Astro-Pol

Obama Inspires Baby Names, But Perhaps Not Babies

2009-08-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

by Terry Lamb

August 27, 2009

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.

The Chicago Tribune 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).

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.

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.

© Terry Lamb

President Obama’s Litmus Test: Healthcare Reform and the Planets of August

2009-08-03T14:48:00.000-07:00

August 3, 2009

by Terry Lamb

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.

There are many ways to see the battle:
• a struggle between corporate oligarchs and government of, by, and for the people (Saturn opposite Uranus)
• the ideals of the people to be free of impossible burdens (Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune in Aquarius)
• a shake-up and breakdown of huge structures — corporations, banks, etc. (Pluto in Capricorn)
• focus on health and healthcare (Saturn and other planets in Virgo)
• focus on care and nurturance (Venus in Cancer)

The Yod of August
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.

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.

Leo, the People-Pleaser
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.

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.

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).

Lunar Eclipse near his Birthday Brings Challenge.
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.

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).

A Presidential Turning Point
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.

© Terry Lamb

In the Shadow of the Eclipse: A Watershed Time for the US

2009-07-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

July 21, 2009

by Terry Lamb

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.

Before Liberty There Is Life.
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.

Cancer-Capricorn Eclipses in Recent History
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.

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.

The Lunar Eclipse in the US Chart
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?

• 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?

• 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?

• 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?

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:

• 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).

• The still prevailing sentiment that the financial masters of the universe on Wall Street and Fleet Street are above the law.

• The challenge to see the truth behind the smoke screen regarding the economic collapse.

The Solar Eclipse in the US Chart
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:

• Money is not speech. 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.

• A corporation is not an individual and should not be treated as such. A corporation is amoral and does not die a natural death. Corporatism can only be overcome by reversing this court decision.

• No one in government should be above the law. 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.

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.

Look at the issues that arise over the coming month and see how many carry themes related to these underlying issues.

• The soldier captured by the Taliban — is he being tortured?

• The health “care” corporations — will they win the battle over healthcare reform legislation?

• 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)?

• Torture prosecutions — what is going on?

• Justice Sotomayor — has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?

• Perhaps the biggest bomb of all: The Family — 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?

President Obama’s Eclipse
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.

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.

Between the Shadow and the Light: Tales of Uranus and the Summer Eclipses

2009-07-02T20:40:00.000-07:00

by Terry Lamb

July 2, 2009

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.

Amy Klobuchar Is Psychic.
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).

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.

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).

The eclipse is focused right on his Venus and the MC for the announcement of the court decision. Al Franken goes to Washington!

What Do Michael Jackson and Billy Mays Have in Common?
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).

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.

Health Care on the Operating Table
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.

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.

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.

© Terry Lamb

Power to the People! Pluto, Jupiter, and the New Iranian Revolution

2009-06-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

June 25, 2009

by Terry Lamb

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.

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.)

Pluto Is a Primary Timer.
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.

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!”

Where Does It Go From Here?
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.

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):

• July 1(Uranus stationary retrograde): conjunct potentially volatile Mars/Mercury in the chart of the republic

• July 21 (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.

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.

• August 5 (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.

The Pressure Is on the Religious Leadership.
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.

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.

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.

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.

It’s Not Over.
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.

The Third Path
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.

© Terry Lamb

Time for Change in Iran? An Astrologer Looks at the Possibilities

2009-06-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

June 19, 2009

by Terry Lamb

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?

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.

The People Want to Expand. (Jupiter SRx with Chiron-Neptune in Aquarius)
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.

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.

The People Want to Be Free. (Saturn-Uranus, Uranus SRx)
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.

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.

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.

The Essentials of the Situation will Unfold in July and August.
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:

The Essentials of the Situation will Unfold in July and August. (Eclipses)
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:

• The solar eclipse of July 21 (July 22 in Iran) is exactly conjunct Iran’s Jupiter (29̊ Cancer).

• The two lunar eclipses of the summer square Iran’s Pluto (July 7) and contact all of Iran’s angles (August 6).

• 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.

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.

A Peaceful Transition Is the Only Good Solution.
Many commentators have speculated that internal changes are due. One DailyKos reporter states,

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.

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.

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.

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.

© Terry Lamb

Get Ready, Mr. Franken! An Astrological Update on When He’ll Be Called “Senator”

2009-06-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

June 9, 2009

by Terry Lamb

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 Talking Points Memo reporter Eric Kleefeld said following the day’s events:

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.

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.

Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop
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.

Mercury Rules!
If you recall, in my article of April 23, “Please Be Seated, Senator Franken: An Astrologer Looks at When It Will Happen”, 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:

It is possible that, during the three weeks of Mercury’s retrograde, the race will be below the radar.

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.

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.

So, When Will It Be?
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.

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).

Do We Have to Wait for the Eclipses?
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.

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.

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.

© Terry Lamb

Will the Real Barack Obama Please Stand Up? Our President, One Mercury Cycle Later

2009-06-04T20:47:00.000-07:00

June 5, 2009

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 Newsweek was devoted completely to such assessments from several commentators and news analysts.

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.

He Is a True (Sun in) Leo.
“He has learned that he enjoys power — the capacity to shape reality in his image and by his lights.” (Jon Meacham, What He’s Like Now, Newsweek 5/25/09) 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):

• moving as he wishes to move, the world bending itself to him
• shapes policy, even in sub-policy areas (e.g., auto maker restructuring plans)
• prefers to stand alone, not using others as policy authorities
• catlike (Christopher Hitchens, Jacob Weisberg) = Leo the LION
• 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.)

He Is, According to His Chart, Designed for Power.
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:

• Sun in Leo (its rulership)
• 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.
• 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).
• Uranus conjunct North Node (Pluto not far away): The deep desire (and perhaps destiny) to be an agent of change.

Some of the writers’ phrases that speak to these contacts are:

• He revels in his power (in an understated way).
• He loves that all of what he’s doing matters.
• He feels his authority and effectiveness.
• little small talk, no smarminess
• wholly businesslike, “time is valuable”
• He finds crisis [to be] defining, bracing, and useful.
• He exhibits pragmatism and a willingness to change his mind when presented with new info.
• He is realistic about his decisions and the possibility of making mistakes.
• He takes “A Highly Logical Approach” (Meacham).

He Plays Well With Others.
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 (Getting to Know Obama, Newsweek 5/25/09) complains about the moral hollowness of this approach, making the following points in unwitting support of this part of his chart:

• For Obama, the middle ground is the high ground.
• He seeks true reconciliation of opposite factions.
• He enjoys engaging opponents.
• 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).

He Is a Cool Cat.
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.

• He is cool in crisis.
• His economic policy is self-described as “ruthless pragmatism” (His Jupiter-Saturn also fits this characterization.)
• He cuts off meetings when it covers familiar ground
• His habit of confidence and self-reliance (coming from his fatherless childhood, says Meacham) “creates the impression of iciness”.

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.

A Bushel Full of Subtlety, Ambiguity, and Contradiction
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,

“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.”

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.

© Terry Lamb

Create Your Own Weather: Critical Mass, Firestorms, & What They Don’t Want You to Know About How It Really Works

2009-05-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

by Terry Lamb

May 26, 2009

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 Critical Mass. 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.

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.

It Also Happens to Fire.
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.

Create Your Own Weather
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.

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.

We will reveal our wounds so we can heal them. (To experience the link between wounding and healing in an evocative way, see the short video on Chiron by Humanity Healing.

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.

© Terry Lamb

Dreams of the Future, Chimeras from the Past: Our Tangled Planetary Web and the 27th Degree

2009-05-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

May 13, 2009

© Terry Lamb

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.

The Contributing Planets
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.

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.

The Simple Take
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?

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.)

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.

What’s It All About?
Accordingly, here are the matters that seem to tie in to the planets at the 27th degree.

Health Care
From Max Baucus’s one-sided meetings with insurers and big pharma (pointedly excluding proponents of single-payer plans) 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.

The Economy
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 interview with Eliot Spitzer, and read the blogs of Spitzer, Paul Krugman, William Greider, Robert Kuttner, and David Cay Johnston. Bill Moyer also covers this topic regularly on his Journal, as does Fareed Zakaria on CNN.

The Environment
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar is proving to be a Bushie in Obama clothing. He has refused to increase protections for the highly endangered polar bear and has allowed permits to go through 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 challenged in court.

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.

On a Deeper Level . . .
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.

Uncannily, the last time we considered real health care reform was in 1993, when Harry and Louise — 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.

A Tortured Specter of Franken Flu & Other Mercury Tales

2009-05-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

© Terry Lamb

May 8, 2009

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 my May forecast), 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.)

Here’s a partial litany of the issues that are “up” right now for us collectively:

Swine Flu (Update)
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 cytokine storm, 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.

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.

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.

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.

Torture Memos
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.

A Specter of Vacillation
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?”

Franken Sense
Mercury stations on Franken’s Sun-Mars conjunction — oh, my! But the only misstep has been Specter’s. The sole news item on Franken 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!

The Return of Bush, Salazar-Style
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 Grand Canyon Watersheds Protection Act of 2009. This bill has not yet been numbered by the House or Senate. Stay in touch with the Center for Biological Diversity and the Grand Canyon Trust for how you can take political action.

Here's to Your Health (and Good Luck With That)!
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 Ed Schultz on MSNBC's Big Ed Show) to raise awareness and give us time to get it right.

Wounding, Healing, and Dreaming
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.

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.

Swine Flu Pandemic or Soon-to-Be-Forgotten News Item? The Planetary Patterns Give Insight.

2009-04-27T21:13:00.000-07:00

© Terry Lamb

April 28, 2009

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.

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, “Planetary Miasms”, 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.

Anatomy of a Pandemic
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.

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.

What Can We See in the Planets?
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.

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.

So What About Now?
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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”. (TMA Blog) 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.

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 May forecast 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.

Please Be Seated, Senator Franken: An Astrologer Looks at When It Will Happen

2009-04-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

© Terry Lamb

April 23, 2009

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.

A Senate Cliffhanger
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.

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.

Franken Declared Winner
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.

Mercury Retrograde Could Play a Role.
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.

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.

Any bets on June 14?
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.

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.

Coleman's Game
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.

Eclipses Could Play a Role.
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.

This is a rough estimate, and not a definitive analysis; let’s see what unfolds.

Venus is Going Direct . . .What’s Next?

2009-04-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

April 16, 2009

© Terry Lamb

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.)

So what happened? The stock market went up, and many are proclaiming that the end of the recession is in sight. Is it really?

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.

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.

Naked Short-Selling Is at the Core.
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, “Hedge Funds and the Global Economic Meltdown”. 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.

The Planetary Suspects
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.

Here are some of the correlating events:

Pluto’s Retrograde Station
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.
Uranus’s Retrograde Station
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 took action on July 15, 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.
Sun Conjunct Saturn and Opposite Uranus
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.

And the Winner Is . . .
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.

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.

Breathing Room
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.

What After That?
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.

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.

We Matter.
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.

How Long Do We Have Now?
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.

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.)

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.

Here’s what I wrote about this in my March forecast:

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, A Guide to the I Ching). 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)

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.

Tough Love: Paul Krugman & Obama’s Economic Policy

2009-04-08T16:59:00.000-07:00

by Terry Lamb

April 8, 2009

Large chart images: Paul Krugman, Barack Obama, Christina Romer, Larry Summers, Paul Volcker

The cover story in last week’s Newsweek was “Obama’s Nobel Headache”. 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?

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 New York Times in his column revealingly called “Conscience of a Liberal” (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.

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.

What Is It with Paul Krugman, and Why Is He Saying These Terrible Things about Us?
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?

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.

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.

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.

The Assertive Mr. Krugman
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.

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.

Saturn-Neptune & the 50s Crowd
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.

Dream a Little Dream of Our New Economic Future
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.

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.

In a fascinating report on Monday, “Economic Downturn Signals a New Normal”, 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.

Why Doesn’t Obama Listen to Krugman?
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.

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.)

Mystery Solved, Partially
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?

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).

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.

Saturn-Uranus Provide the Timing.
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.

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.

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.

© Terry Lamb

Obama as World Leader

2009-04-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

by Terry Lamb

April 2, 2009

link to large map

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.

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?

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.

Obama’s Chart
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.

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).

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.

Obama’s Potential Trouble Spots
Eastern Africa [Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, former Yugoslavia] (Pluto)
Mexico and Guatemala (Mercury-Neptune)
Eastern India, Bangladesh, Burma (Mercury-Neptune)
Brazil, Venezuela (Pluto, Chiron, Moon’s Node)
Russia (Neptune)
Obama’s Sweet Spots
United States, Canada (Moon, Sun, Jupiter, Saturn)
Australia (Venus)
Western Africa (Sun, Jupiter, Saturn)
Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran (Venus)
Central America (including Mexico) - Sun

Other Places of Interest
The following have mixed planetary associations, which will bring Obama’s focus there but the issues are potentially more easily resolved:

Central and southern Africa (Moon’s Node, Uranus, Chiron, Moon)
Mexico, Central America, and South America show up with both difficult and supportive planets.

A Closer Look at Mars
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.

What’s Missing
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!

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.

© Terry Lamb

Women on Top: Venus Retrograde Tales

2009-03-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

March 25, 2009

As Venus continues its passage backward through Aries, women are in the news in surprising ways.

Saudi Arabia
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. (Christopher Dickey, Newsweek, March 30, 2009)

North Korea
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)

Iran
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)

United States
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 The Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC, March 25, 2009)

Nevada
In a state where prostitution is (in many locales) legal, a budget-balancing $5 tax is proposed for each prostitution service provided. (NPR.org, March 24, 2009)

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.

© Terry Lamb

We’re All Secretaries Now: AIG and the Growing Challenge to Corporatism

2009-03-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

March 17, 2009

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.

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.

Money Without Strings — Time to Par-tay!!!
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.

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 the letter announcing the loan as,

. . . 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.

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.

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.

We May Not Be Secretaries for Long.
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.”

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.

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.

© Terry Lamb

News Flash: Saturn Sends Signals to Earth!

2009-03-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

March 11, 2009

“You humans have been very naughty. 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.”

So says Saturn, just in time for the peak in his yearly cycle, which occurred on March 8. Here are his talking points:

• Get real on health care. 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 Ed Schultz, 3/10/09)

• Don’t use the economic downturn as a reason to put off health care reform. 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.

• It’s also time to take responsibility for your own health. 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 Gallup-Healthways Project, 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.

• Get off the gas-guzzlers. 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. Seek out the polluters and help them see the errors of their ways.

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.

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?

Saturn promises an update on how we’re doing on April 5, with a new global bulletin on May 16.

© Terry Lamb

From a Culture of Selfishness to Mutual Support: Venus Retrograde in Aries

2009-03-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

March 3, 2009

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.

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.

Venus to the Rescue!
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.

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.

Selfishness Comes from Fear.
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.

Are We There Yet?
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!

© Terry Lamb

What the H*** Is Up with Illinois?

2009-02-23T11:13:00.000-08:00

February 23, 2009

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?

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.

The Seat of Corruption
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.”

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.

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 sub rosa.

Unfortunate Resonance
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.

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.

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.

What’s Next?
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.

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.

Of course, the criminal case against Blagojevich could easily stretch on into 2010 — and beyond.

He’ll Just Fade Away: What the Planets Tell Us about Kim Jong-Il & the Future of North Korea

2009-02-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

February 17, 2009

© Terry Lamb

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.

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.

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.

Madeleine Albright Had It Right.
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.

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.

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.

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.

Lunar Illumination: Mr. Obama Goes to Town

2009-02-09T15:44:00.000-08:00

February 9, 2009

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.

Can You Say, “Stimulus Package?”
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.

The Wound Is Being Healed.
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.

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.

Watershed Moment for Our Leader
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.

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.

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.

I don’t believe that this stimulus package has it all perfectly correct. I’m with progressives like Novel Winner Paul Krugman, Robert Kuttner, and Rachel Maddow 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.

Washingtonian Arteriosclerosis: Saturn, Uranus, and the Paralysis of the Heart

2009-02-05T10:58:00.000-08:00

February 5, 2009

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.

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!

This Is the Time of Our Maximum Divide.
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.

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.

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.

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. Thom Hartmann, in his book Cracking the Code, 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)

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.

It All Started With the Two Santa Clauses.
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, “How The Republican Party Has Conned America for Thirty Years”. 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.

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,

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.

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.

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.

And thus we have the current situation.

Obama’s Role
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.

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.

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.

The Saturn-Uranus Healing Journey
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.

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.

© Terry Lamb

Barackalypse? I say Barackeclipse!

2009-01-26T11:45:00.000-08:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Ultimate Eclipse Event
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.

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.

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 Bill Maher 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.

The Shape of Things to Come: Obama’s First Term, Part Four

2009-01-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is Part Four of a series on the inauguration, which can be used to see the first four years of Obama’s presidency. The first part covers the powerful and promising Aquarian planetary grouping found in the chart. The second part outlines the general indicators of the chart and gives the winners and losers. Part Three explores how the Obama team will influence each area of national interest.

Even though we capture the experience of a significant moment in the cosmic snapshot called an astrological chart, the planets keep moving and dancing with each other. We can sneak a peak at upcoming events — their timing and tone if not their exact nature — by applying those motions to the chart(s).

In this case, it is more relevant and direct to apply the planetary movements to the charts of the head of state (President Obama) and the nation. (There is much dispute over which chart to use for the United States. I choose to use one cast for a time based on historical record. While this record is approximate, it clearly places the signing of the Declaration of Independence before noon on July 4. I use a rectification of this time performed by Dobyns and Boehrer.)

Reinvigorating the American Experiment: Pluto in Capricorn
Although there are many factors to consider, one of the main ones is Pluto, which has entered Capricorn in the past year. It will remain there for 15 more years, passing slowing in contact with many of the planets in the US chart. These planets are associated with the economy and enterprise in the country. Interestingly, the configuration is also associated with the use of slaves to boost the wealth of business interests. It is still manifest in our nation as the tendency to take advantage of others through greedy selfish interests.

As Pluto makes its way through the sign, it will guide us to rectify this flaw in our national identity. The critical periods of influence for Pluto can be measured in years rather than days, as follows:

• 2009-10 (opposition to Venus)
• 2010-11 (opposition to Jupiter)
• 2014-16 (opposition to the Sun/square to Saturn)
• 2018-21 (square to Chiron/PF)

These years will involve an awakening to a new way of managing the economy and of accumulating and distributing the fruits of success.

Eclipses: Chapters of National Life (and Our Own)
Two eclipses (one solar and one lunar) occur every 5½ months and set off a new chapter of history, with its own unique focus. The eclipses expand in significance for Obama’s term because he was elected under eclipses. What’s more, the inauguration occurred under the shadow of an eclipse, which happens on Monday (January 26).

It is sufficient for now to mention the dates of the eclipses most important to the nation:
• 1/26/09
• 7/22/09
• 1/15/10
• 1/4/11
• 6/4/12
• 11/28/12

Key Dates for President Obama
President Obama’s chart is currently being affected by Pluto (his Venus) as he and his family go through a dramatic change in fortunes and circumstances. After that, he does not have much Pluto involvement until long after he would leave office.

The eclipses are another story. Here are the eclipses that stand out for him in the next four years:
• 1/26/09
• 2/9/09
• 8/6/09
• 1/15/10
• 11/25/11
• 12/10/11
• 5/20/12
• 11/28/12

There is no question that Mr. Obama has many hurdles to clear during his first term of office. Fortunately, most of his critical chapters do not overlap with those most significant for the US.

