Category Archives: cycles

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.

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.

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.

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.

Barbara Walters and Saturn

TV journalist Barbara Walters is probably one of the best known women in her field. With the Sun, Mercury, Mars and Ascendant in Libra, she became known not only for presenting the news, but also for her relationships with the great, near-great, famous and infamous people she interviewed. Typically Libra, she projected a cool and classy image that attracted others to her.

On May 16, 2014, Barbara appeared for the final time on her show The View, where she’d had success since 1997. Born on September 29, 1929 at 6:50 AM in Boston, Massachusetts, Walters turned 84 towards the end of 2013 and experienced her Uranus return from 2013 to early 2014, a transit that typically occurs in the 84th year. This transit is a major one for those who live to experience it. For Barbara, with natal Uranus in the 6th house, the return marks the end of a major part of her working life in the Uranian field of television broadcasting.

But it is Saturn, who so reliably marks periods of life change, that pinpoints the timing of Walters’ career transition. Transiting her second house of income and exactly trining her Pluto conjunct the 10th house of status and reputation at her last appearance, Saturn has allowed her to gracefully sign off from a fabulous career.

Daylight Savings Time

We turn the clocks ahead an hour on March 9th, and will experience Daylight Savings Time until early November. Certainly the days have already gotten longer, the only sign of spring since we’ve continued to have such cold temperatures this year. I’m always thrown off by these time changes, which affect our circadian rhythms, but bureaucracies around the world continue to adhere to them.

We’ve had DST from March to November since 2007. Going back to the 50s, it was April to October. From the 20s, it was April to September, so we’re in a trend of more DST. There are conflicting opinions as to whether this saves energy, as originally intended by thrifty Capricorn Ben Franklin. I vividly recall the years 1974 and 1975 during the energy crisis, when Daylight Time started in January and February. We would get up to get ready for school and it was still completely dark! A friend awoke one morning, took her shower, turned on the radio, and only then realized it was just 3:00 AM – it was hard to tell the difference in those days.

Astrologers try to keep track of all of these changes, since the hours’ difference can make for important changes in a horoscope. States like Illinois and Pennsylvania have had confusing time standards for record-keeping, and states like Indiana and Tennessee, which border two time zones, also make for challenges in calculating birth charts.

Arizona, Hawaii, Guam the Virgin Islands and other U.S. territories do not observe DST. These places are closer to the equator, and their periods of daylight do not vary as much over the years.

Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Horoscope

He had a fabulous career, fame, wealth, beautiful kids and a long-time partner. What more could anyone want? Still, Philip Seymour Hoffman died of a drug overdose. Does his horoscope show his enormous talent as well as drug dependence?

Hoffman was born on July 23, 1967 and unfortunately we don’t have his time of birth. We don’t know his Ascendant sign, if he had the Sun in Leo or Cancer or the Moon in Aquarius or Pisces. The Sun conjunct Jupiter could point toward both success and excess, but that aspect is a little wide to be so definitive. The Sun closely square Mars in Scorpio shows his ambition and drive and perhaps unchecked compulsions, since Mars also conjoins the South Node. Mercury in Cancer exactly squares Saturn in Aries, suggesting someone willing to work for success but also the possibility of anxiety and insecurity.

Hoffman’s horoscope does not have many aspects and the “easy” ones predominate over the challenges. But even without a time of birth, I would expect more dynamic patterns from the unusual events in the actor’s life, particularly from the outer planets.

If we consider declination, the horoscope leaps out at us. The Sun parallels Mercury, Jupiter and Pluto, which seems a more appropriate pattern for the kind of intensity and extremes of experience that Hoffman encountered. In addition, Neptune and perhaps the Moon also contraparallel the Sun, Mercury, Jupiter and Pluto. Success, facility, luck, obsession and the desire to transcend reality are all here. The Jupiter-Pluto-Neptune pattern is very tight (less than a degree and a half all around) and accentuates this combination.

It’s also worth noting that like many of his generation, Philip Seymour Hoffman has Uranus conjunct Pluto in his birth chart. With Uranus square Pluto at the time of his death on February 2, 2014, he becomes a symbol of the possibilities of this pattern – both its highs and lows.

Chris Christie Inauguration Horoscope

Governor Chris Christie is having a tough year – and it’s only January. He had to cancel his inauguration party due to a snowstorm. But he should have picked a better time to be sworn in if he wanted to avoid a snowstorm of legal issues.

Things can abruptly change when you have Uranus squaring your Mars and opposing your Mercury as Christie does. You don’t really have control over what’s going on around you. Unfortunately, inauguration dates are generally not that flexible and Christie re-upped his governorship on January 21, 2014 at approximately 11:30 AM in Trenton, NJ with a grand cross of Venus-Mars-Jupiter-Uranus and Pluto. Litigious Pluto right up in the 9th house of partisanship and legal issues suggests that Federal lawsuits and State investigations will work their way dramatically through the courts.

The astrology of the situation is unfortunately rather obvious. Yet the Governor is no believer, stating at his State of the State address recently that “Choice, not chance, determines your destiny.” Really?

Christie, however, represented by the Sun in the 10th house trine the Moon in Libra in the inaugural horoscope, should probably retain his position and a good amount of his public popularity. However nothing is certain until after Uranus’ aspects perfect in February.