Astrological Musings: Astrology that expands the mind

We've Moved! Join us on Belief Net

2008-07-17T20:24:00.002-04:00

Astrological Musings has moved to Belief Net! Please join us over there and update your bookmarks.

As of this morning the commenting feature doesn't seem to be working yet and it will be a few days before everything is going smoothly, but please visit the new community bulletin board there and help me get some conversations going!

Thanks for all of your support over the past two and a half years, and for your continued support in the future!

My big announcement!

2008-07-17T05:30:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow, Friday the 18th, Astrological Musings will move to its new home on Belief Net, the largest website in the world focusing on spirituality. This is an exciting move for me as it will help me to greatly expand my readership, PLUS, they'll pay me! I hope all of you will join me over there tomorrow and help me to really get started by leaving comments, questions, etcetera.

Thanks to all of your feedback, Astrological Musings will remain exactly the same and will not be watered down for a larger audience. I'll try to keep the language as clear as possible so it's easy to understand, but the content will be just what you've come to expect here.

Sorry, but those of you with feedblitz subscriptions will have to sign up all over again. When you visit Astrological Musings tomorrow you'll see a signup form in the sidebar - just enter your email address and you'll be all set.

I've also started a message board community there called Astrological Musings and I'm hoping some of the great conversations we have here at AM will find a place to share ideas about astrology, post questions, and this will be the new home for my advice column which has been sadly neglected over the past six months. I can't answer every single question, but any issue that would be helpful to others will receive priority. If you have sent me a question and did not receive an answer, please post your question to the message board.

I'll welcome any ideas and comments you have on the new site, so please keep them coming!

See you on Belief Net!!

Obama, Neptune and Me

2008-07-16T06:28:00.005-04:00

Barack Obama has a square from Neptune to the Sun in his chart.

Neptune, the planet that is shrouded in mists and mystery, is a difficult planet to have in challenging aspect to one's Sun, the essential Self. I know this for a fact, because Neptune sits right on my own Sun in Libra. The challenging aspect from Neptune to the Sun makes it difficult for others to see you as you are; those Neptune mists obscure the rays of the Sun/Self and create a situation where others can easily create fantasies and ilusions (Neptune) about who they think you are. Later they may decide that the Neptune/Sun person was false, rather than admit to their own misconceptions and failure to see clearly what was there all along.

There is no better example of this than a man I knew quite a few years ago when I was single. I knew him for about five years before he asked me out. We dated for a couple of months, and then, in a fury, he said to me, "For five years I've had a fantasy about you, and you're nothing like I imagined."

Many of us have done the same thing with Barack Obama. Despite the fact that Obama's positions were clear in position papers on his website, we fell in love with his beautiful voice and the inspiration of coming together for change. It never occurred to us that in uniting the country compromises would have to be made to our cherished principles.

Gail Collins had a great column in the New York Times last weekend called "The Audacity of Listening." She writes,

I know, I know. You’re upset. You think the guy you fell in love with last spring is spending the summer flip-flopping his way to the right. Drifting to the center. Going all moderate on you. So you’re withholding the love. Also possibly the money.

I feel your pain. I just don’t know what candidate you’re talking about.

Think back. Why, exactly, did you prefer Obama over Hillary Clinton in the first place? Their policies were almost identical — except his health care proposal was more conservative. You liked Barack because you thought he could get us past the old brain-dead politics, right? He talked — and talked and talked — about how there were going to be no more red states and blue states, how he was going to bring Americans together, including Republicans and Democrats.

Exactly where did everybody think this gathering was going to take place? Left field?
When an extremely intelligent politician tells you over and over and over that he is tired of the take-no-prisoners politics of the last several decades, that he is going to get things done and build a “new consensus,” he is trying to explain that he is all about compromise. Even if he says it in that great Baracky way.

There's no doubt that on June 23, when Obama went through a double Mars/Uranus whammy (with transiting Uranus (radical change, revolution) opposing Mars (drive, desire, aggressive instincts) in his chart and transiting Mars conjunct Uranus in his chart) he did a whole lot of flip-flopping. Less important to me personally was the reversal on public finance reform (I do, after all, want him to get elected) than his signing of the FISA bill granting immunity to telecom companies in a clear violation of his earlier pledge. And I was angry that it took him a week to communicate to his supporters why he had done so. But I wasn't surprised, because when we're in a big Mars/Uranus event we are feeling rebellious, even reckless. We're on a mission and no one will stop us.

Transiting Uranus has been stationary in this move against Obama's Mars since May, and it is just now beginning to retrograde back out of range. The final hit of this cycle will occur in March of 2009. During this same period transiting Jupiter (expansion, optimism) has been harmoniously aspecting Obama's Mars and he is more confident than ever before.

Obama's Neptune/Sun square made it easy to believe that he would be the ideal leader we have all been waiting for, the man who could be all things to all people. Now we know that is not the case. Still, the fact is that in moving to the center to facilitate the important changes, like ending the war and stopping the flood of wealth and security away from the middle class, we may have to forfeit some of our personal agendas.

This video of Obama's speech on the war shows that he is still the guy we voted for.

Looking ahead to election day: A paradigm shift

2008-07-15T05:46:00.005-04:00

Thanks to JM for the link to this article by astrologer Barry Orr about the unease surrounding the upcoming election day. Orr writes primarily about the opposition between Saturn (status quo) and Uranus (the revolutionary) which will be exact on election day in 2008. He quotes an essay from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

“There is a fragment of old fable which seems somehow to have been dropped from the current mythologies, which may deserve attention, as it appears to relate to this subject.

Saturn grew weary of sitting alone, or with none but the great Uranus or Heaven beholding him, and he created an oyster. Then he would act again, but he made nothing more, but went on creating the race of oysters. Then Uranus cried, `a new work, O Saturn! the old is not good again.'

Saturn replied. `I fear. There is not only the alternative of making and not making, but also of unmaking. Seest thou the great sea, how it ebbs and flows? so is it with me; my power ebbs; and if I put forth my hands, I shall not do, but undo. Therefore I do what I have done; I hold what I have got; and so I resist Night and Chaos.'

`O Saturn,' replied Uranus, `thou canst not hold thine own, but by making more. Thy oysters are barnacles and cockles, and with the next flowing of the tide, they will be pebbles and sea-foam.'

`I see,' rejoins Saturn, `thou art in league with Night, thou art become an evil eye; thou spakest from love; now thy words smite me with hatred. I appeal to Fate, must there not be rest?' -- `I appeal to Fate also,' said Uranus, `must there not be motion?' -- But Saturn was silent, and went on making oysters for a thousand years.

After that, the word of Uranus came into his mind like a ray of the sun, and he made Jupiter; and then he feared again; and nature froze, the things that were made went backward, and, to save the world, Jupiter slew his father Saturn.

