Showing posts with label Franklin D. Roosevelt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Franklin D. Roosevelt. Show all posts

Saturday, October 02, 2010

AQUARIUS PRO & CON (Progressive & Conservative)

We don't have to look far to see how unwise it is to expect people born with Sun in the same sign to have similar natures and outlooks on life. Aquarius may well lead the field of 12 when it comes to such differences, though Libra and Gemini come close in my experience. Perhaps it's due to their Airy Suns. Air is never static, even in the case of Fixed Air Aquarius.

Aquarius is usually represented by a human figure pouring water from an urn - symbolic of the circulation of ideas, pouring knowledge into the world at large. (I am womanfully trying to stifle my cynicism here; I know what's coming next!)

What brought me to these thoughts was the realisation that Sarah Palin and Glen Beck, described by one wag as "lipstick and dipstick" both have natal Sun in Aquarius, born a day apart - 10 and 11 February 1964. They might well have similarities one to another, but there IS another Sun Aquarian type, exemplified by Franklin D. Roosevelt (30 Jan. 1882), Adlai Stevenson (5 Feb. 1900), or Abraham Lincoln (12 Feb 1809).









Those men represent the way Aquarius presented in past centuries, however. Question: Are Palin and Beck representative of today's version of Aquarius, due to different positions of outer planets decade to decade, century to century? Especially bearing in mind that outer planet Uranus is Aquarius' modern ruler? Not really. Keith Olbermann (27 Jan.1959) and Glen Beck, though in the same business, broadly same age group, doing essentially the same job are almost the direct opposites in attitude and demeanour.

Although astrology links Aquarius to social reform and humanitarianism, and one road to these is politics, not all Sun Aquarians think alike as to how to bring about reforms and improvements. Take Ronald Reagan, Dick Cheney, US Chief Justice John Roberts - all VERY conservative in outlook - all would run screaming from the very idea of even the mildest, European form of democratic socialism, which I (also Sun Aquarius) see as being the best way to create a just and fair society and world.



Ayn Rand (2 Feb.1905) and Bertolt Brecht (10 Feb 1898), both writers, both politically inclined, one extreme right the other extreme left - opposite sides of the political divide.

Perhaps the best way to safely describe Aquarius Sun people is to say that many, or most have a inclination towards politics. My Pollyanna-ish idea, formed years ago, that Aquarius Sun people are always going to think as I do is wrong, wrong, wrong!

Another factor which could be in play here is that Aquarius has co-rulers: Saturn and Uranus. Saturn traditionally ruled the sign, before the discovery of Uranus. That these two planets stand for opposite ideas is significant. Saturn = conservative, status quo, authoritarianism, Uranus = forward thinking and change. Two other zodiac signs have co-rulers: Pisces has Jupiter/Neptune; Scorpio has Mars/Pluto. They do not suffer from the clash of opposites as does Aquarius. This could be a symbolic key to it all.....or not.

Dissecting natal charts of all those named in this post might present us with "evidence" for their variations in character and outlook, based on Moon sign, ascendant and other placements. But some fundamental differences lie not in the stars but in education, environment, experience and family background. Sun sign is just one component in a natal chart, astrology is just one component in the structure of character and personality.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Astrology of WPA & Future Works Projects.

There has been suggestion from President-Elect Obama that his administration may initiate some kind of public works project, aiming to improve the country's infrastructure, providing employment for millions of those who have lost jobs as a result of the current economic climate. I learned about a previous project of this nature after our visit to the summit of Mount Scott, last week, it's in the Wichita Mountains, a short drive from our home. The road to the top of the mountain was constructed as part of the Works Project Administration (WPA) - brainchild of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, it was established in May 1935 and ran until 1943.

A plaque at the highest point of Mt. Scott shown below, and yours truly after we drove up the WPA road last Tuesday. It was windy up there!





The WPA offered work to the unemployed on an unprecedented scale by spending money on a wide variety of projects, including construction of highways, bridges and public buildings, slum clearance, reforestation, and rural rehabilitation. In Oklahoma alone 825 schools were built, the most in any state.

Astrologically, only the outer planets would connect to this prodigious enterprise, being long term, and affecting a whole group of the American people. In May 1935 at the establishment of WPA, the outers stood as follows:

Saturn 8 Pisces
Uranus had just entered Taurus - 1 to 3 degrees
Neptune 11 Virgo
Pluto 23 to 24 Cancer.

Because the WPA's establishment date coinicides with Uranus changing signs I think that planet's transit was very significant. Uranus, the radical, bringer of change, entering Taurus, the Fixed Earth sign, concerned with property and practicality. Taurus is ruled by Venus, it also relates to the arts. The WPA, as well as pioneering a wide variety of building and engineering works throughout the states, also provided programmes supporting the arts. Writers produced guide books, indexed archives and newspapers, conducted historical research. Unemployed artists worked decorating post offices, schools and public buildings, produced murals, sculptures, and posters (above & left). Musicians organised orchestras and community singing.

So, in view of the date of its establishment, its novelty and the span of its influence, I see WPA as firmly in the domain of Uranus. Any project along the same lines brought forward in the near future will not be Uranus-led though. Uranus is now in dreamy, spiritual Pisces. It is Pluto's imminent move into Capricorn which will most likely spark a new programme of community work projects. Capricorn is the Cardinal Earth sign of the zodiac, still very practical, but more business-driven than Taurus. Works undertaken may not include any nods to the arts this time around, the project will be more concerned with keeping commerce free-flowing. Roads and bridges connecting urban areas and between states might be a priority.

Saturn, Capricorn's ruler representing structure/infrastructure, is now transiting organised Virgo (Mutable Earth) and will blend easily with Capricornian aims. Meticulous organisation will be a feature of any new works project - count on it! That's something which was lacking in the WPA, when foggy, dreamy Neptune transited Virgo, with Saturn in similarly dreamy Pisces. The WPA had many critics, confusion and waste were said to be a common feature. Our current Saturn in Virgo will not stand for that!

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REMEMBRANCE

If I were still living in the UK, I'd have been wearing a poppy in my lapel for the last few days. It's a custom not widely followed in the USA, though the UK's Remembrance Day and USA's Veterans' Day share the date: 11 November.
I can't get a poppy for my lapel, so attach one to my blog instead....

LEST WE FORGET