into the character structure category of the “oral” type (conceived by Wilhelm Reich and more fully developed by John and Eva Pierakos). Secretary Albright had his number when, during the Clinton Administration, she gave him the respect and recognition he craved from Western sources. Had Bush followed Clinton’s foreign policy with North Korea, Kim may never have felt it necessary to develop nuclear capabilities as an attention-seeking behavior.<br /><br />If he gets the attention he seeks now with the latest threat to conduct a nuclear test, he won’t need to fire the rocket. Think of it as his way of inviting Secretary Hillary Clinton to his country and manipulating her (the US) into pledging humanitarian aid to his beleaguered nation.<br /><br />Not that we should feel sorry for him (that’s what he wants — a big pity party), but by understanding what makes him tick, we can avoid further difficulties with this sad man. Secretary Clinton, for her part, seems to understand what it takes and is making placatory sounds in his direction.<br /><br />It is not clear what his successor will be like, but since he has not named a successor among his sons to our knowledge, there could be considerable chaos in the inner circle following Kim’s passage from power — suggested by Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto contacts to the chart of North Korea in the coming 2-3 years.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-33805600703429033762009-02-09T15:44:00.000-08:002009-02-09T15:54:28.394-08:00Lunar Illumination: Mr. Obama Goes to Town<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SZDAnyLYUBI/AAAAAAAAAF8/8giwVfnUWik/s1600-h/le020909-US-biwh.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SZDAnyLYUBI/AAAAAAAAAF8/8giwVfnUWik/s320/le020909-US-biwh.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300948551132008466" border="0" /></a><br />February 9, 2009<br /><br />This morning’s penumbral eclipse was not visible in locales where weather obscured it, but it is still being felt around the globe. In the United States, it has a particular impact, since it hits several significant points in both the US chart and that of our national leader, President Barack Obama. This tells me that this eclipse is one of the more important to be experienced by the nation in recent times.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Can You Say, “Stimulus Package?”</span><br />The interactions between the US chart and the chart cast for the eclipse in Washington, DC, speak to the discussion that fills the news — the economy and the stimulus package that is supposed to rescue the American people. Most notable among the interconnections is the conjunction of the US Lot of Fortune (Fortuna) to the Ascendant of the eclipse chart. Fortuna has, obviously, to do with “fortune” or money, but it also has to do with well-being or health. The health of the nation is therefore highlighted, more in terms of economic health (this being in the US 8th house) than literal physical health.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Wound Is Being Healed.</span><br />Chiron is there too, very close to Fortuna. This suggests that a long-standing wound in the national psyche is being addressed, if not healed. These placements, found in Aries, have to do with the tendency for people in power to place self-interest over the interests of the nation.<br /><br />Highlighting this factor is the location of the eclipse itself, at 21̊ Leo-Aquarius, lined up on the US Moon, the symbol of the people. The people are the linchpin in the process before us, and the people will lead the way forward. Already we can see this, as President Obama appeals directly to the public today and tomorrow through a prime-time press conference and town-hall meetings in Elkhart, Indiana, and Fort Myers, Florida. In doing so, he is making ample use of the planetary energies available to him.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Watershed Moment for Our Leader</span><br />This is something of a watershed moment for Mr. Obama, as the eclipse Full Moon opposition is aligned critically with his Ascendant-Descendant (the east-west horizon line of his chart). This can feel like a make-or-break time for him, as if he is being called upon to dig deep into his character to muster the “right stuff” for this task. He is called upon to reassess his way of relating to others, and to make adjustments — which he is doing. I believe that this has to do with his “bipartisanship initiative”, turning it into a long-term project instead of something he can use as a foundation of his approach to the legislature in the current moment.<br /><br />The importance of this process to the nation is underscored by the fact that the Sun of the US chart, representing the life force of the nation, is squarely on the IC of the eclipse chart. This takes us all to our heart, to deeply question what is important to us, what makes this country thrive, and which political viewpoint (if any) we resonate with.<br /><br />Given the other planetary pattern out there — the conglomerate in Aquarius — the way of the future will not be the way of the past, and the new way forward will prevail. Even though it looked last week like the Republican retro-economic plan was going to steal the stage, Mr. Obama is reshaping the dialectic quite eloquently, much to the dismay of the Republican right, which is still struggling to find its feet in the dawning new era.<br /><br />I don’t believe that this stimulus package has it all perfectly correct. I’m with progressives like Novel Winner <a href="http://krugmanonline.com/">Paul Krugman</a>, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-kuttner">Robert Kuttner</a>, and <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/">Rachel Maddow</a> on what we need (so far) — to spend more on things like infrastructure and to make sure jobs are created. The government CAN do this, but it is not going to get as much bang for the buck with so many tax cuts.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-51295214547885729992009-02-05T10:58:00.000-08:002009-02-05T11:29:31.301-08:00Washingtonian Arteriosclerosis: Saturn, Uranus, and the Paralysis of the Heart<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SYs8dhPsevI/AAAAAAAAAF0/69e4ReXbvFc/s1600-h/heart-img.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 286px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SYs8dhPsevI/AAAAAAAAAF0/69e4ReXbvFc/s320/heart-img.