Much more can be said about President Obama’s first term and what we will experience during it. Suffice it to say for now that, while many challenges lie ahead of us, our nation appears to be in the most capable hands — President Obama’s and our own. As events unfold and each date approaches, we’ll have the opportunity to consider them in more depth.

Ken Burns, in an interview yesterday on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, said of Obama’s acumen as a leader,

“All of our leaders are always less than we make them out to be . . . . . . . This president that we have today understands what the difference between how, say Abraham Lincoln actually was and how we make him is our wish for ourselves. And Barack Obama has understood that it is the articulation of that wish for ourselves, something we do, [that] is better than anything else.”

This describes with incredible eloquence the Aquarian dreams we have of our president on behalf of ourselves and our nation, and how he will teach us to create them for ourselves.

This is the fourth and final part of Obama’s First Term, a series addressing the astrology of the first four years of the Obama Administration.

Update 1/26/09: I added 7/22/09 to the list of important eclipses for the US. Thanks to Jude Cowell for bringing this important date to my attention. I will be addressing the impact of this eclipse in a future post.

Obama Begins Presidency with a Series of Do-Overs: Mercury Retrograde Strikes in a Mostly Positive Way

2009-01-21T20:52:00.000-08:00

In keeping with the Mercury retrograde now gracing the heavens, Obama spent the day going over territory already covered at least once, including the presidential oath of office. At a time around 7:35 PM, Chief Justice John Roberts donned his black robe and re-administered the swearing-in to a small group in the White House Map Room. This was clearly a CYA move. It has happened to two other presidents, Calvin Coolidge and Chester A. Arthur.

In other activities of the day, Obama reversed several policies and positions of the Bush Administration, including the policy statement regarding lobbyists and that regarding the Freedom of Information Act. Tomorrow the president promises to sign the Guantanamo detention center out of existence, although it will take up to a year to go away.

The Good, the Bad, & the Inaugural Chart: Obama’s First Term, Part 3

2009-01-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is Part Three of a series on the inaugural chart, which can be used to see the first four years of Obama’s presidency. The first part covers the powerful and promising Aquarian planetary grouping found in the chart. The second part outlines the general indicators of the chart and gives the winners and losers.

President Obama was sworn in at 12:05 PM, ushering in a new Era of Responsibility in American culture. This is the ultimate lesson of Aquarius — that in order to be free, we have to fulfill our responsibilities. This is what our new president reminded us of today in his inaugural speech.

Incredibly, the President was sworn in late due to a delay in seating outgoing VP Dick Cheney, who is currently wheelchair-bound with a back strain. The chart shown here reflects the change, but it does not substantially change the inaugural chart or the delineations given so far.

We can look at each house of the chart and see what conditions will exist or be created over the four years of Mr. Obama’s first term of office. Here’s what we can expect:

The People, their Mood and Attitude
The people will feel good, solid, stable and safer than they have in the past. They are reassured in spite of whatever lies ahead. This is because we are all pulling together instead of pulling apart. Now our government is supporting us (“here to help”), not undermining us. (Taurus rising, ruled by Venus exalted in Pisces)

The Nation’s Resources, Finances, & Wealth; the Values of the People
The economy will seem to be moving backward, but this is a good thing if it means moving back to an economy based on real work for read products. If we move back to giving blue- (and green-) collar workers a chance to work, we can return to value being created inside the US. If jobs are brought home from off-shore locations; if workers’ rights in the workplace are improved in various ways, these are good moves to the past. It may take time, but the people will lose their fascination with big cars and opulence and place a higher value on living sustainable. The economy will be slow, beleaguered, “retro”, and capricious, but with bright spots and some progress. It won’t be terrible, and it will be better than expected or feared. (ruled by Merc Rx)

Domestic Travel, Infrastructure, Public Education, Transit Services, Postal Service, Commerce, Internet, Radio/TV (All Communication Overseen by the FCC), Phones, the Digital Switch
Activity in these areas will have the goal of recovering from past damage. Updating and repairs are long overdue, and growth here will be emphasized. Domestic travel will be reduced for a few more months, then pick up. Worth noting: This area rules emigration — there will be more people leaving the US than entering. (ruled by Moon v/c Scorpio)

Living Conditions, Interests of the People, Real Estate, Agriculture, Weather Events, Mining, Natural Resources (National Parks, etc.)
The nation is initially debilitated in these areas. Improvement will come soon, but will be uneven. There is a major shift away from a value system based on economic wealth, and the US will gradually cease being a country of the very rich and the very poor. This is the realm of domestic surveillance, but this will cease in most ways almost immediately. Also, this area represents the Republicans (party out of power). They are stuck in old ways of thinking but may return to the role of the loyal opposition soon. (ruled by Moon v/c Scorpio/ fall moving into Sagittarius)

Children, Fun/Sports/Entertainment, Stock Market, the Senate
With Saturn inhabiting this house, all these areas will experience substantial limitations. With money flowing less freely, it stands to reason that people will spend less on optional activities like vacations, sports, and entertainment. Don’t look to make money in the stock market as a short-term investment, although there will always be exceptional stocks.

All Workers, Civil Servants, Armed Forces, Public Health, Manufacturing
This is a linchpin area for the nation’s future well-being. People and political actions in these areas will fare well. All of these areas are pivotal to the economic turn-around, including healthcare reform. (ruled by Venus exalted in Pisces)

Foreign Relations, Open Enemies, and War
Obama’s election marks the end of old, debilitated way of relating to other nations, esp. where natural resources are concerned (oil, etc.) The Moon is in this house, suggesting that foreign powers will affect domestic travel (e.g. via oil/gasoline), commerce, communications and welfare of the people, including real estate. It is likely that foreigners will continue to buy American properties. Warlike behavior will be controlled, limited, deliberate, and not taken lightly. (ruled by Mars exalted in Capricorn)

Treasury, Federal Reserve/Other Reserve Banks, the National Debt
This area will be a double-edged sword in the coming four years. We will be able to free ourselves of concerns about debt, but we ignore it at our peril. If the huge new deficit is not funded by foreign economies, money will be printed increasing inflation and devaluing the dollar. (Ruled by Jupiter in Aquarius)

The Federal Judiciary, High Courts, Higher Education, Long-Distance Travel, the Media, Immigration, Secretary of State, Foreign Relations
These areas show great promise and will be the source of increasing well-being in other areas. A calmer, more diplomatic approach to foreign relations will lead to a calmer world, easier international trade. We will create a country with good boundaries, where foreign versus domestic products are on an even economic par. Higher education and research will become an engine of prosperity again. Although there will be challenges, the Secretary of State will do very well in her role. Ideological activism in the courts will be more limited, and new Supreme Court vacancies are possible. They will be well and wisely filled. (Mars in Capricorn occupying, ruled by Saturn in Virgo)

The Head of State (Obama) and the Party in Power
With the majority of the planets found in Aquarius in this house, a universe of hopes are pinned on President Obama. He is stuck with many problems from the past (especially but not only the Bush Administration). Mr. Obama has the right kind of inexperience — that which can enable him to think outside the box. He has the inner independence to act unconventionally and with ingenuity and enterprise. With Mr. Obama in the lead, he will enable us to dream a new dream of America and forge a new path - egalitarian, freedom-oriented, responsible, and cohesive. (Aquarius stellium occupying, ruled by Saturn in Virgo)

The Legislature (Esp. the House), Goals, Policies, Allies
We will be especially blessed, perhaps miraculously so, in these areas, with Venus exalted conjunct Uranus in Pisces here. There may be less pleasant surprises, but they will turn out well. We can expect actions here to be innovative, rebellious against the status quo, peaceful (bipartisan), to create good will. Congress and our allies will be open to new ideas, shedding old protocols, becoming veritable sugar daddies to the nation’s workers. (PF/Venus/Uranus Pisces)

Crime, Hidden Enemies, CIA/ Spies, Plagues/ Epidemics, Hospitals, Secret Societies, Prisons
Generally, these are areas that we tend to want held in check, reduced or defused. This is exactly what we can expect. This area also has to do with spirituality and karma. It suggests a movement into a new, more beneficial phase of American life and culture, an Era of Responsibility.

In Part Four of this series, we’ll take a look at key turning points and critical dates in the coming four years of Obama’s first term.

Walking on Water: Obama’s First Term, Part Two

2009-01-20T09:30:00.000-08:00

This is Part Two of a series on the inaugural chart, which can be used to see the first four years of Obama’s presidency. The first part covers the powerful and promising Aquarian planetary grouping found in the chart.

The miraculous rescue of the passengers on US Airways Flight 1549 tells us a lot about the Obama inauguration — and his term of office. The planets that prevailed at the time of the most incredible event in the history of air travel are still with us today, as the inauguration takes place.

A Blessing of Planets
In Part One of this series on the Obama inaugural chart and what it tells us about his first term of office, I explored the Aquarian mega-group of planets that will lift and carry us in the coming four years. But wait — there’s more to be sublimely happy about.

One thing astrologers consider when assessing a chart is the condition of the planets in it. Each planet has places (by zodiac sign) where it is happier and others where it is on its worst behavior. The good news is that we have TWO planets in their happiest place, the sign of their exaltation.

Triply Blessed
The first of these is Venus, found in Pisces. Venus, the planet of love and money (or anything we value) and women, is in this sign of spirituality and mysticism. It evokes the highest form of love, which is not concerned with whether the love ever is fulfilled in an earthly way. On the one hand sacrificial, it is also pure and angelic. Since Venus is already a “benefic” planet (that is, one that humans handle well), this is especially helpful.

The second is Mars, currently located in Capricorn. Now, Mars is the planet of war and conflict. At its worst, it is oblivious to the input of others; at its best it is protective and contained in its highly energetic ways of expressing itself. In Capricorn, Mars is a well-managed energy and can be used most constructively. This is incredibly fortunate, as Mars is one of the planets that humans have the most trouble with.

When even one planet is in its exaltation, events tend to turn out mysteriously better than expected. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, it does! This effect is even more auspicious because Mars and Venus are forming a very strong positive contact with each other (a sextile). Venus-Mars is one the primal planetary pairs (along with Mercury-Jupiter, Moon-Saturn, and Sun-Saturn) that make the world work better when they have a harmonious connection.

So, we have an opportunity connection between two favored planets that belong together — a triple blessing. And, if that weren’t enough, Venus and Mars make harmonious contacts to the biggest bugaboo in the heavens right now, the dreaded Saturn-Uranus opposition.

This is the energy under which the crash of Flight 1549 resulted in the survival of all 155 passengers, and this is the energy under which Obama and the nation will begin the journey to reinvigorate the American spirit. We will feel the positive energies of the Venus-Mars combination in the areas of the chart (houses) ruled and inhabited by these planets.

The Not-So-Downside
I mentioned in Part One that Mercury is retrograde in the chart, and what it signifies in our current conditions. Mercury retrograde can indicate a change in the expected timing of events in the areas ruled (or inhabited) by Mercury. This means that events could occur sooner or later than is the norm. It could be the mandate Obama hopes to have in getting legislation through Congress.

Last but not least is the Moon, which will be void of course in Scorpio. Some astrologers have been mystified, others horrified at the prospect of a void-of-course Moon in the inaugural chart. Many believe that the void Moon means that nothing started under it will be completed, or it will come to nothing. This could suggest that Obama’s presidency will be ineffective or come to nothing.

I take it much more literally: At the end of a sign, it signals that we are near the end of an era or way of perceiving the world. We are on the verge of change — for the better, because the Moon in Scorpio is in the sign of its fall (this does not mean that if you have Moon in Scorpio, it is unfortunate — you’ve had a lifetime to learn to manage it). When it leaves its fall, it goes into Sagittarius, a more fortunate position, because the Moon will be ruled by and positively connected to Jupiter, the put-you-through-school Great Uncle who gives you all the atta-boys you need when you need them. So, this Moon indicates that we are sorely in need of change and about to get it.

Finally, the problem with a void Moon is the fact that it doesn’t connect to anything. However this one does: It is on Obama’s Midheaven (point of leadership) as he takes the oath of office. This means there is a connection to the Moon, and it can be used.

Generally Speaking . . .
Ignoring the whys and wherefores, the inaugural chart describes what we’ll experience over the next four years at general influences. The areas of national concern that where conditions will improve are:

the mood of the people
all workers/laborers, civil servants, armed forces, public health
foreign relations, open enemies, and war
the judiciary, high courts, higher education, long-distance travel, the media, immigration, Secretary of State
the head of state (Obama) and the party in power
the legislature, esp. the House, goals/policies, allies
crime, hidden enemies, CIA/spies, plagues/epidemics, hospitals, secret societies, prisons

Areas where conditions will be slow or more difficult are:

the nation’s finances/wealth
domestic travel, public education, transit and travel, postal service, commerce, internet, radio/TV (all communication overseen by FCC), phones, the digital switch
living conditions, interests of the people, real estate, agriculture, weather events, mining, domestic resources
children, fun/sports/entertainment, stock market, the Senate

Area where there’s both an up and a down side:

the Treasury, Federal Reserve/other reserve banks, national debt

Winners & Losers
To sum up, we can name some winners and losers for Obama’s first term:

Winners - Democrats, blue-collar and green-collar workers, civil servants, those in public service, armed forces, health care providers/alternative health providers
Losers - (right-wing) Republicans, the wealthy, investors, health care industry

Although, if you believe in Obama’s ability to be post-partisan (or at least bipartisan), perhaps he can create a world where everyone is a winner. That’s what our new Leo leader has in mind, and he may just be able to pull it off.

In Part Three of the series, we’ll look at the specifics in the areas of the national interest.

The New Birth of Freedom: Obama’s First Term, Part One

2009-01-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

© Terry Lamb 1/17/09

This article is the first part of a series of articles on the inaugural chart, that cast for the time the president takes the oath of office.

Just as an acorn carries within it the potential to be a great oak tree, initiation or birth events in human lives are the seed for the life that is brought into being. This is true of inaugurations and the terms of office that follow.

As we are constantly reminded, the inauguration of Barack Obama tomorrow will be a(n) historic event, and even the most cynical are swooning to the power of "the moment". We can see this power in the birth chart for Obama’s presidency, the chart of the inauguration.

Key to Obama’s First Term: The Inaugural Chart
The four years of Obama’s first term of office can be described by delineating the chart that is cast for the moment of the inauguration. What is noteworthy in the inaugural chart is any element which is not repeated in each inauguration. Because the chart is cast for the same date and time at each regular inauguration (that is, one that is conducted after a presidential election), the location of the Sun and the “wheel” of the chart are nearly identical in each inaugural chart. Therefore, these factors cannot be used to describe what is unique about a president’s term.

A Population Full of Hope
The most striking thing about the chart is the large cluster of planets at the top of the chart. While the Sun is always there, with Mercury and Venus nearby, the rest of the grouping is exceptional. Most of this cluster are in Aquarius. Because it is located at the top of the chart (the 10th house), it represents the head of state and can be used to describe the qualities that the population sees or projects onto him.

Just considering the nature of Aquarius, this archetype is already in the air. Aquarius is intellectual, intelligent, independent (freedom-loving), futuristic, progressive, populist, and interested in defining uniqueness. It wishes to work within a group membership, even as it strives to stand apart from it. Barack Obama has Aquarius rising in his chart, so it is an energy that defines his personality, especially the first impression that others have of him. The coolness of his demeanor is purely Aquarian and belies his sunny Leo side, making him seem a paradox. The people are ready for a president with these qualities, even as they are prepared to take them on themselves. Aquarius breaks with the past, just the US does by electing its first African-American president. Aquarius can be somewhat cynical, unless the planets found there “cheer it up”. In this case, Jupiter is found there and accomplishes this task.

Lack of Experience? It's Not a Bad Thing.
When we throw the planets found in Aquarius into the mix, we get a more colorful and optimistic image. Perhaps most noticeable is Mercury, which is retrograde at the time of the swearing-in. What does this mean?

First, Mercury retrograde, despite its poor reputation, is not a “bad sign”. It tells us that we are learning something we never knew before, or that there are many unknowns in what we are facing for Obama’s first four years. It also tells us that our new president is inexperienced. (However, what president has had experience being president?) In fact, there's no white knight that seems to have all the answers. We're all in on this grand experiment called life.

Is this a bad thing? No. Because Mercury is making favorable contacts to the other planets, it is not so much of a problem. In other words, our leader’s lack of experience is not a difficulty for him because he has other strengths to lead him through. In fact, his inexperience gives his approach a freshness that leads to innovation, even ingenious solutions to problems that have plagued the country for decades.

There are four other planets in Aquarius: The Sun, Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune. The primary planet that “rescues” Mercury is Jupiter. During its retrograde cycle it makes three contacts with Jupiter, a very fortunate contact. Jupiter is the eternal optimist, and since it will contact boundless Neptune while in Aquarius, our optimism will run high, even to the extreme. We need this hope to keep us going in the coming years of challenge as we shift gears into a different, less materialistic and more sustainable future.

Healing the American Dream
In “Fiscal Therapy” (Mother Jones Magazine, Jan/Feb 2009), David Cay Johnston says,

For years now, whenever I've been invited to lecture students on how our tax system works, I have asked a simple question: What is the purpose of the United States of America? The most common answer, be it at prestigious universities, elite prep schools, rural community colleges, or crowded urban high schools, is this: To make people rich.

As he points out, the preamble of the Constitution does not mention wealth as one of its six principles for being. These principles for the American Dream — to provide freedom, society, justice, peace, commonwealth, and security — have been trampled and forgotten in the modern capitalist fervor to get rich. However, as the economy loses its frenzied luster, we have the opportunity to rediscover the American Dream, and the planets suggest that this is happening.

Chiron and Neptune, as slow-moving planets, conjoin at the same zodiac degree about every 100 years. I have discussed them previously as representing the healing of the Great Wound. Whether that wound is personal, social, national, or species-wide, it has to do with the delicate balance between group and individual. The group must be cohesive enough that its has an identity and purpose, but it cannot be so strong as to swallow up and fail to serve the individuals that comprise it. Each of us is challenged to learn a lesson about our links to others versus our unique contribution to or rebellion against them.

In this nation (as elsewhere), we are learning that we must get along with each other and come to a consensus about sustainable living, or we will damage the planet beyond repair. There are challenges now facing humankind that now require a high level of cooperation — an Aquarian function.

Now add Jupiter to the mix. It brings weightlessness and lift to our dreams, and just in time. We see the urgency and are ready to reinvent America. Just in time, the planets are opening the window on this re-dreaming of the American Dream, the rediscovery of the most sacred of our values — freedom. Freedom is born of participation (another Aquarian value) and awareness (the result of Jupiterian exploration and discovery).

Taken all together, these planets in the inaugural chart represent our willingness to reinvigorate the principles that America represents. They also show what we see in our leader, the persona our leader chooses to reveal to us, and the person we want him to be. In his speeches, remarks, and press conferences, Barack Obama has used language heavily laced with words emblematic of the Aquarian planet grouping whose energy we’ll be fulfilling over the coming four years: Hope, freedom, optimism, independence, dreams, plus many more. This is an indication that he is already fulfilling his role in the unfolding new American Dream.

In the next part of the inaugural series, see what we will experience over the next four years in all areas of national life, from the economy to war and international relations to education. Learn who the winners and losers will be, and when significant events will occur in future entries.

Pluto & the Destiny of the US

2009-01-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

Even though Pluto has been demoted by the astronomers, astrologers continue to use it without pause because we know how powerful and important are the processes that it represents. Whether planet or dwarf, it represents a universal force that, like Plato’s shadows on the cave wall, is detectable in its effects but invisible in its flow.

