"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!"
"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!"
Unless otherwise stated, all data is rated A or AA from AstroDataBank
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.
May 18, 2015 - Rand Paul steps forward; re-thinking the U.S. Moon; Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner.
May 25, 2015 - Ireland votes in favor of same-sex marriage; June's top five; American Pharoah.
June 1, 2015 - The FIFA scandal; Bernie Sanders, the authentic politician; Emma Stone's rising star.
June 8, 2015 - China hacking into American data; Martin O'Malley, the Dark Horse; MVP Stephan Curry.
June 15, 2015 - the Trans-Pacific partnership; Venus and Jupiter; Secretariat, the racing machine.
June 22, 2015 - Lilith and Pope Francis's historic encyclical; July's top five; Eris, the spiritual warrior.
June 29, 2015 - Obama secures his legacy; Minnesota top biz state; New Horizons nears Pluto.
July 6, 2015 - Greece and the New Moon; Donald Trump's remarks; fighting spirit of Eva Longoria.
July 13, 2015 - Mercury-Mars-Pluto alignment; China's bubble; Serena Williams and Roger Federer.
July 20, 2015 - Loretta Young date raped by Clark Gable? Wat happened in filming Call of the Wild?
July 27, 2015 - Uber and the "sharing economy; August's top five; SETI gets a $100 million donation.
Aug. 3, 2015 - Scott Walker and the plutocracy; Donald Trump and Rand Paul; JFK and Gene Tierney.
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: NBA Finals - Great article on the NBA Finals. I love that you're an astrologer AND a sports fan! Hey, maybe you can start a website with astro insights for sports bettors like me! I love sports astrology, and you could really carve out a niche for yourself. NO ONE is doing it.
re: NewsScope - How can I get your news every week? I am a new reader.
A. NewsScope is updated every Monday. Just bookmark this page in your favorite places, and come back early in the week to get in depth astrology perspectives about current events.
re: O'Malley - Being a resident of NH, I've met Martin OMalley several times. I think of him as running for Vice President. Seems to have a good technical grasp of how to govern, setting goals, measuring outcomes, analyzing results. Might be a good Al Gore to Hillary's Clinton.... Loyal reader
re: NBA finals - I have a sports related question for you because I know you're a big basketball fan/former player. Who do you think is going to win the NBA Championship? Cleveland or Golden State? Thanks so much. LOVE your column, keep up the great work.
re: Putin - For all the Western nations suspicions about FIFA and Its awarding Russia the World Cup competition, Putin seems more popular than ever at home. It seems every attack by the media only strengthens his standing. Maybe the media should back off their scandal search and move on! What astrological factors explain his longevity?
re: Bernie Sanders- It is obvious, as you point out, that all the Republicans are concerned with serving the plutocrats, and not the people. It seems the same is true with Hillary, except she is someone more in touch with the people. The exception is Bernie Sanders. He is way more in touch with Americans. NewsScope is still interesting and insightful after all these years!
re: U.S. Moon- Just a comment on your recent article about the US moon’s irrelevance with today’s politicians, Ted Cruz has natal Jupiter in Scorpio, 25 degrees 42, and the north node at 25 degrees 19. I was under the impression that having a planet at 25 degrees, regardless of the sign, is a huge plus in the political landscape and connecting with the public at large.
A. Yes, you're correct, I forgot about his Jupiter, though I mentioned it in NewsScope March 30, 2015. By secondary progression, his Mercury will be at 26 degrees Capricorn next year, and nearly conjunct the U.S. Pluto.
re: U.S. Moon - Your comments about the relevance of connections to the U.S. Moon in Presidential Elections are interesting. I still feel they are very relevant. My system is to count up the number of conjunctions of an individual's Chart to the U.S. Chart and compare them. Whoever has the most conjunctions generally wins the Election. It clocks out. Your way works good and my way works good. People who become very popular in the United States (Hollywood Stars, writers, etc.) generally have a high number of conjunctions to the U.S. Chart.
re: Gable-Young - Your analysis of Loretta Young's and Clark Gable's charts got me thinking about birth times, trends, etc. I seem to be part of a cohort of women who had their one and only child at 40, we being some of the women who came of age in the late 60s and early seventies. Any prominent aspects affecting my group over those time eras? We definitely all came through that time when women/girls no longer had the absolute expectation (either personal or society-imposed) to marry and have kids right after college, or to "settle down" in some woman-friendly career, like teaching. We were the first wave to live feminism/women's lib. So what happened with us, astrologically speaking?
