Minnesota Police Raids!!!!!!

Go over to Jude Cowell's blog to check this out!!!!!!!:

Today Ramsey County Sheriff in Minneapolis, MN raided a home of young kids who may have been organizing to protect the Republican Convention. A group of about 20 kids were handcuffed and held on the floor while Police aimed Machine gun like warheads at them. Diaries and other possibled incriminating "evidence" were confiscated.

I've been just sitting amused listening to all the Pro-Life and Pro-Gun Republicans talk. How can you be both at the same time? But these folks really mean it.

I figured things couldn't get any worse than what Bush & Cheney have been doing to the country but, oops, I was wrong. Things can always get worse.

Haven't found Sheriff Bob Fletcher's birth data but he allegedly drives a Black Dodge Durango. In homeopathic terms he might benefit from some Nux Vomica.

Jude Cowell has links to a Salon.com article along with on the scene YouTube videos. Listen to the second one first. It's an interview with a lawyer.

http://judecowell.wordpress.com/2008/08/31/thought-police-in-minneapolis-rnc-taking-no-chances/

Switched At Birth, 1951

Another interesting post from the blog called The Frontal Cortex:

http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2008/08/nature_nurture_and_switched_ba.php.

Last time I quoted this blog I think I gave an incorrect title. I quoted Science writer Jonah Lehrer's description of a study that showed that neurologically Free Will might be possible for humans a really large percentage of the time. Today's link discusses the opposite idea that Nature and Genetics reign supreme. Astrology struggles with this same problem. How much is Free Will and how much is Destiny. Why one can't assume that the struggle between the two is closer to creating reality?

Lehrer talks about an episode of This American Life about two babies who were switched at birth in a small Wisconsin town. Born in 1951, they grew up showing remarkable common traits with their birth parents. One of the Mothers knew about the mistake after a few weeks but did nothing about it until 43 years later when she wrote the two girls a letter. She, along with the two girls and the other Mother are interviewed on the program. (I haven't heard it yet, am not sure if it is still available for free.)

I can't find the birth dates for the two baby girls. Well, they are now going through their 2d Saturn Returns, actually so not babies. On the Internet I found that they were born in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin in the Summer of 1951. There are some interesting aspects and possibilities in the stars which describe their strange Fates. This is Fate because they had nothing to do with what happened.

Right off the bat one sees that they have North Node in Pisces with Saturn in the opposite Sign of Virgo. There's a good chance that Saturn is conjunct the South Node. Virgo rules Medical and Pisces rules Hospitals. Saturn and the Nodes rule Fate. Saturn rules parents, usually the Father, but also the Duties and Responsibilities of the parents. This is most likely a difficult placement with regards to Parents for an individual. We don't have a clue where the Moon was. Moon represents the Mother. Even with only very vague birth data there are interesting Astrological aspects to observe here.

The girls were born in 1951 and were told that they were switched at Birth in 1994. This means that they were told during their Uranus Oppositions. Ew doggie. Talk about Shock, Unexpected News, Out of the Blue weirdness, life turning upside down, reality goes inside out. Turns out the girls were born with Uranus in Cancer, sign of the Home and the Mother and the really weird Mother with major crazy post-Natal Hormone issues or something. At any rate, it would make sense that there would be something unusual about the birth. This was already the Flower Child generation that complained about the Generation Gap. Many of these guys wanted to come from an unusual circumstance. This is just a different manifestation of that same placement. I also believe that Uranus and Cancer rule Genetics. If they do it's very interesting that these women's stories are being appreciated for Scientific value as much as for personal interest.

In 1994, time of the reveal over the Switcharoo, Neptune was conjunct Uranus in Capricorn, the opposite sign of the Zodiac. Capricorn and Cancer are the two signs associated with Birth Parents. Usually associated with the Father rather than the Mother, Capricorn is also associated with Guilt and Duty and facing up to one's Responsibilities. Neptune dissolved the girl's idea about their birth and Uranus sent them a shocking truth about it.

As a matter of fact, back in the Summer of 1951 when they were born there were strong Planet placements in all three of the other Cardinal Signs. Jupiter was in Aries, Uranus was in Cancer and Neptune was in Libra. The mistake was revealed when Uranus and Neptune had come together in the missing sign of Capricorn.

During Summer of 1951 there was also room for a big mistake of this type in the planets. Mars was in Cancer for a while in July and August. So possibly it was conjunct Uranus which is always a set for an accident. That's a very emotional placement for fiery Mars.

Toward the end of August, 1951, Venus was in Virgo and went Retrograde. It remained in Retrograde for 44 days and went direct when conjunct Saturn within a degree. I sure would like to look at Venus' Progressions in the charts to see if the Retrograde is placed prominently in their charts. Venus went Rx on August 13 and stationed Direct Sept. 25 at 3 Virgo conjunct Saturn within a degree. Probably not relevant but the duration of 44 days almost correlates with the 43 years that the Women didn't know about their birth or families. It's far reaching to think there's a relationship between the transit and the progression but what the hay I'm gonna mention it anyway. This whole entry is pretty odd so why not add to it?

Also wild to think about, it's fun to notice that Chiron was near the Galactic Center in Sagittarius. One would expect all kinds of odd problems to crop up when the "Wounded Healer" passes over the Center of the Universe.

Dave Freeman

On August 17 of this year Dave Freeman died from a head injury caused by a fall in his home. Dave Freeman is the advertising executive who back in 1999 published the book "One Hundred Things to Do Before You Die." He was only 47 years old.

Dave Freeman
b. Feb. 21, 1961 Whittier, CA

Sun 3 Pisces; Moon Taurus; NN 7 Virgo

RIP, Dave Freeman. My condolences to Dave's family.

With Pisces Sun and Pluto conjunct the Nodal Axis in his chart one would expect Freeman to have a strong awareness of the impermanence of things. With North Node in Virgo it's very interesting that Freeman became Famous (Pluto, Sun) for making a List (Virgo, n.Mercury Rx c. Sun) of what he wanted (Pluto) to do with the rest of his life. One certainly can suspect that this awareness came about as a result of his Pluto Square which would have occurred about 2 years before he published the book in 1999. His natal Retrograde Mercury would be a bit unhappy about not being able to complete his list.

Freeman's chart was under siege by planets that rule accidents on the date of his Death. His natal Mars is at 2 Cancer and was being transited by a wide Grand Square transit of t. Mars (30 Virgo), t.Uranus (22 Pisces) and t. Pluto (28 Sagittarius). Mars rules the Head and Mars in challenging combination with Uranus and Pluto can certainly bring Accidents. Interesting that Mars is at the Aries Point of Cancer. Mars rushes to do everything and is very Restless especially in Cancer which rules the Home. Cancer also rules Long Overseas Travel. The Aries Point will bring these qualities out into public view.

Freeman was also approaching his Jupiter Return, a cycle which occurs about every 12 years. Jupiter also rules Long Distance travel and in Freeman's chart it is conjunct Saturn on the same degree in Capricorn.

There are other key aspects as well concering natal Uranus and Pluto which amplifies the effect of the Grand Square transit of these planets for Freeman in particular. For one thing, Freeman had a natal conjunction of Pluto (death) to his North Node (Destiny). He would have had a stronger awareness that things won't last than other people. His natal Sun-Mercury Rx-Chiron conjunction were conjunct his South Node at the other end of the opposition. Natal Uranus in Leo was being aspected by the Nodal Axis, Neptune and Chiron.

There's also an interesting story told by Freeman's progressed Venus. One of Venus keywords is "Leisure." I noticed Freeman's Progressed Sun had been passing over his Natal Venus in recent years. P.Sun passing over it would indicate that one must stop and smell the Roses. However, the aspect was in the sign of Aries which must also move on to the next thing, always looking for new experience. Perhaps it indicates that this person wouldn't want retirement to come late in life. Progressed Venus is interesting to watch in this regard. It went Retrograde (by Progression) back around 1987 right on the last degree of Aries and had moved back into conjunction with natal Sun and Venus (few degrees separation) this Summer.

Obituary from Los Angeles Times says that Freeman was born on Feb. 21, 1961 in Whittier, California. http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-freeman26-2008aug26,0,639371.story.

Everett Blackman on Presidential Assassinations

A while back I found a publication called Astrology: Worlds Visible and Invisible written by Everett Blackman, PMAFA. It's an old American Federation of Astrologers, Inc. pamphlet published in 1974. I was surprised and happy to find that it is still in print and listed on Amazon.com here:

http://www.amazon.com/Astrology-Visible-Invisible-Everett-Blackman/dp/0866900594/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219877079&sr=1-1

Although only 94 pages long, the book is written in 3 parts. (Boy, that was the day when Astrologers wrote short, concise essays.) Part 1 talks about various aspects of astrology associated with the U.S. Presidency. The 2d Part talks about Cycles and Progressions. And the 3d part talks about the Gemini-Sagittarius Axis as regards to the U.S. chart (really, really interesting) along with a couple of other small essays. I bought the book for the incredible chapters on Cycles and Progressions. It goes into the 500 year cycle through history, a 13 year cycle that's created by averaging the transiting Uranus-Neptune Midpoint. Here's a whiff:

"The author recommends still another (3.25 degree) based on the mean annual motion of the Uranus-Neptune midpoint, a spacial reference that has already been implicated in long-term cycle culmination. This is not as exotic as it sounds when we consider that the Uranus-Neptune midpoint axis serves as a convenient base for all medium and long term cycles -- the 500 year cycle predicated on a general restoration of relationships, the shorter 13 year and 39 1/2 year cycles corresponding to a general restoration of planetary sequence."

I wonder if this somehow is significant for translating into earth terms the effects of the Uranus-Neptune mutual reception. We're sitting around waiting for the 2012 End of the World. The two planets were in conjunction in the early 90s. They are now in each other's signs. I wonder what date their midpoint switched from Aquarius to Pisces, or if it has yet, and if this coincides with any significant events. (I'm still without Astro program animation feature, etc., if somebody actually reads this I'd really appreciate if you could leave this info in the comments section).

Also in the book, Blackman wrote an interesting Chapter on Presidential Assassinations. I thought it would be helpful to announce this information to anyone out there who wants to delve into the subject since Barack Obama's safety seems to be very hotly discussed. If anything happens to that guy (other than what Michelle does to him in private) it will be the End of the World, after all.