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299395864369593074" border="0" /></a>February 5, 2009<br /><br />As you read this, Saturn and Uranus are giving each other a nod from across the skies, making their second opposition in a series of five. This is one of the most challenging of planetary combinations, as there are no more dissimilar planets than these. Saturn holds the status quo and is (not necessarily politically) conservative, because its job is to build things that last, then do what’s required to maintain them. No passing the buck here. Uranus on the other hand gives us the sudden, sharp shock to the system that brings it back to life where it has stagnated, sometimes triggering radical change. It induces flexibility, vitality, and rejuvenation.<br /><br />This is what happened with the election in November. To see how stunningly these planets can interact, consider the probability of electing the first African-American president of the United States, directly after George W. Bush!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">This Is the Time of Our Maximum Divide.</span><br />In politics, the exact opposition of Saturn and Uranus also has to do with the divide between progressive elements in government and “retro” conservative elements that resist change. Each of these archetypes tempers the other and needs to co-exist to create a healthy (government) system. On a deeper level, what we are seeing is the rebalancing of the scales between these two segments of government.<br /><br />One of the possible effects of an opposition in human affairs is a hardening of factions, and that’s what we see now. This has resulted in one of the shortest presidential honeymoon periods on record. This hardening of the arteries of government now threatens the life of the nation and its ability to survive. In this, the second opposition, it is the time of our maximum divide --- when a shift has begun, but the old deposed faction is running scared and hasn't yet seen the good in it all.<br /><br />However, this is not surprising, if you understand human behavior. When there is a sea change brought on by events, people are thrust deep into their inner, psycho-spiritual wound. They are frightened, and all their deepest fears are articulated internally, about their own survival and whatever shadows of the past remain there. The Republicans as a group are frightened about their survival. They are thrashing around like a trapped animal, fighting for their life. It is no wonder that the hardest most bitter side of their persona is being expressed right now. It’s the only way they know how to play the game, yet they do not see how their adamantine position makes the situation infinitely worse.<br /><br />Saturn and Uranus have been building toward their opposition over the past eight years. While the elements of radical change against the oligarchic status quo were submerged, it appeared as though Saturn had won. The Saturnian group (the party in power, the Republicans) hardened into a faction. A faction works solely toward its own petty ends and does not seek reconciliation with others but justification for its existence within. It plays a “king-of-the-hill” game with others, its only goal to win at any cost. <a href="http://thomhartmann.net/">Thom Hartmann</a>, in his book <a href="http://thomhartmann.net/CrackingTheCode/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Cracking the Code</span></a>, points out that we should not make the mistake of thinking that Republicans are playing democracy. They are not. They are playing “win at any cost” and do not place country before party. (paraphrased)<br /><br />Obama is trying to get them to play democracy again, and over the long haul, they may — they must — start doing so. However, it is likely to take the full extent of the Saturn-Uranus interaction — through July 2010 — for them to get it. The factions were not built in a day, and they will take time to break down. It is understandable that, as Saturn and Uranus make their second opposition, the stimulus package would become the football in a petty king-of-the-hill skirmish. With the Republicans holding the nation’s economy hostage over less than 1% of the package’s spending, it is truly a case of barking and whining at shadows.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It All Started With the Two Santa Clauses.</span><br />The seeds for this shift in power were planted in the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement – and the last time Saturn and Uranus opposed each other. There is a revealing article by Thom Hartmann, “<a href="http://airamerica.com/thomhartmannpage/blog/2009/jan/26/two-santa-clauses">How The Republican Party Has Conned America for Thirty Years</a>”. It details the cataclysmically simple manner in which the Democratically developed “good for all” system was sabotaged by Republicans in a blatant power grab that showed careless disregard for the good of the nation.<br /><br />In it, he explains the strategy that was devised by Jude Wanniski for twisting the social democratic principles of the good-for-all system. Hartmann says,<br /><blockquote> By 1974, Jude Wanniski had had enough. The Democrats got to play Santa Claus when they passed out Social Security and Unemployment checks--both programs of the New Deal--as well as when their "big government" projects like roads, bridges, and highways were built giving a healthy union paycheck to construction workers. They kept raising taxes on businesses and rich people to pay for things, which didn't seem to have much effect at all on working people (wages were steadily going up, in fact), and that made them seem like a party of Robin Hoods, taking from the rich to fund programs for the poor and the working class. Americans loved it. And every time Republicans railed against these programs, they lost elections.<br /><br /> In 1976, he rolled out to the hard-right insiders in the Republican Party his "Two Santa Clauses" theory, which would enable the Republicans to take power in America for the next thirty years.<br /><br /> Democrats, he said, had been able to be "Santa Clauses" by giving people things from the largesse of the federal government. Republicans could do that, too--spending could actually increase. Plus, Republicans could be double Santa Clauses by cutting people's taxes! For working people it would only be a small token--a few hundred dollars a year on average – but would be heavily marketed. And for the rich it would amount to hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cuts. The rich, in turn, would use that money to import or build more stuff to market, thus increasing supply and stimulating the economy. And that growth in the economy would mean that the people still paying taxes would pay more because they were earning more.