Search within NeptuneCafe
Custom Search
Comments, questions, suggestions? Let us know what you think. Email wolfstar@neptunecafe.com
"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!"
Recent NewsScope Articles
Jan. 6, 2014 - Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio; Colorado legalizes marijuana; Sean Penn's love life.
Jan. 13, 2014 - Jeff Bezos and Chiron-Pluto; is Chris Christie a bully? West Virginia's eco-disaster
Jan. 20, 2014 - Cyber insecurity , Ceres and California's drought, Francois Hollande
Jan 27, 2014 - Market volatility and the Grand Cross; Feb. top five; Russell Wilson and the Seahawks
Feb. 3, 2014 - The politics of Marianne Williamson, Black Widows, Amanda Knox re-convicted.
Feb. 10, 2014 - Mercury turns retrograde; Viktor Yanukovych at the crossroads; AthenaHealth.
Feb.17, 2014 - Comcast's evil empire; Mercury retrograde brings travel snafus, Kevin Spacey.
Feb. 24, 2014 - China's shadow banking system; March's top five; Ukraine's Yulia Tymoshenko freed.
March 3, 2014 - Ukraine's 12th house; Putin's stars; Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sirius, Grand Cross.
March 10, 2014 - Tracking Mars and Pluto; Obama's Part of Fortune; Grace Kelly and Nicole Kidman.
March 17, 2014 - Charting Flight MH370; East Turkestan separatists; Nicole Kidman, Part 2.
March 24, 2014 - The pilot of MH370; April's Top Five Astro-Events; Shailene Woodley stars in Divergent.
March 31, 2014 - Henry Waxman vs. Big Pharma; conscious uncoupling; Russell Crowe as Noah.
April 7, 2014 - The rise of America's Plutocracy; the first of four "Blood Moons"; Anja Niedringhaus.
April 14, 2014 - Russia flexes its muscles; Wal-Mart goes organic; Stephen Colbert.
April 21, 2014 - Astrology rising; "you don't believe in astrology, do you?"; Susan Miller, pop astrologer.
April 28, 2014 - The U.S. progressed Mars; May's top five; DWTS's Meryl Davis and Maks Chmerkovskiy.
May 5, 2014 - Obama relocated to Kiev, the tech sector's swoon, NBA owner Donald Sterling banned.
May 12, 2014 - Mars turns direct on May 19; Rob Ford, mayor of Crazy Town; George Clooney to marry.
May 19, 2014 - Narendra Modi, India's new Prime Minister; Hillary Clinton's double whammy; Beyonce.
May 26, 2014 - Pope Franics in the Middle East; June's top five astro-events; the Lindy Hop Revival.
Unless otherwise stated, all data is rated A or AA from AstroDataBank
June 2, 2014 - Pluto opp the U.S. Sun; overhauling the Vets Admin; Steve Ballmer and the Clippers.
June 9, 2014 - Mars in the danger zone; Ukraine's Petro Poroshenko; JG's "The Fault in our Stars"
June 16, 2014 - ISIS seeks world domination, Eric Cantor's defeat; Subtext in Angelina Jolie's Maleficent
June 23, 2014 - World Refugee Day, July's top five astro-events; Howard Schultz, coffee King.
June 30, 2014 - The U.S. plutocracy; Uranus in U.S. 6th house; Jurgen Klinsmann, U.S. soccer.
July 7, 2014 - Lilith on the U.S. MC; Elizabeth Warren's rising star; Kim Kardashian, #1 trendsetter.
July 14, 2014 - Germany boots U.S. spy chief; marijuana prohibition; Cleveland twice blessed.
July 21, 2014 - Global hotspots heat up, is Malaysian Airlines cursed? the Planet of the Apes.
July 28, 2014 - Three air disasters is a coincidence? August's top five; is Charlize Theron engaged?
Aug 4, 2014 - Obama's 2014 solar return; Israel's Pluto; Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gets married.
Aug 11, 2014 - Mars activates Solar Eclipse; Russia's empire memory; Diamond Dallas Page Yoga.
Aug. 18, 2014 - Missouri militarizes police, Robin Williams and Lilith; Rachael Price, jazz vocalist.