A. The Pill happened, along with the radical Uranus-Pluto conjunction in the 1960s that opposed conventional Saturn. It's noteworthy that the four main asteroids were first introduced into horoscopes, making a kind of gender balance among deployed planets.
re: Minnesota - Thanks for your thoughtful defense in the matter of the Minnesota education system and "liberalism." Your weekly newsletter is always a treat. However this comment of yours hit one of my personal issues. We are all in this together. Any person's children and grandchildren deserve a quality education. In part because they will be taking care of the previous generations as we get older. But also because it is morally correct to provide opportunities for every human to find his/her unique gifts to share with the world.
re: Trump - Do you think Donald Trump has a chance? I think he touches a nerve in people. I think the political correctness has gone a little too far, we have all become a little mealy-mouthed.
re: Clark Gable - It is surprising how many male Hollywood stars have prominent Venus aspects. I wonder if the old label of "feminine planet" pertaining to Venus really has meaning. Now that male good looks, indeed beauty,
A. Actually, celebrities are said to be ruled by Venus. They attract attention, like Venus. We can see how well this works in Clark Gable's and Loretta Young's charts.
re: Loretta Young - Very good delineation..but one question remains for me unless I missed something. Who was in the role of Judy's father? Was Loretta married to someone else? Is there a physical resemblance to Clark? Is Judy still alive? By the way, I continue to be soooooo impressed by and with your skill at and capacity for, delineation!
A. Yes, the child is Clark Gable's. At one point, Loretta had her ears surgically altered because they stuck out so far, just like Clark's. Most everyone in Hollywood knew the truth. Loretta did get married to producer Tom Lewis in 1940, who took on the role of father, and they had two more sons. Loretta finally told her daughter in 1988 when Judy angrily confronted her, wanting to know the truth from her own mouth. Judy Lewis wrote a book, Uncommon Knowledge, about how it seemed she was the only one who didn't know her true parentage. She died in 2011.
re: Minnesota - In this week's NewsScope you have an article titled "Minnesota and the Jupiter-Uranus Cycle." You applaud the State's Governor for taxing the rich and raising the minimum wage, showing your liberal bias in interpreting mundane horoscopes, contrary to what you have said previously. BTW, what kind of jobs were created in Minnesota during those years? Serving patrons at McDonalds?
A. One of the reasons CNBC awarded the state the best place to do business is their excellent education system, to which an unusually large portion of the tax proceeds go to. As economists know, those with better educations get better jobs. That's why MN is at the top, not because the govt provides many low wage jobs.
As for my liberal bias, I wonder if you consider Warren Buffett to be a liberal? He has long supported tax reforms that share the burden more equitably. See his editorial on the subject here: nytimes.com/super-rich. I have also frequently written about the unfair leverage that the top 0.1% of the elite have over American politics, esp since the 2014 Supreme Court decision McCuthcheon vs the FEC allowed unlimited campaign donations. See neptunecafe.com/plutocracy
MN's plan works against this downward spiral into a Plutocracy, which is now the most unbalanced since 1929. If you consider that we are all connected psychically, socially, ecologically, and if 40 percent or more of the population is suffering financially, then that's a recipe for economic disaster. The federal government was designed to allow the states some self-determination, and if something works in one state, it can be replicated across the nation.
re: Jim Webb - I'm kind of looking for someone other than Hillary for the Democrats and have a spark of hope re Jim Webb, who's just thrown his hat into the ring. The only data I have on him is Feb. 9, 1946, St. Joseph, Missouri, no time…but that does give him some strong connections (at least so it seems to me at first glance) with reference to the Scorpio Rising USA Horoscope. Complex sort of duck, but maybe…What do you think?
re: racism - The question I want to ask is what astrological transits correlate African American. I love reading your blog -- sorry your webpage -- but I have yet to see a column on the massacre that happened in Charleston South Carolina. The question I would like to ask is can you do an astrological chart on this prevalent racism going on, can you do an analysis on why African Americans are having a hard time? Is there any coincidence to this events they may respond too it is a astrological explanation of these tragic in current events?
A. I do have a chart that describes African American relations with the rest of the country. I wrote about it last December and the chart is also there. See nsc120814
If you do the transits and progressions to that EP chart, you can see how active it is now. Mars at 22 degrees Aries is being activated very powerfully soon by transiting Uranus, and currently, transiting Pluto is conjunct the natal Mercury-Venus. Thanks for your email, and perhaps we can update this soon...
NewsScope for August 17, 2015
By Michael Wolfstar
Will Hillary Win?
A reader asks, “What are Hillary’s chances for the presidency?” and includes in her email a biwheel set for Election Day, November 8, 2016. The biwheel features Hillary’s 8:02 am horoscope on the inner wheel, and the transits on the outer wheel. The question makes two assumptions which require addressing: (1) her birth time of 8:02 am is speculative, and (2) transits only tell part of the picture.