This may stand for the earliest account of a conversation on politics between a Conservative and a Radical, which has come down to us. It is ever thus. It is the counteraction of the centripetal and the centrifugal forces. Innovation is the salient energy; Conservatism the pause on the last movement.

I love this last statement - it captures the ongoing dialectical process that seems to be required for transformation. Statis (Saturn) and innovation (Uranus), this is the Saturn/Uranus dance. The need to let go of the old is crucial to the process of evolution, and nowhere is this seen more than in the combination of Saturn to Uranus. On election day, and for several weeks leading up to the day, both Saturn and Uranus will be squaring Mars (aggression and drive) in the US chart, signifying pressure for change that generates action.

Orr notes other negative planetary dynamics on Election Day, including a square of Neptune to Mars which can erode our sense of progress and confuse the Will, but Neptune will also make a trine to Mars in the US chart, indicating a positive harmonization between action (Mars) and our ideals (Neptune). Another negative dynamic mentioned by Orr is the Moon in its detriment in Capricorn, but he fails to add that the Moon will conjunct Jupiter, planet of abundance and opportunity.

There's no doubt that change is coming, but there's no need to spend the next few months mired in doubt and fear. The key to successfully navigating any difficult transit is to understand that change is coming, and to prepare for change. The more we hold on and try to control the process, the more difficult it is. Understanding the astrological cycles gives us a clue as to what to expect, but whenever Uranus is involved we must expect the unexpected!

Introducing: The Jolie Pitt Twins!

2008-07-14T13:51:00.003-04:00

Now that we have a confirmed birth time thanks to my vigilant readers (6:27 pm) we can more accurately profile Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline Jolie Pitt, born on July 12 to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

The birthchart for the twins shows that their Sun is in Cancer, within ten degrees of Venus (relationships) in Angelina's chart which bodes well for a loving emotional connection between Angelina and the children. An opposition (180 degree angle) of the Sun to Jupiter suggests that they will be showered with good fortune (that's a no-brainer!), and even though the opposition is an aspect that illustrates some tension with a happy planet like Jupiter the opposition usually brings little challenge to the individual except a tendency towards excess.

The twins have Sagittarius rising in the chart and Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, so Jupiter is a strong influence there. Jupiter rules expansion, opportunity, good fortune, and a desire to find meaning in life so these things will be very strong for the twins. However, Jupiter in the chart is retrograde, which suggests that they may find it difficult to recognize the possibilities and benefits (Jupiter) that they are given.

Emotionally, they could be very intense and moody since they not only have the Sun and Mercury (mental processes and communication) in Cancer, which is the sign of moods and sensitivity, but their Moon (emotional nature) is in Scorpio which denotes an intensity of emotion that is not shared by Angelina and her Aries Moon.

They may more easily connect on an emotional level with Brad since his Moon and Venus are conjunct in Capricorn and nearly exactly sextile the Moon in the twins' chart. Because they were apparently born within one minute of each other their charts are identical and both would have Sagittarius rising, which is a very different energy than the Cancer moodiness and Scorpio intensity.

Typically with twins, one twin takes on one of the roles in the chart (in this case, the lightness and joviality of the Sagittarius ascendant) and the other twin takes on another, more hidden role (in this case, the emotional intensity). This is why twins often seem so different when they share the same chart. It is very likely in the case of these twins that one will take on the more friendly, outgoing role of the Sagittarius ascendant with the Jupiter influence, which is more positive, upbeat and potentially more superficial, and the other will take on the more intense and emotional nature of the chart.

If one twin plays out the watery emotions to a greater extent, that twin will have more difficulty with Angelina, whose chart is mostly dry with lots of Gemini (air) and Aries (fire). In fact, Angelina has Saturn in Cancer, which indicates an insecurity (Saturn) in her ability to provide nurturing (Cancer), and possibly in her ability to really be a mother at the deepest level. We know that she strives to honor her own mother in her mothering role, and Saturn in Cancer suggests that she feels she does not live up to her own high expectations.

The twins' chart shows that Mars and Saturn are conjunct in Virgo, widely square to Angelina's Saturn, which further suggests that the twins will challenge her insecurities in this area. Still, Angelina's progressed Sun has been in Cancer since 1993 and the emotional qualities of that sign are becoming more and more natural to her.

Still, the twins have a Grand Trine in water including their Cancer Sun, Scorpio Moon and Uranus in Pisces. The trine to Uranus signifies an adaptability to new experiences (Uranus/Sun) and an emotional independence (Uranus/Moon) that will be a great boon to them in later life. Grand Trines facilitate the flow of energy between the planets and in the water element the Grand Trine facilitates an ease of relating in the emotional realm.

However, Chiron (wounding and healing) is nearly exactly square the Moon which could reflect the difficulty of their birth, and it does suggest a predisposition to intensely painful emotional experiences. This may take the form of serious physical illness for one or both of the twins, perhaps around August 29 when the Moon progresses to the exact square to Chiron.

Chiron is exactly conjunct the North Node in their chart which reveals that a capacity for healing (Chiron) is in some way a part of their greater destiny (North Node). Neptune (spirituality and creativity) is a part of that Chiron/North Node conjunction as well, suggesting that an aspiration for a greater calling is something that will be more important to the twins in later life. Neptune squares the Moon, enhancing the creativity of the twins and their romantic nature, but their tendency to be moody as well.

If you're interested in the astrology of twins you might also be interested in reading about the Olsen twins, and you'll find more information on the birthcharts of Angelina and Brad here.

Photos from Saturn

2008-07-11T07:08:00.002-04:00

Get to know my favorite planet and its moons in this stunning video including narration from one of the scientists on the imaging team from the Cassini spacecraft. At around 4:50 you'll see the Sun eclipsing Saturn which is an absolutely incredible sight.

Mercury/Pluto in the news

2008-07-10T07:45:00.003-04:00

Mercury has been approaching an exact opposition to Pluto which is exact today, and we are seeing its influences all over the news. Mercury rules communication and the transmission of information, and when it faces off with Pluto we suffer from communication difficulties (like my email going down this morning), aggressive communications and the uncovering of one's secret feelings.

In the news today, the rhetoric between the US and Iran continues to escalate, with the US threatening retaliation for Iran's missile tests and Ahmadinejad dismissed dismissing these threats as a "big joke."

In other news, Jesse Jackson lashed out at Barack Obama in what he thought was a private conversation in a news studio when he thought the mike was off. Saying Obama talks down to black people, he confided to his fellow guest on Fox and Friends that he wanted to cut Obama's nuts out."

