American Holidays and their Astrological Parallels

Another copy-typing marathon from my volume of The Best of the Illustrated National Astrological Journal, 1933-1935, edited by E.A. Wagner (1978).

I found this article interesting, but perhaps to people born in the USA, and who are astrology buffs, it will be "old news". It is old anyway, from the 1933 section of the volume. I discovered, by the end of the piece, that the inspiration for writing it arose from the establishment of a "President's Day" on 30 April 1933 - something which didn't survive - for clues as to why, please read on!

The American Holidays - Their Parallels to the Forty-eight Constellations of the Ancients
by Elbert Benjamine (- aka C.C. Zain)


The Ancients pictured for us, by means of forty-eight constellations, the parallels which exist between things on the earth and the influences in the sky. Each ancient constellation pictures either one of the twelve signs of the zodiac, or one of the decanates into which each sign is divided. These stellar pictures reveal not merely the physical, but also the spiritual, significance of the particular section of the heavens occupied by a planet.

To illustrate this principle, all too frequently neglected by astrological practitioners, I shall here apply it to the persistence of the strictly American holidays.

Astrologers are wont to say that if a child is born when the vibrations in the heavens, as shown by the birth-chart are different from the vibrations of the child's character, the child will not live. The same holds true of any church festival, or even of a national holiday. Unless the holiday is born, and observed, when its character is the same as the chief influence in the sky, that holiday will die; that is, be discontinued.

The chief influence in the sky, insofar as holidays and kindred things are concerned, is indicated by the sign and decanate in which the Sun is found. The significance of the particular place where the Sun is thus found is revealed by the constellation which pictures the sign, and the constellation which pictures the decanate, or ten degrees subdivision of the sign. If, for instance, any astrologer were to be asked which zodiacal sign rules the home and the homeland, he would answer the sign Cancer.

Now our Fourth of July is observed to commemorate the establishment of a homeland. And on that date the Sun is in the sign Cancer.

We do not celebrate the Fourth by prayer and thanksgiving; but by firing cannon,  exploding fire-crackers, and other pyrotechnics, both physical and vocal, calling for expostulations from the press to try to make it more safe and sane. These are all Mars expressions. And on this day the Sun has passed into the Mars decanate of Cancer.

Both the Crab which pictures Cancer, and Hydra, picturing the decanate, warrant further consideration. But, because such treatment would require a whole article, let us move forward to Labor Day.

Our Labor Day has not the same purpose, nor is it celebrated the same as May Day in Europe. It is a day commemorating the efforts of the common people. The common people are ruled by the Moon. Monday is the day of the Moon. Consequently Labor Day is observed on Monday. The first Monday in September.

Astrological usage allots the sixth house and its zodiacal correspondence, the sign Virgo, to labor, and the Sun at this time has moved into the sign Virgo.

It is the second decanate of Virgo, pictured in the sky by the constellation Hercules. Now Hercules is not renowned for reciting verse or attending Sunday school, he is famed for his great labors. The observation of a day when the Sun is in the section of the zodiac pictured by this great hero is a tribute to the tremendous importance of the work of the common people in the world's affairs.

Thanksgiving comes next in the national calendar. It is a day of prayer and feasting. the religious sign of the zodiac is Sagittarius, and its ruler, Jupiter is the religious planet. The festival is held on Thursday, the day of Jupiter, when the Sun is in the devotional sign Sagittarius.

To each sign and decanate astrologers have given a key-word denoting the most significant influence. The key-word of the first decanate of Sagittarius, where the Sun is found on this day, is Devotion. It is pictured by the constellation Lyra, the Harp, signifying praise being offered to God in music and song. It pictures the thanksgiving decanate of the zodiac.

Sagittarius is pictured as a huntsman. The turkey is American in origin, and the early settlers obtained it by hunting. Even today, in many sections, the occasion is observed by a Thanksgiving Day hunt.

Jupiter is the planet of abundance. He likes a bounteous spread, and this is the day when the table groans under the weight of sweets and viands, and is traditionally adorned by the largest American game bird. The turkey obtained in the market is slightly removed from those that still run wild.

On the twelfth of February we celebrate Lincoln's birthday. He was the great humanitarian, and the Sun is in the humanitarian sign Aquarius, pictured as a man pouring blessings from an urn upon the earth.

The Sun is in the last decanate of Aquarius, pictured by Cetus, the Whale Monster. This monster devoured the fairest youths of Greece, and fair Andromeda was chained to a rock for this vile creature to destroy. But she was rescued by Perseus. The key-word of this decanate is Repression.
Lincoln is revered not for military exploits and not for cunning. He is honored for destroying the monster of slavery. Even as Perseus slew the hideous creature and released Andromeda, so Lincoln slew the greedy institution of human slavery. He loosened the shackles and abolished one terrible type of Repression.

