Downfalls and Uprisings

The Party's Party

All were wondering what on earth would happen when Saturn opposed Uranus and now it's known. The planet frequently brings exactly timed events and today fits into the scheme perfectly. Uranus is just leaving John McCain's Saturn in Pisces and with it comes the end of his campaign and the power of the Republican Party after years of domination and corruption. Along with that is economic reality and a jolt to the nation's illusions. Pluto is leaving the ashes from which the phoenix can rise again like it always does, out of the extravagant speculation and irresponsibility that led to this downturn.

Revolt is everywhere. Shock. The country is stunned in a moment of recognition before the next move forward. All people are trapped in some way. Everyone seeks liberation sometimes. The commoners want to overthrow the rulers, and the rich are trapped in their desire, caught in a criminal web of deceit and murder. The fuse is always ready to be ignited. I see McCain as the symbol of everyone's freedom as the POW walks away from jail, and hopefully all people have a moment of confrontation with the prison of greed.

The Gamble

It a spot of interesting synchronicity, the Dow fell 777 points yesterday. Lucky 7s. The jackpot. What adds interest is the Jupiter-Saturn trine keeping watch over the bedlam and preventing it from going completely off the rails. It will right itself eventually.
In considering the Saturn-Uranus opposition, Wall Street and the banks represent Saturn but even the establishment has revolted against itself. The North Node in Aquarius leads me to believe that the end result is going to favor the entire collective.

~Obama and the movement behind him are heading with increased velocity toward November victory, but the 7 7 7 "jackpot" that the movement takes home - filled with counterfeit slugs amidst the shards of gold that will still have to be panned and forged into value - means that the campaign doesn't end - can't end - on November 4.~Al Giordano

As Pluto comes into opposition with the country's Venus, the chance to transform her value system comes too. Give and take. A good deal.

Zen Warfare

Invincibility lies in the defence; the possibility of victory in the attack.
Sun Tzu

Obama is constantly accused of not fighting back when he's attacked, which is quite often. That's exactly his intention. It disarms his opponents and turns them into quivering blobular things. By responding with hostility, the attacker gains more potency and thrust, or at least the illusion of it, but by refraining, the opponent is confused and ultimately diffused. It might not be the most useful technique in every case, but often it works, and for some, it's the way they prefer.

The battle starts. The first strike comes. "Hit back, hit back!!" they yell. The fever builds. They scream, cry, and some request blood. But you know what happens when you hit back? You get hit again.

When the fighter expects retaliation and it doesn't come, unless he also is skilled in the art of conflict, he can get dazed for a moment, unbalanced, and maybe lose any advantage he could have had. It diminishes him.

So John McCain attacked Barack Obama relentlessly in the debate, yet people have commented that the younger man didn't fight back. I'm not surprised. That's a clue right there. It's a matter of respect. And it requires weakness and fear. What does surprise me after one year and a half of not-fighting ... is why anyone would expect him to do that now.

A very interesting graph was set up by a focus group to track the candidates response in readable terms according to affiliation -- Republican, Democrat, and Independent. Whenever McCain insulted Obama, the approval went down. Yet when Obama said, "You're right, John," the graph consistently went up. On all three lines. I think this revelation is pretty accurate. People preferred the decorum, and I'm glad. It made for a fairly good debate.

As an Aries rising and Mars in Libra square Uranus I can be violent and bellicose, although not particularly aggressive. In other words, I don't start it. I also have Neptune there, so the crass hard edge of quarrel can be grating. But I'm still stuck with an irksome nature and here's one thing I've discovered. The best way to cream your opponent is to start by saying, "You're right."
Basic war 101.
Diana: 1st century Roman fresco

ELECTION MADNESS SWEEPS RURAL AMERICA!!

C'mon George. We gotta go canvassing for Obama! If I didn't love ya so much I'd divorce ya, but we do need some change around here.
So bring your beer, get off your lazy butt, and let's get going!
Photo: William Gedney

Obama's Underground Railroad

There's a basic law of physics here: Objects in motion stay in motion. This juggernaut of a campaign, the millions of volunteers and small donors, the media budgets lavished on it, a year of meticulous and fair planning by the national debate commission... no one man, not even a candidate, can stop that by unilateral fiat. I'm impressed by how quickly McCain's gambit crumbled in the course of two afternoon hours.
Al Giordano

Well it looks like folks are getting on board. While all the surface drama has been progressing ...... the campaign has built one of the mightiest underground operations in the history of American politics. The state of California has practically moved into Nevada to register voters, for starters. Participants on all levels are in motion and the leaders have been trained in the techniques of community organizing nationwide. Saturn in Virgo is facilitating this tremendously, with a useful trine to Jupiter in Capricorn. It started in Chicago.

~When Obama arrived, black voter registration and turnout in Chicago were at their lowest points since record-keeping began. Over the course of a few months, Obama recruited staff and volunteers from black churches and community groups and helped train 700 deputy registrars. He put together a fundraising committee chaired by white politicos and black business leaders, and saturated black radio with ads declaring, "It's a power thing."

Overall, the drive added an estimated 150,000 voters and, though nonpartisan, helped elect Carol Moseley Braun as the first black woman ever to serve in the US Senate. It was, says Newman, "the most successful voter-registration effort in Chicago history." ~

The Underground Railroad that carried American slaves to freedom operated from 1810 to 1850 and it was an amazing organization with all kinds of inventive communication techniques. It began with Saturn and Neptune conjunct in Sagittarius, trine Jupiter in Aries, expanding boundaries and imbued with inspiration and courage. In the last years Neptune was in Aquarius where it is today. The invisible traveling patterns and collective vision seem to fit the conclusion of this mission. Pluto started in Pisces and then went into Aries, describing a thrust out of confinement. In many ways I feel that this is a liberating moment, too, though certainly not of the same magnitude.

