State of the President 2006

January 31, 2006 By

George. W Bush gives his State of the Union address tonight, a good opportunity to take a look at what the year ahead has in store for our Prez-dent. (To learn more about Bush’s astrological dynamics review his profile here.)

In the 2004-2005 period Bush went through his second Saturn return, the time when transiting Saturn “returns” to the same degree as Saturn in a person’s birthchart. The first Saturn return occurs at age 28-30 and represents the time in our life when we are forced to leave behind the trappings of childhood and transition into adulthood. The second Saturn return, at age 57-60, forces us to examine what we have done with our life and brings us face to face with our mortality.

For someone like Bush who is impulsive and self-centered, the Saturn return can be a very difficult process as it brings us face to face with our failures and our disappointments. Bush’s Saturn return was followed by a transit of Saturn over his ascendant or rising sign (Me vs. The Other), his Mercury (thought and communication) and Pluto, which will continue through the summer. This included a square of Saturn to his Midheaven, or career point indicating conflict and career disruption. The stress on Bush has been noticeable, and during the Saturn return period there were press reports of Bush breaking down and beginning to drink again.

Saturn’s hit on Bush’s ascendant began in September 2005 as Katrina hit the US, challenging (Saturn) the way others viewed him (ascendant) and exposing the relationships that he had built within the White House and the cronyism that resulted (ascendant/descendant). Saturn’s influence on Bush will continue throughout the summer.

Meanwhile, transiting Uranus (rebelliousness) begins a swipe at Bush’s Mars (aggressive instinct), increasing his tendency to lash out at others when he is under attack. This influence will continue through September 2006 and is a matter of great concern since we have a similar leader in Iran who is also known for his bellicose rhetoric. The combination of Saturn’s tendency to suppress and hamper our energy with the urge of Uranus to break free and rebel against the status quo will be a difficult combination for our prez.

There is one supremely harmonious transit taking place now for Bush, which is Pluto (transformation and power) trine his Midheaven (career point). The harmonious influence of Pluto helps us to shed old patterns that no longer serve us and to grow into a new sense of empowerment. He also has a number of harmonious Jupiter transits which will help to expand his sense of confidence and renew his optimism. However, his relationships will be tested and he may experience more than one betrayal in March or next summer as Chiron (the wounded healer) crosses his ascendant and opens up old wounds.

George Bush is not really suited to the presidency – he is touchy and arrogant, and lacks the solid sense of Self required to be able to lead despite personal traumas. My one hope for the next two years is that the long trine of Pluto to Bush’s Midheaven (career point) over the next year will help him to transform (Pluto) his leadership skills (Midheaven) in a way that will truly begin to serve the country instead of his arrogance and that of his cronies.

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Could This Be Howard Dean’s Year?

January 30, 2006 By


My sister Jill is often doubted by our family, but darned if she doesn’t always turn out to be right. She supported Howard Dean, or HoDee as she likes to call him, in the last election whereas I fell for the smear campaign waged by both the Republicans and his own Democratic party that painted him a lunatic. Dean doesn’t look much like a lunatic these days – he was the one of very few Dems in the primaries that stood out against the war, and he is the only Democrat these days who has a consistent and strong message.

Howard Dean has a Scorpio Sun, accounting for his intensity and passion. Scorpios don’t do anything halfway, and they are the most emotionally courageous of all the signs. They don’t shrink from what must be done, yet they can be somewhat manipulative as well. But Dean’s Cancer ascendant (rising sign), while still emotional, softens the Scorpio edge and gives him the need to nurture others, and Chiron (the wounded healer) conjuncts his Sun, a placement commonly found in teh charts of healers of all types, including medical professionals such as Dean.

