Environmental Issues

I went to a lecture the other night and took some notes regarding the state of the Environment. Since then the Scientists from their convention have told the World that nothing can be done to stop the issue of Global Warming. This according to Jeff Langholz is the single biggest threat. As of today the United States is the most polluting country and China is the most polluted. 17 out the World's most polluted cities are in China. Meanwhile the wind is blowing their air pollution over to the U.S. 20% of the dust particles in the air in California originate in China. So, this is the U.S.'s problem as well. Within 40 or more years there is expected to be a huge smog in California that visits from China, it will settle in California's Central Valley, so if you're looking to move to California, be warned. The asthma problem out there is already devastating. Meanwhile, many of the pollutants from the U.S. are traveling North and causing the Polar Bears to be born hermaphroditic. The breast milk of the Inuit Eskimo women qualifies as hazardous waste by EPA standards. I believe they are causing hermaphroditic frogs out in Ohio or Idaho or somewhere as well.

I have no knowledge of Weather Astrology, this is my introduction. I will try to just find rulerships for the subjects from my trusty Rex Bills Rulership Book. If I'm adding them on my own I'm adding a ?. Maybe it will save someone else some time some day. Right now there is an opposition between Saturn and Neptune, that could relate to Icebergs, as well as trying to stop/find balance concerning the weather, the floods. Signs are Fixed, Saturn in Leo (Power) and Aquarius (Alternative Energies). Jupiter was squaring this opposition for awhile which could account for International Policies and awareness. There is also a trine between Saturn and Pluto. These could indicate realistic viewpoints concerning the problems, desire for change, accepting crisis. At the end of the year there will be a conjunction between Jupiter and Pluto in Sagittarius. This could indicate very powerful International Policies for the environment, maybe increased funding for Academic Research and competitive spirit to design a solution.

Basic Ideas:

Environment: Moon, H4, Cancer
Weather (mundane): Jupiter, Cancer (Saturn)
Weather Observers: Mercury, Gemini
Atmospheric Conditions within a Country: (3)
Gases: Pisces, Uranus
Greenhouses: (well? for the metaphor?) (Virgo, Moon)
Public Happiness or Sorrow: H5
One's Fate: (10)
Far Sightedness: Moon, Neptune
Doom: Saturn, H12
Destruction: Mars, Pluto (Saturn, Uranus)
Poles: Sagittarius
Icebergs: Neptune, Saturn
Heat: Mars, Sun, Aries, Leo
Cold: Saturn, Capricorn
Thermometers: Mercury
Deserts: Sun, Leo (Pluto, Saturn)
Dry Places: Aries
Dryness: Saturn, Mars
Drought:
Famine: Saturn
Temperature Changes (3)
Earth: Saturn (Taurus)
Earthquakes: Uranus, Pluto
Destruction: Mars, Pluto (Saturn, Uranus)
Frozen Places: Saturn, Capricorn
Shortages: Saturn
Pollution: Pluto, Neptune
Low Lands prone to flooding: Neptune
High Places: Gemini, Leo
Exhaust, Emissions: Pluto
Recycling: Pluto?, Saturn?, Mercury?


Jeff Langholz
Lecture "Can the World Stop Environmental Degradation?"

1. Air & Atmosphere
Biggest Concern: Global Climate Change (Pluto). Conveyer Belt of Ocean Currents (Uranus, Neptune, Saturn) is stopping. Will result in Heating and then Rapid Cooling.

Ozone Layer: Ozone is made of 3 oxygen atoms. Ozone in the stratosphere is produced form ultraviolet rays (Sun, Uranus) reacting with oxygen (Sun, Mercury, Venus). Skin Cancer (Saturn, Capricorn), Gvmt in South Australia asking people to protect against the Sun because the Skin Cancer rates have climbed dramatically, Blind (Moon, Uranus, Saturn // Glaucoma: Sun) Penguins in Antartica (Saturn, Neptune)
Acid (Saturn, Mars) Rain (Moon, Neptune): Chemicals (Neptune) coming out of smoke stacks, Canada trees (Leo, Saturn, Cancer, Taurus, Libra) and lakes (Moon, Cancer)

2. Oceans & Seas (Moon, Neptune) (Freshwater-Moon, Cancer / Saltwater - Neptune, Pisces)
Coral Bleaching (Neptune) - Dead White Coral in the Tropics
Over-Fishing (Neptune, Pisces, Moon, Cancer): By 2048 most of the Worlds' Fisheries will be fished out. Right now 40% of Fisheries are fished out (depletion: Saturn).
Nets (Nets) in the Pacific: long nets reaching 100 yards deep create a wall of Death that catches everything indiscriminately and kills it. The fishermen take what they want and leave the dead bodies. If a Storm destroys the nets they don't bother to retrieve them, the plastic (Neptune, Uranus, Moon, Pluto) nets float around loose in the ocean ensnaring everything that swims into them.
Noise (Mars) Pollution (Pluto): U.S. Navy (6, Virgo, Mars, Neptune, Pisces (Sagg, 9) emit sonar low frequency pulse that reaches from California Coast all the way across the Pacific. These sounds can even disable submarines: Beached Porpoises (Venus, Aquarius) & Whales (Jupiter) have one big bruise (Saturn, Mars) on their underbellies (Cancer, Virgo).

3. Freshwater (Moon, Cancer)Resources - Rivers (Moon, Neptune) are damned (Saturn) and drained (Moon, Neptune) Lakes (Cancer) are contaminated (Pluto), Aquifers (underground water sources (Pluto, Scorpio, 4)) are polluted and overmined. (Water Distribution: Aquarius) Reservoirs: Moon, Cancer, Neptune, Saturn

4. Hazardous (Uranus, H5, Jupiter) Materials:
All spare electronic (Uranus, Aquarius, Pluto) devices go to China for recycling (Pluto? Virgo? my note).
Nuclear (Uranus, Pluto): Spent Fuel Rods. U.S. intends to store (Taurus? / Military stores: Sagittarius?) Nuclear Waste (Pluto) in Yucca Mountain where it will continue to be radioactive (Uranus, Pluto) for 20,000 years. Must be guarded (Saturn) this entire time.
Solvents
Pesticides (Pluto)
Hormones (Pluto, Mars, Venus) Moon?
Medical Waste (Saturn, Neptune, Mercury, Pluto)
POPs - Persistant Organic Pollutants from Manufacturing Processes act as Endocrine Disrupters. (Glandular System: Moon, Jupiter, Sun (Neptune, Saturn / Ductless Glands: Mars Scorpio, Libra). Have Gender Bending effects. Most migrate up to the North (H4, Cancer) Pole (Sagittarius) where the Polar Bears are growing both male and female sex organs and the Inuit Women's breast milk qualifies as hazardous waste.

5. Habitat (H4, Cancer) Loss (Saturn, H12, Pluto)
Tropical Rain Forests

6. Wildlife & Bio(Sun)diversity(Uranus) (Wilderness: Uranus (Pluto)
Endangered Species: About 7 species go extinct every hour. We don't even know about most of the species in Rain Forests. 40% pharmaceuticals (Mars, Scorpio, Neptune, Virgo) come from Rain Forests.
Illegal (Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune) Trafficking (Mars, Mercury) in Wildlife and Exotic Animals (Uranus, Jupiter, Sagittarius).

7. Energy (Mars, Aries, Sun, Uranus) Policy (Jupiter)
Addiction (Neptune // Habits: H1, Saturn, Moon
Habits, Bad: (12)) to Fossil (Saturn) Fuels. Heavily subsidized (Neptune) by Oil (Neptune, Pisces, H12, Uranus, H11) & Coal (Saturn, Capricorn).

8. Special Problems
GMO's: Genetically Modified Frankenfoods. (Uranus, Virgo) Europeans won't allow U.S. foods into their country.
International (Jupiter) Finance (H2 and H8)
Hydro (Moon, Neptune) Electric (Uranus, Aquarius) Dams (Saturn) & Power Plants (Sun, Uranus, Mars)(Saturn)
Warfare(Mars): For example, in Columbia the U.S. is spraying to remove Forests where rebels can hide, subsequently destroying the forests
Depleted Uranium (Uranus)
Scorched Earth Policy, such as Kuwaiti Oil Fields burned by Saddam Hussein
Overpopulation (Jupiter, Moon) leads to Resource (H2) Consumption (Saturn, Gemini).
We need International Policies (Jupiter) to deal with Industrialization (Uranus, Saturn, Pluto).

