Monthly Archives: November 2017

Evangeline Adams Update

Half a Saturn cycle after my 2002 biography of Evangeline Adams, I’m updating it. And with many collections now online, I’m finding a lot of new information.

I’d never been able to find proprietor Warren F. Leland’s report of Evangeline’s accurate 1899 forecast of disaster for the Windsor Hotel. But now I’ve discovered an article in which he advises a reporter what Adams told him in advance.

I wasn’t sure about Evangeline’s maternal grandfather. But with several of her distant relations posting Family Trees online, I’ve now definitely identified him. He was a machinist with nine children and a suicide! This says something significant about Adams’ mother and grandmother, as they were obviously survivors. Evangeline was, too.

In her autobiography, Evangeline Adams talks about her engagement to her employer, a Mr. Lord. The relationship was facilitated by her aunt. I’d searched for Mr. Lord years ago but with no first name it was difficult to go further. I’ve now found him in newspaper databases through the company name that Adams provided. And it turns out that Luther S. Lord was thirty years older than Evangeline Adams. It was more common in the 19th century for women to marry much older men. But thank goodness she didn’t! She was only eighteen or nineteen at the time.

I’m excited to search for more about other people and events in Evangeline’s life in the coming months and expect to share these in the update of Foreseeing the Future: Evangeline Adams and Astrology in America.

The Waking Dream

Ray Grasse’s book, The Waking Dream: Unlocking the Symbolic Language of our Lives, explains symbolist thinking:  holistic and right-brained correspondences, metaphor, analogy and qualitative views, rather than facts or figures.  The book is refreshing and wonderful on so many levels, simply because, as the author so eloquently explains, this worldview supports the spiritual rather the material – the opposite of today’s emphasis on science.  It is ancient and cross-cultural, though it unfortunately began to wane with 17th century rationalism. 

Grasse is an astrologer who is extremely well-versed in many other symbolist studies, and draws on a large array of books and esoteric subjects, sharing gems from prominent thinkers through the centuries and around the world, from the classics to popular culture.  His wide-ranging analysis looks at the meanings of external events, nature, dreams, ritual, astrology, psychology, cycles, fractal geometry and much more.  (No previous experience in any of these topics is needed.

This thoroughly researched work is deep, clear and uplifting, reminding us that, despite all of the linear, reductionist thinking in the contemporary world, there are no accidents, and that the Universe is still brimming with meaning.  And for the first time, I really understood how astrology works.  Well done!

Buy on Amazon.com: The Waking Dream: Unlocking the Symbolic Language of Our Lives

A Presidential Signature?

When George W. Bush spoke out against nationalism, hate speech and isolationism in October, I wondered how his horoscope compared with Donald Trump’s.  I looked at Bush’s chart and realized that the two men were born only three weeks apart! 

In Alan Mayeda’s excellent article in the August ISAR Journal, he discussed solar eclipses and U.S. Presidents, and pointed out that Trump, Bush and Bill Clinton were all born in 1946 with Uranus conjunct the North Node high in the sky and trining Jupiter in Libra.  Mayeda’s analysis of presidents in history and these shared placements seem to be what led him to forecast Trump winning the presidency.

The three men were born in three consecutive months, an extraordinary coincidence when one considers that together they’ll likely serve over a period of at least 20 years.  What is it about this astrological combination that’s so compelling to the U.S.?  The Jupiter-Uranus trine in itself is a very dynamic aspect.  Evangeline Adams described it as “one of the most powerful and favorable aspects known,” and added that, “If you have political leanings, this vibration is an excellent one for activity.” 

But the combination of these two planets in Gemini and Libra also falls right on the U.S. horoscope, with its trine of Mars in Gemini and Saturn in Libra in middle degrees.  With the Gemini rising U.S. chart that I like, natal Mars falls conjunct the Ascendant as part of a grand trine with Saturn in the 5th house and the Moon in Aquarius in the 9th.  So the three presidents’ Uranus and North Node closely conjoin this U.S. Gemini Ascendant and Mars.  And the U.S. Moon at about 19 Aquarius also creates a close grand trine with Jupiter, Uranus and the North Node in all the three presidents’ charts as well.