And most stunning of all, the gaffer-in-chief, the US President, left his last G-8 summit yesterday after refusing to accept global climate change targets, delivered his farewell address to the world: "Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter. (Thanks to Jill for the link.)

Fortunately, Mercury will move out of range of Pluto by tomorrow, but today you might want to watch your words carefully!

The astrology of Iran's missile tests

2008-07-09T16:56:00.004-04:00

Iran fired nine missile tests today. The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' air force, said: "Our missiles are ready for shooting at any place and any time, quickly and with accuracy." This show of Iranian bravado has met with equally brash comments from US war hawks, but Reuters reports that most analysts say this is more bark than bite from Iran.

There are some interesting planetary configurations going on now for the Republic of Iran (see chart courtesy of Astrology Weekly). First, the conjunction of Chiron (wounding and healing) to the North Node (evolution of the soul) that is in place for the next few months is within 1 degree of an exact square to Uranus (rebellion and explosive activity) in the Republic of Iran chart. Second, the progressed ascendant, signifying the expression of the identity of the nation, is exactly opposite that same Uranus in the national chart.

This combination of planetary effects suggests that there is a crisis of healing (Chiron) within Iran itself that is necessary for the nation to move forward and progress (North Node). The explosion of missiles (progressed ascendant opposing Uranus) to show the world (ascendant) that Iran isn't afraid to do something radical (Uranus) is merely a distraction from the difficulties going on within the country (Chiron).

In fact, today Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad promised that there would be no war between Iran and the US or Israel. So why all the tough talk?

The planets suggest that Iran is in an identity crisis and this will continue over the next few months as the progressed ascendant moves slowly in opposition to Uranus in the national chart and Chiron in the sky. In addition, transiting Pluto is preparing to cross over Iran's Capricorn midheaven (signifying the government and rulers) beginning in early 2009 which will begin to transform (Iran's) place in the world. Pluto tends to bring an increase or decrease in power, but the struggle of power will be paramount at that time.

The midheaven of the Iranian national chart and that of the US chart (in Libra) are in a square formation to each other, illustrating the conflict that the governments of these two countries have seen since the inception of the Republic in 1979. Transiting Pluto already began a square to the US Midheaven earlier this year, and next year it will lock Iran and the US in some sort of major conflict for national identity.

Pluto in Capricorn: the Immobilizing Security Bracelet

2008-07-08T17:40:00.004-04:00

Found this on Jill's site and was aghast (from the Washington Times):

A senior government official with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has expressed great interest in a so-called safety bracelet that would serve as a stun device, similar to that of a police Taser®. According to this promotional video found at the Lamperd Less Lethal website, the bracelet would be worn by all airline passengers.

This bracelet would:

• take the place of an airline boarding pass

• contain personal information about the traveler

• be able to monitor the whereabouts of each passenger and his/her luggage

• shock the wearer on command, completely immobilizing him/her for several minutes

The Electronic ID Bracelet, as it’s referred to as, would be worn by every traveler “until they disembark the flight at their destination.” Yes, you read that correctly. Every airline passenger would be tracked by a government-funded GPS, containing personal, private and confidential information, and that it would shock the customer worse than an electronic dog collar if he/she got out of line?

Clearly the Electronic ID Bracelet is an euphuism for the EMD Safety Bracelet, or at least it has a nefarious hidden ability, thus the term ID Bracelet is ambiguous at best. EMD stands for Electro-Musclar Disruption. Again, according to the promotional video the bracelet can completely immobilize the wearer for several minutes.

So is the government really that interested in this bracelet? Yes!

According to a letter from DHS official, Paul S. Ruwaldt of the Science and Technology Directorate, office of Research and Development, to the inventor whom he had previously met with, he wrote, “To make it clear, we [the federal government] are interested in…the immobilizing security bracelet, and look forward to receiving a written proposal.” The letterhead, in case you were wondering, came from the DHS office at the William J. Hughes Technical Center at the Atlantic City International Airport, or the Federal Aviation Administration headquarters.

Under Pluto in Capricorn we are already seeing attempts by the governmental structures (Capricorn) to consolidate power (Pluto) and create more rigid rules and regulations. Capricorn cares not a whit for personal freedom; we're done with that when we're through with Sagittarius. "The end justifies the means" is the battle cry of Capricorn, and remember Pluto doesn't always bring out the best of the signs that it travels through.

We see the same thing in Bernanke's recent call for more power at the Federal Reserve. A certain amount of this is inevitable with Pluto going through Capricorn, but let's not fall asleep at the wheel and allow something like this to happen!

Ancient tablet ignites debate on resurrection

2008-07-07T19:46:00.002-04:00

The timing of the dissemination of information about this tablet at this time when Pluto makes its last pass through Sagittarius, dredging up (Pluto) the beliefs that give our lives meaning (Sagittarius) is very interesting:

A three-foot-tall tablet with 87 lines of Hebrew that scholars believe dates from the decades just before the birth of Jesus is causing a quiet stir in biblical and archaeological circles, especially because it may speak of a messiah who will rise from the dead after three days.

If such a messianic description really is there, it will contribute to a developing re-evaluation of both popular and scholarly views of Jesus, since it suggests that the story of his death and resurrection was not unique but part of a recognized Jewish tradition at the time.

The tablet, probably found near the Dead Sea in Jordan according to some scholars who have studied it, is a rare example of a stone with ink writings from that era — in essence, a Dead Sea Scroll on stone.

It is written, not engraved, across two neat columns, similar to columns in a Torah. But the stone is broken, and some of the text is faded, meaning that much of what it says is open to debate.

Still, its authenticity has so far faced no challenge, so its role in helping to understand the roots of Christianity in the devastating political crisis faced by the Jews of the time seems likely to increase.

Daniel Boyarin, a professor of Talmudic culture at the University of California at Berkeley, said that the stone was part of a growing body of evidence suggesting that Jesus could be best understood through a close reading of the Jewish history of his day.

“Some Christians will find it shocking — a challenge to the uniqueness of their theology — while others will be comforted by the idea of it being a traditional part of Judaism,” Mr. Boyarin said.

Given the highly charged atmosphere surrounding all Jesus-era artifacts and writings, both in the general public and in the fractured and fiercely competitive scholarly community, as well as the concern over forgery and charlatanism, it will probably be some time before the tablet’s contribution is fully assessed. It has been around 60 years since the Dead Sea Scrolls were uncovered, and they continue to generate enormous controversy regarding their authors and meaning. . . .

Oddly, the stone is not really a new discovery. It was found about a decade ago and bought from a Jordanian antiquities dealer by an Israeli-Swiss collector who kept it in his Zurich home. When an Israeli scholar examined it closely a few years ago and wrote a paper on it last year, interest began to rise. There is now a spate of scholarly articles on the stone, with several due to be published in the coming months.

read more ...

