IndyMac Bank Closure

A Pasadena Mortgage Company called IndyMac closed its door to depositors yesterday. The Feds will reopen it on Monday and customers with more than 100,000 deposited may have a problem getting their leftover money out. I've read that IndyMac was the largest Savings & Loan Company in Los Angeles and was the 7th largest in the United States. This is the 2d or 3d largest bank closure ever. (sorry I didn't keep links for this info).

IndyMac was founded in 1985 as Countrywide Mortgage Investment. A Date I found for this is July 16, 1985, incorporated in Maryland. The Company was reincorporated in Delaware on Mar. 6, 1987. (http://sec.edgar-online.com/1994/03/30/00/0000898430-94-000225/Section2.asp)

IndyMac was a spin off in 1997. I can't find any dates for the spin-off.

IndyMac was closed on Friday, July 11, 2008, Pasadena, California.

Sorry, I don't have any computer programs loaded right now so my planetary information is going to be spotty. What jumped out at first were the Jupiter Cycles. All these years began with Jupiter in Capricorn. Countrywide, however, would have an Aquarius Jupiter if incorporated in July, 1985. The current Neptune-NN-Chiron conjunction would be conjunct this Jupiter.

The July 16, 1985 Baltimore, Maryland date has Sun conjunct Mars by one degree. A 9am chart has a Moon at 7 Cancer which means that the Bank was born during an applying Cancer New Moon. (I don't know exactly what time to use for an incorporation date.) The Chart looks very good for a Mortgage lending Company with the (almost) New Moon in Cancer, sign of Real Estate and Taurus North Node. Very security conscious. The Sun-Mars conjunction in Cancer is volatile.

Neptune in the "birth date" was at 2 Capricorn. Pluto has just come very close to touching that spot. As Noel Tyl describes it that's "Ego Wipe-Out." The description applies even to Banks.

The Progressions stand out. Once again there's a prog. Mercury Rx situation here. Mercury went Rx at some point and has returned to 21 Leo of the Incorporation Date. This stands out because it's involved in a Grand Square in the natal chart where it opposes Jupiter and squares Saturn in Scorpio and the Nodes. The Transiting Nodal Axis is hammering natal Jupiter within 2 degree conjunction and is accompanied by Chiron-Neptune in Aquarius. Neptune dissolves everything it touches, Chiron can't heal its wound. So, of course, at the base we see a Nodal square by transit over a natal Grand Square. And Neptune is there. And Chiron too. And ugh.

Progressed Venus (ruler of Money) is at 8 Cancer. This would be conjunct the 9 am Moon. And the progressed Moon for this chart would be conjunct the Taurus North Node. That would be a double whammy Moon-Venus aspect. Interesting for a natal chart strong in Cancer and Taurus leading aspects.

I don't have a date for 1997 when Countrywide was spun off into IndyMac. What a stupid name for a bank.

The FDIC supposedly has a list of about 80 or 90 banks that are in trouble but they keep telling us not to worry. So far about 5 banks have failed this year. There were actually quite a few back in 2002 as well.

I looked back at the Summer Solstice Chart to see if this is part of the Country's bigger picture. Jupiter rules this chart through the Sagittarius Rising and Jupiter is in the 1st House conjunct the Moon in Capricorn. That's supposed to be lucky isn't it? Well, Jupiter in Capricorn apparently sucks, it doesn't know whether it's expanding or contracting but certainly would like to make a splash in the world. People are supposed to feel happy about receiving their Rebate Check. I just don't know where that money is coming from. It's sort of like having the mafia hand you a wad of bills and tell you everything is good. This chart had the Pluto-ASC opposition to Sun-Venus. I think that's what I noticed first when I looked at this chart. There's a strong power push here to try to help people that just doesn't feel quite right.

The Neptune-NN-Chiron conjunction (Dissolving-Wounding-Direction things are going) is in the 2d House of Banking. Saturn rules the House and Aquarius is intercepted (astrodienst default house). Saturn rules caution, fear, recession. It might also rule "Rebates". Aquarius and Leo intercepted might mean that the big emotional supports (risk taking and hope) that keep the economy running are not find much expression right now. At least those are my thoughts in hind sight.

