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"The natal chart is like a seed and progressions are the unfolding in time of that into the plant it is to become. Transits, are like a daily weather report. In political astrology, these three factors have to be taken into account!"
Comments, questions, suggestions? Let us know what you think. Email wolfstar@neptunecafe.com
Recent NewsScope columns
Jan 2, 2012 - Obama-Clinton in 2012?, Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Maryl Streep as the Iron Lady
Jan. 9, 2012 - Rick Sant-orum, Eris and the job market, Stephen Hawking's State of the Universe
Jan. 16, 2012 - Corporations are people, Americans Elect hold online nomination, the glamorous Marlene Dietrich
Jan. 23, 2012 - Gingrich wins in SC, the Costa Concordia disaster, Eris and Madonna: Chaos as art
Jan. 30, 2012 - Gingrich's 12th house Mars, top five astro-events for february, and the journey of OR-7
February 6, 2012 - Pluto stimulates the U.S. economy, Israel tempts fate, a UFO in the Baltic Sea
Feb.13, 2012 - Santorum and Super Tuesday, Whitney Houston slips away, Linsanity spreading
Feb. 20, 2012 - Xanax: addictive and profitable; Assad and the Lunar Eclipse; Bobby Brown
Feb. 27, 2012 - Obama's progressed Mars, Top Five Astro-events for March, will Jeb Bush save the GOP?
March 5, 2012 - Obama's Interview, the swing state Ohio, Maria Menounas - something to talk about
March 12, 2012 - Billionaire Sara Blakely, Rush Limbaugh and the feminazis, yoga teacher Kristin McGee
March 19, 2012 - the Goldman Sachs elite, journalist Chris Hedges, George Clooney arrested
March 26, 2012 - Afghan War chart, April's top five astro-events, Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence
April 9, 2012 - Ann Romney and Gender Gap, Trayvon Martin and George Zimmer-man, Matt Damon's guru
April 9, 2012 - Ann Romney and Gender Gap, Trayvon Martin and George Zimmer-
man, Matt Damon's guru
April 16, 2012 - The Chiron-Pluto Generation, Bobby Petrino's issues, and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
April 23, 2012 - The Secret Service scandal, May's top five astro-events, and the Titanic 100 years later
April 30, 2012 - China's Uranus cycle, France's next president Francois Hollande, DWTS' Katherine Jenkins
May 7, 2012 - Romney blames Obama, Michelle Obama's rectified birth chart, writer-director Joss Whedon
May 14, 2012 - Same-sex marriage, Venus and the financial markets, and Tom Gabel's transformation
Reader feedback
re: astro-detective - It would be interesting to see the Travis Alexander natal horoscope and the horoscope for the day he was killed on June 4, 2008.
re: Amanda Knox - I really enjoyed your new page about the Amanda Knox case--excellent work! I do have a question, though--at the very end, you suggest that the hard work for Amanda started when Uranus retrograded right square her Saturn and pr Saturn, but still minutes away. I've often wondered about these spare minutes--Saturn retrograded just minutes before conjuncting my Neptune a few months back (actually, looking at the chart now, it was 1 degree 14 mins...)
My tendency is to say there is no actual effect if there is not actual connection, and well, minutes are still minutes. But it sounds like you feel differently--if so, within how many minutes, or even degrees do you feel a transiting aspect must be to actually create an effect in a retrograde like this? What's your experience with this? The Knox case certainly seems proof. A. Every case is different, but a natal planet doesn't operate in isolation. Consider the progressed planets, and faster moving transits, like the Sun or Mars, or even the Moon, to carry the connection from the transit to the natal planet. This is known as the "translation of the light" in traditional astrology.
In Amanda's case, transiting Uranus turned retrograde while only 0º03’ from her progressed Saturn. The closeness of that station in itself suggests major life events unfolding. That's pretty much as close to a direct hit as one can get.re: Zendaya - I always enjoy your weekly column. I'm wondering if a birthtime of about 11:15 AM might be right for Zendaya Coleman? This puts that sensual Moon right on an angle, creates a Fixed Grand Cross, and highlights the existing Kite Grand Earth Trine... Plus Lilith right next to the MC.
A. Hmmm... maybe so. It's an interesting concept that Disney girls have a prominent Lilith. I did a quick check and noticed that Britney Spears has her Sagittarius Sun conjunct Lilith and Annette Funicello has Lilith conjunct her Cancer Ascendant.
Pope Francis - What do you think about his Sun in the 266 zodiac degree and being Pope 266?
Here is the Sabian Symbol: 26º Sagittarius (266): A Flag-Bearer In A Battle. Keyword: Nobility.
A. Marvelous synchronicity! I don't know what it means though....
Global Warming - Hi, I clicked several times on 'Science' but was told that it was in error. I'd like to read the article.
