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Aspects in Astrology

The horoscope chart is like a roadmap. It very succinctly shows us the things we can take for granted as well as the areas of life that we’ll need to work on. Astrological aspects give us one way to analyze the map’s potential.

“Soft” or flowing aspects indicate things that are easy for us. With sextiles and trines, only a little effort is necessary to maximize what’s promised by the linked planets. With the Moon sextile Venus, for example, one easily finds opportunities to develop relationships with women and can have an intuitive connection with them. However this aspect does not push one toward any kind of spectacular achievement. If things become difficult, other relationships generally come along to release the pressure.

“Hard” or challenging aspects are motivators that force us to do more. These planetary patterns are not easily ignored and will be activated periodically throughout life. The Sun square or opposite Saturn demands hard work in order to succeed. Those with hard aspects may also experience more disruptive changes or set-backs from time to time than a person with the Sun trine Saturn. People with challenging aspects might crave a comfortable rut, but the Universe will not let them rest in it for very long. These aspects create those determined to achieve, who can learn to make the most of what they’ve been given.

Of course, the ideal is to have both hard and soft aspects in the natal chart, which most of us do. While we’re given challenges to motivate us, there are also opportunities to embrace. We’re pushed to solve problems but also have enough support and opportunity to help us do so.

Mario Cuomo Astrologically

Commentators agree, describing former NYS Governor Mario Cuomo as a “liberal lion.” Is it any surprise to find he had Leo rising with Jupiter in Leo in the first house? The description of his life magnificently accords with his natal horoscope. The following are excerpts from his NY Times obituary, along with their obvious astrological parallels.

Jupiter in Leo rising

“A man of large intellect and often unrestrained personality”
“It was baseball, not politics, that first engaged him”
“a storm of energy and ideas”
“he seemed inexhaustible”
“burst beyond the state’s boundaries”
“electric spirit and rolling cadences… made him so evocative a speaker”
“essentially liberal view of government never wavered”

Jupiter square the Moon in Scorpio in the 4th house:
“I obviously am the original ethnic from Queens.”

“He was a tenacious debater and a spellbinding speaker”
“He had a pointed sense of humor”
“held to more than a few opinions that went against the grain of public opinion”
“Most prominent was his opposition to the death penalty, an unpopular view”
“His parents, penniless and unable to speak English…”

Sun and Mercury in Gemini with Mercury Out of Bounds

“A man of contradictions who enjoyed Socratic arguments with himself”
“displayed a restless intellect and a love of learning”
“majored in Latin American studies, English and Philosophy”
“a lawyer by profession”
“role of mediator”
“indecision or even disingenuousness”

Saturn in Aquarius inconjunct Neptune:
“People asked me what I want as an epitaph. He tried.”

“Always given to self-doubt and second-guessing”
“His ambitions for an activist government were thwarted by recession”
“He may be remembered more for the things he never did than for what he accomplished”
“Served longer than any of his 51 predecessors except Rockefeller and… George Clinton”
“tortuous deliberations over whether to seek the White House”

Mario Cuomo was born on 6/15/32 at approximately 9:30 a.m. in Jamaica, Queens, NY, rated A on Astrodatabank.  I wrote to Cuomo’s office in the 90s, asking for his time of birth. An assistant interested in astrology called me to say that she had spoken with his mother, who stated that he was born at home between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m.

 

Mayor deBlasio’s Jupiter Forecast

NYC Mayor Bill deBlasio spoke in sympathy with protestors against racial profiling, resulting in division, anger and mistrust from the police department. The murders of two Brooklyn officers on December 22 further inflamed the situation.

DeBlasio has the Sun in the 7th house of partnerships, in square to a prominent Uranus in his 10th house of reputation. Part of his success (10th house) is due to his singular (Uranus) relationship with his wife, Chirlane McCray (7th house Sun). But this aspect may also signify sudden, unexpected and unusual developments (Uranus) affecting his status (10th) and, in traditional astrology, what are called “open enemies” (7th house).

We can observe developments in deBlasio’s horoscope and forecast the length of his engagement with these issues by identifying when his prominent square pattern is activated.