Pluto returns to the same spot in the heavens every 248 years. In 2008, it entered the tropical sign of Capricorn, the sign it was in w hen the US was born. Although it is still about 14 years away, Pluto is now in the sign that it was in at the time of the Declaration of Independence.

We associate Pluto itself archetypally with power larger than the self, the kind that flows through us and affects us on deep, unconscious levels. It is easily detectable in the forms that mass consciousness takes, the caprices of the crowd. The power of the unconscious can be seen in the groundswell of support that brought voters to pull the lever for Barack Obama; it can also be seen in the frenzied crowds that gathered around Adolf Hitler.

While the world economy must shift, it is only an effect that is brought about through humanity’s faith in itself.When we encounter Pluto’s energy as individuals, we can only hope to survive it as it overwhelms us. If we are not caught in its thrall, we are Gandhi in our own way. If we are tempted by the glamour and euphoria of personal power, we are George W. Bush or Ken Lay. All too often we succumb to the force of Pluto as it smashes through our lives, our only response to try getting out of its way. Yes, the force that Pluto represents is very real.

Pluto will be in Capricorn 2008-2024. During that time, Uranus will make a critical contact to Pluto in 2010-15, one that is historically associated with rapid change, possibly upheaval. This is the waxing square of the cycle that began in the mid-60s. The Sixties Revolutions are emblematic of Uranus-Pluto interactions, and this particular cycle and its expression in human affairs is worth separate consideration. Although we will begin feeling this contact in 2010, it will be more powerful during its exact period in 2012-2015.

Pluto in Capricorn in History
As Pluto enters a new sign, its transformative nature is filtered through the archetypal energy that the sign represents. This energy is played out as a facet of human nature whose roots are showing signs of decay and need renewal in order to remain a vital part of human endeavor. Just as it is possible to characterize Pluto in Sagittarius (the sign previous to Capricorn) as a transformation of excessive behavior, Pluto in Capricorn has its own unique expression.

To discover what this is, the expression of Pluto in Capricorn on previous cycles can be compared to one another. In this way, we can gain insight into and forecast the issues that will arise, while the outcome lies in the hands of the human collective and the leaders it chooses. The following show what occurred when Pluto made its last two ingresses into Capricorn:

1516 Martin Luther posted his new rules for a more meaningful religious structure on the door of the Palast Church in Wittenberg (in 1517), Germany, giving birth to the Reformation.
1762 The concept of individual freedom was emerging as a concept through the writings and translations of Voltaire’s works. This was the foundation for the movement that gave birth to the French and American Revolutions.

Pluto in Capricorn - Then & Now
In both previous experiences of Pluto in Capricorn, we can see the fall of bureaucracies and mega-structures taking place. In the 16th century, actions were taken that set in motion the fall of the Catholic Church as the Universal Church that essentially controlled all of society in Western Europe at that time. In the 18th century, populist challenges led to the obsolescence of the Western monarchies and the gradual loss of colonial power.

A similar revolution is taking place now, overturning the power that business in general, and the financial industry in particular, has gained over nations and peoples while allowing greed to run amok. The worldwide trade that expanded unchecked under Pluto in Sagittarius has begun to implode.

It is now routine in the astrological community to associate Pluto in Capricorn with an economic downturn. And what was unthinkable a year ago has become reality. Yet, Pluto has not yet begun to speak to us from its new vantage point. We have 15 more years for it to reveal what has been hidden in human affairs.

Capricorn: It’s About More than the Economy.
Pluto’s sojourn through Capricorn could mark a radical change in the way that society is conceptualized and structured the world over. While we may be groping at first, we will eventually arrive at a new working model of what culture means, how it can support human life, and how it can contain humanity’s extremes and excesses.

This is of paramount importance as more nations have mass-destructive weapons, and humanity is on track to destroy itself by making Planet Earth unhabitable. This is the time for the dreamers to dream a new way of appealing to our higher angels, of finding ways to uproot the limitations we place on ourselves through mediocrity.

While the world economy must shift, it is only an effect that is brought about through humanity’s faith in itself. If we have no faith in humanity’s essential goodness; if we can find nothing inspiring confidence in the world around us, then we pull back, we distrust. When we are betrayed by our government — our government does not fulfill its promise to us, we lose hope, we stop trusting the system and each other. We withdraw and pull into ourselves. Economy and the system of finance dies when the people lose trust. If instead we find ways to reinforce the good in each other by reaffirming the foundation of human goodness through laws and principles that support our goodness and control our weaknesses, we discover an identity we can believe in and draw to ourselves. We re-establish our faith in each other, and a new social pact is born.

The Role of the United States in the New Social Pact
After World War II, America had a clear vision of who it was and what it stood for. The social pact that the rest of the world had with the United States was that it would show the way to freedom for all through democracy and tempered capitalism. However, that vision began almost immediately to be disassembled by those fearful and cynical leaders born in the 20s and 30s (with Pluto in Cancer).

This cynicism was substantially advanced through the Reaganistic “government is the problem”, a position which led to a severely hobbled government that lost faith in itself and to the current state of free-market fundamentalism that sucks money to the most oxygen-deprived at the top of the economic ladder. It reached its peak when under GW Bush the US government became almost completely inept, dysfunctional, and incompetent. The Bush Administration even failed to follow the Constitution in every way possible, breaking down every support for the balance of power maintained by the three branches of government. The US failed miserably in its role as the symbol of freedom.

When the deregulated world economy ran out of steam, the problem was compounded by the disillusionment that people everywhere shared about what the US had become. The pact was broken.

This has come just as the US must either renew its reason for being — its pact with itself — or become something different, something that is not the United States of America whose principles for existence (its raisons d’etre) are not to provide wealth but, according to the preamble of the Constitution, to provide freedom, society, justice, peace, commonwealth, and security.

The US Pluto Return & the Second American Revolution
When a planet comes back to the position it was in when a person (or other entity) was born, it is called a “return”. Not only does this signal the start of a new cycle having to do with the “force field” or archetype that the planet represents, it also permits (even demands) a recycling or revisiting of the experiences that occurred before and after the time the planet was first in that position (at the “birth” of the entity).

This is a well-known phenomenon in psychology, especially in child developmental psychology, where it is known that people “recycle” unresolved emotional experiences in a cyclic pattern until they can resolve them — a phenomenon that follows the patterns established by planetary cycles. It is not a great stretch to observe that the same process takes place in mass consciousness.

As Pluto returns to its original position in the US chart, we have been revisiting and will continue to revisit the experiences that led to the first American Revolution. We even have had our own King George III (George I was Washington, George II was George HW Bush), complete with afflicted and irresponsible governance. Just as then, a populist movement for freedom and self-determination is being (re)born.

The Second American Revolution
The Second American Revolution will follow roughly the same time line as the first, as Pluto makes it way, degree by degree, through Capricorn. However, our experiences will vary based on the fact that this is the second occurrence, that Pluto will have different interactions with the other planets, and that we face challenges unimaginable 248 (or even 48) years ago.

As with any cyclic process, some things must die to give way for the new. This means that some of the things we consider cultural norms and icons will fall away — accompanied by a necessary adjustment of values if we are to engage in the pursuit of happiness. As compensation we get to be the new pioneers, the new colonials, who get to reinvent the nation and what it stands for. We get to experience that heady aroma of freedom and self-determination in some way, even if the Constitution stands as it is.

How Much Will Change?
How much will change is a theme I will only touch on lightly at this time and flesh out in future articles. However, it is worth considering some changes that must or are likely to take place. Clearly, when our economy is as beleaguered as it is, adjustments to the financial system and economic stopgaps must be made. While I look forward to writing an in-depth consideration of what these adjustments should be (I’m still researching them), I will briefly state what seems necessary right now:

Adam Smith was wrong. The invisible hand doesn’t work in large economic systems. We have to rethink the structures of capitalism.
Eliminate corporate personhood.
Remove corporate wealth from election campaigns (money ≠ speech).
Reimpose thoughtfully created trade tariffs (to temper globalization and manage currency values), reducing free trade.
Re-regulate the financial industry to protect the individual borrower.
Repeal the bankruptcy law passed in 2005.
Build the (all) domestic economy(ies) from the bottom up.

What About the Constitution?
It may surprise you to know that the founders never intended for the Constitution to stand as they wrote it; they expected it to be completely rewritten several, if not many, times. This was borne out by their experience, as the Articles of Confederation were found woefully unfit to suit the toddling nation just after it gained independence.

So, if there were ever a time when the Constitution might be wholly rewritten, or at least substantially revised, the next 15 years is it. The litany of consensus complaints includes:

the need to get rid of the electoral college
a change in the way that court and cabinet appointments are handled (so that, e.g., court seats cannot go unfilled in a hostile political environment)
elimination of the presidential pardon
elimination or limitation of presidential signing statements

A Successful Revolution
Because Capricorn is an Earth sign, it has to do with the things and structures of this world, and it especially applies to large structures and institutions like government and church. This includes the economy. As Pluto moves through Capricorn, a new economic system will be born (or the old substantially revised). With each step we take on the path of recreating the US to fulfill the ideals set out in the Constitution’s preamble, we restore our faith in ourselves and our ability to thrive. As the health of the nation’s citizenry is restored, so is the health of the economy. When the citizenry is betrayed, a healthy economy cannot exist.

The Chinese say that a successful revolution is one where the ideals of the old system become reality in the new one. This is, I believe, where we are headed. Everything points to it. If you are reading this now, you are a part of the rebirth process (even if you are not an American citizen)..You get to re-dream our purpose, re-live its expression as our founding fathers and mothers did, and rebuild our country as it was first envisioned. With all the concerns and caveats of the abuse of power refreshed in our minds, we will be especially mindful of our task and be sure to not take our freedoms for granted.

Blagojevich Impeachment in Heavenly Timing

2009-01-12T18:41:00.000-08:00

If the Illinois Senate wanted to break ties with the past and dump Rod Blagojevich once and for all, they picked the best possible time to do it. It was announced today that hearings will begin on January 26, the day of the annular solar eclipse at 6̊30 Aquarius. An eclipse is the best time to turn the page on an old pattern and set a new one. It's a new chapter in life, and Illinois has a chance to fully and finally rid itself of the pox known as Blagojevich. Good work, Illinois!

When Will the Stimulus Package Be Passed? Once Again, Mercury Is Involved.

2009-01-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

January 6, 2009
We have much to cheer about as the new year opens. A new president is about to be sworn in, after an unimaginably disastrous eight years of GW Bush destroying the concept of government, the freedoms upon which the nation is based, and the Constitution that codifies both. It is with relief that we see our republic spring miraculously back to life.

However, we know, as much as we may hope otherwise, that life does not proceed in a straight line. It follows a zig-zag path, something that both astrologers and practitioners of the I Ching can agree on. We are about to encounter a zig-zag in the path to a better economy in January.

It’s (Not) All About Mercury.
Yes, it’s time for a Mercury retrograde again. It’s the time when Mercury appears to travel backward in the heavens when measured against the backdrop of the degrees of the zodiac (called the ecliptic). While I hasten to add that this is an apparent motion related to our position on an orbiting planet, the results in the world around us look very real.

Mercury in mythology was the messenger of the gods, and this is his role in astrology as well. Although a “minor” planet, he has the power to unleash the furies of the heavens during his retrograde period, which occurs every 3½ months for about three weeks. Mercury naturally has to do with communication, and this is a cornerstone of all human activity. But when Mercury makes contact with some of the planetary heavies during its retrograde, we get that extra dose of drama that, while blamed on Mercury, is not of his making.

The Mercury retrograde last fall (September 24 – October 15) was one of these furious retrogrades. As it made challenging contacts to expansive Jupiter and Great-Wound combination Chiron-Neptune, the markets lost confidence and the investment world fell apart, taking the economy with it. It was testimony to the power of these heavy planets, and only to Mercury as their messenger.

Up to His Old Tricks Again
If you count the days, you’ll figure out on your own that it’s almost time for another Mercury retrograde. Indeed, if you’ve had the clear skies and high visibility that southern California has enjoyed on the evenings of the past week, you’ll have been treated to the pleasure of seeing four planetary bodies in the western sky at sunset. Bright and easily visible were the crescent moon and Venus; not so visible but just as stunning were the two lights hugging the horizon but dimmed by the Sun’s afterglow: Mercury and Jupiter. Over the past week, we could watch Mercury move slowly past Jupiter.

When Mercury is even visible to us, it’s a sign that it is near its retrograde. So it is now. On January 11, it will make its standstill before moving backward across early Aquarius and late Capricorn. It returns to forward motion on January 31. This, as you might expect, establishes the potential for drama in the world around us.

Now, think about it. If Mercury goes backward over a segment of the zodiac, it covers some of this celestial turf three times, right? Ah, therein lies the rub! This segment of the heavens gets overstimulated, along with all the bodies that resonate at those degrees. The time when Mercury crosses this zone before and after its retrograde are called its “retrograde shadow”.

The themes of the retrograde emerge when Mercury first enters its shadow. They are confronted as problems or issues during the retrograde. Finally, they are resolved when Mercury makes its final pass through the shadow after the retrograde.

So, what snags in the fabric of life will Mercury’s energy get caught on this time? What issues is receiving obsessive interest by the media right now? It’s the economy, stupid. Everything is about the economy. And now, as Mercury slows down, the stimulus package offered up by soon-to-be-inaugurated Barack Obama is the source of much Pavlovian salivation.

The Good News
Mercury makes only two contacts (and one near miss) during this retrograde. These contacts are conjunctions (a neutral contact) to Jupiter and Mars. These are fairly benign as contacts go. They bring stimulation without the easy potential for major cock-ups. What’s more, Mercury and Jupiter as the two mental planets are a natural pair. Even more than that, Mars is in Capricorn, the sign that it performs best in (its exaltation). This is good news! It means that some combination of objectivity and pragmatism may reign.

The Big Question: When Will the Stimulus Package Pass?
Everyone is speculating on when it will pass as much as on what form it will take. With Congress’s swearing-in ceremony tomorrow (January 6), they cannot help but consider the stimulus package during Mercury’s retrograde. Since this is the case, Mercury establishes some nearly certain timing constraints on the situation. Here’s a time line for how it will affect the passage of the stimulus package:

December 25 - January 10 (Mercury Shadow 1): Anxiety and anticipation build as the reality of the weak economy hits home. The shortcomings of the bail-out devised during the last Mercury retrograde are fully revealed. The hue and cry rises for stimulus in the real economy to rescue “Main Street”, as it becomes apparent that the first ($700bn) stimulus package has been squandered. December 31 (Mercury conjoins Jupiter): More bad news from the economy and American manufacturers, especially automakers.

January 11 - 31 (Mercury retrograde): First, nothing will pass while Mercury is retrograde. There will be the predictable sense of urgency, but nothing will gel. It will be a time of fruitful and clarifying discussion. New facts about the economy will emerge. Under-represented viewpoints will be heard (perhaps progressives Paul Krugman, Robert Kuttner, David Cay Johnston, and James K. Galbraith). Partisan politics will threaten to take over the process. January 18 (Mercury-Jupiter): More bad economic news pushes the debate in a more progressive, Keynesian direction. January 26 (Mercury-Mars): The real economy, manufacturing sector, and blue-collar workers rise in prominence.

February 1 - 20 (Mercury Shadow 2): Stimulus legislation will begin to move forward. Although it is possible for it to occur sooner, a bill will probably not be ready for signature or signed until on or after February 20.

Caveats: Although the masses most frequently follow the norm of planetary timing, it is always possible to respond above expectation. This makes it possible for Congress to pass legislation before February 20, but it is relatively unlikely, especially before February 1.

One thing that will certainly spur action is whatever happens at the time of the Solar Eclipse on January 25, coinciding with a major stellium (cluster) of planets in Aquarius and the Mercury-Mars contact. This could be a game-changer.

Impact on the US
This is “Mercury retrograde lite” for the US chart, since Mercury only contacts the US’s destiny line, the nodal axis. This suggests a major shift in direction for the country but does not imply any complications more than are inherent in the issue (and they are huge).

There is no doubt that there are more facets to the situation than I can anticipate or that lie beyond the depth of this inquiry. However, there is no doubt that Mercury and its compadres will play a role in the unfolding of events.

Obama’s Pastor Problem and Neptune

2008-12-24T09:09:00.000-08:00

He’s got another pastor problem. With the selection of Rick Warren, founder of the prejudicial Saddleback Church and author of The Purpose-Driven Life, to do the invocation at his inauguration, President-Elect Barack Obama has stepped into the religious battle fray once again.

It’s not just progressives who have decried his selection; many closer to the center are also uncomfortable, as Reverend Warren’s stances against gay rights and in favor of the highly contentious Proposition 8 Marriage Equality Ban have become less and less mainstream.

There’s a pattern here: Remember Reverend Wright? Now, I think that Wright’s comments at the church lectern were taken out of context, but his comments at the media lectern were certainly not. They were at the least vitriolic — not those of the friendship Obama thought he had developed over the years.

It’s Neptune Again.
What is it, astrologically speaking, that has Obama on the wrong side of the religious leadership issue again? I’ll say it’s the Neptune in his chart. If you recall, he has Sun in Leo square his Neptune. Now, when he was born, it was four days past the square, but that means that Neptune would transit his Sun four times over the first two years of his life. The last time, Neptune was stationary direct exactly square his Sun for six weeks. This coincides precisely with the period of time that his parents were together before their divorce and his father’s return to Africa.

Clearly, this is about Obama’s relationship with his father. Without the benefit of a fully present and available father past infancy, young Barack had to make one up himself, and he did. However, this was not easy for him. He is still dealing with this issue.

Obama would clearly have idealized his father, then perhaps felt frustrated for his father not being there for him. He might have imagined what life would have been like with his father and almost certainly visualized it as better than it could have been.

In the mysterious way that archetypes are connected in our psyche, Neptune defines both imagination and religion (or maybe this isn’t so mysterious). The father archetype is partially defined by the Sun. The father is so important to us because he helps us define our expressive nature, the true self as represented by the Sun in our chart. When Neptune and the Sun commingle, there is confusion — many imaginings about a father who is in some way clouded in the child’s vision.

There is no doubt that for many the pastor of the church serves as a father figure. So, Obama’s selection of Reverend Wright and then Reverend Warren, in whatever capacity, is colored by his undefined relationship with his father.

Will This Continue?
Barack Obama is not known to back down on a decision once it is made. His fixed angles push him in that direction. I don’t believe he will change his mind about the selection of Rick Warren for the inaugural invocation. However, I believe that he has come to see the down side of the choice, and perhaps he will be more cautious about allying himself with someone who is as closed-minded as Warren in the future.

Will he make more, similar mistakes? Inevitably so, but we can hope that this will be confined to areas peripheral to leading the nation, as it has been so far. Ultimately, Neptune contacts lead us to clarity. Obama certainly has developed that in many areas. If his selection of Rick Warren reveals a blind spot, he has shown that he will learn from it much more than we have.

Will the Blagojevich Scandal Taint Obama?

2008-12-10T10:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday (December 9, 2008), Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested in the “predawn” hours. (Chicago Tribune) Given the details and transcripts recited by Federal Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, there is little doubt as to his guilt. This creates a huge political tsunami whose epicenter is Springfield, Illinois. You’ll note the proximity of this to President-Elect Obama’s home for the past many years. Indeed, Obama has had to deal with Blagojevich at least in passing because they were both involved in governing on behalf of the people of Illinois, and this goes for his long-time staffers from the state, such as Rahm Emanuel and Valerie Jarrett.