Ever since Pluto entered Sagittarius in 1995 the tenets of Christianity, the world's largest religion, have been called into question as never before. Whether Jesus was married and had children; whether the resurrection was literal or allegorical -- all of these things have been argued and reinterpreted in works for the masses such as the DaVinci Code.

When Pluto moves into Capricorn the transformation of the religion (Sagittarius) begins to translate itself into transformation of the religious structures (Capricorn). Then things will really get interesting!!

Jesse Helms, RIP

2008-07-06T18:02:00.004-04:00

It seems I've been doing a lot of obituaries lately. It's hard to come up with good things to say about Jesse Helms, although his fans always said of him "You always knew where Jesse stood." There's no doubt about that.

Jesse Helms did his utmost to try to halt the progress of civil rights and would have preferred to keep North Carolina as it was back in the 1950s. He liked to say about my home town of Chapel Hill "you can fence in the whole town and call it a zoo."

Still, Helms was a Libra and could be very charming, and to the end could not understand why black people didn't like him. He had two signatures for conservatism that stood out: Moon in Taurus, craving stability and same-ness, and Mars in Virgo which would really like for everything to be safe and secure. Yet Neptune made a square to both the Moon and Mercury, obscuring the issues and making it difficult for him to see the world as it really was.

Jupiter sat prominently at the Midheaven (career and public life), according to the Astrotheme chart, and this does make sense considering his easy rise to prominence in the public arena. Jupiter is often involved in publishing and the media, and one of Helms's first jobs was as conservative commentator for the local radio station, making him Rush Limbaugh's predecessor. Early in his political career his campaign literature read, "White people, wake up before it is too late. Do you want Negroes working beside you, your wife and your daughters, in your mills and factories?"

That prominent Libran Jupiter made a square to Pluto in Cancer, creating a compulsive (Pluto) sense of righteousness (Jupiter) that was difficult if not impossible to sway with reason. To the end of his life, Helms neverwavered in his convictions.

Fortunately, the square of Uranus and Pluto in the mid-1960s overturned the kinds of ideas espoused by Helms and his contemporaries, and forced them kicking and screaming into the twentieth century.

Happy July Fourth! And a look ahead

2008-07-04T06:34:00.005-04:00

There is a lot of disagreement among astrologers around the exact time that the United States was born. The actual declaration of independence occurred with a unanimous vote on July 2, but the actual document was not signed until July 4. You can read more about this and why I prefer the Sibley July 4 chart here, and you'll also find my predictions for the past twelve months.

But now, let's take a look at the US solar return chart and see what could be ahead in the coming year:

The Solar Return chart is cast for the moment that the transiting Sun returns to its place in the birthchart. The return chart gives us a hint as to the energies of the upcoming year, although no prediction of the future is set in stone.

The chart for the 2008 US Solar Return shows Sagittarius rising, with Pluto rising in the first house of identity and personality. Sagittarius is rising in the version that I prefer of the US natal chart as well and signifies the expansive colonialism of the US and the desire to spread its philosophy around the world. Pluto is retrograde, signifying the waning of power, although in the first house it is still attempting to flex the muscles of that power and show the world that the power is still present.

Uranus, planet of innovation, change and rebellion and also retrograde, is in the third house of communication and it forms a square to the ascendant, or persona. To me this seuggests that the speech and efforts of the US to communicate its goals and ideals will be out of sync (Uranus) with the rest of the world (perception of persona) and although there is an effort to make changes and create new ways of diplomacy they are likely not to be successful.

Still, alliances are highlighted in this chart, with the Sun in Cancer (tribal affiliations and family) in the seventh house, but an opposition from Jupiter suggests that the allies of the US will not be as dependable as hoped. Jupiter is retrograde in the first house of identity, and while Jupiter's presence generally suggests good fortune the retrograde component often indicates an inability to recognize the bounty being given.

This opposition forms a T-square to the Libra midheaven, signifying the government and people in power, which suggests that the alliances of the US, or perhaps within the US, will create serious challenges for the governmental structure. With Pluto's re-entry into Capricorn in December, we could see some significant changes in the US government.

Mercury, the Trickster and communicator, is conjunct the descendant (the cusp of the seventh house) and opposite Pluto on the ascendant, carrying the partnership theme a little farther and adding additional concern that those that are thought the allies of the US may in fact have other agendas.

The Moon (the emotions of the people) is in Leo, where it longs to be adored and celebrated, but it falls in the eighth house of death, taxes, and other people's money. The Moon makes no aspects to any other planets, indicating a sense that Americans feel isolated in the world. The Leo Moon in the eighth house traditionally portends the death of a well-loved leader.

A conjunction of Saturn and Mars also falls in the eighth house, suggesting to me the continued fall of the stock market (eighth house) and blocks and restrictions (Saturn) in efforts to pull money out of the resources of other countries (eighth house) such as in Iraq and Africa.

The USA solar return chart for 2008 includes the conjunction of Chiron to the North Node that I've been writing about here, and long-buried painful issues from the nation's past (Chiron) will make themselves known in order to help facilitate the evolutionary journey (North Node) of the US. The conjunction falls in the second house of money and resources, an area of great compulsion for this country (Pluto is in the second house in the natal chart). I suspect that the healing process will have something to do with the way resources (second/eighth house) are distributed in this country and the legacy of slavery and welfare programs that are all a part of the resource distribution patterns. The Chironic process is rarely comfortable, but it's an important process that in the end proves to be very worthwhile.

Mars is trine Pluto in the US chart, which does show power (Pluto) in military endeavors (Mars) and the ability to overcome (Pluto) terrorist forces (Mars). But the conjunction of Saturn there to Mars will limit that success somewhat.

We also see a trine of Venus to Uranus, demonstrating the likelihood that friends (Venus) will come from unlikely places (Uranus), and a trine of Mercury to Chiron which bodes well for negotiations in the entertainment and telecommunications industries.

If I were astrologer to the President today, I would recommend that he watch his back as the perceived friends of the US may not be the most dependable, and to keep his eyes open to new alliances that could turn out to be the best after all.

Happy Fourth everyone!

Skywatch is posted! And New Moon today

2008-07-02T08:29:00.002-04:00

Only a day late. :) Here's what's going on in early July:

As July begins, Pluto, in retrograde motion, has just re-entered Sagittarius on its final journey through Sagittarius. We’re seeing its influence on the airline industry (travel is associated with Sagittarius), along with a resurgence of fears (Pluto) over differing religious beliefs (Sagittarius also rules religion and shared ideals and theologies). With Pluto in Sag throughout the rest of the year we are sure to see religion raise its head even more in this year’s US presidential election. Pluto in Sag has also had a great deal to do with xenophobia – the fear (Pluto) of other cultures (Sagittarius).