Washington was the founder of a nation, and its first ruler. That he had the wisdom and unselfishness to establish it as he did makes him a great character.

His birthday is observed the twenty-second of February, at the time when the Sun has entered the first decanate of the sign Pisces. Pisces is a sign of restriction, and it was these restrictions that Washington removed.

The decanate is pictured by Cepheus, the King; and Washington became the ruler of an independent country. The key-word of the decanate is Verity. It expresses the time worn thought that The Truth Shall Set you Free. The type of rulership established by Washington set a precedent, and most of the western world followed it by adopting the republican form of government.

Thus have we passed over the five main American holidays. But, perhaps, this year we have established a sixth.

April thirtieth, 1933, was observed as President's Day.

On that day the Sun passed into the second decanate of the sign Taurus. Taurus, as every astrologer knows, is associated with money. And this day was set apart to do homage to the man who is making so valiant a struggle to free his people from the afflictions of a money-mad world.

The second decanate of Taurus, where the Sun is on this day, is represented by the constellation Orion. A mighty bull is pictured in the sky, pitching down upon Orion to pin him with his horns to the earth, even as the money powers have pinioned the people in poverty for the last few years. Orion wields a great club and does battle with the Bull.

The key-word of the decanate is Struggle. And the day commemorated the struggle of our president against the powers of money greed. He uses the "big stick" quite as effectively as does Orion.

To most, the Hebrew version of this combat is more familiar than the Greek, for the Greek Orion is none other than the Hebrew Moses.

Moses came down from Mount Sinai and found his people worshiping a golden calf, representing this same greed for wealth. Even as our president has set aside many out-moded laws, so Moses was wroth and broke the tablets of the law which he had with him.

Moses did not permit this greed for gold to destroy his people. He smote the golden calf, broke it in pieces, burned it in the fire of political purification, and strewed it on the life-giving waters of a wide and sympathetic distribution.

Nor did he fail to use this bull, or calf, or wealth for some good purpose. For he made the Children of Israel all drink of its purified ashes. He distributed the wealth among all the people, nor left it in the hands of a paltry few.

And if our president, following the example of Moses, as pictured in the sky, leads his people out of the wilderness of this depression; if he smites the sacrilegious idol of Mammon, and causes wealth to be widely distributed and freely circulated, we shall have another national hero.

If he successfully follows the footsteps of the constellation in the sky which depicts this present struggle, we may be sure of a new and permanent holiday.

Hat-tip HERE

From Wikipedia

When Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated March 4, 1933, the U.S. was at the nadir of the worst depression in its history. A quarter of the workforce was unemployed. Farmers were in deep trouble as prices fell by 60%. Industrial production had fallen by more than half since 1929. Two million were homeless. By the evening of March 4, 32 of the 48 states – as well as the District of Columbia – had closed their banks. The New York Federal Reserve Bank was unable to open on the 5th, as huge sums had been withdrawn by panicky customers in previous days. Beginning with his inauguration address, Roosevelt began blaming the economic crisis on bankers and financiers, the quest for profit, and the self-interest basis of capitalism....

 Wall Street's Bull sculpture

A Communal Sigh

Soon the USA will be able to heave a communal sigh of relief that, for election year 2012, "alea iacta est" (the die has been cast). Several astrologers have predicted that it'll not be as clear cut as that saying might imply though, and for a variety of astrological reasons.

For anyone deeply into astrology who hasn't yet read Chris Brennan's excellent "Roundup" post at The Political Astrology Blog, detailing the method and conclusions of a long list of online astrologers on the result of the coming election, I highly recommend taking a look at it it.

That post led me to one by Eric Francis, whose work is always a reliably good and informative read: Mercury Retrograde Election Day at Huffington Post. A couple of important, non-astrological, points to bear in mind from Eric Francis's piece:

Behind the facade of ideology is the fact that "the business of America is business," and I don't mean the local ice cream shop. I mean the companies that can afford to buy elections -- and I mean the business of war. All the political shenanigans we witness have one end, really -- the perpetuation of constant war.

But voting is not enough. It is absolutely not enough. Not now -- and not ever. Question what you see and hear in the media. Question your own opinions. Educate others about what you learn. Use every tool at your disposal to get the word out. Take a personal stand and refuse to believe lies, and refuse to be manipulated. Research the truth yourself, and try to figure out what's really going on. Yes, Mercury will be retrograde, and it may be hard to get to the bottom of things. But astrology is no excuse.

