Category Archives: Politics

Remembering September 11th, and a look at the Pisces Full Moon, September 12, 2011

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Remembering September 11th

"United We Rise" by Elaine Felos Ostranderart by Elaine Felos Ostrander. You will have a hard time ignoring the fact that today is the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks if you live in the United States.  There’s not a media outlet (including this one) that is letting today go by without a mention.

I think we can all agree that no matter how we spin the attack and the events that followed in our mind, this event is the single thing that has changed the course of world history in our lifetime.  As I wrote in my earlier article on September 11th:

On the day of the attacks, transiting Pluto was within seventeen minutes of an exact conjunction to the US ascendant in the Sibley chart)  at 12 degrees Sagittarius. Astrologers had worried for months about the opposition of Saturn to Pluto that was in effect at that time, and Pluto, which had been traveling retrograde, turned direct on August 25th within 11 minutes of the US ascendant. When planets change direction in a close aspect to one of our planets, the effect is extremely intense. [This sole fact is enough to have convinced many astrologers, including this one, of the veracity of the Sibley chart.]

Saturn and Pluto are both Lords of Death with Saturn having played that role in the early days of astrology before Pluto was discovered. Modern astrologers don’t find Saturn as evil as the more traditional astrologers do, but the stress between the restriction of Saturn and the transformative power of Pluto can be difficult at best. With these two facing off and Pluto sitting right on the ascendant, the face of American life and politics (ascendant) were irrevocably changed (Pluto) that day.

This Pluto cycle actually began on November 25, 2000 when Pluto first crossed the US ascendant – the week of September 11 was the second phase of this cycle. During that week in November 2000, the Florida recount began that would be the first phase of the lawsuits that resulted in George Bush being appointed President.

It seems likely to me that the events surrounding the 2000 election in the first phase of Pluto crossing the US ascendant undermined the structures that formed the very fabric of the country to the point where it was vulnerable to attack when Pluto came around the second time and sat right on the US ascendant for a month or more.

Full Moon in Pisces, September 12th

Full Moon Pisces September 2011Although the Moon does not culminate in its fullness until the early morning of September 12th, its influence can certainly be felt a day or two beforehand.  As in any Full Moon the Sun (conscious mind) in Virgo opposes the Moon (instincts and emotions) in Pisces. Any opposition between two polarities requires balance and integration, and this Full Moon questions our balance between mind and heart – reality and imagination. The lunation is exactly square to the Nodes of the Moon, suggesting that an adjustment is necessary in order to achieve the required balance. The Full Moon is the culmination of the lunar cycle and well-known for its effect of heightening emotions as the lunar instincts are illuminated by the reflection of the Sun.

An aspect between the Nodes of the Moon to the chart of a Full or New Moon is a significant event. When at least one of the Nodes are in a conjunction to the Sun or Moon we call it an eclipse. When the Sun or Moon are locked in a Grand Cross with the lunar nodes the influence is similar to that of an eclipse even though there is no visual effect such as we see with an eclipse.  We may feel that we are pulled in many directions at once and find it difficult to find our center, but that is exactly what the Pisces Moon is seeking – a center within that connects us deeply to the soul.

The Nodes of the Moon are signposts from the past to the future, and in order to stay on the path we sometimes need instructions.  Unfortunately, we don’t always pay attention to the signs as they’re given to us, and instead we call these signs “problems” or “difficulties.”  This Grand Cross is in mutable signs – the signs that flex with the wind and adapt easily to change – so it will be easier to move through anything that comes up for us to negotiate through.

My new friend the Black Moon Lilith is in a double inconjunct to the Full Moon but harmonizes with the Nodes.  I’m still collecting information about the Black Moon but she seems to have something to do with the primal darkness within us that seeks emergence, so I suspect that this will be a theme for some of us over the next few days. With Mars in a harmonious sextile to Venus at the same time our relationships will lend support for greater integration of our personality and emotions.


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The astrology of Michelle Bachmann

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Michelle Bachmann astrologyMichelle Bachmann was the winner of the Iowa Straw Poll this week, putting her in the forefront of the pack for the 2012 elections.  It would be a mistake to laugh off her candidacy as a joke.

