May 14, 2012 - Same-sex marriage, Venus and the financial markets, and Tom Gabel's transformation
Reader feedback
re: Progressed Moon - I like the way you tie the US progressed moon to past military shows of force. I just hope you are wrong. Looking at Iraq and Afghanistan, our track record in spreading our notion of governance is profoundly disappointing and wasteful of human lives.
re: Gross National Happiness - I love this piece on Venus!
re: Gwyneth Paltrow - I love Gwyneth Paltrow. You did not mentioned her Mars Pluto conjunction. I am a Scorpion married to a Libran, who has Mars Pluto conjunction at Leo, at midheaven. People, find a place to hide when Mars and Pluto explode beneath the Venus facade. Expect to see Gwyneth at more violent / action movies. Venus is more beautiful when Mars the beast is channelled positively.
A. Thanks for your feedback. I have profiled her several times previously and did discuss her Mars-Pluto-Sun triple conjunction and its dangerous side. I didn't want to repeat themes I've already described since at some point I might put these profiles together. You can read the Mars-Pluto version here: stariq.com/P0001897. And then I wrote another profile about her during her Saturn return, which is here: stariq.com/P0003816. Here's when she announced her engagement to Chris Martin: stariq.com/P0004990. Here's when she signed up to do the first Iron Man film with Robert Downey Jr: stariq.com/P0008710.
re: Gwyneth Paltrow - Like that cheeky write up about Gwyneth Paltrow! I just saw "Beyond the Plains" and wondered about a write up of Ryan Gosling and girlfriend Eva Mendez, the latter someone people seem to resent, yet their romance "gels." Please consider doing an astrological commentary on them. And then there's always Reese Whitherspoon's meltdown... As always am enjoying your column...
re: NewsScope - Your NewsScopes are very insightful and it is enjoyable to read astrology politically.
re: Boston bombings - I read with interest your profile of the older brother, and hope you will do one for the younger brother. I love your column and find it very insightful.
re: Monsanto - Senator Tester has proposed an amendment that would delete the Monsanto rider.
Concerned readers can call the White House @ (202) 456-1111. Live people actually answer this line. Of course, people can also email the White House and call and email their representatives in the House and Senate.
re: drought - I read your blog regularly religiously as it is informative and educating. I live in heartland and I remember your writing last summer that it will be very difficult and those transits will remain in effect till this late this summer also due to lilith. Would you please be kind enough to refresh this prediction if possible because last year's drought here was extremely unbearable and it was extremely disheartening to farmers. So if time permits would you again enlighten us with your astrological thinking about heat and drought in heartland of America.
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: NewsScope - thank you for your weekly NewsScope. Your writings are very lucid and enjoyable.
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
April 1, 2013 - The New Moon's uncharted territory, the Monsanto Protection Act, Amanda Knox's Venus
April 8, 2013 - The coming Lunar Eclipse, North Korea: serious threat?, Jay Leno leaves "The Tonight Show"
April 15, 2013 - politicians make progress, CitiGroup returns to profitablity, Guan Liantang at the Masters.
April 22, 2013 - The Sun-Mars-Pluto dynamic; terrorist Tameran Tsarnaev; Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez.
April 29, 2013 - Syria's crosses the "red line", May's Top five astro-events, and Gwyneth Paltrow 's beauty
"Thank you very much, you answered all of my questions and offered me great insight into my life and any future issues as well as potential issues that may arise. Your reading was phenomenal!"
On July 20, 2013 the U.S. progressed Moon in the 12th house will square Pluto, an unusually stark astro-event that has been accompanied by historic transitions. The formula for computing the progressed Moon is one day equals one year. It takes the Moon about 27 ½ days to make one orbit around the Earth, which translates to 27 ½ years in progressed time.
Click here for a deeper explanation of progressions,
Looking back 27 ½ years to the last time the progressed Moon squared Pluto from the 12th house brings us to March 30, 1986. All the symbolism we equate to the 12th house and Pluto were in full swing, notably, dealing with dictators and secret wars. Reagan was president and he asked Congress to fund the “freedom fighters” in Nicaragua. Congress refused, and Reagan used his executive powers to send in emergency aid on March 27, 1986.
