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Get It?

I woke up and turned on the radio. The BBC was interviewing some foreign English speakers and I couldn’t understand a word. I changed the station and found a preachy Sunday sermon that put me back to sleep. I’m suddenly getting all kinds of calls from survey-takers and recorded marketers. I recently wrote some checks that bounced.

Of course, these kinds of things could happen any time. But why all of them at once? And why now? This month, Mercury squares Neptune, turns retrograde, then squares Neptune again. This is an astrological influence well beyond your typical Mercury retrograde mishaps and misunderstandings. And it’ll repeat itself all over again when Mercury turns direct in June and squares Neptune once again.

But now that we’re aware of it, we can try really hard to be sure we understand exactly what’s going on. Mercury is in Gemini, so logic should prevail. Neptune is in Pisces, so our intuition can be strong, too. It’s the point where they intersect that creates blind spots.

Repeat back what someone told you, just in case. Double check the e-mail recipients before clicking “send.” Print out the directions – don’t assume you’ll remember them. And write down your dreams – they’ll make more sense later on!

Billy Joel’s Saturn Children

Taurean singer Billy Joel and his partner Alexis Roderick recently announced that they are expecting a baby this summer. Joel’s only other child, Alexa Ray, is 29 years old. This is astrologically significant since it indicates the return of a Saturn cycle for Billy Joel and having children. (Most women, of course, couldn’t accomplish this feat without massive hormonal intervention.)

At the time of Joel’s announcement, Saturn was at 4 Sagittarius, transiting his 5th house of children. Alexa Ray was born on December 29, 1985, when Saturn was just under 5 Sagittarius. The new baby will be born at around the time of Saturn’s station at 28 Scorpio 17, squaring Joel’s natal Saturn at 29-1/2 Leo, and less than 6 degrees from the exact place that Saturn transited when Alexa Ray was born, still in his 5th house.

While not technically exact, this is an excellent, straightforward example of the repetitive nature of Saturn’s transit cycles. Though most people will not experience such a striking repetition of similar events!

Billy Joel was born on May 9, 1949 at 9:30 AM in the Bronx, rated AA (from his birth certificate) on Astrodatabank.

Hillary Announces Run

Hillary Clinton announced her run for the 2016 presidential race on April 12, 2015 at around 3:02 pm*. This becomes the natal horoscope for her campaign, and we can analyze the development and possible outcome of the campaign with this chart. An event chart like this one is read like a horary.

The Ascendant is 0 Virgo – with the suggestion of it being “too soon.” Fair enough – it’s a kick-off announcement a year and a half before the election. The Ascendant rules Hillary herself – the party initiating the event. Virgo is ruled by Mercury in the 9th combust the Sun. Hillary’s ruler is elevated in the horoscope, but the Sun rules her 12th house – her liabilities. Her current message may be obscured by previous questions about her official e-mails and other voter concerns. However the campaign should be able to outpace these issues as Mercury moves away from the Sun by the end of April.

The Sun conjoins both Mercury and Uranus in Aries in the 9th house. Talk about a world-wide announcement! This one packs a punch with the Sun exalted in Aries. And the Uranus-style notice was made with e-mails, in an online video and on Twitter.

Venus in the 10th ruling the Taurus Midheaven highlights the prestige of the presidential office. Venus opposes Saturn, an indication of the challenges therein. But the Moon in Aquarius (co-ruling Hillary) will trine Venus and sextile Saturn from the cusp of the 6th house: Hillary is up for the challenge and will work hard and pursue an independent course to achieve her goals.

An astrologer would probably not have chosen the angular T-square of Venus in the 10th, Saturn in the 4th and Neptune in the 7th house. But Neptune in the 7th rules Hillary’s opponents (“open enemies” astrologically). And while they may blow smokescreens to confuse the issues, they are also not the most effective.

Saturn in the 4th is grounded, but as significator of the “end of the matter,” it may not be propitious. We must look to Hillary’s birth chart to see how the planets are influencing her personally.

The flaws in the announcement horoscope ultimately don’t matter that much. President Obama, for instance, had a void-of-course Moon for his February, 2007 election bid. The more important things to consider are the candidate’s birth chart, the astrological weather at the time of the campaign and election, and transits and progressions to the natal chart. Unfortunately we may not have a definitive birth chart for Hillary Clinton. That’s a topic for another post.