Mars and Saturn and the South Node are in the 8th House of Loans, Insurance, Investments. Mars is at the apex of a Yod to a Moon-Uranus sextile. That's a pretty hysterical combination and with Mars at the helm could be pretty destructive. Yods are called the Finger of God because they try to combine elements that don't work together into a cohesive whole, something only God can do. In this case the Yod is extra challenging because Mars is placed on the Nodal Axis opposing Neptune-Chiron.

On a really weird note, John McCain's financial advisor, Phil Gramm, told everyone to stop whining. He did this just as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac share prices were dropping astronomical amounts. The Mars-Saturn conjunction was on his Virgo North Node to the Degree so he decided to shoot straight from the hip. He's an old guy and he knows that the real estate market blimped up to unbelievable levels really really fast. House prices increased probably 200 percent in 5 years. Maybe more. It's also very close to Gramm's own Birthday so I guess it's ok for the Birthday Boy to act like a turd. Maybe he was drunk.

Phil Gramm
b. July 8, 1942 Fort Benning, Georgia

Pablo Casals

I admire this guy so much I can't even begin to try to think of fluffing up some stupid introductory remark. You want to see a great Master in action watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP5OUxyEOhk. Casals is teaching a student. The student plays, completely clueless how the music should sound and then Casals shows her how it's done...

Pablo Casals
b. Dec. 29, 1876 8pm Vendrell, Spain

Sun 9 Capricorn; ASC 20 Leo; Moon 24 Gemini; MC12 Taurus; NN 15 Pisces Rx

Casals was one of the greatest Musicians who ever lived. This is reflected by his Taurus Midheaven and Pisces North Node, and also his 5th House Sun trine Neptune.

Casals was born in Spain to musician parents. His Father had taught him to play piano, violin and flute by the time he was 4 years old. At Age 11 Casals decided he would play Cello. This would have happened right before Casals' first Jupiter Return in Sagittarius right on his 5th house cusp (music, performance). Jupiter is opposite Casals Moon which is way out-of-bounds at Declination 28 14' 36" N and a singleton in Air. At this time there was right around the time of the big conjunction of Neptune to Pluto in Taurus in the sky. This would have happened in Casals' 10th house and opposed his Mars in Scorpio.

Casals gave his first performance at Age 14 (Saturn opposition in Pisces including the Nodal axis) on Feb. 23, 1891. It's interesting that his progressed Sun was conjunct n.Mercury to the degree in the 5th house of performance. But, N.Mercury was apex of a Yod figure, inconjunct on either side to a sextile of Moon in Gemini & Uranus in Leo. I've heard stories about Casals' terrible stage fright, once his bow slipped out of his hand and into the audience because he was shaking so badly. I wonder if Yods can have something to do with this. There may have been some sort of fear of success related to not wanting to eclipse his Father in career matters. The Father is shown through Capricorn emphasis, Family tradition problems shown through the Yod and the Moon, and nervousness shown through Mercury, Leo, Gemini, and Moon. Certainly with the Capricorn there would have been fear of failure. Once he hurt his hand and had to stop playing for 6 months. He said it was one of the happiest times of his life. Fortunately he probably couldn't do anything else and had to go back to it. He was also an incredible Conductor who gathered together the greatest players of the time every year at his home for the Internationally famous Marlboro Festival.

Casals' major relationships show the Capricorn streak true to form. He was cautious and didn't marry his first partner who was his student. Then he married an American Socialite. Then at Age 80, at a very advanced age, he married another student. This marriage actually lasted until he died at age 96 and was his longest!!

