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Scotland Independence

Scotland went to the polls on September 18, 2014 at 7:00 AM to decide its future. Would it split from the UK and become independent? Based on the horoscope for the event, it’s clear why the answer was No!

The Sun rises in Virgo, giving Scotland, the initiator, a strong self-identity. Yet it’s in a mutable sign and no aspects to the Sun reflect autonomy. It conjoins Venus in the 12th house, showing peacefulness and a passive bent. The Sun also sextiles Saturn in Scorpio in the 3rd house, putting Scotland in close and agreeable contact with the authorities.

Perhaps more importantly, the Moon in Cancer in the 10th house also indicates the authorities, and there appears to be a significant sense of security coming from the Queen and her kingdom – another angular placement which is possibly as strong as the Sun rising. And finally, the Moon approaches a sextile to the Sun, so Scotland retains its relationship and the stability of the past flows smoothly into the future.

Of course, there are signs of a need to break away as well, otherwise there wouldn’t have been a vote at all. The transiting square of Uranus and Pluto created a T-square with the Moon in Cancer, but at the time the polls opened, the Moon had already passed its aspects to these two disruptive planets and was approaching its sextile to the Sun. Pluto was in the angular 4th house of the homeland, but its interception in the sign of Capricorn also weakened its influence.

In addition, Jupiter in the 11th house in Leo is a strong influence for the values of the authorities (as the 11th house is the 2nd from the 10th), and Jupiter trined Uranus, showing once again the ability to work things out. Jupiter will also square Saturn, perhaps indicating future frustrations, but taken together, the aspects for the status quo do outweigh those for independence. Although the final vote was only 54% for remaining part of the United Kingdom, the astrology is much clearer than the actual votes, as often happens.

Joan Rivers – Astro Obvious

Celebrity horoscopes are often complicated, hard to analyze and understand. Joan Rivers’ chart is not one of them! It’s refreshing to consider a horoscope that almost interprets itself.

Aries rising: candid, courageous, vital, endless energy.

Uranus in Aries rising: vivacious, outrageous, frenetic, irrepressible, strong personal identity, original, trailblazer, remained relevant for over 50 years.

Sun in Gemini in 3rd house: fast-talker, ideas and communications central to her self-expression, youthful.

Uranus sextile Mercury and Venus in Gemini conjunct IC: ease of expression, attractive, quirky interest in home and family, beauty and fashion.

Uranus square Pluto in the 5th: unusual, intense personality, broke from conventions of her generation; extremes of comedy vs. tragedy in life, associated with daughter.

Moon in Sagittarius in the 9th house: funny, spirited, brash, generous, adventuresome, world-traveler, potty-mouth, top college grad.

Full Moon: dramatic events in life.

Mars conjunct Jupiter in Virgo in 6th house: outspoken critic, edgy, self-deprecating, workaholic, excessive plastic surgery (Jupiter also conjoins Neptune in Virgo in 6).

T-square in mutable signs (Sun-Moon-Mars-Jupiter): constantly active, keeps up with people and the times; extremely motivated.

Saturn in Aquarius in 11th closely trine Sun and sextile Moon (dignified by sign and outlet for T-square’s energies): consistent pursuit of goals, long career, hard-worker, overcomes adversity.

Capricorn on the Midheaven: consistent pursuit of goals, long career, hard-worker.

Moon Out of Bounds in Declination: anomalous female, unusual lifestyle, focus on women’s issues, vacillating/intense connection with daughter; pushes the limits of acceptability.

Mercury exactly conjunct Venus with both Out of Bounds: goes beyond the norm in use of mind, personal relationships; successful author of many books.

At Death:
Transiting Uranus returns to the 1st house and sextiles natal Sun and Saturn; trines the Moon: abrupt flight, did not suffer.

Transiting Pluto through the 10th trine Jupiter-Neptune midpoint in the 6th: change in health status, career celebrated.

Transiting Saturn in Scorpio in the 8th trine natal Pluto: transcending physical plane.

Transiting Mars in Scorpio through the 8th inconjunct 1st house Uranus (trigger): sudden change.

Joan Rivers was born on June 8, 1933 at 2:00 AM a.m. in Brooklyn, New York, rated “A” by Astrodatabank.

Qualities of the Signs

The cardinal, fixed and mutable qualities in astrology describe various personal characteristics. Most of us have some of each quality, but many horoscopes show a preponderance of one or another.

The fixed signs give commitment and follow-through. They’re helpful in overcoming adversity, maintaining long-term relationships, pursuing a lawsuit or achieving definite goals. People with strong fixed signs in their horoscopes know how to focus on one thing and see it through to its completion. However they may find it hard to change. They tend to be insensitive to the signals for change outside of themselves and can become stuck in habitual ways of doing things.

Those with strong mutable signs are just the opposite. They easily adapt to people, circumstances and situations and can juggle many things at once. Al H. Morrison felt that mutable energy aids all personal and professional relationships, as it provides the give and take necessary for all interactions. However mutable people often have difficulty with situations that demand persistence and follow-through.