Aug 25, 2014 - The Saturn-Uranus dilemma; Sept.'s top five; Piper Kerman's "Orange is the New Black".
Sept. 1, 2014 - NATO awakens, Angela Merkel at the frontiline, Jack Ma's Alibaba is coming.
Sept. 8, 2014 - Virginia's Bob McDonnell; Joan Rivers; Brangelina's wedding, good timing?
Sept. 15, 2014 - Chiron, how much weight? Nasdaq's top ten gainers; Teddy Roosevelt on PBS.
Sept. 22, 2014 - Alibaba, the biggest IPO ever; October's top five astro-events; FDR's blessing.
Sept. 29, 2014 - Neptune trines U.S. Ascendant; Eleanor Roosevelt; Derek Jeter, a class act.
Oct. 6, 2014 - U.S. security breaches; Hong Kong's Umbrella Revolution; Princess Charlotte.
Oct. 13, 2014 - Ebola and Lilith; What happened to Kim Jong Un? Juno, Clooney and marriage.
Oct. 20, 2014 - Saturn urges Obama forward; the stock markets' wild gyrations; James Risen.
Oct. 27, 2014 - Barbara Boxer and global warming; Nov.'s top five astro-events; Gigamon surprises.
Nov. 3, 2014 - Tim Cook's historic declaration; remembering Joan Quigley; Renee Zellwegger.
Nov. 10, 2014 - Lamar Smith on the political frontline; re-thinking Lilith; DWTS Janel Parrish.
Nov. 17, 2014 - Neptune's station; Obama's executive action; Jessica Alba, CEO of The Honest Co.
Nov. 24, 2014 - Hillary Clinton's Ceres and the 2016 campaign; December's top five; Bill Cosby scandal.
Dec. 1, 2014 - National candidates and the U.S. Moon; Firestone's deal with Liberia; The Force Awakens
Dec. 8, 2014 - American angst over race, police tactics, tracked using the Emancipation Proclamation
Dec. 15, 2014 - Oil patch implosion! Amy Pascal targeted by hackers; Paul Revere returns.
Dec. 22, 2014 - Cuba awakens! Jeb Bush explores a run; Mehmet Oz's alternative medicine.
Dec. 29, 2014 - Jeb Bush and Saturn; January's top five astro-events; Alexander Gerst's Blue Dot Mission.
Jan. 5, 2015 - Will Hillary run? Bono's Chiron-Pluto opposition; Angelique Kidjo, Africa's premier diva.
Jan. 12, 2015 - Neptune's anxiety; France under attack; Pope Francis's exciting Venus return.
Jan. 19, 2015 - Court takes up gay marriage; Swiss Bank shocks system; Chris Kyle, American Sniper.
Jan. 26, 2015 - Deflategate: Tom Brady's footballs; February's top 5; Klay Thompson's best quarter.
Feb. 2, 2015 - Greece's Alexis Tsipras; Shake Shack's debut; Katy Perry at the Super Bowl.
Feb. 9, 2015 - Saturn in Sagittarius, Jill Stein's Green New Deal; Elvis meets Nixon.
Feb 16, 2015 - Jeff Jawer, astro-luminary; journalists in transition; Jeff and Scorpio Rising US chart.
Feb. 23, 2015 - Uranus enters the US sixth; Neonicotinoids and bees; Dr. Seuss is back!
March 2, 2015 - The Boris Nemtsov papers; March's top 5; David Tredinnick, the MP favoring astrology.
March 9, 2015 - Ceres into view, AAPL and solar energy; Chai Jing's "Under the Dome" goes viral.
March 16, 2015 - Britain's royal family under the Eclipse; Kate and William; Charles' progressed MC.
March 23, 2015 - Nuclear deal with Iran? April's top 5 astro-events; Krissi Brown remains in a coma.
March 30, 2015 - Andreas Lubitz, unfit for duty; Q&A - Richard III; Bas Lansdorp's Mars One mission
re: Alexis Tsipras - if Tsipras has natal Mercury-Saturn in the 2nd house, he's stuck with that sense of a financial burden for the rest if his life, isn't he?
