No Progressions

We never really change. Here's a cool website where people send in pictures of themselves as kids and pictures of themselves as they are now, in the same pose. The pictures are a riot:

http://colorwar2008.com/submissions/youngnow?page=1

Salmonella Scare From Tomatoes or ... Outer Space?

I've written a couple of blogs already about Salmonella outbreaks. There is now a major outbreak of Salmonella that was thought to be related to raw tomatoes. After 2 months the guilty tomatoes have all been pulled from the shelves and people are still getting sick.

Rex Bills' rulerships for tomatoes: (Jupiter, Neptune, Mars). I'd give rulership of tomatoes to Moon and Mars because they are a fruit, they are disgusting to eat raw, and they are acidic. They are also really great for food (Moon) fights (Mars), there's a town in Spain that holds an all day food fight, for example, using Tomatoes for ammo. But this is neither here nor there. Right now Mars and Neptune have opposed each other over the Nodal Axis in the signs of Leo and Aquarius. Neptune rules large bodies of water and poisonings and Aquarius rules circulatory systems so perhaps pipes that transport water are to blame.

Earlier I noticed a connection to the signs of Gemini and Virgo (communicable health diseases) and the Salmonella Epidemics. This is sort of odd because Salmonella wants to rip your bowels out, plain and simple, seems more Plutonian. But it is very contagious. Saturn, a planet which will depress anything it touches in order to test its stability, is in Virgo. Saturn doesn't want to kill you, it just wants to make you stronger. Saturn could also indicate a problem with a building or structure. It might also indicate that all the Virgos at the CDC are not feeling up to par right now and just aren't in the mood to fight an epidemic. And no Public Health Department can succeed without its Virgos. So say a blessing for the Virgos who will eventually come around and protect us from our tomatoes. So, it seems that the Saturn-Pluto trine might be connected to an extra large spread of Salmonella when connected to the sign of Virgo.

On April 10, 2008 when the Salmonella was first detected, the Moon was in Gemini opposing Pluto. So, it was a good day for a Salmonella outbreak. I think that Gemini is involved in epidemics just because of its ability to rapidly spread stuff around, especially through the hands. The Gemini Moon on April 10 was also squaring Uranus (circulatory systems) in Pisces. The tomatoes were cleared from the shelves just as the Sun moved into Gemini though which perhaps is bad timing. There has also been an extra strong opposition to Pluto from the Gemini Sun and out-of-bounds Venus in Gemini. The spread is more difficult to contain during a Gemini influence?

Pluto, ruler of germs and bacteria, sewers and waste products and bad bowels movements, is involved in more intense than ordinary oppositions to bot Venus and Mars this year. On April 10, Pluto was squaring Venus in Aries. It had just moved out of an opposition from Mars in Cancer which had lasted for months due to Mars' Retrograde in that sign. So this is a great set-up for Salmonella, in my limited opinion from what I've observed in my shallow research of the past Salmonella outbreaks.

So, I tried to pull up a Horary and I don't know how to do a Horary so let's call it an event chart. First I asked "What's causing the Salmonella Outbreak? then right after that I asked "Where is source of Salmonella?" I asked about 20 minutes apart so the chart didn't change a whole lot. Told you I don't know Horary.

For What's causing the Outbreaks?

Scorpio Rising with ruler Pluto in the 2d House in Sagittarius. Pluto rules germs, bacteria, sewers. The 2d house rules storage units. I read in the news that the warehouses for the tomatoes might be a source. I also read that the tomatoes may have been housed in Mexico. Pluto in Sagittarius could indicate contamination in a warehouse that is far away or in a foreign land. Trucks and cars aren't involved, that would be Gemini/3d house.

Pluto in the chart was in a Grand Trine with Mars in Leo in the 10th House and Moon in Aries in the 6th House. 6th House is Health and Moon is the Public. Mars in Leo seems to add some sort of Corporate/Government/Boss involvement. The Grand Trine could show a number of different things, most notably success of the disease to spread. Perhaps there's a cover-up to avoid being caught.

At the base of the chart is the North Node-Neptune-Chiron conjunction opposing Mars-SN. As the Ic is Aquarius circulating water could be poisoning something. I assume that the IC would show the root cause for the Salmonella and the Neptune-Chiron-NN in Aquarius indicates Water in Circulatory Systems is poisoning. Perhaps a sewer is leaking into a warehouse.

With the Scorpio Rising of this chart one would be able to find the source through the sense of smell more easily than through any other method as Scorpio tends to be hidden.

This isn't helping. I'm just repeating ideas that were offered by the CDC in the article. Time to move onto a conspiracy theory. More fun.

This Horary chart has some striking similarities to a blog I wrote (really badly written I must say) about a Space Shuttle mission in which research was done to see what happens to Salmonella in space. It has the same Scorpio Rising, Same Sagg Pluto in H2, Same Moon in Aries in H6, same Neptune on IC. (Nodal Axis was Pisces.) The Shuttle Mission showed that Salmonella mutates in space. Wouldn't that be creepy if...I'm not saying that...but the outbreak began in Texas and that's one of NASA's places... oooo, conspiracy theory. Horary makes me so paranoid.

Moral of the Story: Eat chili peppers with your guacamole and salsa, they'll burn the bacteria right out.

Boys & Girls

Swear to God, Hope to Die, this is from the latest New Scientist magazine. (June 28, 2008 issue, p. 21). The wording used is literal astroblab for Venus (girls) and Mars (boys):

Who ever said that girls aren't competitive? Girls are no less competitive than boys, they're simply subtler about it, a study of pre-schoolers suggests. While boys use head-on aggression to get what they want, girls rely on the pain of social exclusion."

Just love how they literally use "head-on" for the boys' aggression, Mars rules the head. The researchers gave the kids a desirable toy to fight over and then sat back and watched Venus and Mars go for it in their own astrological textbook way (love the sadistic streak of the researchers):

Boys tended to ask for the puppet, grab at it, or even chase the child who had it. By contrast, girls punished the puppet-holder by excluding her from their clique, whispering behind her back or even hiding from her."

Something else I was thinking about is that Mars rules the 1st House and Venus rules the 7th House which is well known but I never really related to Mars and Venus before. Their rulerships sort of split the Wheel up into lower and upper in a way that corresponds with the rulerships of those hemispheres. The lower half of the chart is considered the personal development phase of an individual. The upper half is considered the social development phase.
Venus also rules Taurus, the sign right after Aries but this study shows its influence from the Libra point of view.

Stress Out at the Stock Market

Ray Merriman warned about Uranus Stationing Direct today and he wasn't kidding: http://www.stariq.com/MarketWeek.HTM. The Stock Market dropped almost 360 points to its lowest levels since Sept. 11, 2006. Reasons given were that Oil Prices moved up over 140 $ barrel. People who bought precious metals are laughing their heads off with glee. Financial, Auto, & High Tech industries suffered set-backs. Sounds like Uranus, huh?

Today Uranus started in the 8th House of Investments too. It ended the Day in 5th House. It was unaspected all day long,( except for a dinky square minor aspect don't know what it's called.) It's doing this every day for about a month until we can get some new signs Rising.

Interesting how Uranus and Pluto sort of seem to rule the U.S. Stock Market because the Sun is in the 11th House (House of Uranus) as the Market opens at 9:30 am and then the Sun is in Pluto's House, the 8th, when the Market closes. So, Uranus is pissy faced right now, asking us to please get on with things and invent some new ideas already. He's so tired of the tried and true. He knows that anything new is what makes people happy. This is what drives the U.S. Markets.

As for Pluto, people can only sense him. Venus has moved out of opposition to Pluto finally but is still opposing the Sun. And the Sun rules the chart for Opening Bell these days (along with Mars and Saturn who are in the 1st house). Pluto is the perpetual Prunerk as it were, clearing out the deadwood to make room for new growth. So I hear that Pluto pruned the Dow and the Nasdaq. I don't know if anybody defenestrated over this, but Pluto sort of puts one on edge in that direction. Venus, Queen of the Banking Industry, is out-of-bounds still so she's being extra bitchy. She and the Sun are in the sign of Cancer, sign of Leona Helmsley, the uber miser. Leaving everything to the dogs for good or bad. So the people who have money are protecting what they've got because they don't see anything worth investing in. Those little electric cars that everyone's trying to fob off on the customers? Dumb idea. The people who need the energy efficient cars are the ones with the 1 and 2 hours commutes and just try getting to work next to a semi in that. I say build Beenie Boy whirligig hats with propellers that will jet propel people right off their feet. They should be powered by the Methane and Co2 that people naturally emit. Uranus likes that kind of thing. Well, actually Pluto prefers that kind of thing. Just think what we could do to Leona's dog. I bet he could power it better than 5 cows. People will be breaking down the walls to get Salmonella from tainted tomatoes and spinach.

So I sort of looked at the Sept. 11, 2006 chart to see if there are any similarities. Well, Moon started the day in H8 and ended it in H5 both days. And Mars was pretty close to the South Node. And Venus was in the same sign as and same house as the Sun, which isn't that unusual because they're never very far apart. The 2006 chart really sucked. At closing the Moon was filling in a Grand Square with Jupiter-Saturn-Uranus. Today's Uranus was just sitting the 5th House unaspected by major aspect to anything sort of wondering where all the good ideas are.

(Tell him we forgot to educate our children and forced them to grow up in Uranian Divorced households so they're too stupid and insecure to come up with good ideas).

Anyhoo, the Nodal Axis, Neptune-Chiron-Saturn and Mars all hanging out on the ASC-DESC axis for these markets. Keep faking like you're an empath and people will flock to you. At any rate, it seems that Ray Merriman predicted today which is miraculous Neptunian stuff. I didn't look up Vesta's position which I guess is important. I just can't find her on my computer program.

It really does feel like the Markets are crashing, doesn't it? Maybe this is a practice run for when the U.S.'s Cancer Sun will be opposed by Pluto some years down the line. Sort of that feeling that other people are pulling the strings.

The Unabomber and His Big Brother

Today on NPR I heard a smidgin of an interview with Ted Kaczynski's brother David. I had to turn it off it was so disturbing. Ted Kaczynski, of course, is the Unabomber and he is serving a life sentence in jail for killing and terrorizing people for years mostly by sending bombs in the mail. (He's a Gemini).