He's a working machine. That's for sure.
Cumbres & Toltec RR, Colorado, Curt Bianchi

Speaking to America

Revolt everywhere. Or is it just debate?

The first debate between John McCain and Barack Obama is scheduled to take place in two days. Should the debate be held as scheduled? Should the debate be held, but the format changed to focus on the economy? Or, should the debate be postponed?

Hold as scheduled: 50%
Hold with focus on economy: 36%
Postpone: 10%

This is a great moment for astrology lovers. Mercury goes retrograde in Libra, the sign of debate, and it couldn't get more precise -- is it on or off? Debating the debate. The people want on.

Here's what's happening. Mercury is going backward at 22 Libra conjunct Mars at 23 trine Neptune, god of chaos, at 21 Aquarius. The beautiful thing is the grand air trine it forms with Mars at 21 Gemini in the US chart. Magnificent. The confusion has thrown the solution itself into chaos masking the original financial crisis. Or is it a crisis? No one can decide anything.

So Congress is an uproar and retro Mercury oddly influenced one candidate's request to cancel the big Friday presidential debate. Merc retro is quincunx Uranus at 20 Pisces exactly on his Saturn. The public yells, "No!!" The Saturn-Uranus opposition gains momentum with one revolt after another. It will be interesting to see who wins the debate issue.

The disintegration of John McCain is nearing completion as Uranus on his Saturn finishes next Tuesday. The shift in the halls of power is ratcheting up to gargantuan proportions. Who's in charge?

One thing to keep in mind is Jupiter trine Saturn grounding the madness and highlighting the cool, calm, reasonable, pragmatic, fine and mellow choice of leadership, something getting more desirable by the minute. Just our Jupiterian luck with Pluto in Sagittarius spinning the roulette wheel. 11s for me, my winning number. Got me a set of steak knives once. Is America listening? It appears that way. I can't decide.

It's Just Money

700 billion? ... Huh? .... 700 billion what?

I always thought the modern financial stuff a bit like evanescent liquids. We use words like solvent and flush to describe having funds but, on the other hand, it can disappear rather quickly.
Solutio (Latin: solutio; solvere = to loosen, to solve), the elemental water operation, to turn a solid into a liquid.
Kadimiros

The Taurus-Scorpio axis governs wealth and commodities exchange and soon Pluto opposes US Venus. No wonder the issue is surfacing in such a grand manner. Pluto is also in the US Venusian second house natally, and added to that are the moon's nodes in the second and eighth. May I repeat, no wonder.

Taurus is "what's mine" and Scorpio is "what's ours." The Scorpio ruler, Pluto, governs fair exchange, the driver of the market. Satisfaction guaranteed. When one considers the liquid nature of money and it's tendency to evaporate, how can anyone possess it really? More substantive resources can be owned, but the integrated picture of wealth with Pluto in Capricorn is about to receive a lot of attention, along with the routes to satisfaction of desire. The solid of Taurus turns into the liquid of Scorpio and who ends up with what can never be determined permanently. And what exactly is valuable is a large part of the question. Banked up assets can mean 700 billion things.

So what is this terror around money? Everyone is responsible for the fix we're in, and what's so terrible about that? That means people can fix it themselves. Easy money, something for nothing, buy now, pay later, and no leash on human greed. Might I repeat, no wonder.

Pluto travels to the essence in Capricorn seeking recognition of what material wealth is, especially when the trine to Uranus in Taurus comes. Deficit is part of the road to increase. Some of the rich become poor, some poor become rich, and some stay content with what they have. As always. The economic situation now didn't come about because of Reaganomics, free-market trade practices, conservative philosophy, a greedy few, or anything like that. It goes all the way back in American history. Perhaps in human history. Pluto in the 2nd with the south node was the set-up influencing the US to desire the biggest and the most of everything accompanying an obsession with money and business.

Pluto and Venus delve deeply into value systems. Loss and gain are learned. The ability to lose and gain with ease is the treasure, along with knowing that what's truly yours and valuable is yours to keep. Not easy for a 2nd house south node. If one doesn't relinquish, one can lose everything eventually. Some prefer that so they can start over. It can work in 700 billion ways.

When Pluto was in Cancer square Uranus in Aries, the Depression transformed the economic system and the government bailed out the impoverished people. Currently it's the reverse as the people now bail out the ruling class. There are advantages to this bailout in the long run. Power comes with it whether or not it's apparent yet. Government spending will be cut and taxes raised but along with this is a possible decrease in military funding as progressed Mars goes retrograde and defense becomes the aim. A strict tightening of spending in personal and social realms is inevitable and shared resources are destined to take on a new meaning. Self reliance and responsibility are the gifts of Pluto in Capricorn, along with a healthy understanding of fair exchange. Banking on your own assets is the most fruitful. There's no way of knowing how far the system needs to slide, but correction always happens. Also the conditions that lead to failure return, no matter what the good and the bad do. And the correction starts as soon as the failure starts. They happen together. 

Sharing resources includes responsibility especially in Capricorn. Learning to wait for what one wants to possess is the deeper solution and in the end one treasures it more. "I admit I did overreach when I bought my last house," says the American casually, a little sheepishly.

There is much potential in this moment. During the Depression people did what they were told in semi-consciousness. But now, people are experiencing, observing, talking amongst themselves, learning, understanding, and participating. All kinds of people. A remarkable opportunity to exert influence, even if it takes time and hardship to manifest. It indicates a collective readiness to use the brain just one tiny bit and keep the hand out of the pocketbook every time insecurity strikes, regardless of Venus in Cancer. Already you can see that as pecking replaces shopping.

Every venture starts with a belief in success. Difficult times are expected. If you believe in failure then why bother? The fact is, we're here and we have to bother. There's never a guarantee as many of our investors are discovering right now. But anyone with a millimeter of intelligence knows that enthusiasm for a good outcome is an essential prelude to creating one.

So you know what? Take my 700 billion. It's just money. And please spend it wisely.