Alternative (Uranus) Energies (Sun, Mars, Pluto):

Wind: Uranus, Mercury
Waterpower: Neptune, Uranus
Solar: Sun
Geothermal: Pluto, Neptune
Hydrogen: Neptune
Ethanol: Corn: Sun, Mercury, Taurus, Uranus
Tidal Power: Moon, Cancer
Converting Waste: Pluto

Reduce: Saturn
Re-Use: Probably all Earth Signs, Maybe the cusp between Pisces and Aries
Recycle: Pluto

Barbaro

Tragically, the Amazing Racehorse Barbaro was put to sleep yesterday. He struggled to recuperate during an 8-month treatment in horsey ICU after suffering multiple fractures in his right hind leg while racing in the Preakness last May 20, 2006. He had won the Kentucky Derby by a landslide on May 6, 2006 and was the favorite to win the Preakness. He had never lost a race. Rest in Peace, You Beautiful Beast.

Barbaro
b. April 29, 2003 Nicholasville, KY (Sanborn Chase Farm)

Sun in Taurus, Moon in Aries (?)

Barbaro was born while the Pluto-Saturn opposition was still in effect at the end of Gemini and Sagittarius. This could have accounted for his fierce speed and competitive spirit but also could have accounted for his tragic loss. Pluto and Saturn both rule Karma.

Other aspects in his chart look as though they were responsible for the breaks in his leg on May 20. The Sun and Mercury were conjunct his North Node (Fated experience, one would hope of the positive variety). Transiting Chiron (wound) was exactly opposite his Jupiter and in conjunction with his Mars and Neptune in Aquarius. The Mars-Jupiter opposition is in an apex t-square, squared by Sun. This is great for a Racehorse as Mars and Jupiter and Sun all represent Fire and Speed. The transits really weren't on his side, though. There was a t-square in the Sky directly opposing his natal t-square and involving health issues. Jupiter was opposing his Sun but squared by the Saturn-Chiron opposition on his natal Jupiter-Mars and Neptune opposition.

Bones are ruled by Saturn. Ankles are ruled by Aquarius which is the sign that t.Chiron-natal Mars and Neptune are in.

On the day of the race Mars was not well placed. It was squaring Barbaro's Moon from Cancer so was in Mutual Reception. It was also inconjunct (Health issues) n.Pluto.

Eavesdropping

So I'm sitting in a coffee shop reading the Sunday Paper, I think it was Sunday, and the man at the table next to me is desperate for company. He doesn't turn around and talk to me because I know how to emit death laser vibes to strangers who bug me with their clutching loneliness. But he's very jumpy, kind of loud, gets a couple of bites from the people sitting to his right but loses them.

At the table in front of him a very old man is sitting. He's very proper, has got on a raincoat and a rainhat and he's sort of picking up the newspaper, sort of watching the loud, lonely man in horror. Undaunted, the Loud guy starts up conversation with him, some freakishly personal question that the oldest man probably wouldn't have responded to at any other point in his life. But now he is hooked and the Loud Man slowly reels him in. Why not? This old man it turns out is 83, a retired engineer, he's just lost his wife, just sold his home for a million dollars, and is moving into a group home where he will be cared for. His closest daughter lives an hour away. He has no car. He looks like he wants to run away but unfortunately at this late date the Circus will have to come to him. Age 83: the Neptune opposition, the Uranus Return. Well, that's a Circus full of aspects.

The Loud Man, age 62. He's alone, a wild architect full of stories about projects, just had his foot amputated due to Diabetes, his car was just totaled in an accident and he can't afford to replace it. The engineer doesn't ask too many personal questions, but the Loud Man just keeps them firing away while offering his own personal answers at the same time. The School he went to. The buildings he worked on. He offers information about getting around on the bus. He offers the old man Benny Hill videos. At Age 63 he is due to experience the waning square of Uranus to its natal spot; he's sort of acting like maybe it's already hit. Age 59-60 is marked by both Jupiter and Saturn returns, Pluto maybe probably trining its natal spot.

I doubt they will ever talk again but it's just odd to see two such different people put into such similar circumstances. The straight Saturn Man is getting tossed around by Neptune and Uranus and the creative Uranus-Neptune guy has been ravaged by Jupiter and Saturn.

BLOG RECOMMENDATION

Here's a link to the Queen of Astrology: Mystic Medusa:

http://www.mysticmedusa.com/scripts/blog.asp

Colors

The New Yorker has an interesting article this week on the theories of Color Marketing. There is a science behind the colors of the pills you take, the little purple pill, the blue pill. Apparently, color makes the medicine go down. Right now, the world over, the Color Marketers are telling us we love the pale Yellow-Greens, aptly named as the Mint Greens, the Pistachios, or, if you ask me, the "Mental Hospital" Greens. According to the article, Color Marketing began in 1907 (officially in 1915) when paint manufacturers began to suspect that they could sell household paints by matching the latest craze for colors in womens' clothing. Wonder if this was an after-effect of the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in Gemini from the year before: Jupiter-Pluto people tend to be a bit more obsessive about style and trends. This first color was a Copper Brown or Reddish Brown that all the Ladies were raving about that year. Copper is ruled by Venus, and Red by Mars and Brown by Saturn according to Rex Bills. Wonder how this fits into the transits at the time, if at all. I quickly looked and didn't notice anything.

Color Marketing officially began in 1915 because the U.S. clothing manufacturers were having trouble ordering textiles from Europe due to the War. They began to place their orders together in one big batch and had to agree on the same materials and colors.

Here's a list of Color Symbolisms from Rex E. Bills The Rulership Book for anyone who enjoys staring at long lists of things:

(Bills says that Venus rules Color in general. I have found that Capricorns actually have a strong aesthetic for color, mainly because their sign has to do with Perception in general plus they're decisive and know what they want. Leos, of course, are the most colorful people and the Water Signs are so sensitive absolutely everything sends them into a tizzy.)

Red:
--bright or fiery reds: Mars, Aries, Scorpio (Leo, Sagittarius)
--crimson: Libra, Mars
--deep blood red: Scorpio (Neptune)
--magenta: Mars
--murky: Scorpio
--red-orange: Taurus
--red-violet: Pisces

Yellow:
--Sun, Leo, Venus, Libra, Taurus (Mercury, Sagittarius)
--yellow-brown: Sun
--yellow-green: (Virgo)
--yellow-orange: (Cancer, Libra, Sagittarius)

Blue:
Venus, Mercury, Jupiter
--azure, electric or sky (Aquarius)
--navy blue: Virgo
--deep navy or indigo: (Saturn, Virgo, Jupiter)
--pale or crystal: Mercury, Gemini, Venus
--blue-green: (Cancer, Neptune, Venus)
--blue-violet (Virgo)
--aquamarine: Gemini, Neptune

Green:
Moon, Cancer (Venus, Saturn, Pisces)
--olive: Sagittarius
--pale green: Moon, Sagittarius
--sage green: (Saturn)
--sea green: Neptune (Moon)
--greenish-blue (Scorpio)

Orange:
Sun, Leo (Mercury, Mars)

Purple:
Jupiter, Sagittarius (Venus)
--light purple: (Mercury)
--royal or deep purple (Sun, Pluto)
--violet: Jupiter, Mercury, Gemini, Virgo (Venus, Aquarius)

White:
Moon, Neptune, Pisces (Venus, Libra, Aries)
--pale-yellowish: Moon
--silvery or dazzling: Moon, Uranus

Black:
Saturn, Capricorn (Pluto)

Brown:
Scorpio
--dark brown: Scorpio, Saturn, Capricorn
--burnt sienna: Neptune

Maybe someday I'll track down a list of color trends year by year and laboriously try to see if there's a trend between transits and current crayon picks. I can't believe that woman makes a living off of picking pill colors. Maybe they should put little pictures of palm trees on blood pressure medicine and baby sheep on sleeping pills.

Sabotaging Evil - Paul Rusesabagina

If you saw the movie "Hotel Rwanda," you must read the book that's been written by Paul Rusesabagina, the Manager of the Hotel des Milles Collines. An Ordinary Man (The audio-book version of this book is excellent) is Rusesabagina's memoir about his life and his experience working as Manager of a Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda as one of the worst Massacres of all time broke out in his country. He turned the Hotel into a safe Haven and saved the lives of more than 1000 people. Around 900,000 lives were lost. People were brutally hacked to pieces by their own neighbors wielding machetes, driven by rage due to long standing racial tensions; bigotry that was fueled by hysterical, non-stop rants on one of Rwanda's Radio Stations.