*The NewYorkTimes.com stated that Clinton’s 2-minute video announcement was released “just after 3 p.m.” on April 12, 2015. I used her campaign headquarters in Brooklyn Heights for the location.

A Brooklyn Tragedy

On March 21, 2015, Gayle and Gabriel Sassoon’s home in Brooklyn was destroyed by fire, killing seven of their eight children. Can we anticipate such an extreme event astrologically? And how would it look? Heavy transiting planets often activate the natal chart at momentous times like these.

This was an electrical fire that changed the fate of a large family literally overnight. Must be Uranus, right? But the overwhelming extent of the devastation also suggests Pluto. Of course, the long-term transit of Uranus square Pluto was exact less than two weeks before the fire, strengthening these energies and creating a major upheaval. We are all affected by the Uranus square Pluto trend, but those whose birth charts they contact most closely will feel their effects more strongly. And of course, most of us will not experience such an unusual tragedy, which will be seen in birth chart patterns as well.

Gabriel Sassoon was born on April 28, 1972 according to public records. His full Moon chart with the Sun in Taurus and Moon in Scorpio suggests a life of drama, at least from time to time, as well as complex issues surrounding his home life. The Moon in Scorpio, while in its fall, is nevertheless fruitful when considering children astrologically. With Jupiter trining and sextiling his Sun-Moon opposition, he was also lucky. One certainly can’t consider him lucky in losing most of a large family, but he did survive, being away at a religious retreat at the time of the fire. This combination of luck and tragedy is indicated by his Jupiter in Capricorn, the sign of its fall. There is loss, but something remains. Transiting Neptune also sextiled the Sun trine Jupiter birth chart pattern, providing solace in religion.

Sassoon’s Saturn closely opposes Neptune, showing a need to balance practical reality and ideals. The Sassoons were orthodox Jews, and this resonates with Saturn’s focus on tradition and Neptune’s on ideology. Transiting Saturn at its stationary point strengthened its effects. It closely conjoined Gabriel’s Neptune and opposed his Saturn at the time of the accident, presenting a major change and removing his established security. He was pushed into a new phase as we so often are with Saturn.  Perhaps this combination also shows the negligence in not installing smoke alarms on the family’s main floors.

Gabriel Sassoon also has Uranus opposite Mercury in his birth chart. The transiting Uranus square Pluto pattern exactly squared Uranus. Here is the overwhelming sudden and unexpected event which changed everything forever.

We can see in this example how each of the heavier transiting planets added to the overall event. While no one but a psychic could have foreseen exactly how things would fall out, Uranus and Pluto did forecast a sudden, irrevocable change, and Saturn inevitably moved Sassoon into a new phase of his life. Neptune brought about a confusing event where he lacked the ability to rescue his family. Jupiter allowed him to survive. With a properly timed birth chart, we would know even more. And certainly looking at eclipses, declinations and other astrological tools would fill out this sad story and help us better understand how it happened.

Hardwiring Happiness

We are biologically evolved to react to danger and thus remember the bad times – those with the best fight-or-flight response survived. Yet neuropsychologist Rick Hanson, PhD, building on the work of many recent authors, claims that we can actively train our mental happiness pathways to compensate for this bias in order to lead happier lives.

The practice he recommends is very different from simple affirmations. The exercises to promote the happiness pathways in our brains reminded me of acting exercises that I had in school to conjure up a mood. Readers are encouraged to “take in the good,” becoming more aware of and responsive to positive situations all around us every day, with many examples of how to do so.

I found this premise very intriguing and also reminiscent of simply counting our blessings. The author goes on to suggest developing the technique to overcome habits, free yourself from old emotional wounds and learn new skills. I’m not sure that someone who’s not astrologically predisposed for focus and discipline can really get this technique to work on their own for more significant issues, and perhaps it makes more sense for shorter-term and general outlook.

This book is easy to read and may have been more effective at a shorter length. But it seems like a great idea and I’m already trying it with success!

Rudy Giuliani and Neptune

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has returned to the center of media attention for his controversial remarks about President Obama. At a 2/18/15 dinner for a potential Republican presidential candidate, he stated that Obama “doesn’t love America.” News outlets leapt to cover his remarks. Giuliani almost immediately reported receiving death threats. Some commentators suggested that the Mayor’s statements were racially motivated. And a You-Tube video from a black adolescent in Georgia, defending Giuliani, went viral. All of these effects are due to Neptune’s influence.