Those with an emphasis on cardinal signs in their horoscopes are not as obvious or simple to understand. Cardinal people provide the forces for change in the world. A strongly cardinal person will feel impatient, annoyed, frustrated or anxious if they feel thwarted in their goals and ambitions. They’ll address obstacles from different directions until they overcome them.

Cardinals spearhead developments, while fixed signs may find it hard to begin projects. Once started, though, fixed people move forward steadily, but it may be difficult for them to stop. Mutables easily start something new but there are always other things that attract their attention.

Aries, which is cardinal and fire, can be seen as the most cardinal sign, since it effectively harnesses the fiery energy to move ahead with initiative. Taurus, which is fixed earth, may be the most fixed sign since it’s heavy and bound in matter. Gemini, representing mutable air, could be the most mutable as it’s light and responsive. It’s interesting that these are the first three signs of the zodiac.

A strong Mercury and Jupiter may compensate for a lack of mutable signs in a chart. A strong Pluto might provide the stick-to-it-iveness that someone lacking fixed signs needs. And a strong Mars or Saturn could make up for a deficiency in cardinal signs in a horoscope. There are so many elements to astrology that whatever the tendencies of the signs, there’s a wealth of other energies to draw upon.

Lauren Becall and New York

Lauren Becall died on August 12, 2014 at her home in the Dakota Apartments. While best known for her success in Hollywood, she was born in Manhattan. Her Moon in Aries closely conjoined NYC’s Moon, making her a quintessential New Yorker: she resonated with the City and lived here for most of her 89 years.

Becall’s family was Jewish, from Poland, and she grew up in the Bronx, Brooklyn and the Upper West Side. As a teenager, she studied acting and ballet and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan. She modeled and was discovered through a Harper’s Bazaar magazine photograph, going to Hollywood at 18. Her films didn’t always succeed or garner rave reviews but she enjoyed marriage and a family with Humphrey Bogart. She returned to Manhattan in 1958, where she spent the rest of her life.

Becall’s Aries Moon gave her a tough, no-nonsense side, but she could also be charming. In her interviews and autobiographies, she was typically Aries – blunt, honest and direct. She was impatient with the public’s continued interest in her partnership with Bogart decades after his death.

Lauren Becall starred on Broadway beginning in 1959. She won Tony Awards for Applause in 1970 and Woman of the Year in 1981. Her prominent Moon gave her a big splash while young and often attracted media attention, but her more substantial success occurred in her 40s and 50s. Saturn opposed her Aries Moon in the 10th house and squared her Ascendant, and Saturn may delay things.

Becall’s Moon and the angular houses of her horoscope line up with NYC’s angles, showing a significant connection. In relationships, this often signals a prominent influence on one another. NYC’s Ascendant and Jupiter in Libra conjoined her 4th house, providing her with a lovely and expansive home base. Her Moon opposite Saturn fell in NY’s angular 7th and 1st houses. Her first house Venus in Leo fell in the City’s 10th, showing how her attractive appearance initially brought her success in NY. Her natal Pluto in Cancer was behind-the-scenes in her 12th house, but tightly conjoined the City’s Midheaven. So her inner angst and personal struggles were very much aligned with the fabric of NY and the City provided a showcase for her strengths. She never seemed spoiled by success or deterred by misfortune; rather, she often reminded us that life is what you choose to make it.

Lauren Becall was born on 9/16/24 at 2:00 AM according to her 1978 autobiography.

Robin Williams, Uranus and Pluto

Robin Williams’ tight Mars-Uranus conjunction exactly trined his ascendant – making his manic, unpredictable energy his most prominent characteristic. Mars was Out of Bounds in declination in his birth chart and nearly exactly parallel Uranus as well, reinforcing the role these two planets played in his life.

Mars and Uranus were also closely parallel intense and complicated Pluto, and so Williams actually had a triple parallel of Mars, Uranus and Pluto – with the Uranus-Pluto parallel the closest aspect in declination in his birth chart. He was very much an expression of these planets’ energies.

When we think of the characteristics of Uranus-Pluto that have been described in many recent astrology articles, they include upheavals, extreme conditions and sometimes radical or revolutionary change. Robin Williams’ career and personal life also reflected these characteristics, ranging from happy marriages, beautiful homes, loving family and an Academy Award, to lawsuits, divorce, box-office flops and substance abuse. While the public often saw the manic side of his personality, he was reported to suffer from deep depression.

The transiting Uranus-Pluto square of course played a role in Robin Williams’ death. Transiting Uranus squared Mars and Uranus in his birth chart earlier this year. And transiting Pluto was beginning a long station exactly opposed to both natal Mars and Uranus at the time of his death. True to these planets, he was unpredictable to the end.

Robin Williams was born on July 21, 1951 at 1:34 PM in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, according to his birth certificate and Astrodatabank.

Shift Work and Biological Clock

A recent research report in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine concluded that shift workers were 9% more likely to develop diabetes. Among men who worked shifts, the likelihood rose to over 35%; men working rotating shifts had a 42% greater risk of developing diabetes. The Chinese researchers considered 12 previously published studies with a total of over 225,000 people.