Ms. Bachmann has given us a birth time, sort of: in this earlier article I wrote about the confusion over whether she was born in the morning or afternoon.  Since we don’t have a confirmation at this point I’m using the 12:08 pm chart which is close to noon and gives us a good approximation of the Moon (middle of the day) if that time isn’t accurate.

Michelle Bachman was born when the Sun was in Aries, the sign of leadership and courage.  The Sun conjoins Mercury, the planet of communication and the mental function.  Many astrologers (especially traditional ones) call this “combust” and believe that the Sun overpowers the other planet, in this case Mercury. I have not seen that to be the case – typically a Sun/Mercury conjunction denotes individuals who are exceptionally intelligent.

There’s no doubt that she has made some big gaffes in recent months.  She confused serial killer John Wayne Gacy with actor John Wayne.  She said it was the founding father’s mission to abolish slavery.  She thought Lexington and Concord, where the shot that began the Revolutionary War was fired, was in New Hampshire where she was speaking.  The list goes on and on.

These errors appear to me more based in intellectual laziness than lack of intelligence.  A Sun/Mercury conjunction in Aries can be impulsive and rash and spit out ideas before thinking them through.  A harmonious trine from expansive and confident Jupiter to the Sun/Mercury conjunction can exacerbate that.

She is a hard worker, with Mars (representing our drive and inspiration) in practical Capricorn, but Mars is opposite Uranus in the chart which generally denotes a rebellious streak.  We can see this in her biography: after leaving high school she spent a summer working on a kibbutz, not the most orthodox thing for a nice Lutheran girl to do.

Bachmann was born into a family of Lutheran Democrats, and evidently changed party affiliations while Jimmy Carter was president.  While in college, she and her new husband Marcus converted to evangelical Christianity and supported Jimmy Carter but like other conservative Christians, became a Republican in 1980 after becoming disillusioned with Carter’s liberal social “agenda.”

Jupiter is conjunct Pluto in her chart, an aspect that often denotes extreme self-righteousness and rigid (Pluto) beliefs and dogma (Jupiter).  Both planets are retrograde, so she truly believes, at the deepest level, that she is right.  About everything.  And it is this intensity (Pluto) of belief (Jupiter) that drives Michelle Bachman to want to re-inject God, or at least her vision of him, into the nation in order to save it from imminent collapse.

Jupiter and Pluto both oppose her Aquarian Moon, an aspect that denotes a complex relationship with the mother and a childhood fraught with insecurity (both represented by the Moon).  The Moon represents our emotions and shows how our feelings are expressed, and because Aquarius is a supremely rational sign, emotions are difficult to access and feelings become more remote.  Bachmann has no water in any of the personal planets in her chart, revealing her inability to access her emotions easily and with Pluto opposite the Moon there are intense emotions flowing through her system that have no easy expression.

I became very interested in Bachmann after reading of her migraines, because it is not uncommon for Aquarian Moon people to suffer from migraines.  In Aquarius the emotions are filtered through the reason of the mind.  It appears to me that emotions, having no conduit for expression, build up to a point where the pressure in the mind becomes so intense that a migraine results.

Venus (relationships) in Bachmann’s chart is in the air sign of communicative Gemini, explaining why the idea of marriage is a favorite topic of conversation for her.  Saturn opposes her Venus, which is helpful for establishing commitments but can also result in relationships that are challenging.  It is rumored that Marcus, Bachmann’s husband of 33 years, who is himself in the business of converting gays through prayer, is gay.

You might enjoy this comprehensive biography of Michelle Bachmann at the New Yorker site.

Michelle Bachman has no shortage of positive planetary cycles until the end of November, so she is likely to get quite a bit of traction from her Iowa win.  Personally I think it’s unlikely that she will be taken seriously enough by the Republican party leaders to be nominated, but she is driven enough to go the distance, and smart enough to know how to appeal to her market.

