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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
Reader feedback
re: Part of Misfortune - Okay, please say more about the Part of Misfortune. I don't remember ever hearing the Part of Fortune called that. Your quote: Transiting Neptune conjunct the USSS Part of Misfortune shows an unmitigated scandal.
A. The Part of Misfortune is the same as the Part of Fortune except that it's badly placed or aspected. I first came across this term in Ivy Goldstein-Jacobson's book Simplified Horary Astrology. She writes that "The Part of Fortune becomes the Part of Mis-fortune when afflicted by being in the unfortunate 12th or 8th house or in the 12th sign Pisces or the 8th sign Scorpio". She goes on to refine the definition so that when the Part of Fortune is badly aspecting Mars, Neptune or in the 29th degree of any sign, or the same degree as the nodes, it becomes the Part of Misfortune. Presumably, one could add a hard aspects from Pluto.
re: Ann Romney - I liked your chart for Ann Romney. I know it's your rectification but it seems correct. It also looks like the chart of someone whose husband is a winner in November. But we don't have a timed chart, that I know of, for Michelle Obama. Have you got a timed or rectified chart for her? If so, could you post it?
re: Bobby Petrino - It would be interesting to those of us who are College Football Fans to know the "astrology" surrounding the recent firing of Coach Bobby Petrino, the football coach at the UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS. Coach Petrino has had a "history" of deceit, and "baring false witness". Although as a football coach, he's definitely a "winner". I believe it might make a good and interesting astrological piece for NewsScope as there's an interesting mixture of "human" failures and success all present in this one person.
re: Sumatra earthquake - Well, you called it. You said in your Cascadia earthquake article that the April 6th Full Moon was a trigger date, and now we have Indonesia. Does one consider Indonesia in the 'ring of fire?'
A. Absolutely!
re: Obamacare - You wrote: "[Kennedy's] most famous reversal took place on June 29, 1992, when he changed his mind and sided with those supporting Roe v. Wade." Since Roe v. Wade was decided in January of 1973, I don't understand the reference to June 29, 1992.
A. Pennsylvania passed a law called Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act that was being challenged as unconstitutional based on Roe v. Wade. For details, see wikipedia/Planned_Parenthood_v._Casey
Justice Kennedy voted to uphold Roe v. Wade in a 5-4 decision, made public on June 29, 1992. Had he voted the other way, as he initially intended, Roe v. Wade would have been struck down.
re: Obamacare - You wrote: "Kennedy’s expressed interest is about establishing limits to the individual health insurance mandate. Since his progressed Sun in Libra conjoins the U.S. Saturn (orb 0º02’), he will most likely find the limiting principle and uphold the constitutionality of Obamacare."
If he's concerned about the limiting principle, doesn't that suggest that he'll shoot down the individual mandate, thus applying constitutional limits to government power? Upholding the Obamacare mandate would further advance unlimited government. (If they can force people to buy government-approved insurance plans, what will they force us to buy next?)A. My understanding is that Kennedy has come around to seeing that everyone is essentially already in the medical care system. His reasoning is that when an uninsured individual goes to the ER, the state picks up the bill, which in turn is paid by taxpayers, meaning that everyone is already paying into the medical system. The limiting principle is that it's not establishing a commercial enterprise and then requiring everyone to join, but that everyone is already in this system.
During the hearings, Kennedy at first questioned the government's power to force an individual to act, that is, to buy health insurance. But later, he said this: “I think it is true that, if most questions in life are matters of degree, it could be that in the markets for health insurance and for the health care for which insurance was the method of payment, the young person who is uninsured is uniquely proximately very close to affecting the rates of insurance and the costs of providing medical care in a way that is not true in other industries. That’s my concern in the case.”re: Obamacare - You write that the Supreme Court decision will be made public around June 26.
However, the Justices met on Friday, March 30 to "decide" the case, and to make assignments regarding the writing of opinions. Those opinions will be made public around June 26, as you pointed out. Although a Justice may "change their vote" between the time they meet to decide an issue (in this case, it was March 30, regarding "Obamacare"), and the time the decision & opinions are made public, they seldom do. Does the fact the Justices have already met and "decided" this issue, and are now writing their opinions, does that change anything regarding what was written in the April 2 NewsScope?
A. - Yes, I read that they voted last Friday. From now until late June, they will send notices back and forth to each other, trying to persuade others to change their mind. It rarely changes as you say, but in a critical 5-4 vote, it's worth trying. This is why I mentioned Roe v. Wade, because Kennedy did change his mind on that one. I looked at the astrology very deeply, and there are powerful indicators pointing in both directions. I may be wrong on my forecast, but what I wrote is the way it seems to me.
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
NewsScope for April 23, 2012
By Michael O’Reilly
The Secret Service Scandal
In the wake of the Columbia prostitution scandal, astrologers may be interested in seeing the Secret Service horoscope. Created by Abraham Lincoln at the close of the Civil War, the agency officially began on July 5, 1865 (set for noon; Washington, D.C.). The planetary placements in this chart have very tight connections to the Scorpio Rising U.S. horoscope, reflecting its primary role in national affairs.