The Chapter about the Assassinations is called "The Echo Syndrome: A Precursor of Assassinations." p. 29. The Echo Syndrome is simply Blackman's way of saying that one must be able to find similar aspects in every chart. He begins the chapter by describing how he couldn't find similarities in the charts of the Presidents themselves and discusses why.

"Some events are of such a clandestine nature that the only indications are repercussional; that is, they can be detected only by the environmental disturbances they create. This may come as a surprise to some astrologers who have relied too exclusively on such obvious sources as the Kennedy assassination chart. They might better have looked at Johnson's where the disaster of November 22, 1963 is more clearly etched than it ever was in the victim's. In fact, it is so clearly indicated that it is now possible to anticipate and -- hopefully - avert incidents of this type in the future."

Blackman's solution is "you don't select a vice president who is on the same astrological trajectory as a Lyndon Johnson -- or a Teddy Roosevelt -- or a Chester Arthur -- or an Andrew Johnson -- all of whom exhibited the same deadly horoscopical formula the day their predecessors were shot." (the words "repercussional" and "horoscopical" are inventions used in the text).

The echo syndrome is Blackman's way of saying that one looks for similar planetary aspects running through all the charts. He says that astrologers often can't find these because
"(1) Converted declinations to longitude to get alternate progressed readings; (2) considered prenatal factors in their assessment. Both contribute to our understanding of the succession phenomena by linking what appears to be totally diverse horoscopes to a common set of principles."

Blackman first shows the obvious commonalities in the Vice Presidents according to the transits. He discusses Mars-Sun alignments, Saturn-Descendant aspects, Moon-Venus contacts that a couple VP's share with one other VP. The results are scattered but shared with one other of the Successor VPs. He then uses multiple techniques and finds similar placements which he says seem to describe the event best. All charts have these patterns.

"The assassination syndrome then can be described as a convergence of three, possibly four, major influences, all expressed in the charts of successor horoscopes. They are in essence: (1) a Mars-Sun alignment, (2) a Saturn-Sun or chart angle alignment, or both, and (3) a favorable Jupiter-Sun aspect."

It's not as simple as it sounds. The author is using Solstice Points, Converse Directions, Parallels, and more. He converted Saturn's declination to longitude in Roosevelt's Chart in order to achieve the line-up. He explains which methods he uses. This information would be difficult to pull up in 1974 when Blackman wrote this book but is now pretty easy to pull up through computer programs. His orbs are very narrow in most cases.

Blackman's data for his research is given at the end of the article. Common to 4 successor presidents, Andrew Johnson, Chester B. Arthur, Teddy Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson. He was using a noontime chart for Roosevelt which he says may not be correct:

Mars-Sun alignment - all 4
Saturn-Sun alignment in 3 of the charts
Saturn-Chart Angle alignment - all 4
Positive Jupiter-Sun aspect - all 4

Hamlet as Venusian or Saturnian?

I've recently acquired a couple of different audiobook classes about Shakespeare's Tragedies at some book sales. I've read the play Hamlet a few times and honestly never understood what all the broohaha was about. It just seemed to be a long play about nutty people. And, of course, that's my own nuttiness kicking in along with my ADD. But I like the idea of the Tragedy based on Revenge in Families theme.

First I listened to Harold Bloom's lectures on Hamlet which I purchased from Barnes & Noble. So exciting, for a while at least. Bloom goes on and on saying that Hamlet's intelligence is superior to everyone on earth and never really explains why. Probably I was just spacing out during the parts where he explained, maybe it's my own lack of said Quality that just doesn't get it. But then, Bloom goes into all the psychobabble about Hamlet's life and says that Hamlet's only emotional support was from his Tutor Yorik who died when Hamlet was 7 years old. This creates the emphasis on unresolvable grief that is in the play and shows the loneliness of Hamlet's childhood. Blooms explains that there is much confusion among scholars about Hamlet's age during the play. Bloom says that Hamlet is 30 years old when the play takes place.This is stated in the Graveyard Scene in Act. 5. Things are sounding pretty Saturnian at this point as this is the time of the Saturn Return. I'm seeing Saturnian themes all over the place in the story, of course: Death of Father, Remarriage of Mother, Calculated Revenge, Thwarted Desire, Longest Play, Play named after Shakespeare's Son.

In the story, Hamlet is approached by his Father's Ghost and tells Hamlet that he was murdered by Hamlet's Uncle who has recently rushed to marry his Mother. He's also taken over as King of Denmark. "There's something rotten in Denmark." Hamlet is completely confused by the apparition of his Father and needs proof that his Uncle is his Father's murderer. He stages a play reenacting his Father's Murder to see how his Uncle will react. When his Uncle leaves the room Hamlet has his proof. Even still, his actions are not direct. This causes one goof after another and in the end everyone in the play is dead. That's how tragedy goes. And some families.

So that was fun. I figured I would blog the Saturn thing. Hamlet's character showed what happens when the Saturn Return can't be handled. I also tend to associate the sign of Capricorn with extreme intelligence, although I still don't get why Hamlet is so bright. The structures in a person's life can fall apart and force a person to face his own immaturity. That's a Saturn transit. But, Saturnians don't doddle when it comes to making decisions. They take it for granted that they know who killed whom and they place the judgment immediately without making up tests and putting on plays. Saturn will present tough decisions which must be executed with a level of coldness and matter of factness.

The 2d set of Brilliant College Lectures that I found at a Library Sale (from the Teaching Company) explains that Hamlet's personality is the ultimate Protestant Character. This makes a whole lot of sense to me. I spent an entire year once writing a never ending essay that pondered why it is that Protestants don't feel guilt. It seems that Hamlet was doing the same thing. Or at least his Mom and Uncle should have been feeling the guilt. The Teaching Company Lectures are awesome, highly recommended. I can't remember the Teacher's name, the set fell under the seat of my car and parts tend to get drowned out by road noise so I've taken a little break. Besides, I have to read Othello before moving on. I don't believe Hamlet's age is discussed in these lectures as much.

So I've been Googling around and found this great article:

http://princehamlet.com/chapter_1.html.

which says that Hamlet would have been much younger between Age 16-20. The article also says that there will always going to be confusion about this. Hamlet is always referred to as a student in the play and 30 year olds weren't considered of Student Age during Shakespeare's time.

If Hamlet were 16 in the play, his actions would make total sense astrologically. This is a Venus Return year of sorts. It's one of the 8 year-cycles where Venus and the Sun return to their natal spots, or very close to. I tend to think that the Ages of 8 years and 16 years really do mark significant times in children's lives in things Venusian. Social skills, cooties separate the girls from the boys at 8 and bring them back together again at around age 16. Friends are very important at these ages. I have no idea if real astrologers agree with me about these Venus Cycles. (Bruce Scofield has written a really great book about planetary cycles and children's development which I've read half of which is called The Circuitry of the Self.)

At any rate, Hamlet's story makes much better sense when seen from a Sun-Venus point of view. Hamlet must have been born with a conjunction of those two planets. The Returns of these planets together with each other seems to be extra potent as expressed in their lives. At least I've found that to be true in a couple of examples.

For one, indecision is a major Venus theme through the Libra need to maintain balance, to seek justice, to weigh both sides of a situation. Putting on of the play in order to test the Uncle's guilt is a very sophisticated Venusian action. "To Be or Not To Be" is certainly a Venusian statement (or could also be Neptunian as discussed below). Hamlet as a Youth and Student suggests an Inner Planet Character trying to deal on an Outer Planet Scale and not quite succeeding. This seems to me to be the essence of this whole play. The Taurus rulership of Venus which rules Setting of Values is also very prominent and can actually be seen as the root of Hamlet's indecision. The putting on of the play, a leisurely activity, is Venusian. Ophelia, Hamlet's Fiance (Venus=Women in one's life), commits Suicide is very Sun-Venus. Just can't cope.

Saturn is certainly a very strong presence here as one would expect in a story about dealing with one's parents. But this play is about Hamlet the Child of the parents. It shows how difficult it is to deal with and bring justice to the behaviors of family members who have done the wrong thing. How can a Sun-Venus person possibly understand the calculating ruthlessness of a Saturnian person? It can't. Or at least in Astrology it is given from Age 16 (time of the Sun-Venus return energy) to Age 28-29 (time of the Saturn Return) to figure out how.

Harold Bloom says that this play above all others is Shakespeare's most autobiographical. According to the Astrotheme chart for Shakespeare he was very Venusian both Taurus Sun and Libra Moon dispose to Venus. Shakespeare's North Node, however, was in Capricorn which shows the reaching for the Saturnian influence.

The Astrotheme chart also shows a Cancer rising which I'm guessing is the result of someone's rectification talents which I question. It does create another strong Saturnian influence in the chart as Saturn here is placed in the 1st House and is conjunct Jupiter showing Shakespeare's great awareness of how society as a whole works. As Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions happen every 20 years there could be yet another argument that Hamlet's age was 20 years old. The Neptune semi-square happens around Age 21 or so which could also be an influence as shown in the vision of the Ghost, the theatrics, seeking the Uncles' guilt or innocence through a manipulation game rather than through direct communication. I happen to think that Artists and Writers will express themselves in this way through their creations and characters.

Well, just some ponderings.

Spanish Airline Crash

Spanair JK5022 flight crashed yesterday while taking off. The plane was bound for Las Palmas, Canary Islands from Madrid, Spain. News reports aren't out yet at too what caused the crash but the flight had been delayed for take off for more than an hour and half due to mechanical problems with the Air Conditioning. Tragically, of the 166 people on board, only 19 survived. This is because they fell into a river and were spared severe burns.

Spanair Flight JK 5022 Crash
Crashed 8/20/2008 2:45pm, Madrid, Spain

Sun 28 Leo; ASC 23 Scorpio; Moon 13 Aries

Rulership for Aviation is generally said to be related to Uranus/Aquarius. An excerpt from a really interesting book located through Google (Astrology by Doris Chase Doane) shows that Neptune and Mars are equally represented in statistical research in the charts of Aviators. She also states that 3d and 9th Houses are prominent due to their connections with Transportation.