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The Decline of the American Empire

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decline of american empireLast week I wrote about the Sibly chart that I and most other astrologers use for the United States as a preface for this series since this is the chart I am using to track the change of fortune for the US.  The Sibley chart shows Sagittarius rising, with the Sun in Cancer in a wide conjunction to Jupiter in the seventh house of alliances and open enemies.

Since I mentioned writing this article, the US debt was downgraded for the first time in American history by the Standard & Poor rating index.  (Let’s ignore for the time being the irony of the fact that it was errors in the methodology of S&P’s and other rating agencies that got us into this mess with the subprime mortgage debacle.)

I’ll save an exhaustive analysis of the Sibly chart for another post, but it’s important to note a few things before discussing the situation today. The Sagittarius ascendant in the US chart reflects the expansive tendency of the American empire which is probably the single thing that will be its undoing.  Like other empires before it, the expansion of the national identity (Sagittarius ascendant) through ideas like “Manifest Destiny” which inspired pioneers to trek across the undeveloped terrain and do battle with the native peoples and Mexicans and Canadians who were already living on the land.

This relentless push for expansion tends to weaken the underpinnings of a nation, as we can see in the history of the Roman, the Russian and the British empires, the great empires of our age.    During the period from 1995 to 2008, when Pluto transited through Sagittarius bringing globalized governments and corporations, it appeared to some that the expansion of American democracy to Iraq would help to bring  greater wealth to the US and the idealized democracy to the Middle East.  Since Pluto entered the contracting sign of Capricorn, however, the cracks in the foundation have become more evident.

Pluto deals with issues of compulsion and use and misuse of power, and in the US chart Pluto lives in the second house of money.  You can read more about that here, but the hunger for money and resources combined with the relentless urge to continually expand the national identity (Sagittarius rising) is not a good combination for a sound economic policy.

The Moon in the US chart is in the idealistic sign of Aquarius, the sign that seeks a radical Utopian vision of life, the “great experiment of liberty” that the founding fathers envisioned as they departed from a continent run by dynastic monarchies.  Aquarius is an unemotional sign and very easily convinced that the ends justify the means.  Dick Cheney has a strong Aquarian component to his chart and serves as a good example of this principle.  Americans like to keep their ideals intact, preferring to believe that good Aquarian principles of justice and fairness are the guiding forces behind the actions of their government.  But the facts on the ground suggest otherwise.

Other planetary forces are at work here as well.  In 2006 the US progressed Mars turned retrograde for the first time in the nation’s history, but before the actual retrograde turn progressed Mars was stationary for several years in preparation.  During that period (approximately 2003 t0 2006) the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan occurred following the September 11th attacks, and since then the Obama administration has conducted military exercises in Libya that continue to drive up the budget deficit.

The US Sun progressed into Aquarius in 1975 and the peace movement finally resulted in the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam.  During the Aquarian period (until 2004) there was a greater focus on technology and cultural transformation.  In 2004 the US Sun progressed into Pisces, and you can read more about the travels of the US Sun here.  Suffice it to say that Pisces is an influence that can elevate consciousness, or create confusion and delusion.

Meanwhile, over the past couple of years the primary players in the Cardinal Drama have transited the Midheaven of the US chart, beginning with Pluto in 2008.  The Midheaven is the government and national reputation, and when the Great Transformer aspects the Midheaven in any personal or national chart, transformation is sure to occur.  Usually there is a breakdown phase of one kind or another, and the transit of Pluto was followed by a transit of Saturn which is currently in effect, creating challenges and economic difficulties, and by Uranus which is currently serving to foment rebellion via the Tea Party and a general disruption of the stability of the government.

At the same time Pluto and Uranus are  in challenging aspects to Venus and Jupiter, the more benefic planets in the chart.  Transiting Pluto has been in direct opposition to Jupiter for the past six months, challenging the nation’s confidence and expansive potential.

And let’s not forget the US Saturn Return, which began last December and concludes this August.  The Saturn Return occurs every 30 years, and while this is a major event in the life of a human it is not so uncommon in the life of a nation. Still – Saturn serves as a reality check and requires that we face our delusions wherever necessary.