Obama and Blagojevich
Will this arrest and the actions of Blagojevich affect Obama and his ability to govern the nation? A look at the charts of Blagojevich, Obama, and the time of the arrest gives us some clues. The time for the arrest is vague, and I rectified it so that the Ascendant of the chart falls exactly on Blagojevich’s Saturn. This is not in any way verified or worthy of re-use. What I get from this chart, however, is that there are no strong or alarming hits to Obama’s chart. If — and it’s a big if — the chart of the arrest is accurate, then the Ascendant squares Obama’s Pluto.

As it is, it is clear that there is no love lost between Obama and the governor. Blagojevich’s Saturn is square Obama’s Pluto. I suspect that Obama’s brand of ethical governance was anathema to Blagojevich, and as even the tapes indicated, he was annoyed by and avoided Obama’s camp, except for pro forma interactions required by political protocol.

At the Time of the Arrest . . .
At the time of the arrest, the two-year-long Saturn-Uranus opposition is prominent. Saturn was at least near the Midheaven, while Uranus was on the IC in the chart of the arrest. Saturn-Uranus are squaring Blagojevich’s Sun in Sagittarius and very close to his Moon in Pisces (degree uncertain because no birth time is known). Saturn is about a degree away from Obama’s Mars, suggesting the limitation of a male peer, if not his own actions. So, if Obama has not handled his own actions ethically, he will be called to account.

Is It Enough?
Usually, there would need to be a number of critical and troubling planetary events to suggest a scandal affecting a person. So, what else is happening in Obama’s chart right now? He has an exact conjunction of the South Node to his Sun. This speaks to the increased use of his leadership ability, and a large number of contacts with people who are (to be) deeply connected to him. This is in resonance with the number of interactions he must be having as he and his staff vet potential staff and cabinet members. He has also been very busy creating bonds with those with whom he must work, especially Republicans.

Do you remember the story last week regarding Ileana Ros-Lehtinen? She is the Republican Representative for Florida’s 18th District. She was one among many to receive a direct personal call from Barack Obama, rather than the usual call staged and pre-arranged by staffers. This stretched credulity for her so much that she decided it was a prank call from a local radio station, and she hung up on him twice before taking the call and engaging in a genial conversation.

Jupiter is also very close to the degree of his Saturn, another symbol of leadership expressed in the world. Chiron is very close to his Ascendant, and if there is any concern about Obama being tainted by the scandal, this could be the source. However, this could be no more than a distraction. Chiron, tied currently to Neptune, is more representative of the deeply wounded American system, politically, socially, and economically. He has too much on his plate to be distracted by Blagojevich and his antics.

What About FOO's (Friends of Obama)
Are any of Obama’s associates involved? At the time of the arrest, the Moon was squaring Obama’s Mercury. This suggests a recent contact between at least one Obama staffer and Blagojevich. This could be the reported conversation that Rahm Emanuel had with the governor, and it is reported unreliably that Emanuel may have been the one who alerted federal officials to Blagojevich’s intentions regarding the auctioning of Obama’s now-vacant senate seat. If you recall, Obama's Mars is contacted, but it is not in a house ruling associates, so I am discounting that as a factor.

There will undoubtedly be depositions involving Obama associates, even Obama himself. However, I do not expect Obama to be implicated in any wrongdoing, nor that his closest associates have been involved. The recent suggestion that Jesse Jackson Jr. could be involved in some way is not ruled out by the chart, but neither is it implied by the chart, because Obama would not have been involved in his actions and it won't affect him.

There is no doubt that Obama will be called upon to address the Blagojevich corruption scandal, perhaps legally as well as publicly. However, the contacts at the time of the event are not alarming or personally involving in such a way as to suggest that Obama will be sullied by it.

A Bridge to Middle East Peace: Obama, Emanuel, and Israel

2008-12-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

If you look up the bio of Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, you’ll notice right away the deep roots of Zionism in his background. His father was a member of the militant Zionist group Irgun who raised his children in the conservative Jewish tradition. Now Emanuel and his family are members of a Modern Orthodox congregation in Chicago.

Does this have implications for our new policy with Israel and the Middle East? I would say, “yes,” but not entirely for the reasons you might think. To understand my reasoning, we have to look at the State of Israel, Emanuel, and Obama from an astrological perspective.

Israel’s Difficult Chart
Israel was created out of nothing but a dream, a memory, and the sheer force of will on May 14, 1948 at 4:32 pm in Tel Aviv. Dominant in the sky at that time was a conjunction of Moon, Saturn, and Pluto, the most elevated planets in the chart. This makes them the most powerful energy in the chart in several ways — by location, proximity, and nature.

Saturn and Pluto in combination are associated with the use of power by authority, or in structured environments, such as government. Their cycle together is about 35 years long (approximate because of variations in Pluto’s orbit) and reveals the interplay of power with those who would use it. Both Saturn and Pluto are cold energies, and many people who have them in difficult combinations in their charts can be cold or ruthless. However, underneath it this behavior is prompted by fear of being under another’s absolute control (Pluto = absolute, Saturn = control).

Israel was born out of the very real fears that Jewish peoples had about their survival following the genocide of WWII (and before). The Zionist movement rose alongside anti-Semitism, to create a homeland for Jews where they would be safe. Israel was created through a complex and interminable series of events that could roughly be boiled down to a botched British exit from the region that did not do enough to pave the way for peace.

The new Jewish state was shoehorned into a region where Arab resentment was an extension of hatred and distrust toward the West. The mere fact of its existence created instantaneous and resolute enemies in the neighboring Arab communities, including those whose turf was included in the new state.

The chart of Israel speaks to this reality. It shows itself to be an unwanted child, or at least one born with many enemies. So you can understand the chart showing us that fear is the biggest factor in Israel’s modus operandi.

Saturn-Pluto also shows Israel’s tendency toward militancy in its political inclinations and militarism in its foreign policy. Israel’s governments and their leaders have frequently felt it necessary to take military action against their neighbors in order to protect their borders, and have often ended up taking land as a result. Their success is that of the desperate struggle to survive, if Saturn and Pluto are to be believed.

The Saturn-Pluto Cycle
The 35-year Saturn-Pluto cycle provides a blueprint for historical events in Israel’s history, as well as the evolution of consciousness and identity in the state (more than I can go into here). While all nation-states have to grapple with the combination of power and authority, Israel’s identity and raison d’etre are uniquely tied to this cycle. When these two planets are harmoniously interacting, Israel experiences more peace and is more conciliatory toward others. When they are in challenging interactions, Israel’s level of conflict rises.

So it stands to reason that those who have strong Saturn-Pluto contacts will “speak their language” when it comes to talking to Israel. They will understand the strong compulsions that come from the primal drive to survive. They may understand how that can be misused to create enemies instead of friends.

Emanuel’s Role
Emanuel has Saturn and Pluto very tightly tied together in a very harmonious contact, a trine from Saturn in Capricorn to Pluto in Virgo. Not only is this a very pragmatic pattern, with both signs in the Earth element; but Saturn is has to be on its best behavior in Capricorn because it’s a sign of its rulership. That is, if Rahm Emanuel misuses his authority, it comes back to bite him immediately.

Whatever the type of contact, when Saturn and Pluto are combined, the person has natural power and authority. But because Emanuel has the trine, he is not defensive about it. He does not easily feel threatened by others, yet he understands the dynamics of fear and violence. He knows how to speak the (astrological) language of Israel — the language of the struggle for existence. This is very true in visible terms as well — surely his father taught him about Zionism and the reasons for the creation of Israel from a personal level.

Enter Obama.
Obama was born nearly two years after Emanuel, and this is long enough for Saturn to have moved on. Although Saturn is still in Capricorn for Obama, he is driven by other patterns and has other urges to lead him in a different direction. However, his Pluto is at the same degree as Emanuel’s. This means that he can be awakened to the purpose(s) that Emanuel is drawn to — that Emanuel can plug him into his pattern and imbue him with dreams of peace in the Middle East.

One of Obama’s signature personality traits is his self-discipline. “No-drama Obama” is an oft-repeated moniker. This comes in part from his Capricorn Saturn in harmony (a trine) with Mars in Virgo. Again, two pragmatic Earth signs harnessing the God of War with the disciplined structure of Saturn.

This is the energy that Obama brings to all his experiences and initiatives. He is a man of peace and diplomacy — a bridge-maker, not a war-maker.

Building a Bridge
When we take all these factors into consideration, we have a new possibility: Obama, with the help of Emanuel, could bring new insights to a Middle East process. Like Obama, Emanuel does not have the reactionary feistiness of those who came before them and paved the way for their work. Where Obama stands on the shoulders of Martin Luther King Jr and Jesse Jackson, Emanuel stands on the shoulders of his father and the other Zionists. Yet neither carries the scars of those struggles. They carry new priorities that will carry their predecessors’ dreams forward in ways that may not always smooth feathers but are the right medicine of honesty, practicality, peace, and diplomacy for the illness of deeply entrenched battles and hatreds.

Adding Strength to Strength: Hillary in the Mix
If we add to this mix Hillary Clinton, who was born within months of Israel and has the same Saturn-Pluto pattern in her chart, we may find a bridge to peace in the Middle East. She has learned and refined her use of this energy over her life and done well with it. Not only is peace absolutely essential, but it is time. And with this team in the White House and the help of some supportive planetary trends for Israel, the stage is set for positive results in the region.

The Perfect Storm: The Auto Bail-Out, the Economy, & the Mutable Dilemma

2008-12-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

Feeling a little tense lately? We can certainly say that there are three men from Detroit who are feeling the love from one of the most intense planetary configurations of the year. We are sharing their angst in our own way, and if a wise solution does not come out of Washington with respect to the auto industry’s woes, we’ll all soon be feeling the ensuing downturn in the real economy.

A planetary storm has been gathering since mid-November, and now it is upon us. The storm will last from the 5th through the 15th as one after another of a set of sharp-edged planetary events reaches perfection.

The Big Astrological OMG
Considering the planets involved and the type of contacts they make with each other, is it any wonder? They are moving into a mutable grand cross, which to the astrological cognoscenti is the equivalent of a very big OMG. This grand cross is found in the mutable (flexible but sometimes spineless) signs of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces.

The key factors in this (see the chart) are: a) Saturn opposing Uranus (ongoing since September); b) Sun, Mars, and Mercury squaring them both, forming a T-square; and c) the Moon filling in the missing point to form a “box” or grand cross in the chart. While there are numerous contacts between these six points over the 11 days of their interaction, there are two peak periods, December 5–6 (today and tomorrow), and December 10–12. The first one is the most difficult of the two.

Yeah, But . . .
This pattern has the overall effect of a roomful of “yeah, but’s”. The auto industry will fail unless they get bridge loans to help them continue. Yeah, but the loans are far larger than the combined value of the corporations. Yeah, but their value to the real economy exceeds the value of the loans when we consider potential job losses across the economy and losses in parts and resource companies that are dependent on the auto industry. Yeah, but no one is buying the cars. Yeah, but they can be forced to make energy-efficient cars. Yeah, but the price of gas is down, so everyone is going back to gas-guzzlers, so the automakers have no incentive to switch. Yeah, but we have to retool to compete with foreign automakers. Yeah, but they could continue to lose money on cars no one wants. Yeah, but the earth is warming! Yeah, but the automakers can’t survive if they are forced to retool. Yeah, but if they don’t they’ll fail, and we’ll have to buy all our cars from foreign automakers. . . .

This is the infamous mutable dilemma, and we all have our own version of it in our lives. However, on the national scale, so much is at stake.

Bail-Out Today?
The first thunderclap of the storm comes today with two major contacts: the conjunction of the Sun and Mars, and Mercury squaring Uranus. On Saturday (the 6th) but very much in effect today (the 5th), is Mercury’s square to Saturn. This has the effect of leaving Washington lawmakers and auto executives very much perplexed and aggrieved as they struggle to find a way out of this perfect dilemma.

So, you want to take any bets on what will happen with the bail-out today? Even though lawmakers are under the most extreme of all pressures — an impending holiday recess — it seems unlikely that they will reach a decision by this supposed deadline despite the pressure to do so, and I hope they don’t. This one is tricky, but they still have a chance to get it right. The planetary pattern suggests that a decision won’t happen until next Friday (the 12th). If it does — such is the power of the holiday recess — the result is not likely to be as good as it will be if they wait. By next Friday, ideology will melt into pragmatism as Mercury enters Capricorn and gives us the opportunity for much better outcomes.
Even the Worst Storm Has Its Benefits.
Even if the mutable dilemma is bewildering, it has its benefits. It reveals a conundrum that existed even when we didn’t know about it. It forces us to face this conundrum and detangle its strands of cause and effect so it can be reorganized to operate in a functional manner. We could think of the auto industry as a dysfunctional family that creates false realities to distract from what’s really going on, which is a chronically corrupt culture that perpetuates its own weaknesses. Lawmakers are faced with the task of re-parenting these wayward and overgrown schoolboys so that they do not continue in their dysfunctional ways of encouraging Americans to continue their profligate gas-guzzling ways. The alternative is to further create a victim class in American society.

In this respect, the challenges presented by Sun, Mercury, and Mars are good. They say to the representatives of the status quo (Saturn - the auto execs), “You can’t operate that way anymore. It can no longer be ignored.” Uranus across the wheel from Saturn is the people and the lawmakers saying, “We won’t put up with this anymore - change!” — even as they (we) are shocked by the looming economic disaster.

Our lawmakers have to be very clever to work this out. They have to rely on monies already available to them, because George W. Bush will not sign any bill into law that offers relief to the auto industry. Even so, there is a way out, one that will draw more consensus and be more wisely devised if it happens on or after the 12th, if the planets offer any indication of timing and events. Should the situation take this longer path to maturity and harvest, the most likely day for a final resolution is the 16th or soon after. If they pull a rabbit out of the hat tomorrow, it will probably not be the best deal for the American people.

Dream Team or Nightmare? The Compatibility of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama

2008-12-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

Well, he did it. President- Elect Barack Obama picked Senator Hillary Clinton to be his Secretary of State. How is this going to work? We can look at their working relationship through their birth charts.

Now, first let’s consider the unknowns. We do not have a good birth time for Hillary Clinton. Several “reliable” sources, including Senator Clinton herself, have come up with a different birth time on separate occasions. I will not be relying on a birth time for her chart in this interpretation.

The Key Factor: Hillary’s Internal Conflict
Hillary Clinton has an incredible dynamic in her chart. She was born a Scorpio with a cluster of planets (Sun, Chiron, Venus, Mercury) in this sign. In addition, she was born in the “standard-bearer” period of the Pluto-in-Leo generation, when Saturn and Pluto were conjoined. Mars is also located in Leo, in exact contact with Pluto, highly activating Saturn-Pluto, with the emphasis on the transformative process of Pluto.

This is the fulcrum of Clinton’s personality and key to her relationship with Obama. Let’s just consider what this means in her personality on its own. To interpret her chart, it helps to remember that, for her, she is represented by the Scorpio planets, while the Leo planets represent those around her.

Water-sign Scorpio and fire-sign Leo as signs are not the best of friends. By energy they confront each other, although they can be combined to create a resilient, even stubborn, personality.

Saturn is a father archetype, Pluto is an authority archetype, and Mars is a brother/uncle/men her own age archetype. To me she has grown up in a world surrounded by and dominated by men. Yes, her mother was present, but she was probably “daddy’s girl”. (I have very little information about her early life, so much of this is conjectural. However, the chart tells a story that is corroborated by her behavior in her adult life.) The bios say her father did not believe in gender-based barriers, but it is possible, given this planetary pattern, that he had high hopes for her.

I would say that her father and brothers were very strong influences, had strong personalities, in her early life. They are represented by Mars-Pluto-Saturn, and there are no stronger archetypes than these! Her father was an Aries, another fire sign.

This is also suggested by the men she has collected around her as an adult. The supreme example of that is Bill Clinton, a man who — with Mercury, Saturn, Pluto, and Sun in Leo — certainly plays the role of those Leo planets in her chart. They portray a charismatic, powerful, and impetuous man who has a generous spirit, world-class intelligence, and big heart, but who is also deeply wounded. The scars he bears are partly due to the death of his father at an early age. (Saturn = father, Pluto = death)

During her campaign, it became evident to me that Hillary Clinton is quite used to having strong men around her who were willing to run (or even ruin) her life. Harold Wolfson, Mark Penn, and Terry McAuliffe, as well as Bob Shrum, all worked on her campaign and were known for their cutthroat tactics. Without needing to know their astrological configurations, they, by behavior, play out her Leo stellium very well. It was hard for me to determine if these were FOB’s or FOH’s on their own, but she must take responsibility for hiring them, regardless of who recommended them. Her campaign was noted for its turmoil and power struggles. These also fit the Mars-Pluto-Saturn in her chart.

Hillary has learned to finesse these planets to a certain extent, but I don’t think she’s mastered them. She is very game — ready to step into the line of fire in order to fulfill her duty.

Hillary & Obama
Enter Obama, Stage Left. Obama is a Leo, with Sun, Mercury, and Uranus spread over the sign. While these planets is a welcome break from the heaviness of Leo with Saturn and Pluto in the sign, it is still Leo, an energy that she is very familiar with in a not altogether happy way. Uranus may not be heavy, but it is startling, and this may be difficult for a Scorpio to cope with (although she will make it her business to do so). She is used to either being pushed around, side-stepping, or confronting (as we know she did with Bill) this unstoppable energy. Obama’s Uranus in Leo is the most likely to disrupt her. It suggests the way she must have felt when this young upstart swept the primary away from her — surprised and usurped.

So how will she do with another Leo at the helm, one she has fewer issues with but to whom she is not particularly endeared? There’s no doubt that it will be a challenge; however, it is a challenge she has faced time and again over her life. Watery Scorpio is happier on background, if not in a subordinate role. She will be comfortable in her powerful satellite role as Secretary of State. She has enough power to receive acclaim and have a role on the world stage, yet she won’t be taking all the hits as the leader of the Free World.

She is used to subordinating her will to the men in her life, and she will be asked to do it once again. I’m not going to suggest for a minute that she is completely happy in that role, but I’m sure she can manage it. She’s still shooting for the top, and she may make it. For now, she’ll use that famous Scorpio drive to keep marching toward her goal, even if she has to wait 8 years.

Altruism Is Key.
More important than that, however, is the fact that she truly wants to serve. She has the welfare of the US, the world, and the people in her heart. She will subordinate her own personal desires and goals to work toward the higher goals of peace and world balance in energy and economy. This is possible as a personal choice of course, but it is supported by her strong Jupiter in Sagittarius.

This lifts her out of any personality conflicts that arise. This does not mean that she will never feel or express them, because she has a strong will of her own. It does mean that she will most likely handle those conflicts internally, without expressing them outwardly in her public life or through her position in government. She may shout at home, but she will not carry this over into the office.

Many of us have patterns that are similar to and as challenging as the one Hillary Clinton carries in her chart. Developing such a pattern is a lifelong process of refinement and mastery. The more she smooths out the rough edges on her use of this pattern, the more harmonious and fair will be the men that she gathers around her. The fact that Senator Clinton has been drawn into the circle of Barack Obama, who seems to carry these traits, suggests the extent to which she has grown and will handle her power planets well.

For Barack Obama . . .
For our President-Elect, he recognizes the power that she carries within. He shares with her a tendency to draw to himself people who confront him in his weak areas, a sign of true inner confidence. His weakest area is Scorpio, from where his Neptune makes a challenge contact (a square) to his Sun. I think he appreciates her wisdom and expertise as a way to overcome his weak area.

Obama’s Mercury in early Leo makes a harmonious trine to Hillary’s Jupiter in Sagittarius. This makes her the teacher, and she could become a little preachy in her enthusiasm to share what she knows. However, Obama has the self-confidence to view this with humor and appreciation that will be shared with gentle teasing as long as she fulfills her position as he intends it.

