Barackalypse? I say Barackeclipse!

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.

Pluto & the Destiny of the US

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.

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

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?

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.

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

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.

Universal Man: Barack Obama As President

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.

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

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.