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.

Patrick Kennedy’s Rant about Afghanistan and the Media

I watched the clip of Patrick Kennedy’s rant about Afghanistan and the failed media. Now that boys and girls is an Aquarian Rant, an impassioned plea concerning an injustice. In this case the fact that American men and women are dying on foreign soil and the media is blowing smoke up our ass about the latest sex scandal is a scandal itself. The media reports about this speech are all about his shaking hands, his voice and speculation about his mental state. So once again I take a peek at Patrick’s horoscope and the horoscope for the time of the event to make a comparison between the two. First Patrick and the shaking hands, which I don’t think has anything to do with drugs or alcohol. Patrick is a Cancer with Scorpio Rising. The Rising Sign or Ascendant is the sign that was on the horizon at the moment of birth. The time and place of birth determine what this sign will be. The Ascendant describes the personality, gives the first impression and is reflected in the native’s mannerism and style. With a Scorpio Rising Patrick is a private person. The public façade is very different from the private person. With the Sun and Mercury in the 9th house and Mars and Moon in the 12th house, the need for privacy and to remain behind the scenes is strengthened because these houses are private houses. The privacy urge is enhanced with planets in those houses. Another important point in the horoscope is the Midheaven which represents the native’s ideals and public image. Patrick’s Midheaven is in the show business sign of Leo. Leo likes the spotlight and center stage, think Obama and Bill Clinton and you’ll get the picture. This really contradicts Patrick’s core structure. Being in the public is a real chore for him. Public speaking has to be an ordeal for him. But with Leo at the Midheaven, he has no choice. With Mars and Moon in the 12th house he has to serve or suffer. At the time of the speech, I noted that Patrick took the podium at 3:06 PM EST. The horoscope for that moment puts the sign Leo on the Ascendant, or Leo was rising at the time, the degrees nearly conjunct or the same as the degrees on Patrick’s very public, very showy, Midheaven. He could have spoken as sedately as an old Granny and he still would have made headlines. The Moon at the time was at 25 degrees of Capricorn squaring (90 degrees) Patrick’s Mars and Moon. This is an aspect of stress but also an aspect of action, stuff gets done when planets are in square. That Patrick made this speech a few hours after Mars went direct is telling. Mars pumps up the action (Witness Obama taking his health care pitch on the road this week). Patrick has been thinking about this for a long time. Not about this particular subject, but about speaking in public in general. He knows it is not his strongest feature and at times he does not present well. He’s not a natural like Jack or Ted but he does have the heart and the convictions. I say, damn the public image Patrick and speak your truth.

Patrick Kennedy, Joan Kennedy and the National Inquirer

I read in last week’s National Inquirer that the real reason that Patrick Kennedy is not running for reelection is to take care of his mother, Joan Kennedy. It must be true; it’s the National Inquirer after all, the paper of record. Don’t tell me you don’t read it, you know you do; even if it is only a quick peak when in the checkout line. The fact that they broke the John Edwards/Rielle Hunter story and the creative use of campaign funds shames the traditional and more “dignified” newspapers. That investigative reporting has been relegated to a supermarket rag tells the tale of the failed media. At any rate, the story prompted another look at Patrick’s natal horoscope. He was born around a First Quarter Moon, meaning the Sun and Moon were at 90 degree angles (a square aspect) when he entered this life. The Sun represents the father, the Moon, the mother; in square aspect like this it is safe to say that they were not seeing eye to eye. There was trouble in paradise. One of the greatest benefits of the revolutionary 60’s and Pluto’s trek through Libra, the relationship sign, is the transformation of traditional relationships. Thank God, the Buddha, the Baptist or the Oak Tree that people no longer stay in a marriage for “the sake of the kids”. If you are one of those “kids” you’ll know what I am talking about. Back to Patrick Kennedy, he has Mars snuggled up close to his Moon in Libra in his 12th house of secrets and the subconscious. This is the house where you serve or suffer. He needs to be of service to others or else he will screw himself up. His relationship with his mother is a bit complicated, as is his relationship with his father was. I’m not going there. But I will say that people born with Sun square Moon need to find their own way. They cannot “do” their Dad’s life or their Mom’s life. Patrick’s decision to leave the House of Representatives signals that he is about the business of going his own way. That 12th house Moon/Mars combination demands that his work involves helping others. The flip side is driving your car into an abutment late at night. I don’t think Patrick is going to take that route. His work will involve hospitals and institutions, the mental health issues that he has dealt with personally and professionally. With Sun in the 9th house of foreign and faraway places, he’d make a great ambassador. And yes, he’ll probably be involved in the care and keep of his Mother. I don’t think we need a lurid headline to guess that one.