Paul Rusesabagina
b. June 15, 1954 Gitarama, Rwanda

Sun in Gemini, Moon (probably) in Sagittarius

Another Gemini with Sagittarius Moon like Geronimo! Am I seeing a pattern here or what? May you never live in interesting times. But, if you do, may you be the Gemini with the Sagittarius Moon. Rusesabagina tells a story about how his Father chose his last name (Rwandan custom) which means "Warrior that disperses the enemies." This certainly seems to be a Warrior combination of highest caliber.

Mr. Rusesabagina's story is full of both the positive and negative traits of the sign of Gemini, almost as if from straight out of an astrological fairy tale. Descriptions of the War for example (jotted down while driving as I was listening the the audiotape): Neighbor killing Neighbor with machetes held in their hands, fueled by hateful words on the radio. Gemini. Mr. Rusesabegina's own Gemini qualities of assuaging people with his own words, by calling in favors, by keeping communications open with the other side. He talks about how he kept himself sane by keeping busy. He was one of the few who continued to have a working telephone. "Words saved us." Compartmentalizing the mind. "It is difficult to fight someone with whom you are already talking." The image of the Radio telling people to kill their neighbors. He describes how he kept the enemy close, bending them by calling in favors, plying them with fine liquors and whatever else he had in the basement of his fine Hotel. He kept more than 1000 people alive in the Hotel for two and a half months while most of their friends and families were murdered out in the streets. After the Massacre, force to leave Rwanda due to death threats, Mr. R first set up his own business driving a Taxi Cab and then as owner of a trucking company. These are also Gemini traits.

Like Geronimo (see my November 28 blog), Mr. Rusesabagina is a Gemini Sun with a stellium in Cancer opposing planets in Capricorn. His Mars, however, is in the opposite sign of Capricorn where it is exalted, an easier placement than Geronimo's Mars in Cancer. He has Jupiter in Cancer opposite Mars in Capricorn which could indicate an almost athletic ability to take on opposition. What seems most important, he has a a conjunction of Mercury-Uranus-Venus in Cancer. Caring, Quick-thinking, Diplomatic, and a Memory like an Elephant. This is opposite Chiron in Capricorn and squaring Neptune in Libra. During the Massacre both Uranus and Neptune were in conjunction on his Chiron. He was going through both his Neptune square and his Pluto square (everyone his age would have been, this is often just seen as one of the indicators of Middle Age).

Also, Pluto was conjunct the North Node in its own sign of Scorpio. And the Solar Eclipse in Taurus on May 10, 1994 happened on this Nodal-Pluto pole. Pluto and Neptune transits at the same are definitely not my favorite. If you're looking for a chance to Sabotage Evil at this time you will certainly have an opportunity as it will present itself bat wings, green scales, flaming breath and all. For some it will only be a spiritual/psychological crisis, for others, as in Rwanda's case, it will strike at all levels, spiritual, emotional, physical. But, Mr. Rusesabagina has these two planets aspecting each other and the Sun in a minor triangle in his birth chart, an easy aspect showing talents for blending their energies, so he, if anyone, is able to see the spiritual side of the experience. He was able to use the deceptive abilities of Neptune and the power control side of Pluto to steer his Hotel of refugees through the ideal. No one in his Hotel was killed. They came very very close, but they were spared. I've found personally that often that when these planets act together that one does not receive help from others. The rest of the world was completely oblivious to what was going on. Throughout the book, Mr.R mentions that he kept working, kept himself busy in the affairs at hand (natal Gemini Sun with Neptune-Uranus in Capricorn transit).

Another positive transit for Mr. R was that he was going through a Saturn trine. Transiting Saturn trined his natal Saturn in Scorpio. But, also due to Retrogrades, Jupiter was trining his natal Jupiter and for part of the time conjunct his natal Saturn. So, he had a very solid business oriented Saturn-Jupiter Grand Water Trine playing off his natal planets. Perhaps this is why he was able to keep his emotions so much in check. This was emphasized even more by His Progressed Sun which was opposing t. Saturn and creating a Kite. Progressed Sun at Age 40 is creating a Novile aspect to one's natal Sun. I will talk about in the Solar Arc paragrah. Without the Pluto-Node-Eclipse influence, this looks like a very positive time for Mr. R in his career. (cough)

I'll try to quickly add that Cancer rules Hotels so it fits that Mr. R (sorry I'm shortening his name due to inevitable typos) would work in Hotels. He kept records of all the customers' tastes and so was able to cater to the enemy commanders needs in effective bartering. This ability literally saved all the occupants' lives. Like Geronimo, he has a Mercury-Neptune aspect, evidentally very convenient for eluding enemies, a great gift for using words to slide on by unnoticed. The Cancer planets also show a deep love, loyalty and patriotism for his homeland. They also show his family's roots in farming. His South Node is also in Cancer conjunct Mercury, his North Node is in Capricorn. Communications between his family/homeland and those in authority. He describes himself as the "Middleman" (Mercury) between the refugees and the killers. But, also, South Node in Cancer shows what he must move away from in his life, loss of his homeland, he and his family couldn't remain in Rwanda due to death threats after the War.

The Massacre began on April 6, 1994 when Rwanda's President's airplane was shot down. The killing ended by June and the occupants of the Milles Collines and Diplomate were removed in the middle of June. Mr. Rusesabagina would spent his 40th Birthday as a refugee. He and his family were relocated. They lived in a stranger's house with no knowledge of whether that person was alive or dead. 900,000 dead bodies were literally lying all over the country, otherwise the entire country was silent. In July, he returned to the Hotel in order to fix it up and begin receiving all the Politicians and Journalists who had done nothing for the country during the massacre.

I would like to look at a few different astrological events to see if they are relevant. First, I would like to look at transits, progressions and especially Solar Arcs for Mr. Rusesabagina's chart. The 40th Birthday is significant in most people's lives. In Astrology the Natal Chart is receiving Novile aspects by Solar Arc at age 40. A Novile is a 1/3 of a trine aspect, it combines in a harmonic way incompatible signs. An excellent description of Novile Aspects is available at http://astrologynotes.org/Novile. Here's a quote from this site: "When activated, the novile indicates spiritual growth though social responsibility." The progressed Sun was in Virgo opposite transiting Saturn so creating a Kite shape to the Jupiter and Saturn trines that were taking place in the transits. Mr. R's chart is pretty close to a bowl shape bounded by Sun and Mars on either end. During his life his Progressed Sun has been slowly passing over his planets, probably activating and lighting up each one as it passes.

Secondly, I would like to look at the Eclipses around this time. There's an extensive discussion on the effect of the eclipses as they influence the country of Rwanda at this link: http://www.clairechandler.com/articles/2006/eclipses.php.

#1: Total Lunar Eclipse before the Massacre
Nov. 29, 1993 Full Moon Sun at 7 Sagittarius and Moon at 7 Gemini c.Nodes; Virgo Rising
5 planets in the 3d House with Scorpio on the cusp: Power of the Radio to turn neighbor against neighbor.
NN at 4 Sagittarius c. Sun-Mars
Exact conjunction of Venus-Pluto in Scorpio (square Saturn) and exact conjunction of Uranus-Neptune in Capricorn in H4.
Ruler ASC square Ruler DESC

#2: Annular Solar Eclipse During Massacre
May 10, 1994 New Moon at 20 Taurus opposite Pluto and c. Nodes (NN in Scorpio); Mercury at 2 Gemini c. SN and opposite Pluto. This is all squaring Mr. R's n.Pluto (a generational planet shared by many people born in his same year so I 'm not sure why he would have been singled out)
Libra Rising; Ruler Venus is at 18 Gemini and most elevated planet in the Chart. This Venus is c. Mr. R's Sun at 24 Gemini which may explain his incredible role as Diplomat (even the name of one of the Hotels).
Ruler of ASC sextile ruler of DESC.

#3 Partial Lunar Eclipse toward the end of the Bloodshed
May 25, 1994
Sun in H3 at 4 Gemini opposite Moon in H9 in Sagittarius
This Full Moon opposition is widely conjunct the Pluto-Node conjunction in Scorpio
Grand Water Trine between Saturn-Jupiter-Venus
Ruler of Aquarius ASC is trine Ruler of Desc. Leo.

#4 Total Solar Eclipse after Massacre
Nov. 3, 1994
New Moon in Scorpio c. North Node.
4 Planets in H8
Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in H9 (Here come the Journalists and International Aid)
Saturn in H1 and Uranus-Neptune in H12 - Sorrow and Loss.

As for the Third item, the Solar Return on his birthday, this isn't possible to see without a birth time. But, he was having a Venus Return and Mercury was retrograde and very close to being in a Return at this time. I wonder if this doesn't indicate having to start over again, especially as they are both in the sign of Cancer relating to birth.