Barbara Watters describes one of Neptune’s actions as diffusion – spreading over a wide area. It relates to the loss of the individual ego as it merges with the collective. Giuliani’s thoughts are in keeping with partisan political rhetoric; there’s nothing new in Republicans calling Democrats un-American and linking them with Socialists and Communists. Yet partisan politics, at its worst, is blind allegiance, the opposite of thoughtful commentary. Neptune sets off emotional reactions – a story “going viral” implies infection or a malicious attack. We’re intuitively drawn to fight both, further spreading the story.

Rudy Giuliani was born on May 28, 1944 in Brooklyn, NY (rated “A” on Astrodatabank).  He has Neptune rising in trine to his Sun in the 9th house. He’s no stranger to controversy, but was also hailed as “America’s Mayor” for his leadership following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Transiting Neptune at that time was closely trining his Sun, a flowing aspect, and Giuliani was perfectly in tune with its trend. The collective needed assurance and Giuliani provided it. There were more flags displayed at that time than on the 4th of July as individuals merged into the collective of America.

Giuliani is still the same person, but his message isn’t playing out in the same way. Neptune is now exactly squaring his Sun – and a square doesn’t have the ease and acceptance of the trine aspect; he’s now at least somewhat at odds with prevailing trends. However it can still generate much attention. Neptune will square Giuliani’s Sun again from late 2015 to early 2016 – so we can expect some more news from him at that time.

Many politicians have significant Neptune placements in their birth charts. These may indicate idealism and faith or misconduct and corruption – and perhaps a little of both. We can also use Neptune as a forecasting tool, indicating whether collective trends will be in favor of a particular candidate. President Obama has the Sun square Neptune in his natal horoscope. For the 2012 presidential election, transiting Neptune was in his first house, trining his Venus. His opponents Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan both has transiting Neptune squaring their Ascendants. One aspect can never be dispositive, but this example highlights an obvious one.

Brian Williams, Uranus and Pluto

As a generational influence, the Uranus-Pluto square has provoked many tumultuous events around the world in recent years. But it also impacts on individuals. Brian Williams was put on a six-month hiatus from his anchor duties at NBC on February 10, 2015, and it’s up to Uranus and Pluto to decide if he’s coming back.

The first astrological question to ask is, Does Williams’ natal horoscope indicate the possibility of a fall from grace? The answer is an obvious Yes.

Born on May 5, 1959 in Elmira, New York according to Wikipedia, Williams has been a news anchor for over 20 years, winning 12 Emmys along the way. His Sun in Taurus makes him comfortable in a well-paying, steady job. Yet his Sun also closely squares Uranus. While Uranus may be the most appropriate planet for live, over-the-airwaves broadcasts, giving Williams the ability to cover swiftly developing news stories, it can still backfire from time to time, bringing about unexpected and even radical developments in his life and career.

Williams also has Mars opposed to Saturn in Capricorn, a planetary combination that demands accuracy and hard work. Disciplinary action will result when he doesn’t follow the rules, since Saturn in its own sign is much stronger than Mars.

Williams’ Sun opposite Neptune suggests the possibility of exaggeration, but it’s a wide aspect, in keeping with the limited questions about the accuracy of his statements in the past. Transiting Neptune had just trined its natal place, and along with Mercury retrograde, revealed the errors in the statements he made on the news on February 3.

Yet transiting Uranus and Pluto are the true players in this astrological drama, and the reason this story has caught the public’s attention. The incident has impacted on Williams personally, but it’s part of the larger influence of the transiting Uranus-Pluto square, being drawn on a bigger canvas. Broadcast news has gotten much softer in recent years, with personalities and popularity playing a larger part. We’re as likely to see heartwarming stories as hard news.

Transiting Uranus is just leaving a trine to Williams’ natal Uranus. This is a generational aspect, but one which usually does provide for more of a sense of autonomy and freedom. And the events have developed over the airwaves and the Internet, attracting a wide audience, in keeping with Uranus’ energies.

Pluto, though, is responsible for the intensity of the fallout. Transiting in Capricorn, it exactly opposed Brian Williams’ Mars, bringing a strong response from the network authorities. But Pluto also exactly trined his Sun at the same time, telling us that it may, indeed, be time to move on, since Pluto often ushers in a new phase in our lives. These aspects continue throughout 2015, so Williams is in a transitionary phase, but nevertheless a powerful one. He has the tenacity and assertiveness to capitalize on his mistakes this year, and will no doubt be negotiating a rich settlement if NBC insists that he step down.

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.