Cleopatra's 2023 Progressions spotlight Number 8

An Ancient Queen of Talent and the 'Art' of Politics

by Jude Cowell

Several moons ago I published an image of the Tyl-rectified natal horoscope of Queen Cleopatra which continually ranks number one on my WordPress blog's Most Viewed list with Dracula's horoscope usually ranking in second place. Both rectified horoscopes are found in Noel Tyl's book Astrology of the Famed (#ad); there may be a copy available.

Then after watching a couple of videos yesterday about Cleopatra, I decided to play around with that very same historical horoscope, progressing it and such. Results are shown here.

So out of curiosity, mine if not yours, first is a bi-wheel of Cleopatra VII's rectified natal chart (inner) and her Solar Arcs progressed to Monday February 6, 2023 (outer), with contacts circled. Notably, her current Solar Arcs (external influences, meetings) show potentials for discovery or a revealing of some kind (perhaps only publicity), and yet they do support the concept of transformation shown elsewhere.

Current contacts to natal include:

SA Sun @8Libra conjunct natal Mars, SA North Node ('NN") @28Taurus conjunct natal Uranus, and SA Uranus-Pluto conjunct natal IC - are these contacts "wake up calls"? The exact degrees (8/8 = Sun-Mars and 28/28 = NN-Uranus, The Awakener) suggest that karma may soon come knocking at her door (IC). Just a thought though. After all, she's been successfully hidden for a very long time, and we only have a rectified birth chart to work with so naturally some discrepancy is possible which would throw off the timing.

Cleopatra VII's Natal Chart with Current Solar Arcs:

My study notes are messily penned on; if you wish, please enlarge and/or print images for easier viewing.

Second image, below: Cleopatra VII's Secondary Progressions February 6, 2023: note the scintillating Air Grand Trine, protective as all Grand Trines are (from tomb raiders?), but also suggesting her isolation, separation, detachment, and her inability to ground her vision on the material plane - and yet, known for her ability to charm, her personal charisma continues through the centuries. Then within the Trine we find "A butterfly in a cocoon" and the concept of Transformation (Sun-Pluto). So for me, 'asleep in her sarcophagus' comes to mind, or the hidden place from whence one day she will awaken, transform, and fly away:

A note about progressing a deceased person's natal horoscope: with progressions we find updated indications, circumstances, and/or conditions issuing from natal planets that were operative for them in the past, but also hints concerning the individual during their lifetime because we can see how their natal traits and potentials have developed to whatever point in time we choose. Plus, we may also discover that our views about them and their reputations are being described by progressions if we choose to study the charts on such a level. So! Disagree if you must, but there it is. And also note that yours truly is a Saturnian astrologer who sees DNA and genetics in horoscopes, not 'past lives'. Through geni dot com, and my Strickland grandmother, I'm informed that Cleopatra VII and I have in-law connections, but no direct ties at all!

So as noted, Cleopatra's natal planets have progressed, developed and evolved in February 2023 to form an Air Grand Trine between Sun-Moon-Pluto with separation obviously part of the trio's implications thanks to death planet Pluto of the Underworld, plus, Moon (physical body; a woman; lunar symbol of Isis) is in the detached, rather cold sign of Aquarius. Her SP chart drips with karmic potentials within the trine pattern particularly in relation to the repetition of the 8th degree; plus, goddess planet Venus is also progressed to the 8th degree of Virgo, sign of the goddess. For as you know, during her reign as pharoah, Queen Cleopatra took on the insignia and regalia of goddess Isis (Aphrodite) - in fact, she was known as the "New Isis".

Now additionally within the closed-circuit Trine, we find "A butterfly in a cocoon" and the concept of Transformation or metamorphosis (Sun-Pluto). So for me, 'asleep in her tomb' comes to mind, or lying within the hidden place from which one day Cleopatra will awaken, transform, and fly away! But for now, I say leave the Queen at her eternal rest! We should mention her SP Uranus-Neptune conjunction, a planetary pair which denotes mysticism, but also elimination of the waking consciousness. For as many folks know from Scripture, "death is like unto a sleep."

Additional Details Concerning the Number 8

Let's consult Isidore Kozminsky's The Symbols and Meanings of Numbers (#ad) concerning the number 8 where we find that 8 links to "great power" according to the ancient Greeks who held that "All things are eight." And curiously, I've heard that Cleopatra was actually Greek, and not Egyptian at all. Significantly, the number 8 is also known as "The Gate to Eternity" which resonates closely with Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife, with the fact that the Queen of Egypt is long-deceased, and that so far her current whereabouts are unknown (see video linked, below).

And while it's true that Adriano Carelli doesn't round up degrees for his symbols, if we brazenly round up her SP Pluto to "9 Gemini" (where SP Pluto may have been years ago when direct, or at least transit Pluto was) Carelli's Degrees gives us, "An enthroned queen holding in one hand the Earth's gold surmounted by the cross; in the other, her sceptor." How plausible that her tomb may still hold just such rich treasures as these! Yet "the cross" reference may vibe more accurately with the Ankh symbol, the Key of Life.

