You've Gotta Have Heart...

Another "Medical Marathon" I've read about also involved children. Three heart transplants were performed by the same Surgeon, Dr. Bruce Reitz, at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital on August 3-4, 2006.

Dr. Reitz performed the first successful Double Lung-Heart transplant on March 9, 1981 starting at 8:30pm in Palo Alto, CA. A friend of mine waits until the Moon is in a Mutable Sign before transplanting her planets. She especially likes a Pisces Moon. She says it's easier for the roots to adjust to their new pot. Maybe this applies to humans as well as the Sun here is in Pisces (Pluto conjunct ASC trining Mercury, inconjunct Sun-Mars on 6th house cusp).

My Medical Astrology experience is very basic and I'm just hoping to find some kind of pattern here with the Event Chart for the 3 heart transplants. Dr. Deitz is such a fine surgeon that I figured that he is somehow astrologically drawn to beneficial dates for surgeries. In reality he could obviously turn any date into a beneficial surgery.

Aug. 3, 2006, Palo Alto, CA: Sun in Leo rules the Heart and Children. Leo is a Fixed sign, not mutable but it does describe the "subject matter" very well. The Moon for the first Surgery is also in a Fixed Sign, Scorpio, which rules surgery and emergency surgery in particular. Pluto in Sagittarius squaring the Nodes describes mutable energy, however, and surgery in particular (Pluto). Sun (Vitality) conjunct Saturn (chronic conditions) opposite Neptune (drugs, transplants). Mars in Leo (Heart, Mars=Cutting, strong vitality) opposite Uranus (electrical, nervous system) in Aquarius. Venus-Mercury conjunction in Cancer (children, caring). Mercury (manual dexterity) was inconjunct (health issues, adjustment) Pluto (surgeons). For the beginning of the first surgery the Moon is at 25 Scorpio just past the square to the Sun, the culminating light toward the Full Moon is supposed to be beneficial for surgery. Scorpio rules surgery. At the End of the last surgery the Moon was at 16 Sagittarius conjunct the Sagittarius Pluto and trining the Sun-Saturn conjunction in the 6th house. It was squaring the Uranus-Mars opposition on the ASC/DESC. Release, excitement, jublilation for career achievement. Neither Mars nor Mercury is retrograde and all planets have multiple aspects through most of the time period so their energies are balanced and flowing.
Here's a list of the times for the surgeries quoted from page 5 of The Examiner Independent, Tuesday, August 15, 2006.

First Transplant: 5:00 am a Match was found for a 5-year-old boy. He comes out of surgery at 12:00 pm.
ASC: 26 Cancer; Moon 25 Scorpio.
Mercury and Venus conjunct the Ascendant from the 12th house and trine the Chart ruler, the Moon in Scorpio which is in the 5th house, Leo's house.
Grand Water Trine with North Node in Pisces.

Second Transplant: a match is found sometime before noon on the same day for a 6-year-old girl. She Goes into surgery at 5 pm and comes out at 11 pm.
ASC 22 Sagittarius, Moon at 0 Sagittarius.
Pluto conjunct Ascendant squaring Mars in Leo.
Sun-Saturn trining Ascendant from House 8.
Chart Ruler, Jupiter, in H11 squaring the Chiron-Saturn opposition and in a Grand Trine with Venus-Mercury in H7 and Uranus in H3.

Third Transplant: A match is found for a 2 year old boy at 2:30 am, August 4. He goes into surgery at 2:30 pm and comes out at 9:30 pm.
ASC 22 Scorpio, Moon at 13 Sagittarius, Moon in 1st house.
ASC trining H8 Venus-Mercury and squaring Neptune opposite Saturn-Sun intercepted in H3 and H9.
Ruler Pluto in 2d house squaring the Nodes.
Aries rules 5th house, ruler Mars in H10 opposite Uranus and squaring Moon. This is the 3d surgery for this little boy, hope this one takes.

End of Surgery: August 4, 2006 9:30pm Palo Alto, CA
ASC 13 Pisces; Moon 16 Sagittarius.
1st House: Uranus c. ASC opposite Mars squaring Pluto-Moon conjunct MC (Sagittarius). Also, North Node in H1 trining Venus/Mercury in H5 which are inconjunct Moon-Pluto-MC in Sagittarius.
ASC trining Jupiter in H8; squaring Moon-Pluto-MC in Sagittarius; trining Venus-Mercury in H5; inconjunct Sun-Saturn in H6.
Ruler of Chart is Neptune placed in its own house 12 opposite Sun-Saturn in H6 and sextile-trine Moon-Pluto-MC.

Astrology

The Cabbage Patch

There are a couple of amazing stories that I've read about this Summer. They have to do with children and hospitals so I think maybe they are connected with the opposition between Saturn in Leo and Neptune in Aquarius. Leo rules kids and Neptune rules Hospitals. These planets have been in and out of Grand Squares with other planets off and on for a while which may account for these spurts of exceptional activity.

First story starts at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Michigan where 6 sets of twins were born to 6 different mothers within 32 hours of each other. 5 sets of boys and one set of girls. The first birth was on June 27, 2006 at 9:05 am and the last was on June 28, 2006 32 hours later around 5:05 pm. Sparrow Hospital, Lansing, MI.