A. I apologize about the broken link. It was to an L.A. Times article explaining the Science article in plain English. Here it is again: climate-warming
re: Pope Francis - I wanted to point out that there are THREE St. Francis's: St. Francis de Sales being the third. HIS life's work also coincides with Francis I's ideas, I think: From Wikipedia: Francis de Sales, (21 August 1567 – 28 December 1622) was a Bishop of Geneva and is honored as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. He became noted for his deep faith and his gentle approach to the religious divisions in his land resulting from the Protestant Reformation.
Keep up the good work, tho I am really sick and tired of the ongoing power and influence that the forces that hold back our moving forthrightly into the New Age, are still so much in control, as your recent comments said... :-(re: NeptuneCafe - Just wanted to say that I'm really impressed with this site. I've studied astrology since I was little ( a long time ago) and for the last 6 years or so, intensively, with Noel Tyl.
So I'm sure I've been aware of The Neptune Cafe, but hadn't referenced it. But today, I got interested in Ceres because I noticed it was aspecting Pluto in a horary I set up and so in making a query I ran across your site. Wonderful work! A real resource for anyone wanting to learn Astrology, which I believe is really a soul endeavor. So you're doing God's work !!
re: Pluto in Leo generation - How is the Pluto in Capricorn going to affect the people who have the Uranus Pluto conjunction in Virgo? I saw the article Donna Cunningham did on the Pluto in Leo generation.
re: Reeva Steencamp - So if we knew her birth time, would it be easier to see something definitive, death-wise? You are being clear enough. But golly, these transits touch a lot of people and they don't die. Everyone born the same day as she was, for instance, didn't die when she did. You've talked, in the past, about the nodes being involved when someone dies, too.
A. Her choice to be with Oscar Pistorius creates another perspective of her life, and that's how her planets interact with his. The martial influences are overwhelming, and they exacerbate her own Mars-Juno square.
re: Monsanto - I am on your site several times a week to glean your astrological insights into current events and personalities and find your analysis very insightful. I just read an article on the Yahoo Financial page where Monsanto is suing a 75 year old grain farmer from Indiana, Vernon Bowman for $84,456. claiming he is using seeds that were developed by Monsanto and not signing the patent protection agreement which Monsanto closely guards.... The case is now going to the Supreme Court. I am wondering if you could run a chart on Monsanto and share your insights into this upcoming case.
re: Pope Benedict - I just read your column on Pope Benedict XVI's announcement from earlier this week, and thought you might enjoy a photo of lightning striking Saint Peter's Basilica within hours of Pope Benedict's declaration that he was resigning as Pope: http://www.bibleprobe.com/last10popes.htm
re: NewsScope - thank you for your weekly NewsScope. Your writings are very lucid and enjoyable.
Iraq's dinar - Love your weekly review. I want to ask about a curious currency issue that seems to be blooming. I am sure your readers would enjoy your take on the timing of this event when the Iraqi Dinar rises in value. Just in the last 2 weeks another major oil deposit was discovered
not to mention that their gold reserves have had a major increase... so if they can get their act together... how do you see this as to timing for investors?
re: Keth Urban - I read the page on Mariah as America's Favorite Diva and noted her work on American Idol. Actually, the person getting a lot of press is country singer Keith Urban, also on AI. He's an interesting character who's made real inroads in his career due to his work on Australia's The Voice show and now AI. Both transiting Mars and Neptune now trine his natal Sun, adding to the showbiz/glamour factor. But it's tr. Pluto that's interesting to study: it's opposite his Asc--nearly exact right now. I think his would be an interesting chart to investigate!
May 21, 2012 - FB's IPO, Will Greece leave the Eurozone?, Wis. Governor Scott Walker's recall
May 28, 2012 - Mohamed Morsi - Egypt's next president, June's astro-events, Jupiter and the SE
June 4, 2012 - Obama or Romney? Spain's financial T-square, cyberwarfare's General James Cartwright.
June 11, 2012 - Part Two of Who will win - Obama or Romney? A deeper look at each candidate's chart
June 18, 2012 - Pluto and the billionaries; Putin and the patriarchs, and the NBA finals with Kevin Durant
June 25, 2012 - The Vatican's protector of predator priests, July's top five, Larry Ellison buys Lanai
July 2, 2012 - Roberts and Obamacare, European leaders reach accord, Katie Holmes files for divorce
July 9, 2012 - Michelle Obama and Ann Romney on Election day, Henry Higgs and the UR-PL cycle
July 16, 2012 - Ceres and commodity prices, Condi Rice rumors, Woody Guthrie, dustbowl troubadour
July 23, 2012 - Black Moon Lilith Rising, James Holmes' split personality, celebrity CEO Marissa Mayer
July 30, 2012 - Romney's gaffe at the Olympics, August's top five events, Kristen Stewart's love life
Aug 6, 2012 - The Dawn Mission, Oscar Pistolius the blade runner, and James Holme's timed chart
Aug 13, 2012 - Paul Ryan wins the Veepstakes, the U.S. progressed Moon-Mars,Angelina wedding day
Aug 20, 2012 - The activated Uranus-Pluto, Russia's Black Moon, Jessica Alba's busy life.