Transiting Saturn opposed deBlasio’s Sun and squared his Uranus in September and October of 2014 when a forensic expert agreed that neck compressions killed Eric Garner and a Staten Island grand jury began hearing evidence in Garner’s death. These significant events set the stage for what followed.

Jupiter activated the same pattern in October and November. But planets are strongest when at their stationary points, and Jupiter stationed conjunct deBlasio’s Uranus from November through January of 2015. There were swift developments in the City as Jupiter stationed near the top of deBlasio’s chart. Accused officer Pantaleo testified in November. On December 3, the grand Jury chose not to indict him; deBlasio commented about his need to instruct his son in dealings with the police; and thousands began protesting. Officers Liu and Ramos were killed on 12/22/14 and deBlasio met with police leaders on 12/30. Jupiter will again square the Mayor’s Sun in February.

Jupiter through the 10th house can bring things out in the open and helps air diverse viewpoints. And while Jupiter can stir up controversy, it tends to be more preservative than destructive. So I believe that while Mayor deBlasio may continue to attract some controversy, he’ll be able to appease his critics.

Jupiter will repeat the pattern in June and July of 2015, bringing the Mayor another phase of similar issues, with perhaps some unexpected developments that are also in keeping with his natal Sun square Uranus.

Lady Gaga and Saturn

Radio City Music Hall continues selling tickets to Lady Gaga in concert with old-time crooner Tony Bennett. Their album of jazz standards, Cheek to Cheek was released in September of 2014, and quickly rose to #1 on the Billboard charts. This is Gaga’s third consecutive #1 album, and at 88, Bennett maintains his distinction of being the oldest singer with a #1 hit. But aside from their NY Italian-American roots, what are these two doing together? If you consider Saturn, it’s obvious.

Gaga has the Moon at 11 Scorpio 27. She underwent hip surgery as Saturn stationed exactly on her Moon in February of 2013, perhaps forcing her to consider simpler, more basic music for a time. Bennett has Saturn at 19 Scorpio 29 and becomes for her the personification of Saturn – quite literally in the form of an old man (he experienced his third Saturn return this year). His Saturn conjoins her Moon, making long-term collaboration between them a very real possibility. And Gaga’s Saturn also trines Bennett’s Leo Sun within about a degree. If Saturn provides the glue that makes relationships stick, this commitment goes both ways.

And fascinatingly, they both make each other sound better! Lady Gaga is known as more of a Uranian type of performer – it’s often more about theatrics and technology than her vocals. While she actually has a beautiful, strong voice, you almost need to see her at the piano or raised on some contraption over the floor – there’s something missing from her solos. And Tony Bennett used to be able to sing, but that was decades ago. (A PBS broadcast of the duo’s concert showed audiences giving him a standing ovation for a solo – they’re just glad he’s still alive.) However something wonderful happens when they’re together and they seem to compensate for any liabilities in each other’s performances. Such an emphasis on Saturn in their relationship suggests that they’ve worked on it.

As Saturn passes into Sagittarius in 2015-2016, Gaga will experience her first Saturn return. With so much success behind her, it’s hard to remember that she’s still only 28. It’ll be interesting to see what her next act will be.

Lady Gaga was born on March 28, 1986 at 9:53 AM in Manhattan (rated “B” on Astrodatabank; the source is her Twitter page. Tony Bennett was born on August 3, 1926 in Long Island City, NY, with no time available.

I Can’t Breathe

Protesters chanting “I can’t breathe” took to the streets in New York City last night, blocking traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge, the West Side Highway and the Lincoln Tunnel. They expressed their anger after a grand jury failed to indict police officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner, who died of a chokehold on 7/14/14. The “I can’t breathe” cry for help reflects Garner’s repeated words during his fateful arrest. Why has this catch-phrase caught on in New York?

Breathing and respiration are ruled by the mutable signs, especially Gemini, ruler of the lungs, and Sagittarius, which rules exhalation. Eric Garner suffered from asthma. According to medical astrologer Diane Cramer in How to Give an Astrological Health Reading, this may relate to afflictions in Gemini, Saturn in Gemini or Sagittarius, Saturn afflicted in the 3rd house and an angular Moon. The horoscope for New York City (1/1/1898 at 12:01 AM) has these placements.