Casals' greatest achievement is his contribution to music, but he is also known for his strong political stance against Franco's regime after the Spanish Civil War struck. Casals refused to perform in Spain until Democracy was reinstated in the country. He never got his wish and lived in exile for the rest of his life. He died in his Mother's birth country of Puerto Rico but he was buried in Spain. This tension is shown very clearly by a t-square aspect in his chart which is due for a repeat transit in a couple of years. Uranus (rebellion) was conjunct Casals' Leo Ascendant and it was apex of a t-square to Pluto (power, resistance) in the 10th House (Government) opposite Mars (discord) in the 4th(homeland). His t-square was in Fixed Signs whereas the transit coming up will be in the Cardinal signs which gives a much different flavor but Casals' planets are placed prominently in angular in his chart. The Uranus-Pluto square was furthered agitated by 135 degree aspects to his Sun in a Thor's Hammer aspect. This is again the Thor's Hammer which I looked at in Hillary Clinton's and John Edward's chart. It shows a strong need to fight for political rights apparently. Saturn in this chart is not in aspect to the t-square but is in the 7th house, also on an angle.

Petrarch - True Plutonic Love

In Honor of Sun in Libra, I'm still searching for example charts of those who experience True Love. This isn't necessarily just a Libra concept, but it's what I'm curious about right now probably because the Sun is in my 5th House. Have noticed that my blog has been added to website review list that's trafficked mostly by "wealthy men" who are looking for porno which means that those guys are being led to this site. (So this is how I get to celebrate Jupiter on the DESC and the fact that I gave my blog a stupid title with a dirty word in it).

Let's get this clear, you horny wealthy men. Sex doesn't come until the Sun moves into Scorpio. Get your frigging Sun Signs straight. Libra is about Courtly Love, something you pervs should try.

Petrarch (Francesco Petrarca, for the Pervs it's just "Frank")
b. July 20, 1304 4:20 Arezzo, Italy

Sun 5 Leo; ASC 30 Cancer; Moon 5 Pisces; MC12 Aries; NN 16 Sagittarius

Okay, let me calm down. First off I'm having trouble understanding what was going on with the Calendar way back then and may be using the wrong chart. This is the Astrotheme chart time. I'm able to pull the same chart up on Solar Fire but astrodienst pulls up the "Gregorian" chart which gives a completely different chart. I'm not versed at all on what the Pope was doing to the Calendar, I think Julius Caesar was involved but who knows.

Petrarch is called the "Father of Humanism." I think this means that he thought that Man is the All-Glorious Center of the Universe, in direct contact with God, no Pope needed thank you very much. This is Good because it's been a very empowering force for Civilization's Progress. It's Scientific. I personally think it's also only sometimes true. Nature's just baitin ya if you really believe the Humanist POV. Everything the Humanists do eventually leads to black smoke coming out of factory pipes. Well, there are some good drugs, paintings and poems as well. This Love of Humanism also means that Petrarch hated Astrology because Humanists hate Astrology. That guy I talked about last month, what's his name, the Pisces Humanist, he's a Humanist/Skeptic too. The Amazing Randi is a Skeptic and he's a Leo like Petrarch. Well, that's neither here nor there, it's just the introductory ramble.

Leos are Romantics so Petrarch compensated for his big ego'd Humanism by having a neurotic, compulsive crush on a girl named Laura. He spied Laura in a Church in Avignon on April 6, 1327. He was Age 26 (after Chiron opposition, Minor Prog. Mars Return and Tertiary Prog. Merc. Return) and Laura was around Age 21 (Uranus square). Laura was married and unavailable, but Petrarch moved to a house in Avignon to be around her and for 3 years wrote more than 300 poems about his Love for her. This was True, Platonic Love. Love in its highest, most romantic form, i.e. without the clap. Plutarch kind of did for Love what Plato did for Form. Nowadays this behavior is called Stalking, Laura's husband would have called the cops on Petrarch.

Petrarch was a good note taker. He spied Laura across a crowded Church (I wish I could add theme music from "Some Enchanted Evening") on April 6, 1327 and recorded date/time. It was Springtime, Birds, bees, bunnies, poets all out doin Spring Break. On that day there was a Full Moon, Sun 24 Aries opposite Moon in Libra and we all know what happens on a Full Moon, especially a Full Moon in Libra.... Venus and Mercury were loosely conjunct in Aries in earlier degrees of Aries so the Moon would have opposed them first thus setting off Petrarch's mood for wine, women and song. Moon rules Petrarch's chart so he was extra vulnerable to its transits (and also women who are ruled by the Moon).