Patrick Kennedy's Surprise Announcement

Ever since Patrick Kennedy announced that he would not be running for reelection there have been so many names thrown around about possible candidates that it is hard to keep track of. I said it before on this blog that the September Primary election was where the action was going to be and I was not wrong. Patrick Kennedy has stated that he made the decision over the Christmas holidays. As an Astrologer it is interesting to note that transiting Mars had just gone retrograde in his 10th house of career and that Mars rules his Natal Ascendant, (the personality, the physical body) and his 6th house of work and service. Retrograde periods are times of review and revision. So contemplation about work, career, health and service would find the way on his to do list. On the outside looking in we deal with what is public about his life. Father’s illness and passing, political challenges and personal demons he has quite openly wrestled with. But we can’t crawl inside his head. A major life cycle change in a person’s life occurs when transiting Uranus, an 84 year cycle, opposes its natal position. This is a transit that Patrick has been experiencing over the last year or so. This also brings the sudden and unexpected into the picture. His decision has left the field wide open. Today, William Lynch, brother of Patrick Lynch has formally announced his candidacy. He should have waited until tomorrow, after the New Moon. Other names bandied about are Ralph Mollis, Theresa Paiva-Weed, Scorpio John Brien, Cancer David Cicilline and Aries Elizabeth Roberts. I think we may be hearing from Aquarius Stephen Laffey. I’m betting he won’t announce until mid March. Whoever or whenever, this political season here in Rhode Island reflects the change that is in the air across the country. Scott Brown in Massachusetts, a signal of voter discontent with the status quo, is a warning to all incumbents. Even former Presidential candidate John McCain is facing a serious challenge in his home state of Arizona. As I have written previously, 2010 is the year. Stay tuned.

John J. Loughlin, Patrick Kennedy, Jon Brien, and the 2010 Election

Republican John J. Loughlin II, a Pisces, formally launched his campaign for Patrick Kennedy’s seat in Congress. According to the Providence Journal he did so Thursday morning, “outside the office park where his Lincoln grade school used to be.” What significance the location has is anyone’s guess. Loughlin is pro-life and thinks we should maintain the ridiculous “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. His announcement was made under a waning, void of course Moon. Presidential candidates Al Gore and John Kerry received their nominations while Moon was void of course, as did Thomas Dewey, Richard Nixon (1960), Goldwater and McGovern. Nixon was re-elected under a Moon void of course. Couple the void Moon with a waning Moon, which is a great time to make things disappear, things don’t look too bright for Mr. Loughlin. Not that someone is not going to give Cancer Patrick Kennedy a run for his money given the current anti-incumbent sentiment. There is talk of, Scorpio, Democratic State Representative Jon D. Brien of Woonsocket entering the ring. Primary day is an interesting day and where all the action will be. In the days leading up to the primary, Mercury is in retrograde motion, changing to direct on the Sunday before the primary election. We need to be aware that information and polls are not always accurate under retrograde Mercury. Mercury retrograde is master of the fake out. On the day of the primary, Pluto changes direction and Mars moves into his home sign of Scorpio. Patrick Kennedy experiences a Mars return, a two year or so cycle, around that time as well. He will be fighting and aggressive. Brien, if he chooses to run, has some favorable aspects on his side. He too will be experiencing a Mars return around that time. (Funny that, the opposing parties have the same Mars in Libra, and that Mars is jazzed up and ready to roll, combat time.) On primary day, Moon, the people, will be rolling over Brien’s Sagittarius Mercury, the vote. It could give him a bit of a bump up. So it should be interesting. I will be keeping my ear pinned to the ground to make note of any official announcements and for birth times of Loughlin and Brien.

Patrick Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, and Relationship Astrology

In Synastry, the astrology of human relationships, we examine the interaction between two horoscopes. We look at the alignments, called aspects, of the planets between the two. Some alignments promise perfect harmony while others guarantee conflict. Between Patrick and Ted there are a multitude of aspects, some easy and harmonic, others not so easy. Easy or hard aspects aside; if these two had been strangers and met through a work relationship, at a social event or even on the street, the encounter would have been life changing. The first thing I notice when looking at these two charts is that Ted Kennedy’s Pluto sits right on Patrick’s Sun symbolizing the fact that Patrick was born into a family of great power and wealth. That aspect as well as Patrick’s Moon placement connected to Ted’s Saturn indicates that Ted was definitely the authority figure in Patrick’s life. He often played the stern father. It also indicates that a lot of work was involved for them to understand each other. Their relationship was not without emotional tensions. They may have butted heads but it was through these disagreements, arguments and lively discussions, which I think they both relished, that they came to understand and respect one another. There is an aspect of ease between them that indicates a free and easy communication when the issue was close to the heart. There was an intuitive bond between them. Often they did not need words to communicate. Ted’s a Pisces while Patrick’s a Cancer, so they got this Water thing going on, elemental compatibility. They sense, intuit and feel empathy towards one another. Patrick has more Water planets and planets in Water houses which gives him an intuitive edge. Ted, while a Pisces, has a lot of Earth with Mercury, (how he thinks and talks) and Mars (how he acts) in Aquarius. This gives him great intellect as well as that booming voice. Their relationship was not without ups and downs, it was dynamic, ever changing and I am sure richly rewarding. Now a little bit about Patrick, because he is here with us and Ted, God rest him, has gone to that great Senate in the sky. It is not surprising when you look at Patrick’s horoscope that he is involved in Mental Health legislation. He has the perfect planetary placements for this. He feels it, he wants to help and he needs to help. Patrick has talked about his issues with depression. What I see in his horoscope reveals a receptive individual. He is sensitive to the environment around him. He absorbs the vibes like a sponge. It is important for him to be around positive people and in a positive environment. Patrick is a private person and does not reveal his feelings and emotions easily. Early on, Old Teddy, no doubt, had to pry them out of him with a crowbar. That said, we need to keep are eye on Patrick Kennedy. He is a lot sharper than he looks. And never forget, he learned while seated at the feet of the Master.
After note: Flipped on the TV awhile ago and over at Fox News, where they often characterized Ted Kennedy as the devil incarnate, they are falling all over themselves praising him to the skies. Funny that.