</blockquote>And thus we have the current situation.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Obama’s Role</span><br />What will come of this rebalancing process, the first that occurred after the mid-60s revolutionary period? Obama is set on reconciling the opposites, because that is what he has to do in so many ways with his chart. His birth chart is full of paradoxes, and he is hard for people to figure out because of that. As long as he maintains his center and does not throw himself (and his principles) away to the conservatives, he will be successful. However, he’s learning too.<br /><br />I am deeply disappointed in the direction of his economic team, which is essentially headed by Larry Summers. However, I am not surprised. It is highly unlikely (but sad to see) that in human affairs of state we will get it right on the first try. There will be at least one more economic stimulus plan, because this one isn’t going to work very well. Too much of the old system is still incorporated in the plan: tax cuts to the wrong people, pay-outs to corporations, as concessions to the Republicans. It isn’t progressive enough — Summers isn’t listening to the right voices.<br /><br />Perhaps the Democrats are discovering that they have the power to put in the process what they REALLY want, and that they need to come to the table with their full agenda, instead of putting what the Republicans want in before negotiations start. It is okay to bring your full vision of perfection into the light of day, even though it has been deeply damaged in the past.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Saturn-Uranus Healing Journey</span><br />Withe the Saturn-Uranus interaction lasting two years, it represents a long process that does provide rewards over time. Many Democrats are bitter and resentful about the way they were cruelly ostracized and marginalized when the Republicans were in the majority. Yet, the best way to heal the chasm that exists between the two parties is to listen to and be open to each other. Evidently, the Democrats will be teaching the Republicans how to do democracy again, and revive the heartbeat of the nation.<br /><br />Now that Uranus has injected its dynamism, the situation has been turned on its head: The outsider-progressives are now in the status-quo position, and the Republicans the radical opposition. We are just about learning to cope.<br /><br />© Terry Lamb<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824821803496777847.post-46342630040804511682009-01-26T11:45:00.000-08:002009-01-26T12:22:37.683-08:00Barackalypse? I say Barackeclipse!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SX4biFdVIBI/AAAAAAAAAFs/o7siHBf7Bpk/s1600-h/eclipse-95.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 233px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GCMFSpeI9EI/SX4biFdVIBI/AAAAAAAAAFs/o7siHBf7Bpk/s320/eclipse-95.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295700484228980754" border="0" /></a><br />We’re on the other side of the Solar Eclipse now (which occurred at 2:55 am in Washington), and with an increasing number of executive orders reversing President Bush’s signing statements and executive orders, it seems that President Obama is living up to his promises to inject pragmatism and sanity into American life.<br /><br />The eclipse also coincides with increased military activity in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is in keeping with the pattern of behavior related to the points in the chart that this eclipse triggers: the US nodal axis. The US North Node is at 7̊ Leo, the South Node at the same degree in Aquarius (the opposite sign). The eclipse is conjunct the South Node, opposite the North Node. The nodal axis, especially the North Node, was triggered in all instances of declared war and most “police actions” of the United States.<br /><br />Now, we know that Mr. Obama will handle war, as all things, differently. (Look for more on his handling of war in another post.) Perhaps it is too early to see how this offensive is part of a shift in policy, or if this was a follow-through on a military action that was already in motion when he took office.<br /><br />This could have been a way for him to signal to the world that he is not afraid to use force when necessary. He has said that he’ll pay more attention to Afghanistan and Pakistan.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Ultimate Eclipse Event</span><br />Even though the eclipse is physically over, the effects will continue to unfold over the coming lunar cycle (one month). Clearly, there will be many events in this unfolding new presidency. However, perhaps the most significant aspect of the eclipse is so huge, it’s staring us in the face: the election of President Obama, the first African-American, multi-cultural president in our history.<br /><br />This is all in accord with the energy of the nodal axis, which shows the direction of evolution that the US is following: The pursuit of happiness in harmony with equality among all — that all people are equally entitled to joy, happiness, love and their pursuits. While this has not been the intention of the actions of those in power (this axis can also return us to monarchic tendencies of power over the people), it is the true ideal that will eventually be fulfilled.<br /><br />The election of Barack Obama to the presidency speaks eloquently of that ideal and shows that we can get there. Even if it is not the final step, it is a big step on the way. As <a href="http://www.hbo.com/billmaher/">Bill Maher</a> said on Real Time (11/14/08), “Stop saying that we’ve overcome racism just because we’ve found a qualified black man and elected him president. Everybody knows we won’t have true equality until we elect a dumb, unqualified black man.” Still, it is a HUGE step, and it is the ultimate, and ultimately beneficial (we hope), event related to the eclipse.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Like what you've read? Go to www.terrylamb.net, www.astro-energetics.net, and www.inneredge.net</div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082185827125339744noreply@blogger.com2