Missing Children - The Boomerang Effect

Pisces is the sign of Wandering and getting Lost. Uranus conjunct Pisces North Node right now is bringing up some odd, miraculous stories of the return of lost children. In Missouri a young boy was abducted and police, following a lead given about his abductors white truck, found not only this young boy, but another boy who had been abducted more than 4 years previously. I was wondering what could cause this Boomerang effect so I looked up "Boomerang" in my Rex Bills Rulership Book. Lo! Behold! Uranus rules Boomerangs! In Pisces conjunct the North Node it is literally returning lost children to their parents! The Saturn/Neptune opposition and recent Pluto square to the Nodes and Mars-Pluto-Galactic Center conjunction on January 13 also may have had a weakening effect on any restraints which may have been holding the kids.

There's a story in the news this week about a woman in Cambodia who was caught stealing rice on January 13. She was caught sneaking onto a man's property, naked and hunched over, walking like a monkey. She doesn't speak except through sign language patting her stomach to tell people she's hungry. A Man and his Son have both identified her as their Daughter/Sister, Rochom P'ngieng, who wandered off while hunting Water Buffalo in 1988 when she was 8 years old. For 19 years she was missing, living in the jungle, maybe even held captive from the looks of the rope burns around her wrists.

19 years indicates the Nodal Return. The North Node was in Pisces in 1988 and it has now returned to that spot and is conjunct Uranus. If she really is Rochom P'ngieng, she is realizing the Return of her Progressed Moon to its natal spot.

And also, Pisces rules Water and large animals like Buffalo.

Naught for McNaught

The Comet McNaught has been passing by the Sun for the last couple of weeks and is so bright it has been visible in broad daylight. On January 14 it was conjunct Mercury at 29 Capricorn. Who knows what that means astrologically. Mars and Pluto were in conjunction the day before in Sagittarius.

Here is a link to some incredible photos of the Comet McNaught from around the world:

http://www.spaceweather.com/comets/gallery_mcnaught.htm

Step-Parents in Astrology

Are you from a "Broken Home?" Ah, poor thing. Maybe your picture should be pasted on the side of a milk carton or something.

I don't know, what are the Statistics? Maybe half, more more than half of the children in the United States will grow up in Divorced Homes. Nevertheless, Astrologers don't recognize the role of Step-Parents in a chart. The whole subject is x-d out, Neptune'd if you will.

If you ask which house rules Step-Parents you will be directed to the same Houses as the Parents. This is asinine, of course. Rarely does a Step-Parent play the same role in a child's life as a Parent. The kid already has both a Mother and a Father. The Step-Parents are thrown in extra. Nature knows how to put limits on what a kid can handle. Two is plenty. Most kids complain about that. But, Modern Society has decided to pack a few extra bodies into the equation and call it "One Big Happy Family." Any complaints? Well then you must be one of those spoiled brats who manipulates The Parents through The Guilt.

In the Rex Bills Book on Rulerships, there is a long list of where to look for information on Step-Children. Step-Children are indeed thought out. This is, of course, because the Step-Parents are the ones with the money. They are paying the astrologer to kiss their ass while telling them how to subdue the rugrat.

We all grew up reading stories of Cinderella and Snow White in Childhood. Some of us lived it. Oh no, Cinderella and Snow White weren't from Divorced Families, their Parents died and it was just a coincidence that both girls had evil Step-Mothers. (Those fairytales don't really describe difficult family relationships, they are actually metaphors for political strife in ancient Guelfland anyway -- HEHE -- a little more Neptune for ya). If the Parents are still living and spawning relationship after relationship like a 1950s SciFi movie then what's there to scream about? The Children are expected to forget about the Parents' failed Romances. Forget about it. Neptune. You were a Ball and Chain at Age 5, just wait until age 21 when you will be a Chicken with your Head cut off, running from house to house at the Holidays trying to please your ever-displeased cloned family subsets. Neptune.

The Relationships that result are sometimes healthy, providing either Social Status or Financial Stability to a single Parent which is then passed on to the Kids. My Step-Sister inherited my million dollars so she became really rich. So some kids do benefit. I have rarely met a Step-Child who has a Healthy Emotional Bond with a Step-Parent. Come on! It's really awkward and neither wants the other one around. They both know that the relationship is going to fall apart once the Honeymoon is over. And the amount of interrogation that Junior goes through when he gets "home" to his other set of parents makes Abu Ghraib look like the U.N. Usually the kids just accept an awkward, distant relationship with Mommy's husband Fred and Daddy's 4th girlfriend Rapalinda. Ooo, and when there's a negative relationship. The violent families. If your Daddy beat your Mommy then your Mommy will be attracted to a Step-Daddy who beats her too. Ew. And you "The Child" are given up as lost by Society. Poor thing, Milk Carton Time. Sometimes Mommy and Daddy are Nymphos and Casanovas and there is a long line of Dates with various personal problems like Drugs, Alcohol, Gambling and Children of their own. The Parent becomes like an Adolescent buddy who the kids must take care of. Then again, sometimes Mommy and Daddy are frumpy and don't date. The kids from those set-ups always grow up with elitist political ideals.

What is never recognized is that the Kids are rarely given a choice about what happens to them and the Parents do. That's called a Traumatic Event that sticks with you for the rest of your life. Mommy and Daddy feel some sort of odd guilt but know from the advisement of their well paid and respected psychotherapists that the child will adjust to their needs. Do the children adjust? Hell no. The children keep their mouths shut. And they forget. Neptune. They listen to both parents' personal problems ad nauseum in stereo during Quality Time, unpack their little suitcases at one house and then another, and then they move out to create their own chaotic relationships when they cease to be a Tax Deduction at age 18.

So, here is the paltry amount of information that I have found.

Rex Bills says that all parents are ruled by the 4th and the 10th houses. Used to be that 4th house represented the Mother as it is the House ruled by Cancer and 10th house ruled the Father as it is ruled by Capricorn. But, now there is debate about that as Modern Parental roles are changing. Sometimes Mom is the bread winner, for example, 10th house.

Camilla Sutton in her Nodes (Vedic Astrology) book says that Step-Parents are shown by the 11th house. This seems to get get a little closer to accuracy in reading as Step-Parents tend to be distant and a bit freaky and artificial, lacking in warmth, sort of a business relationship based on community cooperation. My own Step-Mother couldn't quit telling penus jokes at the Dinner Table, for example. That's weird Uranian behavior. Advice: If you're a Step-Parent, I don't care how drunk, don't tell penus jokes at the Dinner Table to your adolescent Step-Kids.

In Western Astrology the 11th House represents the Step-Children because it is opposite the 5th House of natural children. Makes sense as Step-Children are weird, freaky little wishful thinking types creations of unions that are generally pretty erratic and unpredictable.

The most successful insight was given to me by an astrologer, Judyanne, http://www.judyanneastrology.net. If one believes that the 4th House represents the Mother, then the Mother's 2d Husband will be represented by the 9th House from the 4th House. This means that the 12th House represents a child's first Step-Father. If one sees the 10th house as representing the Father, then his 2d wife is represented by the 6th House. This axis really seems to work as 6th and 12th houses are usually not as strong in influence as the angular houses and represents feelings of victimization, service, and empathy. If a Step-Parent is to be successful, he/she will have to surrender some part of his/her ego in order to take on his/her role. Most fail at this as it is a truly spiritual endeavor and they are in the relationship for drugs, sex and money, but, that works also as 12th House represents failure. Also, of course, 12th house rules a person's hidden enemies so it would be a good house to look at anyway in order to try to understand possible vulnerabilities or outlooks.

You can continue counting Derived Houses according to how many disaster Mom and Dad put you through. 3d, 4th, 5th, zillionth Marital Partner. Don't ask me about the Live-In, Love-In relationships. Hell, just check out the 12th house, look to the 8th house for other people's money to know if you have an inheritance they can steal, and then look to your 2d house to see if you have the self-esteem to handle it.

Overall, it's good to look at a person's 4th and 10th houses, Moon, Saturn, and Nodes to see how a person will be influenced by these parts of his life. If there are nothing but trines and empty houses and happy rulerships then the person may not have been fed any of Snow White's poisonous apples and will Neptune the whole experience out.

Fred Astair

Finding out that the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus don't really exist pretty much pulled the rug out from under my childhood fantasy world. But, the moment that my mother told me that Fred Astair didn't have little machines in his feet that made all those clicking sounds when he danced; that was my first Grown Up moment. I could not imagine how someone could dance, leap, and keep those rhythms coming out of his feet at the same time. It was my first true Reality Check in Life but also the moment that I realized that Reality is often much more beautiful than Fantasy.