Ted Kaczynski's brother ended up turning him in. That would be a very difficult thing to do and he seems to really be struggling with his actions (David is, don't know about Ted). I was struck by this interview because David Kaczynski was being interviewed along with one of his brother's victims. They are now so close they are almost consider themselves to be like brothers. This sort of creeped me out. I started to wonder what kind of passive games this guy had played on his younger brother growing up which could have contributed to Ted Kaczynski's frail mental status. Perhaps because I have an older brother myself I was just really disturbed by the power tripping.

After a listener called in saying that he had been one of Ted's victims and he was wondering what David Kaczynski had done with the 1 Million Dollar Reward for turning his brother in. Wikipedia says that he has given some away to some of the victims and that the amount was only $500,000. David K. didn't really have an honest or clear answer about where the money had gone. That's when I turned the show off.

I seem to remember that multitudes of articles were written by Astrologers about the Unabomber back in the 90s so I'm probably not figuring out anything new here, I'm just seeing it in my own time and through my own warped personal experiences with siblings. David Kaczynski has the same birthday as my ex-step-sister who played some weird power trippy games of her own so he is automatically suspect in my head. I just think it's so weird the lack of awareness he shows for his brother. There is absolutely no caring which is probably not that odd for being related to a difficult person. But David doesn't seem to let go of his brother's problems either. He also never tells us anything about how Ted is doing now, maybe they got around to that after I switched off the show. Now he's using celebrity to show off his replacement brother who is one of the victims? Yuck.

Theodore "Ted" John Kaczynski (The Unabomber)
May 22, 1942 Chicago, Il

Sun 1 Gemini; Moon Leo?; NN 10 Virgo

David Kaczynski (Brother)
Oct. 3, 1949 Chicago, IL?

Sun 11 Libra; Moon Aquarius or Pisces; NN 17 Aries

Everything about Ted seems Geminian. Mathematician, Brainiac, Schizophrenic, Mail Bomber, Older Brother who wants his limelight. He's got a real heavy duty load of planets in that sign and they all disposit to that sign's ruler, Mercury:

• Sun is conjunct both Uranus and Saturn in a very tight 1 degree conjunction on the first two degrees of Gemini.
  
• Mercury is conjunct Jupiter in Gemini at the end of Gemini.
• And all of these planets are in major aspect to Neptune in Virgo, also ruled by Mercury.
• Mercury is in its own sign of Gemini and it's out-of-bounds at 25 degrees and 05 seconds which makes the Gemini influence super strong.
  

According to the Wikipedia article Kaczynski seemed normal until he was skipped through 6th grade and he couldn't relate to the older kids in the 7th grade. By coincidence, his progressed Mercury had gone Retrograde right around his 10th birthday (May 7-8, 1951) which would have been 1 or 2 years before. This may indicate a difficult experience through early education when it happens to children at that age, I talked about it in a different way in Oliver Sacks' chart a couple of months ago.

Kazynski has a total of 3 out-of-bound planets in his chart. In addition to Mercury, Mars and Pluto are also at high declinations. Mars in this chart placed in the sign of Cancer a naturally difficult and volatile placement that combines aggression and emotions. Pluto is in Leo, emphasizing theatricality and a desire to take the lead. The Unabomber attacks began right after Kazcynski's progressed Mars had passed over natal Pluto. This would have happened at 5 Leo about September, 1972. Kacczynski seems to have become more and more isolated which can be a Mars-Pluto aspect.

What's interesting here is that older brother David has the Mars-Pluto conjunction in Leo in his natal chart. It is sextile in David's chart to natal Sun-Mercury Rx-Neptune-south Node in Libra. He seems to be, in my opinion, projecting (Libra) way too much of his own aggressions onto the misdeeds of his brother. The connection with the South Node shows that he really identifies with this as part of his life destiny. I do remember Komilla Sutton saying that Sun-South Node conjunctions are among the most difficult Nodal contacts. It combines one's Ego/Creative Will with the qualities that one may most need to keep under control (I'm probably not quoting her properly, read her book or buy her CDs from UAC, she's wonderful). What bothers me is that he shows much more compassion to his brother's victims than to his brother.

David Kaczynski seems to have an unnatural connection between his Ego (Sun), his Mentally Ill brother (Merc. Rx c. Neptune) and Victims (Neptune). He has replaced his defective brother, a criminal who is in jail, with a brother replacement, one of his brother's victims. His Mars-Pluto in Leo conjunction squares his Venus in Scorpio which sort of could indicate that he really is vengeful over jealousies about his brilliant brother. One can also read this as meaning that he was the "heavy" the "Transformer" who had to take on the huge karmic act of turning in his own brother. It's just odd that he's turning the screws in his brother's back the way he is. He turned his brother in and received the award for doing so just as his progressed Sun & Mercury was passing over Venus in Scorpio and squaring Mars-Pluto. It's interesting that his Progressed Sun has been in conjunction with his progressed Mercury (siblings) through all of this.

Also interesting to watch is Ted Kaczynski's Venus. Natally it is as 19 Aries. In 1996 when he was arrested, his progressed Venus was conjunct his natal Mercury. Again, Mercury rules siblings and Venus is the ruler of Libra, his brother's sign.

Odysseus' Homecoming On A Solar Eclipse?

Scholars have published a study pinpointing the return of the Homeric Hero Odysseus from the Trojan War and from his Travels. They say this could have happened during an Aries Solar Eclipse on Apr. 16, 1178 BC. (Day after Tax Day.)

From a New York Times article by John Noble Wilford "Homecoming of Odysseus May Have Been in Eclipse:"

Although an eclipse is not mentioned anywhere in the story, there are omens and what Plutarch inferred was a poetic description of a total solar eclipse. Odysseus has arrived home, disguised in beggar’s rags and in hiding before revealing himself. It happens that, when Penelope’s persistent suitors sit down for a noontime meal, they start laughing uncontrollably and see their food spattered with blood.

At this strange moment, the seer Theoclymenus foretells their death, ending with the sentence, “The Sun has been obliterated from the sky, and an unlucky darkness invades the world.”

There are reasons to think that the darkness of a total eclipse had just fallen on Ithaca. It was close to noon when the 1178 eclipse occurred over the Ionian Sea. It was, as mentioned several times in the story, at the time of a new moon, which the scientists point out is “a necessary condition for a solar eclipse.” And what better atmospherics to accompany a prophecy of doom than a total eclipse, which was considered an ill omen?

Experts on Homer have previously discounted such conjecture. For one thing, the earliest verified eclipse records are in the eighth century B.C., about the time Homer was writing but long after the action in what is known as the Trojan War, around the early 12th century B.C. Scholars say there is no evidence supporting a view at the time, widely quoted, that “a solar eclipse may mark the return of Odysseus.”

In their report, Dr. Baikouzis and Dr. Magnasco acknowledged the speculative nature of their study, several times throwing in their own caveats. “The notion that the passage could refer not just to an allegorical eclipse used by the poet for literary effect but actually to a specific historical one,” they agreed, “seems unlikely because it would entail the transmission through oral tradition of information about an eclipse occurring maybe five centuries before the poem was cast in the form we know today.”

The two scientists derived a possible chronology from astronomical references in the story, including the stars by which Odysseus navigated, the sighting of Venus just before dawn as he arrives at Ithaca, and the new moon on the night before the massacre of the suitors and the presumed eclipse.

On the basis of their analysis, the scientists said, these three “references ‘cohere,’ in the sense that the astronomical phenomena pinpoint the date of 16 April 1178 B.C.,” adding, “The odds that purely fictional references to these phenomena (so hard to satisfy simultaneously) would coincide by accident with the only eclipse of the century are minute.

Also interesting is that Odysseus was away from home for 19 years, that's an entire cycle of the Moon's Nodes.

Article is here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/science/24home.html?em&ex=1214539200&en=3dfb00ec1ea79ecb&ei=5087%0A

Solar Fire is just so awesome:

Total Solar Eclipse
Apr. 16, 1178 BC 10:13 am Ancient Ithaca (I used Athens, Greece)

Sun 15 Aries; Moon 15 Aries; ASC 6 ASC; NN 9 Aries; MC 15 Pisces

The Sun-Moon-NN conjunction is in the 10th House. Guess that's a sign that the Lord of the Home has returned. They are squaring Pluto in the 7th House. Lord had to kill his Wife's suitors.

This is a really significant time for the Outer Planets. Jupiter and Saturn were in conjunction over the Taurus-Gemini cusp. I wonder if they were known at this point. I think this is the Star that led the Wisemen to Jesus a couple of millenia later. They were squaring Uranus. Uranus was also opposing Neptune in the 3d-9th House pretty close to the IC/MC.

Exciting part is that Pluto was in Capricorn so it is now about to have a return for that time. On this particular Eclipse it was at 10 Capricorn.

So the Trojan War may have started 19 years earlier than that. I counted back 19 years on SolarFire to 1197. Pluto was at 8 Sagittarius at that point and there was again a Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Libra which was separating (Apr. 16).

Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions are said to show social upheaval so it would be really interesting to think that the Trojan War started during one of these conjunctions. It would also mean that the Trojan Horse was a terrorist contraption of a Pluto in Sagittarius transit. Now we know where to look for Osama. The symbolism is totally awesome as Sagittarius is half horse/half man.

Oh, and Odysseus' Loyal Dog who had waited all those years for his Master to return? He recognized Odysseus in his beggar's clothes and then died right after seeing him. The Dog is even indicated in this chart! Sagittarius is intercepted in the 6th House of pets so the House was very big. Scorpio is on the cusp and the ruler of the House is Pluto (Death) which was conjunct the Capricorn (Old) Descendant and squaring the Sun-Moon-Node!

There's no way this chart could be correct but it sure is fun to look at. I really have to figure how to add them to this blog.

