Barack Obama's Solar Return 2011

I always look at the Solar Return chart of the President of the United States because what is going on the President’s chart holds significance for the country as a whole. A Solar Return chart is a horoscope for the moment in time when the Sun makes its annual return to the sign and degree of the natal Sun.  This chart is a valuable predictive tool that reveals the conditions, events and themes of the upcoming year for the individual.  The Sun’s placement in the Solar Return chart reveals the focus for the upcoming year. In President Obama’s Return chart the Sun falls in the second house of money.  Money, debt, budgets and value systems play an important role. No big surprise there.  The President faces powerful opposition.  For the most part he knows who opposes him but this year will bring some surprises.  There are those that are not being quite honest with him and when the truth comes to light there will be a few shifts in alliances.  Women and diplomacy play an important role, a smart, intellectual, thinking woman in particular. There will be a lot of tense public meetings and events. Whatever agreement they come up with over the next few weeks will not be one that will stick because it will not really settle anything in a permanent way. The President knows this and will work throughout the year to consolidate, revise and review; getting all his ducks in a row for the big 2012 push.  He will have a serious communication problem with difficulty getting his message heard and understood.  Surprising, unexpected, innovative and unusual actions and events will highlight his year. Since he is the President much of this will play out in the public arena.  He will appear moody, emotional and at times petulant.  There will be a lot going on behind the scenes.  He may do an about face when he finds that those he thinks he can trust are perfectly willing to stab him in the back. There are powerful forces aligned against him and his reactions will often be based on emotion rather than intellect.  Within him this year is a need to negotiate, to see both sides of the picture and come to a just and equitable agreement.  This is a year where President Obama will make enemies of friends and friends of enemies.  Life will not be dull as the President faces difficult choices, hard negotiations and powerful, influential enemies.  The week after his birthday as we roll up to the Full Moon in Aquarius will be a week of action.  When listening to the late, breaking news, don’t rush to judgment. Be wary of lies, slurs, exaggerations and plain misinformation coming from all sides of the political spectrum with the media jumping in without a thought to something as simple as a fact check.

Amy Winehouse and the Critical 27th Year

Amy Winehouse, the talented and troubled Diva is the latest to join the unfortunate Club 27, the group of the young and talented who have died at the age of 27. What is it about this year in the life that makes it so critical? Astrologer’s look at planetary cycles and transits to the natal horoscope for clues. One of the techniques in the Astrologer’s tool box is the “day for a year” method. The theory is that the first day of life relates to the first year of life, the second day of life to the second year and so on.  Using the person’s current age the astrologer moves the planets and house cusps of the horoscope along to where they were the same number of days after birth and casts a horoscope for that day. This is called Secondary Progressions. In the 27^th year of life the Secondary Progressed Moon is at the same degree as the Natal Moon. The Progressed Moon on the degree of the Natal Moon brings up many childhood and emotional issues.   The Club 27 members all had the Secondary Progressed Moon near to the degree of their Natal Moon.  Now many of Rock and Roll's bad boys and girls have rolled through the 27^th year and  lived to tell the tale. What is the difference? First we always look at the natal chart, if it is not promised in the Natal, no amount of transits or progressions will change the basic nature of the person.  This progression happens to everyone. What is different about Club 27’s is the promise of the natal as well as other transits occurring during the year 27. In this instance, Ms. Winehouse was undergoing a series of significant transits that contributed to this regrettable outcome. As you would expect given her flamboyant lifestyle her Natal Horoscope is most interesting. A Virgo, with Retrograde Mercury in conjunction with the Sun, these two are in square aspect to her Moon in early Capricorn conjunct Neptune in late Sagittarius. Her horoscope is filled with planetary pairings; Mars and Venus conjunct in Leo, Uranus and Jupiter conjunct in Sagittarius, Pluto and Saturn in out of sign conjunction in Libra/Scorpio.  These pairs are all connected to one another, either by easy trines and sextiles or the more difficult squares.  So when a transiting planet hits one pair the energy reverberates around her chart. At the time of her death Mars was transiting her first house, the physical body conjunct her natal North Node. The Nodes are the point where the Moon’s orbit takes her to the ecliptic going north or south. The North and South Nodes are exactly opposite. The transiting Nodal Axis put the North Node on her Natal South Node and the transiting South on her North. The Nodal cycle is 18.6 years and the Nodes themselves have much to do with relationships, Karma and past lives.  So transiting Mars, the action, energy planet, who can be a real bad guy when he wants to, fired up her Nodal Axis, which in turn activated her Moon/Neptune conjunction.  Moon/Neptune turned around and spit in the eye of the Sun/Mercury conjunction. Her Mars/Venus, connected to her Moon/Neptune as well as Bad Boy Mars brought more energy to the party. Her horoscope clearly reflects her incredible talent and artistic ability and the transits to it reveal difficulty, stress and a certain amount of anxiety.  Most of the planets in her horoscope are below the horizon, indicating someone who prefers privacy and shuns the public eye.  Her life took her in the opposite direction and while a blessing it could not have been easy for her. It is a sad day when a creative light is dimmed.