A Moment of Peace

Well if no one else wants it, I'll take it. The Sun is leaving its square to Pluto after invigorating the intense battle for leadership that reached a peak last week. Today it's going into balanced Libra and Mercury is just about to turn retrograde. Mars will be there a little while longer as well. Compromise on the bailout? Could be. The North Node, Neptune, and Chiron are together in Aquarius and I can't imagine the commoners being entirely neglected.

Pluto is direct but continues traveling through the 28th degree until the last day of Libra. The 29th comes just as the Sun enters Scorpio, the season of spooks and the crisis-filled end to the campaign season. Our next president will be elected shortly thereafter, so I'm taking the opportunity for a nice Libran breather, enjoying the autumn scent and the most beautiful light of the year.

My brother has four planets in Libra in the 4th house, including Neptune, and every home he's lived in has been a sanctuary of calm. Always soothing and spare. No matter what traumas prevail in his life, his home remains still and restful.

I have Mars and Neptune conjunct in Libra in the 6th, and you'd think I'd find peace on the job. Maybe I do but just haven't noticed. Mars can be like that. I am a musician and that does have a tendency to calm the restless spirit.

Anyway, it's a good time to enjoy companionship until the Aries full moon when a moment to yourself might be the peace you seek.
One thing begets another.

Conquering Fear - A Story

My mother had a Moon in Aries and she was quite fearless. Her sister, however, was not. Many years ago, a group of mice took up residence in our home before a visit from my aunt was scheduled. My mother did not react, although she was aware that trouble loomed.

My aunt arrived and the two settled down on the warm floor having an animated intimate conversation, chattering away gaily and enjoying themselves. Out darted a mouse. My aunt screamed hysterically and took off like lightning to the far side of the house. My mother in her sibling cruelty peed her pants laughing. Of course, no one but Cancer, Moon-Jupiter me came to the rescue.

I found her in my brother's room huddled against the wall, whimpering and shivering. I gently soothed her, touched her, talked to her, and finally peeled her off the wall. She left without hesitation with her husband for a motel where they stayed for the remainder of the visit.

So where is the source of fear? It's obviously not the mouse, since no one else was afraid of it. I think the source is within each brain and there have been some interesting studies of a part called the amygdala, where two circuits of fear have been discovered. One is primitive and arouses immediate unschooled response. The other is a slower route to reaction which includes thought. Could we be evolving away from panic and violent reaction? I think maybe we're stuck between the worlds now, and the crises of this election and transition are a good place to study the fright response. Some are sensing immediate danger imagining all kinds of horrors and staying in a state of terror. But there is nothing specific to do since the trigger is vague. Others are studying and assessing the situation, hesitating before moving into action. It's interesting to see the blend working together since the group is trying to make a collective decision based on all the evidence. All the while, a chance to work with fear has presented itself.

First of all, there's nothing people can do about the larger events so the primitive fast response probably is useless. That leaves the slower path open as the logical choice, it would seem. Given time the consciousness sees back and looks ahead realizing that circumstances like these have been encountered and mastered many times before. There is no reason to assume that the adjustments won't be made again and survival will continue.

The interesting thing going on celestially is the mutual reception between Uranus in Pisces and Neptune in Aquarius, where the collective mind is being rewired, where irrational and imaginary images as well as real ones are being received, and where messages are being transmitted, as they were the last time Neptune was in Aquarius when the telegraph was invented. It can encourage one to see things from an alternate reality.

The War on Terror always struck me as a literal one, shock and awe, shocking indoctrination, and everything else, accompanied by a fear of running off cliffs that might have ground just one foot down. You never know until you jump. Right now there are so many confused reports about current reality, I can't figure out what to be afraid of. Anyway, a modicum of fear is useful, even stimulating. I wonder about my amygdala and the circuitry going on there. Rational thinking does appeal to me at times, especially when deciphering threat. Maybe it can be consciously developed by slowing down just a tad when I can, perhaps helping evolution just a little bit. It's the least I can do.

Is the Crisis Waning?

The best way to predict the future is to help design it.
Peter Drucker

For all you political enthusiasts, last week was highly interesting. Here are some of the astro-details.

The on-going financial crisis reached a curious spot yesterday. A Moon in Taurus, the sign of petty cash, came in to aspect with Jupiter and Saturn forming a grand earth trine. The Sun in Virgo was involved too, and an emergency fix was drawn. Because of the trine I'm led to believe that this will work temporarily and the panic served its purpose. To shock the public into awareness, as Uranus likes to do. The realization that the country has deep underlying problems and that transition is the necessary remedy seems to be grasped. But nothing can really be done until the next administration gets into office and gets to work. There's symbolism in the talk of tearing down the walls of Wall Street that separate business from Main Street as Pluto goes into Capricorn and changes boundaries.
The Full Moon landed on McCain's Uranus transit to his Saturn in Pisces and the disintegration continues. I expect now that people will start to feel sorry for him, one of the side effects of Pisces. There's no doubt he's a tragic figure. But for the Piscean Saturn it's all in the game. The drama is part of the decision being made around the Pisces-Virgo opposition. Should one choose the healthy route? Maybe at this point there is no choice.

And yet another interesting thing just happened. I mentioned before the long station of the North Node on Obama's Aquarian ascendant, which started on July 4th. Yesterday it ended and moved on to the 19th degree. Through all of the turbulence, Obama has stayed steady as if directing a vessel through a storm - two conventions, two hurricanes, and more - so I think people are getting a glimpse of his capability, and are developing trust in his leadership. He especially rose to the occasion during the last couple of days, appearing to be the only leader in the room, the previous one vacationing in Absentia. A big test. In addition, it seems to be closing the long period where Obama was accused of being "not of the people," also curious considering his South Node, ascendant and Jupiter in Aquarius. I think his integration with the collective has been finalized.

