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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!"
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Recent NewsScope Articles
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.
April 6, 2015 - Obama and the Iran; NJ Senator Menendez indicted; Mad Men's Matthew Weiner.
April 13, 2015 - Hillary makes it official; Bill progressed Venus; Chelsea's prog Mars.
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 20, 2015
By Michael Wolfstar
Marco Rubio’s Candidacy
A reader poses the question, “How does Sen. Rubio fare, as far as his natal chart and projected aspects go? Is there a clear picture of his potential for Presidential leadership?” Marco Rubio declared his candidacy for president only one day after Hillary Clinton, but in contrast to the former First Lady, pollsters currently rank him low in the field of contenders.
Marco Rubio was born with his Gemini Sun conjunct Ceres (May 28, 1971; Miami, FL; time unknown), making him an elegant communicator’ The Sun also opposes a Jupiter-Neptune conjunction, which adds idealism, empathy, and vision when positively expressed. But the opposition also warns about the potential negative manifestation, which is an inflated, unrealistic sense of self and misconceptions about the real world.
His Sun also trines Mars and Uranus, which gives him charisma, decisiveness, impatience to make his influence felt, and the agenda of a freedom fighter. However, his ability to connect with American voters is radically reduced since he has no natal or progressed planets in aspect to the U.S. Moon. Where he does have a close connection is to the U.S. Pluto: his Saturn-trine-Pluto (in Taurus and Virgo) trines the U.S. Pluto in Capricorn.
This Earth Grand Trine links him with the American plutocracy. His association with the Tea Party puts him in a favorable position to get megabuck donations from the Koch brothers, and with his roots in Cuba, he also has solid financial support from the sugar industry. His Venus in the financially savvy sign of Taurus is empowered by a trioctile (135º aspect) from Pluto. Rubio knows how to get his hands on Big Money, which gives him a political card to play in the campaign. His best bet is to position himself for Vice President.
Hillary and the Inequality Bubble
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, “the top 3% of families saw their share of total income rise to 30.5% in 2013 from 27.7% in 2010, while the bottom 90% saw their share fall.” The inequality gap is now the widest since 1929, and no matter what Hillary Clinton says, the rich continue to get richer while everyone else gets shafted.
Neptune is all over Hillary Clinton’s horoscope now and over the next two years. Taking her cue from the populist Elizabeth Warren, Hillary opened her campaign last week with a promise to support Main Street America. Yet because her progressed Sun and Mercury are in her 2nd house of money and squaring Neptune, the astrologically savvy can bet her sharp veer to the left is just political rhetoric.
With Sagittarius on the 2nd house cusp, Jupiter becomes the ruler of her money house. Its placement near her Ascendant makes financial security a primary motivator, and brings her plenty of opportunities to prosper. Since 2000, she’s made millions by writing books and through speaking engagements to large financial institutions. Juno, the partnership asteroid, is located in her 2nd house, and her husband has brought millions more to their shared portfolio.
Hillary began earning megabucks after her progressed Sun entered her 2nd house and opposed Uranus in 2000. It marked a sudden end to the “We’re broke” claim. Now that her progressed Sun is squaring the chameleon-like Neptune, she’s changing her colors. Will she disavow hedge funds, like the one managed by her son-in-law, Marc Mezvinsky? Not likely. Navigating the line between Main Street and Wall Street will be tricky business. Hillary’s biggest challenge will be authenticity.
* Is Wall Street worried? See Vanity Fair’s article.
The Fight of the Century
On May 2 Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will face off for “The Fight of the Century.” Mayweather is undefeated as a professional boxer and Forbes magazine ranks him as the highest paid athlete in the world. Pacquiao - the lesser known but in many quarters favored fighter – stands to earn $120 million for showing up, while Mayweather will rake in $180 million.
Floyd Mayweather was born with his Pisces Sun unaspected to any of the traditional planets (February 24, 1977; 10:35 am*; Grand Rapids, Michigan), a condition often associated with someone who has difficulty fitting into the real world. However, Mayweather’s Sun does trine Vesta, which asteroid lovers know gives a sense of dedication and devotion to one’s calling. Mayweather has been irrevocably on the boxing path since he was eight years old.
Mayweather’s Mars in the 10th house helps shape his career as a professional athlete. In Aquarius, the boxer knows that his success comes from a team effort that involves trainers, promoters, and business associates. And to toughen him up to be the best in the world, this Mars is exactly opposite Saturn and square Uranus. And it’s given psychological and physical strength by the trine to Pluto.
Over the last few years, as transiting Neptune has conjoined Mayweather’s Pisces Sun, he’s announced his retirement and been jailed for domestic abuse. But now he’s worth billions to Las Vegas. On the day of the fight, his progressed Mars and transiting Mars are favorably placed, making him the astrological favorite. Also, transiting Jupiter trine his progressed Sun in Aries adds confidence and showmanship. However, transiting Pluto is in a long-term square to his progressed Sun, indicating he’s now in his last hoorah.
* The time given here is purely speculative. However, the Jupiter-Moon-Lilith conjunction on a Taurus Ascendant corresponds to the nickname he’s given himself: “Money”.