The City’s Neptune-Pluto conjunction in Gemini in the 9th house along with Saturn, Venus and Mars in Sagittarius in the 3rd house cover these mutable signs. Eric Garner was born on 9/15/70, and has the Sun, Mercury and Pluto all conjunct in Virgo along with Mars in Virgo and a probable Moon in Pisces. By quadruplicity rulership, all of the mutable signs may affect respiration. Garner’s placements also activate the City’s horoscope, creating a grand cross. His Mars in Virgo exactly squares the City’s Saturn, showing his conflict with authority. His natal Pluto also squares the City’s Venus and Mars, bringing up a conflict of wills and inappropriate force.

Why are these issues being expressed right now? Transiting Neptune in Pisces stationed exactly square the City’s Saturn in June of 2014, shortly before Eric Garner’s death. Neptune again stationed in November, when the officer who killed Michael Brown in Ferguson Missouri was also released by a grand jury, sparking protests in New York and elsewhere in the country last week.

Transiting Neptune will square NYC’s Saturn throughout 2015. As Mayor DeBlasio stated, this is “not the end of the story, only the end of a chapter.” Astrologically, it seems to me that protests will continue. The Mayor and Police Commissioner Bratton have promised an internal affairs investigation into police actions surrounding the incident. And Daniel Pantaleo also faces Federal civil rights charges. Hopefully the continuing aspects from Neptune will help address “the larger issues” that President Obama sees as necessary.

Bill Cosby, Uranus and Pluto

Over a dozen allegations of drugging and sexual assault are aimed at Bill Cosby. The comedian was born July 12, 1937 at 12:30 AM in Philadelphia (data rated “A” on Astrodatabank). His Midheaven is 11 Capricorn 56. The Midheaven of course represents the career, public reputation and status.

With transiting Pluto conjoining his Midheaven exactly next week, Cosby’s reputation as a warm and caring father figure is falling apart. He has already had contracts and bookings cancelled. Pluto tends to unearth the past and bring secrets to light. It can represent complexity and power struggles. Cosby has resolved similar allegations out of court in the past, avoiding public scrutiny. However Pluto is now bringing things out into the open.

Transiting Uranus through Cosby’s 12th house will station at less than a half a degree from squaring his MC in December, suggesting additional revelations or dramatic developments.

If the furor dies down in early 2015 as these aspects wane, I suspect that it will heat up again as Uranus and Pluto close in on Cosby’s Ascendant-Sun-Jupiter T-square. Uranus will activate the T-square as it conjoins his Ascendant from June 2015 through March 2017. Pluto will do the same from the 10th house from late 2018 to late 2020.

USA Horoscopes

Robert Carl Jansky in his 1979 book Interpreting the Eclipses discusses the chart for the United States (page 75). He says that the U.S. horoscope with 7-1/2 Gemini rising closely conjunct Uranus (approximately 2:15 AM on July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia) is the chart “that a majority of astrologers have come to recognize as the correct one.” In his analysis he also considers a Libra rising as well as a Sagittarius rising chart that he credits to Dane Rudhyar.

Donna Cunningham similarly states in her 1982 book, Being a Lunar type in a Solar World that, “Most astrologers use the traditional chart calculated for July 4, 1776 at 2:13:32 AM in Philadelphia” (page 29), virtually the same chart Jansky referred to. Barbara Watters in her book Horary Astrology and the Judgment of Events (1973) also cites a US. Gemini rising chart with Uranus rising drawn for 2:17 AM.

How things have changed! In the years subsequent to 9/11, many more astrologers have accepted a Sagittarius rising horoscope due to the fact that transiting Pluto was conjoining this chart’s Ascendant at the time of the attacks. It seems to me that this event has changed our thinking radically. A major event, surely, but still only one.

And while many astrologers have presented documentary evidence for one chart or another, basically none of them are dispositive.

I use Evangeline Adams’ 3:03 AM Gemini rising chart for 7/4/1776 which has Mars rising and the Moon in the 9th house. Jupiter rules the 7th and is placed in the 1st house. This is strong symbolism for being a nation of immigrants who come from afar. But I can’t support it further except to say that it seems to work for me. And while Astrodatabank gives a source for her data, this does not seem to be based on any documentary evidence that is available.