Things will remain jumpy in view of the shaky spot the nation is still in, but a turn in the direction of the campaign seems to be permanent. It's getting serious now, and the hard work of the Pluto in Capricorn transit is close at hand. The panic will undoubtedly rise again, what with the traditional October surprise and whatever machinations the so-called powerful ones have planned, but this is a good test of faith and confidence with Pluto ending in the 29th degree.

The future isn't what somebody else tells us it is.
The future is what we decide it's going to be.
Barack H.Obama

Panic and Investment

Panic: a sudden unreasonable overpowering fear.

The word "panic" is derived from the Greek god Pan, who dwelled in a dark and doorless cave, implying that the god resides in the most inaccessible realm of the unconscious. Only crisis can break through the wall into his secret chamber. He amused himself by giving the lonely traveler sudden frights, thus the universal association. He was despised by the other gods, but they enjoyed exploiting his powers. Apollo wheedled the art of prophecy from him, and Hermes copied a pipe from Pan claiming it as his own invention, then sold it to Apollo. Thus the brilliant sun god received both his music and his prophecy from the ugly and untamed god of nature.

Is it all wrong? Or is it all right? I can only fiddle with the details of my own life, correcting them as I go, assuming that the larger entity over which I have no control is correcting itself. And so another stock market panic has come, and as history determines, a correction is due in time. What's wrong seems to fix itself.

I have a South Node in Scorpio in the 7th house, and I withdrew all my money from the stock market because I'm learning not to merge with others this lifetime.
But most people have to learn that and Pluto, Scorpio, and the 8th house govern shared resources -- stocks, bonds, business merging, and all assorted investments. When bonded in this manner, an emotional and sexual aspect is included, and shared joy and panic is often the result. Greed, lust, ecstasy, agony loss, gain, decay, and growth are all part and parcel of the thing.

I think panic can be a temporary benefit as a bridge to necessary action but beyond the initial burst it probably becomes destructive. With Pluto ending in Sagittarius and Uranus in Pisces coming into opposition to Saturn, panic is the rage, even for the uninvested. The full moon in Pisces conjunct Uranus set off the Uranus-Neptune mutual reception as well, and this could mean that some of the fears are ungrounded. Not that they aren't needed as awakening, and of course, some are valid.

Pluto is coming into Capricorn, ruling the established financial systems, so this is largely what the next years are going to be concerned with. A reckoning with all kinds of group investments. Pluto brings the detritus to the surface but at the same time the healthy replacement is woven into the whole. So while some suffer great loss, others grow and gain as with all circumstance.

You can see that quite well with the passage of Pluto through Sagittarius. Culture and holy wars brought up decay, but all the while remedial acts were underway. The result is evidenced by the control and diminishing of the Catholic Church, the revolution set into motion in the Islamic world, and by the advances in American culture seen in the emergence of the first minority candidate for the presidency in history.

So panic is nudging the nation into the next phase, and how that goes remains to be seen. There are some interesting facts to consider.

Barack Obama has Scorpio on the natural Capricorn 10th house cusp, so his destiny is well connected to this kind of merging and transformation. It is most evident in his huge magnificently run campaign, including his fundraising ability and his expert management of the money. Most investors are satisfied with how he spends their money, and the group particiption of workers at ground level is creating enormous power and energy in its consolidation. All Saturn-Pluto. It's likely that this skill will be extremely beneficial in tackling the challenges ahead with Pluto in Capricorn, and as I said earlier, his Saturn in Capricorn conjuncts US Pluto.

Also there's Joe Biden with his four Scorpio planets, Sun-Venus exactly conjunct Barack's midheaven. A reform of the system is a possibility. Behind the scenes are legislators who are eager to participate in such a transformation, perhaps preparing a new government for the first Pluto return.

When FDR came into office to deal with the Depression, Uranus was in Aries for innovation and when it went into Taurus, a lot of the problems were solved. He had four planets in Taurus square an Aquarius stellium so he was the man of the time delivering practical financial solutions to the collective. In ten years Uranus will be in Taurus again trine Pluto in Capricorn. It will be interesting to see who the leader is then.

One good thing at present is Joe Biden's Moon in Taurus, an innate feel for money and it's use. I think he'll be a good model of reasonable money management, considering he has about the least amount of wealth of anyone in Congress, living simply with values like ordinary people in the country. This could be part of the preparation in developing a more modest approach to consumption and investment in the coming years.

The thing I like about that bestial scary Pan is his key to the unconscious cave where frightful crisis strikes, then leads to the enlightenment of Apollo. No matter than the pipe was stolen. You know you can't trust that sprite Hermes. He's good at commerce though.
From The Mythic Tarot: Liz Greene. Illustration: Juliet Sharman-Burke

The Shoe Drops

"Don't panic, but this is the worst thing that's ever happened."
Your local psychic

"It's going to get worse."
Your neighborhood astrologer

"It's going to get worse and better."
A level-headed hominid

Well, I look at it this way. You take your chances when you take your first breath. I think it's a calculated risk, though. And luck accounts for something.

Panic or don't panic. It's your choice. I'm democratic. But if it's at all nerve-calming, I don't think there's another shoe. This is the 1830 model. Men's. Last one.

Becoming an Adult

It's easy to hate the bad characters in public life but the beauty of the metaphysical perspective is the chance to see the reasons for their positions and the lessons society is learning. Once you understand them, sometimes the raw reaction is diminished and even identification is possible, with the intention of solving puzzles and evolving politically, socially and personally.

I wrote previously about John McCain's Saturn in Pisces and his disintegration and freedom from prison with Uranus conjunct in transit. This is a perfect lead-up to another important experience. His North Node in Capricorn, ruled by the newly reformed Saturn, is just about to receive Pluto at 1 degree.

So here's his problem. The South Node in Cancer is often stuck in childish dependency looking for a parent and meeting failure. He found that with his jailors, then a series of controllers led to George Bush, and now he's encountering the extreme of his parental attachment as Pluto closes in.