Mars combined with Uranus rules Accidents (Bills). Mars combined with Pluto and probably most other planets rules Crashes. This chart shows this clearly. Mars is at 1 Libra, a prominent Aries point spot. Mars is located up in the 10th House but still very close to the 11th House cups of Aviation. And Mars is squaring the Chart ruler Pluto at 29 Sagittarius (H2). So the potential for anything explosive was indicated but the same aspect comes up in today's chart as well. Yesterday's Aries Moon which disposed to Mars would have added extra volatility to the day's events. The Moon rules the 9th House in this chart. (I haven't checked the Moon placement for today to see if the Moon is still in Aries).

Mercury and Venus were conjunct at 18 Virgo up in the 10th House. This angular placement gives them prominence. They are conjunct Saturn which rules the 3d House. They are also prominent because they oppose Uranus which rules Aviation. Together they rule the 11th House of Aviation and 3d House of Transportation.

There are many special Uranian Aspects which could specifically point towards an Airline Disaster rather than some other kind of disaster. Uranus here is angular. It is a singleton in Water. Aquarius is intercepted in the 3d House of Transportation.

Also intercepted in the transportation houses are the Nodal Axis, Neptune, Chiron in the 3d House and the Sun in the 9th House.Doris Chase Doane's addition of Neptune rulership to Aviation is also very interesting here. Neptune is even in mutual reception with Uranus.

As for looking for looking for the cause of the crash, I'm afraid I don't know. I'm not familiar with where to look for causes of things and will have to look for that information once the reports confirm it. The chart does show an explosion. The cause is now called "Error in Take Off." Is that indicated by the 1st House? Pluto rules the 1st House and I suppose this rules the Take Off. Pluto rules the sexual organs of the body and I don't know which section of the plane provides its mojo. One cause talked about is Human Error. Perhaps the Pilot was flirting with the Stewardess and not paying attention? Perhaps drugs or alcohol is involved. With Pluto ruling the chart and in hard aspect to Mars both angular and on an Aries Point, there could be a revenge motive to the crash, i.e. it was intentional. This in addition to the Saturn-Neptune-Chiron connection to 3d House might indicate mental depression.

With Saturn ruling the 3d House cusp and Neptune placed in the house one can see room for pilot error in thinking. Saturn rules breaking, caution, perhaps exhaustion from the delayed flight? and Neptune rules not paying attention. As said before, Neptune is conjunct the North Node and Chiron and these are in Aquarius which is intercepted within the 3d House. The 11th House of Aviators is empty with Mars widely conjunct the cusp from House 10. The Sun is intercepted in the 9th House.

Doane does include Mars' prominence in Airplanes because of the connection with mechanics. Mars placed in Libra and whatever part of the plane that would rule (Kidneys?) should be key in describing what went wrong. Air conditioning mechanical failure would make sense as Libra is an Air sign devoted to creating balance and harmony. That's what Air Conditioning does. Will have to come back to this.

I wish a speedy recovery to the survivors from their injuries and send sympathies to the families of those who were lost.

The Sixth Taste

Maybe the Sixth Taste has been Discovered. And it's not Woo-Woo like the Sixth Sense. The Sixth Taste might be Calcium. Mmmm, Chalk. Lovin it. Anyway, according to the Yahoo link to the LiveScience article (link at bottom) "Sixth 'Taste' Discovered - Calcium" by Charles Q. Choi a researcher has discovered that Mice can distinguish the taste of Calcium. This could be a pretty cool connection to Pluto's movement into Capricorn which rules the bones.

I would give the sense of Taste to Pluto any old day. Don't know what Rex Bills says; he's out in the car.

I already wrote about the Fifth Taste called Umami or Savoury which was identified by a Japanese Libra back in 1908. Pluto was at around 24 Gemini at that point so maybe new taste identities come along when Pluto hits the end of Gemini/Sagittarius.

mmmm, gifts from the Galactic Center.

But, really, can't we do better than identify what Chalk tastes like?

Interesting article. Apparently the Calcium taste in dairy foods binds to other things and we can't taste it. Because we don't want to. Ah man, remember Kaopectate? Bleck. Is that stuff still around? I've talked about my childhood bout with The Salmonella ad nauseum here but, really, all I remember is the moment that my Mother didn't force me to take any more of that Kaopectate for the runs. I was throwing up already anyway.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20080820/sc_livescience/sixthtastediscoveredcalcium

Rainbows, Acid Trips and Everything That's Happy and Pretty

Something strange for bland little old me. I'm really attracted to people who wear Tie-Dye shirts these days. The more the shirts look like an acid trip and a rainbow sherbet, the better.

Then I realized that Neptune is trining my Jupiter and doing some weird minor aspect to my Uranus. Wish I could freeze this moment in time forever. I definitely don't want to wake up and face the stuff I've let slide by blissing out while skipping down the street after all the Dead Heads.

Who's Your Mamma?

US Magazine's got a story this week about Swimming Mega Star Michael Phelps:

"My Mom's My Hero."

says the good Cancer Sun Son.

Well, doi.

CONGRATULATIONS TO MICHAEL AND HIS MOM!!!!

YOU'RE AWESOME!!!!

Frederick Alexander and "The Technique"

British Researchers have found that an alternative therapy really does treat back pain. This therapy is called the Alexander Technique and was invented by an Australian Actor named Frederick Alexander. Alexander began to lose his voice during performances and, unable to find a cure through his Doctor, found that by observing and modifying his posture and use of his body he could eliminate the problems. He regained full use of his voice and began to help other actors. Eventually he became known in obscure parts for his healing technique.

Yahoo story about latest research: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080820/hl_nm/back_pain_dc

Frederick Alexander
b. Jan. 20, 1869
Table Cape, Tasmania, Australia (I used Wynyard because Table Cape didn't get any results)

Sun 1 Aquarius; Moon Aries; NN 17 Leo

Sun in Aquarius automatically indicates an Innovator. This is doubly emphasized because ruler of Aquarius is a singleton by Element in the chart. North Node in Leo shows a destiny directed towards Leo type activities like being a Performer. For posture I was hoping to find a relationship between Saturn (bones) and Neptune (curves) and found that in Alexander's chart these two planets are involved in a Grand Trine with the North Node. Astrology Rocks.

I was also wanting to look at Mars because Mars indicates Movement and mobility. From the website www.alexander.ie/history.html I found the following description that Alexander "...revealed the mechanics of movement of the human being and the interference with muscles and reflexes that contriubtes to much of mankind's suffering in our modern civilization."

Alexander's Mars is Retrograde at 4 Virgo, the sign of Health through lifestyle. Mars rules Muscles. Mars Rx could certainly indicate needing to develop awareness of motion. Mars Rx can show problems in relationships, of course. I didn't read anything about Alexander's relationships so I don't know.

Alexander moved to Melbourne when he was 20 years old and decided to follow an Acting Career. His p.Mars had just Retrograded back into the sign of Leo, main keyword is the Actor as said before. It continued to progress in Retrograde Motion until 1929-30 when it Stationed direct on his North Node. That's pretty amazing for an Actor who teaches people to move properly through proper use of muscles and reflexes. His Moon is very likely in Aries and disposits to Mars. This could show a tendency to be able to care for others through the issues already discussed.

Since Alexander's conduit for developing his therapeutic technique was his Voice I had to look at the ruler of the voice, Venus. Venus in this chart is placed in Capricorn which is ruled by Saturn. Saturn tends to put restrictions on whatever it touches. Venus is squaring Chiron and Jupiter in Aries which shows the healing through Mars/Movement theme (Aries ruled by Mars). It may also be the only planet that aspects Mars through a trine which would mean that those two have an extra special bond with each other.

Alexander's ability to hook into the vibe of his generation in a powerful way is shown in his chart through great outer planetary placements to each other. There's the Grand Trine between Saturn-Neptune-NN already discussed which shows an ability to combine Form and Spirit with life's path. Saturn in Sagittarius is also apex of a Yod to a Uranus-Pluto sextile. Saturn and Uranus combine to rule Chiropractic Medicine (Rex Bills). And Jupiter is conjunct Neptune in Aries and squares Uranus in Cancer. that's just positive New Agey Feel Good stuff.

Uranus in this chart is a singleton in Water which puts special emphasis on innovations, independent thinking, science, foresight, etc. With Mars and Uranus placed in stand-out positions in the chart one can see why this person would place a great importance on keeping his mobility and freedom. Most others would give up and just move on to a profession that required less use of the voice.

In 1889, when Alexander began to act, Neptune and Pluto were in conjunction in Gemini. This is a very powerful combination of the two outermost planets and much extremely prophetic work in spirit/mind/body work manifested on earth around the time of this aspect.

Alexander's work, like so many others of this era has has never been well-received so it's really great that Science is finally catching up. Natally Alexander's Pluto 16 Taurus is squaring his 17 Leo North Node. His natal Mercury is at 12 Aquarius on the South Node. One can read that as "His message (mercury) had to germinate in the underworld (Pluto) before finding validity through research (Mercury, Pluto). But Fame (Pluto) is on the way." The Saturn-Pluto trine that has occurred this year has been transiting on top of Alexander's natal Venus-Mars trine. (And just for my own notes: He's going through a Nodal Opposition c. Neptune-Chiron.) Transiting Saturn is conjunct that natal Retrograde Mars and is probably very close to where it was when Alexander began to have the problems with his voice in the first place.

Mars-Saturn in Leo could signal a hampering of one's self expression while Mars-Saturn in Virgo would indicate scientific proof of healing methods. (In 1889, t. Saturn passed over P.Mars in Leo and then natal Mars in Virgo).

Blog Article on Coastal Erosion

Here's a link to the blog "Astrology for the 21st Century" which shows an astrological link to erosion of the coastline in England. This has become an issue for everyone everywhere due to Global Warming, but transiting Neptune is currently opposition Britain's natal Saturn.

http://astrology.blog.co.uk/2008/08/18/coastal-erosion-4604505

If you drive up the Coast in California on Highway 101 between Half Moon Bay and San Francisco you can see bits of a house built in 70s style architecture that was placed way too close to the cliffs. Wish I had a photo of it. Nothing is built in California to last more than 20 years anyway.