With Mercury (communication) also in intense Scorpio and in conflict (square) with Pluto, indicating intensity and a bit of compulsion, he is known for his blunt tongue and often finds his foot in his mouth. However, his Gemini moon desires to communicate and be understood, and rather than fall back in failure he continues to come out and speak for the Democratic party. Saturn (isolation) squares his Sun (spirit), a placement which is very difficult for the young person and often causes shyness and insecurity. However, difficult Saturn placements teach strength and create stability that usually can be seen after the age of 40. This Saturn/Sun square does make Dean a bit of a loner, not a bad thing in today’s political climate of cronyism and corruption.

Mars in Dean’s chart falls in freedom-loving Sagittarius, showing he loves adventure and travel, and it trines Pluto, giving him a great deal of personal (Mars) power (Pluto) and the ability to achieve his desires. Mars does oppose rebellious Uranus so he will never really follow the rules of others.

Over the past year Pluto has been transiting Dean’s Mars, a time of intense energy that has infused him with a strong sense of mission and power. He has also had a number of Jupiter (expansion and opportunity) transits (Jupiter is in Scorpio now and is setting off his Scorpio planets) that have given him a sense of good fortune. Certainly he has been exhibiting a new confidence, appearing on talk shows and standing strong in the face of talking points and lies. A series of Uranus (radical change) transits to his ascendant and his moon have been transforming both his personal and professional relationships. Possibly he has let go of advisers from the past and created a new network. This next year Jupiter will make a stressful aspect to Pluto in his chart, indicating a tendency towards self-aggrandizement and impatience. If handled properly, though, this transit can bring even more opportunities to expand (Jupiter) his personal power and influence (Pluto).

What about 2008? The 2007-2008 period is looking very good for Dean, with multiple harmonious transits of Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn. I’m going to be watching him carefully, and hope that you will too.

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Planetary Cycles for February

January 29, 2006 By


The latest edition of Skywatch, a monthly report on current planetary cycles, is now posted at my website.

These planetary cycles and the energy climates they create are also reviewed on this blog for the most up-to-date planetary weather report!

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New Moon Tomorrow

January 28, 2006 By


“The moon for all her light and grace has never learned to know her place….”
from Robert Frost’s poem, Two Leading Lights
art by Deanna Hartman

The New Moon occurs on January 29 at 9:15 am EST. The Sun and Moon will be conjunct in Aquarius, as part of a powerful collection of five planets in Aquarius within 13 degrees that also includes Chiron (the wounded healer), Mercury (communication issues) and Neptune (mystery and transcendence). Uranus, the ruler of Aquarius, is known as the “higher octave” of Mercury because it opens us up to a higher level of knowledge and understanding with briliant flashes of insight. For this reason Aquarius is associated with invention and technological breakthroughs, as well as the more psychological traits of eccentricity and uniqueness.

With such a strong Aquarian influence we may find ourselves opening to fields of knowledge yet not understand where this knowledge is coming from. We may find our nervous system accelerating to a point where it becomes uncomfortable for some of us, particularly if we are more grounded and cautious by nature. The New Moon will be opposed by Saturn, which will help to anchor some of this energy and ground it into the practical realm, but if you find yourself experiencing discomfort during this powerful time you may want to engage in grounding activities such as physical exercise and walks in nature.

New Moons are times of regeneration, of new beginnings. When the New Moon is in Aquarius, there is a call to awaken a part of ourselves that has been dormant and to reach for our highest aspirations.

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Evangeline Lilly & Dominic Monaghan Engaged

January 26, 2006 By


Kate, played by Evangeline Lilly, is one of my favorite characters on Lost, the fabulous ABC-TV program. Aside from her obvious beauty, she has a lovely androgynous quality that combines toughness with a sweet vulnerability. In my article The Astrology of Lost Kate is represented as a Gemini, with Charlie (Dominic Monaghan’s character) as a Pisces. I was curious to see not only how their relationship worked, but also wondered how closely their actual birthcharts reflect their character’s personas and took a look at their charts.

Evangeline Lilly is Leo, and her Sun is conjunct Mercury (Gemini’s ruler) which adds the Gemini flavor to her personality that we have seen. Dominic Monaghan is a Sagittarius, and her Sun is conjunct Neptune (Pisces’ ruler), adding that misty Piscean flavor. Obviously on a television program we only get a view of the actor’s persona and rarely see behind the surface at their real personality. That is why astrology can be so much fun!