The SN often clings detrimentally to the past as evidenced by his prisoner of war obsession. But even more instrumental is his current campaign manager. This is the same man who smeared him to smithereens in 2000, humiliating him and leaving his family reeling. Yet now he's revisiting his painful experience, attempting to do the same thing to his opponent, the emotions misplaced. Going back doesn't work well for a Cancer SN. Thus he's unable to bring the other man down, further exacerbating his childish tantrums and lack of discipline. The opponent also has Venus conjunct the SN drawing him in more.

Enter Sarah Palin, not his choice, but you can't argue with destiny. She has the opposite nodes, North in Cancer, South in Capricorn - the bearer of systemic authority and brutality. He's been shoved into an empty corner, facing empty arenas on the campaign trail, and now is forced to remain tethered to his new abusive parent. Yet in her node is the knowledge the man seeks.

If McCain were engaging his NN, he would have taken charge of his whole organization, instead of fooling around in golf carts and partying letting others do the lead work. He would have selected his own running mate and he would have made it clear to everyone that he's the boss. He would have controlled his campaign and crafted a real message instead of the schoolyard approach of copying the smarter guy's. And he would have refrained from using the abusive emotional baggage of the negative ads that hurt him, not his opposition.

So why John McCain and Sarah Palin right now? This country is also scheduled to grow up when Pluto opposes her four planet stellium in Cancer. Could this be the preparation? Are we seeing in McCain the child that needs improvement as we leave George Bush, the epitome of childishness? Is Sarah reminding us of the need to grow up?

It all goes on underneath the surface as the vast subconscious absorbs reality and separates it from the daily drama. The financial shocks are settling in making people realize that they have a hard road ahead with families to care for through tough times. The possibility of maturing into adulthood is a good one now, whether John McCain wants to come along or not. A crash course in leadership is probably needed though, in case he does decide he wants to direct his country.
Illustration: Sophy Williams

Illness and Progress

Saturn, Virgo, Uranus and Pisces

It’s an urgent matter, because if we’ve learned anything from the GOP convention and its aftermath, it’s that the 2008 edition of John McCain is too weak to serve as America’s chief executive.
Frank Rich

When looking at an aspect, one has to take into account the signs involved. They are all very different. The Virgo-Pisces axis governs sickness and health; physical, psychological and spiritual. In almost all charts I've studied where this axis is strong, experiences of disease, care-giving, and routes to recovery are probable, although it might not be physical recovery. Sometimes spiritual health is the exchange. Mind-body-soul connections are the highest forms of learning through this axis and healing know-how is one of its best attributes.

There are two ways of maintaining health. The Virgoan method is to insist on exacting standards of physical hygeine, to eat pure foods, and to avoid contaminating influences. The Piscean way is to inoculate against disease so that the dangers of an unsanitary environment can be braved with impunity. Virgo purifies while Pisces immunizes. With a Virgo-Pisces opposition, people need to be aware of diseases caused by faulty psychological attitudes, such as addictions, neuroses, and phobias. 
From The Divine Astrologer: Marcia Moore & Mark Douglas

Faulty psychological attitudes are fully displayed now easily recognized in some of the electoral candidates. John McCain's Saturn in Pisces, for example, is receiving transiting Uranus. Pisces, the sign of make-believe. Opposite Neptune. Added to what some perceive already as possible weakening cognizance.

Saturn in Pisces suggests a path of humiliation, sometimes confinement and punishment, redemption, and ultimate release. Spiritual attainment is the essential goal. It played out when he was a prisoner for five years, held captive by people of another race. He's been in prison since, and now he is tethered to his Neptune infused soul mate, and a captive of the extreme right wing of The Party. His will is gone, his integrity, and his identity, all meant to be with Saturn in Pisces. The ultimate in his confinement.

Added to this is the ongoing Uranus-Neptune mutual reception currently diddling with the collective mind. Saturn coming could be a time for a glimpse of reality, whatever that is.

Pluto is associated with purge, sometimes of an ancient build-up of poisons, and Virgo governs the somatic response and practical healing mechanism. Emotional patterns held in the psyche are connected to illness and when symptoms become manifest, the cure is in motion theoretically. Pluto finds the causal patterns, Virgo provides the medicines and maybe the alchemical transformations. One can assume then that Pluto in Sagittarius has brought the disease of racial fear and hatred to the surface for treatment. Both men seeking the presidency are Virgo heavy, Obama with Pluto added. Says Obama: "I don’t look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills." Interesting how he connects the unbroken line of white skinned dominants to currency.

Uranus will be at 18 on election day, conjoining the midpoint between the prisoner's Saturn and Neptune, soon to go direct and cross his Saturn for the last time. Could this be his release? He'll be free to go with nothing more to lose. Uranus breaking the wall and liberating him. Could he be the instrument of the nations's release from white domination?

Some people fear the coming opposition but the fact is, that which is to be feared is already here. The process began awhile ago and will likely follow a logical sequence probably not deviating too far from what's been established since the beginning of the election as people watch the symbols of sickness acting out the collective moment. Of course, the roots go all the way back and the cure goes all the way into the future.

It's impossible to measure the amount of breakdown, and neither the healing in store with Uranus opposing USA Neptune and Saturn in Virgo. Or to predict how much illness will surface. Or how many racial schisms will be repaired. Or if the Indian on the nickel can get on a large green bill. Or if he'd want to.

The Naked Truth -- Regeneration

Now one can see well how astrology works.
For the last several days Pluto has been virtually at a standstill, starting to go direct at 28.7 degrees. An inordinately intense week.

I have a theory about the mutable signs -- Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces. I've come to think that they all involve a split, the twins with Gemini, wheat from the chaff with Virgo, part animal, part man with Sagittarius, and the two fishes with Pisces. So lessons in duality are the theme. The archer with the split body of Chiron, the centaur, is the symbol of Sagittarius, as humans overcome the domination of their lower nature and shoot for celestial aspirations.

