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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
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
Reader feedback
re: Orcus - Fascinating article re: Orcus, which may have helped to explain the (to me) unexplainable, as I was so sure Romney would squeak by into office. This made me wonder if my 3 degree Virgo rising w/out planets means something insidious. Romney seemed to me to be one who often suppressed his own real feelings, so it's interesting that this may have subconsciously also translated into suppression of votes by faulty equipment. As Jung said, 'As above so below' . Also, Interesting that Assad was born on 9/11… Thanks again for fascinating stuff!
re: 2013 - I read your blog on NewsScope every Monday morning religiously. Your work has been God sent and with valuable insights into life. If time permits, would you please do year 2013 and what should we expect. As always with many many thanks.
re: Political Astrology - I have your book Political Astrology coving the years 2001-2005. Have you written another book for the years after that? I would like to order it/them if you have. What books have you written and are available to purchase? I am sure you know that I appreciate your writings.
A. No, I haven't written a book since then. I'll have to consider writing another one soon...
re: election - Love your column. I now think that the more a candidate has of 25 degree natal planets/bodies, that determines the winner rather than progressed. Obama has the most. Thus Romney lost...thank goodness for our nation's sake!
A. I'm glad you feel the Scorpio Rising chart is the best way to assess a candidate's chances.
re: election - In your anaysis of how the election would go, you kind of set aside Obama's aspects to the US chart and the Moon, and instead reached for Romney's progressed aspects, some already past, to predict him the winner. You did not mention that Obama has his progressed Mars tightly trine the US natal Moon.on Election Day! In my book, that is a far more powerful indice than asteroids, and a square from progressed planets. That same progressed Mars, squares the US Pluto, ruler of the US first house. Interesting. Okay, then.
A. Your insights about Obama's chart and its comparison to the U.S. Moon (uniquely at 25 AQ in the U.S. Scorpio Rising horoscope) may be the best interptretation of why he won. I would add that Obama's progressed Mars does indeed trine the U.S. Moon, but it's about 1/4 degree past the exact trine, which makes it a waning influence. Still, he did tout his strong resumé as Commander-in-Chief. Yes, his progressd Mars in diplomatic Libra goes on to square the U.S. Pluto in 2014, which may very well bring a marshalling of U.S. allies against a recalcitrant foe, such as Iran.
re: election - In NewsScope Q & A, you recently wrote: "If he [Romney] becomes the Commander-In-Chief, It likely won't be long before the U.S. is engaged in a major military conflict, and a potential devastating one." QUESTION: Now that Obama has been re-elected, does the above forecast still stand, or was that forecast strictly unique to Romney's chart?
A. I was definitely concerned that Romney would lead us into a major military conflict due to his progressed Mars in Aries and that his military advisers were 70 percent taken from Bush's neocons. The U.S. progressed Sun will be squaring natal Uranus next year, and that will likely present a military challenge. Hopefully, Obama's progressed Mars in Libra is better equipped diplomatically to manage that crisis.
re: trioctile - You said in the Top Five Astro-Events Oct. 2012 that Jupiter and Saturn form a Trioctile... I was wondering if that Trioctile is the same as the Sesquisquare? Anyways... love your site... thanks.
A. yes, same thing - 165 degree aspect. And an octile is the same as a semisquare. I prefer the terms "octile" and "trioctile" because they're clearly aspects made by dividing the circle into eighths, while "sesquisquare" is such an archaic tongue-twister...
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.
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
NewsScope for December 10, 2012
By Michael Wolfstar
Bashar Assad’s Progressed Mars
Last week U.S. officials warned that the Syrian military had loaded sarin, an internationally banned chemical weapon, into aerial bombs that could be dropped on the Syrian people. President Obama warned that the use of sarin would cross a red line, and the U.S. would not hesitate to respond if Assad proceeds with this desperate act.
As previously described*, Bashar Assad’s chart (September 11, 1965; Damascus, Syria; time unknown) features his Sun-Uranus-Pluto conjunction in Virgo opposite his Saturn-Chiron-Moon conjunction in Pisces. This intense polarity has been activated by a square from his progressed Mars since the uprising began and will continue over the coming year. Any transit (especially the Sun or Mars) in this degree area (16º-18º in the mutable signs) tends to further the military crisis.