We are in a heavy retrograde period now, with four traditional planets plus Chiron all appearing to travel retrograde now. Retrograde periods force us to re-examine all that we do; we are constantly re-negotiating and re-vising our plans. Forget about two steps forward and one step back; we’re retracing our steps now so that we can perfect all that we do with clarity and intention.

Uranus has just turned retrograde and we saw the tendency of Uranus to create shocking reversals mirrored in the news in the fall of the stock markets on the last few days of June, and the new Supreme Court decision that legitimizes gun ownership by individuals. Mercury will be moving into position to square Uranus over the next few days, and information and communication (Mercury) will be subject to misunderstandings and disruption as Uranus seeks to break us out of our routines and create new neural pathways for information to travel through.

Chiron is exactly conjunct the North Node, as it will be for the next few months. The North Node of the Moon is a signpost rather than a planet; it marks the path of the moon along the path that we see the Sun travel each year. The North Node marks the portal of our evolutionary direction into the future; the South Node gives us an exit into the past. Chiron’s presence conjunct the North Node signifies the healing energy (Chiron) that is available now to bring us into our future (North Node) and release the bonds of the past (South Node). The Chironic healing process is not always easy; it requires that we enter fully into our emotions and mind – what Eckart Tolle calls “presence.” Once we are fully connected to ourselves internally, feeling completely whatever wound we have tried to avoid, we are able to release the past and move forward once and for all.

On July 1 Mars leaves the showier sign of Leo for the more subdued Virgo. Mars is our aggressive urge – our anger, our rage, our desire. In Virgo, all of these take the back seat to what is appropriate and orderly, both items of concern to Virgo.

The New Moon takes place on the evening of July 2, with not only the Sun and Moon in Cancer, but Venus as well. The triple shot of Cancer means the focus will be on the home and our loved ones – not just our family of origin, but the tribe we have chosen to affiliate with as well. New Moons are times of new beginnings, and this new beginning includes an opposition of Venus in Cancer to Jupiter in Capricorn. This is a marvelous time to invite friends (Venus) into our homes (Cancer) for social events (Jupiter) that share a common goal or purpose (Capricorn). Responsibility is also highlighted as Mars (drive, energy) approaches a conjunction to Saturn (discipline, hard work and goals).

Mercury forms an exact trine to the Chiron/North Node combination which brings our mental function and communication abilities to the table so that we can better communicate and express (Mercury) the healing process that we are going through either willingly or not. Mercury is in its own sign of Gemini where it is nimble and quick and can manifest in its Trickster aspect more easily than not. The Trickster knows how to manipulate matter in order to manifest ideas, and this is a fertile time for that sort of activity.

The square of Mercury to Uranus mentioned above perfects on July 5, and in tandem with the Chiron influence may create difficulty in our dealings with others and the processing of our own experience. This is not a good time to plan a court trial or a job interview! However, the influence of a trine to Neptune from Mercury is already felt, and when these two planets move into alignment on July 6 there is more harmony and more understanding (Mercury) on a purely intuitive (Neptune) level. Relationships with others become easier as well under a trine from Venus (relating to others) to Uranus (in fresh new ways).

Entire article here. If you'd like to sign up for a subscription to Skywatch which includes an abridged translation in regular English, visit my website!

An untimely death

2008-07-01T05:08:00.003-04:00

photo from modelimago.com

Ruslana Korshunova was a beautiful young woman who seemed to have everything going for her until she plunged to her death. Although friends said she appeared to be "on top of the world," her web postings tell a different story, saying she felt lost and as if her heart was being "stomped all over." Her death came two days before her twenty-first birthday. (Astrological chart here.)

One of the mysteries of astrological profiles is why two people with the same psychological dynamics will take very different roads. Perhaps it's the environment they find themselves in; perhaps they make different choices. In any event, although we can see the seeds of difficulty in Rusiana's chart it presented challenges that were no more difficult than those faced by many of us.

Ruslana was born with the Sun in Cancer - exceptionally sensitive and emotional, family would have been very important to her. Cancer is the sign that rules our family connections and geneaological roots, and there is often a strong affiliation to the tribal identity. Mercury was in Cancer in her chart, as was Mars, so the Cancerian influence was very strong. Ruslana was sending money home to her family in Kazakhstan. She was drafted into the fashion industry after a modeling agency spotted her photo in a magazine on the Kazakh club scene at the age of 15. It's hard to imagine that she did not miss her family, no matter how glamourous her life became.

We don't know Ruslana's time of birth so we can't pinpoint her rising sign which would tell us more about the way she lived her life, but we know that she had the Moon in Virgo, which is not comfortable with any big show of ego or pride, and requires a fair amount of security in one's life. Combined with the sensitive Cancerian nature, hers is not a personality that would have been particularly comfortable with a great deal of attention. Her Cancer Sun was in a stressful aspect (opposition) to Neptune (illusion and deception), suggesting a difficulty for her to establish any kind of identity (Sun) for herself. Neptune/Sun people are often very malleable in their younger years and often are called on to sacrifice themselves for the sake of family or career. Neptune/Sun also can confer an ability to slip in and out of roles easily because of the lack of a clearly defined Self.

We can see in Ruslana's chart a desire for more freedom in her Aries Jupiter (expansion and confidence in the sign of the warrior) making a square to her Cancer Mars (anger and desire). Jupiter in her chart also made a trine to Uranus (rebellion and radical change) which reveals even more of an independent streak that had been fed over the past few years by a harmonious transit of Pluto (transformation) which created huge changes in her life.

Still, the Virgo Moon tends toward depression, and Ruslana also had Saturn retrograde in her chart in a challenging aspect to her Moon. Saturn is the voice within us that tells us we're not good enough so that we will work harder and become successful, and when retrograde (meaning it appeared to move backwards from our perspective on earth at the time she was born) that negative voice is internalized and becomes very self-critical. Ruslana would have always felt that she was not good enough and needed to work harder and do more - yet the combination of Mars, Jupiter and Uranus in her chart would have created pressure on her to flee and become her own person. Despite the glamorous travel and money of the modeling world, there is little freedom and this would have been very difficult for Ruslana.

In addiiton, Rusiana's Venus (her relationships with others and her own self-esteem) was tightly conjunct Chiron (wounding and healing), signifying painful relationships with those she loves. This planetary combination was also opposed by Uranus, the planet of radical behavior that sometimes in the difficult aspects like this can reveal trauma, in this case coming through relationships (Venus). Her relationships would therefore likely be complicated and perhaps even abusive on some level.