T.Mars was at 23 Gemini (intellect, compulsive poetry writing) jacked up by the aspects like the EveryReady Bunny. This Mars was involved in both a Grand Square and a Grand Trine. It hooked together a Mutable Grand Square with the Nodes in Virgo/Pisces, Pluto in Pisces and Neptune in Sagg with a Grand Air Trine of Mars-Chiron in Aquarius and Full Moon in Libra. This Grand Trine was also layered over Petrarch's natal Pluto in Aquarius and Uranus in Libra so his natal chart was set off. This is the perfect set-up for a poet. Petrarch found his Muse and created a new Sonnet Poetry form in the meantime. And another big transit: transiting Jupiter was conjunct both Petrarch's Ascendant and natal Sun-Mercury.

I looked for indicators for Courtly Love in Petrarch's chart. There are many. He was a die-hard Romantic. Sun conjunct Mercury both at 5 Leo is, of course, a major indicator as it rules Creative Love and Noble pursuits of a Romantic Nature and writing about them. Mercury rules his 3d House which emphasizes this.

Petrarch also had Moon in Pisces in the 8th House which indicates that the waters of his subconscious run a little deeper than most, perfect minefield for feelings that can never be fully expressed but also for a yearning to find creative expression for thme. There's also an interesting Yod here that hooks his Sun in Leo sextile Saturn (maybe also Moon) in Libra that are both inconjunct the Moon. The complicated nature of the Yod which has to find some super human way to combine influences that don't work well together. Sounds perfect for unrequited love that has some roots in emotional Insecurity that expresses itself best through professional means (Moon combined with Saturn).

There are all kinds of interesting stories about Petrarch "losing his Head." Mars ruled the head and the prominence of Mars in the transits on the day when Petrarch met Laura could show that he'd be vulnerable to losing his "head" over her. I wanted to find some big connection to the Fixed Star Algol but couldn't. Petrarch's body has been exhumed twice that is known about. The second time was in Nov. 2003. People wanted to know if he was really 6 feet tall and also to "borrow" his skull to make a replica for his 700th Birthday Celebration. The skull inside was cracked and was determined through DNA testing not to be his so at some point somebody stole his head. Sounds like more Algol stuff... The wikipedia article says that the rest of the bones were definitely his because they show indications of having been kicked by a Donkey at age 42, something which really happened. (LOL, that's so funny, I like anything an Ass does, after all). They don't say whether or not he was really 6 feet tall. The whole story is strange. People are strange. That's why I choose not to commit to Humanism. This search for Successful examples of True Love is really exhausting, I have to tell you.

Where the Hell is Dave Chappelle?

Many Happy Returns to Dave Chappelle who just had his 34th Birthday. I don't know where he is, but I hope he's at peace and being his exceptionally talented, big hearted self.

Dave Chapelle
b. Aug. 24, 1973 Washington, DC

Sun 2 Virgo; Moon Cancer; NN 7 Capricorn

Chappelle started working in Comedy when he was 14 and by Age 19 he was filming his first movie. Right there you have an astrological indicator for Saturn (opposition at Age 14) and the Nodes (Return at Age 19). These two are bound together in Chappelle's chart making their influence extra strong. Ambitious, hardworking Saturn is conjunct his Cancer South Node and rules his North Node. He was born to be a very wise little old man right from the start. He might also have a deep fear of failure. Also, there is a chance that his Cancer Moon is also conjunct his Saturn and South Node which perhaps shows a short childhood, perhaps due to past lives. His drive to work hard is extra strong as the Nodal axis/Saturn/maybe Moon is squared by an intense Venus-Pluto conjunction in Libra. This is a planetary combination that likes to test its endurance skills almost for the Hell of it.

Venus-Pluto is also aspecting most of Chappelle's other planets. It squares his Nodes/Saturn; is in a small rectangle shape trining Jupiter with apex Neptune in Scorpio; and is in a Yod pattern sextiling Neptune, with both planets inconjunct Mars in Taurus. The great Australian astrologer Alice McDermott (I think that's just her Internet name) says that often comedians will have a triangle shape in their charts that includes an inconjunct, a trine and a square. She thinks that the combination of these oddball aspects together will create a humorist. Chappelle's Mars inconjunct Venus-Pluto makes 2 of these triangles; the first to the North Node and the second to Jupiter in Aquarius. North Node in Capricorn is dry wit; Jupiter in Aquarius is just bart farking funny___.