Aug 27, 2012 - Romney's victory and the fiscal cliff, September's top five, Lance Armstrong's career dives.
Sept. 3, 2012 - The clash over Medicare, Clint East-wood talks with a chair, Mariah Carey's horoscope.
Sept. 10, 2012 - the astrology of QE3, Black Moon in Israel's chart, Leann Rimes and Patsy Cline
Sept. 17, 2012 - Chaos in the Middle East and Peace Day; women doing well; Kate Middleton's dilemma
Sept. 24, 2012 - Romney's 47 percent video, October's top five astro-events, Lindsay Lohan's attitude
Oct. 1, 2012 - Special Black Moon Lilith Issue, Romney's progressed Lilith; Iran's Lilith; Lilith celebrity profiles.
Oct. 8, 2012 - candidates' progressions, Turkey's Grand Cross, Miguel Cabrera wins Triple Crown.
Oct. 15, 2012 - Ohio, the bellwether state to win; Malala Yousafzai, freedom fighter; Ben Affleck's Argo...
Oct. 22, 2012 - Cyber Pearl Harbor, November's top five astro-events, and Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Biel
Oct. 29, 2012 - Neptune and the election, the Solar Eclipse hits Ohio's Neptune, and Queen Elizabeth II
Nov. 5, 2012 - Hurricane Sandy, the astrology of hurricanes, and Taylor Swift's philanthropy
Nov. 12, 2012 - Paula Broadwell, Election result commentaries, Spielberg's Abraham Lincoln
Nov. 19, 2012 - Mars along the Hamas-Israel border, Saturn and Obama's Neptune, Twinkies Gone?
Nov 26, 2012 - Mohamed Morsi - Egypt's new pharaoh, December's top five, Alfred Hitchcock
Dec. 3, 2012 - The fiscal cliff and the Mayan calendar, Tesla Motors, Park Jae-sang's Gangnam Style
Dec. 10, 2012 - Assad's progressed Mars, Orcus in Romney's and Assad's charts, Bill Murray as FDR
Dec. 17, 2012 - Adam Lanza - Newtown shooter, the U.S. twelfth house; John McAfee on the run
Dec. 24, 2012 - The National Rifle Association, January's Top Five Astro-Events, Suzy Favor Hamilton's double life.
Dec. 31, 2012 - Mars in key charts of 2013, India's social revolution, Matt Damon's new film Promised Land.
Jan. 7, 2013 - "Save us from self-inflicted wounds", Hugo Chavez's health crisis, Lilith - the comedians' muse.
Jan. 14, 2013 - Chuck Hagel, John Howard's gun control program, Paul Salopek begins his journey.
Jan. 21, 2013 - A brilliant Moon-Jupiter occultation; Natalie Wood's case re-opened; Chelsea Clinton.
Jan. 28, 2013 - Mary Jo White to head SEC, February's Top Five, Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Feb. 4, 2013 - The Dow hits 14,000, immigration reform coming up, Kevin Spacey stars in the House of Cards.
Feb.11, 2013 - CIA nominee John Brennan, Apple shifting gears, and the search for cop killer Chris Dorner.
Feb.18, 2013 - Sequester is coming, the Blade Runner and Beauty Queen, Steve Martin becomes a father.
Feb. 25, 2013 - Lilith upsets the Vatican, March's top five astro-events, racing pioneer Danica Patrick's rising star.
March 4, 2013 - Seven planets in Pisces, the Keystone XL project, Dorothy Hamill joins DWTS
March 11, 2013 - Energy independence and global warming, Kim Jong Un's Saturn return, Bernadette
March 18, 2013 - Mars activates four outer planets, Pope Francis, Ryan Sea-crest and Julianne Hough
March 25, 2013 - Pope Francis, an accurate birth chart; April's top five astro-events, Zendaya on DWTS
NewsScope for April 1, 2013
By Michael Wolfstar
Entering Uncharted Territory
Perhaps one of the most intriguing facets of Uranus-Pluto aspects is that they usher in life-changing developments with breathtaking speed. Those with personal planets in the 8º to 11º of the cardinal signs were undoubtedly moved last week due to the transiting Sun, Venus and Mars in Aries activating the ongoing Uranus-Pluto square in these critical degrees.