For discussion of the time the Titanic sank, see
The Secret Service Sun squares Neptune, which describes its original objective as uncovering counterfeit currency operations, and later as discreet protection for the president and the White House. With Saturn in the first house and square Mercury (the natural ruler of agents), the Secret Service has a serious demeanor and purpose. Mars in proud Leo exemplifies the honor and sense of mission held by most Secret Service agents.
This chart has been highly active during all attacks on the president, always involving transiting Mars, natal Mars and/or progressed Mars. For example, the Kennedy assassination on November 22, 1963 took place during a transiting Venus-Mars conjunction which conjoined the S.S. Jupiter. Progressed Mars was quincunx natal Venus, the ruler of the USSS horoscope, located in the 8th house of death.
On April 11, when the president’s advance security team was partying with prostitutes from a strip club, the Secret Service Jupiter was being highly activated by a perfect trine from the progressed Moon, leading to unguarded exuberance. The USSS progressed Sun at 7º Sagittarius was being activated by the transiting Venus-Juno-Chiron T-square so often mentioned in this column. Transiting Neptune conjunct the USSS Part of Misfortune shows an unmitigated scandal.
Top Five Astro-Events for May
1. Mars quincunx Uranus on the 7th is tremendously amplified by Jupiter octile Uranus on the same day, marking a highly volatile and dangerous phase from the 1st through 11th. During this time, watch out for accidents, irrational behavior, and explosive situations. The world’s hotspots will likely become increasingly tumultuous, while mass demonstrations turn violent and confrontational.
2. The U.S. Ceres is activated all month by transiting Chiron, Saturn, and Pluto, renewing concerns about the job market, entitlement programs, and the growing disparity between the affluent and everyone else. “Women’s issues” enter the political fray, especially concerning equal pay, sexual abuse, the right to be ordained, and reproductive rights. An energized U.S. Ceres in Pisces means working hard to overcome victimization.
3. Venus in fickle Gemini turns retrograde on the 15th, bringing out some of her more annoying qualities through the end of June when she turns direct. Those most influenced by Venus can become unreliable, shallow, and overly talkative. For those stuck in unfulfilling relationships, this phase is a good time to re-think your partnership status and expand your social horizons.
4. Saturn squares the U.S. Mercury on the 12th but is a significant influence all month. This hard-nosed aspect tends to bring out bad news, especially on the business and political fronts. Negative campaigning between two unpopular parties sets the tone, while new assessments of the global economy create a gloomy outlook. Diplomatic envoys bring ultimatums.
5. The Solar Eclipse in Gemini on the 20th squares Neptune, kicking off a month of restlessness, uncertainty, and widespread angst. Set for Washington, the Eclipse chart features Mars at the Midheaven, indicating unsettling developments on the military front and a new round of tough diplomacy, most likely concerning Syria, Iran and/or Afghanistan. Watch out for scandalous behavior, false reports, and deceptive or fraudulent claims.
The Titanic Sank 100 Years Ago
A NewsScope reader noticed all the media coverage on the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic: “Its power, tragedy, arrogance and glamor live on. They’ve even re-issued the movie Titanic in 3-D…. Why astrologically did it happen?” Although it took many hours to sink, the event chart is set for when the Titanic* struck an iceberg, which was 10:07 pm EST on April 14, 1912.
Pluto conjunct the Descendant represents the seriousness of the event, the pending losses. Pluto has hidden destructive power - very much like an iceberg, which has 90 percent of its mass underwater. Pluto here is under stress due to the tight square from a Moon-Eris conjunction in watery Pisces. Following Eris’s symbolism, what seemed like a small, harmless thing soon turned into a full-blown tragedy.
Disasters are generally marked by an outer planet forming a hard aspect to the Lunar Node axis. Neptune, the King of the Seas, is only ½ a degree from squaring the North Node in Aries, which also conjoins the Sun and retrograde Mercury. This configuration describes the miscommunication and confusion that disrupted the maiden voyage. Ceres is also involved with this set-up, a signature corroborating major loss of life.
Every planetary placement has a story to tell. Saturn in Taurus suggests the Captains of Industry who were onboard. Jupiter in Sagittarius is the chart ruler, and is found in the 12th house of self-undoing where it indicates the grandeur, arrogance, and over-confidence that set the mood. Uranus in Aquarius reminds us of the social injustices, the class distinctions that meant the poor were vastly over-represented on the casualty list.
But the most powerful dynamic is the angular Eris-Pluto square, showing how small events can turn into huge disasters. This same square was in effect when Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated two years later, leading to the Great War. The Titanic disaster may have been a warning that the façade of our social fabric can come unraveled in a single fateful moment, and the conditions that led up to it resonate with our current geopolitical situation.
* NewsScope profiled the Titanic film in 1999. See astrogram.com/newsscope