So far, he has been collecting quite a cluster of people around him with an emphasis in Scorpio — Joe Biden and Rahm Emanuel — and now we can add Hillary Clinton to this list. There is a method to his madness (and one I will address in another post) in collecting Scorpio energy. For now, suffice it to say that soon-to-be Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will find herself in good and congenial company as she joins the Obama team. While it may not always be easy for her, I do not expect her to make unpleasant waves in the Obama Administration during her tenure there.

The New Economic Team: Will It Succeed?

2008-11-24T11:30:00.000-08:00

At 12:06 today (Monday, November 24, 2008), Barack Obama announced his economic team. They are: Timothy Geithner as Treasury Secretary, Lawrence Summers as Director of the National Economic Council, Christina Romer as Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, and Melody Barnes as Chair of the Council on Domestic Policy.

The Event's the Thing.
Without looking at the members of the team itself but at the astrological chart of the moment for the announcement, we can see what might lie in store for this group. Opinion varies as to what house or houses of the chart to use for advisors. It is acceptable practice, however, to consider the advisors for a particular area to be “housed” where the matter they are concerned with is found. Since this team is concerned with the economy at large, they can be associated with the 8th house. The 8th house has to do with (among other things) the national treasury, the national debt, interest rates, and financial relations with other countries.

The House of the Treasury
The 8th house has pragmatic Virgo on the cusp with Saturn in Virgo close to hand. This speaks of a practical group that is ready to dig in and get the work done without posturing or prevaricating. They will humbly take their positions and work efficiently and for the good of the community. These are all Virgo qualities. This perspective is supported by common knowledge about this team: They have worked together in the past and share many perspectives. They are more likely to agree very quickly on a plan and move forward.

This is one place where a “team of rivals” is not desirable but rather a team of colleagues. This might create discomfort among some, except that experts on both left and right are coming to a consensus that what the nation needs is a stimulus package that is targeted in specific areas to shore up the Main-Street economy as well as the financial markets on Wall Street.

The Dream Team: Saturn’s Contacts
To see what impact this group will have on the world around them, we can look at the contacts Saturn has with other planets and points. The news is good: Saturn receives harmonious trines from Venus, the Lot of Fortune, and Jupiter, which are lined up in Capricorn. If I could imagine a set of dream contacts, I couldn’t come up with a better one! The two benefics of fortune and the Arabic Lot of fortune are in the most fortunate of contacts!

Because they are located in the 11th mundane (not whole-sign) house, this tells me that this team will be allied with and supported by Congress and will attract many allies for their policies. This house itself rules policies and the goals of the nation. This suggests that they will have a clear vision of what needs to be done and how to do it, a virtual mandate for action. Since these planets are in Capricorn, their policies will take the deepest and broadest view, with a mindful eye toward history. Christina Romer in particular supplies that strength, developed through her research and writings on the recovery from the Great Depression.

Saturn’s Teammate: Moon in Libra
The Moon is always significant in any event chart, as the timer and motivator of activity. The Moon is at 29̊35' Libra, minutes away from a change in sign. The astrological cognoscenti might be alarmed at this, because this could be a void-of-course Moon and in most instances would be. The Moon is void of course when it will make no more contacts before it leaves a sign. This signifies that no further action will be taken before the nature of the matter fundamentally changes.

But we’re in luck! Because Pluto is so late in Sagittarius, getting ready to move into Capricorn next week, the Moon is still moving into its sextile with Pluto! This is a contact of opportunity, and about the best possible situation for the Moon to be in. Why? Well, if I wanted to make sweeping and dramatic changes that would affect the entire world, I would want Pluto on my side. If I wanted to move quickly and have an immediate lasting affect, I would want to take action at a time when a harmonious contact to Pluto was going to occur very shortly, with no further contacts after it which could muddy the waters or push back on my actions.

This is precisely the effect that the Moon in its current location will have! What’s more, the Moon has only harmonious contacts before it leaves the sign: The moving Ascendant and Midheaven, which will change signs before the Moon does, will trine and sextile the Moon to add the joyous support of the people and the perhaps begrudging support in principle of the outgoing Bush administration.

So, What’s Not to Like?
Well, we do live in the real world, where we haven’t yet figured out how to make harsh conditions disappear with the wave of a magic wand. The planets also reflect this reality. After all, we are dealing with an economic crisis that is one of the worst in history.

Saturn has not escaped the grasp of Uranus, but as I’ve said before, I think this is a good thing. In a world where we need to fundamentally question the economic theories of Adam Smith, the invisible hand, and the value of uncontrolled growth in order to save the planet, we need Uranus now more than ever. Their opposition continues through July 2010, and during this time we will figure out (with the help of this team and the cadre of people who will feed their greatest wisdom to them) how to go back to being citizens instead of consumers, but this time on a global scale. Before the Depression, being called a consumer was an insult, a sign of gluttony and waste. This connotation may be revived as we green our economy and our lives.

As Saturn and Uranus circle the ring opposite each other, they will exchange illuminating points, resulting in a reconciling of extreme positions. This is the value of the opposition.

The other substantial challenge of note in this chart comes from the Mercury-Sun-Mars stellium in Sagittarius on the Midheaven. This could be called “the perfect storm in the perfect chart”, a conundrum that we will have to deal with as we make our way through the remainder of the year. If we could only take a month off from the economy, we could avoid this issue, but they haven’t told us we could, so we’ll have to deal with these planets!

The static that these planets represent is considerable, but it is short-lived. And it comes from — you guessed it — the current administration. They are still very much in power, and already Bush has reminded us that his administration is still in control, even before Obama’s statement was made! They are not willing to hand over the reins of power yet. These planets, placed in idealistic and (for these folks) stubbornly ideological Sagittarius, are found at the MC (Midheaven), signifying the nation’s leader, administration, and the party in power.

They are not likely to let go. They are likely to sit on their ideological high horse and make the Obama team (and the rest of us) wait, some in suffering, until January 20 before they will be able to effect even the mildest change. As I said earlier, yes, they will “support” the new team, but they will not support the new team. They have shown themselves to be good at giving lip service. We should always make room in our consciousness for people to do something better, though, and it is possible that they will work out their natural resistance internally as they lend real support to the new administration. (What do you think they’ll do?) No matter what, this is of a short duration, from December 5-15. Watch for their approach to an auto industry loan (not a bail-out - a bail-out was never on offer).

Two More Things Worth Noting
One more thing to note is that Chiron and Neptune straddle the Ascendant in this chart. This represents the people, wounded and hopeful. Another is Uranus in the 2nd house. This suggests a jump-start to the economy with come from the efforts of this team. President-Elect Obama spoke of the need for this, as has one expert after another.

There is reason to believe that this will work. One thing is for sure, the chart gives maximum support to a positive result in the long run, even if we have to wait longer than we think is possible. But I’ve learned that the impossible can be achieved, and together we can make it happen.

Obama Baby Boomlet? The Astrology of the Babies of Hope

2008-11-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

Newsweek started it: the rumors that after Obama was elected our 44th president (OOOH, that sounds so GOOD!) some couples hopped in the sack to celebrate sans birth control. If this life-changing event follows the pattern of many similar ones, a spike in the birth rate could occur approximately 40 weeks from Election Night.

The irony of this is that Barack Obama himself could be the product of one of these boomlets. He was born August 4, 1961, just shy of 40 weeks after the Kennedy election. Now he gets the chance to spur a repeat of history in the first of perhaps many ways.

This notion may bring on a chuckle and a yawn to most people, but to those who watch the planets it is an object of intrigue. What will the birth charts of these children be like? There are longer term patterns that they will have in common. Will they hold as much promise as the man who inspired their conception?

The Promise of the Obama Baby Boomers
Most OBBs will be born in early-mid August 2010, with their Sun in Leo. Leo is the sign where the Sun shines brightest — it is the sign of its rulership, where it is strongest, but also most demanding of its recipients. This Sun cannot shine without qualification, however. It is involved in an epic pattern with Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune.

There are two components to this incredible pattern. First, you can see in House 4 the planets Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune in a fairly tight conjunction. This is the first-ever conjunction of these planets since Chiron was discovered in 1977, and it last occurred in 1945. These are planets that when grouped act more on a transpersonal level than personally. On that larger-than-life level, this pattern represents “healing the Great Wound” of a culture. In 2008-09, while this pattern is being felt, it is about the re-invention and reevaluation of the American Dream, returning it to its more idealistic, less materialistic origins in the dream to be free.

Peak Experience
In the short run, there could be some abrupt adjustment in the culture (the economy?) at that time. This is because the Sun is involved in this pattern, reaching the peak of its yearly cycle, comparable to a Full Moon, with all three planets at one time on August 10. This is huge, even for those born before and after this date. When it reaches the culmination of its cycle with even one planet there are noticeable increases in tensions and situations that are already out of balance. With three cycles culminating at once, there is reason to believe that there will be a tremendous shift at this time — and tremendous potential for growth.

While we may not deal with this energy particularly well as a passing fancy, the children born at this time will have it embedded in their nature. They will get the challenges and joys of fulfilling the gifts that lie within. Like Obama, they will have obstacles in life that, if overcome, become grist in the mill of excellence.

Also active in the heavens at that time is the Saturn-Uranus opposition that we began experiencing this fall. It is on background at the time of OBB births, but it will be highlighted within the first two months of their lives and leave a mark in their nature to worked out as they grow. These children will understand the fleeting nature of stability and may experience such instability or chaos early in life. Mars adds insult to injury, but this pattern ultimately becomes the fodder for excellence. Those who are successful in dealing with this will be good at responding to crisis and won’t be easily threatened by life’s circumstances.

It’s Not All Challenge.
There are enough harmonies here that these children will be a joy to their parents, who may be a law unto themselves, refusing to fit into any preconceived categories. These children are born healers, just as those born in 1945-46 are. They will help us understand the unpredictable aspects of life. We will be deeply enriched by their presence; they deserve our extra special care, and I for one cannot wait to see who they become.

Will Anything Be Accomplished by the G20 Meeting?

2008-11-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

This weekend leaders from 20 nations, representing 85% of the world’s wealth, met to discuss the world economic crisis and make some decisions about what to do. The meeting started with a toast by George W. Bush prior to a “working dinner” at approximately 7:30 PM EST in Washington DC. How well successful will the G20 leaders be in heading off a greater global economic crisis? The details are in the chart of the event, shown here.

What Stands Out
Central to the situation is the energy of the Saturn-Uranus opposition. I have talked about this ad nauseam, but it must be brought up again as the most significant factor in the chart. This is because these two planets were at the highest (Midheaven) and lowest (IC/nadir) points in the heavens when the summit commenced.

However, this highly charged configuration receives mostly harmonious contacts from other planets. This says that, although there is a crisis, there are constructive ideas, even solutions that will be proposed. Notable among these are the contacts made by Jupiter, which trines Saturn and sextiles Uranus.

Just as with any situation, nothing’s perfect. The Moon — the timer, mood-setter, and representative of the public — is in Gemini, and it is about to make challenging connections with Saturn and Uranus (a square to each). This suggests that the leaders will not be of one mind, that there are many disparate viewpoints to be reconciled. This indeed seems to be the case, with (one pillar of Gemini representing) the powerful G7 versus (the other pillar of Gemini representing) the less-developed and under-represented nations like China and India.

The Moon’s placement implies conflict, which would have been evident right away due to pre-meeting statements, but during dinner they were avoided as the Moon passed Saturn-Uranus and made a trine to Neptune. However, on Saturday, all the disparate ideas came out as Moon made an opposition to Pluto. This was potentially explosive and would have had to be handled with diplomacy.

While the Moon is not a particular helpmate, Mercury the Messenger and Communicator is on the side of resolution. It made a trine to Uranus that would be felt all day, even on Friday. Despite anyone’s mood, there was a spirit of problem-solving and a setting aside of differences.

Jupiter Trines Saturn at Last: Sane and Sober or Ideological to the End?
One of the configurations I’ve been touting was strong over this weekend. Jupiter and Saturn have been heading toward their last of five trines, and the moment of perfection arrived this weekend. This pattern has been a double-edged sword, giving us the opportunity for a soft landing, but perhaps also the complacency to believe in a false hope that it’s already over. The leaders in the Bush Administration and business (the same thing), still bingeing on an obviously faulty ideology, have refused to accept that they’ve dug us into a truly deep hole and that they don’t have the slightest idea of how to dig us out. They don’t want to admit that more regulation — and enforcement of current regulation — is called for.

This is the complacency that trines are famous for, especially when one (or more) of the planets is debilitated. Jupiter in Capricorn, while a lovely placement that works well for many people, is not generally used well by the collective or those who have not developed some wisdom. This is our fearless leaders giving away our $700bn dollars to the banks, who are hoarding the money, using the cash to devour each other, and refusing to give it to the intended recipients — borrowers like us.

However, more rational minds, like Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy, have some very good ideas of what to do. These more rational minds are represented by a very pragmatic Saturn in Virgo, and soberly remind us that there is no easy fix. Our Jupiter-in-Capricorn leaders are a sorry lot, and although they had hoped to be the white-knight saviors of the world markets (as opposed to economies), they are being revealed as the ideologues they truly are.

We can see that this configuration, as with any, is a mixed bag. I have learned to be cautiously optimistic with trines, and conversely that squares and oppositions sometimes bring better, if more painful, outcomes. That being said, I think the Saturn influence in this pattern is a great help. We need a healthy dose of realism if we are to solve the problems. Fortunately, there are world leaders who have a better grip on how economies work and are not blinded by trickle-down free-market ideology. This suggests that the Jupiter-Saturn trine really is good news.

Uranus to the Rescue!
Believe it or not, Uranus the Awakener is our rescuer. It represents the paroxysms that have shaken the world’s financial systems over and over again. This blunt truth-teller is reporting quite faithfully that the system is badly out of balance and needs to be reshaped, perhaps even reinvented. This gives the Bush team a chance to stop deluding themselves. Everyone is subject to Uranus’s shocks, the more so if we have ignored or been unable to decipher the evidence before us.

Although Uranus is in the illuminating (but painful) opposition to Saturn, it is sextile to Jupiter. This is an opportunity aspect. If we are alert to openings around us, sextiles are those not-so-obvious windows of light into the world of positive change, especially where Jupiter and Uranus are concerned. The harmonies from Jupiter suggest that the solemn reality of the situation might just humble the Americans into new, healthier perspectives.

With a Little Help From Their Friend
The ultimate representative of obsessive ideology is none other than Pluto in Sagittarius. Although it doesn’t have to be used this way, it can be associated with all extreme and zealous viewpoints and ideologies. And boy oh boy are we ready to see it move into the reality-revealing sign of Capricorn! While it made its brief spin into Capricorn January 25–June 13, our leaders were faced with the horror that they had colluded in creating. It was an economic Pompeii in the real world. People were frozen in place, in shock.

Now we’ve had a chance to grapple with the issues and get used to them, and while they won’t go away any time soon, we’re perhaps a little better prepared now as Pluto makes its final ingress into Capricorn. Pluto is in Sagittarius in this chart, and it reminds us that not much can be done because it is at the end of an era, not the beginning. They will have to wait for substantive measures until Obama takes office.

Obama decided to send surrogates to represent him rather than be at the meeting himself. While the other leaders were eager to meet him and disappointed that he didn’t attend, Obama did not want to be associated with the Bush economic doctrine. Bush has remained adamant about maintaining his policy positions, and Obama wants as much distance between himself and these policies as possible.

The Outcome of the Meeting
We can see the outcome through the final aspect that the Moon makes and by the aspects made between the rulers of the Ascendant and IC. The Moon’s final aspect in Sagittarius is an opposition to Pluto: The summit meeting ends without a meaningful resolution. Internal conflicts still exist.

However, there is a bright light rising on the horizon. The ruler of the Ascendant is Mercury; of the IC is Jupiter. These two planets are headed toward a lovely sextile. There is a door of opportunity through which the G20 leaders can walk if they turn the knob and open it. When the new Obama administration comes in on January 20, there will finally be progress. Although the G20 will not meet again until April, Obama will be swift to meet with leaders individually and begin to implement the policies he wants to introduce. This is probably the best portent of all.

Post-Election Economic Paralysis? A Peek at the Planets Shows It’s Not as Bad as You Think

2008-11-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

Take a moment and breeeaathe. The election was the climax of a long story, and the good guys finally won, if by that we mean that the people had their say without too much vote tampering. Now we’re left as if we’ve woken from a wonderful dream, with our same old personal problems, and the economy set on self-destruct with the same old madmen at the helm of the ship.

Aside from the question of how we each keep our own pecker up, how can we gauge the mood of the public in general? One of the ways to do that is to observe the progressed Moon in the US chart, and another is to observe what’s happening in the 4th house, both in the US chart and in the ingress chart for Washington DC (this is the chart cast for the time that the Sun enters one of the cardinal signs — Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn), a proven technique.

Because the US chart is so disputed, I’m going to look at the ingresses for Libra and Capricorn, which cover the period from September 22 – March 19.

The Libra Ingress Chart
In the Libra chart, Uranus is in the 4th house. This is the planet of shock and surprise, accidents and miracles. As this chart came into effect, people felt as if the earth was quaking under them. Following the economic crises of the first half of September (when Saturn and Uranus were strongly triggered), this was the week that the initial Paulson bail-out plan was rejected by Congress. As they scrambled to come up with a plan that would pass (if not work), Mercury reached its retrograde standstill two days later (September 24).

The long and short of it is that the public will have that deer-in-the-headlights feeling until late December, but there is the bright spot of the “unpredictable” outcome of the election, and the fact that Uranus has some very harmonious contacts. First, the Moon in Cancer trines Uranus from the 8th house of community wealth. This tells us that many people and businesses have stored wealth to rely on for a short period. Jupiter in the 2nd house of liquid resources is sextile Uranus. This tells us that there is opportunity out there in the realms of “real money”. Some people and businesses still have cash. While the Moon in Cancer also suggests a tight credit market (what Cancer do you know that is eager to give up his/her money?), it is not a bad thing to think of alternatives to borrowing to get along in life. This promises to be a blessing in disguise.

The Capricorn Ingress
On December 21, we get a big shift in energy. Uranus is removed from the public equation, and a speedy, even indiscreet, Mars in Sagittarius rules the public mood. We can expect some impulse buying right before Christmas as prices are cut deeply so retailers don’t take a total loss for the season. And, oh those after-Christmas sales! Watch for a huge onslaught of buyers for goods that probably aren’t any better priced than right before Christmas, but the buyers will have gift money in their pockets. There’ll be plenty of optimism to go around, and not a small dose of holiday joy in spite of some emptier pockets.

Although Saturn is nearly stationary at the time of the ingress, it will be felt more just after the New Year, when there will be belt-tightening mixed with heady optimism as we begin to feel the shift of Jupiter into Aquarius. It will feel like the end of the Bush Era and the beginning of Obama’s time at the helm of the great US engine of destiny, but the planets are aiding and abetting the mood.

This Is Not the Second Great Depression — Yet.
Many people are alive who lived through the Great Depression, and many more have heard stories, both personal family tales and those in historical and documentary reports. Some of us have seen our parents (or grandparents) stockpile food as a security buffer against the shadow of that threat. We’re not there yet. We have many more safeguards than were in place at that time. There are some mind-boggling conundrums in the way that financial products have been managed in the past 30 years, but the unemployment rate is a long way (6.5% at last report) compared to 27% during the Depression in the US.