Heather Locklear's Terrible Transits

Melrose Place Actress Heather Locklear has checked into a Hospital to seek help with Depression and Anxiety. I looked at her chart and I wonder if anyone in the World has a chart undergoing worse transits. Locklear's Sun and ALL OF THE ANGLES OF HER CHART are at the first degrees Cardinal and so are being hammered by both Pluto and her Secondary Progressed Moon. That's the Depression Influence. Hope her Doctor isn't a woman with the Pluto-Moon-Capricorn aspect, that's all I can say. Saturn in Virgo is also just passing out of Inconjunct Aspect to her Aries Ascendant. That's the Anxiety Influence.

Heather, you just need to go live on a Desert Island for a few more months but your hyped up Libra Sun-Leo North Node is too people personney.

Heather Locklear
b. Sept. 25, 1961 5:40 pm Los Angeles, CA

Sun 3 Libra; ASC 3 Aries; Moon 25 Aries; MC 2 Capricorn; NN 27 Leo

When you look at what Pluto's been up to, you see that this means that Locklear was battered for 5 months by the brutal Mars-Pluto opposition at the end of last year, beginning of this year. And currently she is being hammered by the Sun-Venus opposition to Pluto. This is right on her MC/IC axis which affects Career. Why doesn't she go hang out with Angelina Jolie in her Chateau in France? Don't these guys all hang out together? Oh yeah, I already said she should stay away from women and Angelina is, well, let's say she's Denise Richards with 5 boobs.

****I guess I should have said she should hang out with Jen.*****

In addition to this, Locklear's Nodal Axis is getting hammered. That means that her feelings about her Life Direction are going through drastic changes.

I don't want to say Mid-Life Crisis here. But: Mid-Life Crisis.

Locklear has been going through the confusing Nodal Opposition Aspect. This means that Neptune and Chiron are both conjunct her South Node right now. Neptune rules Institutions and Chiron rules Wounds. Her publicist says that she needs to have her meds figured out. I don't know what's really wrong with her but people going through Neptune transits generally are so sensitive to stimuli of any kind I doubt the Doctors will be able to figure her out. And drugs may not be the answer right now.

If she can change and transform along with this transit she'll be ok. The Neptune transit could take her acting to a more interesting level. She's so beautiful, hopefully she's got enough confidence to transform her career/homelife and life direction into a new, exciting venture.

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN2438243820080624

Plotting Like Rabbits

In Gloucester, Massachusetts a bunch of the local high school girls, 17 at last count, is Pregnant. All at the same time. This is something like 3 times more than the usual amount. Some authorities say this is a result of a Pact the girls made to get pregnant so they could raise their children together. A Pregnancy Pact. Well, this is better than a Suicide Pact, isn't it?

The CDC says that there was a 3 percent rise in teenage pregnancies last year that may be just some sort of inexplicable blip. It does match last year's transits. Can you imagine being a teenager while both Jupiter and Pluto are in Sagittarius? Kids at that age are already terrorizing the World with their Opinions, a Sagittarius keyword. Kids that age know what's right, not what's wrong. And then there's the firey, party aspect of Sagittarius. Remember when Miss America and Miss Teenage America were reprimanded for dancing on the tables of the bars in New York City? Atsa Saggy. Just ask Brittany.

So both planets moved into Capricorn, sign of Aging, and suddenly we're all grown up now.

Time Magazine said that a social worker or administrator at the school said that the girls were suffering from alienation and loneliness in their lives and were just looking for something to love. Now the girls are denying that. The astrology is pretty interesting.

The average age of the girls is 16 which means that the average year that they were born is 1992. These girls are probably the products of the Uranus-Neptune conjunction in Capricorn and of Pluto in Scorpio. In 1991 the North Node was also in Capricorn. So this generation wants to eat at the grown up table. To each his own.

Pretty interesting that the Scorpio/Capricorn emphasis in their birth charts come to the fore in this way just as Pluto moves into Capricorn. And, with Pluto in Scorpio and all that Capricorn. When they say they didn't agree to a Pact, well, that just means that they didn't agree to telling anyone else about their Pact.

(Imagine a link to the article from TIME Magazine here: )

George Carlin

Weather forecast for tonight: dark. Continued dark overnight, with widely scattered light by morning.

George Carlin
b. May 12, 1937 11:45am Manhattan, NY

Sun 22 Taurus; ASC 15 Leo; Moon 22 Gemini; MC 5 Taurus;

NN 16 Sagittarius (square Neptune, oppose Moon-Chiron, trine Venus)

d. June 22, 2008 around 6pm; Santa Monica, CA

Sun 2 Cancer; ASC 5 Sagittarius + or -; Moon 21 Aquarius; MC 18 Virgo;

NN 19 Aquarius (conjunct Moon, Chiron, Neptune and opposing Mars) crossing natal ASC/DESC

• Natal Mars Rising
• t. Mars just past the natal Midheaven
• approaching Jupiter Return
• Progressed Full Moon placed over Jupiter-Pluto opposition of natal chart.
• Sun c. Venus in Cancer opposing Pluto in Capricorn squaring natal Saturn on the Aries Point at 2 Aries
• plus Nodal stuff listed above and probably more
  

--Thanks for the laughs and insights, George. You were funnier than anyone.

T.S.Eliot in the House(s)

Found this cool quote a couple of weeks back on Christopher Coppola's Blog (www.christophercoppola.com):

Where is the knowledge that is lost in information? Where is the wisdom that is lost in knowledge?

–T.S. Eliot

Information = 3d House, Mercury, Gemini
Knowledge = Mercury (Jupiter, Aquarius)
Wisdom = Jupiter, Sagittarius, Sun

According to Rex Bills the Rulerships for Eliot's statement are mostly covered by the 3d-9th House Axis with some information coming in from the Leo-Aquarius Axis. Mercury & Jupiter are definitely required. The Aquarius influence didn't surprise me at all but the Sun rulership did. No one really equates Sun-Leo with Wisdom anymore it seems. Well, I personally just think of blonds at the beach. I guess I always equate Wisdom with Saturn, maybe in non-western cultures with Virgo.

Then I got sick and spent a lot of time in bookstores spreading my germs all over stray books. In a book of writings by the poet Rumi (don't have the title of the link) I found a small essay/poem that compares Solar Wisdom with "Lightning" Intelligence which I assume is more Mercurial and Uranian. When you think about it, the Greeks wouldn't have developed Democracy if they hadn't chosen the God of the Sun, Apollo, for their main God.

Then I found this quote: "The web of just acts holds the world together, making it golden." by Rabbi David of Lelov (from 18th-19th century). There's something so clean about all this Solar Energy. I always struggle with the negative side of Uranian and Neptunian intelligence; there really is a loss of innocence there and things are falling apart. I'm not saying that Solar Wisdom can stand on its own in a perfect world because I think it's too Simplistic but I do think that we could try to integrate it a little more into the Uranus-Neptunian brains that seem to dominate right now. (Whew, you can tell my lungs are clogged and I'm not getting enough oxygen these days.)

*************

Looking at T.S. Eliot's chart in what I hoped would be a quick chat. Not possible, his Sun trines the Neptune-Pluto conjunction in Gemini that occurred back in the 1880's in his chart. He was born to really take you out of your orbit. Jupiter & Mercury rule his 3d & 9th House cusps respectively so one can see how there could be an endless loop of trying to communicate ideas and knowledge. And Mercury rules a conjunction of Neptune & Pluto. Those planets account for the idea of getting lost or of losing one idea into another.

Thomas Stearns Eliot
Sept. 26, 1888 7:45 am St. Louis. MO

Sun 4 Libra; ASC 26 Libra; Moon 15 Gemini; MC 30 Cancer; NN 27 Cancer

Four planets plus the Ascendant in Libra, almost all in the 12th House. Now that's a Poet.

Eliot's Sun, Uranus, Venus in Libra are in H12 with Mercury in the 1st House conjunct the ASC and squaring the Moon's Nodes crossing the 9th (NN) and 3d Houses. Now that's a Poet's Poet.

What else could he have been but a poet? Would you trust a guy with this chart to work on your carburetor? This is the generation that invented the carburetors, but with a chart like this I wouldn't expect them to be able to fix a damn thing. I've read that Eliot also shared some of the negative prejudices of his age, sexism and anti-semiticism. Am not sure exactly how.

Eliot was born during the Neptune-Pluto conjunction in Gemini of the 1880s. He has this conjunction in his 8th House along with his Moon and opposing natal Mars and Jupiter in Sagittarius in the 2d House. These are in trine/sextile to his natal Sun. Jupiter rules the 3d House. Mercury rules the 9th House. Jupiter rules Journeys. Neptune rules getting lost. No wonder the guy was asking questions about how one type of intelligence gets lost in another in a never ending loop. I've started reading some of his poetry now and you really can get lost into wherever he leads you. It's delightful, like watching a cat unroll a ball of yarn. Just when you can't understand an idea he starts playing with words like an old Irish drunk and draws you back in again.

Eliot's last work The Quartets, is actually almost accessible if you read it from an astrological point of view. The Quartets share a common theme about understanding Time. Eliot had Saturn in the 10th House. That's good: 10th House and the Midheaven can indicate what you're known for. I read that Eliot considered this to be his best work.

The Poem is available to read here: www.ubriaco.com.

Each Quartet is divided into 5 sections, a number associated with the Venus transits, Pentagrams and the Golden Mean. This is definitely an expression of Eliot's own chart where Venus rules half the planets, the chart itself and is final dispositor.

A Quartet, of course, is a grouping of Four. And each Quartet is related to an Element:

"Burnt Norton" - Air

Except for the point, the still point,

There would be no dance

"East Coker" - Earth

In my beginning is my end. In succession
Houses rise and fall, crumble, are extended,
Are removed, destroyed, restored, or in their place
Is an open field, or a factory, or a by-pass.
Old stone to new building, old timber to new fires,
Old fires to ashes, and ashes to the earth...

There is some great imagery about using dance to keep rhythm as a way of understanding time. That's earthy. I've been told that Rock Musicians seem to have strong Earth in their charts. This is earthy as well, although I don't think Rock Stars would appreciate that no ecstacy is allowed:

To arrive where you are, to get from where you are not,
You must go by a way wherein there is no ecstacy.
In order to arrive at what you do not know
You must go by a way which is the way of ignorance.
In order to possess what you do not possess
You must go by the way of dispossession.
In order to arrive at what you are not
You must go through the way in which you are not.

And then how is this for a description of Capricorn?

