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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.
April 20, 2015 - Marco Rubio declares; Hillary and the Inequality bubble; Floyd Mayweather Fight.
April 27, 2015 - "Clinton Cash" and Clinton fatigue; Petrobras scandal; Bruce Jenner is a woman.
May 4, 2015 - Baltimore, a tale of two cities; May's top five astro-events; Marilyn Mosby's meteoric rise.
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: 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.
re: Baltimore data - I've been researching the relevant dates for Baltimore, MD to see what shows for the current riots and those of 1968. My first date find was July 30, 1729 which was on 2 commercial-type city information websites. I deferred to the date on the government website since I thought the govt. website had more credibility and the astrology hits seemed better. Thanks for your website. I'm a big fan!
A. In 1752 the U.K and its colonies (including the U.S.) switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. This meant adding eleven days to the date. So July 30, 1729 was the recorded date using the Julian calendar. In the Gregorian calendar, that's equivalent to August 10, 1729. Here's a website to get more info: calendar switch
re: Bernie Sanders - I enjoy your Web site Neptune Café, and thank you for that great piece that you did on the successful likelihood of an Iran - US Nuclear power agreement. I wondered if you would like to do a review of Senator Bernie Sanders horoscope? Although his chances of winning are very small, he is reminiscent of Eugene McCarthy of the 1960's. Whatever anyone thinks of Senator Sanders, no one doubts his authenticity, and that is a rare commodity in politics and therefore interesting.
re: Paul Rand - I'm a bit surprised at myself to find Paul Rand of interest. Particularly like that he even mentions the need for a reform of the criminal justice system and the drug legislation because of how it has persecuted so many African-American and Hispanic males…and since the Benghazi episode, have simply lost trust in Hillary Clinton. Wondered if Rand had close connections to the US chart. Thanks!
re: Rubio - Your analysis of Senator Rubio certainly seems spot on. It's in tune with what I think I've been seeing---amazing. And I just wondered out loud the other day whether they'd run him for Vice President. (No less annoying for some of us.) I'm still confronted by people near to me, or not, who don't know anything about astrology, but love to dismiss it altogether. But I always find it interesting...
re: Paul Rand - What I’d really like to know is what you see for Rand Paul, whose Sun is being transsited by Pluto through the campaign. He’s likely a long shot, but that Puto-Sun contact got me wondering about his potential. He probably doesn’t have close enough contact with the US Moon though, unless you count the 23Leo Mars.
re: the Royals - Taking a minute to let you know how much I appreciate your columns that give us insight into constellations of people. Looking at several members of Britain's royal family, and then looking at the constellation of Hillary, Bill, and Chelsea Clinton—so often identified as an American Royal Family, affords us perspective on the multi-faceted dynamics of an influential collective. It makes for a more in-depth column that I find innovative in the arena of public astrology.
NewsScope for May 11, 2015
By Michael Wolfstar
Scottish Independence on the Horizon?
Last week’s “election quake” in the United Kingdom brought total victory for David Cameron and his Conservative Party, and an equally impressive win for the Scottish National Party (SNP). As The Guardian noted, the SNP is “committed to Scottish independence and is now Westminster’s third-largest, a nationalist force in parliament unseen for a century.” The 1801 UK horoscope helps frame the issues.
This tri-wheel section is set for December 6, 1922 for the moment of Ireland's independence following a bloody civil war. Transiting Pluto on the outer wheel aligns with progressed Mars and Lilith in the middle wheel, and the natal Sun in the inner wheel.
British astrologers have been wondering about the effects of transiting Pluto over the UK Sun, which until now have not been readily apparent. If we look back to the Irish revolution, which took place between 1919 and 1922, we can see the effects of Pluto straight away. At the time, transiting Pluto was conjunct the UK Midheaven and opposing the Capricorn Sun. However, that bloody revolution was also shaped by a progressed Mars-Lilith conjunction, which also opposed the UK Sun.