A. It's being hit by transiting Uranus and Pluto, so a major concern now. The natal potential is apparent in every planet, but it manifests when progressions or transits come by. I didn't mention it, but Tsipras was born four days after Greece became a nation, so he in particular personifies today's Greece.
re: Klay Thompson - Thanks for your excellent analysis of Klay's excellent performance.
re: gay marriage - I think the Supreme Court will approve/support gay marriage across the nation, mainly because the North Node at 13 Libra Rx is conjunct the U.S. Saturn 14 Libra. I have noticed that Libra has played heavily in this issue.
re: US election - Though I've relocated for a bit over a year now to the other side of "the pond," the upcoming US presidential election continues to intrigue me, especially, as you've described transiting Saturn's placement in present contenders' charts! In this day and age, US leadership change is such an important barometer to the statues of EU. Thanks for your column that I follow religiously every Monday morning!
re: France - You said that the full moon would activate the Uranus Pluto square. I would guess that Uranus, discovered in 1781, represents Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, the national motto of France.
re: NewsScope - I am mailing you a $25 check for keeping me on your early NewsScope email list. You have me guessing about what events or people you will cover each week. For an amateur astrologer like me, it is educational indeed.
Reader feedback
re: the first NewsScope - Your obituary for Jeff Jawer mentioned starting the Weekly NewsScope in 1998. I dug around on my computer and found what I think is the very first NewsScope, from February 1997. It is attached. But it does seem that by January 1998 it had stabilized to its present form.
A. Maybe the first ones were in 1996 - I'm thinking August 1996 is when I started writing it for AOL's AstroNet. I do remember writing just one straight column for a while until I was informed that those who surf the net have short attention spans and three brief articles would be better than one long one. After AstroNet folded, it was syndicated to a few websites, including Astrogram and Astrologyzine, which has the earliest NewsScopes still posted on the net. They go back to December 1996. See http://www.astrologyzine.com
re: Jeff Jawer - I'm very sorry for the loss of your colleague, he will be missed by many. Jeff was the first professional astrologer I consulted, probably about 15 years ago, and his reading was very helpful at the time. I've been a regular StarIQ reader since then, and StarIQ is where I first read your articles.
re: Jeff Jawer - So sorry you and all of us have lost Jeff. The tribute in your column is a way to let so many people know he was here, gave a lot, and appears to be gone. Onward with appreciation
re: Jeff Jawer - Such a nice way of commemorating Jeff Jawer.
re: Jeff Jawer - I too (like so many readers) feel a deep gratitude for StarIQ.com. Your tribute to Jeff is lovely.
re: Brian Williams and Bob Simon - One unwillingly stepped out of the spotlight due to hubris ... while the other left the spotlight of life. Both of these television journalists had exceptional skills and experience. Why did it go so differently for them?
re: Brian Williams - Integrity goes a long way in the news business. It looks like transiting Pluto will oppose Williams' natal Mars over the next couple of years. Do you think he can recover from this self-inflicted crisis?
A. I doubt it. I'd be more confident of this if we had an exact birth time to work with.
re: Bobbi Christina Brown - it would be interesting to see the connections between Bobbi's chart, her mother Whitney Houston's chart, the date of Whitney's death and the recent biopic on Lifetime. What a sad, sad story for that little girl. Too much grown up emotions for her to handle.
re: Iran - What are the chances that the negotiations with Iran regarding its nuclear program will be successfully completed in June? Do the stars favor such an agreement between these two nations? The follow up question is what are the chances if the agreement getting through the Congress? I realized that any answer that you give is highly speculative, but I was just wondering if astrology was leaning towards a more favorable outcome to such an agreement or against it?
A. First, astrology is not a homogenous whole that favors one outcome or another. Astrology is made up of many individual astrologers who often have diametrically opposing views.Now in my opinion, this deal will go forward. Using the Scorpio Rising horoscope, transiting Uranus is exactly trine the Midheaven while transiting Neptune is exactly trine the Ascendant. If you ask those who favor a different chart for the U.S. you won't find these angular hits, and then you might get a totally different forecast.
re: royal family - I don't believe the Kate v Queen stuff either. I think they are very much on the same page as you say, but I do think Kate will be the most powerful royal when the queen goes. She is a very strong woman. Kate is busy breeding right now. Most likely scenario: Phil dies or is too ill to go on, Queen abdicates, Charles crowned. Queen's Mum lived to be more than 100.