There are many other aspects indicating Chappelle's comedic talent. Instead I'm going to look at what might indicate his crash and burn cycles. He says that his problems began in 1998 when his Father died. He was working 20 hour days and never had a time to grieve. That'll do it. But, astrowise, at that point the Yod in his chart was flaring up from aspects. Saturn was transiting over apex Mars. Saturn rules the person's Father so this transit alone makes sense. On the other parts of the Yod, t.Pluto was conjunct natal Neptune in Scorpio. This is a very spiritual aspect and Chapelle is certainly a person who could take advantage of it at that high level. (The "bad girls" of Hollywood are going through that transit in Sagittarius right now along with Jupiter, party on). On the other leg of the Yod is natal Venus-Pluto. Chappelle's progressed Mercury was passing over this point. The Yod is called the Finger of God. It raises issues that simply don't have a simple answer and forces the person into a confused state where he simply must accept imperfection. Chappelle is a Virgo. Don't tell a Virgo to accept imperfection. Plus, this isn't all. His progressed Venus was opposite natal Mars. This is the spot where the problems posed by the Yod can find resolve. In his art, he was finding great resolve for society as a whole, he was telling us our stories in ways that we could laugh at. Also, Venus rules love and money, Chappelle certainly found both, just maybe too much too soon. A problem maybe also indicated by Mars' influence as well as the Cancer South Node?

Mars was additionally afflicted in 1999 when it went Retrograde by Progression. That's probably excellent for a person's creativity, both Debussy and Beethoven had Mars retrograde by progression during their life times. I think it also brings up some problems for men in their interactions with the world and personal life. It might be an extra stressor for Chappelle through his past. I've read that his Parents' divorced when he was around 2 years old. That's around the time of the first Mars Return so strong transits to this point might bring up some strong unresolved feelings and in this case, impulsiveness due to Mars' influence.

Chappelle's progressed Sun has been going through difficult transits as well. In 1998 it squared his natal Neptune and transiting Pluto. This is great for acting and film, of course. He was able to use this transit to develop skits about real social problems and characters that reach across social boundaries. But he was also going through the confusion and power struggles associated with this combination.

Progressed Sun then changed signs into Libra which would bring a huge 30 year change of attitude in personal expression, in this case in Libra Chappelle was becoming aware that he was doing his work for others. It then hit his natal Pluto and is apparently bringing up resentments that others aren't appreciating or understanding the situation. This is a slow transit that takes years to complete as the Sun must also pass over Venus. Remember he's got that Venus-Pluto squaring Saturn and the Nodes. Great comedians work with anger and control issues, but they must learn to gain perspective on how much they can accomplish at one time if they want to survive. Saturn and Moon have lessons to learn about give and take.

Anyway, supposedly the cracking point in public came for Chappelle while performing in Sacramento, CA in June, 2004. Apparently nobody had explained to him what creatures lurk in the Delta River trailers. The audience was heckling him and the stupidity broke him. He then abruptly left his TV show in its 3d season in 2005. He gave up zillions of dollars.

Today Chappelle lives in Ohio where he spent his summers with his Father. I recently read that he was hospitalized for exhaustion (t.Saturn c. n.Sun). I also read that he set an endurance record performing comedy on stage than 6 hours, so doi re burn out. He's got a major transit coming up this next year as Jupiter and Pluto conjunct opposite his Saturn and near his Nodes. They will be trining t.Saturn so hopefully he will be able to pace himself. That progressed Sun still has to make it over his n.Venus. It's squaring his Saturn but also trining his Mars. Will be interesting as Jupiter and Pluto can bring success when working together.

So many Happy Trines to you, Dave Chappelle. Get some sleep. And stop drinking milk. Virgos tend to be lactose intolerant.