Pluto in Capricorn

Here is a little something I blogged about in August of 2009 when Tom Ridge admitted when he was Director of Homeland Security that he was pressured to raise the terrorist alert level every time President George W. Bush’s poll numbers went down during the  2004 election season:

“So now, Pluto in Capricorn is set to change all things Capricorn.  Capricorn represents government, authority figures, big business, and heads of state.  The structure and form of our society, society’s rules as it were, all fall under Capricorn’s purview.  So the real sleazes (not the honest do-gooders) who represent our authority figures in government, media and business are about to be exposed in ways they cannot foresee.”

 While Capricorn rules societal constructs, Pluto is at home in society’s under belly. Pluto represents unconscious forces that bubble to the surface and often take over from the conscious mind. Pluto's purview includes sex, death, debt, interest rates, taxes, transformation and rebirth. Wherever Pluto goes in an individual’s horoscope he brings the wrecking ball with him. In Capricorn he’s going after big government, big business, big debt. Usually Pluto destroys in order to build something new and better.

Right know he stands at 5 degrees 37 minutes of Capricorn. This degree opposes the Jupiter/Venus conjunction in the United States’ horoscope of July 4, 1776. As Jupiter and Venus are the money planets this perfectly reflects the financial crisis we are facing.  Pluto entered Capricorn in 2008 ushering in this global financial crisis with the subprime mortgage disaster triggering other financial calamities worldwide.  Pluto will remain in Capricorn until 2023.  We are in the early, destructive phase of Pluto’s transit through Capricorn.  Some examples of Pluto’s influence can be seen in other events of the past few years. Wikileaks, the Stock Market plunge, the rescue of those institutions that are “to big to fail”, assorted sexual scandals involving influential people, extremes in weather, natural and manmade disasters. Rupert Murdoch and the phone hacking scandal that is threatening his media empire is a good example of what Pluto can do. Murdoch is a Pisces with a Capricorn Ascendant. The Ascendant is a critical point in the horoscope and Pluto has crossed it and now transits Murdoch’s First House.  Over the next few years Pluto will be moving closer to an opposition to Murdoch’s natal Jupiter.  Jupiter rules publishing. Pluto’s energy is slow and inexorable. This current scandal is only the beginning of Mr. Murdoch’s troubles.  In 2013 when Pluto hits that Jupiter his empire will be completely different.  At that time he will have some nice transits from Venus and Jupiter. My money is on Rupert Murdoch reinventing himself and his media conglomerate. 

By the time Pluto exits Capricorn in 2023 the financial system will be quite different as well as governments and authority figures.  Pluto is about power and control so expect some takeovers, rebellions, governmental collapses as people jockey for position in order to grab a piece of the pie for themselves. Things could get ugly.

What Next for Casey Anthony?