re: royal family - This is so significant. Most of the people on the planet have only known one British ruler. Talk about a long-standing institution. Whew. I know that it's all a bunch of pomp and circumstance, but lordy do they know how to do THAT. I also think that in today's society we don't recognize the importance of this kind of ceremony. In any case, We could see two more in our lifetimes. Charles is no spring chicken. If he does get the throne, I could see him dying and passing it along to his son in my lifetime. It's possible....
re: Prince Charles - I know the royal succession comes down to a popularity contest but I am well aware of Charles very deep concerns for the planetary environment and his efforts to promote sustainable practices in agriculture and a general appreciation for Mother Earth. He is under-estimated by many who really don't know him very well.
re: Hillary - According to your post last May, Hillary's Double Whammy, is it possible that:
1) T-Neptune at 8 Pisces squaring natal Uranus (USA chart) at 8 Gemini (communication, correspondence) made HC’s news conference at the UN a much bigger global story?
2) HC’s P2-Mars (in her 10th) opposing T-Neptune has now cast doubt that she may not be ready for prime time (waiting to respond over a week regarding lack of transparency)? Doesn't it highlighting her team as dysfunctional and not inspirational?
A. Yes, the Neptune influence is very clear in this email debacle. The Neptune transits to the U.S. chart being concurrent with events in HC's life are normal for national politicians. They wouldn't be on the national stage without close connections to the U.S. chart.
re: plagiarism - Did I ever tell you that a head honcho of our astrology association here in <deleted>, back about 4 or so years ago, when he was just coming here from <deleted>, wrote at length about some theme that I recognized as yours, with examples and all from your column… except that he turned the result around to fit his hypothesis -- and used all of that as his own material. Of course, I couldn't let that pass without bringing it up and, in the process, embarrassing him. Interestingly that I was then blackballed by "the good ol' guys" of the association. And presently, a bit of that kind of hypocrisy and nastiness is something I'm presently facing, having returned to <deleted> . After I had my say, I just decided to go off on my own.
A. Thank-you for sharing this. And for your courage.
Ceres and the environment - I had my doubts about the influence of dwarf planet Ceres. However, I had an incident on February 19, 2015 where transiting Uranus opposed my natal Neptune in my fourth house and transiting Ceres squared both planets. A falling tree knocked down an electrical transformer and spilled the insulating oil out of the transformer into my front yard. Neptune (oil) was afflicted by Uranus (electrical) and Ceres (environmental) and the local utility was concerned about possible toxins in the oil. Fortunately, a cleanup crew dug up the contaminated soil in part of my yard and restored power promptly. My limited experience would seem to verify the Ceres/environment connection!
re: transits to progressions - I notice that you often refer to transits to progressed planets. I’ve never really looked closely at these, and I wonder how powerful they are. Are they as significant as transits to the natal planets? Or more so?
A. Yes, they can be as significant as transits to natal planets or progressions to natal planets. This is especially true if the transits or progressions are hitting the progressed Sun, progressed angles, or the progressed ruling planet. Outer planet transits moving at relatively the same speed as the progressed moon while aspecting it can mean several months of a major life process unfolding. For example, the progressed Moon aligned with transiting Saturn can mean a lengthy bout of depression at its worst, but certainly a serious phase with deep thoughts. Outer planet transits to the progressed Sun is more about a change of identity.
NewsScope for April 6, 2015
By Michael Wolfstar
Obama and the Iran Accord
The nuclear accord announced last week between Iran, the U.S., and five other world powers is a major breakthrough in talks that have lasted for years. Iran’s chart (previewed here two weeks ago) showed the likelihood that a deal was imminent, although numerous obstacles remain. What about Obama’s horoscope? Does it show success, or will everything fall apart by the deadline in two months?
This week transiting Jupiter turns direct at 12º35’ Leo. Obama’s Leo Sun is located at 12º32’ Leo, a mere 0º03’ from an exact conjunction. Astrologers could find no better astrological formula for a success story, although other transits and progressions underscore the historic nature of this Iran nuclear accord. These include transiting Saturn in his 10th house of reputation forming a tight sextile to his progressed Sun in the peace-making sign of Libra.