Exceptional to note is that this was the New Moon in Cancer so both Sun and Moon were in Cancer, the sign of birth and babies. Couldn't be a more appropriate astro setting for this story. The Sun was in a Grand Water Trine with Jupiter in the 4th house (ruled by Cancer) and Uranus in the 8th house (ruled by Scorpio, procreation, large groups, and doing things on a Grand Scale). These planets are in Water Houses as well as Water Signs. An awful lot of expactant mothers broke their waters at the same time in Lansing, Michigan at the end of July this year.

The Ascendant for the chart is Leo so the Sun rules the chart and is very strong. It disposits to the Moon (babies) which is in its own sing and in the 12th house (Hospitals). It is also conjunct Mercury, which rules Gemini the sign of the twins.

The Saturn-Neptune opposition is running across the Ascendant-Descendant and Mars is conjunct Saturn and Jupiter is squaring it. Mars would indicate Boys and Venus would indicate Girls. Mars is much more prominent in this chart.

Venus is in Gemini, sign of the twins and sextiling both the Ascendant and Mercury from the 10th house, almost conjunct 11th house cusp.

The 4th house has Libra on the Cusp with Scorpio intercepted and Jupiter within. Guess this could indicate an Extreme Childbirthing Marathon. The 5th house of Children has Sagittarius on the cusp with Pluto within. This is mutual reception with Jupiter. Pluto aspects Jupiter, Saturn, Ascendant and Neptune.

32 hours later when the final set of twins popped out both Mercury and the Moon had moved into Leo. The Moon was conjunct the Mars-Saturn conjunction which is very close to the Leo MC in the chart for 5:05pm. That indicates a good time for stopping. I'm not sure of the exact time of the last birth, but this chart has Scorpio rising with Jupiter conjunct the Asc. The Grand Trine is still in the Water Houses, but the Sun has moved into the 8th house and Uranus has moved into the 4th house, Jupiter still in the 12th house (oops, I almost wrote Hospital). The North Node is on the Aries Point at 20 Pisces and exactly conjunct the 5th house cusp bringing fame and much joy to these kids right from the start of their new lives.

Anna Taylor Diggs

Yesterday, on August 17, 1906, a U.S. District Court Judge in Detroit, Michigan made the first ruling against the legality of the National Security Administration's Terrorist Spying Program saying that it violates the Constitution in a number of places and a 1978 law requiring court warrants for electronic surveillance related to terrorism or espionage. Who was the Judge on this case? Another Sagg! Pluto really has been empowering them and bringing them out to the forefront!

Anna Taylor Diggs b. December 9, 1932 Washington DC

Sun and Mercury in Sagittarius. Noontime chart shows 11 Taurus for her Moon.

A big stand out in this chart is the configuration involving the Nodes, South Node in Virgo and North Node in Pisces, a great placement for a service oriented person and Civil Rights Judge. She can use analytical abilities learned in previous lives to show compassion and wisdom to others in this lifetime. If the placement of the Moon is anywhere close to the noontime chart, these nodes are involved with the planets in a Mystic Rectangle, a formation combining sextiles, trines and oppositions in a way in which they can use harmonious and balancing energies to work together to solve tensions.

Justice Diggs' natal Mars and Neptune are conjunct her South Node. Neptune rules the sign of her North Node and they both square Mercury the sign ruling her South Node. This shows possession of great energy that combines communication skills (especially when expressing one's opinion: Sagittarius)to bring about action (Mars) and compassion (Neptune) in service towards others (Virgo). Being on the South Node indicates that she has done this in many previous lifetimes. This combination is highly energized by a triple whammy dose of Mars as both transiting and progressed Mars are conjunct natal Mars-Neptune-SN and transiting Uranus (revolution, human rights) and progressed Mercury are both conjunct the Justice's North Node.

To further emphasize this opposition, Venus the planet of love and diplomacy is sextiling the Mars-Neptune-SN and trining the North Node natally. And, by transit, is also heavily aspected by the current T-Square of Jupiter (conjunct) square Saturn opposition Neptune. Venus is at 16 Scorpio.

The Money Man

The Bulls. Those Tauruses. You may not want to let them into your China Shop but I've got news for you, you are letting them do whatever they want with your money. Taurus rules Banking. It rules the Second House of Repositories. Haven't you ever wondered how the Bank takes your money, pays you to keep your money, and manages to make gobs of money off of your money? Why can't you make that much money off of your money? Ask a Taurus. Actually don't ask the Taurus, he'll charge you for his services.

This piece was going to be called "The Chart of a Total Jerk." It's inspired by the front page story from last Sunday's San Francisco Chronicle about a guy named Marvin Jeffery, an Identity Theft Thief turned Police Informant turned Con-Man turned Accessory to a Shooting of a Policeman turned Escape Artist. The Chronicle told the story of his life (including Birthdate!) which is the story of a guy with an ever-escalating criminal history. He got caught for his first cash scam at age 18 and has been in and out of jail ever since. Instead of staying in jail, however, he managed to con the police into letting him out as an Informant. The only person he informed on was an old childhood friend to whom he had sold an AK-47. This guy, David Hill, shot and killed a well respected police officer a few days later. The day after that, Marvin Jeffery turned his friend in. Then the Police realized that their informant couldn't be trusted. Now everyone hates him, he has been trusted by and has ratted on all sides, the police, his friends, his community. And he has vanished.