And if memory serves, the Ankh is associated with fixed star Sirius, prominent in Egyptian star lore, and which conjoins the Queen's natal Neptune @16Gemini where her SP Jupiter now visits! No, he didn't know about Neptune, one supposes, but the pairing of Jupiter-Neptune now created suggests glamour and dreaminess, but also a loss of touch with reality, a description of physical death when that's what applies.

Meanwhile, other prominent concepts associated with 8 are justice, power, and separation. And of course Western Astrology ties the 8th house to death, Transformation, the occult, mysticism, and to the 8th Zodiac sign of Scorpio, which closely links to ancient Egypt and the scarab beetle, a solar symbol, plus, to scorpions, a phoenix rising, deep research, and regeneration. See Ancient Symbols of Egypt for details.

Now in closing, here is a link to National Geographic's 44-minute presentation The Lost Tomb of Cleopatra in case you missed. I mean really now, dear reader: how intriguing is such a topic?

2017: Republican Party Now Having Its Neptune Return

Republican Party Founded March 20, 1854 with Neptune @14Pisces01

by Jude Cowell

Yes, this particular astrologer is a common-good sort of American and since we're stuck with two political parties, my preference is that both parties contain honest men working on behalf of the American people. But in this 'New Millennium', my suspicion is that the majority of We The People realize that this is only a bubbly dream that went pouf! decades ago if indeed it was ever reality at all. Founded on Plato's Ideal Society, most of America's Founders were members of secret societies and held an esoteric mindset full of high 'Enlightenment' ideals which subsequently have been quite easy to 'repeal and replace' with crass materialism and me-first attitudes which are now embodied in a compromised Donald Trump playing POTUS as he rakes in the cash at the expense of our republic.

Today is September 21, 2017 and once again the Republican Party thinks to 'repeal' what they disrespectfully have called 'Obamacare' and replace it with a misshapen version of 'healthcare' insurance that some have called Trumpcare ('Trumpscare' more like). So considering how industriously the GOP has worked since the ACA (Obamacare) was passed into law (March 2010) to undermine its provisions and trash talk it down--as they continue to do--we may wish to consider the current condition of the GOP via its natal Neptune, planet of corruption, fraud, falsehood, scams, scandals, delusions,spirituality and inspiration and its natal degree of 14Pis01, for as astrologers of the Tropical Zodiac recognize, transit Neptune has been precisely on that degree in recent times. In fact, the Republican Party's Neptune Return is a five-er due to Neptune's off-and-on retrograde periods. But first...

Why Use March 20, 1854 6:30 pm LMT Rippon, Wisconsin?

In a forum on the Noel Tyl website data is given for the natal Horoscope of the Republican Party as March 20, 1854 6:30 pm LMT Ripon, Wisconsin with 4Libra23 rising and 5Cancer14 at Midheaven, the Point of Aspirations and Goals. The source cited is The Origin of the Republican Party. A 5Can14 MC spotlights America's natal Jupiter @5Can56 (July 4, 1776) with its telling Sabian Symbol: "Game Birds Feathering Their Nests." Wonder if this is one of the reasons Harry Truman asserted in 1948 that the Republican Party was a party of the rich and that that's all it would ever be?

If you're curious, here's what Harry thought of the Republican Party.

So just what is a Neptune Return? With distant Neptune's approximate 165-year cycle, no human being has ever enjoyed one, of course, but nations and other long-term entities can. Amazingly, we who are now living are in the midst of one at this very moment--the Neptune Return/s of the Republican Party--now 'in control' of our three branches of government. And we can feel how Neptune's typical lack of clarity and fanciful notions are working for us.

So first, let's consider through a common-good Political Astrology lens the meaning of Neptune floating through its own sign of oceanic Pisces, sign of the Two Fishes--one swimming upward toward the highest ideals and standards, and reaching the Divine Source, the other swimming down toward the depths--of shady criminality, the Underworld, corruption, deception, delusion, disappointment, and/or the depths of despair. Yes, drug taking and trafficking are down there somewhere along with damning secrets and leaks of inconvenient truths.

Plus, Neptune in Pisces is a primary indicator of the Collective Unconscious which, at least around Stars Over Washington, relates to the US presidency through America's four-year cycle of Inaugurations on January 20th at noon in Washington DC--with 14Taurus rising and bringing starry Menkar the Whale along with the presidential oath. Keywords: victim of the unconscious. Through the Biblical story of Jonah, this archetype also relates to saying what must be said whether you want to or not. (You know--like a president mouthing words written and directed by higher authorities--'the big picture must be followed', etc. Or dethroning follows.)