We don't know the exact degree of Ruslana's Moon without a birth time, but it's very likely that she was born in the morning and transiting Saturn had been passing over her Moon over the past few months, creating a sense of heaviness and depression. Saturn was preparing to make a square to Saturn in her birth chart which is accompanied at the age of 21 with a square of transiting Uranus to Uranus in the natal chart, a time that accelerates our pursuit of individuality and freedom. In addition, in two months Ruslana's Sun would have progressed into Leo where she would have had more energy within her to begin to express herself and her own needs.

The real tragedy is that the drama of Ruslana Korshunova was hidden so deeply that no one around her could witness it and give her the support she needed to hang on until the crisis moment had passed.

Earth: The new Mars?

2008-06-30T06:59:00.003-04:00

New evidence supports the theory that Mars may have been the home to life forms at one time:

NASA researchers want to determine whether the planet could support, or ever has supported, life. The nutrients are among a few positive indicators they have gleaned since the Phoenix Mars Lander began collecting and testing soil samples last month. Early findings, including ice crystals and nutrients, point toward water -- the chemical basis for life.
Phoenix co-investigator William Boynton of the University of Arizona, lead TEGA scientist, called the data "spectacular."

"At this point, we can say that the soil has clearly interacted with water in the past," he said. "We don't know whether that interaction occurred in this particular area in the northern polar region, or whether it might have happened elsewhere and blown up to this area as dust."

Sunday inspiration

2008-06-29T09:07:00.002-04:00

Astrology provides us with clues about the future, and sometimes that instills fear in us if we lose sight of the larger picture. Carlos Castaneda explains it here:

The world of everyday life cannot ever be taken as something personal that has power over us, something that could make us, or destroy us, because man’s battlefield is not in his strife with the world around him. His battlefield is over the horizon, in an area that is unthinkable for the average man, the area where man ceases to be a man.

It is energetically imperative for human beings to realize that the only thing that matters is their encounter with infinity. The term infinity cannot be reduced to a more manageable description. It is energetically irreducible.

This is an energetic fact, which means that it is a conclusion that is arrived at when the shaman is engaged in a function called seeing. Seeing is the act of perceiving energy directly as it flows in the universe.

The end result is a realization, which, by its simplicity, is so difficult to attain: that we are indeed beings that are going to die. Therefore, the real struggle of man is not the strife with his fellowman, but with infinity, and this is not even a struggle; it is, in essence, an acquiescence. We must voluntarily acquiesce to infinity. In the description of the sorcerers, our lives originate in infinity, and they end up wherever they originated: infinity. (From The Teachings of Don Juan – A Yaqui Way of Knowledge by Carlos Castaneda.)

Remembering this idea that the process of our unfolding evolution occurs at the deepest and most internal level within us will help us to be able to navigate any rough seas that come our way.

We all know people who have relatively easy lives but are unable to experience any level of happiness because of the misery they carry within them; we have also seen people who have gone through unimaginable horrors and have come out of them with strength and wisdom.

This idea of acquiescing to infinity is what Pluto teaches, and the key to a life of bliss and power.

Sagittarian Factoids

2008-06-28T09:02:00.002-04:00

Dharmaruci had an interesting couple of posts a few days ago about factoids being the shadow side of Sagittarius. DR writes about the theories espoused by David Icke and others that the ruling class is actually a reptilian race:

For a while this sort of belief had me a bit gobsmacked, like how can these people, who do not have mental health problems, believe these things? But then it occurred to me that it is no different to believing in the literal truth of the Bible, and there are plenty of people, and always have been, who are prepared to believe this.

You could argue that I’m an astrologer, and believing that there is a relationship between the motions of the planets and human existence is no less strange and far out. And I would have to concede that point. But I think what matters most is the WAY in which beliefs are held, rather than the beliefs themselves.

With astrology, I am the first to say that I cannot think of an explanation as to why the subject works. All I can say is that it does seem to, at least on most days of the week. I think with this sort of position discussion becomes possible, and there is an awareness that beliefs are only beliefs, they are not reality itself. . . .

Under Pluto in Sagittarius we have seen a growth in conspiracy theories, reptile notions, religious belief etc, which is what you would expect, but we have also seen the shadow side of Pluto in Sag, which is an associated lack of reason and lack of respect for observable facts. This is the province of the opposite sign, Gemini. The recent growth in conspiracy theories and the recent growth of fundamentalist religion have the same astrological signature.

By the way, I’m still waiting for someone to come up with a wide-ranging conspiracy theory that is presented as well-argued probability/possibility, rather than certainty based on factoids. I’m not against such theories, but the difficulty in finding well-argued theories demonstrates that many of them belong to the shadow side of Sagittarius.

With my Scorpio Mercury my thinking (Mercury) tends toward the shadow side and tend to look for the darker forces lurking beneath the surface. I have studied the Kennedy assassination since the 1970s, and after September 11 I became a conspiracy fanatic and regular visitor of the many sites that feed a hunger for knowledge of Truth. This hunger falls right in with the symbology of Pluto in Sagittarius, which approaches the search for Truth (Sag) with the compulsion of Pluto, and we've seen this in the spread of fundamentalist Christianity and Islam during this period (1995-2008) as well as conspiracy theories which look for meaning (Sag) in the dark corners of the human psyche (Pluto).

In DR's follow-up article he writes,

Pluto is currently spending its last few months in Sagittarius. So this is a good time for looking more closely at those things which you would perhaps like to be true – like UFOs or Alien encounters or the faking of the Moon Landings or the various 9/11 conspiracies or the suppression of alternative technologies by the car companies or the role of 'junk' DNA. They may well be true. But what we think of as ‘facts’ around these phenomena, often well-established, can turn out not to be so.

I would add that in Sagittarius we tend to hold on to our established belief systems in a way that can be rigid and dogmatic and leave little room for facts. With Pluto in Sagittarius it's the belief that is crucial - the facts only stand in the way.

Retrograde Uranus in the News

2008-06-27T07:54:00.003-04:00

Uranus turned retrograde last night, as it does every year, creating interesting sudden shifts and reversals for citizens of Planet Earth.

Planets don't really change direction, of course, but because astrology looks at the movement of planets from our perspective on earth it appears from time to time that planets slow down and then reverse course. When this occurs their influence is felt more intensely, especially if our personal planetary radio is tuned to the frequency of that planet (if the retrograde planet is strong in our birthchart) or if we are experiencing a transit of that planet to a planet or point in our own chart.

It could just be a coincidence, but the stock market in the US chose that moment to make the biggest drop since 2006. This was largely driven by a sharp increase in oil prices, proving that increasing supply (since Saudi Arabia had just agreed to begin pumping more oil) is not the cause of high oil prices. Speculation in oil futures is rampant - the last gasp of the Pluto in Sagittarius mindset as Pluto completes its Sag journey before re-entering Capricorn at the end of the year. OPEC is now warning of oil prices reaching $170 a barrel (consider that oil was around $80 a barrel when Bush took office - but that's another story.