Fred Astair
b. May 10, 1899 21 h 16 m Omaha, NE

Sun 21 Taurus ASC 13 Sagittarius Moon 7 Gemini MC 2 Libra

Before looking at Fred Astair's chart I tried to imagine what would represent Tap Dancing. Neptune generally rules Dancing especially for Dancing that is so much dominated by Feet. Also, with Leo/5th House for performance. I figured that Saturn would also have to play a major part in the chart to give rhythm and timing. E Voila! Fred Astair's chart played right into my hands! He was born with Saturn in the H7 opposite Neptune in H7. Both planets are angular and in strong aspect to each other. (I'm just going to add as a note - because I don't know what it means - but Saturn and Neptune are either in conjunction or opposition in all the early numbered Harmonic Charts up to Harmonic 10.)

In addition to this he had a Kite Pattern laid over the ASC-DESC line. Uranus-Chiron conjunct Sagittarius Ascendant is opposite Pluto-Moon-Descendant and in a Grand Fire Trine with Mars in Leo and Venus in Aries. Whew! This explains all the focus on his dancing with his partners. Moon-Pluto and Neptune aspecting DESC or in 7th House really explains why his female audiences would obsessively imagine themselves as his dance partner.

Fred Astair's most famous actual dance partner was Ginger Rogers. Her Sun was conjunct his Vertex (fated encounters) and opposite Uranus and squaring Mars. Paulette Goddard's chart also had a strong connection to Astair's chart. I remember that he refused to tell anyone who his favorite dance partner had been.

As for any Leo influence in Fred Astair's chart, it's good to notice that his Sun is Unaspected and a Singleton Earth planet in his 5th House of Drama. In the opposite 11th House, Jupiter is also Unaspected and a Singleton in Water. So, both his Chart Ruler and Ruler of his Sun Sign really shine.

Pursuing Happyness - Chris Gardner

On the Astrological Wheel Aquarius follows Capricorn. Each sign sort of fixes what is wrong with the sign that comes before it. Moodwise, Capricorn can tend to be the sign of the Grump and the Curmudgeon. Its Ruler, Saturn, rules Time and Old Age. In Greek mythology Saturn was Father of Uranus, the Ruler of Aquarius. But, he had a bit of a jealousy problem with his children and actually swallowed Uranus whole. There is an unbelievably gross picture of this event painted by the great Spanish Painter Goya; definitely one of the most horrifying paintings of all time. So, these planets are connected on an emotional level in a really intense struggle. Capricorn rules the side of parenting associated with the traditional Father Role. It teaches ambition and discipline and persistence. Aquarius symbolizes the Future and Hope and Brotherhood. And, on a more abstract level, this story is a great metaphor. Time must be accepted for its ability to swallow up the Future. It's a great lesson about Life.

So, what I'm leading into is the movie that was recently released about the struggles of Chris Gardner called "The Pursuit of Happyness." It's basically an unbelievable story about overcoming obstacles based loosely on a book Gardner wrote. He tells how he managed to not only get accepted into a very competitive Internship Program with a major Stock Brokerage Firm, but he was hired after the Program. But the story gets much tougher: Gardner did it while sinking into destitution and homelessness as a single Father who was caring for his toddler son at the same time. And he also managed to do this after having a really lousy childhood and as an African American minority. I guess if this guy says you can do it if you're Happy, then we had better pay attention. I needed to look at his chart for "Happyness Indicators." His story is so extreme they would probably be blaring out loud and clear.

Chris Gardner
b. Feb. 9, 1954 Milwaukee, WI

Sun in Aquarius, Moon in Taurus

Sun in Aquarius. These guys are pretty upbeat people overall. Air sign gives emotional distance and intellectual clarity, a friendly, extroverted personality that's directed towards the future rather than dragging in the past. Gardner's Sun is conjunct Venus also. Venus rules Love and Money and also Diplomacy Skills and a Harmonious element.

Moon in Taurus. Again, this gives an easy going, friendly streak to the emotional nature. Taurus is ruled by Venus so it also hooks into the Venusian qualities mentioned. Depending on the time he was born Gardner's Sun may be squaring his Moon. This isn't a particularly Happy aspect but would make sense since he experienced a lot of tension early on through his parents'. He never knew his Father as a child and his step-father was a louse.

Back to the Sun-Venus conjunction. It contacts every planet in the Horoscope that I would expect to symbolize Happyness: maybe Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, and well Pluto. It doesn't contact Saturn the Curmudgeon. So, Gardner can project himself out into the world and make things happen. Sun trines Jupiter in Gemini and Neptune in Libra and if you can accept a wide orb makes a Grand Air Trine. Both Jupiter and Neptune can give a lot of Luck and a very positive, optimistic attitude. Put together into a Grand Air Trine gives an ability to protect ones' self through one's Mental abilities and create Luck through this. The Luck is given direction through an opposition by Pluto to the Sun-Venus conjunction. This gives a lot of determination and drive to the configuration. This would be a good combination for making money especially combined with the other Venus/Taurus aspects and in particular in the Stock Market as Pluto is in Leo and Leo rules speculation. It can also make one attractive to people in power but can create problems in intimate relationships. This opposition is squared by Mars in Scorpio in Gardner's chart, so his relationships might really suffer through aggressiveness, but probably has a pretty healthy sex drive.

So, that explains Gardner's ability to be Happy. Where does the Tragic Saga part of the Drama come from? Well, what works well out in the World can pose different problems on a psychological level. And then there's The Nodes. North Node in Capricorn and South Node in Cancer show subconscious connections to one's Parenting needs. Gardner was intuitively connected to his need to be a Capricornian Father for his Son because of what he had missed when he was a kid. (He also tried first to own his own business (Saturnian) selling Bone Scanners (Saturnian). Chiron is conjunct his North Node which connects in with this need to heal his wound. On the other hand Uranus is conjunct his South Node in Cancer so he has a unusual idea of what the Mothering needs are. His own Mother was sent to jail because his Step-Father reported her as collecting both Welfare and Paychecks (nice guy) and she supposedly later on burned the house down with him in it. So, strong issues here. Plus, Neptune is squaring this NN-Chiron opposite SN-Uranus so there would be issues around Disillusionment and Victimization and Empathy for others.

In fact, when Gardner was making his big turn-around and suffering so much at the same time (I believe this was in or around 1981) Pluto was conjunct his natal Neptune squaring his Nodal Opposition (Wipe-Out which can become spiritual transformation) and Uranus was conjunct his Mars squaring his Sun-Venus to Pluto opposition. His Progressed Sun was aspecting his Progressed Mars (square), n. Jupiter (square) and n.Uranus (trine) so his Ego Drive was very positive and upbeat.

"Hold Your Wee for a Wii", Or Not

Last Friday a woman in Sacramento, CA, Jennifer Strange, tragically passed away after drinking 10 bottles of water over a three hour period while trying to win a Nintendo Video game called a "Wii" for her kids. This contest was set up by a radio station in Sacramento and was supposed to be a fun, harmless way to market the latest craze in Video crap for kids. People have contests eating zillions of hot dogs, so what harm could a couple of bottles of water do to a person? Unfortunately, we got to find out. Ms. Strange was one of the final contestants and finished the contest as a Runner Up. The contestants were in bad shape. One woman said that toward the end she was lying on the floor with her teeth chattering uncontrollably.

Ms. Strange was 28 so she was in her Progressed Moon Return and nearing her Saturn Return. That's all I know about her birth information other than that she would probably have been born in 1978.

The Radio Show was called the "Morning Rave" and played from 5:30am to 10am in Sacramento, CA. I'm not sure when the Water Drinking contest took place so I ran the 10am chart and, boy, it's really scary!

First off, Pisces is Rising. Pisces is one of the Water Signs and rules Intoxication and Poisoning in Medical Astrology. Uranus and the North Node are in Pisces right now and were conjunct the Ascendant. Uranus rules Weird events and Uncontrollable Situations and the North Node rules Fated Events and here they are in wildly challenging stress aspects to both the Ascendant and MC, the indicators for public events.

That's just the beginning. Uranus and Neptune are in Mutual Reception right now and have been partially blamed for the big weather tragedies (well, along with Global Warming) like the Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. Neptune is in the 12th house of this chart which is the House that it rules so its presence is very strong. And I repeat, this house/planet rules Intoxication along and also is one of the houses ruling death. Uranus-NN-ASC are also being squared by Mars-Pluto-MC in Sagittarius which is a great stressor for violence and danger. But not only that, but ASC-Uranus-NN are also squaring Jupiter in Sagittarius in the 9th house. Jupiter in its own house and sign which makes it also very strong in the chart. It rules overindulgence and expansion.