Currently, transiting Pluto is 180º from where it was during Irish independence. Fortunately, progressed Mars and Lilith are not forming any adverse aspects, so if Scotland does leave the union, it won’t be violently. Perhaps the most significant factor now is the UK Moon, which represents the people and their security needs. The Moon in Cancer is supported by a trine to Neptune, and opposes the UK Sun. This elevated Moon symbolizes the power of the people’s voice in modern government.
Scotland held a plebiscite on September 18, 2014 and surprised pollsters by deciding to stay in the union. At the time, transiting Saturn at 19º Scorpio activated the natal Moon-Neptune trine, which supported the union, the governing structure. However, the situation is shifting with last week’s election. Over the next two years, transiting Uranus will square the UK Moon three times, with the first arriving in less than a month. Breakaway sentiment is bound to increase under this influence.
Read Christina's blog for further discussion of the UK's and David Cameron's charts
Ceres and the Food Revolution
Over the past few years Americans have become increasingly aware of how mass-produced, processed food increases the likelihood of getting diabetes or other serious diseases. Eating habits are changing and consumers are demanding better quality food when dining out. Health-conscious fast food restaurants are upstaging McDonald’s. Last week Chipotle announced it’s removing artificial preservatives, while in California, McDonald’s is test-marketing a kale dish.
Astrologically, the activation of the U.S. Ceres in Pisces is behind these fundamental shifts. Ceres plays a prominent role in the U.S. horoscope since she’s trine the Scorpio Ascendant and square Uranus. As the Goddess of the Grains, Ceres has gifted Americans with vast agricultural resources, but periodically (due to the square to Uranus), new technologies or progressive phases lead to complete transformations of the food industry.
Major transits and/or progressions involving Ceres mark these new eras. In the late 1960s the Green Revolution was in full swing as progressed Ceres formed a trine to the U.S. Sun. The term “Green Revolution” was
coined by the USAID director on March 8, 1968 when transiting Ceres was conjunct the U.S. Ascendant. Over the past three years, the U.S. progressed Sun conjoined natal Ceres and we have had the appearance of books and TV shows referring to the current era’s healthy “Food Revolution”.
Simultaneously, transiting Neptune has been in a long-term conjunction with the U.S. Ceres, which has had the effect of casting reasonable doubt on the old paradigm. More and more people are reading food labels and asking “What is this stuff and why is it there?” Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan wants to completely transform the nation’s food system.* He explained exactly how in his book, “The Real Food Revolution”, which was published on October 14, 2014 just as the U.S. progressed Ceres entered assertive Aries.
The Discovery of the Hanneke Wrome
Touted as the Titanic of its era, the Hanneke Wrome went down on the night of November 20, 1468, along with its 200 passengers and a rich cargo including some 10,000 gold coins. Last week, an archeological diving team* announced that they found the wreck off the coast of Finland and will conduct further investigations this summer when the Baltic Sea warms up.
A horoscope for the sinking of the Hanneke Wrome (November 20, 1468; 11:00 pm; Raseborg, Finland) is set for Pluto Rising, since the ship went down “in the blink of an eye” during an intense storm. Pluto squares the Sun at 8º Sagittarius, which suggests the disaster at hand. Pluto was also angular when the Titanic struck an iceberg. And like the Titanic, the Sun in this chart trines Jupiter, indicating the ship’s high-class passengers and rich cargo.
The stressful planetary combination that led to this momentous shipwreck is known as “the Fist of God” and is based on the eighth harmonic. Both the Sun and Pluto are trioctile (135º) to Saturn in Aries. Each planet within this configuration is less than one degree from aspecting the other two planets, making a tight bond between the Sun and the dangerous Saturn-Pluto dynamic.
* Read the researcher’s blog about the ship’s history
Astrologically, last year’s discovery of the Hanneke Wrome (HW) took place when the progressed Sun was exactly opposed to the natal Sun, while transiting Neptune was squaring the natal Sun, with both simultaneously activating the Fist of God configuration. Meanwhile, transiting Saturn is going over the HW Mercury as the investigators gather evidence and document their find. Saturn brings the proof and the goods after a lot of hard work.
* For an interview with Ryan about his ideas and book, see tim-ryan-wants-to-start-a-food-revolution/