The next day (only two days before the exact progressed Moon-Pluto hit), Congress approved Reagan’s $100 million Contra aid package. Notice the flexing of Reagan’s
Plutonian muscle, which bordered on being dictatorial. Around the same time, the U.S. enabled the political transition in the Philippines from long-time dictator Ferdinand Marcos to the populist Corazon Aquino.
One cycle earlier takes us to November 28, 1958, when the Eisenhower presidency gladly supported the overthrow of the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Baptista by Fidel Castro, who promised a return to democracy. And then going back another 27 ½ years we arrive at July 22, 1931 when underworld kingpins Al Capone and Dutch Schultz were arrested. From these precedents, it seems clear that the U.S. is about to enforce its will in the Syrian conflict very soon. And there may be other scenarios where internal and/or external dictators are subjected to the power of the executive office.
Venus Measures Gross Domestic Happiness
As we enter the Age of Aquarius, the patriarchal dominance of our religious, political, and economic systems is giving way to an emerging Feminine Consciousness. The shift can be seen in the astrological community by the deployment of feminine archetypes, such as the asteroids and Black Moon Lilith. In addition, two astrologers, Ariel Guttman and Adam Gainsburg, have recently redefined Venus as a way of exploring the Return of the Goddess.
Gainsburg, in his book The Light of Venus, equates Venus with the Buddhist concept of “dharma”, which is most simply described as one’s spiritual responsibility. Individually, by doing what feels natural, by listening to one’s heart and expressing innate talents and gifts, one is fulfilling his or her dharma, which in turn helps society to evolve. Look to Venus to understand one’s personal dharma.
Bhutan’s former king Jigme Singye Wangchuck (November 11, 1955; Thimbu, Bhutan; time unknown) is a good example of a world leader fully expressing his dharma. His Venus is in philosophical Sagittarius and is given a transpersonal mission by the close aspects to the three outer planets. As his progressed Sun conjoined natal Venus, he inherited the throne when his father suddenly died on July 24, 1972.
The young monarch became popularly known as "The Dharma King" after he moved quickly to modernize Bhutan while keeping its Buddhist principles. He coined the term “Gross National Happiness” to measure his people’s well-being rather than their economic status. His natal Mercury-Uranus square leads him toward revolutionary ideas, and this one caught on.* When he first expressed this new concept in 1972, his progressed Venus was exactly conjunct his Lilith, leading him to the mystical side of happiness.
Warren Buffett Offers
the Key to American Prosperity
When the “Oracle of Omaha” talks, people listen. Over the weekend, investors soaked in his sage advice during the annual Berkshire Hathaway meeting, but some commentators were more impressed by his op-ed piece about women. In an upcoming article for Fortune magazine (available online**), he reminded people that he’s an eternal optimist, and that “Women are a major reason we will do so well.”
Warren Buffett was born with an intuitive Sun-Neptune conjunction in detail-oriented Virgo (August 30, 1930; 3:00 pm; Omaha, NE), which is located in the 8th house of investments and capitalism. The Sun-Neptune trines Saturn near his Ascendant, giving him an exceptionally practical, business-first attitude to life. With Sagittarius Rising, Jupiter becomes the ruler of his chart, and it’s located at 13º Cancer – exactly conjunct the U.S. Sun.
This combination explains his innate optimism about the country and how he’s benefited from the American system, as well as his philanthropic interests. And then Venus is the most elevated and angular planet in his chart, giving him a natural interest in financial affairs. Buffet’s Venus is intensely piqued by the close square to Pluto, but his natural friendliness and ease in expressing himself suggest that his Venus has some enhancements.
Venus is also associated with feminine consciousness, and in Buffett’s chart it’s closely trine Black Moon Lilith in his second house of money. Lilith adds a mysterious, magical dimension to his money-making skills, as if he were some kind of wizard. Lilith in egalitarian Aquarius alerts him to women’s equality issues: transiting Lilith was entering his seventh house of “others” when his article was published online last Thursday. Over the coming year, the transiting Uranus-Pluto square aligns with the U.S. Sun, and simultaneously activates Buffett’s Jupiter. This combination will likely further develop his ideas about this key to American prosperity.
"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!"