Finally, Venus rules the Kidneys. Venus was in the 12th house conjunct Chiron (wounding) in Aquarius (sign of the Water Bearer) and also approaching conjunction with Neptune by about 9 degrees. It was squaring the Moon in Scorpio in the 8th house of Death. Max Heindel in his Medical Astrology book claims that often problems with eliminating urine are indicated when the Moon is squaring Mercury which the Moon had done just previous to squaring Chiron and Venus. Plus, Moon in Scorpio has its own issues with retention and control. In order to win, the contestants weren't allowed to pee any of the water out. Ms. Strange (a Uranian name even) went home crying and with an awful headache. Her mother found her dead in her home in Rancho Cordova hours later. Apparently Water Intoxication can cause fatal swelling of the Brain. From an astrological stand-point this is interesting as Venus/Libra rule the Kidneys and caused a Fatal Reaction in the Brain which is ruled by opposite sign Aries.

Saturn can't be left out when discussing retention. Here, Saturn is opposing Neptune as he has been doing for greater or lesser degree for about a year.

This chart is just really incredible to read after the fact, and unfortunately could have been very useful to look at before the contest. It's an extremely dangerous looking event chart.

The Radio Station has suspended the show and has fired 10 employees.

My heart goes out to Jennifer Strange's family.

Housing Slumps and other Economic Indicators

A BusinessWeek article (www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07-04/c40180008.htm) says that if the current Housing Slump is over already then we are very lucky as the amount of Housing Starts have dropped only 24.4% since hitting a high in February, 2005. Since 1959 there have been seven housing cycles which average a decline of 47.3% when they fall. The biggest drop was 63.7% in the early-mid 1970's. There has been a pretty solid rise since 1991 with only little corrections.

I've lost the link to a good chart from a Website called "The Econtrarian" (article "Near a Bottom in Housing?" Nov. 3, 2006) that shows these Historical peaks and troughs but the following are roughly the dates for the cycles. Eventually I hope to find some astrological correspondences.

Peak: Jan 1959
Trough: end of 1960 -36.2%

Peak: 1963
Trough: 1966 -53.7%

Peak: end of 1968
Trough: Jan, 1970 -38.7%

Peak: Jan. 1972
Trough: Feb. 1975 -63.78%

Peak: 1978
Trough: Phase 1 - Jan. 1980
Phase 2: end of 1981 -60.9%

Peak: Late 1983 to 1986
Trough: 1991 -59.5%

Mostly Uphill.
Small Drop Dec. 1998 - July, 2000 -18.4%

Peak: Feb. 2005
Trough: as of Nov. 2006 the drop -24.4%


So, I remember two phrases that the Teacher in my Stock Market Class repeating over and over again in his Sing-Song Voice regarding investing in the Stock Market. The First Phrase was "the Trend is Your Friend." The Second Phrase was "The Interest Rates go Up, the Stock Market goes down. Diversify. Diversify. Diversify."

I took that class back in the early 90's. Since then all the rules seem to not work anymore. Found a link (http://mortgage-x.com/general/indexes/prime.asp) for Historical Listings of the Interest Rates from 1947 to present. This list shows the Prime Rates. The Prime Rate is the Base Rate charged for Corporate Loans by the Majority of Banks in the U.S. Historically they take one big wide swing one up and then down as follows: They seem to be on the upswing now, hopefully won't lead to the big Inflation of the 70s and 80s again.

Low Rate: 1.75% December 1947

High Rate: 20% Apr. 2, 1980 That's kind of like what the Mafia charges, isn't it? And if you don't pay it then they cut off your leg.

The lowest Rate since then was 4% on June 27, 2003.

Economic Indicators that are used to predict the Interest Rates are explained at that same website (http://mortgage-x.com/general/indicators.asp). These are: Gross Domestic Product; Consumer Price Index; Producer Price Index; Employment Situation; Payroll Employment; Unemployment Rate; Consumer Credit; Housing Starts. Interesting, I don't believe that actual Housing and Real Estate costs are included yet this is where most of a person's income sinks into. Probably, I've got this wrong.

Herodotus

My computer broke so I've got a log jam of charts that I want to look at and no time to look at them. I came up with a stupid idea. I would try make a brief mention of Herodotus the Ancient Greek Historian. In college, I studied Classics for two years until I realized that I had close to no interest in Ancient Greek and Roman culture and absolutely no talent for History. I did, however, come away with a great love for Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles and Herodotus basically because my teachers were so great at explaining their works. Actually, I think a couple of them taught the class while high on some kind of flower or mushroom because some of the stories were really interesting. Recently I've been wanting to go back and re-read these works because I might finally understand them.

From what I remember, Herodotus was the first Historian. He writes stories in entertaining anecdotal form and gives opinions and pisses off authorities. Because of this he is called both "The Father of History" and "The Father of Lies." But he mixes real life in with the narration. He describes the Government of one ancient culture that would never make a decision until its members had considered the issue while both sober and drunk. This is still done, but our Politicians must say that they either didn't inhale or didn't swallow.

Herodotus was born some time in the 5th Century BCE, Halicarnassus, Greece. Dates given on Wikipedia are 484BC - 425BC. He had to have had some Gemini in there somewhere.

He wrote his Histories (according to Wikipedia) between 431 BC and 425 BC. Here are the starting and ending points for the outer planets during that time.

1/432: Pluto 25 Capricorn; Neptune Pisces; Uranus Aquarius; Saturn Libra; Jupiter Aries; North Node Pisces.

NOTE: Neptune and Uranus were in Mutual Reception then, just as they are now. The North Node is in Pisces as well. The Digital Age is the new version of written History.

1/426: Pluto Aquarius; Neptune Aries; Uranus Aquarius; Saturn Sagittarius; Jupiter Scorpio; North Node Scorpio

Pluto conjunct the Galactic Center

Pluto finally docked for its first pass at the point in the Universe called the Galactic Center. This is a point that is thought to have a strong magnetic pull on the rest of the Universe. It might be some sort of Galactic Drain Pipe of sorts. Indeed, Pluto's position in our Solar System has suffered a demotion from the Astronomers this year who decided that Pluto is no longer a true Planet but a "Dwarf Planet." Pluto's own magnetic qualities and slow transits have brought much attention to this point.

So, this is a long transit, Pluto-GC, it will hit a couple more times in the next year. Last Friday when it went exact there were a few notable events. A White Dolphin that had lived in the Yangtze River in China for 20 million years was officially said to be extinct. Called Baiji, these River Dolphins were very shy and almost blind. Polar Bears were also put on the Endangered Species list due to loss of habitat, melting glaciers. Sagittarius, being a Centaur, is very concerned with animals so it is interesting that we're suffering these losses (Pluto). I've also sort of noticed how Sagittarians tend to wear lots of White. Emily Dickinson, famous Sagg Sun, wore white from head to toe, was even buried in a white coffin.

A Basque Terrorist group bombed an Airport in Spain unexpectedly right during peak holiday travel times. Pluto in Saggitarius has been strongly influencing Terrorists and Religious Fanatics of all kinds. Anything or Anybody with a strong Opinion about just about anything is going to be popping off about something.

Also, the U.S. lost a President and Iraq executed its past leader Saddam Hussein on the same day. This makes me wonder about something really scary. If you die at the same time as another person do both of you belong to some kind of Karmic Graduating Class? Like, how, during this life, I will always have to see this girl Cameron who I grew up with every time I go to High School Reunions even though she bullied me and gossiped about me mercilessly the whole time when we were growing up and continues to do so (they never change)? Gerald Ford was a nice guy, Saddam not so hot. I'd feel really bad if they had to get drunk at the same Etheric Bar together night after night maybe after almost killing each other.

So I looked at their charts and found some interesting stuff.

President Gerald Ford
b. July 14, 1913 00:43am Omaha NE

Sun at 22 Cancer ASC 14 Taurus Moon 4 Sagittarius MC 25 Capricorn

Saddam Hussein
b. April 28, 1937 07:05am Tikrit, Iraq
Sun at 8 Taurus ASC 9 Gemini Moon 5 Saggitarius MC 19 Aquarius

Well, they are bonded. Their Moon Signs are conjunct in Sagittarius by a degree. Saddam's Sun is conjunct Gerald's Ascendant from the 12th house. Jupiter was conjunct their Moons when they both passed and everyone always says you want to die on a Jupiter transit, so that part is hunky dory.