In other reversals, the Supreme Court declared that the right to bear arms found in the second amendment of the US Constitution applies to individuals. For the last 200 years this language has been in contention, and the conservative Supreme Court in this ruling gives free rein to gun ownership. Uranus rules personal freedom and social justice for all, so in some ways this ruling complies with the Uranian desire for equal access. But it also paves the way for the social uprising that is coming when Uranus transits into Aries and begins the square cycle to Pluto in Capricorn.

President Bush removed North Korea from his Axis of Evil blacklist, and in a gesture of cooperation the North Koreans yesterday blew up a nuclear reactor tower. This gesture is largely symbolic, because the agreement signed does not address uranian enrichment or sale of nuclear materials to other rogue nations.

As Uranus travels back through Pisces it will begin a series of oppositions to Saturn that will begin during election day. That opposition cycle will enter its second phase in September of 2009, and will conclude in May of 2010 with the final opposition to Saturn which will then be conjunct Jupiter. The first rumblings of the Uranus/Pluto square begin in the spring and summer of 2010.

Change is inevitable, and change is easier for some of us than for others. Regardless of how well we adapt to change, knowledge is power and understanding the energy behind these cycles help us to be better prepared to navigate them.

Readers, your input please!

2008-06-26T15:48:00.003-04:00

I will have some exciting news soon - Astrological Musings is being picked up by a large national website where it will find a larger audience. This means that I will need to mainstream my posts to make it more accessible to that larger audience, much of whom likely has had very little exposure to "real" astrology.

So I am thinking of keeping the Blogger format, perhaps as a forum for some of my more controversial views, personal thoughts, and for more advanced astrology discussion. There's no way I can keep up three blogs, so I would probably incorporate my personal blog here.

I would love to hear from those of you who are regular readers and have any ideas about this. Many of you would probably greatly enjoy reading these posts in simplified language, but many of you are astrologers and quite a few are professionals.

What are your thoughts? Ideas? Input? What kinds of posts do you like reading the best? What could you live without?

Please either comment here or send me an email: lynn at astrodynamics dot net. And thanks for your participation!

Are you left brained or right brained?

2008-06-25T14:16:00.002-04:00

I was pretty sure I knew which way I would tilt in this test (thanks Elsa!) but I WAS surprised to see these results. I'm sure I love dogs more than 25%!

You Are 25% Left Brained, 75% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning.

Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others.

If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic.

Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet.

The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility.

Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way.

If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art.

Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

Obama, Mars/Uranus and the FISA bill

2008-06-24T12:17:00.005-04:00

Last month I, along with other astrologers, reported on a challenging transit coming up for Barack Obama: the transit of Mars to his natal Uranus which coincided with a longer-range transit of Uranus to his natal Mars. I wrote at the time:

There is, however, a dangerous aspect looming on the horizon: a "double whammy" combination of transits from Mars to Uranus and from Uranus to Mars. When these two conflict, there are fireworks and danger from accidents or violence of some kind, and the opposition from Uranus to Mars in Obama's chart occurs as transiting Uranus is at its most powerful, between now and early August. Transiting Mars will hit Uranus in his chart around the 23rd of June, and he is vulnerable to some sort of attack at that time. Obama has been a very cool character throughout this campaign, but under this Mars influence (particularly in late June) we will begin to see some fissures in his smooth exterior. This is typical of the Uranus/Mars combination and is likely to bring some real fireworks to the campaigns! Hopefully it will not present a danger to his physical person.

The conjunction of Mars to Uranus in Obama's chart occurred on June 23, and as we can see there were no accidents and it does not appear that Obama was in any kind of physical danger. But we did see a reversal and strong expression of a desire (Mars) to go his own way (Uranus) in Obama's announcement on Thursday that he would not accept public financing of his campaign.

Just about at the exact time transiting Mars made a conjunction to the natal Uranus, Obama's position on the FISA bill (and those of other Democratic leaders) came under angry attack from members of his own party as being overly conciliatory to the telecom industry.

Uranus is the Awakener, and as much as I would like to hope in the Neptunian dream of a Utopian America, I am willing to concede the possibility that we will look back on this Mars/Uranus moment as the point at which Obama's campaign for President revealed itself as just another political maneuver rather than a crusade for hope and change we can really believe in.

So I ask that you support the MoveOn effort to convince Obama to honor his promise to block the passage of any bill that supports retroactive immunity for telecommunications company that engaged in warrantless spying against ordinary Americans.

And now George Carlin...

2008-06-23T07:07:00.004-04:00

Another great journalist has died: George Carlin succumbed to a heart attack yesterday at the age of 71.

I expected to see a strong Uranus component to his chart since he was so irreverent and iconoclastic, and there is a wide conjunction of Uranus to a Sun/Mercury conjunction in Taurus. The combination of the Sun and Mercury indicates a brilliant mind with fixed ideas, and the presence of Uranus there illustrates the dislike of conventional thinking which is contrary to the Taurus nature. There is also an exact Chiron/Moon conjunction which suggests a deep and painful wound at the heart level. We never know the deepest emotional workings of public figures, but most comedians are driven by pain to find humor in their situations and this was likely true of George Carlin. Sadly, his wife of nearly 40 years died in 1997 and he was subsequently treated for drug and alcohol addiction.

His irreverence was never as biting as when directed at religion, and this is not surprising considering an exact opposition in his chart between Jupiter (shared theologies) and Pluto (compulsion and transformation). He often said he prayed to Joe Pesci instead of to God, and invented the Frisbeetarian religion.

At the time of his death transiting Uranus was making an exact square to the Chiron/Moon conjunction in his chart. I suspect that Chiron was ready to leave this earth and Uranus provided the liberating force for him to make his exit.

Jill has a great article on Carlin along with videos. Astrotheme has a comprehensive bio along with the chart. He will be greatly missed by those of us who recognize that the Emperor isn't wearing any clothes.

Pluto and the 2008 Summer Solstice

2008-06-22T07:30:00.003-04:00

The four tropical cardinal points of the year are commonly known as the Solstices and Equinoxes, commonly celebrated on the days that the Sun enters the four cardinal signs: Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. For thousands of years these times have been celebrated as gateways from one season to another; from one perspective to another. The astrological chart for these gateways are thought to provide a glimpse of what is in store for the next few months.

The most notable thing in the chart for the 2008 Summer Solstice is the nearly exact opposition of the Sun to Pluto, just 11 minutes of orb (11 minutes from an exact 180 degree angle). The Sun is conjunct Venus and Ceres, so Pluto by relationship also opposes those planets as well. This suggests an intense summer, with Pluto creating the necessity for letting go of anything that is holding back the force of change.