"Old men ought to be explorers."

"The Dry Salvages" - Water

Great lines leading up to this at the beginning of the poem.

The river is within us, the sea is all about us.

Astrology comes up here as it ought to in a poem about Water:

V

To communicate with Mars, converse with spirits,
To report the behaviour of the sea monster,
Describe the horoscope, haruspicate or scry,
Observe disease in signatures, evoke
Biography from the wrinkles of the palm
And tragedy from fingers; release omens
By sortilege, or tea leaves, riddle the inevitable
With playing cards, fiddle with pentagrams
Or barbituric acids, or dissect
The recurrent image into pre-conscious terrors-
To explore the womb, or tomb, or dreams; all these are usual
Pastimes and drugs, and features of the press:
And always will be, some of them especially
Whether on the shores of Asia, or in the Edgware Road,
Men's curiosity searches past and future
And clings to that dimension. But to apprehend
The point of intersection of the timeless
With time, is an occupation for the saint—
No occupation either, but something given
And taken, in a lifetime's death in love,
Ardour and selflessness and self-surrender.
For most of us, there is only the unattended
Moment, the moment in and out of time,

"Little Gidding" - Fire

Certainly some Jupiter, Mars, Sun influence in talk about Exploration:

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, remembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning;

A Literal description of the Aries Point here:

Midwinter spring is its own season
Sempiternal though sodden towards sundown,
Suspended in time, between pole and tropic.
When the short day is brightest, with frost and fire,
The brief sun flames the ice, on pond and ditches,
In windless cold that is the heart's heat,
Reflecting in a watery mirror
A glare that is blindness in the early afternoon.
And glow more intense than blaze of branch, or brazier,
Stirs the dumb spirit: no wind, but pentecostal fire
In the dark time of the year. Between melting and freezing
The soul's sap quivers. There is no earth smell
Or smell of living thing. This is the spring time
But not in time's covenant. Now the hedgerow
Is blanched for an hour with transitory blossom
Of snow, a bloom more sudden
Than that of summer, neither budding nor fading,
Not in the scheme of generation.
Where is the summer, the unimaginable
Zero summer?

Summer Solstice - Ingress Chart Washington, DC

Happy Longest Day of the Year, One Day Late.

Summer Solstice for U.S.

June 20, 2008 7:59 EDT Washington DC

Sun 1 Cancer; ASC 23 Sagittarius; Moon 26 Capricorn; MC 14 Libra; NN 20 Aquarius

The 1st & 7th Houses of this chart contain the opposition between Sun-Venus and Pluto so any kind of emotional tug-of-war seems a prominent feature of the Summer as far as the U.S. goes. Venus rules the Midheaven, Leo in intercepted in the 8th House so the Sun doesn't rule a cusp and Pluto rules the 8th House. This certainly describes a battle for all Executive positions, especially for the Presidency. Don't know what it means that Leo is intercepted in the 8th House other than that finances will be very prominent in this battle. We've already seen this as Barack Obama flip-flopped on campaign funds issues. (I agree with why he did this (as far as I can understand it which may not be far) but also realize that he has no clue how things run in a Democracy and is acting like a spoiled brat doing this stuff just because he wants to, more and more like Bush as every second passes. Uranus is still in Pisces, we're not out of the woods yet. Where's Dennis Kucinich in this race? (I forgot how to spell his name.) I need someone to vote for. With the sign of consultants, Libra, on the Midheaven and its ruler conjunct the Sun and DESC I think this is a serious issue that will come up. Anyway, I'm giving my own opinions already but with Venus opposite Pluto everyone's going to be feeling emotionally drained by the time Summer is over. I really wish Jessie Ventura would run. I'd vote for him. He's got umph. We could all be Americans again if he would be Prez.

As already stated Pluto is in the 1st House. That's a power thing. Jupiter rules the Chart and is also in H1 conjunct the Moon in Capricorn. These 3 together are good for anything competitive. The Presidential Election. The Olympics. Jupiter rules Opinions, Luck, Education, Lawyers, Publishing and the Moon rules Women, the Public, Real Estate, Land, Environment, Food, Nurturing. Will be interesting to see if U.S. women do very well in the Olympics. In this chart Venus is out-of-bounds and both conjunct and parallel to the Sun so is very strong. Venus rules the Judicial System through Libra and Money through Taurus so this looks very important.

The other prominent Axis is the 2d-8th house. Saturn rules the 2d House and is placed in the 8th House. That's depressing. The Nodal Axis also lies across these houses in intercepted Leo-Aquarius. Neptune-Chiron-NN are in the 1st House of Banking, Money, and Values. Mars is conjunct the South Node in the 8th House of Investments, Taxes, Insurance. This maybe shows some deceit and corruption brewing. It could also show a lot of risk taking and wish fulfillment through the Leo-Aquarius vibe. Hopefully this will show investments in risky, wise innovations. And over all of this cautious Saturn rules. And Saturn is in trine/sextile to the Pluto opposition to Sun-Venus. It shows that the Government will be playing with everyone's purse strings. Wonder what Leo intercepted in the 8th will do to the price of Gold. Neptune in the 2d shows money through Oil & Gas and other Neptunian subjects like Glamour, even Coffee, even Morphine, you know the drill.

I remembered that Astrologer Dean Bensics (hopefully he'll give a reading of this chart over at Noel Tyl's forum) looks up Astrolocality Charts from off the Ingress Charts and this one is interesting. The Mercury DESC Line runs close to Chicago where Obama is from. Mercury rules the Descendant in this Ingress Chart. The Saturn MC line runs through Arizona where McCain is from. The Pluto ASC line runs through Washington. And a Mars Line runs through Northern California and up through Portland and Seattle. Will the Vice Presidential Picks be from off of the areas indicated by these lines as well?

Baby's First Planetary Returns Via Art Class

Rita Young is an Art Teacher who has written a fascinating book called Teaching Art to Children the Marvegos Way. The book is fascinating not only because Young appears to be a very effective mentor for her little students but also because the way she explains the different stages of a child's creative development. And these stages correspond really well with the planetary cycles that children go through at the same ages. There's an especially an interesting sort of back and forth movement between Jupiter and Saturn Cycles.

In the book, explanations are given on how to teach kids at different ages. Young groups the kids by Age and encourages different approaches accordingly.

The first Age Group that Young teaches as a unit are Ages 4-1/2 to 7. She calls this the "Art Exploration" stage. Age 4 1/2 is an interesting age astrologically for a child as there is a whole slough of 1st time aspects. What Young says is what one would expect to hear about Moon, Ceres and Jupiter, especially. "Facilitating the art-making for this group involves encouragement, praise, and an "all's well" attitude." Interesting that around 4.5 years a child goes through the 1st Progressed Moon sextile, 1st Ceres Return (4.6 years), 1st Pallas Athene Return (4.61 years) and then 1st Nodal Square (4.8 years), and then 1st Saturn Sextile (4.8 years).

She says that art making at this age is about telling stories. Rather than illustrating the story, the child literally will create it while drawing or painting the picture. She says that kids at this age really don't have a sense of form, something which she says starts to show up around the time that amazingly corresponds with the first Saturn square, around Age 7 or 8. Young says that kids can show directions, a person facing you or to the side, and will enjoy counting things like legs and arms. She says that kids at this age are happiest when encouraged to play and take risks. Sounds like a lot of Mars influence as well. The Mars and Jupiter cycles sort of work together. By Age 4 a child has had 2 Mars Returns. The first Jupiter square occurs around Age 3 and the first Jupiter Return occurs around Age 4.Around this time all the asteroids in the Belt between them have their returns.

The Next Age Group described in the book is Age 7 to 11. This grouping starts around the time of the first big Saturn Aspect, the square and ends around the time of the first Jupiter Return. Young says that this age a child's art becomes more socialized and shows awareness of the outside world. It's just really interesting that when working together Jupiter and Saturn rule this process. Rita Young literally says that kids are "connecting who they are to their world." Their pictures develop realism as their observations become more accurate. They develop a sensitivity to shape and form and light and shadow. As they observe the outside world they can start to see how they are the same and or different. They develop their own style of mark making. At this age she stresses teaching a study of form and composition and also knowledge of media.

Saturn's influence is very strong here. Young says that it is most important to use Time to let kids at this age develop. The student needs encouragement to solve problems on his own time.

The last age group is Age 11 and Up. This is the Age of the 1st Jupiter Return. Young says that during this phase the best things to guide the kids with are learning to make decisions, i.e. developing own opinions about things. They must be helped to "define goals broadly." And they need to understand how to handle and make positive use of Accidents (accidents in art are often considered gateways to creativity, unlike most other academic studies). These are all Jupiter concepts! Jupiter equals Exploration! Young also says that through this age kids can create more happily when guided to understand Struggles and Plateaus in the creative process. This is sort of an understanding of using Saturn vibes with Jupiter vibes where "backsliding precedes leaps in growth." "All part of the process of making art and living life."

Excellent!!! This is probably not news to anyone who has kids but I don't so I'm totally blown away by this.

Mystic Rectangle Wednesday: Stock Market Hump Day

Someone left a comment yesterday at my blog called "Mystic Rectangle Tuesday: Stock Market Rise" where I was talking about the NYSE chart for that day. There was an incredible 400+ point rise, the biggest in 5 years. The person wanted to know if I had thoughts about today's Venus-Pluto opposition. When I looked at the chart I noticed that there was a Mystic Rectangle in today's chart and Saturn would be back at the same spot 4 Virgo where it was on this day. http://outthecometsass.blogspot.com/2008/03/mystic-rectangle-tuesday-stock-market.html

So did today's Market rise 400+ points also? Hell, no, that would be too hunky dory. Today's Market went down more than 100 points. I heard on NPR it was due to credit fears.

As the Market opened Mars was conjunct the South Node and the Ascendant. Saturn was also in the 1th House. The March 11, 2008 chart had an empty 1st house. Venus-Saturn-Mars-Pluto were in a Mystic Rectangle configuration which was not angular. But there was a huge stellium in Aquarius in the 9th house and the Sun was conjunction Uranus and the Midheaven in Pisces. That's pretty hopeful. I can literally hear Jiminy Cricket singing when you wish upon a star while looking at this chart. As for fears on that day, Saturn was in the 3d house and retrograde. Not being angular, being Retrograde and placed in a positive configuration could keep Saturn's fears quiet.