Evangeline Lilly was apparently married in 2003 when the Lost program began shooting, and separated from her husband during the last two years as her relationships with Dominic Monaghan intensified. Evi’s chart reveals her to be rather similar to her Lost character – she has an unaspected Mars in Gemini, adding to her mercurial qualities. Mars in Gemini doesn’t like to be pinned down to anything; Gemini needs a variety of experiences – the “experience guzzler” as described by my friend Steve Forrest. When Mars makes no major aspects to other planets in a chart, it shows someone who is more comfortable operating independently than in tandemn with others. Evi has four planets in Leo, including Jupiter, Sun, Mercury and Venus, so she is very playful with a great love for life. Leo loves sports as well, and pursuits of physical prowess. Evangeline’s chart also shows Uranus (independence, autonomy) in stressful aspect to her Sun/Jupiter conjunction, indicating that she has a fierce desire for independence and does not like to be tied down. Her chart is predominantly fire and air which provides inspiration and energy in a fairly combustible combination, and lacks the earth and water which would ground her and give her a practicality which she lacks. She also has Mercury retrograde in her chart, which can make it more difficult to communicate with others.

Dominic Monaghan (who also played a hobbit in the Lord of the Rings trilogy) also has a fair amount of fire and freedom in his chart: he’s a triple Sagittarius, with Sun, Neptune and Mars all in Sag. Sagittarians are famous for their need for the freedom required to stay on a perpetual quest for meaning in life. However, Dom is more grounded in his nature than Evi is – his chart shows Mercury and Venus both in responsible Capricorn, showing that he is a detailed and goal-oriented (Capricorn) thinker (Mercury) and committed (Capricorn) in his relationships (Venus). Saturn also makes a trine (harmonious) aspect to his Sagittarian planets, giving him a strong sense of achievement and grounding his naturally fiery nature. Additionally, Saturn is retrograde in his chart, showing someone who can be overly self-critical and excessively responsible. Chiron (wounded healer) in his chart is in conflict with Venus, showing that relationships in his life have caused him pain that necessitates healing and personal growth.

The overall impression that comes from these charts is that Evangeline is truly a free spirit and may have difficulty committing to personal relationships, whereas Dominic has what the Jungians call a “puer/senex” dilemma. In the Puer/Senex dilemma, there is a conflict between the senex, or old man (Capricorn and Saturn) –a part of ourselves that internalizes responsibility and lives within the limitations of daily life — and the puer, or young man–(in this case, Sagittarius) the part that wants to be free of those responsibilities and live a charmed and unlimited life.

Most of us have some conflict or another within us, and often we manage these conflicts by internalizing one side of the conflict and projecting the other. So with the Puer/Senex conflict, we may be the responsible one who is jealous of the free spirit partner, or we may be the one always fleeing in a relationship with someone who is more committed than we are. Commonly, we switch roles from one relationship to the next, but either way the relationship won’t function well until we internalize BOTH ends of the conflict that lies within us, and learn to play both roles ourselves.

Comparing the charts of the two, there is obviously a lot of fiery attraction with Dominic’s Mars trine Evangeline’s Leo stellium, and there are a number of positive Jupiter contacts between their chart that indicate good fortune and a general feeling of well-being between them. There are also several Uranus contacts that show lots of excitement and a powerful attraction that is nearly instantaneous. However, Dominic’s Saturn (responsibility) is square to Evangeline’s Uranus (freedom), showing that she is likely to feel constrained by him. For someone with her intense need for freedom, this could be difficult unless they are able to communicate their needs with each other and allow their differences to blossom within the relationship.