Shift work disrupts the sleep-wake cycle, hormones and many body chemicals. The researchers suggested that for men, the hormone testosterone is linked to circadian rhythms, and lower levels of testosterone are associated with the development of diabetes.

While the study could not claim a cause and effect relationship, circadian rhythms are defined as those based on a 24-hour cycle: our daily rhythms of life and internal clock. And these are of course determined by the Sun! While this is, strictly speaking, not astrology, it shows that our health is directly linked to our experience of the Sun’s cycle.

Libra Rules the Kidneys

No matter how deeply we look at astrology’s archetypes, they continue to remain meaningful. Take Libra’s traditional rulership of the kidneys, for example.

Dr. Rich Snyder says in his book, What you Must Know About Kidney Disease, that “the kidneys have a kind of ‘sixth sense,’ in that as they filter the blood, they instinctively know when the body is out of balance. When it is, the kidneys correct it.” (p. 7) The kidneys regulate the electrolyte balance, acid/base balance and salt balance of the body. Adjusting sodium helps maintain normal blood pressure.

Of course we know that Libra is also ruled by the scales and is all about balance. But how fascinating to see that medically the Libra-ruled kidneys work in the same way, too!

Marijuana in New York

Governor Cuomo signed New York’s medical marijuana bill into law on July 7, 2014 at 1:00 pm in Manhattan. With a wide angular grand cross on the angles of the horoscope for this event, it’s an important major development, despite the fact that New York is the 23rd State to allow medical marijuana and its law one of the most restrictive. Marijuana in NY will be legal only for doctors to use in treating serious illnesses like cancer, epilepsy, AIDS and MS. (Source for the chart data is wibv.com.)

With the Moon in Scorpio conjoining Saturn, the horoscope shows the significant limitations and focus of the law. The question now becomes one of practical implementation. Saturn also forms a tight yod with Venus in Gemini and Uranus in Aries. So the authorities (Saturn) are in effect making exceptions (Uranus) to help people be more comfortable (Venus). A 10-year-old girl with epilepsy, a patient who might be helped by medical marijuana, accompanied the governor as he signed the bill. She was clearly represented by Venus in Gemini.

The transiting Uranus-Pluto square, along with the Sun in Cancer and Mars in Libra, formed a cardinal grand cross conjoining the Ascendant, 4th house, 7th and Midheaven of the horoscope. This extremely dynamic figure also contains Jupiter in Cancer in the 10th which squares Mars. It was easy for the governor’s office to get publicity for this event! The North Node in Libra in the 1st house also becomes part of the wide grand cross pattern. So this development is part of a longer-term trend.

In Brooklyn the next day, D.A. Kenneth Thompson announced that he will no longer prosecute low-level marijuana possession charges, especially for first offenders or users under 17. This has raised some controversy since the other NYC boroughs won’t make similar changes at this time.

Neptune rules intoxicants as well as medicine and compassion. Developments involving use of marijuana in NY may have to do with transiting Neptune nearly exactly squaring NYC’s Saturn in Sagittarius. This aspect will repeat throughout 2015, so there should be more news surrounding these issues in the coming months.

Rangel and Retro

Congressman Charlie Rangel appears to have once again won the primary election for his Harlem seat against Adriano Espaillat. If this seems like a déjà vu, it’s because the contest was run under Mercury retrograde – and the two candidates had already faced each other two years ago with similar results. We’ve gotten a re-run.

Rangel has told reporters and his wife that this is the last time he’ll run. At 84, perhaps he’s winding down. But with his track record as well as Mercury retrograde at the time of his statement, I wonder if he’ll reconsider when his term is up again in two more years.

Despite ethics scandals in recent years and changes in his district that now make for a Hispanic majority, Rangel, first elected in 1971, has won a 23rd term in the House by a small margin. Born on June 11, 1930, Rangel’s Mercury and Mars are in fixed sign Taurus. Once focused on an idea he has tremendous staying power. Since Mars also trines his Saturn in Capricorn he also has the ability to direct much of his energy (Mars) into productively achieving his goals (Saturn).

Zen Koan

An ancient zen koan says: “The enlightened man is at one with the law of causation.” What does this mean? I think it has something to do with our ideas of fate and free will.

We ordinarily think of the concepts of fate and free will as two opposite things. The Chinese master from the 13th century who recorded the koan, however, is suggesting that they are both parts of one whole, like dice which reveal multiple faces.

I’m a very martian person and I often wonder if things would fall into place without my ever taking the initiative. But first of all, because Mars is so prominent in my horoscope, it’s quite difficult for me not to act. And I imagine that things would fall out differently if I could control myself and be more patient or passive.

Still, I think the zen koan implies that I should try to let things go, to not be so attached to results and to try to go with the flow of the Universe more. It doesn’t appear to say that I can ever totally over-ride or escape “causation.” That would mean trying to control the Universe, which the Greeks would have called hubris.

Being an astrologer, however, I also think there’s room to consider that I’m here for a reason, which is indicated in my horoscope. And that, too, is part of the causation that I find myself in. Living that reality, it seems to me, may also be part of being “at one with the law of causation.”

Of course, when we do become enlightened, all will be crystal clear!