Internet Warfare, The Eclipses and Michael Phelps, Ain't He Awesome?

This is really crazy, interesting stuff. Jump to the stuff about the Olympics at the end and work your way back up. (HAPPY LUNAR ECLIPSE, BABY)

There are a couple of things I've noticed concerning the War that broke out in the country of Georgia on the same day as the Olympics. Understatement of the Century would be that Russia is full of itself these days. I've noticed that the Astrolocality lines for the Aug. 1, 2008 (21:10:09 UT) put the Sun-Moon MC lines running very close to Moscow. It's a Leo Full Moon, full of itself. Perhaps this is the reason why these people decided to start a War on the same day as the Olympics. That's just pretty weird.

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Another thing is that Russian computer hackers have been breaking into the Government Computer systems and have actually stopped the services to the President of Georgia. I've said a couple of times before that I think that the Internet is going to go through several severe attacks during the Saturn-Uranus-Pluto t-square time. This could be the first of a long line of stories in that direction.

"Russian hackers continue attack on Georgian Sites" by Peter Svensson (8/12/08) San Jose Mercury News.

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10176874?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com

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I've noticed a couple of things concerning tomorrow's Partial Lunar Eclipse (Aug. 16, 21:10:08 UT). The Sun MC Line and Moon IC-Neptune IC Lines run right through the Western States and smack dab through Seattle, Portland and the San Francisco Bay Area. Normally I would think, Yay, China's going to have a Bay to Breakers Event at the Olympics. That's an annual Marathon Celebration type thing where everybody who is or isn't a Transvestite pretends that he or she is and dances, frolicks, skips, pops wheelies on Unicycles across the entire breadth of San Francisco. It's fun but an event that I don't think anyone would want to be caught dead winning so it would be really surprising, i.e. Uranus on the ASC of a Lunar Eclipsey, if China were to go all out and declare one in Beijing as part of the Olympic festivities. They have to outdo Michael Phelps, after all.

That would be my suggestion for how to handle the Eclipse.

Unfortunately this seems like a difficult chart. Pluto is conjunct the Midheaven to the degree and at apex of a t-square to Uranus opposing Mars on the ASC-DESC axis. That's more like an Earthquake type chart. A Major Earthquake. It could be that Tesla Motors becomes the new boom techie company of the Silicon Valley, however.

The Eclipse chart ruler is Neptune which is placed in his own 12th House conjunct the Moon, the the North Node and Chiron in Aquarius. That's a lot of water. That flaunts the Uranus-Neptune Mutual Reception big time. The Higher Minded will go really high, and Gangs will take over the Mundane.

This chart also flaunts the Jupiter (Law, Publishing, Opinions, Education)-Pluto (Power broking, Other people's moneys) mutual Reception as they are both placed up in the top of the chart 10th House of Government, Authority, Management, Rules, Fathers. This is a big, outer planet chart showing things just on the verge of going completely out of control.

The Astrolocality chart also runs the Pluto ASC line through New York & Washington DC. As Pluto is conjunct the MC to the degree and squaring Mars (to the degree) and Uranus in the Eclipse chart, Security during the Presidential Campaign must be very secure. Jupiter is trining Saturn, in Saturn's sign, and Saturn's House. What does that say about Old White Men? I'm developing this terrible fear that Michelle Obama is going to start wearing Pill Box Hats in Public. Hope that's how you interpret those aspects.

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This Eclipse chart is also interesting to compare with Michael Phelps' chart. I may talk about him later but so many people are looking at his chart right now I'd just be repeating everything. I'll just say I think that this guy is awesome out of his mind and it's interesting that he's coming to the Fore during this Lunar Eclipse. Lunar Eclipse conjunct Neptune certainly describes a Swimmer.

Phelps' chart has Sun at 9 Cancer opposing Neptune 3 Capricorn and trining Pluto 2 Scorpio. All the Water signs are represented here. The Sun in tomorrow's Eclipse Chart also opposes Neptune and trines Pluto. And Pluto (transiting) is very close to conjunction with Phelps' natal Neptune. That's so Fish Like. He'll have to be very careful to "decompress" emotionally after this is over, though.

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And then there are really amazing coincidences with Mark Spitz's chart and the Munich Summer Olympics where he set his Records. Spitz is an Aquarius but his Sun is also in major aspect with Neptune and Pluto. Sun opposes Pluto and trines Neptune. Like Phelps his Moon is in Sagittarius.

And the Munich Olympics came after a Total Solar Eclipse that belonged to the same Saros Series 126 as this Summer's Beijing Olympics! Jupiter was also retrograde in Capricorn for this Eclipse. It passed back into 29 Sagittarius for the Lunar Eclipse. It was Stationed Direct the day before the Munich Olympics and was at the same spot where Pluto is now. Some pretty wild Capricorn Point interpretations could include winning the most medals and breaking Records in Olympian ways.

The North Node was already passed into Capricorn so there was almost a Nodal Return, but not quite.

This was the Olympics where the Isreali team was massacred by some terrorists. May their Souls Be Resting in Peace.

Munich Olympics, Summer 1972
Aug. 26 - Sept. 11, 1972 Munich, Germany

Total Solar Eclipse, 7/10/1972 19:46:38 UT Saros 126

Partial Lunar Eclipse 7/26/1972 2 h 41 m. UT?

Link to Olympians' Birthdates

Yahoo has an excellent website on the Olympics that's easy to navigate. Here's a link to the athletes in all the different sports along with their Birth Dates. Birthplace not given but that's on Wikipedia.

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/athletes;_ylt=Am3DxZ4IhdHnwk6iXKehbIejaJh4

The Keeling Curve

The Keeling Curve is the result of 40 years of painstaking measurements of the rising Carbon levels in the atmosphere. It was made famous by Al Gore. But who was the person who tracked the measurements during all those years?

Charles Keeling
b. Apr. 20, 1928 Scranton, PA

Sun 1 Taurus; Moon Aries or Taurus; NN 11 Gemini

I suppose it's interesting that Keeling was an Oceanographer but became noted for his studies of Gases in the Atmosphere. He had no planets in Air in his chart, but his North Node was in Gemini which is an Air Sign. North Node shows your Destiny and lack of an element shows that you may be drawn to that element in some way in your life. Here's a description of Keeling's work from the book An Ocean of Air by Gabrielle Walker. As you can see by the title of the book, Walker seems to have read the problems that Keeling's chart propose in this respect. She also fobs off a pretty good description of a Taurus:

Keeling was inspired, technically brilliant, and also -- fortunately -- bull-headed. Fortunately, because he discovered that there was no funding available for long-term studies like the one he had in mind. There was nothing wrong with making a few measurements once in a while, he was told repeatedly by the U.S. science-funding agencies. But keeping highly expensive and very technical instruments ticking over constantly in Hawaii for years? There was simply no need.

Keeling, however, refused to hear the word "no." He wrangled and scraped and insisted, and he somehow managed to keep his instruments in place and switched on. It wasn't long before he was proved to be right. Even between one year and the next, he could see the difference in carbon dioxide levels. And it was exactly what you'd expect if the oceans were not, after all, soaking up those human outpourings.
Keeling made those measurements for more than forty years. When plotted out on a graph, his "Keeling curve" has become one of the most famous icons of the global warming debate. For as the years have passed, the carbon dioxide levels it shows look nothing like a flat line, or even a gentle rise. Instead, they rear up exponentially, like a malevolent tidal wave ready to crash.

-- from pages 82-83, Ch. 3 Food and Warmth

What a great book. I might actually have to read this one.

Keeling's Sun was in Taurus (he passed away recently so I speak of him in past tense) but his Moon may have been either in Aries or Taurus. In addition to that he had four planets in Aries (Uranus, Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter) so he was bound "to do his own thing". Those particular planets ganging up together want to do genuinely good things for the World. Venus-Merucry-Jupiter are trining Saturn in Sagittarius and squaring Pluto in Cancer.

Keeling's Pisces Mars was a great placement for an oceanographer and it was also squaring his Nodal Axis. His destiny in the fight to fix Man-made problems. North Node in Gemini seems to be a great placement for Scientists who want to fix problems at any rate. Born with this 1928 placement are Jack Kevorkian (euthanasia guy) and Bill Mollison (creator of Permaculture). They've all worked against technology. Kind of an interesting situation that these Gemini North Node people have been living on the heels of the Gemini Pluto people who sort of created a lot of the technological messes (something which Bob Marks describes in a thread on his forum, check it out).

Keeling began to take measurements of CO2 over in Hawaii in 1958 and stopped in 2005.

In 1958, by coincidence, he was going through his Saturn Return in Sagittarius. Good time to take on a new project (Saturn) which will be the center of huge amounts of debate (Sagittarius) over the next 40 years. T. Pluto was also just past conjunction with Keeling's natal Neptune at 27 Leo. A person is extra sensitive to poisonings of any type during this transit. Neptune was at early degrees of Scorpio opposing Keeling's natal Sun-Chiron-possibly Moon conjunction which is like a triple or quadruple whammy effect for understanding toxicity, especially through empathy. T.Uranus would have hit Neptune in a couple of years after that, probably around the time that Keeling was realizing that he was on to something. According to Wikipedia his research was used in a Government warning about Global Warming back in 1963 but the fundings were stopped.

Also in 1958 the Nodal Axis was entering Libra which means that the South Node would be passing over Keeling's Aries planets. Neptune was in Scorpio but still conjunct the t.North Node which was moving into late Libra (Nodal Axis moves backwards) for a great deal of the year.

Keeling's measurements stopped in 2005. I suppose this coincides with his death of a heart attack on June 20, 2005. The Astrology is pretty incredible for this. T. Jupiter was once again in Libra and conjunct the South Node which relates back to the start of his 40 year project.

Not only was t. Pluto conjunct natal Saturn but t. Saturn had just been in conjunction with natal Pluto. That represents loss. (They're not in aspect with each other but they are both in major aspect to the following: Transiting Uranus was conjunct natal Mars (and squaring natal Nodal Axis) and transiting Mars was conjunct natal Uranus. Both aspects within a degree of conjunction. This shows a sudden, abrupt change of plans. Natal Mars is also trining natal Pluto at 16 Cancer (death) which was being hit by both Progressed Sun and Venus (15 Cancer for Sun, Venus ??). This squared his natal Aries planets and the transiting Nodal Axis. Transiting Venus and Mercury were also involved. Pluto does bring Fame and Keeling's Fame after his death has skyrocketed. And Venus, what was I saying about Venus throwing some curves?

