The astrology of SOPA

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Lynn Hayes

SOPA is the Stop Online Piracy Act currently under discussion in the US House of Representatives. At first glance, stopping online piracy sounds like a good idea. I know that I myself have found plenty of my articles circulating on the Net under someone else’s byline. But when you dig a little deeper into the language of the 75 page bill you find requirements that internet provides monitor the usage of its customers to ensure that rogue sites are not visited, and gives the Justice Department the authority to shut down websites that do not comply.

From an astrological perspective, the Internet is ruled by the planet Uranus, the giver of technology and innovation. Uranus entered the sign of Aries last year, bringing the energy of aggressive force and self-orientation (Aries) into Uranian realms and intensifying the natural rebellious tendencies of Uranus.

Pluto is the planet of death, power and transformation, and it governs experiences that take us to the limit of endurance and then push us a little further. In 2008 Pluto entered Capricorn, the sign of social and economic structures. Pluto seeks to consolidate power, while at the same time breaking down existing structures that are weak or corrupt so that they can be rebuilt, and the mission Pluto in Capricorn is clear: force the rebuilding of the very fabric of society.

Over the next few years the revolutionary fervor that we have seen over the past year with Uranus in Aries will continue as Uranus and Pluto face off in a challenging square (90 degree) aspect. As the power structure (Pluto) finds it more difficult to control the freedom (Uranus) of the masses it will seek more egregious measures to do so (Pluto) , which will be followed by more resistance and rebellion (Uranus).

You’ll notice during this period that the power brokers appear to work from both sides, such as in the case of Rupert Murdoch who is one of the more vocal supporters of internet censorship through SOPA in the US while simultaneously fighting for freedom of speech in the UK wiretapping scandal.

The Internet began its existence as a wild and untamed forum for free expression, but power brokers have long sought to harness and control it for financial gain. This dynamic is perfectly symbolized by Uranus in Aries (individual freedom) vs. Pluto in Capricorn (business and power). I suspect that this issue, in a variety of forms, will be one of the major factors in the Uranus/Pluto square over the next few years.

For one of the most cogent articles about SOPA, see this article on the Huffington Post by 16-year old Aaron Wang in which he clarifies:

The bill itself even reflects the inability of Congress and the entertainment industry to grasp a correct understanding of the Internet. The bill allows for the blocking of a domain name but not the numeric IP address. Users can still access the blocked website if they know this IP address. This completely contradicts what the bill stands for — it blocks websites most popular to Internet amateurs like Facebook and YouTube, while tech-savvy users can easily search the IP address of their favorite illegal movie streaming website and access it. What we get as a result, is the censorship of the Internet similar to that of China, Iran, and Syria.

Over the next few years it will no longer be possible to remain complacent. Just as in the 1960s when Uranus and Pluto conjoined and social upheaval and transformation was inevitable, each of us must determine which principles are important to us, and be prepared to fight for them.

The astrology of the death of Kim Jong Il

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Lynn Hayes

Kim Jong Il, the Supreme Leader of North Korea, died on December 17th leaving his already unstable country in a state of uncertainty.

In 2006 I profiled Kim Jong Il which you can read here. As I wrote then, there are a lot of different versions of Kim Jong Il’s birthchart floating around because of the mystery surrounding his birthdate. Although his official biography gives his birthdate as February 16, 1942 Soviet records show that he was actually born in 1941 but that his birthdate was later changed so that he would appear to be 50 years of age at the time of his father’s 80th birthday celebration. The noon birthchart that I’ve posted uses the actual birthdate of 1941. This birth data has the lowest Rodden Rating of XX according to Astrodatabank and there’s probably not much point to further investigation.

What would be more interesting would be to profile Kim’s successor, his third son Kim Jong Un. As with his predecessors his actual year of birth is a mystery. Various news sources quote “intelligence sources” as giving his date of birth as January 8, 1984 but without verification I am hesitant to use this date since it is little more than rumor at this point. His official year of birth is 1982 but it is widely thought that this date was assigned because it echoed the official year of birth of his father Kim Jong Il.

Astrologically, the 1982 chart makes more sense than the 1984 chart does. The 1982 chart has Saturn conjunct Pluto in Libra which would make this his Saturn Return, and transiting Saturn would be sitting right on his Pluto right now, a fitting image of his having take new responsibilities (Saturn) in order to assume power (Pluto). Saturn and Pluto both square his Capricorn Sun, suggesting that he is highly responsible and feels a great deal of pressure to perform. The Moon is in Gemini in this chart which suggests someone who craves a wide variety of experiences, and it opposes Neptune which sometimes suggests an individual who can be easily deluded and manipulated, especially while young.

In the 1984 chart Saturn and Pluto are both in Scorpio and the Moon is in Pisces which does echo the 1982 Gemini Moon opposition to Neptune since Neptune rules Pisces. But a Pisces Moon is quite different – it is highly sensitive and “soft.” We already know that Kim Jong Il eliminated his second son from the succession because he was too soft so it’s difficult to imagine someone with a Pisces Moon as the next Supreme Leader of North Korea. But the Sun in the 1984 chart is unaspected, a “singleton” Sun, which often indicates an individual who operates on his own and finds it difficult to connect with others.