An apt piece of poetry:

Election Day
by Ambrose Bierce

Despots effete upon tottering thrones
Unsteadily poised upon dead men's bones,
Walk up! walk up! the circus is free,
And this wonderful spectacle you shall see:
Millions of voters who mostly are fools--
Demagogues' dupes and candidates' tools,
Armies of uniformed mountebanks,
And braying disciples of brainless cranks.
Many a week they've bellowed like beeves,
Bitterly blackguarding, lying like thieves,
Libeling freely the quick and the dead
And painting the New Jerusalem red.
Tyrants monarchical--emperors, kings,
Princes and nobles and all such things--
Noblemen, gentlemen, step this way:
There's nothing, the Devil excepted, to pay,
And the freaks and curios here to be seen
Are very uncommonly grand and serene.
No more with vivacity they debate,
Nor cheerfully crack the illogical pate;
No longer, the dull understanding to aid,
The stomach accepts the instructive blade,
Nor the stubborn heart learns what is what
From a revelation of rabbit-shot;
And vilification's flames--behold!
Burn with a bickering faint and cold.
Magnificent spectacle!--every tongue
Suddenly civil that yesterday rung
(Like a clapper beating a brazen bell)
Each fair reputation's eternal knell;
Hands no longer delivering blows,
And noses, for counting, arrayed in rows.

Walk up, gentlemen--nothing to pay--
The Devil goes back to Hell to-day.

The Debatable Debate

I didn't watch the televised debate between President Obama and Governor Romney last week, and had avoided watching videos of any part of it - until yesterday afternoon, when I became curious enough to dive in and watch the whole thing. There have been countless articles and opinions expressed, most emphasising that the Prez was lack-lustre, seemed tired, disengaged, wouldn't look at Gov. Romney, didn't even contradict several lies said to have been presented by him.

I don't support either one of the two debaters. My view is that the debates are little better than theatre for consumption of the masses. Having now seen a video recording of the full debate it's hard to relate what I saw to what has been said and written about it. If I had to score it I'd say it was a tie rather than the resounding win for Romney most have been calling it, along with a variety of theories as to whether it could have been a deliberate ploy by the President and his advisers, or was he even "taking a dive"? Dearie me!

Romney was on the offensive, naturally, why wouldn't he be, Obama already has the ball? That was to be expected. I didn't see Obama as tired or disengaged. He did look at Romney, in between quickly writing notes, didn't seem at all intimidated as some have implied. I don't agree with either of 'em, so watched the proceedings with a different perspective from most, I guess.

What seems likely to my way of thinking, is that immediate post mortems by TV pundits (of which I haven't seen any at all) must have shaped the views of many. It was in the best interest of those pundits to keep interest in the debates and campaigns alive for as long as possible, leaving viewers and readers panting for more, with plenty to argue about until the next outing.

Good News & Bad News from The Sooner State

BAD NEWS:

Oklahoma will be the only state of the 50 United States of America where just two names will appear on the ballot in the presidential election 2012: Barack Obama (incumbent president)- Democrat; and Gov. Mitt Romney (Republican). According to local sources this will be the 3rd consecutive presidential election in which Oklahoma voters will be artificially limited to two choices for President. Oklahoma legislature has denied and blocked all efforts to reform the state's ballot access laws since 1999.

I do not understand how, when a country's citizens have the right to elect a president of the entire nation, all citizens of all 50 states are not entitled to have the same list of candidates from which to make their choice. It makes no sense ! The people of Colorado, for instance have multiple choices (10 or more), while Okies are left with a choice between Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee. Why? Where is the logic, and more importantly where is the justice? I'm beginning to regret having wrangled my way through the tangled (and expensive) route to citizenship so's I'd be able to vote - only to find....what? My choices are unfairly restricted by what smacks of a distinctly fascist-flavoured legislature, intent in keeping a two-headed political monster, whose heads serve the same masters, as the only choice for voters of this state.

Please....anyone....can you explain the reasoning behind this iniquitous electoral system to me ?

Link to a chart showing how various other party representatives have ballot access in the other 49 states. Minor amendments to the details might be needed eventually, as noted HERE.



GOOD NEWS:

$3.5 Billion Wind Power Line Approved for Oklahoma -by Jake Richards, September 14, 2012.
Clip:

The Plains and Eastern Clean Line wind power transmission line in Oklahoma was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Wednesday to start acquiring customers for its potential 7,000 MW of clean energy.
This line will be approximately 800 miles in length and is a high-voltage direct current transmission project. The new line is being developed in order to send clean energy generated by wind farms in western Oklahoma, southwest Kansas, and the Texas Panhandle to customers in the Mid-South and Southeast.

VOTING DILEMMA 2012

Dilemma: A situation that requires a choice between options that are or seem equally unfavorable.