An interesting little note about the Mercury Retrograde Progression. Keeling's Mercury went Rx sometime around1984-85 at 13 Cancer. This would have been conjunct his natal Pluto and squaring natal Mercury, etc. in Aries. He may have felt impotent to communicate his message. P.Mercury will come out of Retrograde in 2009-2010. The World will finally come around to paying attention to his word, especially with regards to transportation which is a Mercury ruled product.

The Placebo Effect

Astrologers grapple with trying to understand how much of a person's life is Destiny Writ in the Stars and how much is Self Determination. Neurologist/Science Writer Jonah Lehrer has written a very interesting post on his blog about the Placebo Effect which shows from a Scientific viewpoint how the Placebo effect works and subsequently how our Thinking really does affect us very, very strongly. A Scientist was able to locate the spot in the brain that seems to be responsible for this control. Something about how the Prefrontal Cortex which inhibits the emotions (when told to). I suppose that's good old Mars/Aries/1st House symbolism, the Soldier. Those damn Emotions just seem to seep in like Water....

link: //scienceblogs.com/cortex/2007/09/the-placebo-effect.php

How does the placebo effect work? Tor Wager, a neuroscientist at Columbia University, gave people painful electrical shocks while they were stuck in an fMRI machine. Half of the subjects were then supplied with a fake pain-relieving cream. As expected, people given the pretend cream said the shocks were significantly less painful. The placebo effect eased their suffering. Wager then imaged the specific parts of the brain that controlled this psychological process. When people were told that they'd just received a pain-relieving cream, their prefrontal cortex responded by inhibiting the activity of the emotional brain areas (like the insula) that normally respond to pain. (Further research suggests that the brain releases endogenous opioids.) However, when the same people were informed that the same cream was "ineffective" at blocking pain, their prefrontal cortex went silent. Because people expected to experience less pain, they ended up experiencing less pain. Their predictions became self-fulfilling prophecies.

What I find most interesting about this experiment is that lots of scientists are currently trying to develop a drug (like D-Cycloserine) that will imitate the real cortical effects of the placebo effect, and reduce the activity of emotional areas (like the insula and anterior cingulate) that respond to pain. So we'll end up having to pay lots of money for a pharmaceutical painkiller (that probably has some side-effects) when we can get similar palliative benefits just from thinking good thoughts. (I've written about some doctors who are trying to harness our conscious thoughts here.)

My only problem with the placebo effect is that it's got such a bad reputation. (We forget, of course, that until the 20th century almost all medicine was nothing but the placebo effect.) When it comes to fixing the brain, thinking that we've been fixed is often medicine enough.

For more on the placebo effect, check out Radio Lab.

Large Hadron Collider

ADDITION/CORRECTION TO ORIGINAL:

Start time for the Collider is 10:28 am Local Time (Geneva, Switzerland). This is a much nicer chart than the ones I looked at. 25 Libra is Rising. Ruler of the Chart, Venus is in her own sign of Libra (H12). She is conjunct Mercury and Mars. They trine the North Node-Neptune conjunction in Aquarius (H4) and square the Moon-Jupiter conjunction in Capricorn (H3). With Neptune being the only outer planet placed on an angle and the Chart ruler in the 12th House, the Mysteries of the Universe might really be solved. The Big Bang Aspect of Sun opposing Uranus is placed off the Angles. Pluto is still unaspected to any planets down in the 3d House but is in aspect to both ASC and MC. Both Jupiter and Pluto stationed Direct yesterday so they are assured of a long life without suffering any Retrogrades by Progression.

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They're calling it the Big Bang Machine. The Swiss have built a 17 mile wide tunnel under the ground somewhere outside of Geneva and hope to answer the great mysteries of the Universe with it. I hope they don't knock the Clocks out of whack, or worst yet, harm Our Astrodienst Folks and Free Online Computer Software in any way.

Other than this I don't have a clue what the thing does. It's called a Large Hadron Collider and this is what it's proposing to do:

"LHC experiments will address questions such as what gives matter its mass, what the invisible 96 percent of the Universe is made of, why nature prefers matter to antimatter and how matter evolved from the first instants of the Universe's existence."

That's from the CERN website that gives how many seconds till tee off but in Swiss time:

http://lhc-first-beam.web.cern.ch/lhc-first-beam/Welcome.html

I probably don't have the time right for when they're flipping the switch but the website says that a live Webcast will play at 8:30pm. I initially tried to count the time out by myself and got hopelessly lost in time zones but came up with a really cool chart fro 3:30pm that has a Galactic Center-Pluto Sagittarius Ascendant. Still exceptional, though, with this chart is that the 3 Outermost planets will be Singletons: Uranus in Water, Neptune in Fixed, Pluto in Fire.

With this 8:30 am chart Pluto is conjunct a 4 Capricorn Midheaven from the 9th House so still connected with an angle. There's a tight conjunction of Mercury-Venus-Mars at 14-15 Libra that's conjunct the Descendant. While the Outer Planets aren't working in cohoots with anybody the Inner Planets are colluding in a huddle on an Angle (and disposing to Venus as they ought to). That's got to say something about Scale. I think they're going to try to study Infinity through Minutae. The Outer Planets through the Inner Planets.

Mars rules this 8:30 pm chart (assuming the time is correct). That's pretty impressive for something called a Big Bang Machine.

Although this is the first run of the Collider, it won't be officially open until Oct. 21. Between that time Mercury will go retrograde so will hold close to this spot for a very long time. Astrologers aren't real fond of Mercury Rx. I believe that I read that this "machine" is its own prototype so there's a chance that there might be a couple of snags along the way in learning how to use it.

The Virgo Sun (H6) will be opposing Uranus (12) and conjunct Saturn (h6) (Saturn & Uranus not in aspect). That sounds like a great set-up for a Particle Blaster. Saturn in Virgo is a great one for the Sciences and Uranus always likes a new whirligig. 17 miles, wow, that's huge. I keep getting it confused with 17 Mile Drive down in the Monterey area, one of the most beautiful drives on earth.

Large Hadron Collider
Sept. 10, 2008 8:30 pm Geneva, Switzerland

Sun 19 Virgo; 23 8 Aries Rising; Moon 24 Capricorn; MC 4 Capricorn; NN Aquarius

Lucky 8 Babies

According to the San Jose Mercury News not only were two babies were born in the United States on 8/08/08 at 8:08 am, but they both weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces. I think they should just plan on getting married l8ter on in life.

A little girl was born in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and a little boy was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The Olympics

The Opening Ceremonies have already begun over in Beijing as I write this so guess this comes a little late. The Date and Time for the ceremony is very special as it is a string of 8's. 8/08/08 8:08 pm. Scorpio is the 8th sign of the Zodiac so the Moon placed in the 8th Sign is appropriate. The Moon is placed in the 8th House which is its own house. The number eight is also associated with the Venus Cycle. Venus in this chart is in Virgo in the 6th House conjunct the Descendant. The Chinese think of this date as very fortunate and many couples are getting married on this date. The Venus and Moon emphasis on partnership and family come through strongly.

Beijing Olympics
Opening Ceremony Aug. 8, 2008, 8:08 pm Beijing, China

Sun 17 Leo; Moon 13 Scorpio; ASC 7 Pisces; NN 19 Aquarius; MC 17 Sagittarius

Scorpio is competitive and strong willed. A feeling of control in order to gain the highest possible results will be very strong here. That's great for athletes. The Moon is apex to a big t-square in the chart as it squares the Nodal Axis which is layered over an opposition of Sun in Leo to Neptune in Aquarius c. Chiron. Leo is the sign of Games and Playing but it is conjunct the South Node in Leo which is not its favorite placement. I already know that there is some tension over the Spirit of the Games which seems to be hanging over these Games. Beijing is polluted and unhealthy, the Chinese have banned a U.S. Team Member for his political affiliations with suffering in Darfur. The Nodal Axis plus Sun and Neptune placed in the 6th and 12th Houses shows some concerns about Health and Toxicity. Inconjuncts can show Health issues as well and the only one in this chart connects Neptune with Mars in Virgo in the 6th House. Neptune rules poisons and drugs so there could be issues concerning both here.

On the other hand, Neptune is in its own house which should also be auspicious for my favorite sports, Gymnastics and Water Ballet. All the water sports should be awesome. Anything that happens outside in the bad air might be less interesting to watch. From the looks of it we won't be able to see any of the long distance races through all that smog anyway.

Neptune, of course, is in mutual reception with Uranus and Uranus here is in the 1st House of this chart and opposing Mars in Virgo and squaring Pluto in Sagittarius up in the 10th House. This is a very volatile combination. It's not an exact t-square but it is on the Angles of the Charts. Security must be kept very strong at these games and strict attention paid to the Rules. When the Moon hits any of these planets by hard aspect in the coming weeks we should watch for Attacks of some kind. I hope Beijing doesn't have an Earthquake.

Jupiter rules the Midheaven here. That's great for the Archery and Equestrian competitions and also for a show of broadmindness toward other countries. Opinions might be a little harsh though. Jupiter's in Capricorn in the 11th House and is a singleton in Cardinal Signs. He is also trining Saturn which rules Capricorn so there is a positive spirit of coming together on a responsible social level. Saturn is conjunct the Descendant showing that there is a feeling of repression and authority. This might dampen the fun a bit but the successes that occur here will be very well earned and have a lasting impact on people. Should check NBC's chart to see if they are capable of perking up the serious tone of this chart for us American viewers. I know the Knitting community has been planning their Ravelympics. This is a list of all the things they will make while watching the Games. teehee, what a fun crowd. I'll be on the Internet watching them more than the TV. Well, except for the Water Sprites, so pretty.

Knitters

It's been really intense for me lately. I have been sucked into the Knitter's Vortex. Knowing my compulsiveness with hobbies and collecting, at first, I was very disciplined. I bought a $1.49 ball of cotton yarn and a pattern on how to make a dishcloth and checked out a video from the library. The woman on the video had long painted fingernails and really red lipstick so she kept my attention going. She also didn't say anything about what to do if you make mistakes like dropping or adding stitches so I ignored those problems. And, bless my heart, I finished my dishcloth.