Chiron is the wounded healer. He was accidentally pierced by one of his best friends, as the myth goes, and he never blamed him, nor did he dwell on the pain. He used it for knowledge and his extraordinary skill as a teacher and healer.

Sagittarius is the professor who takes the knowledge of the lower mind and applies it to the broader universe, developing views on religion, philosophy, and metaphysics. "I understand" are the keywords. Truth is the search.

Not only is Pluto going direct, but transiting Chiron is conjunct the North Node of the Moon. Acknowledging the wound does seem to be an option. Receiving the knowledge does too.

I am motivated mostly by Sagittarius. I love the feeling of promise, and the ability to move together with the events that life offers, not resenting some omnipotent power, but figuring it knows what it's doing. And true to Sagittarius, the opportunist, I see gain in it all.

I think in this transition with the centaur poised to shoot next to the moon's node, it's time to understand the lower nature of our human selves, accept it as best we can, and realize that the higher aspirations need a moment too. That's what I believe this election is about. Spiritual aims. One shot to the stars.

Hope? Prayer even? The cynics clench, the frightened hearts fibrillate, and the monster screams in its dying drama. Thank heaven for wise and gentle Chiron.

All's Fair

Mars in Libra: balance or else

I have a Mars in Libra and my drive toward symmetry can be downright aggravating. I can't leave it alone, and when I move something there, I have to move something here to balance it. It makes for great design skill as an artist but sometimes I wish I could just leave something hanging. Even the Chinese health specialists can see equilibrium in my body parts.

Mars went into Libra a couple of weeks ago and will be traveling there until the end of the month. The Great Balancing is happening now creating the ability to move forward decisively. The Sun and Mercury are coming in, too, and Mercury goes retrograde, so an uncommon equalizing is occurring. No wonder the polls are even.

Libra falls exactly opposite the ascendant on the natural wheel, the 7th house, where the reflection of the entity is seen in full and identity is recognized. The same thing happens in oppositions planet-wise. The perfect mirror is created to look at, make decisions, and move forward with intent. That's what's scheduled for the Big Day when the Saturn-Uranus opposition gives citizens the perfect looking glass.

Because of my Mars I've always believed in justice, whether I like the details or not. Obama came out of nowhere and rose like a meteor, attracting huge crowds, winning the nomination, and leading in the polls until now. A superstar, a shining beauty, a symbol of the crowd's aspirations. Promising change.

Then along came Mars in Libra. And in exquisite harmony, the star came down and up rose the carbon copy. Shooting polls, multitudes, a shimmering beauty promising change. Now we're even. In perfect alignment. Two American Idols lighting the heavens.

It's only fair. Love and war. And the equality of polarity life insists upon. Why shouldn't the Republicans have the same experience as the Democrats? And if you think about it - the intelligent and educated are just as much a part of democracy as the not-so-sharp and the uninformed, and everybody's vote counts the same. The mean and the nice. However the scales tip, they always fluctuate to create an ongoing equilibrium.

There's a sense that the conservative revolution started 40 years ago is poised to be adjusted with a realignment of the government. Both parties have had their heroes. After Reagan for the Republicans came Clinton for the Democrats, then Bush for the Republicans, and now? What's fair is fair. An additional factor is the United States Saturn in Libra portraying a destiny dedicated to learning equal and opposite, harmony, peace, civility, fair debate, and political cooperation. Saturn also falls in the 10th house of government. Sounds fair to me.

In October 2009, Saturn goes into Libra headed for a return to its natal position. All the more emphasis on the aisle-crossing and what-not dreamed about these days. The end to the extreme partisan warfare without logical debate. Uranus goes into Aries about that time and forms a T-square with Pluto in Capricorn, an entirely different set of energies than we have now. And then you can add progressed Mars in Libra for years and years and years. Change? Perhaps. Inner warfare? That too. Equal input from the two parties? That would be ideal. Whatever transpires, I know from personal experience that the urge toward equilibrium can be impossible to defy.

In the meantime. All's fair in the polls.

Pluto, Venus, Obama, and the She-Monster

Astrology really is a wonder. Now that Pluto is direct and headed for Obama's Venus at 1 Cancer, the second phase of this transformational transit is about to begin. Enter the monster from the cold; white as the northern snow, a sinner clothed as a saint come to lure the poor traveler into forbidden territory. He does have Pluto in the 7th, the natural Venus house.

When Pluto first arrived, Hillary Clinton appeared as the Pluto figure. She attacked him relentlessly with her Mars-Saturn-Pluto in Leo square her Scorpio stellium. It was not for the faint. He triumphed largely because of his cool South Node in Aquarius. Attacks don't hurt him so much personally and he's able to stay focused on his goals. The episode strengthened him in necessary ways.

The new she-devil has the same Mars-Saturn conjunction, only this time it's in Aquarius. It could be harder, since she also can disconnect from her feelings. But why should she do that with a North Node in Cancer?

Here's where the new monster has a problem. Neptune transit her Sun. The purpose of a Neptune transit is to dissolve the ego, and although the illusory planet is casting her as a goddess in the public eye, the breakdown underneath is underway. Hysteria, disorientation, and what-not. General dissolution.

The plot thickens in a few weeks when Mars enters deadly Scorpio, headed for a return in Joe Biden's chart. Joe is Obama's new ally, a Scorpio, generously delivered by Pluto. His four planet stellium squares her Aquarius one, and if she isn't disordered by then, this could be a significant factor.

What is the presidential candidate learning? Pluto in Capricorn is probably maturing him as he prepares to completely shed past habits and attachments that hinder his rise in life.

So here it is. The monster. A pit bull terrier. Pit bulls are trained killers but they are held on a leash rendering them impotent. When their aggression does unleash they are routinely killed by the authorities. Not prime positioning.