Catch-22

Yesterday while sitting in a cafe I started thinking about "Catch-22s." No-win situations where you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Something about sitting in coffee houses watching guys with pony tails and berets pounding away on computers that makes you revert back to college ponderings. And I guess it must be Mars tripping through my 12th house. Mars in Taurus sure has me looking up a lot of Taurus Sun charts recently. That sign just really fascinates me right now.

At any rate I wanted to find a couple of symbolic charts in order to maybe figure out a way to backtrack through and see if the configuration of Yods has anything to do with Catch-22s. Yods are triangle shapes made up of a sextile between two planets that are both connected to another planet through inconjunct aspects. Inconjuncts connect two planets that have nothing in common through element or modality. As such they irritate each other and never find a common or easy resolution for their expression. Sometimes they can lead their owners to resolve very difficult complicated issues which is maybe why they can be called "Fingers of God." Sounds like good Catch 22 fertilizer to me. On the other hand, one could look at a plain old Opposition aspects which acts as a Balancing Act between two planets in a chart. Or one could look at a chart with a lot of Gemini or Pisces or Libra emphasis, double signs which are known for indecision or scattered energy or double talk or vague ideas or too many ideas or, you know how you're feeling right now as you read this sentence, oh yeah, nobody's reading this sentence because nobody's reading this damn blog. Yeah, you know, THAT kind of energy. Bureaucracy, according to Rex Bills, is ruled by Jupiter___.

I haven't read the Joseph Heller book which coined the Catch-22 phrase but decided to look it up on Wikipedia and there you go, Joseph Heller had a Yod. He was a Taurus Sun born May 1, 1923 in Brooklyn, NY. Interesting about his chart is that his outer planets are all in aspect to each other which connects through Uranus (Age of Aquarius thinking). His Yod has Uranus in Pisces at its apex. Uranus is inconjunct on either side to Saturn in Libra and Neptune in Leo. Libra and Pisces are well represented in this Yod. The Gemini element is missing but, hey, Heller had an unaspected Mercury at 1 Gemini. He was the "messenger." As these are all slower moving, generational planets, Heller spoke to a whole group of people who hooked into this Yod energy.

Catch-22 was published in 1960 and became very popular during the Vietnam War as the perfect satire for the "circular logic" (Wiki article) of Bureaucracy. That was a War that couldn't be won. Interesting that with Uranus in Pisces once again we are stuck in another War that can't be won. Both times Uranus is conjunct the Nodes. Heller's was conjunct Pisces South Node. This last year Uranus has been conjunct the North Node.

Heller's Uranus links his Yod to the Grand Water Trine of the rest of the Outer Planets. It is trine Jupiter Retrograde in Scorpio and Pluto in Cancer. He was able to write one of the main books of his generation that held an extreme sensitivity (Grand Water Trine) to situations that never quite resolve (Yod).

I briefly spoke about Heller's Mercury in Gemini. What gets extra interesting is his Taurus Sun. He coined a phrase for his generation. The vision was very clear for him because all the outer planets were in such strong configuration in his chart. This hooks into my earlier blog (The Spiritual Side of Taurus) about Taurus being able to give an idea form especially through naming. And that Gemini Mercury helps a whole boat load as well.

The story doesn't end here, hehe.

At the end of the Wikipedia Article on "Catch 22" there's a list of earlier phrases on the same subject. "Hobson's Choice" was coined by Joseph Addison in an article published Oct. 14, 1712. Read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobson's_choice. It's names the idea of a offering a choice that isn't really a choice at all. By interesting coincidence, Joseph Addison was born May 1, 1672 Wiltshire, England, same birthday as Joseph Heller. He also had Uranus 18 Pisces conjunct North Node at 14 Pisces!!!!!!

I wonder what great things the little kids born just this last May will write about the messes that are being handed down to them.

There are a couple of other even earlier phrases "Morton's Fork" and "Boridan's Ass" whose creators', or "coiners", birthdates aren't available. Is this idea of "Coining a phrase" a Taurus idea or what?

Carlo Petrini - Slow Food

After yesterday's Hot Dog Freak Show I thought I'd take a look at a chart that I've been wanting to get around to for a couple of months. This is the chart of Carlos Petrini, the founder of the "Slow Food" movement. As he has Sun in Cancer, the sign of Eating and Food, I've been wanting to take a look at his chart while the Sun is in that sign.