Why so lucky? How so smooth? Hope he's not knocking on your door asking for a cup of sugar, sugar.

So, Marvin Jeffery, born April 29, 1980, San Francisco, CA. Sun in Taurus, Moon in either Libra or Scorpio. Scorpio, of course, also rules the financial resources of others. Stock Brokers, Insurance Agents, Tax Men. Jeffrey's noontime chart shows Sun opposite Moon, but that probably would change with a birth time.

Taurus rules money and banking. More predictable than just about anything else in astrology, if you know someone is a Taurus, you know they are very conservative and covetous of their money. They're cheap. If they're generous, it just means they sharing stolen goods. And you trust them. They're calm and easy going. It makes sense that a Taurus who decides to go bad would runs an identity theft ring or some other money making scam, once the Taurus Sun progresses into Gemini it can split off into any personality they want. Jeffrey's nickname around the neighborhood was "The Money Man." I began to remember the Leonardo diCaprio movie about another famous "Money Man." Turns out, Frank Abagnale, the star con artist character in Catch Me If You Can celebrates his birthday just days before Jeffreys. His birthday is April 27, 1948.

Man does not live by Sun Sign alone. Jeffreys is so skilled because of multiple aspects in his chart. First of all, he's got a Grand Fire Trine between Neptune (Deception); Mercury in Aries (Fast Talker); and Mars in Leo (Cool Cat) c. Jupiter in Virgo (Analytical). A Grand Fire Trine person will be very enthusiastic and idealistic, it's the rolling stone that gathers no moss. He doesn't necessarily want to wait for what he wants though, he'll just take what he needs right now. Jeffreys' Pluto is opposite his Mercury. That means he doesn't always mean what he says but he's shrewd about what he says and it works to his advantage. Jeffrey's Neptune is opposite his Venus in Gemini. He loves Glamour, Glamour loves him. Also, Venus in Gemini likes to make love through talk, they're the multi-taskers of the lover's set and flit from flower to flower.

Right now transiting Pluto is conjunct Jeffrey's natal Neptune. Pluto rules Fame, Murder, and the Police, not necessarily in that order. Connected with Neptune it's called the "Total Wipe Out." It can be perfect for pulling a disappearing act especially when hooked into a Grand Trine. The Police are very very angry with Jeffreys. He, no doubt is angry with them. The Chronicle put his story on the front page of their Sunday paper saying that they were looking for him but neglected to publish his photo. Pluto conjunct Neptune Grand Trine at its best. If they plan on catching him, they'll have to do it when Saturn hits his natal Mars, otherwise, the Double Jupiter square that comes right after that may get him off the hook once again. He could mistakenly brag to someone about his exploits and blow his cover, or he could find a lucky lucrative job offer overseas running more financial schemes.

Water Walls

Water signs are psychic. They know no boundaries in the physical sense of the word. Nothing shows this more than the buildings created by Modern Architects. If you want to see how Water Signs view the world, just take a look at the following architects' works. The walls undulate and flow, they meet up at all kinds of angles rejecting the Classical 90 degrees. They make use of glass to play with the idea of inside versus outside.

R. Buckminster Fuller: Grand Water Trine: Sun in Cancer trine Moon in Pisces (hypothetically) trine Uranus in Scorpio
b. July 12, 1895 Milton, MA (no time)

Frank Gehry: Grand Water Trine: Sun in Pisces trine Moon in Scorpio trine Pluto in Cancer / also Sun opposite Neptune
b. February 28, 1929 (no time) Toronto, Canada (no time)

Zaha Hadid: Sun in Scorpio, Moon in Cancer
b. Oct. 31, 1950 (no time) Baghdad, Iraq (no time)

Antonio Gaudi: Sun in Cancer trine Neptune in Pisces
b. June 25, 1852 9:30am Baix Camp, Catalonia, Spain

Phillip Johnson: Sun in Cancer trine Scorpio Rising and Saturn in Pisces
b. July 8, 1906 15:00 Cleveland, Ohio

Robert E. Jones: Sun in Scorpio trine Jupiter-Pluto in Cancer
b. November 13, 1930 9:30am Lawton, Oklahoma
Well, this guy was my father (blush). He "forced" me to grow up in a Modernist Style Glass House, built a Fire Station made of glass, and built a case study house with completely moveable internal walls that could adjust to a family's growing needs. He's obviously the reason why I wrote this particular blog entry.

NOTE: In charts with no birth time the Moon placement is hypothetical.

S.S. McClure

My Irish Grandmother was the 9th Wonder of the World, a Gemini. Her family had emigrated to America when she was 13 and she had flounced around L.A. as a flapper, boozing it up, partying wildly, and eventually opening her own dress shop with her sister. She rattled off story after story of her youth leaving out the scary details which were later added by my mother after she had died. All of her stories ended with the Motto "You've got to be tough if you want to survive as an Immigrant."