In any case, since we don’t really know if even the birthtime is correct for now I’d rather focus on the chart for North Korea. The chart I use is from September 9, 1948 (noon), and we find that transiting Uranus is exactly square to Uranus in the national chart. Just two days before the death of Kim Jong Il transiting Jupiter was in an exact square to Venus in the national chart, mirroring the release (Jupiter) from a pattern of relating to others in the nation (Venus). Jupiter will be virtually stationary at that point over the next two months so it will be interesting to see how the various relationships of power in North Korea begin to unwind. I suspect that there will be a great deal of conflict before that settles into any kind of normalcy.

I’ll report back on any new information we have about the new leader’s date of birth.

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Time Magazine’s Person of the Year: The Protester

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Lynn Hayes

Astrologers everywhere are nodding their head. Uranus in Aries square Pluto – Time Magazine names “The Protester” the person of the year. Uranus: rebellion and radical change, in Aries: initiation and action. Squaring Pluto, power, endings and transformation; in Capricorn, the structures upon which we build our lives such as governments and corporations.

It’s so obvious!

Except to Time Magazine:

No one could have known that when a Tunisian fruit vendor set himself on fire in a public square, it would incite protests that would topple dictators and start a global wave of dissent. In 2011, protesters didn’t just voice their complaints; they changed the world.

Read more here.

And also re-read my article from February of last year about the spread of global protest in which I wrote:

These protests are just the beginning of what will become a firestorm of political resistance over the next year as Uranus, planet of revolution, squares off against Pluto, planet of power and control. They were inspired by the return of Jupiter into Aries and the simultaneously square of Jupiter to Pluto in Capricorn, which mainlined confidence (Jupiter) and courage (Aries) into the souls of individuals who were fed up with the control (Pluto) of autocratic governments (Capricorn).

This is just the beginning of the excitement. Uranus and Pluto have only come within a degree of their exact square which culminates next summer. THEN the fun will really start!

“Occupy Wall Street” – the beginning of Uranus/Pluto in the US

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Lynn Hayes

The movement known as “Occupy Wall Street” which began about three weeks ago in New York’s financial district has spread across the country, but it still isn’t clear what the message of the movement is. For the first couple of weeks of the protests it wasn’t even covered by the mainstream news; now that the movement is in its third week journalists are wondering what it’s all about and law enforcement officials are getting tired of it, arresting 50 people in Brooklyn today.

USA Today calls it “a vague but growing movement against financial and political avarice.”

ABC News says “But while their message might be a tad muddled, all are united by their anger over what they say is a broken system, a system that serves the wealthy and powerful at the expense of the rest.”

Columnist Nick Kristof writes in the Times, “Where the movement falters is in its demands: It doesn’t really have any. The participants pursue causes that are sometimes quixotic — like the protester who calls for removing Andrew Jackson from the $20 bill because of his brutality to American Indians.”

Organizers of the movement say they were inspired by the Arab Spring in which a surge of revolutionary fervor, driven by the approaching square of Uranus in Aries (the revolutionary warrior) to Pluto in Capricorn (the power of the economic structures), resulted in the downfall of Arab leaders in several countries. But while the Occupy Wall Street people were inspired by the Uranus/Pluto square, they no longer have the wind at their back since the square is waning and the energy is fading.

That’s not a bad thing for the movement, though, since instead of flaming out with the intensity of the Uranian explosion of Pluto authority structures, there is an opportunity for the collective to expand over the next few months and potentially come back next spring with a great force.

If you actually read the Occupy Wall Street website information it’s clear that the movement does have a very clear purpose, which is to bring America back into the hands of the people (Uranus in Aries) and out of the hands of the corporations (Pluto in Capricorn).

Even though the protests didn’t begin until September 17th, The Occupy Wall Street movement actually began on July 13th with this call to action. At the time, Uranus and Pluto were about as close to the square formation (about a degree apart) as they would get in 2010. (The actual cycle doesn’t begin until 2012.)

It’s pretty exciting, really. The original call to action says this:

This could be the beginning of a whole new social dynamic in America, a step beyond the Tea Party movement, where, instead of being caught helpless by the current power structure, we the people start getting what we want whether it be the dismantling of half the 1,000 military bases America has around the world to the reinstatement of the Glass-Steagall Act or a three strikes and you’re out law for corporate criminals. Beginning from one simple demand – a presidential commission to separate money from politics – we start setting the agenda for a new America.

It’s enough to make me want to put on my thirsty boots again and start marching for freedom.

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

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Lynn Hayes

Remembering September 11th

"United We Rise" by Elaine Felos Ostrander art 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

Although 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

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Lynn Hayes

Michelle 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.

The Decline of the American Empire

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Lynn Hayes

Last 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.

The “real” astrology chart for the USA

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Lynn Hayes

I’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.

More about Norway and the Mars/South Node

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Lynn Hayes

: 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.

The astrology of Michele Bachmann, Part I

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Lynn Hayes

Michele Bachmann astrology Now 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.

Astrological Musings

Category Archives: Politics