First of all, in today's chart, there wasn't a real Mystic Rectangle, the planets were out of orb. Saturn was in the 3d house at opening bell. Today's chart had a conjunction of Mars to the South Node and the Leo Rising with Saturn also in the 1st House. Saturn in the 1st House wouldn't be taking many risks.

In March, Mars was opposing Pluto. Today it was opposite Neptune and the Nodes and was very prominently placed on the ASC-DESC axis. Mars-Pluto is willful. Mars-Neptune is flaky. Instead, Venus was opposing Pluto and conjunct the Full Moon Sun and Moon at the last degrees of Gemini and Sagittarius. The t-square that this opposition makes to Uranus in the 8th House is much stronger than the Mystic Rectangle. This was confusing me. Gemini and Sagittarius might be wanting to play games. The square from Uranus in the 8th House of Investments said that things would be unpredictable in the financial markets.

It's a nice exercise to compare these charts. Overall, I don't think that reading the Stock Market Charts according to each day's charts is ultimately the best forecast tool but making predictions certainly isn't my thing. I just like to practice seeing how the stories unfold after the fact and comparing them against the chart.

ADDITION: The Department of Justice implemented a major sting operation on Wednesday concerning the Sub-Prime Mortgage mess. They've arrested more than 400 people, I believe, since March. Venus at 1 Cancer: Money & Real Estate.:

The property market investigation, known as Operation Malicious Mortgage, relates to a number of types of alleged mortgage fraud.

"Operation Malicious Mortgage and the Bear Stearns case demonstrate that the Department of Justice is determined to detect and to punish mortgage fraud and to help restore stability and confidence in our housing and credit markets," said deputy US attorney general Mark Filip.

The Justice Department said it was pursuing 144 cases against the 406 defendants.

Sixty of them were arrested on Wednesday alone.

---http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7464298.stm

Patti LuPone's Excellent Saturn Returns

Patti LuPone won her Second Tony Award at last night's Ceremony for her acting in Gypsy. She won her First Tony Award for her portrayal of Evita back in 1980. Last night, as she was giving her acceptance speech the band started to play and she told them to stop, "I only get to do this every 29 years!"

29 years? Saturn Return? Patti LuPone gets to win a Tony during her Saturn Returns. That must be some nicely placed planet.

Patti LuPone
b. Apr. 21, 1949 Long Island, NY

Sun 2 Taurus; Moon Aquarius; NN 29 Aries

Lupone's natal Saturn is placed at 30 Leo in her chart. Leo is the sign of the actress so her Saturn likes her chosen profession.

Lupone's also got a really amazing stellium at the end of Aries and beginning of Taurus that trines her Saturn. This includes all of her personal planets except the Moon which are clumped around her North Node in Aries and Taurus Sun. This is a very special set-up because both Venus and Mars are in their own signs and they rule her Nodal Axis. Uranus is also apex of a small triangle to Saturn trine Venus. So, when she goes through her Saturn Return as she just did last year and as when she did during her performance of Evita, she really rocks at all things Leo. Transiting Jupiter was right at the spot where Saturn is now back in 1980.

I was sort of interested to try to understand if there was some kind of indicator that she would win for portraying strong female types. It would be great to check her Lilith placements but I didn't get around to that. What I did notice is that LuPone has natal out-of-bounds Pluto at 15 Leo in a square with Venus and possibly opposing her Moon. Transiting Saturn would hit that right around the time that she would be selected for these parts. And a Saturn-Pluto-Venus-possibly Moon t-square is a very strong aspect for a woman to have. It's also a stressful aspect so it's nice to see that super fortunate Saturn trine following up right after.

It's useful to understand that the way the chart unfolds is as important to interpret as the single placements themselves. A stressful aspect that's followed up by another stressful aspect makes for a much more difficult life than a stressful aspect that comes before a very rewarding aspect.
I'll have to look for more of these examples. Anyway, thanks Patti LuPone for working so hard and sharing your incredible talents.

Man, next life, I'm going to have a Venus in Taurus too. I've got a Venus in Virgo squaring Gemini Rising. I croak like a frog. Okay, Gemini Rising, I sing like 2 out of tune, hypercritical frogs. I can babble here, nobody's reading this shitty blog, I've been sick all week. Hope Patti LuPone doesn't Google herself. She can't understand what I just wrote anyway. Maybe I'd rather be a tap dancer in my next life anyway.

Superstition and the Eclipses

This was supposed to be a Friday the 13th Post about Superstition but I was half dead yesterday and didn't get around to it. Rex Bills gives rulership of Superstition to Houses 9, 6, and 4 in parentheses so he's not real committed to those rulerships and they surprised me. I was expecting an 8th House rulership although most Scorpios I know embrace the magic of Superstition. They probably even get ahead in the world by scaring other people with it. Superstitions are, after all, based on a kernel of truth, and kernels are Plutonian energies. NPR yesterday morning said that Athletes are the most Superstitious people. I've always been told that Thespians are. Hah, hah, that's kind of funny when you think about it. Actors crave the limelight and are afraid of their shadows. Crazy Sun Worshipers.

So, I went to the bookstore last night to spread my germs around and saw that in the recent magazine there's an article on Anaxagoras of Clazomenae. He was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher and a teacher of Pericles. The article says that he's the guy who discovered that Eclipses are just a physical phenomenon and have nothing to do with the Gods' Will. Article is called "Don't Blame it on the Gods (www.newscientist.com)". Anaxagoras was later persecuted for his teachings.

While watching a Solar Eclipse in 478 BC Anaxagoras realized that he was really looking at the the Moon somehow blocking the Sun.

The article says that two scientists figured out that this was probably an Annular Solar Eclipse. I went to my Solar Fire program and typed in 478 BC and voila the Eclipses popped up! Will Wonders never cease? There was a total Solar Eclipse on Aug. 12, 478 BC but this happened at 8:04 PM (Syracuse, Italy). I don't know how late the Sun stays up in the sky in those parts but it seems a little late. Besides that Eclipse has a conjunction of Neptune to the Midheaven and Neptune's not gonna let anybody see what's going clearly. Definitely a good couple of months for carving marble statues and performing Aeschylus.

So I settled on the Annular Solar Eclipse that the two Scientists liked. They are Scientists, after all. They probably got paid to figure this stuff out.

Anaxagoras realizes that Eclipses aren't Supernatural Phenomenon by maybe observing the:
Solar Annular Eclipse of
Feb. 17, 478 BC 10:54 am Syracuse, Italy

Sun-Moon 24 Aquarius; NN 1 Virgo; ASC 13 Taurus; MC 18 Capricorn

This is a very Rational Chart so it could be the one. Sun-Moon-Mercury in Aquarius placed in the 11th House which is ruled by Aquarius makes a strong statement about representing Man, Mankind, and Man's Hopes, Wishes and Dreams. These planets all disposit to Uranus which is in the 3d House where it wants to find the Truth through Thinking. It's also in Mutual Reception with the Moon.

And Jupiter, a mental planet is in Gemini in the 1st House trining Mercury (H10). That's good for philosophy and long range vision. Jupiter in the 1st house is good for space flights, I've noticed.

Pluto is placed in its own sign of Scorpio for this Eclipse.

One interesting detail is the placement of Venus and Mars. Mars is at 27 Pisces and Venus is at 5 Aries. Their midpoint is 1 Aries; the beginning of the chart. It is placed at an apex point of a small triangle that fans out beyond that into a trapezoid shape. This seems to indicate a whole new birth point of some type.

As far as Superstitions go, I would have thought they would be predominantly ruled by 8th House as that is the house of the Occult. In this chart, that is where Neptune is. Except for a minor semisquare aspect to Mercury, Neptune is unaspected, almost as if the Higher Forces were asking to be figured out.

Anyway, I'm not sure that this is the correct Eclipse.

Midwest Flooding

The Midwest is suffering from a once every 500 years Flood. Neptune and Pluto are known for their 500 year Synodic Cycle (or about 500 years).

Almost the entire State of Iowa is under a State of Emergency. I wanted to see if it is being affected by the Neptune-Node conjunction as I blame that aspect for the current Weather Problems. Well, overall, I blame the mutual reception with Uranus.

So, Iowa's going through its Neptune Return at 27 Aquarius which is also conjunct its Saturn at 28 Aquarius. This trines its NN-Chiron conjunction in Libra; Squares its Mars in Scorpio and possibly also square a natal Moon in Taurus. T.Pluto is also within a few degrees conjunction of Iowa's natal Sun.

Iowa, joined Union Dec. 28, 1846. Des Moines.

While looking this stuff up I found out that an old Astrologer named Gar Osten gave his papers to the Library at the Univesity of Iowa. While writing this the News is just announcing that the Library is one of the buildings on campus that is in danger of flooding over the next couple of days. You know they put the astrology papers in the basement. Found a link to astrologer Gar Osten's papers at University of Iowa. http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/spec-coll/MSC/ToMsC700/MsC672/IAAUTH_osten.html

Here is a great tribute to Gar Osten written by Donna Cunningham: http://www.solsticepoint.com/astrologersmemorial/osten.html.

Gar Osten b. Aug. 20, 1923 Marshalltown, IA

It looks like Gar Osten has just finished his Uranus Return in Pisces. Although he's passed on, his planets are still spinning around. His natal Uranus is at 17 Pisces conjunct South Node 12 Pisces opposite Virgo North Node. This is squared by natal Moon at 17 Sagittarius. I show down below how the current Uranus in Pisces aspect seems to be tripping off the flooding as much as the Neptune in Uranus aspect is. Don't know if it means anything but there was a Uranus-Neptune mutual reception in the 1830's-40's right around the time that many of these states were being admitted to the Union.

So I went on to look at the charts of the other states that are suffering heavy flooding.

Missouri was admitted to the Union on Aug. 10, 1821. Jefferson City.

• North Node 5 Pisces.

• Transiting Pluto is conjunct natal Neputne at 1 Capricorn and n.Uranus at 30 Sagittarius.