“The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself.”
The best news is that it’s not as bad as it seems. Our fear of the unknown is triggered by the news reports of how bad the economy is. But if we localize our experience to the current moment, how bad off are we? I recognize that for some people, the suffering is acute in the current moment. However, for many of us, we are projecting way into the future our worst fears of lack and deprivation. The news triggers all our childhood (etc.) issues about powerlessness and victimization.

While it is not wise to ignore the warning signals and spend recklessly, neither is it wise to project ourselves forward into a future we cannot possibly control because it has not arrived yet. Living in the moment but being aware of the trends and responding to them calmly is far better.

It’s going to take time. We can’t pin anything on Obama yet because he’s not in charge, and it’s not up to him until he takes office, and then he is a helpmate, not an all-powerful god. We can’t underestimate the power of a leader for his/her ability to set a tone and strike out in particular direction. This we can count on Obama to do wisely.

It’s Up to Us.
It is still up to us. The same old lobbying interests will try to keep things the way they are. The same old win-at-any-cost (usually Republican) “conservatives” will still be sniping from the tall grass and doing anything they can to undercut progressive efforts because they’re afraid.

We can’t just sit back and let the good guys run the country, because they are us. If we drop out, the impetus to change can move in the wrong direction. You know what’s going on right now — King Henry (Paulson) changing the tax code with a wave of his magical pen; camouflage parachutes for top execs replacing the golden ones; banks using OUR rescue money to buy up each other instead of lending to business and people like us; foreclosures continuing apace without relief in sight; legalized usury in the credit card industry.

This will continue unless we speak up and keep speaking up. We did it for 8 years, but without being heard. The difference is now — WE WILL BE HEARD. There are people listening. Obama is a good, a great listener. And even if he can’t listen to all of us individually, he will hire people who will do it faithfully for him.

Much needs to change, and we can participate in changing it! If we do, we will be rewarded with a more active, vital, and supportive democracy where we can live that American Dream to be free to follow our chosen destiny.

In the meantime, remember to breathe.

Between the Worlds: Obama’s Transition Period

2008-11-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

Is there life after the election? You betcha! It may have been inconceivable to think of what life would be like after the election, but here we are. It’s like jumping off a cliff — we witnessed history as Barack Obama was transformed into the president-elect.

So what happens now? He selects his staff and cabinet, and puts together an entire administration in 74 days with a little help from his friends. From an astrological point of view, however, there’s more to it than that.

Remember the first “nanny-gate”? This was the one with Zoe Baird, the one where President-Elect Clinton made her his first choice for Attorney General. She was nixed when it was discovered that she had hired illegal immigrants to serve as her nanny and chauffeur and did not pay social security taxes on their wages. “Trouble with women” could have been predicted in the process, because Mars was retrograde in Cancer during most of his transition period. (In fact, a second woman, Kimba Wood, was also withdrawn from nomination for the post for similar reasons.) In short, the planetary events that occur during the transition are not without consequence.

Transition 2008
And never have there been so many perils, or such dramatic planetary patterns to reckon with. Let’s hit the highlights to get an overview of what to expect.

The Star of Our Show: Saturn Opposes Uranus
Expect the unexpected when these planets are in play. We held our breath hoping for a decisive outcome on Election Day, and we got it, but we truly didn’t know whether the Republicans could pull it out at the last minute, whether through their last-gasp get-out-the-vote effort or through election fraud shenanigans. But Obama won, as every indicator suggested he would. (Now, ask the people in Minnesota if there was any unpredictability in their electoral process! They still have yet to get an outcome to the senate race there.)

Saturn and Uranus both change directions during the transition period. Uranus returns to forward motion on November 27 (Thanksgiving Day), while Saturn turns retrograde (on December 31). These are such slow movers that they are virtually stationary for weeks at a time. Saturn is still in motion but slow, while Uranus is nearly still now. This is both momentous and complex, and of such long-standing duration that while it is a constant factor in our lives, it is felt most when it is triggered by a fast-moving planet like the Moon, Sun, Mercury, Venus, or Mars.

The Moon triggers Saturn-Uranus every week for 2½ days, and these dates are worth watching because they allow us to see what’s in the works. When the other triggers make contact, they result in more significant events. For example, I’m sure you noticed some volatility in the stock market on before, during, and after the election. This cannot be explained away simply as an effect of the election on investors. Venus was in contact with Saturn and Uranus, augmenting feelings of insecurity.

Roughly speaking, the Saturn-Uranus contact portends a sea change in social, political, and economic trends spurred by dramatic problems that cannot be solved by the usual bland measures. They are global in scale and are felt across issue areas, from the economy to the environment to our personal priorities. The best way to see how it is playing out is by watching what occurs on the dates when these planets are highlighted. After November 3–5, it is worth watching November 26–28, December 5–15, and December 29–31. The Moon triggers Saturn and Uranus every Thursday and Friday through mid-December, then every Wednesday-Thursday through mid-January. This will establish a weekly rhythm that you’ll notice of tension and release. One of the easiest places to observe this is the stock market, as the market will be more volatile (up or down) on these days.

Sun and Mercury square Chiron and Neptune
These contacts, which are tightly tied in space and time, are less significant. The first of them (Sun square Chiron) occurred on November 7, coinciding with the selection of Rahm Emanuel as Chief of Staff and with bad employment and retail sales figures. While many feel good about Emanuel’s new role, the Republicans in the House are experiencing some consternation.

The remainder of these contacts will occur through November 17, presumably clearing more of the fog surrounding the economy. We have to know what’s really been going on all these years, with people who have been suffering now being acknowledged so the new Administration can do something about it.

Jupiter Trines Saturn
The breath of fresh air in the mix is the ongoing harmonious contact between Jupiter and Saturn. These rulers of society’s structures (including the economy) suggest that some constructive measures can be taken to dull the sharp edges of the economic downturn. Most auspicious is the fact that the G20 are meeting next weekend to discuss the world economy. Although Obama has been invited, he will send advisors rather than attend himself. Meanwhile, he has been making persistent recommendations for particular actions to take place before he takes office, and it seems to be in the world’s and nation’s best interest if these actions are taken. Whether Congress will be able to pass an economic stimulus package is doubtful. Even when the minority party sees the handwriting on the wall in the form of what’s best for and what is the will of the people, they seem determined to play partisan politics; but there is always hope for anyone to change.

Pluto Enters Capricorn — Again.
When Pluto re-enters Capricorn on November 26, we may see a dolor settle over the culture as it did earlier this year. It may be a glum Christmas for those who associate it with showy gifts and material delights. But the silver lining is the adjustment to a deeper, more charitable set of values, as we rediscover what is really meaningful in our lives — our loved ones and the simple pleasures of being together, or of simply being well in ourselves.

This will be in tune with Obama’s pragmatic, bottom-line approach to governing. He is no ideologue; he will make decisions without reference to what his party wants him to do if he thinks it is right for the country. Politics of course plays into this, but he will first try to educate an attentive public before taking an unpopular decision to help others understand his reasoning and get on board with him.

Jupiter Enters Aquarius.
On January 5, Jupiter enters Aquarius. We will be thrust into a new, egalitarian and more hopeful energy. With Jupiter now rushing headlong toward Chiron and Neptune, we may not have everything we want, but we can dream, can’t we?

This signals a shift in mood and tone in the culture, and there will be a growing excitement about moving into the future, an anticipation of the new world we will enter once Obama takes the oath of office.

Mercury’s Next Retrograde
Mercury turns retrograde on January 11 and will remain so until January 31, after the inauguration. When Mercury is retrograde, we learn something that we never knew before. With Mercury retrograde in the inaugural chart, we can see that a relatively inexperienced leader is thinking outside the box, but with it conjunct the Sun and Jupiter, it works in a beneficial way.

I can’t predict what Obama will do based on what the planets are doing in the heavens, and I wouldn’t want to try. But it is good to note the dates on which he takes decisions, because we will be able to predict their success rate by when he does so. In addition, we could expect “tests” of leadership to arise on the any of the dates mentioned in this post, particularly November 26–28, December 5–15, and December 29–31. I’ll provide updates on what unfolding events mean as these dates occur.

I think we will be amazed at the composure and aplomb that rises up in Obama’s character in response to the tests and challenges that lie ahead. He has spent a lifetime outside the box, and that’s how he’ll be thinking as he prepares to uphold the Constitution on January 20.

Obama-Rahma! The Chemistry of Obama & his New Chief of Staff

2008-11-09T10:22:00.000-08:00

On Thursday (November 6) Rahm Emanuel was named Chief of Staff by President- Elect Barack Obama. It’s clear from this pick that Obama is taking a no-nonsense approach to the tasks that lie before him when he takes office on January 20. Emanuel has a reputation for being tough, partisan, even threatening. How does he fit into the Obama team?

Obama and Emanuel
Both Obama and Emanuel hail from Chicago; Emanuel was born and raised there. They have a long-standing relationship that stems from that proximity. But what is it that draws them together? After all, there are lots of other people in Illinois too.

We can look at the birth chart of each person to get a feel for what’s happening on a deeper level. Even though we do not have a birth time for Emanuel, we can still gain insights into his character and how it fits with Obama’s.

Rahm Emanuel’s Birth Chart
Rahm Emanuel was born November 29, 1959, in Chicago, Illinois. His chart is shown above, cast as a solar chart for noon (the midpoint of the day). He is a Sagittarius with Moon probably in Scorpio (but could also be in Sagittarius). Given his reputation, I suspect that his birth time could be very close to sunrise, and it is almost certainly in the daylight morning hours. A near-sunrise birth would put Pluto on his MC, while any birth time in the morning puts his Moon in Scorpio conjunct his Mercury-Mars.

Regardless of birth time, his chart reeks “tough”. Sagittarius can be swift and sharp-edged, like the arrow the hunter uses to wound his prey. This energy is honed by an exact Sun square to Pluto. Pluto is powerful, transformative. It tells us that Rahm had to deal with a powerful presence in his life from the time he was born. As a result, he sees around him a world full of adversaries with whom he may find it necessary to do battle. You are either for him or against him.

He has a cluster of planets in Scorpio — certainly Mercury and Mars, but possibly Moon as well. This makes him sensitive and quick to react, perhaps too quick. He will hide this sensitivity under a veneer of toughness, never letting on how vulnerable he feels to attack. Although others perceive him as attacking them, to him, he is defending himself against their attack.

Scorpio is wonderful energy, and through it, Emanuel can use the force of his will to accomplish his goals. However, there is a vengeful side to Scorpio that can emerge when the person feels threatened. Emanuel has the reputation for this type of behavior. Still, he is very loyal to those who have gained his trust, and he will defend them to the finish.

The Scorpio Cluster
So, what draws them together? I have noticed that there is a cluster of points near the end of Scorpio when I look at the charts of those surrounding Obama. Obama himself has his Midheaven (MC) at 28̊ Scorpio. VP-Elect Joe Biden has no fewer than four planets in Scorpio, including Mercury-Mars (mirroring Emanuel’s chart) and, at 27̊ and 28̊, Venus and Sun. Emanuel’s Mercury and Mars are at 25̊ and 27̊, well within the range of the cluster that has collected here around Obama’s MC.

What Does This Mean?
When someone contacts the MC in our chart, they often fulfill an advisor-mentor role. We are likely to see them as an authority related to the area of life that the contacting planet/point represents.

Biden’s Venus is closest to Obama’s MC, but the Sun is a very close second. This makes him the purest kind of friend (Venus) and mentor (Sun). Venus suggests that Biden will always treat Obama as his equal rather than trying to dominate due to his age and experience. For that reason, Obama will trust him.

Emanuel’s Mercury and Mars are on Obama’s Midheaven, with Mars in tightest contact. This is a more challenging contact, as Emanuel may be competitive, even conflictual, with Obama. This is not a problem if, as Obama has stated, he welcomes challenge and differences of opinion. (His chart also suggests this is true.) Emanuel may provide the intellectual juice that gets Obama’s blood flowing each morning. This is the role of Emanuel’s Mercury. There is no doubt that the new Chief of Staff is very intelligent, and Obama hungers for dialogue with others who are his intellectual equal. I believe this is the main reason he chose Emanuel. They formed a friendship based on intellectual rivalry and camaraderie.

Scorpio Will Be a Theme of Obama’s Leadership as President.
Because there are so many placements collecting in Scorpio, we will see a Scorpio theme in the Obama administration. What does this tell us? First, the administration will seek a deep understanding prior to making decisions. There will be long sessions of soul-baring analysis, but emotions will be contained (except for the occasional explosive outburst — most likely from Emanuel).

There is also likely to be an air of secrecy. Obama has his secretive side. How many of you know that he smokes cigarettes? Secrecy is not a bad thing if handled wisely. Secrecy is a major component of diplomacy and of building and holding power. It can also be called discretion or good manners. Obama didn’t let us know what he really thought of John McCain during the campaign. It has no place in a campaign, where our decision should be based on our best assessment of how well a candidate will fulfill the role s/he is seeking.

Secrecy is a negative when it is used to suppress the truth. This has been the horrible norm of the Bush administration. It is not a negative when it keeps the public from tearing their hair as an administration speaks before it has a fix on a policy direction or is in disarray due to lack of resolution. This is how Obama’s campaign stayed “on message”. Scorpio used in this way expresses as determination and containment, symbolized by the eagle soaring over all and gaining a broad perspective. This is how Obama seeks to use this energy, and for the most part I believe that he has so far.

With the Right Dose of Practicality: Saturn’s Role in the New Administration
There is a strict discipline to Obama’s approach, and this brings his Saturn in Capricorn into the mix. While his Saturn placement and Emanuel’s are at opposite sides of the room, they are still both in Capricorn. What’s more, Emanuel’s Saturn makes a harmonious trine to Obama’s Pluto (as well as his own). Saturn-Pluto is the power-builder and -broker. While in Bill Clinton’s chart they were conjunct (with Mercury) lending themselves to calamitous instinctual sexual expression, here we have the resonance of the trine. There is a smoother and more conscious use of the energy. This is the waxing, First Quarter phase of the cycle that started in 1946, which Michael Meyer calls the Activist. While activism is part instinct and part conscious intent and can bring conflict, the waxing activist trine is a smooth operator, introducing change without it even being noticed.

This is where Obama and Emanuel will excel. They will find “work-around” solutions to uproot the obstacles that have blocked the country for so long. I think they have the ability to think outside the box of the standard Beltway practices. Obama is good at appealing to the better angels within us, and this may work with the legislature as well. Ultimately the most profound changes come when the public is behind them. I believe that one of the work-around methods will be to educate the public, which will empower Congress and Senate to take bolder actions.

One more thought about Saturn-Pluto. For these two, they are in Earth signs (Capricorn and Virgo, respectively). They will seek pragmatic rather than ideological solutions. While Emanuel has been very partisan in the past, Obama will draw him out of that mold into greater pragmatism, and their solutions will be the result of their best judgment of what will work, regardless of which ideology it may happen to fall into.

One More Thing
We can’t part company without the mention of the fire connection between Obama and Emanuel. Both have their Sun in a fire sign: Obama’s is in Leo, while Emanuel’s is in Sagittarius. This lightens the mood and method of the often intense Scorpio energy. They joke together and blow off steam through humor. A lot of the tension between them is certainly deflected through the humor that fire signs indulge in regularly, and this is a dominant key to what makes their synastry work.

This is strengthened by Emanuel’s Jupiter, which is conjunct his Sun, and directly trines Obama’s Sun. Emanuel’s Sun is early enough in Sagittarius that it pulls Obama’s Mercury into the mix, which could use a stronger link to Obama’s Sun. This sharpens Obama’s awareness and understanding in general, and in particular of the issues he will help us face as the leader and guide of our nation.

There is much more that can be said about their compatibility, because it is deep and complex, but suffice it to say that there are sound reasons and positive results when they get together. To tantalize you, there is also an Israel connection here that may bode well for peace in the Middle East, about which I’ll write at a later date. For now, let’s just say that the whole truly is greater than the sum of its parts!

Universal Man: Barack Obama As President

2008-11-05T08:16:00.000-08:00

If there were ever a miracle to turn around the world’s, and the nation’s, belief in America as the land of opportunity and equality, the election of Barack Obama to the presidency is it. In the space of a day, the wave of the hand of fate, the US is on the path to recover its image and its role of responsible leadership in the world.

If anyone can lift the country out of its troubles, it is President Obama. He is an able leader, and he has shown every sign of being able to hold to his Great-Man Potential when granted power. There is much more to say about this, but in a nutshell we can tie this to his Leo-Aquarius emphasis.

Sun in Leo naturally shines out a beacon of love and generosity. It is the sign that the Sun rules and is strongest in. The Sun is the leader, the hero, the heart. With his Sun in Leo, he is a natural uniter because it is a sign that is responsive to others.

Because of the time of day of his birth (7:24 PM), he has Aquarius rising, the opposite sign from Leo. This produces a tempering process in his nature, building strength and balance. It forces a balancing, so that Leo never rises too high into arrogance and selfishness. It is the constant reminder that humility is the path to accomplish his goals.

David Axelrod described Obama as a person who stays on a even keel, who never allows his mood to rise too high, who “puts one foot in front of the other”. (This is a paraphrase.) I was startled when I heard him say this, because this is nearly verbatim the description of the Great Man in the I Ching.

We have a First Quarter Moon at 11:03 PM in Washington DC today. In that chart, the degree of Obama’s Sun rises in the chart. If that’s not a sign of hope for America and our presidential rising star, I don’t know what is.

I have great optimism for our future today, an optimism that I know many people share.

The World Dares Hope: Why Obama’s Message Connects With the World

2008-11-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

As the campaigns wind down, the presidential candidates are returning to their core message. For Barack Obama, it is one of unity, change, and hope. Yet, we are currently experiencing a huge economic crisis, and the outcome is as yet unknown.

Do we dare hope for a better future? Is Obama’s message realistic or pie in the sky? It isn’t over till it’s over where the election is concerned, but regardless of the election’s outcome, how much does this message of hope resonate with the people?

Hope itself is a Jupiterian-Neptunian concept. It is expansive, optimistic, upward and outward moving. I’ve already talked about the role of Neptune in the election and in Obama’s life (“Obama, McCain, and the Great Man Potential”). In addition, there has to be some way for people to hook into his message, and that comes from the planets that are moving to the heavens at the time. These planets show us the trends, moods, and interests of the population at large.

Hope Is Written in the Heavens.
The planets are indeed resonating with a message of hope. First, we currently have strong Neptune, whose energetic peak is occurring over the end of October and the first half of November. Second, Jupiter is in a strong and harmonious configuration with several other planets at this time.

Principle among these is its trine to Saturn, the “time-for-realism” guy. Jupiter trining Saturn says that we can get real about hope and optimism. In particular this resonates with Obama’s nature, because Obama has these two planets involved with each other in his birth chart, triggering a phenomenon called recurrence. Recurrence is a very powerful psychological process. Whenever a pattern that is ingrained in our nature is repeated in our environment, it is highlighted and reinforced again in our experience. Since Obama has these planets in contact with each other (a very significant thing in itself because it occurs infrequently), his idea of leadership and how to change the world (meanings for Jupiter-Saturn) will gain traction with the public.

This brings us back to the message of hope. People are conscious of its lack in their lives now, often more acutely than they have in years. They hunger for it, long for a return of the American Dream, which for many has seemed unattainable for years. Even as the dream morphs into something new, many Americans are discovering that what they wanted so much as little as a month ago is no longer of the slightest interest to them. They’re trading in their dream of an SUV in favor of a compact car, or suddenly become grateful for the home they have.