Then I finished two more dishcloths. One was very ambitious and had little patterns of hearts that had to be counted out. I was going into cafes to work on it in public and I guess I was giving off a bad vibe. One worker came over with the broom and starting kicking my feet out from under me. That's never happened to me before with such brutality so I'm supposing it was the knitting. Somewhere along I found the videos on the Internet that teach you how to knit. One lady said that you're not a good knitter if you're not a good ripper. This was my first exposure to fixing mistakes, and good Virgo Venus that I am, every time I found that I had dropped a stitch out I would rip the entire dishcloth out and start over. I was going to get it perfect no worries. The yarn got really dirty and frazzled. I think I even sprayed it with pesticides at one point. The only people who saw me carrying my little ball of yarn and needles and who were nice to me were the ones who had both Mothers who knit and new born babies (who are small and represent small amounts of yarn, adults are expensive to knit for). I think knitting bugs most people especially women who find it a sexist activity. Men, especially homeless men, are fascinated by the small intricate action. They would sit and stare at the needles without moving for half hour at a time.

Somewhere down the line, months after the first dishcloth, I finished the hearts dishcloth in a cafe where I sat next to two guys who were playing chess all afternoon. Maybe it was the pheromones, I think mostly it was the concentration rubbing off on me, but I finished the thing. Then I noticed a couple of dropped stitches. Varigated yarn disguises dropped stitches pretty well. It also disguises all those heart shapes that I struggled to achieve. And I realized it was pretty unattractive. Martha Stewart would shudder if she saw it. Doesn't matter. I've already lost the thing.

So, now I'm a hard core knitoholic. I go into stores and pet the yarns. Old women make yarn out of live rabbits who they set on their laps and spin fur right off of. That's called Angora. That's better than the Horse Whisperer if you ask me. Those angora rabbits have a lot of hair to share and what else do they have to do all day? I wonder if they have to medicate the things in order to get them to sit still.

So, the Internet is an unbelievable resource for learning how to knit. There's a different video for casting the yarn on to the needles from every country. There's a different way to knit from every country too. Some knitters are open to this. Some are totally fascist about thinking that everyone ought to do things their way. It's just like Religion and Politics. You just don't talk about it for fear that you'll open a pussy sore. I can see how interest in knitting waned for years especially in the United States where the horrid women force everyone to knit in American style.

On the Internet I've found a website called Ravelry.com. Zillions of knitters get on there and share what they make and how they make it and what they use. It's a Gemini playground where the information is boundless. I have dark rings under my eyes and my hands are beginnign to tremble from staying up all night tyring to ascertain how a certain yarn or type of garment turns out when knit by 500 different knitters.

Meanwhile in real life I've begun the compulsive collecting of what is called "Stash." I have one skein of all kinds of furry animals, mostly in white yarn. I'm so afraid of the color. When I do go to bed I'm dreaming about all the colors. I just can't think about walking down the street in it. So white Alpaca (that smells like the wrong end of the animal), white llama, white angora, white lamb's wool with white mohair. No white cashmere, I'm too cheap, but the last Eclipse ended over Mongolia where the camels live who grow the stuff on their stomachs so I suspect we'll be seeing more of the cashmere. How does one buy Stock in Cashmere? They sell Buffalo and Yak yarn which is to die for but not in white. It would be too much of a shame to alter the colors of those furs. And yes Yak is a lot like steel wool. And I did break out of my white rut and bought rust colored Bamboo yesterday.

Here's a little Japanese Movie about knitting that pretty much sums the whole experience up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1QWsu7G9Ic

And here's a short synopsis (I hope short) of how the different signs describe themselves which I found over on the knitting forums. Some of the descriptions are unbelievably helpful for learning about the signs. I always prefer to learn astrology by hearing people talk about their own signs.

I began with Aries because it's the first sign and then I sort of scattered out according to which sign I became curious about. I didn't read everything either. And not all knitters are represented and not all knitters agreed with everything that was said. This is just for fun. I learned a lot about Libra. I hope this information is okay to repeat here. It's partly literally copied from the Ravelry forums and partly based on my observations which are generally pretty skewed.

So the Aries. They were fun. They acknowledged that they are starters and have trouble finishing projects. That's Cardinal. Most of the signs suffer from this (just wait for Gemini description) but the Aries seem to really have an anxiety about this. They like to either work on small projects that are short and simple or really big projects. They need to alter the patterns in some way to make them their own. They like freestyle. And they like "compliant yarns." They have a great sense of humor. They joked about preferring to knit for themselves rather than for others. "I AM my favorite charity."

This made me curious about Scorpios. Scorpios are known for their creativity, their focus, and their dogged ability to finish things. Is this true? Do they knit one long black robe at a time of floss harvested from spiders? What interested me was the fact that the Scorpios don't seem to have much anxiety about finishing projects. They just keep working and they know it will get done. What I didn't expect were the amount of projects that they work on at the same time. Rather than the Scorpio singular focus, one thing at a time, they have a lot of projects going at one time. 3 or 4 or even 13. Total compulsion. They also don't have a problem with abandoning projects and will easily destroy (called frogging rather than ripping probably due to Jack the murderer) projects they don't like. They refer to themselves in classically Plutonian terms which I suppose was intentional and really funny. "Serial knitters." "I knit so I do not kill people." "I feel like I"m in control." Knitting was compared to killing twice. No discussion of size of projects but lots of discussion about color. They call themselves "yarn snobs." Elegance is so Scorpio.

Then I moved on to the Virgos. I suspected that they are a lot like me and they just quietly rip everything out that they start. There wasn't a whole lot of discussion. Virgos aren't real forthcoming about their own problems. There was a lot of discussion about making dish cloths and favorite foods. Virgo artists tend to work really well with line and aren't really interested in color. The knitters seem similar. I think they either are out knitting and aren't obsessed with the knitting forum.

So then I moved on to the Sagittarians. I knew they'd have a lot to say. They didn't really seem to talk about the knitting very much. They discussed their personalities, their opinions, and how they live their lives. There was some discussion about obsession with detail which seems to never really be discussed about among Astrologers (imo). I noticed on my own that they create very intelligent knitting, sort of as if they are solving mathematical equations at the same time. This might just be because Lace Knitting is really in right now, I don't know. What they are doing is new and has to be interesting.

I know that Capricorn artists have an awesome sense of spatial relationships and color so I was then curious about that sign. There wasn't quite the discussion I was expecting though. They are born for knitting because they hate to waste time. If they bring their knitting along they won't have to waste time while waiting for a bus or in a doctor's office. They talked a little about working one project at a time. And they don't like wasteful stashes. One, however, said that she came to accept her stash as a way of being "thrifty." One complained about not liking to work with weird yarn. It's the new stuff with all the "inclusions." They said that they're more Pattern junkies than yarn junkies. Most said they don't keep a project on needles because they don't like seeing it hog the needles. Like a Cardinal Sign, they like to start new projects.

So I switched to the opposite sign, the Cancers. The Cancers were sort of quiet like the Virgos. I did notice that they like to knit for others. There seemed to be an aura of guilt over knitting for themselves. They claimed to have ADD. They talked about their favorite cakes.

The Tauruses should have been very sensual. I expected them to talk endlessly about touch and feel. But it didn't really come up. They did joke about Riding Bulls. And about other things one can do with a Bull. I didn't really notice much else. Maybe not really into astrology?

The Pisces of course were very Pisces. They were sharing patterns. When discussing the pervasive problem of finishing projects one said "Oh, I hope I'll finish it." They talked about loving to shop and mostly shared what they were going to work on next. Rather than starting a thread about Colors they love they had one about Colors they can't stand and don't ever want to see again. Some good end of the wheel discussion.

The Aquarians were also into knitting Dishcloths. They were sharing a pattern where you can knit the signs of the Zodiac on your dishcloths. I didn't really write much else down about them sadly. I really liked their knitting though. Very stream lined, strong and well conceived projects. I think Italian design must be very Aquarian.

And the Geminis. They're social. They set up swaps, introduce themselves, talk about gifts. They can't follow directions, but you know they're out there keeping their fidgety fingers going. Most of the signs said they preferred small projects because they had trouble finishing big projects. The Geminis took it further. They have what they called "Second Sock Syndrome" where they die of boredom after knitting the first sock and can't finish the second one. One person suggested intentionally planning to make the second sock different. There was all kinds of discussion about how to give yourself incentive to finish a project.

Who's left? Oh, the Libras. The Libras talked relationships. They had 12 threads set up to discuss Libra's compatibility with each of the other signs. They were one of the few signs who discussed the texture of the yarn, loving anything soft. That surprised me. They also came up with an interesting Libra trait which doesn't seem to get discussed among astrologers. They talked about loving the repetitive act of knitting. Just sitting there making stitch after stitch after stitch. That's so East Indian raga like, isn't it? And very Libra.

Oh. And the Leos. The Leos had a whole thread about the color Orange. They have lots of Red in their stash. One thread was actually a Game to play with the other posters. They also wanted to discuss Decanates and Cusps. Do Leos ponder Boundaries more than others.? Sort of like they want to know where they end and where others begin. They don't like animal prints, by the way.

Danieal Kelly - Died from Neglect

It will be awesome to see how the outer planet conjunction of planets in Capricorn that happened back in the early 1990's will manifest in the babies who were born with it. I suppose it will create great leaders and new forms of perception in the arts and sciences. Unfortunately, Capricorn can be a sign that is slow to develop. If a Capricorn child is born with a problem he or she may not be perceived as loveable or forgiveable by the family. This is a sign that demands self-sufficiency of itself and of others. It is reserved and is not good at asking for help. Well, it will generally demand help and order people around, but just appearing needy and letting others respond is not really the Capricornian thing.

Danieal Kelly's story is as tragic as they come. Danieal literally died of neglect. She had Cerebral Palsy and her disease and care were too much for her parents who actually sound as irresponsible as people can be. Her Mother left her in bed and watched her starve to death. Her Father was no where to be found. Social Workers had been assigned to overlook her care and completely ignored her. Last week nine people were found guilty and responsible for her death.