Beyond the personal realm, noticeable shifts took place in the economic, political, environmental, and military fronts. A surprising number of these shifts were characterized as “entering unchartered territory”. North Korea’s declaration of war last week went beyond the usual hostile rhetoric, leading to potential armed conflict for the first time since the truce was signed in 1953. Afghanistan, Israel, Iran, and other military hotspots also experienced heightened tensions.
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on the legitimacy of gay marriage during the Full Moon in the partnership sign of Libra. Justice Kennedy, who holds the decisive swing vote, said the case was taking the court “into uncharted waters”. Also last week, a group of environmentalists filed a lawsuit against the EPA for approving pesticides genetically embedded into seeds that have led to mass die-offs of bee colonies. One third of our food supply relies on bee pollination.
Both personally and geopolitically, the process is just heating up: the next New Moon takes place in assertive Aries on April 10 and conjoins Venus and Mars, making a quadruple conjunction. At the same time, transiting Saturn and Uranus are forming a quincunx, which naturally pits the traditional but potentially corrupt or stagnant ways against the progressive but untried new ways. The New Moon symbolizes an ending and new beginning. How will your world change during the week of April 10?
The Monsanto Protection Act
Last Tuesday President Obama signed a temporary spending bill that avoided a government shutdown. Many members of Congress were unaware that a rider, written by Monsanto*, was slipped into the bill that protected biotech companies from lawsuits. Monsanto makes genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that have been linked to the catastrophic collapse of bee colonies. Critics are now calling the bill the Monsanto Protection Act.
* Salon explains how the rider slipped in.
Monsanto was founded on November 30, 1901 (noon; St. Louis, MO) with the Sun in Sagittarius. The Sun’s location is exactly aligned with the U.S. Uranus, which identifies it as an innovative technology company. An exact conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the corporate sign of Capricorn opposes the U.S. Sun, which shows its influence over American development. Among its most popular products, Monsanto manufactured DDT, PCBs, and Agent Orange before they were banned.
In April 1995, Robert B. Shapiro became Monsanto’s CEO. He immediately spun off Monsanto’s core chemical business to focus on biotechnology products, notably, GMOs. At the time, transiting Saturn and Monsanto’s progressed Mars were both at 18º Pisces where they squared Monsanto’s Uranus-Pluto opposition, marking the beginning of a corporate transformation. Transiting Pluto was just entering Sagittarius, and by the time it conjoined Monsanto’s Sun, the company had completed the transition from a chemical giant to a biotech giant.
Astrologers know that trines are protective. When Obama signed the spending bill last Tuesday, a transiting quadruple conjunction involving the Sun, Venus, Mars and Uranus was taking place in impulsive Aries. These planets formed a protective trine to Monsanto’s Sagittarius Sun. Meanwhile transiting Pluto is heading into Monsanto’s Jupiter-Saturn conjunction which will most likely fortify its position as the world’s largest producer of genetically modified crops.
Retrial Ordered for Amanda Knox
Last week the Italian high court ordered a retrial of American student Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher. Ms. Knox had already spent four years in an Italian prison for the crime when the courts overturned her conviction, citing a lack of any objective evidence. The retrial will begin later this year or in early 2014.
Amanda Knox was born with her Sun, Mercury and Venus in homebound Cancer (July 9, 1987; 2:47 am; Seattle, WA), but her Moon is in the wandering sign of Sagittarius. With Gemini Rising, Mercury is the ruler of her chart. Last week a transiting triple conjunction involving the Sun, Venus and Uranus was squaring her Mercury when the surprise ruling was announced.
Amanda’s Venus is prominently placed by its conjunction with Mercury and the network of aspects. Her Mercury-Venus trine Pluto gives her sex appeal, while the opposition to Neptune creates a cloud of doubt over her true motivations and actions. These outer planet connections to her Mercury-Venus make her the subject of intense projections and speculation, based more on rumors and stereotypes than facts.
Venus is located in her 2nd house of money, and is currently being activated by a conjunction from her progressed Ascendant. This alignment reflects the $4 million deal she received from HarperCollins to publish her memoir, an account of her harrowing ordeal in Perugia, Italy. Since the ongoing Uranus-Pluto square activates her progressed Sun (at 11º Leo) this year, and her natal Sun (16º Cancer) in 2014 and 2015, we can expect that she will continue to be the subject of sensational news stories. According to legal expert Alan Dershowitz*, if she is found guilty (again), then her case “enters uncharted territory.”
* Read Dershowitz’s commentary at wsj.com/
Read the full-length astrological profile on Amanda Knox
MarketWatch Headline:
The Technical Indicator
April 2, 2013,
"Dow industrials venture to uncharted territory"