She often told about the time that she had fled to New York from L.A. She had been cavorting with a rich, married man. When she finally realized that this man was never going to leave his wife for her she took off to New York to study fashion design. She told about the boarding house where she lived, the school where she had studied, and best of all the time she met the only relation she had in New York, her famous cousin from Ireland who had hit it big, the Magazine owner/editor Sammy McClure, owner of McClure's Magazine. He invited her to a fancy restaurant for lunch, gave her a copy of his Autobiography, and halfway through the lunch excused himself to go to the bathroom and never came back. She had had to scramble to pay the bill.

Anyway, my very extremely abnormally distant 90th cousin removed:

S.S. McClure, born February 17, 1857 Ballycastle, Ireland. Magazine Owner, Muckraker, American Success Story, Rich Relative, Bad Date.

Sun in Aquarius: ingenious, friendly, innovative, distant, eccentric, individualistic, a Voice for the People and Social Reform (Mercury c. Chiron in Aquarius too).
Moon either in Scorpio or Sagittarius, I'll guess Sagittarius because his magazine became the center of the Muckraking Movement in late 19th, early 20th century and Sagittarius is the sign of the outspoken voice (see comments on Janet Napolitano's and Howard Dully's charts).

Here's a list of key events in McClure's Life along with some of the transits doing on in his chart at the time:

1864, Age 7, Saturn square: Father killed in Industrial Accident in a Shipyard, Family faces poverty. t. Neptune c. NN-Jupiter in Aries squaring Saturn and opposing t. Saturn. Prog. Mars just moved into Aries (Industry, Impulsiveness)

1866 Age 9, emigrated to U.S.. t. Uranus c. n. Saturn; p. Mars moving into conjunction with NN in Aries.

1873 Age 16 Step-Father dies. t. Pluto c. n. Uranus in Taurus

Knox College. Establishes the first Student Newspaper.

1883 Age 26, Married. prog. Sun c. natal Mars, prog. Mars c. n. Venus, prog. Moon having a Return, t. Jupiter c. n. Saturn, prog. Mars-NN opposite n. Venus. Had five children.

August 27, 1884, Established one of the first newspaper syndicates. Syndicated Fiction rather than news.(Sun progressed through Pisces!) Made his money. n. Saturn trining n. Sun. Prog. Mars-NN opposite n. Venus. Prog. Sun c. n. Mars in Pisces (Fiction) opposite Uranus in Virgo (ruled by Mercury) and t. Neptune c. n. Uranus in Taurus. Prog. Mercury in Pisces trining n. Saturn.

Jne, 1893, Established McClure's Magazine. P. Sun c. NN squaring n. Saturn opposite t. Saturn (same place Saturn was in when his father died). Nationwide Depression that year and Magazine almost tanked.

1901, McClure's publishes Muckraking Articles denouncing Monopolies of Standard Oil Company and others. p. Sun c. Jupiter-Venus squaring Saturn. Prog. Mars changed signs into Taurus. T. Chiron-Jupiter-Saturn opposite n. Saturn

1906, Staff Defected because of disagreements with McClure. Chiron Return in Aquarius c. Mercury squaring n. Pluto. P. Mars c. n. Pluto in Taurus.

1911, Sold Magazine to Creditors. Taurus planets (money) were affected. Pluto in Taurus (Money, Bankers) and Uranus. T.Jupiter in Scorpio (Creditors) opposite Pluto and conjunct the Nodal Axis. T.Saturn c. n.Uranus in Taurus. T.Chiron c. n.Sun.

1914, wrote autobiography, maybe ghost written by Willa Cather. Jupiter and Uranus c. n. Mercury-Chiron, prog. Mercury c. n. Pluto squaring natal Mercury-Chiron, t. Pluto and Saturn c. n. Saturn.

Last issue March, 1929. T. Saturn opposite n. Saturn; t. Uranus c. n. North Node; t. NN c. n. Uranus; Neptune opposite n. Sun; p. Sun squaring n. Chiron-Mercury.

Died 1949. P. Sun in last degree Taurus squaring n. Sun. T. Neptune squaring n. Saturn. Neptune would have been opposite where it was when his father died and squaring his natal Saturn.

Saturn is a very prominent planet in McClure's Chart. Natally, it's debilitated in Cancer. It borders a Locomotive shape chart pattern along with the Moon to which it disposes. So interesting that the two planets that rule traditional social outlets of homeland, tradition, big business in a man that became known for running a magazine that became the Moral Compass of the Big Businesses of its time. (The Progressed Moon would be really interesting to watch as it travels at about the same pace as transiting Saturn in the chart and can double up the impact of events during Saturn transits. Unfortunately, without a birth time we can't know for sure what the progressed Moon was doing) The Moon and Saturn work well in business together and adding the Locomotive Shape Chart adds a large amount of energy to apply these pursuits. Add the Sun, Mercury-Chiron in Aquarius for Ideals of Social Reform. Note also that Saturn is co-ruler of Aquarius.