I found her birth information at the link listed below.

Danieal Kelly
b. Jan 3, 1992 Youngstown, Ohio

Sun 13 Capricorn; Moon Sagittarius or Capricorn; NN 10 Leo

d. Aug. 4, 2006
Philadelphia, PA

Birth information from: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/20080801_A_Timeline_of_Neglect.html

When I saw that Kelly was born in 1992 I wondered how the Capricorn conjunction of Uranus and Neptune were figured in her chart. Saturn had passed them by and was in Aquarius when she was born. Danieal's Sun was conjunct Uranus and Neptune.

There's a very interesting article about Premature babies (which Danieal was) on StarIQ.com. It's written by Valerie Vaughan and says that babies with Sun in aspect to Saturn and Neptune are more likely to born premature. It also discusses the link between premature births and development of Cerebral Palsy in some cases. Danieal's Sun was conjunct Uranus and Neptune so her Sun is definitely tied to Saturn and Neptune.

Capricorn is the sign of conditional parental love and shame. On the good side it represents the Father and the discipline and boundaries that a parent will teach his/her children. Danieal's parents were never married. She lived with her Mother for a few years and then was taken in by her Father and her Father's girlfriend who actually cared for her. When the girlfriend left in 2001 Danieal was sent back to her Mother's house. Her Mother is extremely poor and is said to have a total of nine children. She couldn't handle the idea of having a needy child apparently and left her to starve to death in bed where Danieal was rotting from bedsores. Although 14 years old in 2006 when she died, Danieal weighed only little more than 40 pounds. Her last words were her continual cry for water. Kelly's Mother wouldn't take her out of the house because she was ashamed of her illness. The story just goes on and on.

Saturn, the sign of boundaries is super amplified in Daniel's chart and life. She was bound within an illness, an unloving family, poverty, even to her bed. Her Mother had given birth to nine children and it's as if she placed all the blame for her problems on this little girl. Saturn is the sign of blame. As a Capricorn, Danieal may even have convinced her Mother that she didn't need help or was bossy in some way that made her Mother insecure. I know that's a weird thing to say but it would be nice to see from the Parents' point of view in order to understand what happened. It would be most interesting to study the comparison charts in these cases. When she died, Pluto was hitting her natal Mars to the degree. This is not only conjunct Mercury and perhaps the Moon in that sign but is also conjunct the Galactic Center. This could be another explanation in some way the extreme nature of neglect on all levels that Danieal died from.

Capricorn is also the sign of Government and the Government Social workers even neglected her. So her chart was working on many Capricorn themed levels.

This story is extreme or at least I hope it's not too common. This might be explained by Pluto's placement which is in Scorpio. Pluto is unaspected and a singleton in Water. This means that its presence in Danieal's chart is extra extreme. Scorpio is the sign of crisis and extreme circumstances and here it doesn't flow with any of the other planets in the chart. Feelings would have to be submerged extra deep. Capricorn and Scorpio are both reserved signs that pride themselves on self sufficiency. If a person in need has these placements he could easily be overlooked. Danieal's natal Saturn is in Aquarius and is also a singleton in Air. This emphasizes the Saturnian aspect of her chart as well.

The transits show how heavily she was affected by Saturn and Pluto in aspect. She passed away on her 1st Saturn opposition. Natally she had an opposition of Saturn to Chiron (Aquarius to Leo) which contained the rest of her planets to one side in her chart.

At the of Danieal's death Pluto was in Sagittarius within a degree conjunction of her natal Mars in Sagittarius. And if her Moon is in Sagittarius it would have been in conjunction as well. The Saturn-Pluto opposition of 2001 seems to have been the beginning of the end for Danieal. This is when her Father's girlfriend left and she returned to her Mother's house.

9 people have been found responsible for her death. These are Saturn & Pluto keywords. Her Mother has been convicted of Murder and the Social Worker assigned to her case was convicted of Manslaughter. I wonder if this would indicate a Moon that is placed very close Sagittarius/Capricorn cusp as it indicates revenge after Death.

Saturn and Pluto are planets of Leadership. One hopes that Danieal's story will lead to changes in parenting and government aid. Danieal was born during a Saturn-Chiron opposition. The Leo New Moon Eclipse was conjunct her Chiron in Leo. She also has a trine from Jupiter to her Sun-Uranus-Neptune conjunction and transiting Jupiter is trining that to the degree. She is said to have had a really sweet personality which hopefully will be remembered and used to inspire improvement in the lives of others who come after her.

Bruce E. Ivins, Anthrax Researcher

Last year the Government plagued us with the TB Man. Remember that weird and unbelievable story about the guy who was diagnosed with untreatable TB and then decided to go ahead with his international flight in order to expose everyone he came in contact with? Then it turns out his Father in Law to be was a TB Specialist with the CDC. That was weird. Now we have the weird stories of the Anthrax guys. The first guy who was under suspicion was finally found innocent in March (after 7 years) and immediately after that the Feds turned to another guy (after 7 years). This guy was Bruce E. Ivins. This is so strange. We're being Terrorized by people in our own government who know how to not get caught. The first guy, Steven Hatfill, was a Scorpio. The second guy, Bruce E. Ivins, was a Taurus. Their Suns oppose each other to the degree. That doesn't really mean anything except to the Sabian Symbol people. Scorpio is just the strangest Sign. I don't get it.

Vindicated Scorpio Government Anthrax Guy Steven Hatfill
b. Oct. 24, 1953 St. Louis Mo

Sun 2 Scorpio; Moon Taurus or Gemini; NN 29 Capricorn

Not going to say much about this guy. He won Millions in a Lawsuit, cha ching, that' s so Scorpio. He has a conjunction of Sun-Saturn-Neptune (Scorpio, Scorpio, Libra) which squares his Nodal Axis. Seems like a real blame thing going on with his life path. Either way, I can't stand seeing innocent people getting blamed.

Newly Accused Anthrax Guy Bruce E. Ivins
b. Apr. 22, 1946 Lebanon, Ohio

Sun 2 Taurus; Moon Capricorn; NN 15 Gemini

For one, I can't convict this guy the way his loopy therapist did, just by looking at his chart. But, Wow, take a look at that chart. This is why I can't think about doing professional readings. What if? oh no, it couldn't be...

Dude had Sun in Taurus, Moon in Capricorn. Okay, okay, let's get it out of the way...

If you knew Hitler
Like I knew Hitler...
da da dah da da da,
dah dah dah dah

Can't remember the words, these songs weren't allowed in my house growing up. I assume everyone knows this, but if not: Hitler, the most famous psychopath on earth was a Taurus Sun with Capricorn Moon. So are 1 out of every 144 people (approximately) in the whole entire world. Those people have to live under this astrological shadow. We have to remember that they barbeque on the week-end, they don't cut in line at Wal-Mart, they tell their kids to shut the arf up in public. Capricorn Moon people are ambitious but also thin skinned when it comes to public humiliation. You can really wreck one pretty easily by following him around in your white van with the radar scanner on top. They're very perceptive and will notice you and they have a deep painful understanding that they're not as loveable as everyone else. Capricorn Moons just never quite get the theme song from Cops out of their heads...

But then you look at this Dude's chart and your eyes see ring tones. This guy's got the chart of a school shooter. Sun square Mars at 30 Cancer and Pluto at 10 Leo. Then you calm yourself down. Breathe deeply. How many people were born within a week of this guy and have this same aspect and become Government Researchers who work in Defense to protect our Country against BioWeaponry? This guy's IQ was obviously through the roof and he had found a perfect constructive way to focus those aspects in his daily life. Gun imagery would come to him automatically, probably a trait that was beat into him from his Capricorn Moonian Mother, we don't know.

Then you see that this guy is born with a Uranus-NN conjunction in Gemini that trines Neptune. He works with innovations and poisons so he really is looped into the greater good? Is that what it means? He focused the energy perfectly for his chart.

Uranus here is a little too potent for my tastes because it is a singleton in Mutable and Air. Scientists need a lot of air in their charts due to the mental nature of their job. When under stress this guy's one outer planet link to Air could get really weird on him causing all kinds of Uranian shocks and unexpected twists and turns. Kind of crazy that the Saturn-Pluto opposition of 2001-2 stationed on his Uranus-Nodal Axis. Kind of like throwing a bomb on one's life path. Gemini would certainly like to send a bomb through the U.S. Mail system. And there's that funky trine in Ivins birthchart from Neptune in Libra which likes to deal with poisons. It can also describes what we actually know about his job. He was an expert in a field at the time that needed his knowledge.

Ivins' Mercury was in Aries so he wasn't one to mince words. Mercury opposes Neptune so, maybe he wasn't clear in all of his communications. Maybe he wasn't always real honest. But he was probably very nice. He would obviously be good at covering his tracks. Funny how his words to a therapist were what drove him to kill himself. Victimized by an Empath. Holy cow.

Here's a Colleague's description of Ivins:

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?storyID=78365

Here's his Loyal Social Worker's:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0801081anthrax2.html

God, I wonder if she'll be on Larry King tonight promoting herself. What do you want to bet she's big and blond and has phony fingernails? Her handwriting looks quite diagnosable to me, but in a Saggy kind of way.

The progressions in Ivins' chart show his psychological decline. His Progressed Sun recently changed signs into Cancer (at 2 degrees). This is the Astrological Wheel's initiation into the wonderful world of feelings, probably best to go through early in life.

Transiting Pluto is opposing the prog. Sun showing an opposition from Powerful figures. The Feds were on his ass. He got caught.

Ivins' progressed Venus is also very stressed. She has been passing over his natal Mars and was within one degree conjunction of hitting his natal Pluto. As I already said this is squaring his natal Sun. I think I've also said that I keep finding Sun-Venus progression combinations that come up a lot in Suicides. I don't know why. Either way, a lot of planets in his chart disposit back to Venus and Venus on Pluto is extreme. And it would have tripped off his natal square between Sun and Mars-Pluto.

