Tag Archives: New York City

The Astrology of a Derailment

Whenever a horoscope in longitude doesn’t reveal the obvious, I turn to declination, our alternate measurement in astrology. Declination can help us better understand the tragic train derailment in the Bronx on Sunday, December 1, 2013 at 7:20 AM.

The regular horoscope for the crash has the Moon, Mercury and Saturn in Scorpio conjunct the 12th house (an intense experience), Sun rising in Sagittarius trine Uranus (unexpected events in travel) and Mars opposite Neptune (engineer dozing at the controls?). But it doesn’t really have the most obvious things we expect from an accident of this magnitude. Four were killed and over 60 injured, many critically.

Turn on the declination grid and everything stands out more clearly. The Sun in Sagittarius is parallel Pluto and closely parallel the Ascendant. Then powerful Jupiter in Cancer contraparallels Pluto and tightly contraparallels both the Ascendant and the Sun. This pattern more clearly presents a situation where destruction (Pluto) from excessive speed (Jupiter) is possible. In addition, there’s an exact Mars parallel Uranus as well, the two planets most often associated with accidents and sudden crises.

Venus in Capricorn had been Out of Bounds in declination (beyond the planets’ usual path on the ecliptic) for a number of weeks at the time of the accident. The odd coincidence is that the train’s engineer has this placement in his birth chart as well! Venus OOB generally represents one with an artistic temperament or the tendency to “love not wisely but too well,” as Kt Boehrer put it. Extraordinary relationships are possible. Certainly the engineer is now unfortunately in the midst of unusually challenging relationship issues involving the passengers, his employers and government authorities (transiting Venus OOB in Capricorn). Venus goes Out of Bounds only once every 8 years or so for a few months.

Perhaps the prominence of the benefics Venus and Jupiter in this disaster accounts for the fact that not many lives were lost. At the end of the Thanksgiving weekend, there were fewer passengers to the City than usual at such an early hour.

Declination measures planets north and south of the equator and their aspects in parallel and contraparallel. This may at first appear a bit simplistic, but as we can see, declination can provide information that we may not find in longitude. It truly adds another dimension to astrology.

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.

Uranus square Pluto and New York City

The dynamic duo of Uranus square Pluto leaps forward, zapping the New York City horoscope and initiating a new episode in the City’s history throughout 2013 to early 2014.  It suggests a time of great transition that opens a new phase of experience, associated with sudden and unusual events and large scale changes in circumstances.  It favors reclaiming what works, as well as experimenting with new ideas.

Evangeline Adams described Uranus as bringing about epoch-making conditions, temporary uncertainty, and feelings of an unsettled or hectic time.  She added that, “Fate may seem to shuffle your cards,” and that we should “guard against fantastic schemes and unscrupulous promoters.”

Pluto unflinchingly breaks down the old and worn-out while recycling the best.  While this transit can empower the City and transform its identity, there could also be power struggles and conflicts with authority.  The bureaucracy may struggle for control before it’s restructured and overthrown by something more efficient. 

Hurricane Sandy seems to have been one of the events that kicked off the transit just a few months before the exact “hits,” demanding Pluto’s restoration and Uranus’ innovation.  Some 2013 events that reflect Uranus square Pluto include:

 Expansion of recycling to include most plastics;

Completion of the Freedom Tower;

Micro apartments certified and moving forward;

Thousands of new wheelchair-accessible cabs and green cabs in outer boroughs.

Citibikes program started with approximately 5,000 bikes;

#7 subway extension and Second Avenue line under construction toward 2014 and 2016 openings;

Repair and rehabilitation of the Brooklyn Bridge from 2011 to 2014;

Movement of business away from banks and toward technology.

The Sun relates to leadership and after 12 years with Michael Bloomberg, the City will have a new mayor in January of 2014.  (The City has not had a Democrat as mayor in 20 years.)  I believe that these shifts will be part of some major developments.

New York City is facing a $2 billion+ budget gap.  It has tremendously growing pension and healthcare obligations for its workers.  And contracts with 300,000 in municipal unions have expired in the last 3-4 years and remain to be negotiated.  Pluto will be pushing the new administration to make tough choices. We hope that Uranus will also offer some unique and innovative solutions. 

 For astrologers, Greater New York was created on 1/1/1898 at 12:01 AM.  New York’s Jupiter, Ascendant, Sun and Midheaven form a T-square in the cardinal signs Libra, Capricorn and Cancer, balancing the arts, business and home life.  Transiting Pluto hits this pattern throughout 2013.  Transiting Uranus galvanizes it from early 2013 through early 2014.