Carlo Petrini
b. June 22, 1949 Bra, Italy
Sun 1 Cancer; Moon probably in Taurus; Aries NN

The Slow Food Movement was founded to bring about awareness of Good Food and Nutrition. Petrini began his campaign back in 1980 and started Arcigola in 1986 in order to educate and encourage people to take on a better quality of life. Arcigola was the predecessor of the Slow Food movement. It promotes most things Cancerian: celebrating local foods and traditions, small scale processing such as preservation of family farms and has expanded out into education on the risks of Fast Foods, Genetic Engineering and Pesticides as well as the benefits of Gardening and developing Taste.

Yesterday's Fast Food Hot Dog Champs had only one planet in Cancer between them. That's Kobayshi's Mars in Cancer. I thought there had better be some planets in Cancer in Petrini's chart and there are. Sun and Venus are in Cancer, excellent. I had to think of what would symbolize "Slowness" and thought either Taurus or Capricorn (more of a cautious kind of slowness, fear based, anorexic). Petrini likely has Moon in Taurus, the Moon, planet of nurturing is in Taurus, the sign of leisure and sensual enjoyment. In addition to this, his Venus and Moon are in mutual reception. So he does like a good meal. But what makes him all "Activistee?"

The truly interesting part of Petrini's chart is his Yod. Its Apex is Jupiter at 1 Aquarius. Jupiter is also the Handle of his Bucket Shaped Chart so it is very prominent. I'll interpret this alone as taking Joy in Community efforts (also Education and Political Lobbying). The legs of the Yod expand out to both of the signs that symbolize Food, Nutrition and Agriculture. On one leg there is Sun conjunct Uranus right smack dab on the Aries Point in Cancer, offering ease of bringing these qualities before the public. On the other leg there is a Saturn-Ceres conjunction at 2 Virgo! That's an Old MacDonald's Farm aspect if I've ever seen one. As I believe Karen Hamaker Zondag (sp?) describes it, Yods will bring to the surface family "secrets" so that the individual will manifest them in his life. Usually this seems like deep dark sick psycho stuff. And maybe that is also the case in Petrini's life. But it seems to manifest as this great uprising in our culture to enjoy the flavors of where we live and our own culture. Of course, it would probably also take an Italian to personally do this as they have a lot to begin with in the first place. I grew up in Southern California and my sentimental smells from Childhood tend towards TV Dinners and Hostess Cupcakes (Cheese Whiz was not allowed in our house as my Mother was more "aware" than most).

The transits that Petrini was going through in 1980 when he first became aware of this need in society sets off the Yod like wildfire. He was just past his Saturn Return in Virgo, needing to move to a more mature level in his life. His progressed Mars hit natal Sun-Uranus at 1 Cancer. (His progressed Moon may also have been here but can't say as I don't have his birth time.) This gave him an extra volt in regards to his place in society, remember it would have lit up his Sun, Uranus, Jupiter and Saturn, that can motivate one's ambitions and entrepreneurial skills. In addition, his progressed Sun changed signs into Leo. P.Sun changing signs is always a big transition for one's expression but this point is directly opposite his Jupiter and at the midpoint between the 2 legs of the Yod, a key trigger spot for the Yod.

In 1986 when he founded his organization, Petrini was going through his Nodal Return in Aries. Heightened awareness of one's life path as a trail blazer of some sort. Also, the t-square in his chart was activated. Natally he has Chiron in Sagittarius opposite Mercury-Mars in Gemini and squaring Saturn in Virgo. The lengthy transit of Saturn opposite Chiron was laid on top of his opposition so he was going through a Saturn square and Chiron opposition to his natal chart. (T. Saturn c. n. Chiron. T. Chiron c. n. Mars-Mercury plus some other stuff). His activist and organizational skills came to the fore under these transits.

With Jupiter at 1 Aquarius, the outer planet transits have been activating the Bucket and Yod Apex of his chart over the years, bringing more and more attention and followers to his way of thinking.