There are still more than two months to go before citizens of the USA will have to decide how to vote in the presidential election on 6 November. For me, and from what I read online for many others, it won't be an easy decision. Oh, for those who have Democrat or Republican engraved on their hearts it won't be difficult. For those who prefer to engage head over heart, in this important instance, it will be a choice between evil, lesser evil, or in some fortunate states an alternative with no chance of winning. The alternative vote has an advantage - of proclaiming that the voter has had it up to here with lesser evilism, and with mainstream media blocking all mention and discussion of alternatives. Alternative voting, some of us think, would be a tiny first step out of the mire into which this country has been led.

As of yesterday, in Oklahoma, on the ballot for for president there'll be a choice between only the "two evils", no alternative, no write-in facility. All hope of Libertarian Gary Johnson being placed on the ballot was dashed by underhand dealings of local authorities, to ensure that Gov. Johnson would not be included under either Libertarian or Americans Elect headings. The Green Party allegedly didn't meet the (strictest in the country) requirements for ballot access here. My only choices will be to vote for one of the two evils or to leave the Prez space blank and vote as liberally as possible (actually, not very liberal at all) down ticket. Result for Oklahoma is a foregone conclusion anyway in this reddest of red states - Republicans need have no fear of losing here.

I'm a comparative newcomer, probably thought by some to have no right to voice opinions on US politics, even though I'm now a US citizen. But, but...I brought all my worldly wealth to this country - admittedly not a fortune - but a reasonable sum, harvest of my own working life and the working lives of my parents. I invested it in a home here, combined with my husband's input. I consider myself to have equal rights with native-born voters to voice an opinion. I'm first to admit, however, that others have a far better grip on the US political situation, due to years of having watched it develop. With that in mind, I saved some points made in recent articles and comments at The Smirking Chimp website. These were chosen to present a brief assessment from both sides of the "how to vote 2012" debate, for those who sport no R or D engraving on their hearts.

Clips from a piece by Brent Budowsky ...Last Stand for Liberals:

Today Republicans have an enthusiasm advantage, a turnout advantage, a money advantage, a voter suppression advantage and a media advantage, which is why I warn Democrats so severely........

Given my disappointments in the Obama presidency, why do I believe that a vote for Obama and Democrats in Congress is the most urgently needed vote in my lifetime, and, I suggest, in many lifetimes? Because for those of us who stand truly in the tradition of Jack and Bobby, Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez, the suffragettes and muckraking journalists who battled Gilded Age corruption, defenders of the earth and opponents of those who put poisoned food into the bellies of little babies, 2012 can be described as our last stand..........

If Obama is reelected with sufficient Democrats in Congress, we can continue the modest but real advances since 2009 and the preservation of 120 years of steady progress that created the great national consensus that lifted many of the poor out of poverty, built the great middle class that remains threatened by descendants of forces that hated both Roosevelts, and built what was correctly called the American Century, which is the true American exceptionalism..............This election is the last stand for liberals and Democrats. Our champion Obama is not fully our champion. Our party in Washington sounds an uncertain trumpet. But make no mistake. If Republicans win they will turn back the clock to 1890 and destroy a long legacy of progress.
.

On the other side of the debate:

Comment from AntiSpin beneath a piece by David Swanson titled Obamobedience

.....The Democrats will never give up their growing allegiance to the One Percent until and unless they have reason to fear that they will lose an election unless they do so, and the only way they will learn that lesson is actually to lose one.

But more important, there will never be a less dangerous time for the people to teach the Democrats that lesson. Things are not going to get better by themselves. Unless we take action, it’s going to get worse every four years, forever. The Republicans will continue their rightward march into fascism, and the Democrats will continue right on their heels. As each successive election rolls by, the threat of a victory for Republicans will become more and more dangerous than it is now.

We have no choice. We are in the position of a cancer victim who wants to go on with life as usual, living on to a comfortable old age without having to get the necessary treatment, because “the alternative is worse,” – uncomfortable surgery, painful chemotherapy, dangerous radiation treatment. But we all know that his life will not go on as usual – he will die – and in the interim his condition will keep on getting worse and worse for as long as he puts off those painful treatments.

We are fools if we think that we can avoid the fearful consequences of rejecting the reelection of a Democratic president. And those consequences will become more and more brutal the longer we wait. Every time we reelect a Democratic president “because the alternative is worse” we will get a more Republican “Democratic” presidency, and the Republicans themselves will go on becoming more and more Republican (read “fascist”) as well.

The sooner we get on with the treatment, no matter how painful it will be, the better, because it’s going to be a hell of a lot more painful four years from now, and ever more painful eight years, twelve years, sixteen years from now. Or we can put our fingers in our ears, shut our eyes and go on humming “nah na nah na nah, nah!” until our very civilization is flushed down the drain forever.