Evi has probably had a rough time over the past few months with the Grand Cross planets of this winter rolling over her Sun and Saturn in the process of retrograding to come back across her Sun later this year. During transits of Saturn we naturally seek stability and security, and it’s not surprising to hear an engagement announcement during times like this. For Dominic, Neptune is transiting Saturn in his chart, a time when we sometimes question (Neptune) the structures that we’ve built in our life (Saturn) and desire something more real.

The key to their relationship will be keeping it fresh and exciting, honoring each other’s differences and avoiding the tendency to slip into habits that breed boredom. I certainly wish them all the best!

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The Death of Chris Penn

January 25, 2006 By


Being a participant in sibling rivalry in my own family, I found myself thinking immediately of suicide when I heard of Chris Penn’s death yesterday. Sean Penn is one of the noted actors of a generation and Michael Penn has received a fair amount of press as a musician, yet in researching Chris Penn’s life for this article I could find very little information on him other than news of his death in a Santa Monica apartment. No mansion, no wife. The little information that I could find appeared to suggest that he was single and had never married, and evidently his short tenure on Law and Order ended last year. I find myself wondering, what was Chris Penn really like, and how did he die? The latest press reports tell of “natural” causes, but what is a natural cause of death at age 43? I had to find out more about Chris’s life, and to wonder if he was stifled in the shadow of the brilliant light surrounding his brothers Sean and Michael.

Looking at his birthchart, I discovered that Chris was a Libra, the sign of balance and relationships. Libra is the peacemaker, the one who often sacrifices himself in order to achieve harmony in the relationships around him. Libras typically yearn to be in partnership with another, there is a strong desire to be married, to have a best friend, a one-on-one relationship in ones personal and business lives. His Moon, however, was in Aries, the sign ruled by Mars, showing us that in order to feel truly safe and secure emotionally (Moon) he had a strong need to express his own self and manifest his own will and desires (Aries). The tension between the desire to please others (Libra) and the need to put himself first (Aries) can be a difficult one and requires a great deal of awareness to balance.

Chris was born when the Uranus/Pluto conjunction of 1965 was exact within one minute. This was an incredibly powerful planetary event that fused the revolutionary fervor of Uranus with the upheaval and transformational urge of Pluto, and fostered the cultural revolution of the 1960s. Those who were born at this time carry that intensity within them and many have had a very difficult time coping with life. In Chris Penn’s chart the Uranus/Pluto conjunction opposed both Saturn and Chiron, both of which were retrograde. Saturn represents discipline, hard work and creates limitations for us that cause us to work harder and ultimately gain success. Saturn retrograde reveals an individual who was extremely self-critical, and combined with the wounding/healing of Chiron, also retrograde, this is a very difficult placement. Those psychic wounds are continually being exposed for healing, which is Chiron’s job, but Saturn’s negative self-talk makes that healing extremely difficult.

This conjunction of Saturn and Chiron were trine (harmonious aspect) to Neptune in Chris’s chart, facilitating his acting ability as Neptune brings creativity as well as a yearning for a connection with the spiritual side of life.

Chris would have had a very difficult time during 2004 and 2005 when transiting Pluto challenged the Uranus/Pluto oppositision to Saturn/Chiron, setting off all of his issues around failure (Saturn)/wounding (Chiron)/lack of power (Pluto)/need to break out and achieve a level of freedom (Uranus). However, his current planetary cycles seem relatively benign, including a large number of transits by Jupiter. We often see transits of Jupiter in a death chart, since Jupiter can free us from situations that are keeping us from achieving our dreams. Seeing this many Jupiter transits at the time of death brings to mind a sense of release, of liberation from a painful life. Chris Penn’s progressed Moon was conjunct his natal Sun and opposing his natal Moon over the two-day period preceding his death, suggesting an emotional (moon) catalyst of some sort.

Life and death are rarely truly what we imagine them to be. I’ll be updating this analysis as more details become available.

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Will Jupiter/Neptune Bring Another Stock Market Bubble?