A Glimmer of Light
For the world, Jupiter’s trine to Saturn is a glimmer of light in the darkness of economic uncertainty. Whether he is seen as an able leader with good plans or as a symbol for what can be accomplished by someone who started his life in a world of prejudice and poverty, he has been bestowed a mantle of leadership and idealism by people around the world. With his steady hand at the helm of power (they believe), they can be heartened and ready to sacrifice for a better future they now feel more confident about. It won’t take long for Barack Obama to make a decision that displeases some group or faction, and he has weaknesses like anyone else. However, his message and perspective are nearly perfect for this time — at least, his is the cream that is rising to the top due to this resonance between his inner nature and the desires of the people. So reasonable hope for our future is written in the stars independent of the election and who wins it, but it happens to be personified by the junior Senator from Illinois.

It’s More than an Election: The US Chart, the Saturn-Uranus Opposition, & the Start of a New Era

2008-10-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

As the average world citizen warily waits for Election Day, another event is taking place under the radar for most of them. That is the opposition of Saturn and Uranus, which occurs at 8:33 AM on November 4 in Washington DC. (See the chart at left.)

Saturn and Uranus represent a strong dynamic of change that pits tradition against revolution, or the status quo against an innovative force. This occurred twice in the 20th century: in 1919-20 (the badly handled end of WWI) and in 1966-67 (the Sixties Revolution, also involving transformative Pluto).

The Current Opposition
Saturn and Uranus make five oppositions in a series beginning November 4 and ending July 26, 2010. These oppositions will occur at degrees between 18:58 Virgo-Pisces and 0:25 Libra-Aries. These degrees contact the positions of the US Mars and Neptune, which are square each other (90̊ apart) in the US chart. In the chart I use for the US, cast for a time found in recently uncovered historical records, the oppositions fall across the 1st and 7th houses of the US chart.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes for the United States
This indicates a major change in the character and identity of the US in three ways that are intrinsic to the US Mars square Neptune. This square carries many meanings, but in the main it stands for the pursuit of the American Dream, and the exploitation of the disadvantaged. These two are in many ways intertwined. Exploitation is perpetrated against those who are already weak or those who are made weak. This includes the working class, recent immigrants, racial “minorities”, and women. It is easier to fulfill an “American Dream” if you take advantage of others, and this has been a pattern throughout US history, but it is not the only pattern of behavior or the only way this configuration in the US chart is used. In particular, the issue of race is tied to the Mars-Neptune square.

As the Saturn-Uranus opposition plays out, Saturn will move over Neptune, and both Saturn and Uranus will square Mars. This suggests a major shift in the consciousness surrounding the American Dream, the way that the disadvantaged are treated, and the issue of race.

We can already see the emergence of all three issues, and this is a good sign. In the coming election, it seems that the public is turning away from market fundamentalism and trickle-down economics (without understanding quite what it is they are rejecting) because they realize its oppressive outcome on all but a favored few at the top of the scale. We can also see the death of the old materialistic form of the American Dream in the failing economy. Finally, the issue of race is being brilliantly turned on its head by one Barack Obama.

Over the next two years, we can expect to see all three of these areas go through a dramatic shift, and all of them will be better for us in the long run. This is not to say that there won’t be pain, even unimaginable pain. What’s more, each nation will experience Saturn-Uranus in its own way and go through its own unique process of re-invention.

A New Day Dawns
When we tie this to the other challenges we face as a planetary citizenry, it is daunting; but it is not impossible. Over the next two years, we will see the people of the United States reveal a deeper side of their nature. There were many people who have always been there, but it will begin to be a visible part of the American identity. Americans will move away from materialism (not willingly) and racism and start reaching out to each other again. Maybe it’s only because we need each other more, but whatever brings it about, it’s not a bad thing.

This is first glimmer of a new era for the US, when the values of the old revolution become the truths of the new revolution.

How Are We Doing? Mercury Sends More Messages About the Economy

2008-10-27T10:15:00.000-07:00

When Mercury turned around on the 15th, there were three times I wanted to watch to see how the economy responded. They are actually upon us now: October 24–26, 29, and November 1.

The players are the same: Mercury, Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune. (Lurking in the background for now but creating a long-term trend are Saturn and Uranus.) All four of these planets are especially active right now. Jupiter is pleasantly aspecting Saturn. Chiron and Neptune are ending their retrograde periods, which started at the end of May.

As anticipated, Friday proved to be a rough day for stock exchanges around the world after more bad news on corporate earnings. All indexes were down, and some to their lowest levels in 5 years. According to Scott Fullman of WJB Capital Group, “People have been saying that we’re in a recession. This is the realization.” (AP, reported on MSNBC.com, no link available).

Redefining the American Dream
So, what we on the streets have known since February (and years earlier in some areas) is that we’re in a recession. It’s taken Wall Street a while to recognize it. This fits with the current planetary patterns. When Neptune returns to forward movement, we “discover” something collectively and individually. Chiron plays a part in this too. In my post, “McCain Rubs Salt in the Great American Wound,” I mentioned that Neptune is our representative of the Great American Dream.

As Chiron passes over Neptune 2008-10, Americans will be redefining what this dream is. On Bill Moyers’ Journal, he told us that the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) has just released a report on income distribution and poverty, detailing global gaps between rich and poor. The United States has the fourth highest inequality in incomes between the highest and lowest, after Mexico, Turkey, and Portugal. The report says, “Rich households in America have been leaving both middle and poorer income groups behind. This has happened in many countries, but nowhere has this trend been so stark as in the United States.” Moyers says, “Now there’s some real spreading around of the wealth, in one direction — up.”

The Chimney-Up Economy
The American Dream obviously needs redefinition, when all the wealth gets sucked to the top. This chimney-up economic model, firmly supported by free market fundamentalists since the 1980s, has ruined American society and the dreams of the middle class and poor along with it. I was right in picking out the most insidious remark that McCain made in the last debate, about spreading the wealth around, which the media missed completely.

This remains a robotically repeated cornerstone of his floundering campaign, firing up those fearful (but worthy) “low-information voters”, who do not understand the finer points of economic policy (who does?) and see their dreams slipping away. When a hypothetical Joe the Plumber (or any “low-information voter”) hears “spread the wealth”, he sees himself as having his money taken away even though he doesn’t have it yet. When he hears about $150K spent on Sarah Palin’s wardrobe, he doesn’t experience cognitive dissonance at the disparity between her expenditures and his ability to spend that much himself; he anticipates the time when he will have that much to spend on his wife and family, because he can achieve the (old) American Dream if he only votes for McCain-Palin.

Healing the American Dream
This is the old American Dream that Chiron’s transit over Neptune will help us cast aside in favor of a more meaningful one. Chiron in mythology was the wounded healer. He knew how to empathize with others and heal their wounds because he himself had been there. This alludes to the fact that we do our best healing of others from the context of our own painful experiences. They humble us, teach us the way back to health, and help us show the way to others. When we offer healing to others, we also heal ourselves. While this experience is global, in the US the American Dream needs healing. (On the global level, the planet needs healing.)

The American Dream needs to be de-materialized. It needs to go back to its roots as the embodiment of a free life that is full of abundance and prosperity, but not necessarily the material kind: the wealth of good health, happiness with your family and friends, the ability to have and enjoy leisure time, security in your job, and help from the government if you are caught in circumstances beyond your control. It is being de-materialized, and it will be re-formed by every American who carves their future out of the rock of the new economy.

Another Economist with a Clue
In another segment on Bill Moyers’ Journal on 10/24/08, Moyers interviewed James K. Galbraith (son of famed economist Kenneth J. Galbraith) about his new book, The Predator State. Galbraith displayed reassuring clarity in describing what is going on economically and what the US can and should do about it. Although I need a broader understanding before I give his perspective my 100% seal of approval, I am intrigued and encouraged by what he said. I recommend watching this segment rather than me trying to summarize it for you. I am adding Galbraith to my list of the brain trust we should consult to resolve the economic crisis. That list also includes Paul Krugman and George Soros. For insights that we can understand, try Thom Hartmann and Bill Moyers.

Events over the next two weeks will be seminal in shaping our economic future, and among them October 24–November 1 will stand out. The planets show us the energies we will have most available but do not determine how we will respond to their support.

Who’s Gonna Win? A Lazy Way to Predict the Outcome of the Presidential Election

2008-10-22T13:36:00.000-07:00

By now we can see the widening poll numbers in the presidential race, and it seems like Obama will win. It would be easy to predict then that he will, whether or not I used planetary cycles and configurations to see what is going on from that inner perspective.

But, I predicted that he would win even while McCain was ahead in the polls in early September, and I found it possible to note that “something unfortunate” would happen to McCain between September 8 and 14. The latter date was the one where he said that “the fundamentals of the economy are strong.” This reiterated what his advisor Phil Gramm said about the economic downturn being in people’s heads. (There is a mental aspect to the financial markets, but no one is imagining it when their job is shipped overseas.)

So, how do you see who’s gonna win? Most people look at the candidates’ charts on Election Day. However, as was pointed out to me by Maria Kay Simms, both candidates are strong on Election Day. Their birth charts will be lit up like a Christmas tree. To find out which one is lit up more is a lot more work and carries more chance of error or bias than it needs to. Besides that, what chart do you use? Elections begin days, even weeks, before actual Election Day. If we use the beginning point of an event, what data do we use?

As she points out, why not use the inaugural chart? It has a predictable, set time. And the differences between the contacts to the candidate charts will be greater. One person will be on the dais taking the oath of office, while the other will be no more prominent than a member of the audience. This will be reflected in the number and quality of interconnections between the winner’s chart and the inaugural chart.

The Inaugural Perspective
The inaugural charts are found here.
Here are my findings. I used planetary picture formulae from Rules for Planetary Pictures by Witte-Lefeldt as the foundation for my interpretations. (I = inauguration; N = natal)

Obama’s “Hits”
• rejection, denial, destruction, infection [Mars(SA) conj. Neptune(N)]
• public eye on him, “the whole world’s watching” [Moon(I) conj. MC(N)]
• acclaim [Merc Rx/Sun/Jupiter(I) conj. Jupiter(N)]
• to feel a burden, to take over a duty [MC(I) conj. Saturn(N)] - same every inauguration
• increased workload and effort [Saturn(I) conj. Mars(N)]
• change in relationships, social circle, life with kids [Pluto(I) opp. Venus(N)]
• happy family life disrupted for unrelated and understandable reasons [Pluto(I) yod to Moon & Merc(N)]
• abrupt change [Uranus(I) opp. Mars(N)]
• karmic/destined role of leadership [S-Node(I) conj. Sun(N)]/triggered by eclipse 8/1
• many angular planets in return charts for the year; planets on 3 angles in year-long return

McCain’s “Hits”
• deep emotions, feelings of powerlessness [IC(I) conj. Pluto] - same every inauguration
• transformation of destiny [Pluto(I) conj. N-Node(N)]
• sudden separation [Uranus(I) conj. Saturn(N)], chronic illness [Saturn(I) conj. Neptune(N)]; hindered inclinations, love’s sorrow [Saturn(I) conj. Venus(N)]
• destined focus on effort/workload [S-Node(I) conj. Mars(N)] exact ~11/20
• no contact to his MC/IC
• no contact to his Sun
• Return charts:
• solar return (8/29): Moon in Leo on Asc opp. S-Node/Chiron/Neptune on Dsc [choice of wounded or debilitating running mate]
• 1st quarti-return (11/28, under which inauguration takes place): Pluto conj. IC [dramatic transformation in status, buried underground]

Biden’s “Hits”
• to feel a burden, to take over a duty [Saturn(I) conj. MC(N)]
• journeying, social gatherings at home [IC(I) conj. Jupiter(N)]
• destiny bringing a great (personal) transformation [S-Node(I) conj. Pluto(N)]
• public eye on him [Moon(I) conj. Sun-Venus(N)]
• activation of his career & acclaim [Mars(I) trine MC(N)]
• help from unusual women [Venus-Uranus(I) trine Merc trine Jupiter - grand trine]

Palin’s “Hits”
• focus on her “colorful” family, in the public eye [Merc-Sun-Jupiter(I) conj. Merc/Moon(N)] - same every inauguration
• wounded, overlooked, rejected, denial [Chiron-Neptune(I) conj. Sun-Mars-Saturn(N)]
• partnership in obscurity, rejected, denied [DSC(I) conj. Neptune(N)]

I did not examine the return charts for the VP candidates. As you can see, there are much better key phrases for Obama’s contacts at the inauguration, and this tells me that he will be the winner.

There is one more thing to mention. There is a First Quarter Moon on the evening after the election (11/5). The chart for this lunar event, cast for Washington DC, has (very nearly) the degree of Obama’s Sun rising in the chart. The vice-presidential chart results support this finding.

There are many obstacles to Obama being declared the winner, the greatest of which is the concerted effort by Republicans of many stripes to institutionalize ways to disenfranchise Democratic voters. In some swing states, enough may have been disenfranchised through various means to change the electoral result. For more on this and what to do about it, see Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Greg Palast’s article, “Block the Vote”, posted today (although it says October 30, 2008 on the article). I had more to say about this in my post, “Will Election Fraud Change the Vote Again?”, and I will keep you updated in future posts.

This is another reason to use the inauguration chart. If we can’t rely on the person actually winning the election to be inaugurated, we are more assured of a correct prediction when looking at this chart.

Steal Back Your Vote: How to Make Sure Your Vote Counts

2008-10-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

With the Saturn-Uranus opposition becoming exact on Election Day, I have long been predicting that election fraud would be a threat, perhaps a big threat, to the validity of our election.

A new article covering the problems in detail can be found at Rolling Stone. “Block the Vote”, by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Greg Palast, defines the problem but doesn’t give us the remedies (one of my pet peeves about modern journalism). However, on their website, stealbackyourvote.org, they give the remedies — if you dig deeply enough. They have a print or pdf comic book and a movie. I got bored with the movie before I got the information I wanted, but in the back of the comic book, the following information is given. Here’s what to do to make sure your vote counts. Websites and phone numbers to other vote protection groups and initiatives are given below. PASS THIS AROUND TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW. This information should go viral so everyone knows about it and makes sure they get a chance to vote.

****************** From stealbackyourvote.org **********************

1. Don’t Don’t DON’T Mail In Your Ballot
For those of you who mailed in your ballot, please tell me, what happened to it? You don’t know, do you? I can tell you that officially, three-fourths of a million absentee ballots were never counted last time, on the weakest of technical excuses. And you won’t even know it. Furthermore, tens of thousands of ballots are not mailed out to voters in time to return them—in which case you’re out of luck. In most states, new voters must now include a photocopy of your ID. Which is, like, nuts. Every time I hear of a voter going “absentee” to avoid computer screens, I want to “go postal” myself.

2. Vote Early...very early
Every state now lets voters cast ballots in designated polling stations and at county offices in the weeks before Election Day. Do it. Don’t wait until Election Day to find out you have the wrong ID, your registration’s “inactive,” or you’re on a challenge list. By Election Day, there’s little to do but hold up the line.

3. Register and Register and Register
Think you’re registered to vote? Think again. With all this purg’n going on, you could be x’d out and you won’t know it. Check online at www.votersunite.org/info/RegInfo.asp. Then register your girlfriend, your wife, your mailman and your mommy. Contact the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Rock the Vote, and your local party organization, and commit to a couple of days of door-to-door registration, especially in minority neighborhoods or at social service agency offices. And if you’ve served the time, you can sign: in almost every state, ex-cons can vote.

4. Vote Unconditionally, Not Provisionally
In 2008, they’ll be handing out provisional ballots like candy, especially to Hispanic voters. If your right to vote is challenged, don’t accept a provisional ballot that will likely not get counted no matter what the sweet little lady at the table tells you. She won’t decide; partisan sharks will. Demand adjudication from poll judges on the spot; demand a call to the supervisor of elections; or return with acceptable ID if possible. And be a champ: defend the rights of others. If you’ve taken Step 1 above and voted early, you have Election Day free to be a poll watcher. Run into trouble— you’ve been caged or purged or challenged—call Election Protection at 1-(866) OURVOTE. Then challenge the challengers, the weird guys with Blackberrys containing lists of “suspect” voters. Be firm, but no biting.

5. Occupy Ohio, Invade Nevada
The revolution will not be podcast. Let go of that mouse, get out of your PJs and take the resistance door-to-door—to register the vote, to canvass the voters, to get out the vote. Donate time to your union (if you’re not in a union, why not?) or to the troublemakers I’ve already listed here and on our site. This may seem a stupendously unoriginal suggestion, but I know of no other method more effective for confronting the armed and dangerous junta that has seized the White House.

6. Date a Voter
Voting, like bowling and love, should never be done alone. As our sponsor, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, says, make a date to ‘Arrive with Five.’ And keep this comic book in your holster - with our 800 numbers and your photo ID in your hand. And Bobby, make sure your ID says, “Robert Kennedy JUNIOR” or your vote is toast.

7. Make the Democracy Demand: No Vote Left Behind!
I have this crazy fantasy in my head. In it, an election is stolen and the guy who’s wrongly declared the loser stands up in front of the White House and says three magic words: “Count the votes.” You can have all the paper ballots in the world, but if you don’t demand to look at them, publicly, in a recount, you might as well mark them with invisible ink. Democracy requires vigilance The Day After. That’s when you check in at www.stealbackyourvote.org one more time.

JOIN THE INSURGENCY VISIT: StealBackYourVote.org

*********************

Find out when you can vote, how late you can register, and other critical information from the National Association of Secretaries of State: (Click on the link or cut and paste this URL.)

http://nass.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=149&Itemid=330http://nass.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=149&Itemid=330

Usually you must check with your local registrar of voters to see if you are registered to vote. You can learn more about it at:
http://www.canivote.org/

The largest vote protection group: http://www.866ourvote.org/

Common Cause: Holding Power Accountable

This is a vote protection and documentation project mentioned by Bill Moyers on Bill Moyers’ Journal on Friday (10/17/08):
http://www.videothevote.org/

Election Protection: 1-(866) OURVOTE - call if you may be prevented from voting before or on Election Day (caging, purging, or challenge).

Other numbers:

Call 1-866-MY-VOTE-1 (698-6831) to report voting problems.
Call 1-800-OUR-VOTE (687-8683) if you need legal help
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Bill Moyers' voter information and protection page.

Info from the Center for American Progress's Campus Progress Blog.

For the latest on voter issues, see the videos on VideotheVote and YouTube. Watch the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC and Bill Moyers’ Journal. Read Loser Take All by Mark Crispin Miller (ed.) or see the interview with him on Bill Moyers' Journal 10/17/08. Let me know about other links and groups, and I’ll post them on Astro-Pol.

McCain Rubs Salt in the Great American Wound

2008-10-17T08:03:00.000-07:00

One of the poison pills that McCain planted in the final debate was, “Obama wants to spread the wealth around.” This is like mainlining meth directly into the veins of the paranoid right-wing Republican base, code for “communist” or “socialist”, which are conflated to mean the same thing in their spurious propaganda campaign against the health and unity of our nation. He also mentioned class warfare, another way to divide people into factions. This concept, ironically, is a major component in communist theory.

This is the most insidious of assaults. It implies that the president can, if s/he has the will, take money away from you and give it to someone else — a Robin Hood effect. This is meant to drive a wedge between people and teach them to fear each other.