AND A comment from HC Jack Shaftoe a comment beneath piece by "mewkitty" titled If you're not voting for Obama

Okay, so "when" will it be time to start moving off the dime we are stuck on?

Any argument rooted purely in "fear" and speculation of "avoiding a potentially worse" situation is irrational and little more than avoidance behavior. At some point the masses who continue to "vote for the lesser of evils" instead of starting the slow and painful process of shifting support to "alternatives" will come face to face with a traumatic national situation, scrambling around trying to figure out, "How could we have let things go so far without having made any attempt to initiate change"?

Shifting facing the music ever forward into the future, frozen in the headlights, avoiding the only possible rational alternative (shifting power to alternative coalitions), is deadly and assures no possibility for any kind of change whatsoever.

It is perfectly rational to acknowledge that given two choices one is less desirable than another but irrational, irresponsible, and delusional to believe that this is the only alternative. Such rationalizing based on fear of short term impacts guarantees that over the long term continued decay and a fixed path with absolutely no possibility for a change in path.

Locked into "lesser of two evils" is nothing more than fear and capitulation or more simply put, cowardice.

Finally.....


"Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do."
~~ Wendell Berry.

JOHN HUNTSMAN, Presidential Candidate

Had John Huntsman entered the presidential race as an Independent rather than a Republican I might have thought seriously of giving him my vote. He looks, to me, like the best of a bad lot (and that includes the incumbent president!)

As I wrote in an earlier post featuring Michele Bachmann, the presidential election really comes down to which personality one prefers as a figurehead, a brand, a logo, for the nation. Whoever wins, the true power, behind the presidential throne, will not change. Call it what you like - Oligarchy, Plutocracy, Corporatocracy - the US isn't a true democracy any longer.

With Huntsman running as an Independent many disaffected Democrats might have considered voting for Huntsman, if he talked a good game. Anyway, that's not happening....if wishes were horses beggars would ride!

Huntsman's birth detail including time of birth is available at The Political Blog. He was born at 11:58 am on March 26th, 1960 in Palo Alto, California. Chart and notes on astrology follow.

First, a few factors which could help or harm Huntsman's run.

He's not too old, not too young, attractive and "looks the part".

He is a Morman

He comes from a wealthy background - father is a billionaire businessman.

Served a Morman mission in Taiwan, speaks fluent Mandarin

Worked as a White House staff assistant for Ronald Reagan, and he was appointed by George H.W. Bush as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce and later as United States Ambassador to Singapore from 1992-1993.

Served 2 terms as Governor of Utah. While maintaining a budget surplus pushed hard on a broad reform agenda, with positive results. He helped lower the state's sales tax on food, re-structured the work week for state employees and made changes to the state's health care system that sought to lower the number of uninsured. During his tenure Utah was named the "Best Managed State in America" by Pew Research Center.

President Obama appointed him US Ambassador to China in 2009.

Sun and Moon in Aries = a pioneer, an initiator, a leader, in both heart and head. He'll have energy to spare, and would not be afraid of "taking the gloves off" faced with aggressive opposition.

Venus and Mercury in gentle intuitive Pisces bring a fine balance to his "harder" Aries side - I like that!

Mars in Aquarius should represent a fighter for social reform. Whereas Republicans generally are not known for true social reform, in his case I suspect he's drawn, at least somewhat, in this direction.

Jupiter and Saturn in Capricorn clearly mark his conservatism and air of authority. Saturn in its sign of rulership is particularly clear on this.

What I especially like in this chart is a Yod (Finger of Fate) with Uranus in Leo (planet of change and the avant garde) at its apex. The Yod links sextiled planets Mercury/Venus and Saturn to Uranus via two quincunx (150 degree) aspects. Characteristics of the planet at apex are said to "flavour" blended attributes of the sextiled planets. In this case planet of change and new ideas is the channel through which are blended Huntsman's conservative/authoritative/communicative/emotional/intuitive characteristics. For those of us who long for change, here's someone to watch!

Transiting Uranus is passing through Aries at present, and already passed his natal Moon once in March, (possibly around the time he decided to make a change in his lifestyle and run as candidate?) Uranus will retrograde back over his Moon later this year and will transit his natal Sun next year and on into 2013. Evidence of change, of some kind. His campaign will be a change of lifestyle in itself, of course. Though the presence of Uranus doesn't indicate success, it does seem significant that its transit will be so close to his Sun (self).

Transiting Pluto (planet of transformation) in Capricorn will not be near Huntsman's natal Jupiter until 2016. If at first he does not succeed, there's always 2016!

Michele Bachmann & The 2012 Facade

"We cannot risk giving President Obama four more years to dismantle our nation. We must act now," Michele Bachmann said in a fundraising letter sent within an hour of her entrance to the 2012 Republican field of candidates for nomination. "That's why I've made the decision to get in this race."