While dreamers may wax poetic about the dog's attack skill, there doesn't seem to be a successful solution for the dog itself.

Terror Attacks Again

It's September 9, two days away from the September 11 so-called terrorist attacks on the United States bringing in a new era of paranoia. Here on the anniversary, with Pluto in the most intense part of the transit, the last station, it feels like terror has returned.

The idea of an extremist as president reminds me of the ideological warriors worldwide who would thwart human evolution, not an easy task. Of course, the terror is in the collective consciousness and periodically needs to be addressed. Now is as good a time as any.

The original attacks took down the Trade Center heralding the beginning of a transformation in America's position in the global market. The threat of financial collapse is apparent now, just as Pluto moves ahead for good, and wouldn't you know it? Jupiter has just gone direct too, in Capricorn, the sign of financial institutions. No mistake that the housing market failure is the symbol of the insecurity.

Pluto just started going forward today and is digging in at 28.7 degrees until guess when? Yep. September 11. Here's the interesting part. Jupiter is halfway through its 12 year cycle, exactly opposite the Cancer position in 2001. Mars and the South Node were conjunct in Capricorn at the time. Pluto will be there soon.

I think the question is, "Are people going to cower and hide like Cancer loves to do, clinging to the familiar, or are they going to mature and face what's ahead as Pluto goes directly into Capricorn?" And can those who have confidence in natural events help the others who desperately fear a descent into the dark and dangerous spiral of destruction with no choice or avenue out? Who will be in charge? Are we doomed or will the collective emerge triumphant?

It remains to be seen whether or not ideological extremists continue to rule the day, if they'll give way to level-headed pragmatists who are prepared to deal with the country's economic crisis. Pluto teaches survival lessons and by the time it reaches 0 Capricorn, we'll have the next answer in the infinite riddle. Terror is actually not meant to be an end it itself.

Oh, and BTW. Neptune is exactly where Uranus was in Aquarius on the 11th, so a little bit of collective confusion is within the normal range.

Be Fruitful and Multiply

I hope the fruit multplies or we're not going to be able to afford any here in the land a' plenty.

Idolatry

Crisis: krisis [point of decision]
The point of time when it is to be decided whether any affair or course of action must go on, or be modified or terminate; the decisive moment; the turning point.
Pluto is going direct Tuesday and several things are happening at the end of this generational transit. In astrology, Pluto, Scorpio, and the 8th house are associated with crisis as the agent of transformation. Survival itself is often threatened which makes the situation especially significant.

There is no doubt that change is imminent politically since both parties are campaigning on the identical issue, a rather unusual phenomenon. There's the original and the last minute copy. "Change you can xerox" has turned out to be prophetic.

Pluto in Sagittarius brought to the surface religious extremism and here, at the point of crisis, the most extreme candidate yet has appeared onstage for consideration. Pluto at 29 Sagittarius on election day looks very much like a point of decision.

One of the most interesting themes of the Pluto transit has been the worship of icons gone to a zenith with the emergence of the television show, American Idol. This election has been a fascinating re-telling of this tale for a grand finale.
There's a common desire in humans to look upward for guidance and to anthropomorphize their god-figure(s), a characteristic of Sagittarius. All through history the collective has created idols and destroyed them, and now as this transit draws to a close, the excess the country has displayed in elevating these objects is pretty hard to miss. Adlai Stevenson once said that "Anyone can be president in America". I believe he was correct.

What's so interesting to me is the evolution. At first one of the candidates was given the messiah identity and massive crowds came to hear him preach. He was also painted as a rock star and as an omnipotent dictator. But then the opposition compared him to Moses and Hollywood superstar Britney Spears bursting the bubble of illusion. Good thing. A country in trouble doesn't need a pop star as a president. But then something unexpected happened. A new idol suddenly appeared to take his place. A new savior.

The problem hinges on USA Neptune at 22 Virgo in the 9th house and the people's elevation of leaders to mythological status, glamour, glitz, and fake image being sometimes preferred. Uranus in unrealistic Pisces just made a long station opposite when the original icon reached his height. As he came down the new moon in Virgo delivered the replacement. Next up -- the full moon at 22 Pisces just where Uranus was originally. Will America smash her idols for good this go-round? Tune in to the temple on Nov. 4th and find out.

The end result is knowledge concerning religious ritual and the lack of substance that has been elevated to the level it's reached now. Pluto in Capricorn, with the next political phase starting, does not suggest empty glamour, nor does it indicate ideological extremism. What to do with the need to worship is still unknown.

Yes, change it is. Crisis. Here at almost 29, everybody's talking about it.

The purpose of a Pluto transit is to strip away pretense and get to fundamental satisfaction of desire, releasing excess in preparation for spiritual development. After going through layers of purgatory, through rites of initiation, trials and tribulations, the native is ready to see the hidden treasure formerly protected by Pluto in Hades where the Elysian Fields of paradise exist. One can make a choice to retrieve it or not. In all charts, in everyone's lives, there's a treasure to grasp as Pluto leaves Sagittarius for good. Easy to find? It should be.

Community Organizing

Community Organizers' Guide

"Social change takes place, and is more effective, when people work together in an organized way. People choose the methods that make the most sense to them and seem most likely to achieve their goals.

Here are seven basic principles to follow in building a movement for social change:

Nonviolence
Social Transformation
Organizing
Economic Equality
Direct Democracy
Social Equality
Environmental Sustainability

Eight steps to organizing:
Identify the issue
Get background information on the issue
Define goals
Plan strategies
Get support
Take action
Assess results, and
Modify strategy and act again."

Sign me up.
Photo: A silkworm community industry in Japan

Is Everbody Fully Awake?

I have no choice but to be amused sometimes with Uranus aspecting almost every planet in my chart. This country just got jolted. The whole populace is nervous. It's the Uranian "finger in the socket syndrome" and I know it well. My sympathies.