President Ford, such a nice, mellow guy, just ended up with Dark Dark Partners. Well, Betty seems to have sobered up nicely and certainly seems pretty nice. But Ford was Vice-President to Richard Nixon and became President because not only was Nixon was a Crook but he got caught so he was a dumb crook. Dark Side of Scorpio on the Descendant in action. Crisis after crisis on the Partnership front. His Scorpio DESC is emphasized because, Scorpio's ruler, Pluto is squaring Ford's Nodes. In addition, Ford's North Node is Pisces so he really may have been stuck in some sort of Martyr position in this life. A Martyr with Power. Well, at least he didn't die on a Cross. Pluto rules Death and the Occult so he may really be stuck flying around in the ether with Saddam right now. His Moon is in the 7th House of Partners and he does share it with Saddam. The Rulers of his ASC and DESC, Venus and Mars are both in his 1st House. Boy, I feel so bad, I hope he's up there with the Dolphins and Saddam took the escalator downstairs.

I mean, I'm not into the Death Penalty and I think a Public Hanging is Barbaric out of its mind, but I wouldn't want anybody to be stuck in Eternity with Saddam. The Flags have been flying at half mast all week and I'm sure that deep down Saddam thinks that's being done for him.

Looking at creepy old Saddam's chart we see that North Node is in his 7th House, obviously he didn't succeed in his Diplomatic Relationship abilities during this lifetime so it's pretty obvious that he's set to reincarnate for a few more rounds. The rulers of his Nodes are Jupiter (NN) and Mercury (SN) and they are in H8 and H12, both psychic houses of the occult. Neptune squares his Nodes from the 4th House (end of life) so its looking worse and worse not only for Good Old President Ger, but even more so for the Dolphins (Neptune rules Creatures of the Sea). I don't think that even they, great spirituals beings, would be able to set Saddam's spirit onto the correct path.

Dreamgirls, 3d Generation

I never saw the Broadway production of Dreamgirls that starred Jennifer Holliday in the role of Effie White but sure am impressed by Jennifer Hudson's performance in the same role. This character is based on Florence Ballard the original member who was ousted from the group for unprofessional behavior. I read a review saying that Jennifer Hudson was born only 3 months before the Broadway Production began and thought I'd take a look to see what kinds of relationships if any I could find between the 3 singer/actresses and the dates of both the Broadway Show and the Movie.

First of all, there's Florence Ballard's chart.
b. June 30, 1943 Rosetta, Mississippi

Ballard was fired after the opening of the group's first act in Las Vegas on June 28, 1967. That would have been one Hell of a Solar Return. She had a wide conjunction of Jupiter in Cancer to Pluto in Leo and t.Jupiter was conjunct Pluto to the degree at that point. (Jupiter-Pluto conjunctions play an important part in both Hudson and Holliday's charts with the release of the two shows). There were also tough transits to her Nodes, Venus, Chiron from Neptune. That can easily equal drinking too much and victimization. Although her behavior no doubt brought on her struggles, she really was betrayed by her manager and group. Ballard had a drinking problem and dropped into poverty, passing away at the early age of 32 on Feb. 22, 1976.

Without birth time, as usual, I can't do full readings for any of these women. But, not including Ascendant and exact Moon placement, Ballard's chart shows many trines and sextiles and only one square between Mars and Jupiter. This shows that she wouldn't have had a tough personality, maybe her system was not "innoculated" in order to handle difficult challenges in life. She has a Cancer Sun and a Gemini Moon (probably) so she could have been a bit emotional and mercurial, maybe unable to naturally gain enough distance from what happens to her in life. The Mars-Jupiter square gains emphasis because of its Solo Performance in her chart. This can be an athlete's aspect, she would have pushed herself really hard, her expectations would have been unrealistic, giving her an inability to pace herself so exposing herself to burn-out. Her Sun in this chart is unaspected which is great for a performer but also means that she may have had deep insecurities about needing to shine in the world. Her North Node was in Leo conjunct Venus and 12 degrees away from Pluto so she had a strong desire for Fame, definitely wanted to be in the spotlight. When the Broadway version of Dreamgirls came out her Progressed Sun was conjunct this North Node and her Chart had just gone through a Nodal Return. That's the intensity of Leo and Pluto's drive. I've heard that Pluto, lord of the Underworld, can bring Fame from beyond the grave.

Jennifer Holliday was born October 19, 1960 in Riverside, Texas. No birth time but she appears to have had both Sun and Moon in Libra. Her chart is a very strong Bowl shape bounded by an exact opposition between Mars in Cancer and Saturn in Capricorn. Her North Node in Virgo, Neptune, Pluto all aspect this opposition. The Double Libra and Bowl shape are perfect castings for the character of Effie who is so vulnerable to the relationships in her life. Holliday achieved Superstar Fame when the show opened on December 9, 1981. Both Jupiter and Pluto were conjunct her Sun at this time Her progressed Sun was conjunct her Mercury (ruler of NN and also of voice), and she was going through two Venus aspects: p.Venus c. t. Neptune and t. Uranus on n. Venus. Venus rules the singing voice.

Jennifer Hudson was born September 12, 1981 Chicago, IL. Hudson's Moon is either in Aquarius or in Pisces. She has Sun in Virgo squaring Neptune natally. Neptune rules Movies, Charisma so, in combination with the Sun that's great for an artist of any kind but especially a Movie actress. Jupiter and Pluto were also in conjunction so you sort of get the sense that she was being "vibed" out in some way to create something sensational with her life. Like the first Jennifer (Holliday) Libra is strong in her chart, she has 5 planets there. Since she was born three months before the Broadway show I checked to see if anything significant was happening to her chart at that time and repeated when the Movie came out. Well, both Theater and Movie productions came out in December so the Sun-Neptune square was set into motion. When the Broadway show came out, transiting Sun was conjunct her natal Neptune and squaring her natal Sun. Pluto has just passed over her Neptune and Jupiter will pass over it this year. This seems to be repeating the conjunction of the two planets on her Libra planets that occurred when the Broadway Production was released. She shares a Leo North Node with Florence Ballard. Hers is conjunct Mars and is squared by Venus.

Striking It Rich

Article in San Jose Mercury News about a Duke University study how 52 percent of the Start-Up Companies in the Silicon Valley are led by Immigrants. The article is called "Valley's New Leaders Coming From Overseas" and shows which countries Countries have recently struck it rich in the Tech Industry in California: India, China, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Germany, Iraq, Israel. I'm really thrilled that the United States is such a Land of Opportunity for others. But, I'm also sad that so many Americans have no opportunity and are living in poverty. The plight of the Immigrant becomes exhausting and sort of stupid. A week or so ago I believe I read an article about how the Silicon Valley is also tops or near tops for being the most miserly regarding philanthropy. All this money in California yet obscenely high drop-out rates in California Public High Schools. Opportunity, yes, but no Community.

Here's the list of the Winners in these catagories along with the birth dates of as many as I could find.

Vinod Khosla
co-founder of Sun Microsystems
b. January 28, 1955 Poona, (New Delhi), India

Alfred Chuang
co-founder of BEA Systems
b. (no date) Hong Kong

Sergey Brin
co-founder of Google
b. August 21, 1973 Moscow, Russia

Jen Hsun-Huang
co-founder of Nvidia
b. February 17, 1963 Taipai, Taiwan

Pierre Omidyar
founder of E-Bay
b. June 21, 1967 Paris, France

Jerry Yang
co-founder of Yahoo
b. Nov. 6, 1968 Taipei, Taiwan

Astrology Recommendations

Humor:

Born on a Rotten Day
by Hazel Dixon-Cooper

Astrology for the Light Side of the Brain
by Kim Rogers-Gallagher

SunShines: The Astrology of Happiness
Michael Lutin

For Beginning / Intermediate:

How to Read Your Astrological Chart
by Donna Cunningham

New Complete Astrologer
by Derek & Julia Parker

Only Way to Learn Astrology Series
Marion March and Joan McEvers

Intermediate Astrology
edited by Alphee Lavoie, NCGR publication

Saturn: New Look at an Old Devil
Liz Greene

Cloned Meat

What can be added to the American Diet to ensure the blubberiness of its pyramidal structure? What can one add to the Coke, the Candy, the Chips, the Microwaves? Well, Toss in Dolly the Lambchop.

That's right. Dolly the Sheep. Well, Hello-o-o-oo Dolly!

The Romans used to eat and eat until they had to stick their fingers down their throats in order to make room for more. The American Public doesn't need a finger. If what goes in doesn't come out, well, it can be transformed into Autism and Diabetes and Bipolar behavior. Remember the movie Sleeper? Welcome to Woody Allen's future.