It's an interesting coincidence that astronomers are still toying with Pluto's classification. First they tried to demote him to a "dwarf planet," now they want to mollify him by giving him his own classification of Plutoid. Still, astronomers continue to demonstrate a lack of respect for the power of this planet despite his small size. In an age of nano devices when smaller is better, you would think that astronomers would get with the program. Astrologers understand the power of Pluto, and it can't be reduced by changing his name.

We are already seeing the power of Pluto that began with the shift into Capricorn earlier this year, getting our attention as it began to undermine the very foundations of the structures (Capricorn) which we build as a society. Pluto will continue to be a powerful influence for at least another six months since Pluto squares the Sun in the chart for the Fall Equinox as well.

There is a message here from the gods, and a recommendation for all who read the stars. Pluto can be ruthless, but it also brings Truth. Whatever we must let go of under Pluto's influence is for our own ultimate good, and if we remember this and cultivate a deep trust in the process, we will find we are sheltered in the storm.

Friday links!

2008-06-20T07:32:00.002-04:00

I'm giving my brain a rest today so please visit some of my friends:

Robert Wilkinson brings back a fascinating post on the Mayan Calendar and the whole 2012 thing.
Sally McDonald compares the current world situation to the book The Fourth Turning. This is a really interesting analysis of world cycles that I'm going to look at next week.
Kathryn suggests that futurists need astrologers and connects money, oil and vice presidents to the Panic of 1873.
My fellow Obamaniac JM expounds on Obama's Gemini Moon.
Jill posts a hilarious video depicting the dream society of the 1950s.

See you tomorrow!

Profile of Barack Obama: Conclusion

2008-06-19T06:08:00.002-04:00

Disclaimer: Barack Obama is my choice for president.

This is part III of the series, catch up with Part I here, and Part II here.

Venus in Obama's chart is in Cancer, the sign of the family and nurturing those we love. Family is important to him - as is the sense of affiliation with one's ancestral roots, as we see in the placement of his Moon in the fourth house which is ruled by Cancer. Venus here is in the fifth house of creative self-expression, children, and sports, and we can clearly see this at work in Obama's love of basketball, and we can suppose that Obama finds in his children an opportunity to express what he considers to be the best of himself: this is what we strive to create in the fifth house.

Venus is trined by Neptune, and in a trine we see the positive aspects of both planets. Where the Neptune/Jupiter square mentioned previously has a tendency towards illusion (Neptune) in one's ideals (Jupiter), in a trine to Venus we see an enhancement of creativity as Neptune dissolves the boundaries that keep us locked in the material world, and Venus opens us up to the true beauty in life. This combination is often found in the charts of artists and mystics. Neptune here encourages Venus to see the best in people and dislikes conflict.

Chiron is in the first house of personal identity in Obama's chart and forms a Grand Trine to the Venus/Neptune planets. A Grand Trine occurs when three planets form 120 degree angles to each other, and is an aspect that brings an easy flow between the three planets. We saw in Part I how Chiron in its role as the Wounded Healer denotes an early wound in Obama's search for identity; it also provides the key to his healing of himself and others. Obama has made his healing process a part of his public persona (first house) as evidenced by his book Dreams of my Father in which he searches for his identity, and his political messages which is focused on healing (Chiron) the rifts of the past between peoples (Venus) of all kinds and finding common ground (Neptune). Obama doesn't just want to create change - he wants that change to heal what is wrong with America. The Neptune/Chiron aspect of the trine inspires Obama's supporters, and Venus gives him the attractive qualities to help him spread his message.

Partnerships in Obama's life are apt to be fraught with challenge, though, as we can see from the presence of Pluto in the seventh house of marriage and committed relationships. Pluto in any house shows where we are likely to face our fears and find experiences that drive us into the underworld of transformation, and for Obama this has come in the area of partnership. This placement is eased somewhat by the Venus Grand Trine which smooths the way and makes it easier for him to face the demons in the seventh house. Pluto in the seventh requires that we learn to balance issues of power in our relationships. So far his campaign has been remarkably free of drama, and news reports indicate that this lack of drama is a central requirement imposed by Obama on his staff. But we saw how Pluto in the seventh house erupted in the form of Jeremiah Wright as transiting Saturn set off the Chiron/Pluto opposition in Obama's chart.

Pluto is the ruler of the Midheaven here, revealing that it's not enough for one's career and public life (Midheaven) to bring fame and fortune - the individual must be able to connect to the career in a way that is deeply and intensely meaningful. There is a desire for power here, with Pluto as ruler, and also an extreme sensitivity to the ebbs and flows of the balance of power. Someone with a Pluto complex such as this who suffered from a lack of confidence would tend to react (Chiron) to a loss of power (Pluto) by creating dramas in their relationships (seventh house) that could sabotage their careers (Midheaven). Obama's confidence (Leo Sun) and Pluto-ruled midheaven combined to give him a powerful insight into the way politics was played, and from an early point in his career he worked with the power base to get his foot in the door.

We always have a choice as to how our chart can be expressed, and if we choose a life of service and personal evolution we can create quite a different story: the story of a man who overcomes a painful struggle (Chiron) to find a personal identity (in the first house) and strives to build a base of alliance in people that he trusts (Venus in Cancer) and then empowers them (Pluto in the seventh) to work with him towards a Great Work (Scorpio on the Midheaven) of transformation (ruled by Pluto). Instead of becoming deluded (Neptune) by his own sense of importance (Jupiter) he seeks to find a religious theology (Jupiter) that has real meaning and connects him to a true sense of the divine within himself (Neptune).

The South Node in the chart tells the story of our evolutionary past - it shows where we are most comfortable, but where those comfortable reactions have held us back. In Obama's chart the South Node is in Aquarius and in the first house. Obama has already been the one who was most visible (first house) - the one whose personal identity was the thing that was most important. He has already been the transpersonal leader (Aquarius) who sought no acclaim for himself . His North Node is in Leo in the seventh house, and his evolutionary pathway is calling him to express more of himself (Leo) but to do it through partnership with others (seventh house). Yet that transpersonal quality is still important, as evidenced by the conjunction of Uranus, ruler of Aquarius, conjunct the North Node. Uranus in the seventh house illustrates Obama's interest in talking to all kinds of people and learning their views in order to effect change (North Node). Both Uranus and Aquarius are overwhelmingly concerned about issues of social justice and equality.

There is a danger with a charismatic leader like Obama to become overwhelmed by a cult of personality, but we can see how the development of Obama's political career fits the story of his chart.

In a day or two we'll look at what the planets have in store for Barack Obama over the next six months.