Illinois admitted to the Union on Dec. 3, 1818. Springfield.

• Affected by transiting Uranus at 22 Pisces.

• Natal Saturn 12 Pisces.

• Natal Chiron 21 Pisces conj. Natal Pluto 25 Pisces squares n. Uranus 20 Sagittarius-Mercury 25 Sagittarius-Neptune 26 Sagittarius.

Minnesota admitted to the Union on May 11, 1858, St. Paul.

• Transiting Uranus at 22 Pisces conjunct natal NN 16 Pisces conjunct n. Neptune 25 Pisces

Wisconsin admitted to Union on May 29, 1848 Madison.

• Natal Neptune at 3 Pisces.

• Transiting Uranus at 22 Aquarius conjunct natal Saturn-Uranus conjunct 23-25 Pisces.

• Transiting Pluto 30 Sagittarius squaring n. NN 29 Virgo opposite SN 29 Pisces conjunct n. Saturn 25 Pisces.

Two Girls Murdered in Oklahoma

I'm sick as a dog with time on my hands so I looked up the chart for the two girls who were murdered last Sunday in Oklahoma. If the Police are still stumped by this I don't know what I can come up with but here goes.

Murder of Two Girls in Weleetka, Oklahoma
Sunday, June 8, 2008 Weleetka, OK
time found: around 5:30 pm in a ditch on a dirt road
Left 20-25 minutes earlier: walking on an isolated dirt path to a bridge where people meet, deal drugs, play, etc.

Sun 19 Gemini (H8); Moon 28 Leo (H10); ASC (5:10 pm) 7 Scorpio (so. DESC 7 Taurus); NN 21 Aquarius (H4)

Scorpio Rising will rule Murder, Revenge, Paranoia, Debt & Money Owed.

This is multiplied ten fold by Scorpio's House. The 8th House is loaded with the conjunction of Sun, Venus & MercuryRX in Gemini. The Sun-Venus conjunction is to the degree. Venus rules girls. It also rules the Descendant which could describe the victims. Gemini rules Twins so it's interesting that two girls were murdered. This could also indicate more than one murderer.

Furthermore, Gemini is on the cusp of the 8th House. This could indicate multiple motives for murder, murder due to bad words and miscommunications, or also a random murder and mistaken identity. Ruler of the 8th House is very powerful but also Retrograde. Retrogrades are sometimes said to bring people from the past back into one's life. This coupled with presence in the house of revenge seems to be saying something about that theme.

The Chart Ruler, which I suppose would describe the murderer is Pluto. Pluto is at 1 Capricorn and has just passed into the 2d House of Money & Values.

Capricorn rules parents. There's another indicator that parents, perhaps a Father, is somehow involved in that there is a conjunction of Moon in Leo to Saturn in Virgo. Saturn is squaring the 8th House cusp. This could just describe the scene which happened very close to the Grandfather's house. He is the one who found them.

In addition to the Scorpio/Pluto problems in this chart, Mars is conjunct the South Node and conjunct the Midheaven. Mars is violent and rules guns. The girls were shot in the face (Mars), a sign of extreme anger and hatred. The Moon had just passed over Mars which can create very volatile emotions.

The North Node opposes this from the 4th House and is conjunct Chiron and Neptune in Aquarius. Neptune's presence indicates drug involvement. Perhaps the murderer was just released from jail. Neptune can indicate vagrants.

Interesting how Chiron rules Bridges and it is in the 4th House here. Also, Neptune rules water and 4th house rules "the scene" and a heavy rain started soon after the girls were found that may have washed much of the evidence away.

Neptune disposes to Uranus which is in the 5th House of Kids, Play, Creativity, etc. Uranus rules Shock & Unexpected Events and squares the Sun-Venus conjunction that represents the girls. The conjunction of Sun-Venus-Mercury RX is sextiling/trining the Nodal Axis, Mars and Neptune.

The Mars in Leo-South Node conjunct Leo Midheaven may show that the girls were too bold and innocent in the way they acted. Certainly the Murderer(s) was.

Cyberspace: The World Beyond Capricorn?

Mirror Mirror on the Wall. Who's the Weirdest One of All?

Answer: You, when you communicate with others on the Internet.

According to this New Scientist link,

http://technology.newscientist.com/article/mg19826605.400-noone-behaves-normally-in-cyberspace.html

people interacting on the Internet defy all the statistics of normal human behavior. Capricorn represents Human Behavior at its most ideal for culture building. So what do the last two signs, Aquarius and Pisces do? Well, there's the usual interpretations like Uranus rules Eccentrics and Pisces rules Wandering Souls (along with lots of other interpretations).

The true Eccentrics are ruled by Aquarius, but, sorry, I don't think that Uranus can do this all on his lonesome. I think the Uranus-Neptune mutual reception is responsible for what the Statisticians are finding about human behavior on the Internet.

T'S official: there is no such thing as normal behaviour on the internet.

Mark Meiss and colleagues at Indiana University in Bloomington collected statistical data on hundreds of millions of online connections involving people exchanging emails, sharing files or just browsing the web. They found extreme variations in user behaviour - for example, in the number of people a user tended to interact with. The spread of results was utterly unlike the normal bell curve of statistics, produced when most data points are clustered around a central value, with few points at the "tails" of the curve.

The team hope their findings will inspire better models of online behaviour, which could help improve network security (Journal of Physics A, DOI: 10.1088/1751-8113/41/22/224022).

7.2 Earthquake in Iwata, Japan

Japan suffered a 7.2 earthquake today. The Astrology Chart sticks the Nodal Axis very close to the Ascendant-Descendant Axis with Mars conjunct the ASC and Neptune & Chiron conjunct the Descendant. Saturn is also placed in the 1st House.

My condolences to those who are suffering from this new disaster.

7.2 Earthquake, Japan
June 14, 2008 8:43 LT Iwata, Japan

Sun 24 Gemini; ASC 16 Leo; Moon 2 Scorpio; MC 9 Taurus; NN 21 Aquarius;

I've worked on this blog for 2 years now and still can't add a picture. This should be a priority in my learning. It would be much more valuable to have a blog that just shows charts of these events rather than my jibber jab. That aside, here comes the Talkie Talk.

So far there are a few confirmed deaths and massive damage to roads (Moon in H3 with nothing but positive aspects!). A nuclear power plant got jiggled around a bit with some slight spillage but reportedly nothing leaked out into the community. (Hopefully that's what really happened. As I once considered buying a home from a guy who helped build a nuclear power plant and during the purchase inspection almost all the plumbing pipes were found to have leaks I can't tell you how nervous this makes me.)

In this chart, Mars is at 20 Leo conjunct the South Node at 21 Leo. 16 Leo is Rising. Saturn is also in the 1st House. Neptune-Chiron and the North Node are in the 7th House.

The Sun-Venus-Mercury Rx conjunction is in the 11th House squaring Uranus in the 8th House. House. The Sun rules the Chart and Venus rules the Midheaven.

The IC is ruled by Pluto and the Scorpio Moon had just past over it into the 3d house by 7 degrees.

The Leo Rising-Scorpio IC could be a concern for Nuclear Power Planets. It could also indicate massive damage. Also, not good is the fact that Pluto (at 1 Cap in H5) is opposing the Sun-Venus-Mercury conjunction. It's just out of orb for aspect to Uranus. These planets are all placed in the Resource Houses. (2d House is empty, ruled by Mercury which is Rx.)

What Have the Astronomers Done With Pluto Now?

An article from the LiveScience Blog called "Revealing Pluto's Secrets: A Dress Rehearsal" by Robert Roy Britt talks about how Astronomers will practice a Run Through with the New Horizons Spacecraft next year as the spacecraft flies on its way to meet and study Pluto in 2015.

There's also a nice discussion of all the renaming of Pluto that Astrologers are getting upset about. About Pluto's recent re-naming as a "Plutoid":

“We shouldn’t get too hung up on definitions,” he said of the IAU’s “plutoid” plan. “We define categories to help us figure out the universe, to put things in boxes. But there are limitations to that kind of approach. Nature doesn’t necessarily fit our definitions. You’ll never have a perfect system."

Link to the article:

http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2008/06/11/revealing-plutos-secrets-a-dress-rehearsal/

Time Travelling Bacteria

10 years ago I think most Doctors were still of the opinion that Bacteria are no longer a problem. Scientists and Doctors have been concerned that overuse of antibiotics is creating immunity in bacteria. Now it turns out that Dirt holds bacteria that are resistant to Antibiotics given at a level that would kill a human. Turns out Superbugs exist in the Earth's soil that are able to survive through time and through everything that humans have been able to attack them with so far. How appropriate for this to be exposed just as Pluto passes into an Earth Sign. I think the Uranus-Neptune mutual reception is really letting us know how vast the Universe is.

The New Scientist article is here: http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/
dn14074-timetravelling-bugs-resist-antibiotics-of-the-future.html?feedId=online-news_rss20

I found this from an interesting blog about microbiology. Who knew this stuff could be so interesting? Here's the link: http://microbiologybytes.wordpress.com/2008/06/11/salmonella-and-tomatoes/

Norman Cousins - Anatomy of a Poisoning?!

Norman Cousins wrote about his miraculous recovery from a mysterious disease in his book Anatomy of an Illness. In this book Cousins describes how he miraculously healed himself from what was thought to be a fatal illness by using life style changes to improve his mood, the most notable are use of massive quanitities of Vitamin C and through Humor. I read the book a long time ago and on re-reading I noticed some strange details in the story. Cousins got sick while on a Peace making trip to Russia in 1964. The reason for his illness was ultimately never really decided and the diagnosis is sometimes thought to be incorrect. He is very clear on stating that the Doctor told him that his condition would have been caused either by a Staph infection or by heavy metal poisoning. Was Norman Cousins poisoned? Was his book on healing really a cryptic way of reporting on how to recover from a bad visit to Russia? The Cold War was peaking, after all. Cousins was an Editor for the Saturday Review and was savagely trying to de-esculate the tensions through his editorials in order to avoid a Nuclear Holocaust. The Russians have a problem with Freedom of Speech and are still known for poisoning their reporters.