January 24, 2006 By


Jupiter and Neptune have begun a battle which will continue until the end of March, at which point they will briefly separate and come together again in September. The cycle that we are currently in is similar to the period of “irrational exuberance” just before the stock market bubble popped in the first quarter of the year 2000. The conflict between Jupiter and Neptune in their square aspect creates an environment of optimism (Jupiter) that is largely based on fantasy (Neptune), and a sense of overconfidence (Jupiter) in one’s ability to transcend the boundaries that ordinary diligence requires (Neptune).

In astrological symbolism, Jupiter represents expansion, opportunity, optimism, and a sense of faith that life has meaning. Neptune as we have seen in other articles here, represents the blurring of ordinary reality for the purpose of exposing a greater sense of mystery and opening us up to higher realms of awareness.

The geometric angles that the planets make to each other describe the way they work together. If the planets are in “harmonious” aspect (the 60 degree sextiles and the 120 degree trines), the planets work well together and help each other to accomplish the goals of both planets. If the planets are in “challenging” aspect (the 90 degree square and the 180 degree opposition), the planets are in conflict with each other and we tend to see the negative or shadow manifestations of those planets. Hence, even though Jupiter is generally a positive influence we are likely to see its shadow side over the next few months.

The shadow side of Jupiter involves over-expansion of ego and self, so we tend to see self-righteousness, reckless overconfidence and extravagance, and a failure to take advantage of opportunities that are presented to us. The shadow side of Neptune involves the sinking into illusion and confusion, where we may be more likely to be deceived by others or by ourselves, or over-romanticize a situation.

Because Jupiter deals with issues of abundance and prosperity, it is often prominent in the ups and downs of the stock market. Jupiter is currently passing through Scorpio, which rules the stock market (other people’s money), so it is not surprising that since Jupiter entered Scorpio last October the stock market has been going up (Jupiter rules expansion), reaching 11,000 for the first time.

Back in 1999, stocks were rising during the dot com boom, and Fed chief Alan Greenspan warned of “irrational exuberance” in the market. This period coincided with a square of Jupiter to Neptune which began in the summer of 1999 and ended when Saturn (discipline and limitation) conjuncted Jupiter in the spring of 2000, when the stock market bubble burst, followed by the devastation in the dot com sector.

Saturn and Jupiter first drew swords in December, and re-enter the battle in June. Watch for the markets to crash somewhat at that time as Saturn’s stern demand for reality thinking bursts the bubbles of fantasy. But I predict the real crash will come in September as the clash between Jupiter’s optimism, Neptune’s fantasy and Saturn’s lessons come to a head. It will be useful to start watching over the summer for signs of expansion without sound fundamentals, and pull out of investments that appear unwise at that time.

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Sun Entered Aquarius Yesterday

January 22, 2006 By


Aquarius is an air sign, dealing with the realm of the intellect. Aquarius is the “dryest” of the air signs, with the least amount of connection to the water element of emotions, so it is interesting that the symbol for Aquarius is the Water Bearer, who manipulates the emotional realms but remains dry and detached. Aquarius is primarily concerned with nothing less than the ultimate expression of the human destiny.

Aquarians (and this includes not only those with Sun in Aquarius but also those with other strong Aquarian influences in their chart) are the idealist of the zodiac – the brilliant thinkers who dance to the beat of their own drum. Aquarius is a fixed sign and can be stubborn and slow to change their mind, but they are also brilliantly intelligent and prone to blinding flashes of insight and innovative ideas. Hence they are the inventors, the wizards of technology, and the Utopian idealists.

This idealistic tendency of Aquarians can become somewhat problematic in personal relationships, where we don’t often see the highest expression of the human soul. Relationships can be messy and emotional, and Aquarius isn’t comfortable in those realms. Independent and loving freedom, they desire fairness and equality in all of their relationships and may find it easier to be friends than lovers.

With their love of humanity and ideals of human interaction, Aquarians can be impersonal and detached. They tend to be uncomfortable with strong emotions and may be prone to health problems such as migraine headaches from repressing emotions within themselves. They dislike following society’s rules and conventions, but are fair and loyal and relentlessly true to their own code of conduct. There is not a more interesting person in the world than an Aquarius, nor a better friend!