Aspects in Astrology

The horoscope chart is like a roadmap. It very succinctly shows us the things we can take for granted as well as the areas of life that we’ll need to work on. Astrological aspects give us one way to analyze the map’s potential.

“Soft” or flowing aspects indicate things that are easy for us. With sextiles and trines, only a little effort is necessary to maximize what’s promised by the linked planets. With the Moon sextile Venus, for example, one easily finds opportunities to develop relationships with women and can have an intuitive connection with them. However this aspect does not push one toward any kind of spectacular achievement. If things become difficult, other relationships generally come along to release the pressure.

“Hard” or challenging aspects are motivators that force us to do more. These planetary patterns are not easily ignored and will be activated periodically throughout life. The Sun square or opposite Saturn demands hard work in order to succeed. Those with hard aspects may also experience more disruptive changes or set-backs from time to time than a person with the Sun trine Saturn. People with challenging aspects might crave a comfortable rut, but the Universe will not let them rest in it for very long. These aspects create those determined to achieve, who can learn to make the most of what they’ve been given.

Of course, the ideal is to have both hard and soft aspects in the natal chart, which most people do. While we’re given challenges to motivate us, there are also opportunities to embrace. We’re pushed to solve problems but also have enough support and opportunity to help us do so.

The Pope, Uranus and Pluto

Pope Francis has called an “extraordinary synod” of bishops who have traveled to the Vatican from around the globe to discuss church policies from October 5 to 19, 2014. Mercury retrograde should be helpful to them as they review surveys of family religious attitudes and rehash the church’s stance on divorce, contraception and homosexuality. Uranus square Pluto is obviously at work here, as the bishops are analyzing parishioners’ contemporary behavior (Uranus) in the light of Church dogma (Pluto). Given this astrological signature, there’s a good chance for innovation.

Francis was born on December 17, 1936 at 9:00 PM in Buenos Aires, according to Astrodatabank. With an out-of-sign Uranus square Pluto in his own birth chart, he’s been called a “herald of change” by commentators. And in the Jesuit manner, the Pope’s thinking has inspired open discussions at the synod.

In addition, his Mercury at 11 Capricorn 49 is conjoined by transiting Pluto as the synod progresses. The Uranus-Pluto square already activated Francis’ Mercury in 2013 when he requested that every diocese around the world survey its families.

The Catholic Church doesn’t often hold this type of unusual meet-up. The previous one, known as Vatican II, was held from 1962 to 1965. Uranus was exactly conjunct Pluto in October of 1965 when the talks ended. After that time, mass began to be celebrated in local languages and priests turned to face the congregation. These were noticeable, if not monumental reforms, and we can expect similar developments when the bishops formulate new guidelines next year as the Uranus-Pluto square winds down. But given Catholic lifestyles in communities around the world as well as the Pope’s compassionate attitude, there’s hope that the new policies will be more inclusive and better reflect our changing times.

Evangeline’s Autumn Forecast

While Evangeline Adams never wrote the typical 12-sign horoscope column we know today, she did write other kinds of weekly columns that were syndicated in many papers around the country. In these, she often described the characteristics of the signs and tried to offer a transit forecast for the coming year for people born within 10 days of a certain date. In addition, she used other cookbook-like approaches to give some idea of the upcoming astrological weather. Consider the following, which was printed in 1922, but can apply to the fall of 2014 (I’ve updated the periods it refers to):

The fact that the Sun and Venus travel side by side from mid-September through November indicates more harmony may exist in the world and more will be accomplished along constructive lines. In fact, everything should be done to establish confidence and optimism.

We can immediately see that she associates the Sun with confidence and optimism and Venus with harmony. But cookbooks have obvious limitations. The Sun and Venus in Libra in October may strengthen the need for harmony, since Venus is accentuated in one of its own signs. Yet they’ll both become part of a T-square with the Uranus-Pluto square mid-month. Is this peaceful? Or not? Any sense of harmony in the world will be challenged and we’ll need to find new and unique ways of expressing it.