Amazingly enough the Saturn transits seemed to trip off events in McClure's life like clockwork (another Saturn keyword). During his first big Saturn transit, the square around the age of 7, his father was killed in an Industrial Accident. Saturn rules the father in a chart. It also rules discipline, life lessons and duties and poverty. His family was indeed faced with poverty and my grandmother said that even as a young boy he used to gather old magazines and newspapers and walk around the countryside reselling them in order to make extra money. He married and started his first magazine venture during his mid-late 20's when Saturn made benefic trines. And he invented his fiction syndicate and made his first big wad of money at his 1st Saturn Return. He started McClure's Magazine when Saturn was opposing his natal Saturn and shut the magazine down as a magazine the next time Saturn opposed his Saturn. He wrote his autobiography during his 2d Saturn Return. And he died 2 or 3 years after his 3d Saturn Return.

Also of note are the Progressions of the Sun over his planets and through the signs and houses during his life. P.Sun would have progressed into Pisces around the age of 2 and stayed in that sign until he was around 32. Pisces is mutable so it would have been useful energy for an immigrant to have and also for adjusting to tragedy in childhood. His father died when he was 7 and his step-father died when he was around 16 and his family's finances and emotional status would fluctuated wildly. Pisces goes along with the flow, not making waves. It also rules Fiction and he created the first Fiction Syndicate in the Country, publishing famous authors such as Arthur Canon Doyle and Jack London in serial format. Once his progressed Sun moved into Aries his publishing ventures became wildly successful. P. Sun passed over NN, Jupiter and Venus during the first 15 years of that Sign progression. It would have been sextiling his natal Mercury-Chiron in Aquarius from Aries. How appropriate for a publisher of a Muckraking magazine.

In 1906 p. Sun had passed over the last planet in this stellium, Venus, and his muckraking staff walked out on him and formed their own magazine. His progressed Mars was c. his natal Pluto square Chiron-Mercury which seems appropriate for labor disputes. Mentally he was probably not very easy to get along with but I can't imagine that a crew of rabid journalists would be easy to deal with either. Mars and Pluto together create conflict and squares do the same. It would be interesting to know what happened when his progressed Sun moved into Taurus around 1918. His own personal focus would have switched to financial ventures, especially after having losing his magazine to creditors in 1911. The focus of McClure's magazine switched from Muckraking to Women's Interests. Both Pluto and Jupiter had a conjunction on his natal Saturn at this time while Uranus opposed his natal Sun. As I said, Saturn is at the edge of the Locomotive Chart shape. McClure retired after this and passed away 20 years later in 1949.

Astrology

Astrology RECOMMENDATIONS

Websites:

www.astro.com Generate Your Own Chart, Ephemeris, etc. / Liz Greene
www.astrotheme.com French, Great Resource for Celebrity's charts
www.astrodatabank.com Great Discussion Site and Resources for Celebrity Charts
www.bobmarksastrologer.com Astrology Lessons and Articles / Bob Marks
www.skyscript.com Amazing Articles and Horary Tutorial / Deb Houlding
www.noendpress.com/pvachier/arabicparts/index.php / Arabic Parts Calculator
www.noendpress.com/pvachier/midpoints/index.php / Midpoints Calculator
http://www.artofwebdesign.net/astrology/eclipseoccultation.php?insyear=2007&ineyear=&insort=revodate&se=y≤=y/ Eclipse Calculator
http://www.astrologycom.com/fixedstars.html / A list of Important Fixed Stars
www.world-of-wisdom.com Great Articles / Adrian Duncan Ross
http://www.azastrologers.org/articles.htm / Brilliant Articles / Various astrologers from the Arizona Society of Astrologers

Sources for Astrology Blogs:
Elsa Elsa's Top Ten: http://www.toptensources.com/topten/Astrology-News/
Astrology Blogger: http://astrologyblogger.com/


Books and Tapes: (just a few suggestions)

Donna Cunningham: "How to Read Your Astrological Chart"
Steven Forrest: "The Inner Sky"
Rob Hand: "Horoscope Symbols"
Karen Hamaker Zondag: "The Yod Book"
Komilla Sutton: "The Lunar Nodes, Redemption and Crisis"
Adrian Duncan Ross: "Astrology: Transformation and Empowerment"
Erin Sullivan: "Retrograde Planets"
Arielle Guttman: Astrolocality lessons on tape, please contact her through her website www.sophia.com for more information

revised 12/17/2007

The Texas Star

I'm tired of Astrologers making their next best guess about when George Bush will be knocked off by Tecumseh's Curse. Let's look at something awful that's happening in his Reign right now. George's Natal Chart is linked up with his Transits and Progressions to roughly fill out a Grand Sextile Configuration. When this configuration appears in the sky, astrologers call it a "Harmonic Concordance." They think it's a great New Age Phenonmenon. Granted, the shape in Bush's chart is not exact, the orbs are a bit large in parts, but, let's just say this Star is "Close enough for Government."

So, how is George using his own little Harmonics for the betterment of mankind?