The unsustainable idea that the United States can maintain a military presence all over the world with a  multi-trillion dollar debt and a populace that is increasingly suffering from unemployment and homelessness is one that is ripe for Saturn’s reality check and Pluto’s deconstruction and regeneration process.

As with any astrological significator, these planetary cycles do not doom the United States to a decline, but they will certainly serve to point out areas where the nation is weak.  The Uranus/Pluto square will be in an exact aspect to the Sun in the US chart in 2014, and that will be a defining moment for the nation.  Whether there is a revolution (Uranus) and breakdown of the power dynamic (Pluto) at that time depends very  much on what occurs now.

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The “real” astrology chart for the USA

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Sibly astrology chartI’ve been spending a lot of time this week researching the various charts for the USA which is one reason for my lack of posting.  I have used the Sibley chart with great results, but every time I post an article on the US chart I receive quite a few emails arguing with my choice of chart.

There are three major charts used by astrologers and many more minor charts.  One is the Sibley chart which uses the date of July 4 1776 (signing of the Declaration of Independence) and a time of 5:10 pm, with Sagittarius rising.  There are also Gemini rising charts and a few adherents to a Scorpio ascendant that some say is based on the fact that the clocktower on the back of a $100 bill was set to 2:22 pm.  But if you look carefully at the image you’ll see that it could also be read as 4:10 pm and in fact Wikipedia says that the Department of Bureau and Engraving says that the time is 4:10 pm (although I could find no corroborating evidence for this).

Still, the relevance of the time on the clock tower is difficult to gauge in terms of establishing a proper horoscope for the United States.  Benton Bobrick’s masterwork The Fated Sky includes a scholarly discussion of the time when the signing of the Declaration of Independence was completed:

According to the Philadelphia Historical Society, ‘the Declaration was graced with its first signature (Hancock’s) at approximately five o’clock in the afternoon after which the members all went off to dine.’

This biography of John Hancock corroborates this (see page 13), using an approximation of “late in the afternoon” as the time when the Declaration was approved and Hancock affixed his signature.

Astrologers argue about many things: which system of dividing the house cusps, whether to use the tropical or sidereal zodiac, so it’s not surprising that such an important piece of information as the chart for the United States is also subject to argument.

Tomorrow I will write about the decline of the American empire as evidenced by the Sibley chart, so this is an introduction to the inevitable discussion about which is the accurate discussion that is sure to follow.

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More about Norway and the Mars/South Node

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Photo credit: Our Surprising World

In my recent post about the horrific attacks in Oslo last Friday, I described the transit of Mars and the South Node over Pluto in the chart of Norway, and the transit of Chiron in a square to the South Node in the Norway chart.  Planetary cycles involving the nodes of the Moon tend to bring up issues from the past that need to be addressed in order to move forward.

Terrorist acts are the last thing most of us would connect with the idyllic country of Norway.  Pluto in the Norway chart represents the power structure, particularly since Pluto lives in the tenth house of governmental entities in that chart.  But it also represents secrets, especially secrets having to do with abuse and misuse of power, and any area of political life in which those secrets can be the undoing of the nation.

So it was interesting to see this story emerge at the same time as news erupted about the bombings and murders in Oslo

Norway’s powerful Justice Committee has ordered the government to compensate thousands of people, many of whom were locked up in lunatic asylums because they were the children of Norwegian mothers and German soldiers.

A statement from the committee said the government should quickly draw up a compensation scheme for an estimated 10,000 claimants. …

After German troops withdrew from Norway at the end of the Second World War, an official programme of weeding out occupation liaisons began that resulted in the arrest of some 14,000 young women and the detention in military camps of 5,000 girls who were known to have had children with German soldiers.

“There are still hundreds of 80-year-old women in Norway wondering where their kids went in 1945 – they never saw them again,” said Mr Brandacher. “Their children were put in 200 institutions as well as being sent round for adoption in so-called good Christian homes.

“But the Christianity in these homes did not exist – at least not what we call Christianity. The stories are brutal and grotesque. Every possible crime the human race can do was done to innocent kids after 1945 in Norway,” he added. Many of the Lebensborn children claim that they were sexually abused, beaten, mass raped, urinated on and washed in chemicals.

