Monthly Archives: November 2013

Contradictory Points of View

Swami Vivekenanda had great insight into differing points of view:

“We know there may be almost contradictory points of view of a thing, but they all point to the same thing.  Suppose a man is journeying towards the sun and as he advances he takes a photograph of the sun at every stage.  We see that no two are alike; and yet who will deny that all these are photographs of the same sun, from different standpoints?

In the same way, we are all looking at truth from different standpoints, which vary according to our birth, education, surroundings, and so on.  We are viewing truth, getting as much of it as our circumstances will permit, coloring it with our own feelings, understanding it with our own intellects, and grasping it with our own minds.  We can know only as much of truth as is related to us, as much of it as we are able to receive.  This makes the difference between man and man and sometimes even occasions contradictory ideas.  Yet we all belong to the same great truth.”

 – from a lecture at the Universalist Church, Pasadena, California, January 28, 1900

JFK Redux

The media has been having an orgy, feasting on the 50th anniversary of the death of President John F. Kennedy.  Does astrology show our obsession with him?  Of course. 

Kennedy’s South Node in his 9th house closely conjoins the U.S. Sun.  Judith Hill says in her book, The Lunar Nodes, that the Sun entity (the U.S. in this case) “…may cause you grief or trouble at some point.  Or sometimes they drain you.”  This seems appropriate, if understated, for Kennedy.  Obviously he would not have been killed had he not been president of the U.S.!  Hill also suggests that “It can be a karmic bond.”  For us, the country as a whole, Kennedy as a South Node person seems to be someone that strikes us to the core; we don’t seem to be able to let go of him.  Since the Nodes are diametrically opposed, those who want to know more about his position (North Node) or his at times creepy lifestyle (South Node) are both fascinated. 

The natal connection existed for a long time.  But why is it gaining momentum now?  Not all anniversaries are celebrated.  Transiting Pluto is within a degree of conjoining JFK’s natal North Node in Capricorn, dredging up his past.  To once again quote Judith Hill on this combination, “Pluto brings very deep, intense energy… Some individuals may experience an enhancement of personal powers… Your dharma may be pointed out…”  And Pluto can be obsessive. 

Of course, these are just a few of the many connections between Kennedy’s horoscope, the U.S. chart and current transits.  One symbol that I like is his Mars in Taurus conjunct his 8th house, representing the eternal (Taurus) flame (Mars) at his gravesite (after death – 8th house), being activated now by the transit of Saturn in Scorpio. 

But enough already!  Let’s put this guy to rest. 

There have been a lot of books lately on the Nodes.  I haven’t read them all, but I highly recommend Judith Hill’s excellent book, The Lunar Nodes (Stellium Press, 2009).  It describes eastern, western and contemporary approaches, natal placements and transits.  She really speaks from her own and client’s experiences.  It has a great Table of Contents and Bibliography though unfortunately no Index.  Buy it at Amazon.com:  The Lunar Nodes: Your Key to Excellent Chart Interpretation

Pluto trine Pluto

Pluto trine Pluto represents a major astrological cycle occurring around age 50-53 for the present generation.  Pluto in Capricorn is currently trining Pluto in the birth charts of those born with Pluto in Virgo, both earth signs.  This is a flowing aspect and may be subtle since it’s slow moving and can last for over a year.  It represents a transition in the Capricorn themes of responsibility and authority and the Virgo themes of wellness and purposefulness.

Pluto can help us draw on all of our resources, both those within and outside of ourselves, for health and well-being.  Our will power is more effective without being overbearing.  It feels natural to be more assertive and resist those who’d try to control or influence us. Pluto helps empower us to look out for our own best interests and stand up for our rights.  This gradual transition makes it easier to move onto the next phase of our lives and capitalize on current trends.  We instinctively become better able to prioritize, reorganize and restructure things.  We gain in maturity and a sense of authority as some of the past falls away.

Research can help us make effective decisions about career, finances, healthcare and estate planning.  We can take advantage of opportunities, overcome the obstacles of the past and gain insight into the future. 

This is a phase in which we may also have the ability to address health concerns in a more purposeful way, managing our bodies with a better diet, exercise, medical treatments or even surgery.  Scans and tests can expose additional information. 

