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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.
May 11, 2015 - Scottish independence; Ceres and the food revolution; the Hanneke Wrome.
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 18, 2015
By Michael Wolfstar
Rand Paul Steps Forward
Last week Jeb Bush misinterpreted a reporter’s question about the Iraq war, and responded to what he thought was asked rather than what was actually asked.* It’s typical of those born with Mercury in Pisces or with challenging Mercury-Neptune aspects. Last week the transiting Mars-Saturn opposition squared Jeb’s natal Mercury, leading him to respond both this way and that over the next three days.
* For details, see: washingtonpost.com/Jeb
And now, as Mercury turns retrograde, Bush’s rivals and the media in general are doubting his frontrunner status. Rand Paul, who declared his candidacy on April 7, came down particularly hard on Bush, saying his message was “incredibly fumbled.” Paul was born with his Capricorn Sun trine Pluto (January 7, 1963; Pittsburgh, PA; time unknown), an ambitious combination that gains political shrewdness by the Sun’s opposition to Pallas, the political strategy asteroid.
Paul’s Mercury is well placed in Aquarius. Its conjunction with Saturn gives a mental toughness that gains sharp elocution and the appeal of intellectualism by the Moon’s placement in Gemini. Paul’s progressed Sun is now at 9º Pisces and over the coming election season, it will conjoin natal Jupiter, an auspicious development. Transiting Neptune is in the exact same degree area, adding to his broad appeal.
A potential problem for Paul is that he has no natal or progressed planets in aspect to the U.S. Moon, which means he doesn’t quite strike a resonant chord with the voters. Nevertheless, he has close connections to the U.S. Pluto (at 27º Capricorn), indicating his candidacy may gain the support of the plutocrats, the top 0.01% who are spending at least 40% of the 2016 campaign cash. Paul’s progressed Venus will be at 27º Capricorn in less than a year, the perfect place to attract billionaire supporters.
Re-Thinking the Political Relevance of the U.S. Moon
In political astrology, we associate the Moon in a national horoscope with the people’s moods, security needs, and consumer habits. A longstanding premise at NeptuneCafe is that a modern politician must have either a natal or progressed planet aspecting the U.S. Moon to advance in the polls. Every successful presidential candidate since Dwight Eisenhower has had this connection. Yet it hasn’t always been so.
Eisenhower was a popular war hero, and his Moon-Uranus conjunction at 25º Libra formed a perfect trine to the U.S. Moon at 25º Aquarius. Yet before him, the connection gets thin. Truman had no connections to the U.S. Moon, while FDR’s Black Moon Lilith at 25º Leo is an unexpected connection. FDR’s predecessors - Herbert Hoover, Calvin Coolidge, and Warren G. Harding – had zero connections to the U.S. Moon.
The historical shift to the importance of the U.S. Moon in national elections can be attributed to the changes in the way nominees are selected. Nowadays primaries matter, but before FDR they didn’t. Also, technological advances since FDR allow every candidate’s utterances to be heard and processed by the voters. FDR’s famous fireside chats were the first regular telecommunications that brought the politician’s voice into our homes.
The Koch brothers have budgeted $889 million to spend on the 2016 presidential campaign, and other billionaires will add their substantial influence. It’s as if the voters no longer matter since candidates will be appealing to the plutocracy’s agenda rather than popular issues. Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul and other leading candidates have no connections to the U.S. Moon, but they all have tight connections to the U.S. Pluto. Is 2016 shaping up to be the first contemporary campaign where the people no longer matter?
Are Ben and Jen Splitting Up?
If you happened to read The National Enquirer this past week, you’d know that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s fairytale marriage is on the rocks, or at least, that’s the headline. Ben was spotted on his own and in Canada without his wedding ring, while Jennifer spent her birthday in Las Vegas with their son Sam. Are they headed for a $150 million divorce?
Ben Affleck was born with his Leo Sun sextile Juno, the marriage asteroid (August 15, 1972; 2:53 am; Berkeley, CA), a combination that naturally takes to forming a committed relationship. His Juno is further supported by a trine to Saturn, which is the ruler of his 7th house of partners. Saturn is located in the 12th house, where it might represent a self-sacrificing partner.
Ben and Jennifer made a deal: they would take turns staying at home and following their professional career. Ben has been doing exceptionally well in Hollywood, while Jennifer raised the kids. Now Jennifer wants her turn, and Ben is balking. Jennifer (b. April 17, 1972) is currently experiencing a progressed Sun-Saturn conjunction, which is a huge spur to ambition.
Ben’s Juno has some challenging aspects that are now in play. His Juno conjoins Uranus and opposes Chiron, suggesting the wounded and hurt feelings that may suddenly disrupt the bond. Ben is entering the “mid-life crisis” years when transiting Uranus opposes its natal position, and in this case, that threatens his Juno, his marriage. A number of Hollywood reports have appeared denying the rumors of their split. But transiting Uranus makes it a real possibility.
"In McCutcheon vs FEC, the Supreme Court removed the caps on campaign spending in their 5-4 ruling of April 2, 2014."
Read more in "America's Emerging Plutocracy"