I wanted to look at Cousins' chart to see why the strange illness that he healed himself from would have been such a turning point in his life. The official diagnosis he was given at the time was ankylising spondylitis which he calls "collagen disease." He treated himself by targeting his adrenal glands, for exhaustion which he felt was a result of the trip. This Illness was definitely a Turning Point in Cousins' life. He became more of an advocate for Holistic healing in the human body rather than healing through world politics. I actually began to notice a theme of struggling with odd illnesses all his life that kept bringing him to crisis points. The one illness was only one of these crises.

There's a Good Bio of Cousins here: http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/unitarians/cousins.html

Norman Cousins
b. June 24, 1915 Union Hill, NJ

Sun 3 Cancer; Moon Scorpio or Sagittarius; NN 19 Aquarius

Natally, Cousins had a very dynamic conjunction of Sun to Pluto, Saturn and Mercury Rx in the beginning degrees of Cancer. Among other things, this combination shows strong managerial skills which would indicate a person who would need to take control of his own illnesses. Cousins had found a constructive outlet for this combination working for Peace, mostly by putting the "Brakes" (Saturn keyword, also maybe Merc Rx?) on Nuclear (Pluto) War. He constantly created Alarm Bells through his writings, trying to bring about change in other areas of life that needed improvement. And like most Sun-Saturn-Pluto people he got results.

And the illnesses he suffered through his life seem to have been awareness that fueled his work. During each illness he became more aware of the suffering in others and the need to bring about change. This began with a misdiagnosis and subsequent institutionalization for Tuberculosis when he was 11 years old. Change was an easy idea for Cousins too: his Uranus was placed in its own sign of Aquarius and was conjunct his North Node. Aquarius is the sign of Hopes, Wishes, Dreams, & Community. This is emphasized further by a trine to Neptune which possibly fans out to a Grand Trine with Cousins' Moon.

So, balancing out the forcefulness/productivity of this Sun-Saturn-Pluto combination, Cousins also had Neptune in Cancer at 30 degrees. Neptune is trining Jupiter at 29 Pisces. Jupiter is also conjunct Chiron in Pisces. This shows a compassionate nature that seeks lightness in the world; the complete opposite of the dire circumstances which are indicated by the Sun-Saturn-Pluto-Mercury combination (Sun and Pluto are on an Aries Point).

Healthwise, this strong Neptune-Pisces emphasis in Cousins' chart may be the reason for the nature of so many of his illnesses. Misdiagnosis, Placebo Effect, Emotions, Miracle Cures. Also hysteria. There is a chance that the Jupiter-Neptune trine are involved in a Water Grand Trine with the Moon but I can't say either way because his birth time is not available. Cousins proved the value of alternative forms of healing and was a major facilitator in introducing importance of the Emotions for medical recovery. There's a strong emphasis of planets in Water Signs in his chart.

At Age 11 Cousins was misdiagnosed with Tuberculosis and sent to a sanatorium (Neptune). Age 11 is the Jupiter Return year so it seems that his Jupiter in Pisces trine Neptune in Cancer is to blame in some way for this mix-up. His Jupiter squares his natal Sun-Pluto conjunction so one can see how this could have been a time when he learned to mistrust the opinions of others, or at least to not take their word as the only option. He said this was also the time that he first understood the level of discomfort that patients have in hospitals and how that can hinder healing.

The Jupiter Return would have been extra important and Cousins' chart would have had a mutual reception type of transit between his Jupiter and Uranus this year (around 1926?). T. Uranus was passing over natal Jupiter and t. Jupiter was passing over natal Uranus. Uranus, of course, was strong in its own sign and conjunct Cousins' North Node, strongly hooking him into his Destiny. On the negative side, Jupiter and Uranus can bring community hysteria. His Doctors were probably overwhelmed by the Tuberculosis epidemic at that point to keep the illness from spreading; there was a Saturn-Neptune square going on in the skies as well. Saturn was in Scorpio and filling out the Grand Water Trine with natal Jupiter and Neptune. This seems to have been a trigger spot for Cousins' later illnesses as well.

Later in 1954, right after the time of Cousins' Nodal Return, he was diagnosed as having had a "silent heart attack" whatever that is. He was given 18 months to live. I told you he was continually faced with these dire circumstances diagnoses. Cousins was 38 years old and just past his Nodal Return in Aquarius. Heart is ruled by the Sun and Cousins' progressed Sun was at 10 Leo approaching conjunction with his South Node 19 Leo. He was approaching his Neptune Square and Uranus opposition but not quite there yet. I'm not sure of the dates so can't say more.

In late July, 1964, Cousins traveled to Russia on a Political Visit. On the way home he began to feel feverish and then his body began to ache. He thought he had the flu. Within a week he was hospitalized because he could barely move. His neck and hands broke out in nodules. The Doctors gave him a diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis which is a collagen disease of the connective tissues. They said his spine was dissolving and his chances of surviving were very slim. A typical Cancer, Cousins decided he couldn't get better on hospital food and environment so with the Doctor's permission he checked into a Hotel. As the Doctors said that his main problem was that his Adrenal Glands were not functioning he began to take massive amounts of Vitamin C and began to listen to and watch Comedy films in order to laugh. He found that he could actually sleep and was relieved of pain for a couple of hours after his spirits were raised.

It is extremely that interesting that Cousins was approaching his Chiron Return at this time (about 4 degrees from conjunction). Chiron is the Healer/Teacher in Mythology who couldn't heal himself and is conjunct Jupiter which is one of the planets for jolly living. Cousins saw this as the turning point in his life. His Chiron-Jupiter conjunction is in Pisces. The emphasis on water certainly brings in the Emotional Element.

According to Rex Bills, Laughter is ruled by Venus and sub-co-ruled by Neptune. Humor is ruled by Venus, Jupiter, Mercury (Moon). Comedy, Comedians ruled by Venus.

Natal Venus in Cousins' chart is in Gemini. The only aspect it makes is a trine to Uranus in Aquarius. At the beginning of August, transiting Venus was at the end of Gemini and spent the first couple of weeks passing over the Pluto-Sun-Saturn-Mercury Rx conjunction in Cousins' chart. Venus spent all of the month passing through the sign of Cancer in conjunction with Mars and for about a week it was in a Grand Trine with t. Neptune and t. Chiron-natal Chiron! If you're going to heal yourself through Laughter you certainly would like to have a Grand Water Trine involving Venus and Neptune happening for yourself. Being given a Death Sentence during such a time just makes you a little giddy.

I was most curious if the true story is that the Russians poisoned Cousins. The Doctors said that the cause of the illness would either have been heavy metal poisoning or a staph infection. Cousins' wife, who was with him during the trip to Russia, contracted neither. Poisoning would be a Neptune-Pluto thing. One would really want to see Cousins' 7th and 12th houses to see if he was accumulating extra enemies at this point which I can't do without a birth time.

Cousins was just approaching his Chiron Return in Pisces (c. N.Jupiter). Chiron at that point was at 19 Pisces and opposing Uranus 9 Virgo-Pluto 13 Virgo (Mercury at this point was also in Virgo passing over the 2 planets).

The Transiting Sun was in Leo at onset of illness. On August 1 it was at 10 Leo, the same spot where his progressed Sun was when he was diagnosed with "Silent Heart Attack". It also would have hit Cousins' Nodal Axis about a week or two later. Cousins' progressed Sun had moved forward to exact conjunction with his South Node. Transiting Neptune was at 15 Scorpio squaring his Nodal Axis and opposing his natal Mars in Taurus. Wherever it came from, poisoning was certainly indicated in the transits and progressions.

And then one looks at what Mars was doing to Cousins. Transiting Mars was conjunct the Transiting South Node at 2 Cancer. This was right on his natal Pluto and within a degree of the natal Sun, 4 degrees away from natal Saturn and Mercury. His progressed Mars was not far behind at 26 Gemini. These, of course, are squaring that Jupiter-Chiron conjunction in Pisces. He may have become a little pushy to be around during his Peace Mission to Russia and angered some secret enemies. Neptune-Pluto experiences are never the kinds of things one really wants to discuss in public later on. Either way, the sign of Cancer rules overseas travels and this was probably not Cousins' favorite Kodak moment.

There's some chance that Cousins' progressed Moon was conjunct the transiting Uranus-Pluto-Mercury conjunction (transit) and opposing his natal Chiron-Jupiter. He describes Laughter as jiggling his insides back into shape. That sounds like a Cancer's way of healing due to the fact that we probably have bigger glands than everyone else, more to jiggle.

Moving on, Cousins had a Heart Attack on Dec. 22, 1980 just after lunch while at his home in Los Angeles. As the Doctor said, this time his illness was real and obvious. The Doctor told him that laughing and jiggling his innards around was not desirable. Cousins was 65. It was just past the Full Moon which happened right on his Sun-Pluto-Saturn-Mercury conjunction. He was also going through a Nodal Opposition with a square from transiting Chiron in Taurus. At this point Uranus was in Scorpio completing a Grand Trine aspect to n.Neptune trine Jupiter-Chiron. This is the trigger spot that I mentioned earlier during Cousins' tuberculosis diagnosis (the spot where t.Saturn was). Other than that, Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto were all in Libra but they weren't squaring any of the Cancer planets.

Cousins died on Nov. 30, 1990 in Los Angeles, CA of Heart Failure. The Transits are pretty amazing.

Remember the trigger spot in Scorpio that I pointed out? Saturn was there for the Tuberculosis Diagnosis. Uranus was there for the Heart Attack. Now Pluto was at 19 Scorpio just moving into trine with natal Jupiter-Chiron and Neptune. Not only that but Cousins was having a Chiron Trine so t. Chiron was conjunct natal Neptune. And the Nodal Axis was involved. The South Node was conjunct Cousins' natal Neptune to the Degree. He soared out of his life on an Outer Planet Kite. Now that's something to laugh with Joy over (especially because Saturn wasn't involved).

So I don't know if Cousins was poisoned by the Russians. Sorry. It sure does look like it though. And I've developed a terrible fever over the past few days while trying to write this so I'm going to hit the Publish button before it kills me.

Ray Merriman on Complaining

Ray Merriman's column over at StarIQ.com is a great read for learning about the psychotic Stock Market from a Sane Mind. It's also good for learning about astrology. I had a good laugh today reading his answer to reader's complaints that he's not telling them what to invest in.