The unrest began on March 15, 2011 with mass protest movements against the Assad regime. At the time, transiting Mars was at 16º Pisces, activating Assad’s natal configuration and his progressed Mars at 16º Sagittarius. The mutable signs are known for their scattered drives, and until recently, the opposition forces have been undermined by their competing agendas and lack of unity.
Everything on November 11 when the many opposition forces formed a coalition: essentially, a government-in-exile (as transiting Saturn at 4º Scorpio conjoined his progressed Sun). Hillary Clinton is expected to announce U.S. recognition of the coalition this coming week, around the time of the New Moon in Sagittarius (near Assad’s progressed Mars). The problem is that his progressed Mars and Pluto are now close to being exactly square, when his willingness to use maximum lethal force becomes most likely.
Orcus, the Anti-Pluto
Among the trans-Neptunian objects discovered over the past decade is Orcus, a candidate for dwarf planet status since it’s spherical and has an orbit that mirrors Pluto’s. Astronomer Mike Brown, who discovered Orcus on February 19, 2004, named it Orcus since he recognized its “anti-Pluto” qualities*. Orcus and Pluto were collaborators in the underworld, according to ancient Greek and Roman myths.
* For more commentary and images, see lunarplanner/
Where is your Orcus? Here's an Orcus ephemeris: astro.com/2004dw
Astrologer Jeremy Allan Neal has written the first book about this new planet, and he offers some key words and anecdotal evidence about its significance. He finds that Orcus is related to imprisonment, torture, extreme wealth, solitude and spiritual transformation. As a wealth indicator, he notes that Orcus is prominent in the charts of Bill Gates, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, and Google founder Larry Paige, among others.
Orcus played a fascinating role in the defeat of Mitt Romney. His campaign had a massive high-tech program called Orca, which was designed to “get out the vote” on November 6. It failed completely, leaving 37,000 loyal supporters stranded in the key swing states. Romney’s natal Orcus is conjunct his Uranus, giving him an interest in this Orca technology. The Orca system froze up as transiting Mercury turned retrograde while squaring transiting Orcus.
To demonstrate the Orcus-torture link, Neal investigates several Nazi criminals and their victims, and expands it to include genocide and the concept of collective ethnic guilt. In this case, we have to look no further than Bashar Assad’s chart. His Mercury at 4º Virgo is prominent since it rules his Virgo planets. Transiting Orcus has been at 4º Virgo over the last year as numerous victims have stepped forward with horrific tales of torture.
Bill Murray as FDR
Who would have guessed that comedian Bill Murray could play a convincing, well-received portrayal of FDR? Hyde Park on the Hudson features Murray as Roosevelt “juggling a small harem of mistresses and some royal guests with a dexterity that makes you forget entirely that he’s crippled,” – as an admiring British critic writes. Murray’s chart dovetails nicely with FDR’s, perhaps explaining why he’s done so well.
Murray’s birth time is unknown, but I suspect that his glib wit and ability to mimic reveals a Gemini Ascendant (September 21, 1950; @10 pm; Wilmette, IL). This gives him a career-enhancing Jupiter in the tenth house, and all his Virgo planets in the fifth house of entertainment. His Sun-Saturn conjunction describes his deadpan, serious look while he’s sending out the acerbic zingers associated with Mars in Scorpio.
FDR (January 30, 1882; 8:45 pm; Hyde Park, NY) was born with his Sun at 11º Aquarius, only one degree from Murray’s Aquarius Moon. Murray actually studied Roosevelt’s mannerisms and dialect to get the part just right: their Moon-Sun interchange shows how he became receptive (Moon) to FDR’s personal style (Sun). And Murray’s Saturn at 23º Virgo is exactly conjunct FDR’s Virgo Ascendant, so he also captured the serious side.
With Virgo Rising, Mercury becomes the ruler of FDR’s chart, and it’s located at 27º Aquarius – right on Murray’s Jupiter. FDR’s patrician drawl (Mercury) is proving to be a professional windfall (Jupiter in tenth) for Murray. The film takes place at FDR’s palatial home, which is symbolized by his Moon comfortably
placed in Cancer. Murray’s Uranus, the ruler of his Midheaven, conjoins FDR’s Moon, astrologically allowing him to create “the most seamless dramatic performance of his career.”
See also the Slate article on Romney’s Orca program: Orca-How-the-Romney-Campaign-Suppressed-Its-Own-Vote