What are progressions? Why are they important? Read NeptuneCafe's explanation here.
To elaborate… I was recently interviewed by a Wall Street Journal reporter asking the same question. The reporter’s story is currently on hold since the editors haven’t been able to verify the 8:02 am time used by myself and many other astrologers. 8:00 pm is also a possibility.* And while transits offer some solid evidence about what’s happening in a birth chart, secondary progressions are absolutely essential to making accurate forecasts.
The progressed Part of Fortune demonstrates both points since its placement requires an accurate birth time. When the progressed Part of Fortune is well aspected and involves the Midheaven, victory can be expected. For example, Barack Obama was first elected president in 2008 when his progressed Fortuna was conjunct his progressed Pluto. This perfectly fits the victory signature since Pluto is the ruler of his Scorpio Midheaven. Similarly, George W. Bush won in 2000 when he had a progressed Fortuna-Jupiter conjunction opposite his Midheaven.
Bill Clinton was victorious in 1992 when his progressed Part of Fortune was trine his natal Part of Fortune located at his Midheaven. As for Hillary, using her 8:02 am birth chart, her progressed Fortuna will be at 21º Libra. Fortuna here makes a sextile to her Saturn, which is not particularly auspicious. One could make the case that her Saturn is the most elevated planet and is associated with authority, but it’s a relatively weak aspect in comparison to previous victory signatures.
Will Biden Win?
A reader asks, “The more time goes on, the more I'm starting to think that HRC might not be able to win this election. Any chance Biden will enter the race, and could he win?” This is a good question because we have an accurate birth time for Biden. To explore the progressed Fortuna indicator further, favorable aspects to planets in the 10th house may also denote victory.
Two examples from winning GOP candidates clarify this configuration. Ronald Reagan’s birth time is uncertain, though a strong case has been made for 4:16 am.** Using this time, Reagan’s progressed Fortuna on Election Day 1980 was at 11º Scorpio where it was exactly conjunct his progressed Jupiter in the 10th house. Richard Nixon’s birth time is rated AA, so it’s quite reliable. When he was elected in 1968, his progressed Fortuna was trine his 10th house Pluto.
Here are some additional guidelines: the progressed Part of Fortune advances at the rate of about one degree per month. It’s calculated by adding the progressed Ascendant to the progressed Moon and subtracting the progressed Sun, which astrology software takes care of instantaneously. In each of the examples of winning combinations involving the progressed Part of Fortune, the orbs are extremely tight, 1/2 degree or less.
As for Joseph Biden, the relevant placements are his Midheaven at 19º Virgo, Mercury at 21º Scorpio (as the ruler of his 10th house), and Neptune at 1º Libra (located in the 10th house). On Election Day, his progressed Part of Fortune will be at 11º Capricorn, which makes zero connections to any of the relevant points. Nor does progressed Fortuna connect with the progressed indicators. Pop quiz: according to this indicator, will Donald Trump win?
Jennifer and Justin Marry with Venus Retrograde
A long-standing principle among astrologers is to never marry when Venus is retrograde. It rarely works out well. Most couples intuitively elect a date when Venus is in direct motion, since uncertainty about love can dominate the Venus retrograde cycle. Yet on August 5, with Venus retrograde, Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux married in a private ceremony after a seemingly endless engagement phase.
At the time of the wedding, the most telling transits to Jennifer Aniston’s chart (February 11, 1969; 10:22 pm; Sherman Oaks, CA) feature Saturn conjunct her natal Neptune, located in the 2nd house of money. Also, a transiting Venus-Jupiter conjunction (with Venus being retrograde) was squaring her 2nd house Neptune. This multi-planet configuration reveals that they finally worked out a prenuptial agreement, the major sticking point to getting hitched.
So in this case, Venus retrograde symbolizes a marriage based on a $170 million financial arrangement, not a ceremony based on love. But if we look at the progressions a different picture emerges. In 2003 Jennifer separated from Brad Pitt precisely as her progressed Venus turned retrograde. It’s been retrograde ever since, which helps explain why she has been reluctant to try again.
Currently, Jennifer’s progressed Venus is at 23º Aries and is applying to a sextile to her Aquarius Sun. Although Venus’s motion is backwards, the sextile to the Sun in itself is a very favorable set-up for a love match. Over the last year, Jennifer’s progressed Sun was conjunct natal Venus, marking a rare double progressed Sun-Venus combination that brings love, compromise, and mutual respect. Before advising not to marry when transiting Venus is retrograde, check out the progressions!
AstroDataBank rates the 8:02 am data as DD, and gives conflicting and unverifiable sources.
Jennifer Aniston's complete chart can be found here.