After 5 1/2 years of not making a peep, never vetoing a single bill, George put plume to palm and finally spoke his mind. July 20, 2006. The Man speaks his mind. Either that, or this is the first time he's been briefed about Current Affairs since taking Oath. Anyhoo, what's got him up in arms, what's his cause? Terrorists and Fetuses. On the grounds that it is Morally Wrong, President Bush has decided to not allow Federal Funding for Stem Cell Research. It's a Save the Children thing. Keep those Embryos in the Medical Waste Bin where they belong.

I'm not up on my Embryonic Stem Cell Research but I believe there's a Genetist in San Francisco who can multiply the life expentency of an roundworm by adjusting just one gene in the worm's strand. And the worm appears to perk up again too if it appears to be near the end at the time of the procedure. The worm only has 22 genes but just think if this we could be applied to humans. The Fountain of Youth and stuff. And that's just the fun stuff and George has Saturn in his First House right now and Youth and Fun Stuff isn't where he's at. People with any number of genetically predetermined diseases could possibly be completely spared a life of pain and illness if this type of research could find a way to treat them. These Medical breakthroughs are on hold because of George's Morals. The same Morals that brought us 3 years of war in Iraq for weapons they didn't have. Wow.

Here it is in Astroblab. Bush's chart is lit up with a Star of Sextiles. Easy peasy sextiles, the bliss out factors of the skies. Trines and trines. Man, this guy has it too easy and when you have it too easy that's when you really mess up. Start with House 1, a biggee in Bush's chart. Natally, Mercury, Pluto and Venus are there in Leo. Leo rules Children. Leo loves the Children. Saturn is passing over this and Saturn rules Fatherhood. Bush is feeling very Paternal these days. But, if you can remember the mythology, or at least the Goya painting, Saturn got jealous of his kids and ate them. He's not your basic Soccer Dad kind of Paternal. Saturn and Pluto are mighty Mighty when hanging in the 1st together. Both planets bring great Karmic disaster if used unwisely and often they bestow a feeling of underlying fear and terror that manifests as selfishness and cruelty. And it's the stuff that will come back to bite you. It's got Spurs, George. Jingle, Jangle, Jingle.

Moving on, this stellium is bounded bysextile to Bush's Natal North Node in his 11th House on one side and sextile to his Natal Moon-Jupiter conjunction in his 3d House on the other side. His progressed Mars is conjunct his natal Moon right now. Mars represents kids and Moon represents Motherhood and Childbirth so his heart really goes out to the Fetuses right now. He also could be a little more emotional and impulsive right now, just down right angry, a virtual BMW driver if you will.

There's more: Sextiling the 3d house planets from Bush's 5th house, transisting Pluto and Progressed Moon have been conjunct each other. 5th house rules one's kids, Moon once again represents Motherhood and Childbirth and Pluto represents Reproductive Organs and Control and Power trips. He really wants to put a lid on Women's Reproductive Rights. He and his buds are even managing to reverse Roe v. Wade in some states like South Dakota. I don't even want to think about how this is manifesting with George's own daughters.

Ok, we continue around the circle. Next sextile is Neptune in George's 7th house of partnerships. He's seeing something special over there, with Neptune the edges are always a little overidealized and blurry, but he's seeing how he's going to make things pretty for his partners. And his VP is certainly blurring the edges, not quite shooting straight, plugging lawyers in the heart, er, upper chest region. Who knows what's keeping Laura going right now. And Tony Blair is wiping off food that Bush spits out as he talks with his mouth open and the German Chancellor is shrugging off back rubs. Neptune and Saturn have been opposing each other with Jupiter squaring from the 4th house (of home and women and childbirth). So, the food, the back rubs, and I've got to hand it to him the Homeland Security, the Middle East, it's all a big deal for him right now. But the Sextiles and the Trines, they are pointing to that one certain thing that Bush knows in his heart of hearts.

Moving on and topping all this off is George's Midheaven. This is how the world perceives him. Aries is a pretty simple sign. It's straightforward, goes after what it wants and thinks about the consequences later, if at all. Many Aries are great Generals, great Leaders. They definitely like to come first. Usually they're kind, warm people. But, remember the MC is how people perceive you, it's not how you necessarily are. We've got Pluto-progressed Moon trining the MC from the 5th house of Children and Saturn(Paternal)-natal Pluto (Veto), Mercury and Venus (women, love) trining it from the 1st house.

So, while I was writing this there was a Full Moon conjunct the Saturn-Neptune trine and George and Homeland Security really did score a big success by helping to catch a huge terrorist plot at Heathrow Airport in London. So, maybe the Big Star in Bush's Sky really is working. The people with Leukemia will just have to suffer and the little girls in South Dakota will have to make do with their coat hangers.

And the Oscar Goes To...

In recent years there's been a rivalry, totally unintentional no doubt, between two actresses and I've always wanted to see if there were any astrological reasons for it. Hillary Swank has won an Oscar twice and both times the other favorite chosen to run against her was Annette Bening. Both times Annette lost. That seems unfair. Why do unfair things happen?

Hillary Swank b. July 30, 1974 Lincoln, NE
Annette Bening b. May 29, 1958 Topeka, KS

Hillary is a Leo with Moon at 30 Sagittarius in her noontime chart so her Moon might be in Capricorn if she were born later in the day. I'd guess that she's got Moon in Sagittarius because she was a successful swimmer and gymnast while very young and actually competed in the Junior Olympics. Sagittarius often rules Athletic ability.