The big question on everyone’s mind these days is what is in store for Casey Anthony. Although she was acquitted, her infamy places her under a life sentence. She faces a number of law suits and cries of “murdering baby killer” will follow her where ever she goes. The event chart for the time of her release tells the tale. News reports put her release time at about 12:10 AM on July 17, 2011.  Uranus conjunct the Ascendant opposing Saturn (on the Descendant) and squaring Pluto (on the Midheaven), all on the “angles”, describes the media frenzy, the notoriety, the deep emotions aroused by her release.  Mars in Gemini in trine to the Moon and Saturn speaks to the aggressiveness (Mars) of the public (Moon) and to the fact that although released from prison, she is under severe restrictions (Saturn).  Her Solar Return for 2011 reveals more details. In that chart Jupiter (legal issues) joins Venus, a nice aspect that speaks to victory in the judicial arena. The Moon (Mom and home) opposing the Sun (the core self, the consciousness) reveals the discord between mother and daughter as well as the lack of any feelings of contentment in her domestic environment.  The Moon in Virgo reveals the public scrutiny she will be under. Sun opposing Moon in a Solar Return reflects a year when the inner, emotional nature, the yin of self is not in harmony with the cognizant self, or the yang. She is free at last, but not really free. The big transit to her natal chart IMHO is the dynamic T-Square involving Uranus, Pluto and Saturn all in cardinal signs, impacting her natal Neptune. Casey Anthony is a Pisces and Neptune is her ruling planet. Her Neptune is in Capricorn.  Capricorn is all about form and structure, the material world and reality. Neptune is about dissolving boundaries, dreams, illusions and things not of this world. Pluto has been rolling back and forth over this Neptune since 2010 and at her release was a minute away from precise conjunction.  Pluto destroys and creates. Whenever Pluto enters your life in the form of a transit this process of destruction and creation is inevitable.  Her natal Neptune is in aspect to her natal Jupiter in Pisces and her natal Pluto in Scorpio, so Pluto’s transit to her Neptune pulls in these planets as well.  Her delusional world is subject to the destructive forces of Pluto. Illusion is stripped away and she is stuck with cold reality. Psychotherapy is her best bet as there is a good possibility that someone will enter her life with the power to transform it, for good or ill. There are issues of power and control and the abuse of that power. At the time of Caylee’s disappearance transiting Pluto was in harsh aspect to her Sun.  So Pluto has had a hand in all of this from the beginning. Murder is the ultimate abuse of power.  The truth of this matter may never be revealed. The next couple of years will not be easy for Casey.  She seemingly does not have a friend in the world and due to her notoriety, is not likely to be seen at any local hangouts. With all the debt and lawsuits pending, a book deal is a distinct possibility. Guilty, delusional or just plain stupid Casey Anthony will never again be a private citizen.  We haven’t heard the end of this tale and the ending, I am thinking, will be a shocker.