Startling repeated connections!  Theodore Roosevelt is the only other president with Uranus in Gemini, but his was in an early degree.  Interestingly enough, his Jupiter was at 21 Gemini, conjoining the U.S. Ascendant and Mars and trining its Moon.  Attorney General and former 20-year Senator from Alabama Jeff Sessions was born on December 24, 1946, but his North Node is shy of conjoining the U.S. Mars or Ascendant.

Will it surprise us if the Democrats nominate someone with these astrological credentials for the 2020 election?  Richard Blumenthal, Senator from Connecticut, was born on February 13, 1946, though like Sessions, his North Node is too wide to be conjunct.  But Ed Markey, longtime Congressman and Senator from Massachusetts, was born within the “presidential window” on July 11, 1946.

Alan Mayeda’s article, “Great American Eclipses and Presidents of the United States:  an Astrological Perspective” has more, and appeared in the ISAR International Astrologer of August, 2017, p. 40-44 (unfortunately not available online).

NYC’s Bike Path Attack

Inspired by ISIS, on October 31, 2017, Sayfullo Saipov drove a rented truck into a bike path in lower Manhattan, killing eight. Transiting Uranus conjoining the New York City’s Moon in Aries speaks of unpredictability and potential violence. But Uranus already conjoined the City’s Moon in Aries in May. Why were there no attacks then?

In February, I reviewed the previous Uranus cycle in 1933 and 1934, which reflected political reforms and innovations in housing and transportation. While I searched for any notable violent events, I found none. Earlier this year, NYC did have Uranian developments in technology, transportation and housing.

Setting the stage for the tragic Halloween attack was the Solar Eclipse at 29 Leo, which fell in NY’s 11th house, creating a grand trine with natal Moon, Venus and Mars while also squaring Uranus. And the progressed Moon in Virgo conjoined the eclipse point, then also squared NYC Uranus, exact on October 14. Progressed Mars in Aries would trine the City’s Uranus exactly on November 4, and is an obvious indicator for the possibility of violence. 

Transiting Uranus exactly conjoined the City’s Moon on October 15 and Jupiter sextiled NY’s Venus and Mars in Sagittarius in early October, more of a protective influence than anything else, but perhaps also allowing a foreign-born person (Jupiter) to plan a street attack (3rd house Venus and Mars). Saturn in Sagittarius was near the midpoint of the City’s Venus-Mars-Neptune opposition.

We are looking for a trigger that sets off the heavier influences. Transiting Mars is our usual suspect, and Mars also rules the 7th house of “open enemies” traditionally (and we already have progressed Mars exact to natal Uranus). Transiting Mars had begun to conjoin 1st house Jupiter in Libra, while approaching a sextile to Saturn in Sagittarius in the NYC 3rd house of local transportation. A sextile is generally not as violent as a square, but Mars with Saturn nevertheless retains its potential for crushing when combined. And the violence could very easily have been a lot worse, as the terrorist crashed the car into a school bus, injuring two children.

New York City has helpful influences for the rest of the year and into January of 2018. In November, transiting Saturn trines the NY Moon while Jupiter sextiles its Sun and trines its Midheaven from the 2nd house. Transiting Saturn conjunct the NYC Venus and Mars in December could potentially be a destructive combination, but now that the City is on greater alert, hopefully it represents greater vigilance and an increased police presence (the City has already installed concrete barriers on the bike path). New York’s progressed Midheaven in Scorpio trining the natal Midheaven in December and progressed Sun in the 8th trining natal Sun in January have similar overtones.

Uranus will conjoin New York City’s Moon for the final time in March of 2018.

See Michelle Young’s website for her in-depth analysis of the chart of the attack, along with Sayfullo Saipov’s noon chart, which has several extraordinary conjunctions with the NYC horoscope.