Here's Ray Merriman on Complaining:

As an aside, complaining comes under the auspices of Virgo the sign, and Saturn the planet. Saturn is now in Virgo through October 2009. Expect a lot of complaining by others. Expect a lot of blaming. And make an effort to be accountable for the intentions behind your efforts. That and the value of hard and honest work, are the lessons of Saturn in Virgo.

Read the Whole Enchilada here:

http://www.stariq.com/marketweek.htm.

6.5 Earthquake in Greece

6.5 Earthquake in Greece today. So far 2 people have died, more than a hundred are injured.

6.5 Earthquake in Greece
June 8, 2008 3:25 pm Patras, Greece

This chart continues the themes of Sun-Moon-Mars-Uranus influence along with the Nodes. It certainly looks like an Earthquake Chart. But it's anybody's guess how to figure out where the thing will hit.

The Rising Sign here is Libra. The 4th House has Capricorn; Jupiter is in the House. Does this indicate Greece? Wouldn't it be nice if this were the case? Capricorn and Jupiter describe Classical and Democracy. Libra describes Balance, Vacation spot. Ha, ha, I'm just amusing myself here.

The Nodes are crossing the 5th-11th house Axis in the chart I pulled up so they're not on the angles. But the Nodal Axis is packed with aspects.

Moon and Mars conjunct the South Node in Leo in the 11th House (Aquarius's house).

Neptune and Chiron conjunct the North Node in the 5th House. This is all Sextile/Trines the MercuryRx-Venus-Sun in Gemini conjunction from the 9th House.

The Sun and Venus are squaring Uranus (H6).

The Angles of this chart are not full of planets. Mars is in the 10th House but only a degree away from the 11th house cusp. Jupiter is in the 4th House of environment and is involved in a Yod, sextiling Uranus with Moon-SN in Leo at apex.

13 Libra Rising, Ruler Venus conjunct Sun and squaring Uranus
15 Capricorn IC, ruler Saturn in the 11th House, only aspect is trine to Pluto.

No planets out of bounds which is seeming to be the norm.

It's Drawing Day!!

According to the "Drawing Day" blog, today, June 7 is Drawing Day.

You must, you absolutely must scribble, dribble, drewl, tear, smear, wrinkle, scratch marks onto a piece of paper today. Go ahead! Make your Mark! Improve your Powers of Observation! Let your Heart Sing! All that stuff. Today's the Day.

If you know how, you can photograph or scan your image into the sites listed in the blog at:

http://www.drawingday.org/blog.html

Sun in Gemini, it's actually Manual Dexterity Day. The Astrology for making Art is excellent as the Sun conjunct Mercury Rx and Venus in Gemini trining the North Node and Neptune.

James Byrd, Jr. and Jesse Jackson

Today's News has an article that looks back on a racial beating/murder that happened in Jasper, Texas 10 years ago. 3 White Guys picked up a Black Man in their Ford Truck, chained him down, beat him, maybe slit his throat, then dragged him by the ankle for 3 miles while his body parts tore off, one by one. The Victim's name was James Byrd, Jr. The murderers have been put in jail, two are on death row. Their names are John William King, Lawrence Russell Brewer, Shawn Allen Berry. I can find Mr. Byrd's birth date but I can't find the birth dates of the murderers. Why is that?

link to article here: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iqy3nIU4RvYvkISr1XK_KatcGJcgD914P4BO0

James Byrd, Jr.
b. May 2, 1949

Sun 12 Taurus; Moon Gemini or Cancer; NN 26 Aries

Date of Murder
June 7, 1998 early morning hours (I used 3 am) Jasper, TX

I was hoping this would be a simple post about how awful Chiron Returns are because James Byrd, Jr. was 49 years old at the time that he died. It certainly is a lesson about Chiron but not the Return. Natally Byrd's Chiron is in Sagittarius and Chiron was still in Scorpio at the time of his Murder.

Chiron's presence, however, is very strong in both event and natal charts. It is conjunct the Moon on the day of the murder, to the degree at 3 am. Byrd's natal Chiron was being hit by a Pluto conjunction (within a degree) which was squaring the Nodal Axis. Chiron is opposite Mercury in Gemini in Byrd's natal chart. Without a birth time I don't have a placement for the Moon and Angles in Byrd's chart, but, this is the only Opposition in Byrd's Chart. As oppositions encourage a person to learn balance, relationships and how to play opposite others, this may have been a problem for Byrd in his life otherwise. The influence of this opposition certainly begins to stand out in his life.

I just wrote a blog where I talked, or rather rambled incoherently, about a researcher who has found that language differences may be the root of racist tendencies. I equated this with Gemini influences in the chart. And I have no idea how the influence works. It seems to work in good, bad, and ugly ways in only the way that Gemini can. At any rate, Chiron is the Wound and the Teacher and Mercury is placed in Byrd's natal chart in its own sign of Gemini so it's interesting that lasting lessons through Racism are a gift that Mr. Byrd passed on. His Siblings (Gemini) set up a Foundation for Racial Healing (Chiron) and today's articles say that conditions in the town are improved (Although I read on that there has since been another similar incident).

By coincidence, the Murder occurred while the Sun was in Gemini conjunct Mercury and Mars. The conjunction had cycled past Byrd's natal Mercury but these 3 planets were parallel to each other at 22 degrees plus declination. Byrd's natal Mercury is parallel these planets as well. Guess that shows some kind of relationship.

The transits show an uneven triangle shape (Trine-Square-Inconjunct, can't remember the name and I'm too lazy to look it up, sorry). The Sun-Mercury-Mars conjunction was was inconjunct the Moon-Chiron in Scorpio conjunction and trining Uranus in Aquarius. This is a violent combination. The murderers had been out most of the night driving around and knocking down their neighbor's mailboxes for the Hell of it. The chain that was used to drag Mr. Byrd was originally intended to pull mailboxes out of the ground. Well, along with a few other choice words, pulling mailboxes out of the ground certainly could be one of the less noble Mars-Mercury in Gemini manifestations. So is I guess picking up a man who is walking home from a baby shower, I guess.

Byrd's chart was really getting pounded by the outer planets as well. Everyone his age was going through these but these planets were hitting his personal planets so affecting him personally. For one, T.Neptune was conjunct natal Jupiter in Aquarius. This squares his natal Mars and certainly could show bad judgment. Byrd had problems with drugs . Another aspect, Uranus was opposing natal Pluto in Leo. This opposition squares his natal Sun-Venus conjunction. That's a major violent aspect.

One part of the newspaper story really struck me and that was how his family reacted. His siblings, either brother or sister or both, has since set up the James Byrd Foundation for Racial Healing. This, of course, would be the Chiron/Mercury influence. Those Pluto aspects, especially the conjunction of t.Pluto to n.Chiron shows Fame through the Death, and use of the Death to further healing in the environment and through the siblings (opposition to Mercury in Gemini).

What I didn't get while I read this was, why did they turn around and do this? With all that fear and rage that they must have been feeling, how did they not only show forgiveness but manage to organize such a thing? The answer, at least in part, was:

Jesse Jackson
b. Oct. 8, 1941 2:15 pm Greenville, SC

Sun 16 Libra; ASC 26 Capricorn; Moon 24 Taurus; MC 16 Scorpio; NN 27 Virgo

Wow.

(Just give me a moment).

So, this guy. I've always been kind of critical of Jackson. He's been so grumpy and firey lately and he sort of shows disrespect to others. But, no wonder. Jackson immediately went down to the community and gave the sermon at Byrd's funeral. He's been acting as a buffer for when all these psychotic, senseless crimes happen. He's been personally witnessing and trying to change these incredibly hurt people to keep them from getting revenge.

Most of Jackson's planets are on the right side of his chart showing that he's mostly influenced by others. He is also a Libra Sun so this is his natural expressive tendency.

The rest of the indicators that I'm looking at show how he can and will confront really difficult situations. This is a person who wants to confront the problems in the world.

His chart ruler is Saturn which is placed in the 4th house of family and environment. This shows that he comes from a background of poverty. His Saturn is conjunct his Moon and Uranus which brings in community and caring, a struggle to build a bridge between the past and the future. The Moon and Saturn in practical and kind Taurus will find a need and fill it. He's literally been building and rebuilding the community. And Taurus is a stubborn sign.

This Moon-Saturn-Uranus conjunction finds a lot of expression in the chart through strong aspect patterns with other planets. It is part of a Grand Trine to Jackson's Capricorn ASC and his Neptune in Virgo. Uranus is also part of a Mystic Rectangle opposing Venus in Scorpio and sextile/trine Pluto in Leo and Capricorn ASC. The conjunction also trines his North Node.

And there are indicators of struggles in personal relationships with Pluto in the 7th House. Pluto can force one to see into conspiracies, that's for sure. But with the Capricorn Rising there is wisdom to want to seek alternatives to Plutonian problems like revenge and deep rage.

Jackson's chart is my second find of a Sun-Mars Rx opposition. He was born under what I've been calling a Mars Synodic Year. (I now think that isn't a real term, or the proper term, but if I've made mistakes with that I'm leaving them because they seem to give some valuable information, at least for now). The other chart with this aspect was Mark Zuckerberg's, the kid who built Facebook while barely out of the crib. I thought that perhaps it showed a tendency for early success as Mars is related to Youth. Jackson has been driven from early on as well. There's is a strong identity with youth and forcefulness and how to handle forcefulness. It would be a perfect aspect for a Civil Rights Activist.

Jackson's Mars Rx is interesting to watch with regards to the Progressions. Natally, Mars is in Aries, the sign that it rules. With Mars opposing the Libra Sun, one can see a very primal need to lead others into better relationship with each other. Maybe also a problem with being a push-me-pull- you. Jackson's progressed Mars went direct in April, 1974. He took on more and more leadership roles in the Civil Rights Movement and then in Government roles. He ran for the Presidency twice and working as a "Shadow Senator" in Washington DC. (Don't know what that means).

This year, Jackson's Mars has returned to his Birth degree. This is extremely interesting as the United States may elect its first African American President. The thing which Jackson has worked so hard for has a very good chance of manifesting.