Reports this month suggested the children had been subjected to experiments with LSD in which at least five died.

The one tragedy has nothing to do with the other, except that both serve to call our attention to a country that was seemingly an idyllic bastion of democracy being torn apart by history and a mad distaste for outsiders.

 

 

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The astrology of Michele Bachmann, Part I

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Michele Bachmann astrologyNow that the news is out that Michele Bachmann, a Republican presidential contender for the 2012 election, suffers from migraines I am eager to profile her.  I found this great article from Patrick Watson in which Bachmann reports on the time of her birth, but not whether it was morning or afternoon:

Q. We went to the Black Hawk County courthouse and asked for a genealogical copy of your birth certificate, not an official, certified copy, just a genealogical copy, but they declined to release it. Would you be willing to give us a copy?

A. “Of course, you can have my birth certificate! As a matter of fact I brought it with me the last time I went to Iowa in case anyone asked. I was born at Allen Memorial Hospital in Waterloo, and I was born at 12:08 on April 6. My dad was actually in college at the time at what was called the state teachers’ college which is of course now UNI, and that’s where I was born.”

Patrick has posted both charts so now I have to decide which one to use.  I have to say I prefer the 12:08 pm chart because her Aries Sun sits right on the Midheaven, where she would feel a need to live out her life  in the public arena rather than in the fourth house in the 12:08 am chart where she would have a very deep inner world.

The AM chart also shows Libra on the Midheaven rather than Aries which would suggest an individual who is a bridge builder rather than someone who says exactly what they think.  I’m not so sure I see the Neptune in the tenth house either – generally these people have a strong desire to surrender to the needs of collective in the work that they do.

On the other hand, she seems more like Sagittarius rising than Leo, since Leo rising people (such as Sarah Palin) tend to come across as more powerful than I see here, she generally seems pretty relaxed to me.  But I could be wrong.

While I ponder this question and do more research I welcome your comments!  Stay tuned for more details.

 

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Solar Return for the US, July 2011

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Fourth of July astrologyAny person, place or event with a date of origination has an astrological chart. Humans have birthdates, companies have incorporation dates, and countries have their own dates of origination (we call this “mundane” astrology). Mundane charts are not always easy to define since we must accurately pinpoint the exact time at which the current incarnation of the place began.

The chart for the United States that is most typically used is called the Sibley chart which uses a date of July 4, 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed, and has Sagittarius on the ascendant (Sagittarius “rising”).   Another chart used by many astrologers is the Scorpionic chart, with Scorpio rising that uses a date of November 15, 1777 when the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union were signed.   Other charts use the date that the Constitution was signed.

In any case, the Solar Return chart for the Sibley chart of the United States (the chart cast for the moment in time when the Sun in the sky returns to its place in the birthchart) suggests that this will be another difficult year for the US.   Libra is rising in the chart at 5 degrees and the Midheaven of the chart is 5 degrees Cancer.  Uranus, planet of revolution and innovation, is nearly exactly opposite the Libra ascendant at 4-1/2 degrees Aries, and Pluto, planet of destruction and rebirth, is within ONE MINUTE of an oppositition to the Midheaven on the I.C.

So what does this mean in English?  Probably, continued conflict between the People (the I.C.) and the Government (the Midheaven) and surprising events (Uranus) that come from other, probably renegade, nations.  This could take the form of attacks on our troops in other nations where we are not welcome, or potentially minor revolutions within the national borders of citizens from other countries.

Pluto is in a nearly exact square to the ascendant – the image of the country and the way it sees itself.  This suggests that our national ideals will be under stress and potentially undergo a major transformation.  Pluto opposes Venus in the chart which echoes the theme that says “your allies are not who you think they are.”

Saturn sits in the first house of the chart, challenging the US to honor its responsibilities and obligations, and it sits in a challenging square to the Sun and therefore acts as the Enforcer.  However, the Sun is elevated in the chart in the tenth house of government and leadership which suggests the possibility of redemption.

