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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
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
Reader feedback
re: Nobel Prize winners - Do you look at the transits, progressions, etc. for the moment when they receive the happy news from the Nobel committee, or for the moment when they actually receive the prize in Stockholm, Sweden? I would just want to look for the significators of great news about a great achievement and the public recognition that goes along with it.
A. Great news is often seen in great aspects to Mercury, planets in the third house, or the ruler of the third house. And when the career is involved or a sudden elevation in status, the Midheaven, ruler of the Midheaven, or planets in the 10th house will be favorably aspected. However, we can only know this if exact birth time is available. Jupiter's favorable aspect by transit is generally involved, since Jupiter is associated with honors. See Ben Affleck's chart in this week's column, for example.
re: ads - I realize advertisers pay for website ads in one shape or form and we all need income for our business. It is just that I was somewhat shocked to find an ad from the National Organization for Marriage on your site. I guess I would have expected it on many other sites which of course I won't patronize but again shocked to find it on yours. After finding this ad banner on your site and knowing the distortions and untruths this organization promulgates I will no longer be patronizing your site. Though maybe there is some logical explanation or reason that I am not aware of
for the ad being on your site and if so I would be interested to know that reason.
A. You're barking up the wrong tree. I do not have any ad agreement with National Organizastion for Marriage. If you saw such an ad on my site, it's because I do have google ads which post ads according to the visitor's web history. So look in the mirror to find out why you found that ad on my site. If you feel your web browsing history does not warrant such an ad, I can have it blocked. Just let me know. Personally, I have never seen this ad, and didn't know about it until you just told me.
re: Romney elected - Love your website & work... Just some food for thought here.... There are a few writings appearing at this point reflecting what Romney’s & his wife’s charts look in the future... hints of her being really unsettled... possible he won’t live a term putting Paul Ryan in the hot seat... I would be interesting to see your take on the long view if indeed Romney pulls it off... I have an uneasy feeling if Romney gets in things won’t be as he thinks in many area’s... any insight in a weekly review would be great...
A. My main concern at this point is Romney's progressed Mars, which at 27 Capricorn, is heading into a square with the U.S. Pluto. That's a very prominent war indicator. If he becomes the Commander-in-Chief, it likely won't be long before the U.S. is engaged in a major military conflict, and a potentially devastating one.
re: calculating BML - How do I figure my progressed black moon? My birthdate is 9/29/1927.
A. BML moves very slowly by progression. You can do a chart for 85 days after you were born, and that will tell you were your progressed BML is at age 85. There are online services for making charts like that, such as alabe.com, although I’m not sure if they have an option to include BML. The alternative is to get some astrology software, and then plug in the data for your current progressed chart. Try halloran.com for some inexpensive software that includes BML.
re: Black Moon Lilith - Thank you for covering the Black Moon Lilith in this week's NewScope.
I noted that you are using the "mean" setting for calculating the Black Moon Lilith in natal charts, and that in this week's NewScope you referenced "Sun conjunct Black Moon Lilith (orb <2 degrees)".
An Astrodienst Black Moon Lilith article refers to the "mean" node as only being "true" twice each month. I would appreciate any comments you might have regarding the accuracy of Black Moon Lilith calculations in individual natal charts, as there appears to be a wide orb of potential variance in any "mean" calculations as well as the "true" calculations with the exception of 2 specific dates and times each month.
A. Both the mean and true Black Moon Lilith positions are valid points. The mean position moves at a fairly consistent rate while the true position jumps forward and backwards, and occasionally can be over 30 degrees different from the mean position. I've been using the mean, but one will also find that the true apogee position resonates with this archetype whenever it's activated by major transit or progression. My colleague Divine Harmony has studied the difference between the two. She tells me: "the true is more appropriate to the wild, potent and naturally chaotic energy of the dark feminine - while the mean is how it gets civilized or NOT. Perhaps the mean when negatively expressed is how the person who has it represses it and the shadow comes out."
re: Black moon Lilith - Thanks for including Black Moon Lilith and explaining her potential influence, especially in the case of Mitt Romney. I follow your articles and your earlier prediction that Romney will win the next election. After his 47% remark I began wondering how he could win. It's all so interesting; isn't it? I think he could benefit from a consultation with you!
re: Black Moon Lilith - I'm very interested in BML because it sits right on top of my Sun and IC, and I really don't know much about it. My question: Does adding BML to the mix change your prediction of the presidential election?
A. No
re: Black Moon Lilith - Interesting analysis regarding Mitt Romney's BML. The next question for me is: what's the impact of Obama's BML? Another question is: what is stronger, the rest of one's chart or the BML? What is the BML for the USA on election day or Inauguration day? I enjoy your analysis and look forward to your column each Monday.
A. Obama's BML is located at 20º34’ Leo where it is conjunct his Descendant. His progressed BML is currently at 26º14’ Leo and conjoined by his North Node and Uranus. Natally, his BML could very well be personified as Michelle, who is an empowered woman and expresses the creative, constructive side of this archetype. During the debate, transiting Mars in Scorpio was squaring his progressed BML, which seemed to confound him, flattening his style. Later this month, the transiting Lunar Nodes square his progressed BML, which doesn't look helpful at all.
re: Black Moon Lilith - I've really enjoyed your election analysis and I found the article today very interesting. But what I couldn't tell was whether Black Moon Lilith changes your outcome, or do you still think Romney will win on Election Day?