Yeah, yeah yeah...underlying text: "...we can't risk President Obama dismantling our nation - WE wanna do it!"

I'm sickened by the whole political set-up in the US. It's rotten to the core.

The people who voted for Barack Obama in 2008 were clear about what they wanted, they believed in him and in what he said he'd do, if elected. They (or we, because I was fooled too) should now realise that voting for what we want, even with a fairly strong majority behind us , does not bring change.

The system is rigged.

Obama lied to the people. Little, if anything is different from the situation under G.W. Bush, the most villified president in decades. We are now in more wars than in Bush's reign. Many of Bush's advisors also advise Obama. Guantanamo is still open. Tax cuts for the wealthiest 1%. Nothing substantial has yet been done to regulate financial companies. No improvement in education. Healthcare "reform" is a thinly hidden gift to the insurance companies. Medicare and Social Security are now vulnerable, and the Prez , given a chance, is quite likely to weaken both.

In November 2012 people of the USA will be voting for "a personality", a figure-head no more than that. The same backroom manipulators will continue calling the shots.

Bearing that in mind, I'll take a quick look at the natal chart of Ms Bachmann, latest entrant to the Republican race for nomination, and try to retain some level of respect, rather than take the path of ridicule which appears to be a fairly common one.

Born 6 April 1956 in Waterloo, Iowa. Chart is set for 12 noon as time of birth ian't known.



Sun and Mercury in Aries. Moon, if born before 11 PM, in Aquarius, otherwise in Pisces. No time of birth is available, yet, so ascendant is a mystey, and exact position of Moon unknown. Still, we can glean the picture of an energetic, somewhat aggressive person, not only from her Aries planets but also from some oppositions:
Mars-Uranus; Venus-Saturn; possibly Moon-Jupiter/Pluto.

If Moon was in Aquarius - there's her pull towards a career aim of what she sees as social reform.

Mars, ruler of her Aries Sun, lay in conservative Capricorn, in square aspect to her Sun/Mercury, and as already mentioned, opposing Uranus (i.e. opposing anything that smells even vaguely modern or futuristic).

In May Alex Miller wrote a Glactic Profile of Michele Bachman, which I recommend for some deeper insights.

I'll just add that transiting Uranus, planet of change, will be in the area around Ms Bachmann's natal Sun/Mercury in 2015/16, with Saturn in trine from Sagittarius. I see that as an indication that, though her attempt this time around will likely prove unsuccessful, the 2016 election could turn out to be, for her, another kettle of fish altogether. If Barack Obama retains the presidency in 2012, it's highly likely that a Republican will succeed in 2016: pendulum swings. Ms Bachmann will have had four more years to hone her skills and grow some gravitas. What could be more newsworthy, and an attractive proposition for "the manipulators" in the backroom, than a first female president following on from the first African-American president?

Dr Cornel West Speaks Out about the President

I'm happy to hear one of my American heroes, Dr Cornel West (natal chart below), speaking out against the current US administration and President Obama. First came a report of Chris Hedges' interview with Dr. West (see HERE). Some snips:

No one grasps this tragic descent better than West, who did 65 campaign events for Obama, believed in the potential for change and was encouraged by the populist rhetoric of the Obama campaign. He now nurses, like many others who placed their faith in Obama, the anguish of the deceived, manipulated and betrayed. He bitterly describes Obama as “a black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs and a black puppet of corporate plutocrats. And now he has become head of the American killing machine and is proud of it.”
“When you look at a society you look at it through the lens of the least of these, the weak and the vulnerable; you are committed to loving them first, not exclusively, but first, and therefore giving them priority,” says West,
...........
“I have to take some responsibility,” he admits of his support for Obama as we sit in his book-lined office. “I could have been reading into it more than was there."

"I was thinking maybe he has at least some progressive populist instincts that could become more manifest after the cautious policies of being a senator and working with [Sen. Joe] Lieberman as his mentor,” he says. “But it became very clear when I looked at the neoliberal economic team. The first announcement of Summers and Geithner I went ballistic. I said, ‘Oh, my God, I have really been misled at a very deep level.’ And the same is true for Dennis Ross and the other neo-imperial elites. I said, ‘I have been thoroughly misled, all this populist language is just a facade.....

“We have got to attempt to tell the truth, and that truth is painful,” he says. “It is a truth that is against the thick lies of the mainstream. In telling that truth we become so maladjusted to the prevailing injustice that the Democratic Party, more and more, is not just milquetoast and spineless, as it was before, but thoroughly complicitous with some of the worst things in the American empire. I don’t think in good conscience I could tell anybody to vote for Obama. If it turns out in the end that we have a crypto-fascist movement and the only thing standing between us and fascism is Barack Obama, then we have to put our foot on the brake. But we’ve got to think seriously of third-party candidates, third formations, third parties. Our last hope is to generate a democratic awakening among our fellow citizens.