The Virgo Moon of the chart is on the cusp of the twelfth house and in a opposite Chiron and Neptune.  Because the twelfth house is associated with Neptune, this is a Moon/Neptune “double whammy” that implies either (a) a growing compassion in the hearts of the People, or (b) a desire to stick head in sand and hope for the best.  We have a choice here, and the presence of Chiron in opposition to the Moon opens up a doorway for healing and an increase of wisdom among the people.

There are some harmonious elements here as well: Pluto is sextile Chiron which helps to facilitate transformational (Pluto) healing (Chiron)  of broken places in the national experience, and a trine from Pluto to Jupiter (ideology) can facilitate the kind of inspiration that eases the transition from the old to the new.

The United States is currently undergoing its “Saturn Return,” a period of potential stress that occurs every 28-30 years as Saturn in the sky returns to its place in the US chart.  Any Saturn Return, whether in the chart of an individual or a nation, requires that we face our responsibilities and create structures that will adequately support us for a solid future.  The budget debate currently going on in Congress is an example of the kind of challenge that is faced during the Saturn return and the debt ceiling deadline August 2nd corresponds with the final phase of the US Saturn Return.

Saturn doesn’t guarantee that we create these strutures, but it does tend to kick our butt if we don’t perform adequately as anyone who is over 30 and already lived through one Saturn Return can attest.

In any case, it doesn’t look like normalcy will return to US politics any time soon. Happy Fourth anyway!

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Musings on the death of Osama bin Laden

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death of osama bin ladenAlthough March 10 1957 is commonly given as the date of birth for Osama bin Laden, This has not been certain enough for astrologers to rely on. While several sources, including an interview with bin Laden himself, have used the date of March 10, 1957 the US State Department records for some reason used July 30, 1957. For this reason, astrologers have not had a date of birth, much less a time, that was reliable enough to create a chart that was anything but speculative. According to Astrodatabank, an astrologer in Brussels named William de Rijke had a friend at Interpol who saw a copy of bin Laden’s birth records with a time of 10:58 am.  But this sounds fishy to me since they didn’t keep any kind of birth records in Saudi Arabia until the late 1950s, much less one with an accurate birth time. Astrologer Claire France Perez is quoted at Astrodatabank:

“I had acquired information from a Muslim historian, (on the Internet) who said bin Laden was born 3rd month, 10th day of the Muslim calendar year 1377. The FBI lists his DOB as March 10, 1957–the third month and tenth day of our calendar year–incorrectly transposing the Islamic days and months for ours, getting the year correctly. The March 10 1957 date confirms that the 3rd month and 10th day are what we are looking for.”

So I am reluctant to use this data as a chart for bin Laden. I am frankly not so sure that bin Laden hasn’t been dead for years.  Osama bin Laden was very much a public figure and seemed to relish making videos in which he thumbed his nose at the US after al Qaeda bombings, but those videos were never seen after 2001.  In his last video from December 27, 2001 he was frail and clearly i ll. Unauthenticated videos and audio tapes with very different speaking patterns and context s were released, but these were not consistent with his earlier communications. In July 2002 Amir Taheri of the New York Times wrote:

Osama bin Laden is dead. The news first came from sources in Afghanistan and Pakistan almost six months ago: the fugitive died in December and was buried in the mountains of southeast Afghanistan. Pakistan’s president, Pervez Musharraf, echoed the information. The remnants of Osama’s gang, however, have mostly stayed silent, either to keep Osama’s ghost alive or because they have no means of communication. With an ego the size of Mount Everest, Osama bin Laden would not have, could not have, remained silent for so long if he were still alive. He always liked to take credit even for things he had nothing to do with. Would he remain silent for nine months and not trumpet his own survival?