Wedding Bells for Patrick Kennedy

So little Patrick is getting married; on the day after his annual Solar Return no less.  The astrological detective in me knows that this Solar Return deserves a look. The Solar Return chart is a valuable tool used by astrologers as a means to assess what the coming year will bring for the native. An important fact to remember when dealing with Solar Returns and other transits is that the energies of the Natal horoscope rule, if it is not promised in the Natal, it ain’t happening. Patrick Kennedy is a Cancer with a Libra Moon and Scorpio on the Ascendant. That Scorpio Ascendant tells us that what you see is not necessarily what you get. Scorpio Ascendant is secretive and not likely to reveal to much personal stuff. Libra Moon conjunct Mars in the 12^th house of secrets enhances his private nature. Simply put, a Scorpio Rising does not want people knowing their business. The first thing I notice about Patrick’s Solar Return is that the current Uranus/Saturn opposition straddles his MC/IC axis, the public image/sphere vs. the private/domestic sphere. Saturn in the 4^th house of home in the Solar Return indicates changes in the domestic arena. Sometimes this can mean a move to a new home or a remodeling of an existing dwelling. Whether he moves or remodels, he has a new wife with a child moving in. Change enough. More change is indicated by the planet Uranus hugging the Solar Return MC, the Midheaven, and highest, most visible point in the chart. Think public and out in the open.  The MC is an “angle” and in astrology planets on the angles are important. Here, Uranus on the most public point speaks to unexpected, unusual, and weird things happening in a very public manner. This could include a change in career, job and professional standing. My mantra when it comes to Uranus is, “if you can think of it, that ain’t it.” Because Uranian event are so out there, so unexpected the rational intellect can’t conceive of them. The upshot is this is going to be that kind of year for Patrick, unexpected, bolts out of the blue events. The Mercury in the Solar Return chart is at 17 degrees of Leo. That Mercury falls on his Natal Midheaven. Here we are at the most public point again with Mercury, ruling the media, news and information in Leo the show biz sign, on his MC. He’s in the news for sure and will be for the next year. The Solar Return Venus at 12 degrees of Cancer sits on his Natal Mercury. Venus=social events, love and marriage. Will Patrick be in the society pages as opposed to the political? The Solar Return Chart also has Cancer on the Ascendant, very domestic, with the Sun in the 12^th hugging the Ascendant. So close to the Ascendant, or cusp of the First house it can be read as Twelfth or First. I am thinking Twelfth because of other factors in the Solar Return like Solar Return Moon/Pluto conjunction in the Sixth house. This indicates that Patrick is going to be taking care of someone. His mother is the obvious candidate as she is of the age where this would be expected and has had some issues in the past. In the final analysis Patrick will want to maintain a low profile, be private and behind the scenes enjoying his new found domestic bliss. And bliss it is as transiting Pluto trines his natal Venus; passion there for sure. But events will prevent that and force him into the limelight. His physical and mental health may be an issue as well. At this time in his life he wants to finally do what he wants to do and not what other’s expect of him. He’s got another year or so before he will be able to accomplish that. My advice to Patrick this year would be to expect the unexpected, take care of yourself first and then take care of those around you. This is going to be a Rock and Roll year for Patrick Kennedy. Stay tuned.

Casey Anthony – Not Guilty?

I have been trying to avoid the sad, sordid tale of Casey Anthony and the tragic death of little Caylee and I have been trying to resist looking at the horoscopes of Mother and Daughter. But I am an astrological paparazza, ghoulishly looking at horoscopes of life, death, love, hate and assorted tragic events. I take no joy in these forays into the dark side of human life. I do try to learn, to find out why and ultimately answer the question, “What does it mean?” I haven’t answered that question yet. But I keep trying. With Casey Anthony receiving a not guilty verdict I finally took a look at her horoscope. I have a birth date of March 19, 1986, in Warren, OH, not time.  Casey is a Pisces, with retrograde Mercury in Pisces. She has Mars conjunct Uranus in Sagittarius squaring her Sun/Mercury conjunction. There is a real vulnerability here, a vulnerability to take the road to fantasy land. (Sun/Mercury retrograde in Pisces) Her behavior when it became known that her daughter was missing is clearly not that of a person who thinks, or is thinking in a rational manner. The Mars conjunct Uranus speaks to a volatile nature. We don’t know when this poor child died but some reports
say that she was last seen on June 16, 2008. On June 19^, 2008 the planet Mercury went stationary direct. What this means is that Mercury appears to stop in the sky and change direction from retrograde to direct. Planetary stations concentrate the energies of the planet involved. Mercury in Casey’s chart, IMHO, is a planet of significance because of the aspects to it. So a station of that planet is going to kick up some stuff.  At that time Casey’s horoscope was receiving some significant transits. The Sun in Gemini was squared, 90 degrees, Casey’s Natal Sun in Pisces.  Uranus was in Pisces conjunct her Mercury and squaring her Natal Mars/Uranus
conjunction. Transiting Mars was at 22
degrees Leo squaring her Natal Mars/Uranus. Pluto in retrograde motion at the 29^th degree of Sagittarius sent some powerful energy to her Natal Sun. The transits suggest something unexpected (Uranus), impulsive (Mars) which would intimate some kind of accident. Pluto says there is some powerful, psychological force at work. Transiting Saturn was at 3 degrees Virgo squaring her Natal Saturn and opposing her natal Jupiter. Saturn says; you’ll pay for it, one way or another. This story is not over yet. We will see Casey Anthony on The View or being interviewed by some talking head. We can’t control that but we can choose to listen to it or to turn it off.