Pluto is the muckraker of the planets, and while the trine is generally a positive flowing aspect, Pluto will nevertheless dredge out what’s hidden and may reveal the unpleasant.  It could intensify an issue as it clears things out.  Office politics can become disruptive before a move, surgery will make you feel worse before you get better, and you’ll have major expenses in buying a home, for example.

We may also realize when it’s time to move on from an unfulfilling situation and reinvent ourselves.  In the end, though, we should be able to better connect with our life purpose and move meaningfully ahead.

Astro Twins

Astro-twins are two people who share the same birthday – day and year – not necessarily the same time of birth.  All the planets in the two horoscopes will be conjunct.  If we look back to our youthful days we’re more likely to find people we know with the same birth date.

I went out with my sister’s astro-twin for a while.  I guess he felt very comfortable to me – although not the other way around as he soon broke it off.  One of my best friends had a crush on my astro-twin.  He seemed like a nice guy, but neither of us ever got to know him very well.  I can only imagine that what she liked in me she saw in him, too.

I had the same singing teacher as another of my astro-twins.  She was a dancer and earned money horseback riding and I had also done both.  I later learned that she left town owing the teacher a bit of money, but I always paid on time.  Go figure.

A young Al H. Morrison married his astro-twin – they were born about 12 hours apart.  (This was before he became interested in astrology, and if anything, he was then a skeptic.)  He later complained that after a year it was “like masturbating.”  From which I take it that he needed stimulation from someone less like himself.  This may have been especially true since he had a Libra Moon.  It’s hard to balance one scale with another one.  The relationship didn’t last. 

Evangeline Adams’ astro-twin (2/8/1868) was Baron Lionel Walter Rothschild, a British zoologist.  Evangeline, too, always loved animals, but was never able to attain the noble title to which her Leo Moon naturally aspired.

I’ve generally liked other Capricorn people, while I’ve noticed that when Aries are together they tend to fight.  It seems to me that Scorpios and Leos marry each other the most often of the signs.  The Leos have a mutual admiration society and the Scorpios must enjoy the emotional resonance.

2013 Election Winners

Both Bill deBlasio and Chris Christie enjoyed landslide victories in this week’s elections.  It can be challenging to choose the winners, but astrology always helps us figure out exactly what happened.

Bill deBlasio was born on May 8, 1961 at 7:03 PM in New York, NY (his campaign manager gave the data to astrologer Shelley Ackerman).  The new NYC mayor is a very idealistic guy, with Neptune on his Scorpio Ascendant squaring Jupiter and opposing his Sun.  Transit Saturn in Scorpio was conjoining his Neptune and Ascendant in the last months of his campaign, an aspect that can help clarify ideals and may bring unusual career developments.  It also holds the possibility for publicity, which was immensely helpful to him.  DeBlasio’s campaign heated up this summer, when his son Dante appeared in TV ads.  Broadening Jupiter combined with the Saturn-Neptune pattern at that time to popularize the candidate’s message, and the momentum continued.

Saturn transiting the first house will bring up significant developments in deBlasio’s life and career as it makes major aspects in early 2014, when he begins his new duties.  This influence often indicates a turning point in life.  DeBlasio will be taking on important responsibilities (Saturn opposite his Sun) and is moving in a new direction (Saturn square his Uranus).  Saturn repeats a cycle that began in 1984 when he first began his career with a job for the NYC Department of Juvenile Justice.

Chris Christie was born on September 6, 1962 and was re-elected as Governor of NJ with over 50% of the vote.  Transiting Saturn was helping him, too, as it sextiled his Sun almost exactly at the time of the election.  This aspect is not as powerful as deBlasio’s Saturn-Sun aspect, but Christie will not have such a major change in his life.  Saturn sextile the Sun usually gives us some career movement, often just what we can expect based on past experience, but not a significant change.  So Governor Christie is continuing what he began four years ago. 

Christie had lap-band weight-loss surgery in February of 2013 and already appears to have dropped from his speculated 300-lb. weight.  Transiting Pluto was exactly square his Mercury, which often coincides with important decisions and transformation in a particular area of experience.  And with the Sun conjunct Pluto in Virgo in his birth chart, he certainly has the ability to reinvent himself and take control of his life and habits.  At the time of the surgery, the Saturn transit stationed in a near-exact conjunction with his Neptune (the same aspect deBlasio had at the time of the election), and this, too, was an unusual life development that gained publicity.  It certainly influenced his career as well, as his health should improve and he’ll be a more appealing candidate for the future if he continues dropping pounds.