A. Yes, I still think Romney will win.
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
April 23, 2012 - The Secret Service scandal, May's top five astro-events, and the Titanic 100 years later
April 30, 2012 - China's Uranus cycle, France's next president Francois Hollande, DWTS' Katherine Jenkins
May 7, 2012 - Romney blames Obama, Michelle Obama's rectified birth chart, writer-director Joss Whedon
May 14, 2012 - Same-sex marriage, Venus and the financial markets, and Tom Gabel's transformation
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.
* For an explanation and illustrations of progressions, see What are progressions?
NewsScope for October 15, 2012
By Michael Wolfstar
Ohio, the Bellwether State
Over the weekend, as Obama was preparing for Tuesday’s townhall debate in New York, Romney and Ryan were campaigning in the bellwether state of Ohio. Ohio has voted for the winner in every election since 1896 except for 1944 and 1960. Romney could win without Ohio, but he’d have to sweep the rest of the swing states that are currently considered toss-ups.
The Ohio state legislature voted to enter the Union on March 1, 1803 (9:30 am; Chillicothe, OH*), giving the state practical Taurus Rising. Ohio’s ruling planet becomes Venus, which is prominently located near the Midheaven at 24º Capricorn – exactly in line with the U.S.’s Mercury-Pluto opposition. This configuration reflects how Ohio’s favorite candidate (Venus) is in sync with the national dialog (Mercury-Pluto).
Ohio’s Moon and Mars are in the transportation sign of Gemini which explains why one out of eight jobs relies on the automobile industry. Since Obama engineered a bailout for GM and Romney favored letting it fail, Romney remains trailing in the polls. Currently, Ohio’s progressed Venus (its ruling planet) is squaring natal Mars, and at the same time, progressed Mars is squaring natal Venus. That makes a double whammy – a heated political conflict to determine the state’s, and potentially the nation’s, winning candidate.
Since the pivotal October 3 presidential debate, Romney has cut Obama’s Ohio lead in half. Ohio’s progressed Sun is conjunct Jupiter, the planet of extravagant spending, indicating that super-PAC contributions are going to have a huge influence over the outcome. The Romney money machine is flooding the state with anti-Obama ads, which may very well even the polls to a statistical tie by Election Day. Keep your eye on Ohio….
* The time is from Marc Penfield’s Horoscopes of the Western Hemisphere, and he quotes the Ohio State Historical Society for the time of the special session. Ohio was previously profiled on March 5, 2012.
Malala Yousafzai, Freedom Fighter
Malala Yousafzai rose to prominence three years ago by writing “Diary of a Pakistani schoolgirl” for the BBC at a time when the Taliban had banned girls’ education. Since then she’s won several awards including Pakistan’s first National Peace Prize. Last week a Taliban hit team shot the 15-year-old Malala in the head and she remains in critical condition while the public reacts with shock.
Malala was born with her Sun in the family-oriented sign of Cancer (July 12, 1997; Mingora, Pakistan; time unknown), where it gains maturity by squaring Saturn. Her father is also an activist, and he’s encouraged her involvement in politics. Although Sun-Saturn squares often denote an emotionally distant father, the asteroid Pallas is specifically associated with the father-daughter relationship and it’s idealized by being conjunct Neptune.
The tightest hard aspect in this chart, and therefore the strongest dynamic, is Mercury in proud Leo opposing Uranus in egalitarian Aquarius. Mercury in Leo helps Malala gain confidence in her intelligence, and to think on a grand scale. The Uranus influence sharpens her wit, giving her spontaneous, inventive ideas. Her interest in equal rights for girls is energized by a feisty Moon-Mars conjunction in Libra.
By secondary progression, her Mars is entering into her Sun-Saturn square, creating an environment of intense enemy action. She was shot last Tuesday when a T-square formed by transiting Mars, Neptune, and Black Moon Lilith aligned with her Pluto. Pakistan’s complex political, religious, and cultural dynamics prevent it from reining in the Taliban, but Americans can have an influence. As I wrote in the October 1 issue of NewsScope, and as columnist Thomas Friedman reiterated last week*, the way for the U.S. to have an impact on the Islamic culture is by helping to empower women.
* Read Friedman’s column: nytimes.com//friedman-what-romney-didnt-say
Ben Affleck’s Argo
The critics are raving about Ben Affleck’s latest film Argo, an implausible but true tale about six Americans who escaped the U.S. Embassy during the Islamic revolution in Iran. The Chicago Tribune calls Argo “a seamless, wildly nerve-wracking, uproarious and amusing crackerjack entertainment”, while Salon praises Affleck as “one of the most exciting filmmakers of the 21st century.”
Affleck was born with his creative Leo Sun in the third house of writing (August 15, 1972; 2:53 am; Berkeley, CA). As most fans know, he became an instant celebrity when he co-wrote the script for Good Will Hunting with his cousin Matt Damon. His third house Sun also refers to the ideas and interesting information that he digs up, which with his Sun trine Jupiter, he generally finds the opportunity to express.
Affleck has Venus conjunct his Cancer Ascendant, which makes him an attractive actor as well as giving him an interesting love life. His flings with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lopez were constant tabloid features. He was serious about wanting to marry J-Lo, since his progressed Midheaven was aligned with his Juno when they became involved in 2002. When he
married Jennifer Garner in 2005, his parenting asteroid Ceres was activated, and Jennifer soon gave him three children.
Affleck is at a turning point in his career since he’s experiencing a progressed Sun-Pluto conjunction, which is an empowering transformation, a coming into his own. Transiting Uranus and Pluto are adversely aligned with his Ascendant and Venus, which many astrologers would call stressful. But with his favorable progressions, he’s finding these transits to be stimulating and exciting. An astrologer who uses progressions might see an Oscar in his near future, since his progressed Midheaven is nearly trine natal Jupiter.