Then came this appearance with Ed Schultz on MSNBC.

Dr. West has courage! We need more of this. A variety of viewpoints can be found in commentary around the net, but the best single-liner I've seen is one I'd have used myself: Dr. West simply said what needed to be said : the Emperor has no clothes.

For more on this topic and a response to Ms Harris-Perry's remarks by Kevin Gosztola - see HERE





I wrote a little about Dr West and his natal chart back in 2008 - here is the gist of what I wrote then:

Dr. Cornel West, author, lecturer, public speaker, social activist, democratic socialist and major figure in African American academia, including the illustrious Princeton and Harvard. I've seen Dr. West on several occasions as a guest on Bill Maher's "Real Time". Each time I've been impressed by his eloquence, charm and ability to hold my interest, whatever the subject under discussion. He obviously has a brilliant mind, yet his approach is straightforward and lacking in all the scholarly affectation so often encountered among the egg-head community.
A descriptive paragraph from here:

"...... an eloquent lecturer, whose lithe and energetic body was
totally involved in the torrent of words and ideas that tumbled from his mouth. He asked his listeners not only to hear what he said, but to enter into his thought processes and share his enthusiasms or generate their own thoughts and enthusiasms. His speaking style was symbolic of his convictions, which rejected the divorce of body from mind, of emotion from intellect, characteristic of much philosophy since Descartes. In a time when many philosophers would be horrified to be called preachers, West (although not an ordained minister) was not embarrassed to preach an occasional sermon. For him a passion for social justice was as intellectually respectable and demanding as the most rigorous intellectual analysis of propositions, and the two were never far apart in his philosophy."

Born on 2 June 1953 in Tulsa, Oklahoma (I didn't have him down as an Okie!)Birthtime unknown.



Sun and 3 planets in Gemini (the sign of mental process, communication, a quick mind). Good start! Two of the Gemini planets are conjoined, Mercury and Mars at 22 degrees. Mercury is at home in its own sign, Gemini, therefore unadulterated by other influence, though strengthened and energised by Mars. (PS: Here I have to eat my words, written in the post about Newt Gingrich's Gemini planets earlier this week : "too much of a good thing" I said. My prejudice was showing. My bad.)

Saturn and Neptune are conjoined in Libra (diplomacy and justice), Moon is in Aquarius between 9 and 22 degrees (social awareness). So, Air, the mental element, rules - Gemini, Libra and Aquarius predominate. Gemini and Libra planets in close trine, and the Moon is very likely in trine to both, though how close we can't be sure. What a circuit, enabling all kinds of mental acrobatics!

One more point - in January 2002 Dr. West underwent surgery for prostate cancer. Saturn (restriction, limitation) visited Gemini from May 2001 to Dec 2002, hitting his 4 Gemini planets one by one along its journey, reflecting what must have been a very worrying and restricting time for Dr. West.

More Presidential Ponderings ~ Tim Pawlenty

Following presidential ponderings in my previous post, I'm taking a quick look at the natal chart of Tim Pawlenty today. He's a likely Republican presidential candidate for 2012, opposing current Prez Barack Obama. He's one of the non-Tea Party types who will probably appeal to the more staid old-style Republicans. Tea-Party types are good for a laugh, they're like mothers' milk to comedians. Some will be able to gain traction locally, in certain areas, but strong enough to be voted in as president? I doubt it.

But would Tim Pawlenty be able to draw on similar Neptunian crowd-pleasing powers of illusion, via Neptune, as Barack Obama did in 2008?

Brief background from National Governors' association website ~

Tim Pawlenty grew up in South St. Paul, Minnesota. The only child in his family to graduate from college, he attended the University of Minnesota and practiced law in the private sector. His public service career included serving as a criminal prosecutor, Eagan City Councilmember, and ten-year member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, including four years as House Majority Leader. Pawlenty was first elected governor in 2002 and reelected in 2006. Besides bringing Minnesota from historic budget crisis to financial security, Pawlenty pursued the successful passage of a dramatic overhaul and improvement of the state's education standards; an $800 million increase in K-12 education spending along with a nation-leading teacher performance pay program; significant health care, welfare, and tort liability reforms; a range of new government efficiency initiatives; the creation of a nation-leading prescription drug website; and a doubling of the state's ethanol standard to increase use of renewable fuels and reduce dependence on foreign oil. Pawlenty served as Chair of the National Governors Association in 2007-08.

Good background for a president!