Last Thursday the FDA approved an 800 page report conluding that Cloned Meat and Dairy is completely safe for consumption and American Companies can start production on producing New & Improved types. It's Safe. (It's also Gross). They've offered the American public a chance to Comment on their website. I think it is vital that all meat and dairy from Cloned Animals be labelled as such. It seems that the FDA won't offer this option on their own so hopefully enough people will be informed to make a comment.

Tell the FDA that you don't want Cloned Meat. Tell them that you want them to label all products made from cloned animals so that you can choose and so that they don't destroy the entire food supply.

Go Here to add your two cents: submit electronic comments on the three documents, visit http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/oc/dockets/comments/commentdocket.cfm?AGENCY=FDA. Written comments may be sent to: Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD, 20852. Comments must be received by Apr. 2, 2007 and should include the docket number 2003N-0573.

FDA Document No 2003N-0573
Written December 28, 2006 Washington DC.

Last Thursday, Pluto was with spitting distance of being in conjunction with the Galactic Center; the exact conjunction was on Friday. This happens every 248 or so years and nobody knows what it means. Hey Astrology Land, this is what it means. If it ain't broke, you can make it worse. Also, the chart of the Food & Drug Act of 1906 (See my article "Happy Thanksgiving" for mini chart interpretation) contains a Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in Gemini opposite the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction that will happen next December 2007.

What else is indicated here? Well, don't know what time the Document became official. The 9am chart shows Chiron, Neptune and Uranus in the 1st house. I tend to think that Chiron is one of the signifactors. It's unaspected in Aquarius in Thursdays chart. I heard one Astrologer say that it symbolizes Hybrids, as in Hybrid cars. As it spins around between Saturn and Uranus' orb, it symbolizes the transition phase between those two planets. And those two planets don't really see eye to eye on much so a fusion made between the two of them could be quite odd and somewhat transitional. Saturn is so conservative and strict and Uranus is rebellious and non-traditional. The FDA is having its Chiron Return right now, almost to the degree.

Dolly the Sheep had an opposition of Saturn and Chiron in her chart right on top of her Nodes. Chiron-NN in Libra opposite Saturn-SN in Aries. It was involved in a Grand Square with Sun-Mercury in Cancer (made from a Mammary Cell, thus the name Dolly, after Dolly Parton, fits the Cancer stereotype) and Jupiter in Virgo. She also had a Fire Trine between Saturn and Pluto and Pluto. (Interesting Pluto was conjunct Ceres, the planet of pregnancy). By coincidence, We now are again experiencing a Fire Trine between Pluto and Saturn. Pluto and Saturn together like to have controlled. Anything they do is super duper planned out to be perfect. Unfortunately, nothing's perfect. America's food supply has been abducted by Ron Popeil.

This new Cloned Meat and Dairy legislation has a conjunction of Uranus with the North Node in Pisces. Uranus rules TV Dinners. Now it rules Cloning. From USA Today "Cloning is the process of taking a single cell from an adult animal, inserting it into a hollowed-out egg from that species and using an electric shock to "trick" the egg into thinking it has been fertilized. Uranus and Electric shock! Tricking (Male) the Egg (Female). Amazing how the sex act plays out even at the microscopic level.

I suppose they know more about cloning than we think. I overheard a Nobel Laureate Scientist say that in his opinion the book "In His Image: The Cloning of a Man" by David Rorvik could easily be true. In this book from 1978, Rorvik, a Science writer, describes how he helped a very rich man clone himself. A Court ruled that the book was a hoax in 1981 but Rorvik insists that the story was true. He says that the baby was born in December 1976. That gives the baby Saturn in Leo. He just had his first Saturn Return. Can you imagine? Well, Saturn Returns are supposed to be kind of heavy periods in one's life.

That baby was produced in secret for $One Million Dollars$. A cloned cow can now be offered for $14,000. What a steal.

Baby's First Breath

Happy New Year! It's 2007. Time for Rebirth. Thought I'd try to go over what rules Human Birth in the Chart. These are rough notes. I'm going to list some aspects of Childbirth and hopefully add planetary symbolisms to them as soon as I get my Rex Bills book on rulerships.

Eileen Naumann says that a person's birth moment is described by his Ascendant.

Max Heindel Says: "It is best to be born at Sunrise or in the Forenoon preferably in April or August (when Sun is exalted) when the Moon is increasing in light (new moon to full moon)." That leaves a lot of us moping around with inferior charts, Max. Waaaa! That means that every new year is rotten right from the beginning because it's got the wrong Sun Sign. I'm telling Linda Goodman on you, Max!

Ingrid Naiman has written interesting articles on Astrofertility at www. astroheal.com/articles/storks_stars.html. She says that a Czech psychiatrist, Dr. Eugen Jonas found that a woman is most fertile when the Moon is in the same phase as it was when she was born. If she was born on a Full Moon, then she is most fertile on a Full Moon. If she was born on a New Moon, then she is most fertile on a New Moon and so on. He also found that the baby's sex is determined by the sign of the Moon during conception. Masculine signs will beget boys, Feminine signs will beget girls.

4th House and Moon rule Birth. 8th House rules Conception. Passage from 12th to 1st Houses rules time of birth, that's the Ascendant of the Chart. Ceres rules Fertility and Menstruation. (www.goodess.astrology.com/ceres/).

Contraception - controlling fertility cycles (Moon-Pluto): ruled by 8th House.
Abstinence
Roe v. Wade / Decided Jan. 22, 1973 Washington, DC / good discussion at http://starcats.com/newsmakers_february_2006.html:
The Pill
IUD
Abortion
The Morning After Pill
The Abortion Pill

Conception: 8th house, well, 5th house writes the Dance Card and makes the Date, 7th house makes the Wedding Bells Chime, but some just go straight to 8th house.

Vaginal Birth in 4 stages:

1) Cervical Dilation

2) Pushing Phase - Uterine Contraction

3) Birth of Baby and Delivery of Placenta, Mother loses blood,
Umbilical Cord Cutting / Some allow to detach naturally "Lotus Birth"
In Hospital Baby is evaluated 1 minute and 5 minutes after birth by Apgar Score which checks for Skin Color (Saturn); Heart Rate (Sun); Reflex irritability; Muscle Tone; Respiration (Mercury). Apgar Score developed by Virginia Apgar b. June 7, 1909 Westfield, NJ. She said "Nobody, but Nobody is going to stop breathing on me!"

4) Afterbirth where child goes through physiological changes such as independent breathing and cardiovascular structures change. One shunt in heart, Ductus asteriosus, falls with the 1st breath and completely seals after 4-10 days. The second shunt, Foramen Ovale (sp?), usually closes within the first year but doesn't close completely in 30% of people.

Hospital - ruled by 12th house, Neptune

Inducing Labor -
(increases need for Cesarean Section)

Cesarian Birth
28% of U.S. births are Cesarean Section as of 2003

Baby's position:
Most babies born Head First (1st house, Aries, Ascendant)
Breech babies come out feet (Neptune) or buttocks (Jupiter) first
Transverse lie - baby is sideways in womb and hand or elbow comes first
Posterior Baby - baby's head faces forward instead of backwards
Cephalo-Pelvic Disproportion - baby's head doesnt' fit into mother's pelvis - usually due to bone forming problems in Mother.

Pain Control:

Non-Medical:
Support from others (women are found to have better influence - Venus);
Massage (Taurus, Venus);
Hypnosis (Neptune);
Water Therapy in Tub or Shower (Water Signs);
Squatting or Crawling positions (?).
The Body has its own Pain Control, beta-endorphins are secreted from the Pituitary Gland. (ruled by Uranus?)

Medical Pain Control:
Nitrous Oxide
Epidural Blocks (Spinal Anaesthesia): Saturn; Uranus.

Mortality after Childbirth. Much less in Modernized Countries. Most important factors affecting Mortality in Childbirth are 1) Adequate Nutrition (6th house, Virgo) and 2) Access to Medical Care, blocked either due to a) Cost (Venus) or b) Distance (3d or 9th house).

Psychological Aspects of Giving Birth:

Mothers:
PTSD symptons can result.
Partner participation can help as long as partner doesn't exhibit excessive anxiety. Female partners result in need for less chemical pain relief.
70-80% Mother develop some sort of "Baby Blues"
10% Mothers develop postpartum depression.
Group Therapy (Uranus) is a good preventative measure.
Lack of Sleep.

Fathers:
Lack of Sleep.
Jealousy.
Do they receive any attention for their feelings?
Father represented by Saturn
Father not present - Saturn Retrograde, or in difficult aspect to Nodes (so says Noel Tyl)
Father thrown out of the Delivery Room for Anxiety Purposes: Full Moon? etc.
Paternity Dispute - Anna Nicole Smith have an Asteroid?