Annette is a Gemini with Moon either in Libra or Scorpio. Noontime chart shows Libra conjunct Neptune and Jupiter which is auspicious for an actress. Neptune rules Film and Jupiter rules Luck. This Libra Stellium in opposite Venus and is part of a Kite Figure with a Grand Fire Trine between Venus, Saturn and Pluto. A Grand Fire Trine is also very lucky, but even so, the planets involved give an oppressive reserve to Bening's Venus expression. If Swank's Moon is close to its noontime position she also has a Grand Trine between Moon, Chiron and Mars in Virgo. If Swank's Moon really is in the last degrees of Sagittarius they both have Grand Fire Trines that superimpose on each other's. Bening's planets (Venus, Pluto, Saturn) show a strong drive and ambition that may be fueled by insecurities and Swank's planets show insecurities and woundings revolving around feelings. Both actresses have harnessed the energies of their grand trines well in the roles they play.

So, these are lucky ladies, but why does one keep losing to the other? I've found three reasons even without use of birth time which gives ASC (One's physical presence) and MC (How one is seen through the eyes of others). Normally the Ascendant and Midheaven would be the first places I would look for answers to this question.

First reason is that Bening's Sun, the Planet of projection and vitality, the Star of our Solar System, is weaker than Swank's. It doesn't mean that she's less of an actress it just means that she projects a different kind of vitality; she doesn't play Underdogs or Action Heroes, than Swank. Her Sun is in Gemini with only aspect being a sextile to Pluto. It is disposed by Mercury which has only one aspect: a square to Chiron. Indeed the characters she takes on are more complicated and less stand-outish than Swanks', they often get want they want through more indirect means. Hillary is a Leo, her Sun is placed in its own Sign which is the natural sign of the Actress. It is trine to her Neptune. Acting probably comes very naturally for her. The characters she takes on are underdogs which the audience can sympathize with. She won in 2000 for "Boys Don't Cry" for playing a transgender girl opposite Bening's neurotic, unhappy housewife in "American Beauty." Then she won in 2005 for "Million Dollar Baby" playing a girl boxer who beats the odds. This was opposite the Bening's aging stage actress in "Being Julia."

The Second reason I can find for Swank's wins over Bening are of course the transits and progressions that both were experiencing. In 2000, Swank had great aspects. Her progressed Sun was conjunct her natal Mars (which is maybe part of the Grand Trine). How great is that for an Actress playing a transgender role? Neptune (Film) was opposite her Sun so the entire film industry was setting its sights on her. Pluto which rules Fame was conjunct her natal Neptune(film)-North Node(one's purpose in life) and squaring her natal Jupiter(Luck) in Pisces(Film). During both years Saturn was aspecting Bening's chart. This can bring career achievement and accolades which she did receive for her outstanding performances but Saturn's not quite Jupiter, Pluto or Neptune for hysterical good fortune. Saturn was conjunct her Mercury. This could indicate a setback which can make one more insecure but also more determined to keep trying. Her progressed Mars was conjunct her Venus which shows that her life was more centered around her love life and her children anyway. Her progressed Sun has been in Cancer which also reflects this as Cancer rules the home and motherhood. Her prog. Sun has also been going through many years of conjuncting the Cancer stellium in Swank's chart, possibly why her vitality was in a way given over to Swank.

Interesting, that in 2005 Saturn was conjunct Swank's Mercury. This may have been a more insecure win for her than the first one or she may have been distracted by whatever issues are indicated by the house placement of the conjunction. Her North Node was conjunct her natal Chiron which is trining her Mars and possibly her Moon. Her progressed Sun was still within wide orb of this trine. Neptune and Jupiter were trining by transit and this would have been beneficial for Swank as she has both planets in mutual reception in her natal chart. In Bening's Chart for 2005 Pluto was conjunct Saturn and trining her natal Pluto and Venus. One can receive much professional acclaim during one's Pluto trine especially when taken with the Jupiter Return she was going through, but the Saturn may have been holding something back from her. Pluto and Saturn are unbelievably hard-working but they can be way too controlled to fully express joy. The role she played was actually of an actress who beats out her younger competition in the end, thus giving hope to the entire aging baby boomer generation and a great manifestion of the powers of her Grand Trine. In addition, transiting Saturn was conjunct her progressed Sun which, as has been said before, is conjunct the stellium of Venus, Saturn and Mercury in Swank's chart. Saturn can represent Good Timing but it can also bring Loss, paying off of Karmic Debt.

So, this is the third reason for the weird professional contact these women have. Saturn and Bening's progressed Sun have been connecting the two women by transit/progression.And also, Swank's Mars in Virgo is conjunct Bening's Pluto in Leo, so is hooking into Bening's Grand Trine. Mars and Pluto compete, that's all there is to it. If you tossed Jupiter in there they'd be pulling each other's satin gowns right off after the awards show. Bening perhaps should have won the Second time around because she was going through her Jupiter and Pluto trine but her role was simply not as exciting as Swank's, she projects a complicated, controlled image while Swank projects firey characters who rise from the ashes, something that both Hollywood and the Public can strongly react to and sympathize with. Perhaps the Ascendant and Midheaven would finish the picture here.