Jupiter may have been transiting over his Moon, amplifying the dire nature of his situation. Jupiter is supposed to be lucky. But in Ivins' chart it is squaring his natal Jupiter-Chiron conjunction in Libra. His reactions to everything would have been very intense. I tend to think that the Moon-Chiron square shows that he may have been blamed for something he didn't do just because he has the chart and weird qualities of a school shooter. Certainly, it made him a victim of his own therapist. It does sort of give a scapegoat flavor to what's going on here, but maybe he was only scapegoated by his therapist who was jealous and confused by his bigger brain. Now that he's dead at least she can reinstate her Psychology Today subscription. But, really, who the Hell is going to rent this woman out to talk about how they don't get along with anybody? When you've got to kill yourself in order to not feel humiliated that you lost in your therapy session, then you know there's time for reform in that profession. Maybe she'll be able to sue somebody as well and retire on a beach in Tahiti with the wrongly accused Scorpio guy.

What I want to know is why does it take 7 years to locate these guys? 7 years. Uranus changes signs. Saturn squares itself. Progressed Moon squares itself.

Hmm, if I knew how to do Horary I would ask if Ivins was the guy.

That would be just so amazing if he really poisoned Law makers and Media people and postal workers by sending poison through the mail. That's so Gemini-Uranus trine Neptune.

If this guy were going to kill himself, wouldn't he have used Anthrax? Well, maybe it's too painful. Maybe the vaccine he created really worked and he knew they'd revive him.

Okay, I'm done. I can't accuse the guy, but I wouldn't want to have to read his chart for him either.

Amy Winehouse

I don't follow pop musicians much beyond what I hear in elevators but was really captivated by Winehouse's performance on the Grammy's. I was really hoping to see her perform someday and I have absolutely never ever said that about a pop musician. Eric Francis has posted an interesting post on Winehouse on his Planet Waves site. It's kind of shocking that he reminds us that Rock Stars die when they are 27 years old and that this looks like the road that will suck up Amy. But maybe that the kind of Arfy Arf she needs to see next time she Googles herself. Either way I hearby plea to Amy Winehouse to please don't die. No, No, No, Please don't die. (As this blog travels the bottom of the bowl on Google she'll never read my plea, plus Virgos can't stand typos so I'm just as well off that way.)

The link is here:

http://planetwaves.net/pagetwo/2008/08/03/what-is-up-with-amy-winehouse/

Something else really interesting in Eric Francis' post was his inclusion of the asteroid or fixed star or whatever it was called Lachesis (Asteroid). I took a bonehead homeopathy course way back when and vaguely remembered the horrifying remedy picture of Lachesis the snake who constricts a person. I don't know if anyone out there compares Homeopathic remedies with Astrological Fixed jiggies but this one sure does gives some interesting insights.

Francis talks about how Pluto has been transiting over Winehouse's Neptune in Sagg. This is a generational thing that has been upsetting 20 something's worldwide, a party hardy crowd for sure. Winehouse's Neptune is extra vulnerable as it is conjunct her Moon and the Galactic Core. And also the asteroid thingee Lachesis. Here's what Francis says:

Pluto has been going over this Moon/Neptune/Galactic Core arrangement for nearly as long as we’ve known about her, pushing her into a profound spiritual crisis. It is like a confrontation with her soul essence through confronting deep isolation and death. It is nothing you would want to go through.

She has an asteroid mixed into this configuration, also in Sagittarius: Lachesis. According to Martha Lang Wescott, Lachesis “interrupts” an evolving sequence from going as one would have expected (from the way it began or is underway).

Here's a remedy description of the psychological side of Lachesis for people who fit the Remedy picture. from www.herbs2000.com/homeopathy/lachesis.htm:

The coiled serpent is a fine image for representing the Lachesis individual, whose remedy is made from the venom of the Bushmaster snake. In esoteric traditions the coiled serpent represents the kundalini energy residing at the base of the spine. This energy is said to be of a sexual nature in most people, but it can be made to rise up the spine, being transmuted as it rises into creative potential, and ultimately into spiritual experience.

The Lachesis individual is like a highly strung bow, taut with sexual energy, which must find an outlet if it is not to backfire upon its owner.

For many the outlet is sex itself. Lachesis people are highly sexed, and when they make love they are very passionate. Sex is not only very enjoyable for Lachesis; it also relieves tension. Others sublimate their sexual energy into a passionate pursuit of art, career or spirituality. Lachesis is a very passionate type, and whenever she thoroughly indulges in and expresses her passion, the result is both ecstasy and relaxation.

From adolescence onwards, the Lachesis individual vibrates with sexual energy. It gives her a passionate appetite for life, for excitement, and for stimulation. As long as this appetite remains satisfied, Lachesis will be fairly healthy psychologically. It is when the sexual energy is repressed, when it cannot find an outlet, that Lachesis develops physical and psychological tension. It may be that she has a partner who is not interested in sex, or that she has been without a partner for a long time, or that she grew up with a moral teaching that prohibited sex before marriage, and hence has remained a virgin. In these cases all will be well if an activity can be found which channels sufficient passionate energy to discharge the tension within, but if this does not happen, anxiety, restlessness and irritability will develop.

Lachesis' powerful sexual drive is tempered by a refined, sensitive nature. Less sensitive types like Nux and Sulphur may pursue their sexual appetites in a rather crude, unfeeling manner, but for many Lachesis individuals (especially the women) sex is usually reserved for romantic partnership, and is all the more passionate because it an expression of their love. When a Lachesis woman is in love her sexuality is heightened, and she will become very emotional if she is not able to make love frequently with her partner. If his libido cannot keep up with hers, she is liable to feel that he does not love her, and her frustration and hurt will provoke both tears and anger. A sexually frustrated Lachesis woman is rather like a spurned Ignatia; touchy and highly emotional.

This theme of tension requiring discharge can be seen to run throughout the features of Lachesis, both mentally and physically. On the physical level discharges will ameliorate symptoms, particularly sexual discharges, and the discharge of menstruation. Vigorous physical exercise may also be used by Lachesis to discharge tension. On the psychological level talking is used as a means of discharging tension, hence the famous loquacity of Lachesis. The more sexually repressed a Lachesis individual, the more loquacious they will become.

Men Who Kill Their Wives' Lovers (and Wife) and Get Away With It

This is just sort of going to be a Psychotic Reverie for the Leo New Moon Eclipse. Remember I have Mercury c. Uranus in Leo so I warn you it's going to get weird.

I recently looked at a bio of the artist Thomas Eakins while rummaged the Sale bin at the Barnes & Noble. The book opened up to a two page synopsis of the life of Eadweard Muybridge who was a 19th century photographer famous for having photographed things walking. He photographed people and animals in sort of stop motion stills from multiple cameras. That's interesting but what's also interesting is that right around the time that Muybridge started this major project, he killed his wife's lover. At the murder trial he was acquitted due to reasons of insanity due to a head injury from a stagecoach crash. He put his son in an orphanage and moved either to another country or to Pennsylvania, I can't tell which, you know Wiki says one thing, the book said another. Doesn't matter. He moved away. Don't know what happened to the wife. The son was left to fend for himself and eventually was hit by a coach himself and died.

This reminded me of another story I heard like this way back when in Classical Music School. There was an Avante Garde Madrigal Composer in Italy named Carlos Gesualdo who came home to his castle one day to find his wife doing the deed with her up till then secret lover. Gesualdo murdered both of them. Or he got the servants to do it, or part of it, or whatever. And Gesualdo was immune to being tried because of his royal status. He also moved away and lived somewhere where the Madrigals were really happening and would have flourished if not wracked with guilt and apparently a bit BiPolar. He developed chromatic harmonies so advanced they weren't used again until the 19th Century. Did I talk about him before?

Wondered about the Astrology. As I am limited to looking at 4 charts at a time over at Astrodienst right now and have been really dizzy for some reason I can't really take much of a look at the charts. But the charts for the murders are really similar so I'll mention a couple of things and if interested please look at the charts. Gesualdo's birth date is questionable so this spares me from one error at least

Carlos Gesualdo kills his Wife's Lover (and his Wife)
Oct. 16, 1590 Naples, Italy

Sun 23 Libra; NN 1 Leo;

Eadward Muybridge kills his Wife's Lover
Oct. 17, 1874 San Francisco, CA

Sun 25 Libra; NN 27 Aries; Moon Capricorn

These crimes were committed in October within a day of each other. Well, I'm sure I'm looking at a wrong Calendar situation (gregorian for Gesualdo?) but can't help but go ape face over the coincidence. Libra is the sign of Relationships. I spent much of last October looking for the Astrology of True Love and I should have been looking for the Astrology of Men who Kill Their Wives' Lovers. But, the coincidence doesn't end there. Jupiter was also in Libra both times and within 10 degree orb of conjunction with the Sun. Jupiter expands whatever it touches. Don't expect to have an affair without getting caught because the spotlight will be on you and your relationships. And it will be considered justifiable homicide.

The coincidences don't end there. Here are some more:

• Neptune conjunct North Node in both cases (Fire Signs).

• Saturn and Uranus in difficult aspect in both cases. Gesualdo was actually going through a double whammy Saturn-Uranus opposition (with Pluto squaring Uranus, this would have been more of an indicator of the unique innovations that both men were just revving up on I think)

• And, don't worry, I the best for last. Where the Arf was Mars?!!!! Mars was at 18 Virgo during Gesualdo's crime and Mars was at 20 Virgo for Muybridge's crime.

Eww, those insecure Virgo moments that everyone else forgives you for.

Wow.

And so even as weird I think is that today as I ponder this all of a sudden I think, where the Arf is Mars today? Ew, Mars is at 20 Virgo.... and Pluto is squaring Uranus ... and Neptune is conjunct the North Node ... and I wonder, which great Genius is out killing his wife's Lover right now? And then I remember, oh, Jupiter's in Capricorn. That Government Scientist guy who was going to be prosecuted for killing people with Anthrax because he wanted to try out his vaccine or something? He just killed himself so he wouldn't have to go to jail. Capricorn is so efficient.

Here are birthdates for the two gentlemen. Gesualdo's may not be correct. I seem to remember that they both had Libra Moons but as I say I'm limited on software and brainware right now. If any of this is accurate it really is an Outer Limits Moment:

Carlos Gesualdo
b. Mar. 8, 1566 Venosa, Italy

Eadweard Muybridge
b. Apr. 9, 1830