Obama’s Response
I was disappointed by Obama’s response to this, but in the heat of a debate it’s not surprising that he wouldn’t have the clarity to address it directly from the assumptions it makes, or perhaps to have the time to bring it to the forefront. His answer was adequate, but it failed to uproot the question, which lies at the heart of America’s current divide and underlies every problem we face. Getting to this core issue is one of Obama’s primary interests, if not THE primary interest he has because it is so central to all that ails us. He has repeatedly addressed this matter from the time he gave his first speech to a national audience at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

A Rising Tide Raises All Boats.
The best response would have been to talk about separation versus unity. A rising tide raises all boats. If the middle class (and the working poor) are given a chance — given a job producing something or providing a real service in the real economy (not the fake one built on the casino stock market and the “nothing but air” financial industry) — they will lift the fortunes of all of us. The stock market will be robust; the dollar will flourish; savings rates will rise; credit rates will drop. The US will be an engine in the new real economy.

What Canadians Know
Canadians know this. They have an ethic of “supporting my neighbor is supporting myself”. (That’s not to say that their current conservative government feels the same way.) This was brought out quite eloquently in Michael Moore’s movie, “Bowling for Columbine” as a way of contrasting Canadians’ attitude toward guns and gun ownership and their subsequent relationship with violence.

We could take a lesson from Michael Moore in this (and many other) regard(s), and from the Canadians. If Obama can articulate this repeatedly in his stump speeches and ads between now and the election, he will find that this is the message that Americans are hungry for. They don’t know it, but they don’t believe that “government is the problem”. They are starting to realize the value of — to be desperate for — the intervention of government through regulation and an approach to the economy and the wealth of our nation that lies in the people, our natural resources, and our ingenuity that will reinvest in nurturing that wealth instead of denuding it of all it has.

The Death of Reaganomics
This is the death of reaganomics, the corrupt system that was put into place in the early 80s. It’s taken a long time for the population to understand the insidious seductiveness of the “trickle-down theory”. Instead what it creates is a huge sucking sound as the money gets pulled up to those who are already rich and powerful, who then hold it and create more wealth for themselves off the backs of the people at the bottom. It next pushes the people at the middle to the bottom as through their labor the energy is pulled out of them without just compensation. It results in a greedy rush to be on top, a natural separation of people from each other as competitors for that prize. It results in higher crime rates or a greater reliance on social services as the burgeoning bottom class struggle to find a way to simply survive. It results in greater reliance on credit as people at the middle and bottom of the scale struggle to maintain their lifestyle. Finally, it has resulted in the impoverishment of American society at all levels, including state and local government as the local tax base dries up.

Now the culture is tapped out. First they relied on savings. When those were sucked dry, they relied on credit cards. When those were sucked dry, they relied on equity in their home. Those who did not have this resource struggled to get it and were seduced into buying homes in an over-valued real estate market with deceitful loans. This was the final resource of (supposed) stored wealth. All this resulted from the climate of deregulation that was a grand experiment that Republicans, Libertarians, and corporate Democrats engaged in. They have contributed to a nation run as a corporatocracy.

Even though this was supposed to make government smaller, it has become bloated and engorged in a direction set by big business’s lobbies. In a world where lobbyists are now writing the laws introduced in Congress, the people have had little say in what happens at the highest levels that affects them the most. To get elected, you have to pander to these interests.

The ultimate and more destructive result is the catastrophic effect that this model has had on the environment. This is what is forcing change in an unavoidable and undeniable direction away from reaganomics. To stick our heads in the sand about this is to truly destroy ourselves, and most people are finally waking up from this bad dream.

Recovery
If the problems seem vast, the solution begins with a simple change in understanding and attitude. When we truly realize that a rising tide lifts all boats — that we rise or sink together — a tsunami of change will result, is already resulting. This is especially true when we consider the environmental issues, and this is why we can’t wait. We still have a chance to pull ourselves out of the deep water.

Where there’s a need, there’s a market. The need for a green economy is screaming at us, and that will be the source of wealth in the 21st century. Any economy that can adapt in this direction, create technology and return to simpler means of existence, will thrive.

If Obama can capture the “we’re in this all together” energy of this moment; if he can speak this truth in an inspiring way, he will be speaking to the deep need of the American people and begin the healing process of the greatest wound in the American psyche.

This, in planetary terms, has to do with the great conjunction of Chiron and Neptune, which occurs over the next two years and has been triggered profoundly during the Mercury retrograde period August 28 – October 30. This represents archetypally the healing of the great wound. The great wound is the separation that we perceive between us and the need to find what unites us in order to thrive.

Attack and Anger Didn’t Work: The Final Presidential Debate

2008-10-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

McCain was the attack dog, Obama the imperturbable, magnanimous, rational sage in last night’s debate. Post-debate polls say that Obama won, and even McCain supporters were disappointed in his performance, including Joe the Plumber. Several undecided voters in the various focus groups have decided to vote for Obama after this debate. I expect Obama to get a brief but considerable bump immediately post-debate, but then for the spread to narrow a little after the weekend.

Mercury Was Stronger than I Thought.
My debate analysis was pretty close to the mark, as far as what would happen during the debate is concerned. I was off in one respect. The moderator (Mercury) was, even though unconnected in the chart, very important. Schieffer asked relevant questions that brought out the underlying issues for each candidate. (This is testimony to the power of a stationary planet, even though disconnected from the rest of the chart or the candidates’ charts.) In fact, Schieffer was masterful in getting substantive discussion instead of talking points by asking the most authentic (there’s that lesson of Mercury retrograde in Libra) questions of the four debates. Schieffer was not dazzled by greatness or polite when the B.S. was flowing. He gave each candidate a chance to showcase key issues of their domestic policy, from education to the economy to free trade to women’s privacy rights (aka Roe v. Wade).

John McCain reliably played Saturn. He was called “too serious”, “scowling”, and “negative” — Saturn words. He also portrayed Mars pretty well, attacking Obama with every response. Obama responded by not responding — true to Neptune’s nature, whose energy he fulfilled very well. As I suggested, Obama was not symbolized so much by Jupiter but more by Neptune, called “cautious” and side-stepping contention, such as when he was asked about the qualifications of Sarah Palin to be president.

Obama’s numbers have gone up when the stock market goes down, but let’s hope that as the economy gradually stabilizes people remember what is in their best interests.

The Real McCain Redux

2008-10-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

When astrologers interpret charts and make their forecasts of events, all rests on the accuracy of the birth information you have for the event or person in question. For months we lamented the lack of a birth time for Barack Obama. I have never been quite content with a 9 AM birth time for John McCain based on “mother’s memory”.

So when ISAR (the International Society for Astrological Research) reported that they have a birth certificate for McCain with a different birth time, I sat up and took notice! A link to the birth certificate is shown in the post I made late yesterday.

Who’s the Real McCain?
This changes McCain’s chart in dramatic ways, and it makes way more sense. First, it turns the wheel of his chart, from Libra rising to Pisces rising. This is a spectacular shift, moving all the planets to very different locations than we thought before, like spokes on a wheel.

Jupiter Moves to the Top.
It places father-archetype Jupiter in Sagittarius, one of its strongest placements (a sign of its rulership), straight up in the heavens at his birth (the Midheaven, or MC). This strong planet is in the strongest spot in the chart, beaming its importance to him. This speaks eloquently of a military life. The military is all-important to him. His father was staunch military, and his father before him — in fact, one of his ancestors served alongside General Washington. This paternal ancestry has cast a long shadow in his life.

However, Jupiter is not unchallenged in its supremacy. It is caught in the net of a complex configuration that traps its subject planets, creating a feeling of entrapment on the part of any person born with it in their chart. (For the cosmic cognoscenti, it’s a mutable grand cross.) This tells me that he felt boxed in, smothered by the expectations of his father, which were to go to Annapolis and live his life as his fathers did. But he was a bad boy on campus, and has acted out in rebellion against the corner he has felt boxed into all his life.

This configuration was always in his chart, but it takes on new significance, a new twist in its real location. Principally, Saturn falls in his 1st house of identity and selfhood, a placement showing a lack of self-discipline and a need to learn it. Now his womanizing tendencies make sense as well, with his Venus-Neptune placed in his house of relationship (the 7th). This is one place where he has sought release from the trap — in love, sex, and revelry.

The Moon Changes Signs.
We always thought that McCain had Moon, seat of the emotions and instincts, in Capricorn. That made sense in some ways, with his image of altruism and discipline (however untrue that may be in reality). A Moon in Capricorn made sense for someone who survived harsh circumstances in the Hanoi Hilton, who stayed with his fellow prisoners beyond the time when he was offered release.

However, it is undisputed that his Moon is in Aquarius, in very early degrees. This made the brain synapses connect immediately, because this Moon is nearly exactly conjunct the Moon of one Ms. Sarah Heath Palin! This is much more befitting of the maverick image, and they connected on that “mavericky” level. (Go to "Who You Callin' a Maverick?" for the response of the disgruntled, civil libertarian Maverick family to the pilfering of their name.) This was like an instant satori! Now we know wtf he was doing when he chose her — it’s down to plain old lunar instinct.

This also benefits him, in that his Moon is lifted from a difficult contact with Pluto, otherwise a sign of deep distrust of women, especially his mother (which he does not appear to have). However, it moves his Moon into another configuration, highlighting his unpredictable anger (a T-square with Uranus and Mars).

The Ripples in the Pond
This change makes waves in all the prognostications about the debate(s) and the election, but are they enough to show a shift in his fortunes? The short answer is, “No.” It doesn’t really change the key factor in his chart that is under siege right now (the trap configuration), and doesn’t lift anything into more prominence that would produce a win for him.

In tonight’s debate, the changes to his Moon and Ascendant suggest that he will have more trouble masking his emotions than I would have thought previously. He is likely to feel more exposes, frustrated, and angry.

There Is Grace in All Things.
Many people were born with his, and other similar, configurations, and we all have our lessons and flaws. He is learning as each of us is, but in a very visible and public way. With his chart, he has an exceptionally difficult pattern to work with, and I applaud his courage in doing so.

The New McCain

2008-10-14T18:41:00.000-07:00

This just in! We have a birth certificate on John McCain, which is vastly better than "mom's memory". He was born 8/29/36, 6:25 PM, Colon, Panama. The birth certificate is on line at:

http://johnmccain.dominates.us/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=145

This gives him 6 degrees Pisces rising, and his Moon moves into Aquarius at 2:25. I will post a more detailed analysis of how this changes the astrological perspective as soon as I can!

For Viewers It’s Economy, Economy, Economy: The Final Presidential Debate

2008-10-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

As the economy continues to unwind, the final presidential debate is the candidates' last chance to sway a large audience. By looking at the planetary patterns, we can see what’s in store. Unlike the last two debates, the Moon is active. It is in mid-Taurus (9̊), making connections with Jupiter and Saturn. Each of these planets is in an Earth sign, and they form a grand trine. This is a stable and beneficial pattern. This suggests that the public (the Moon) is engaged and concerned about material things — the economy springs to mind, perhaps?

It’s the Economy, Stupid.
Viewers are desperate to hear about what the candidates’ will do about the economy. They want to know how much each candidate knows and will vote for the one who will reassure them the most convincingly. The chart screams out the importance of this issue, and it implies that the candidates will succeed in meeting their needs.

In this triangular configuration, the Moon represents the public, Saturn McCain (due to age, conservatism, and contacts to his chart), and Jupiter Obama (age and progressiveness). Because of the difficult contacts triggered in McCain’s chart, he has been inconsistent in describing a clear policy on the economy, and this will continue to be the case on Wednesday evening. He will make simple blustery pronouncements that sound like he has yet to convince himself.

Obama, on the other hand, will sound more self-assured and calm. However, his chart does not particularly connect with the Jupiter of the debate chart. Consequently, he may not be able to completely set aside people’s concerns with the resounding clarity that Jupiter can represent.

What Obama Will Do
To see what Obama will do, we have to consider the planetary icing to the cake. Connected to the Moon-Saturn-Jupiter grand trine is a very strong Mars in Scorpio. It is the capstone of a new pattern, called a kite. Mars occupies the “top” of the kite and so is the focal point. This is opposite the Moon, and it tells us that the public is angry and wants Something Done. Focal planet Mars is directly on Obama’s Neptune. This suggests that the pressure is most on him. People are looking for answers, and they’re pinning their hopes on him. For the public, it may be as if John McCain is a sideshow that is taking time away from Obama.

This configuration could also indicate a debate where there is more of an attack mentality. However, the main indicator of this, Moon opposing Mars, happens earlier in the day so its energy is dissipating. I think this symbolically indicates the people at McCain rallies who have been on the attack toward Obama; it suggests that this phenomenon might also be dissipating. Will McCain attack Obama directly? It is possible. His campaign may be preparing him to do so, but whether McCain will do it is another thing. McCain’s sense of decency does not square with this type of approach.

Obama has had to learn to deal with Neptune — he has worked long and hard on it over his lifetime. (See my post on his Sun-Neptune contact, “Obama, McCain, and the Great-Man Potential”.) Sun-Neptune is a sticky wicket. It can inspire or it can be vague or confusing. His book, Audacity of Hope, is about Sun-Neptune. Audacity = Sun; Hope = Neptune

It is clear to me that Obama has learned to deal very well with his Sun-Neptune, or he would not be where he is. He has learned to grind and grind the grist-mill of consciousness until he reaches the kernel of truth, but it is an art not a science and one he will be honing all his life. During the final debate, he may be the inspired and idealistic speaker that he can be. Or he could be still working on inner clarity and not shine out the way the audience wants him to. In a debate format, he doesn’t have the opportunity to build passion the way he does in a prepared speech. But if he has inner clarity, he will find a way to speak truthfully, confidently, and inspiringly. The audience will feel it. If he is not there yet, his statements will lack the punch that this clarity gives.

The state of the economy is an evolving situation. It is not possible to be truthful and confident that one has all the answers in this ever-changing scenario. So each candidate must tread the line between confident proclamations and more truthful vagueness if they are to convince the public.

Mercury and the Moderator
Mercury has been retrograde (traveling backward through the zodiac from our perspective) for the previous three debates. It returns to forward motion at 4:06 PM (Eastern Time) before the debate, but it is still barely moving. When a planet is stationary, it bathes us in its energy. We will be very aware of Mercurial processes: Are the candidates on message? What questions are being asked? Can we have some answers, please?

During the Mercury retrograde, a comment I heard frequently was that the questions were boring. Now that Mercury is moving forward, Bob Schieffer could be more direct as well with some direct questions and burning follow-ups. However, Mercury is in the placating sign of Libra and not well connected to the chart, so he may be weak on that score.

Who’s Going to Win the Debate?
There will be a lot of excitement about the debate, and the candidates are well aware of what the public wants to hear about. They will try to work in their economic message as much as possible. In some ways, the debate chart favors McCain. His connections to it suggest that he will finally give a good debate performance with clearer messages than before. However, he continues to have the same triggers that brought out his anger, avoidance of the questions, and lack of attunement to the problems we face. These contacts also suggest that McCain is going to try to throw game-changer comments, but they will not be successful.

Obama’s chart contacts are less problematic and suggest that he will be the winner, and the public will see it that way. He has Midheaven contacts both to his birth chart and in the debate chart. Midheaven connections put the person on top.

So, this debate is not going to be a game-changer, but it may convince many undecided voters to vote for Obama. He'll get a bump after the debate, and then his numbers will settle into a new, slightly higher margin over McCain. This could be a decisive debate for some people in swing states - enough to make the electoral map a little bluer.

Why Do Investors Remain Unconvinced? And Ideas on Who Knows What to Do About It

2008-10-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

What’s with those investors anyway? You give them a $700 billion bailout, and they still insist on pulling their money out of the stock market! MAN! How’s that for ungrateful?

So what’s it really about? What can we point to planetarily speaking that could be behind the drop in the stock market?

Let’s start with Mercury retrograde. When Mercury turns around, it focuses energy in a narrow band of the zodiac, this time in Libra. Now, Mercury goes retrograde three times each year for only 3 weeks at a shot. Why hasn’t this type of economic event happened before?

Mercury Is the Messenger.
It’s all in Mercury’s connections. What does it connect to in the heavens while it is retrograde? And for our nation, what does it connect to in the US chart? Here’s where the plot thickens. There are actually four planetary events that to me precipitated the economic crisis. I say “precipitate” because if the economy were sound, this would not be happening. It is human error that has brought it on, not Mercury or any of his compadres.

First Event: Mercury to the US Saturn (and Friends).
In the version of the US chart that I use (the one rectified by KT Boehrer and Zip Dobyns using historical data), Mercury tracks across the US house of the treasury (the 2nd) and triggers the most challenging configuration of the US chart, which covers all the zones of financial stability in the US chart (the fixed houses). Principle among these contacts is the direct hit to Saturn, which falls in the house of the treasury. Its hits to the US chart occur(red) on Sept. 8, 10, 16, 18, 29, 30 and Oct. 5, 7, 15, 23, 25, 29, 30. They are so continuous that they blur into each other, especially when you consider that other planets (principally Sun and Moon) will be in regular contact as well.

Second Event: Saturn Opposing Uranus
I have spoken about this before. It signals a shake-up of the system (any and every) that occurs over two years (through July 2010).

Third Event: Pluto Entering Capricorn
When planets go into Capricorn, they find their natural limits and so do we humans. This is what is occurring now in a big way, because it is Pluto. Woven into the financial situation is the rising cost of fossil fuels and gasoline (petrol), both monetarily and to the planet. Global warming and limitations on supply due to depletion and political instability in key nations add to the complexity. Pluto will be in Capricorn for 16 years, giving us a time frame for working this out.

Fourth Event: Uranus Squaring Pluto
Back in the 60s, Uranus and Pluto started a new cycle when they conjoined in Virgo. This cycle, which lasts approximately either 112 or 142 years, is up for its next big passage in 2010-2015. If the ecological movement was born at the time of the conjunction, it must become fully active now. Only when we have come to terms with how the world will function free of fossil fuels will the economy of any area be truly robust.

When Is It Over?
We can see why the stock market isn’t responding yet: There are too many factors to take in during this adjustment period; it’s too much too soon. But what’s the future prognosis? Since Mercury is involved, there will be a shift on and after October 15. My best forecast at this time is that the stock market will level off then and stay at a relative plateau for at least a few days. This could be the bottom. There will be tests of its resilience on the 23rd, 25th, 29th, and 30th. If we make it through those days without a drop in the averages, we’ll remain at that plateau for at least a few more days. Another critical period is November 4 (even if the election weren’t on that day). Obviously, the election will affect it. What the stock market will most fear is no outcome at all, so officials at all levels of government will be straining to produce a swift outcome. This could be undermined by election (NOT voter) fraud such as caging and threatening voters.

Because so many other factors are involved, we know that this won’t be over then. The powers that be are only beginning to understand the tangled mess they’ve created over the past 30 years. There’ll be another test December 5-15. If those in charge have taken the right actions by then, this may prove to be anti-climactic. No matter what, the situation will take careful handling and determined vigilance while a new economic policy, if not a new theory, is developed over the next two years and implemented over the following 14 years.

By the Way . . .
This event shows up in the chart of New York City (consolidation of the 5 boroughs, 1/1/1898, 0:01 AM). This chart has Mars conjunct Venus at 29 degrees Sagittarius, which Pluto has been transiting since late December last year. The “toxic explosion of greed” has led to the transformation of this financial capital. I joke that Sagittarius’s mantra is, “Only too much is enough”. It surely applies here. As new regulations are put in place, as a new economic system is built from the ground up, New York will surely also be transformed in yet another way.

There IS a Way Out.
There is a way out, and there are people who know what to do. When so many people do not, these people will be sought out and heard eventually. It is good to know that Obama has several of these people on his transition team already. It helps if we are better informed so that we can add our opinions as the vox populi. Listen to Paul Krugman (he also appears regularly on MSNBC), George Soros, and Thom Hartmann for wisdom on what we need to do to recover.