So the new moon in Virgo set the stage for the full moon conjunct Uranus, and the awakening is in full gear, all a part of the big Saturn-Uranus opposition important to the nation's growth. The unbelievably outrageous possibility that a TV broadcaster wingnut beauty queen could become president of the United States of America is shocking indeed. One wonders about the exact nature of reality. Part of the point with the Uranus-Neptune mutual reception also in full gear.

Oh well. After scurrying about toying with insanity for a moment, the country will settle down. Briefly. And there's still that full moon to contend with. One thing interesting is the crossing of party lines. The fear is all-inclusive. The well-being of the country appears to be a consideration.

Uranus and Panic

Sometimes the shot of panic chemicals is necessary, sometimes it's for pure sensation. It does seem to be required now. One thing to keep in mind is the utter terror of the Republicans after the out-of-this-world Democratic Convention which remains in the psyche of the people and will root and grow further. Obama's speech might have been the final deciding factor for the electorate. The Republicans are in reaction mode, with no message and no idea of where they're headed or what they're doing really. They're doing what they have always done. But this is Uranus.

The full moon at 22 Pisces will square USA moon in Gemini (communications), thus the media explosion, already in motion after the Uranus station at 22, and now in exact square. The new pop star has a degree in communications so that adds to the pot. The trustworthiness of news reporting is definitely in question. Big time. And that includes ALL sources, corporate media and alternative. The Tower of Babble is at its height. The truth has fled and is weaving its way into the whole fabric soon to expose its work.

Pluto goes Direct

Added to the Uranian madness is the Pluto station ending revealing the reality of emotional manipulation in the media. Where is one to find the answers? What to believe? In the end which is more scary? Hideous people getting elected to run the government or the public's need for titillation, scandal, and terror? Could any of this happen without the people's complicity? Meanwhile, Obama goes quietly undercover talking about the most non-sensational thing of all .... the economy.

The public is making the same mistake it always does ... giving the right wing too much power. People still see a monolithic monster they believe will defeat them as they cower and fulfill the prophesy. Pluto, Uranus, Mars, and Gemini could give them courage if things sort of go that way. Tonight's probably excellent speech is likely to turn the panic button to cosmic proportions, but no rebellion gets anywhere without it.

For those of you who prefer not to have a theocratic corrupt right wing extremist in the seat of power, here are a few reassuring facts:

a. The electorate is aroused

b. Obama's celebrity image is obliterated and he can go on about his serious business unobstructed. If star worship must exist, let it reroute.

c. It highlights the urgency of electing this reasonable and able politician, an urgency destined to remain until election day.

Here's what I suggest. Drink your favorite liquids and have confidence in yourself. I've learned to pray during Republican Conventions. Works for me. Oh, and also .. If you happen to possess a sense of humor, it could come in handy now. May fortune smile upon you.

Wings and Nuts.

Defense

Nature can be brutal. You need skills to survive any eventuality. Everything outside is trying to get in, everything inside is getting out.

I don't recall ever waiting with such diligence for a hurricane to touch down ..... with an entire country. Seems we've learned a thing or three. At least how to brace for a storm.

It's long been my feeling that the United States was weakening and losing some survival skills, as far as defense is concerned. With Uranus soon to transit her Aries 4th house, and progressed Mars going retrograde, I got to thinking that shake-up and rebuilding of strength were scheduled with a new round of skill-learning. Her basic foundation of pioneering know-how, muscle, audacity, adventurousness, vitality, agility, acuity, and fearlessness. You know. Aries.

It could be time for this place to get in shape, IMO. We got a good start. Sent Gustav packing. Mush!

Pressures, Cracks, and Rebellion

So who's in charge anyway? George Bush? Karl Rove? Me? God? Gustav?

The whole thing is a huge complicated mess from human perspective, and astrology provides a map of the moment so you can kind-of see what's going on. The theory is sometimes called, "As above, so below." I extend it to say, "As it is here, so it is there." The weather is a perfect clue to the metaphysics of the moment.

Uranus has just gone retrograde, headed for the opposition to Saturn, and the intensity is increasing as the USA nears her election. The Uranian rebellion against the Saturnian status quo is reaching many quarters and the Republican Party is not the least of them.

Perhaps the VP pick was the trigger to get it going. The right wing of the party has become increasingly powerful and extreme over the years until it finally reached psychotic breakdown with the last administration. The cracks have been there for a long time and they could be ready to blow. They are not happy as a group. Many Republicans want their party rearranged.

Enter Gustav like some 300 pound socialist from the North. Hell has broken loose on the Republican Convention. Kind of strange that the current President and Vice-President will not be speaking. Unity appears to be absent.

Here's what's interesting. The New Moon just occurred on transiting Saturn and the Full Moon will hit Uranus in less than two weeks, highlighting the Saturn-Uranus opposition, just as the tense, depressed, ready to explode Republicans are celebrating.

It looks pretty confused. The "not ready to lead" attack has morphed into "reform". The vp pick was so sudden that its wikipedia page was jerked, amended, and replaced within 24 hours. The idea of choosing an excessive right wing Christian anti-woman woman seems to be misguided, if not ludicrous, with Pluto at 28 just about to leave Sagittarius. At least in terms of near future synchronization. Hmmm ...... 12 years too late. Rhythm appears to be lacking.

Meanwhile the Democrats have been sent into another emotional horror swirl, being easily spooked, a problem I have no hopes of seeing corrected. But the weather sure did smile on their love-in. They forgot already.

And Gustav swirls with an intention no human can understand. Weather is based on shifting pressures seeking equilibrium, as is human activity. The Saturn-Uranus opposition will find schisms and alter the structure accordingly, so it can be rebuilt with improvements and adjustments to the changing times. And changing times they are. As much as Republican Conventions exceed my sense tolerability, I am interested in what the procedure brings. Or causes. The seeds of rebellion are almost bursting, and the current campaign does not appear to be in control.

Let the festivities commence!