Howard Dully

Okay, so, like, I had a Wicked Step-Mother. She broke up my family, she played sick whenever I visited, she took all my father's money. And one year on my Birthday she and my father sent me one of her old dresses that she couldn't wear because she had marked it up with indelible ink. So, like, I've been around the block, I'm a total Cinderella when it comes to evil Step-Mothers. And, frankly, I love hearing stories that are worse than mine because it makes me feel less p'o'd. And some evil Step-Mother stories are really really horrid. And Howard Dully has one of those.

Because, like, on Howard Dully's 12th Birthday, his Step-Mother whipped on her tall pointy hat, hopped onto her broom and went to the neighborhood shrink to see about getting her Step-Son a Lobotomy. Yes, that's right, a lobotomy. She said he day dreamed a lot, turned on the lights in the middle of the day, and didn't want to go to sleep at night and she was just plain old afraid of him. You know, the usual Step-Mom complaints. The Good Doctor, Dr. Walter Freeman, said that the decision for the operation was entirely up to Howard's Dad and we all know what it's like for Dear Old Dad to stand up to Manipulative Step-Mom; It just doesn't happen. So, 2 1/2 weeks later, Howard's taken to the Hospital for what he's told are some tests and 2 days later he wakes up with two black eyes and a fuzzy feeling in his head. And, apparently, since he wasn't turned into a vegetable, he was shipped to a Mental Hospital for the rest of his childhood.

Dang, that's a Bad Birthday Party. What kind of a kid has to go through this? What kind of a Jupiter Return year is this? Those Damn Double Sagg's! Ruled by Jupiter, they just have to go overboard with everything they do. And no matter how many ice picks are wiggled around in their grey matter the stuff just doesn't curdle. They are hardy folk. Dully made a Documentary about his life for NPR and said something like "If you meet me you wouldn't know I had had a lobotomy. You would just notice that I'm very tall and very large." They can be very large, very jolly, and although sensitive on the inside, virtually indestructible on the outside. I used to have a Double Sagittarius roommate who would make fun of me for searching around the kitchen for a pot holder. He would grab my pot from the stove with his bare hands and, grinning, stand there in the middle of the kitchen asking me where I wanted him to set it down.

Once again unfortunately I don't have a birth time for Mr. Dully. He's a Sagittarius with noon time chart showing an exact conjunction to his Moon at 9 Sagittarius. This is conjunct Mercury which rules the mind and Chiron which shows a Wounding and an ability to teach through one's Wound. These are all in the sign of the teacher, Sagittarius. This entire stellium is square to his Saturn which shows a conflict in the Father performing his duties, even showing a little cruelty towards the person. What may have helped Howard, though, is the Kite formation in his chart. It involves a Grand Earth Trine between Saturn in Virgo; Mars-Jupiter in Capricorn (Ruler of Sun and probably Moon and Mercury); and Howard's North Node in Taurus. This and the planets in Sagittarius show just plain old good luck. The North Node is in Taurus opposite Venus (ruler of Taurus) in Scorpio-South Node. This shows a subconscious or past-life problem with the evil side of women which can be worked through out the energies represented by the North Node. In this case, Taurus would require someone to be stubborn, practical, grounded, developing through basic self-esteem issues, and earning one's living on one's own.

In 2000, Dully's Step-Mother died. At this point, transiting Pluto and Chiron were passing over his Sagittarius stellium showing a big turning point, a loss, a reopening of a wound, an opportunity for a big healing through personal empowerment. This would have been Dully's Chiron Return also. In addition, his Progressed Sun changed Signs into Aquarius. This could show a change of attitude, a lighter spirit coming out of the insecurities of the Capricorn Progression and more inclined to reach out to his community. He's doing this is a good way. Aquarius is ruled by Uranus which in Howard's chart is at 30 Gemini which is conjunct the Cancer Aries Point. The weird (Uranus) nurturing (Cancer) of his childhood would now begin to be known to the rest of the world. Jupiter and Saturn (organizational abilities) were both passing over it and opposing his natal Jupiter-Mars conjunction. Howard realized that he would now never be able to talk with his Step-Mother about what she had done to him so he began to seek out other Lobotomy Survivors. Eventually his story became known to NPR which aired his story last year. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5014080

I don't know what else to say except that this is just an exceptional story about an exceptional man. A true Hero.

The Psychiatrist who performed the lobotomy is a bizarre story unto himself: Walter Freeman b. Nov. 14, 1895. Apparently he founded the Hospital where my Doctor works with his lobotomy money. !!!! Rosemary Kennedy died last year. She was a little bit slower than the rest of the Kennedys and so one of the first patients to receive a lobotomy and was left permanently incapacitated. Her mother founded the Special Olympics in her honor. b. Sept. 13, 1918. The Neurologist who invented the Lobotomy received a Nobel Prize for his "contribution." Antonio Egas Moniz b. Nov. 29, 1874 Avanca, Portugal.