Born 27 November 1960 in St. Paul Minnesota. No time of birth available so chart set for 12 noon. Moon would be somewhere between 25 Pisces and 8 Aries. Ascendant - anybody's guess.



I'm not trying to define what kind of guy he is - just assessing his "charisma-factor" and identifying any planetary transits which might aid or impair progress in the presidential race.

Sun in Sagittarius has warmth and brightness enough to endear him to many. Sun links by two semi-sextile (60*) aspects, mildy helpful, to the stelliun (tight cluster of 3 or more planets) in Capricorn and to.....Neptune in Scorpio.

Without knowing exactly where the planets are in respect of the chart angles (ascendant, midheaven and opposite points) it's not possible to assess the strength of Neptune here. Were it on the ascendant or at midheaven I'd say: "Watch out Obama!"

His Capricorn stellium (Jupiter/Venus/Saturn) probably defines him more than his Sagittarius Sun. Saturn is part of the cluster, and is ruler of Capricorn. Saturn and Capricorn link to structure, conservatism, business.....all that Republicans represent.

Transits of Pluto and Uranus are important here. Pluto is transiting Capricorn now and is at 7 degrees as I type and will be back in the same degree after some to-ing and fro-ing in the meantime. Note that Pawlenty's Jupiter is at 6 degrees Capricorn, and pulls in the rest of that Capricorn cluster. Pluto = transformation, but usually only after some fairly traumatic events. Strong enough to transform him to being President of the United States? Yes.

Transiting Uranus is now at 2 Aries and by November 2012 will be at 5 Aries - Pawlenty's natal Moon was somewhere between 25 Pisces and 7 Aries, unless he was born very early in the day he will, at some point now or in coming months, receive a jolt, a change, unexpected events.....you know the Uranus drill!

So....is there indication that, should Tim Pawlenty run (very likely)that he would provide a serious worry for the Democratic National Party and for President Obama? Yes, I think a run by Pawlenty would have to be taken very seriously.

President Obama ~ Victim or Willing Puppet?

An article at Common Dreams this weekend:
The Stasis of the Union -- One Last Take by novelist Philip Kraske, along with some intereting commentary on the piece, highlighted something that's been bugging me for a while. It set me on a mission to find astrological support.


Mr. Kraske's essay focuses on the President's State of the Union speech on 25 January. In the final paragraphs he writes:

Hope blazes like crazy: more economic growth, lower corporate taxes, more technology and Internet access will save the day. Congress applauds, the public swoons from the poetry, and the kindest thing you can say about Obama is that he is simply yet another weak president unable to tame the Pentagon, the corporations, and the financial barons.

You have to wonder how much of this he knew before winning election -- and how much he was quietly told in the Oval Office.

That, more or less, is what has been bugging me for some time, with related question: was Barack Obama groomed for this deliberately? Was it another shrewd move by those in the shadows, those holding the reins whatever party and whichever personality play the parts of king and courtiers for a given span of time? Was President Obama well aware that the picture he was presenting to his adoring crowds of supporters in 2008 was nothing but a pipe dream - theirs, not his?

The President's natal chart using details from Astrodatabank:



Astrology could/should offer some evidence.

In previous posts I've put emphasis, in Obama-related matters, on planet Neptune, elevated in his natal chart and casting a cloak of illusion/delusion over all. After wading through several interpretations of the President's natal chart, most dating from 2008, I eventually landed on one by astrologer Elbert Wade - one I hadn't seen before. I reckon Mr. Wade is to be heartily congratulated on this. Other astrologers may have made these points too, but I haven't come across any similar examples.

I'll provide a link to the page rather than copying any part of it, as from the copyright notice on his website it is clear he would not appreciate any copy & paste efforts.

President Barack Obama Natal Horoscope -- with Astrologically-Based Comments


The article was written in July 2008, 4 months before the General Election.

To give a passing reader some idea of what is said in the parts particularly relevant to my point, I'll simply provide a summary of those parts:

Mr Wade points out that a strong right-side to the natal chart indicates a follower rather than a leader... he actually uses the words "puppet rather than pupeteer"!

Jupiter & Saturn in 12th house of seclusion could indicate secret or concealed funds or deals, or support, and two trines to these planets in 12th (from Moon and Mars) add to the feeling of un-disclosed deals or secrets.

I'm "playing a lone hand" at home on this tack. My husband isn't convinced that Obama is anything but a good guy hamstrung by the wicked Republicans, and corporations. I believe he's not hamstrung, but simply doing his masters' business, as will any future president. Any future president will have to meet with the approval of the true Powers That Be. Any upstart who looks like being a thorn in their side will be immediately sidelined and discredited by media (owned lock stock and pimply reporter by the Powers That Be) and eventually be somehow crushed.

The president isn't hamstrung, we the people are.