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Osama bin Laden – Out of Hiding?

January 21, 2006 By


(painting by Werner Horvath.)

The recent release of an audiotape supposedly from Osama bin Laden brings up many interesting issues and ties in perfectly to the current planetary configuration with Mars opposing Jupiter, both squared by Neptune. Mars, the aggressive urge, is being expanded and aggrandized by Jupiter resulting in aggressive behavior and rhetoric across the globe. Neptune creates a veil of mystery and illusion, perfectly mirroring the disappearance of bin Laden, who threatens an increase (Jupiter) of attacks (Mars) from his hidden and undisclosed location (Neptune).

bin Laden is such an elusive character that even his birthdate is unknown, a source of much frustration among astrologers and rendering suspect any attempt at chart interpretation. The Interpol website gives a date of March 10, 1957, and this is the date most commonly used. However, it has been postulated (see discussion on the Astrodatabank website) that this date results from an incorrect transcription of the 3rd month 10th day from the Islamic calendar to ours. The mystery and illusion that surrounds bin Laden makes him the perfect representative for Neptune, especially as it ties into this configuration with Mars and Jupiter and its proponent for religious (Jupiter) warfare (Mars).

The very issue of his existence is shrouded in mystery. Is he really alive? Many sources reported him dead after the fight at Tora Bora, but then he resurfaced in a videotape in 2004. A journalist reported January 9 that bin Laden died in Iran in December. A terrorism expert in Australia reported that an Indian intelligence officer claimed bin Laden died in April of last year. If he is still alive, why has he not made a videotape? In the days of his full power before September 11, his frequent videotaped appearances created the impression of a man whose ego required constant public expression. And why has Zawahiri produced most of the tapes lately?

The role of Neptune in astrology is to create a yearning within us for an experience of what we often call the “divine.” This is not a religious experience, or a dogmatic philosophy – those fall under the realm of Jupiter. Neptune is the mystic – the gnostic who seeks to “know” and to have a true experience. Neptune is also the artist, the musician, the creative impulse that comes from both within and outside of ourselves. Neptune cycles such as the one we are currently in with Mars and Jupiter create confusion and illusion, but they also impel us in the midst of that confusion to seek an experience of something more real and more true than our day to day reality.

It’s unlikely that this mystery will be solved any time soon.

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The Awakening of Beauty

January 19, 2006 By


(Photo from Andrea’s Photo Blog.)

I thought the quote below was perfectly appropriate as we continue our journey of Venus in retrograde motion (until February 3). Venus rules our sense of beauty as well as our ability to relate to others, and when retrograde we tend to RE-visit and RE-place some of our old ideas on how we relate and what we find to be beautiful. We also RE-examine our RE-lationship to our possessions and values, and we may RE-encounter people from our past with a new perspective.

Many astrologers warn that large purchases such as buying a home or investments (personal resources are ruled by Venus) when Venus is retrograde lead to disaster, but I haven’t seen that to necessarily be true. After all the stock market in the US and abroad continues to climb (except for Japan which had a strong correction yesterday), prices of gold continue to increase. Venus retrograde seeks to call our attention to that which we value, including our own resources as well as our relationships.

” Seeing beauty in a flower could awaken humans, however briefly, to the beauty that is an essential part of their own innermost being, their true nature. The first recognition of beauty was one of the most significant events in the evolution of human consciousness. The feelings of joy and love are intrinsically connected to that recognition. Without our fully realizing it, flowers become for us an expression in form of that which is most high, most sacred, and ultimately formless within ourselves. Flowers, more fleeting, more ethereal, and more delicate than the plants out of which they emerged, would become like messengers from another realm, like a bridge between the world of physical forms and the formless. They not only had a scent that was delicate and pleasing to humans, but also brought a fragrance from the realm of spirit.

from Eckart Tolle’s new book A New Earth ~ Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose ~

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