Which mirrors my sentiments exactly.  I just can’t imagine that bin Laden would be living quietly in a compound in Pakistan with his family.  Over the years multiple news sources reported that bin Laden was “probably dead” including a purported will and a funeral. So what really happened in Abbottabad?  And why was the body rushed away from the scene and dumped in the ocean just hours after the event?  There are more unanswered questions than answers right now. Getting back to astrology, the major planetary aspect that appears to have been at work here is the opposition of transiting Mars and Jupiter to the US natal Mars.  We have been talking here at AM about the strong fiery influence of this conjunction of Mars to Jupiter in Aries over the past few weeks.  Mars inspires us to action and to aggression, and Jupiter gives us confidence and optimism so the two together, especially in Aries which is Mars’s sign, creates an environment that facilitates aggressive behavior of all kinds. Because the conjunction opposes Mars in the progressed chart of the US, it activated the warrior dynamic of the country and stimulated a burst of targeted military action. Interestingly enough, transiting Mars and Jupiter are now exactly opposite progressed Mars in the chart of Barack Obama.  So the Mars/Jupiter conjunction first activated the US chart, and now activating Obama’s chart, synchronizing his own warrior nature and symbolically aligning it with the military goals of the US.

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Barack Obama releases birth certificate (again)

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Barack Obama birth certificateAstrologers are always hunting for birth information, so we were the first ones on the trail of Barack Obama’s birth certificate.  Not that we believed he might be from Kenya, but we wanted to be able to construct an accurate birthchart. You can read the thread of my articles on the subject here along with my astrological profiles of the President.

At the moment Mars and Jupiter are moving into a conjunction that will culminate just after midnight (EDT) on Sunday May 1st, and right now they are within two degrees of each other and of the President’s progressed ascendant.  This may be a little too  geeky for some of my readers, but the simplification here is that the planet of aggression and inspiration (Mars) is aligning with the planet of expansion and opportunity (Jupiter) in Mars’s own sign of Aries, the sign of self-motivation and courageous pursuit of one’s Truth.

It’s hard to conjure up anyone who exemplifies the combination of Marsy aggression and Jupiter’s braggodocio better than Donald Trump, whose relentless pursuit of Obama’s birth certificate over the past few weeks led to the President’s announcement yesterday.  And as it happens, Mr. Trump’s chart shows Mars sitting right on the ascendant where it becomes a part of his persona.

The progressed chart shows our evolution through time, and the progressed ascendant reveals our changing image as we project it to others, and as we see ourselves.  With Mars and Jupiter, both in Aries, transiting President Obama’s progressed ascendant he is asserting (Mars) more authority and his poll numbers are already up as a result of the announcement yesterday.

Warning: political rant ahead

On a non-astrological note, many of the President’s critics are saying now that he should have released the birth certificate sooner.  Snopes has the entire history of this insanity.  But my question is, has any President in the history of the United States been asked to release his birth certificate?  And even after Obama released the “Certification of Live Birth” suspicions continued.  Even now there is talk that the actual birth certificate is a forgery.  Obama is not the first president to have had a foreign parent – Woodrow Wilson’s mother was English and Herbert Hoover’s mother was Canadian.  Perhaps we consider Kenya to be more foreign than England or Canada?

Surely there are more important issues facing Americans than this distraction over whether or not Barack Obama has fulfilled his duty to disclose that he is an American.  The timing of this craziness in the midst of an important budget debate makes this the perfect distraction.  ”Look over here folks, just ignore the people in Washington who are stealing your jobs and giving your money to the Wall Street billionaires.”

Rant over.  We will now return to your astrological programming.

 

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The US Saturn Return

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It’s no secret that the United States is not the superpower it was even twenty years ago, when American manufacturers clothed people all over the world, and American farms provided grain and milk to assuage global hunger.  I would argue that the actual turning point came in 2006, when the US progressed Mars turned retrograde and the drive of the country began to weaken and dissipate.

Today is the second phase of America’s Saturn return, the time when transiting Saturn returns to its place in the birthchart of the nation.  You can read more here about America’s Saturn return from the first phase which began last October.  Meanwhile, there’s plenty of evidence that the US is being tested, including a cover story in Time Magazine last week entitled “Yes, America is in decline.”

Saturn squares the Sun in the chart for the United States, so the Saturn Return means that transiting is also squaring Saturn in the US chart which sits in the seventh house of partnership and open enemies.  Who are our allies?  Who are our enemies?  Where is our power being eaten alive by enemies within the country?  These are all good questions for the Saturn Return, and questions being asked today in the US.

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