Obama’s seventh house contains three nasty planets, which accounts for the open enmity to everything he does at a national level. Even nastier is the presence of Black Moon Lilith right on the Descendant, making this shadowy archetype the most prominent placement in the seventh house of “open enemies”. Over the coming month, Obama’s progressed Moon will be squaring Lilith, ensuring that his political rivals will be outspokenly negative about this deal.
Still, in two months, the signs look good that the initial framework completed last week will advance to the final form and be signed. Most significantly, transiting Jupiter and Uranus will trine each other, and less than one degree from Obama’s Lilith. The Republican-led Congress could refuse to ratify the accord, but this Jupiter-Uranus trine makes that outcome unlikely. Transiting Venus conjoins Jupiter on June 30, sealing the deal.
Bob Menendez Indicted for Bribery
Right on cue to fulfill this month’s astro-event #2, the U.S. Department of Justice charged New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez with 14 counts of corruption, bribery and fraud. According to the indictment, Menendez used his office to benefit a Florida eye doctor in exchange for $1 million in gifts and campaign contributions. Menendez is strongly resisting the charges and blames unnamed political enemies.
Bob Menendez was born with his Capricorn Sun exceptionally well aspected (January 1, 1954; New York, NY; time unknown): these include a conjunction with Venus, a sextile to a constructive Mars-Saturn conjunction, and a trine to the political strategy asteroid Pallas. The location of his Mars-Saturn pair at 7º Scorpio is especially useful in American politics since it conjoins the U.S. Scorpio Ascendant. It has helped him withstand many years of corruption allegations.*
A major challenging aspect to Menendez’s Sun is a close square to Black Moon Lilith in the “quid pro quo” sign of Libra. Transiting Pluto in Capricorn had just activated this Sun-Lilith square in January 2013 when The New York Times first reported that a federal grand jury was investigating Menendez for his shady deals with a wealthy Florida ophthalmologist.
Another problem area in Menendez’s chart is his Juno-Pluto conjunction in Leo, which forms a trioctile (135º aspect) to his Sun. This Juno-Pluto combination is a clear signature connecting partners in power. Menendez began receiving heavy campaign contributions from the eye doctor in 1997 when his progressed Sun opposed this Juno-Pluto conjunction. Now, with transiting Neptune conjunct his progressed Mercury (retrograde in Pisces), the Senator is denying any culpability. Would any astrologer believe him under this deceptive influence?
* See Wikipedia’s article on Menendez for an exhaustive list of these charges over the years.
Mad Men’s Matthew Weiner
On April 5, the critically acclaimed television show Mad Men begins the second half of its final season. Since its premiere on July 19, 2007 the changing moods and social mores of the 1960s have been depicted through the lives of a Madison Avenue ad agency. The show’s head writer, producer and director is Matthew Weiner, who originally pitched the series idea back in 1999.*
Weiner was born during the New Moon in Cancer (June 29, 1965; Baltimore, MD; time unknown), a sign known for its nostalgic attachment to past eras. With his Jupiter in Gemini conjunct his North Node, writing becomes a superb outlet for advancement in life. However, with Jupiter squaring the epic Uranus-Pluto conjunction in Virgo as well as Saturn in Pisces, The Mad Men spec script faced many delays before it was finally taken up by AMC in 2006.
Weiner’s Mercury-Venus conjunction in late Cancer is generally well aspected, which tremendously enhances his writing ability. This planetary duo is also exactly aligned with the U.S. Pluto, which defines how he would become successful on the national scene. The U.S. Pluto is in the third house of communication, where it represents the power of persuasion through mass advertising.
Weiner’s Mercury-Venus has one major challenging aspect: an opposition to Black Moon Lilith (which conjoins the U.S. Pluto). Lilith’s positive side is its creativity, especially when exposing in dramatic or humorous ways the dark side, the hidden agendas, and the numerous skeletons in the closet. Weiner’s Mad Men offers an intriguing, behind-the-scenes look at the selling of an image. And most significantly, Weiner writes about current cultural themes (especially adultery and sexism) through the eyes of 1960s flawed characters.
* Read about Weiner’s history with Mad Men in The Hollywood Reporter