As for transit Neptune in Pisces, we are in a period since February 3, 2011 of increased interest in mysticism and the paranormal, spiritual quests, inspired art, music, and literature, psychism, alcohol and other drug cravings, contagions, and/or pessimism. This is also a time when deep pathological tendencies float up from the unconscious minds of those who unfortunately have them, whether through nature, nurture, or both. Transit Neptune will be in Pisces until January 2026 so we all have a ways to swim just yet until the Mars-ruled Aries Point of World Manifestation is reached by Neptune with potentials for the love of humanity, ideas concerning the social welfare, confusion, and/or insane or mad ideas (R. Ebertin).

Now in the natal chart of the Republican Party, we may surmise a bit about their Neptune Return by considering natal Neptune's general condition--aspects, midpoint pictures, house rulership, degree, etc. For as you know, any planetary return repeats the aspects of the returning planet to other natal planets thereby casting a light upon them and their indications. However, for the 1854 GOP, the aspects of natal Neptune in natal 6th house (and ruling it with 9Pis20 on the cusp) are wispily threadbare to say the least for there is only a semi-square (2A28) to natal Pluto @1Tau30 in natal 8th house in evidence. There seem to be a few possible ways we can read this:

Weakening Neptune in a weak square with Pluto which brings periods of social turmoil, the subtle disintegration of social structure, and corrupt political institutions. These are, in my estimation, precisely what the 'political class' is all too eager to provide for us with corporate-bought Democrats as the Party of the Rich's enablers. And note the use of subtlety as they continually attempt to hide their paw prints from their crimes!

And if we consider the GOP's natal Neptune as unaspected, we find materialism to be the inspiring world view with full dependence upon rationality and an inability to believe in the numinous. Lack of aspects denotes that the spirituality of planet Neptune is unable to give lofty insights to the rest of the natal planets, resulting in a dry, serious, or cold demeanor (and a lack of smiles, as you may have noticed!)

Another way to look a the GOP Neptune Return/s is the house position of natal Neptune in the 6th house of Health, Work, and Military, Police, and Civil Services. Now I don't have to mention here how all of these areas relate to ongoing Republican efforts to undermine the US government and the American people so I'll simply mention the Sabian Symbols (M.E.J. version) that apply to the party's natal Neptune--the karmic confrontation degree of '14Pisces' and '15Pisces':

'14Pisces': "A Lady in Fox Fur" (my italic for an obvious reason): "negative expression: amoral opportunism."

'15Pisces': "An Officer Preparing to Drill His Men": "negative expression: uninspiring drudgery."

(The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, Jones.)

In addition, we should mention that Neptune in mid-Pisces conjoins a certain fixed star: Achernar with the key phrases: a risk of rapid endings and crisis at the end of the river. Neptune's position in 1854 also conjoined an asteroid/archetype, Toro, one of the power asteroids that relates to nuclear power and to Wall Street's pagan worship of the golden bull. This also reminds me of Congress' tricky "nuclear option"!

Now let's close with one more thing about the GOP's natal Neptune and that is its involvement in a natal midpoint picture: Neptune-MC = Uranus (10Tau12 in 8th house of Corporatism and Transformation): the desire to bring ideas to realization at all costs.

This sounds just like the GOP and their enablers to me as they dance self-destructively to the tune of their wealthy domestic and foreign donors.

The Republican Party's Neptune Return/s 2017--2018:

1. May 17, 2017

2. July 16, 2017 Rx (the current return)

3. March 7, 2018

4. October 20, 2018 Rx

5. December 29, 2018.

Related Reading: Prospects for a Golden Age: The Meaning of the Great Planetary Cycles by E. Alan Meece.

Birth Data for St. Francis of Assisi

Mildness Is as Mildness Does

by Jude Cowell

Here is a charming presentation on the life of St. Francis of Assisi:

In his out-of-print book, Astrology of the Famed, Noel Tyl gives both possible natal horoscopes of Francis of Assissi, that of 1181 and 1182. He rectifies the natal chart by life events and chooses the birth date of September 26, 1181 noon LMT Assissi, Italy 12E37 43N04.

Here are the chart angles and planets' positions of St. Francis of Assisi:

Sept 26, 1181 noon LMT: ASC 19Sag17; MC 12Lib53; Sun 9Lib57, Mercury 00Lib54, Venus 26Leo06 in 9th house; 4th house: Moon 1Tau09, Uranus 3Tau05 Rx (the 1977 discovery degree of priestly healer and bridge between Earth and the Heavens, Chiron), Jupiter 8Tau30 Rx which will be conjoined by the Solar Eclipse of April 29, 2014.

1st house: South Node, a Saturnian point of separation and isolation @20Cap51 (a critical degree), and Mars 19Cap54; 2nd house: other-worldly Neptune, the Divine Source, @2AQ57 Rx; 7th house: North Node 20Can52 and Pluto 3Can35; 8th house: Saturn 9Leo39.

Plus, if you'd like a peek, astrodatabank has the natal horoscope (rated AA for BC/BR in hand) of the current Pope Francis I who named himself after you-know-who to make a particular point at this juncture in time. Are there correspondences between their two natal charts? Of course.

For example: Pope Francis' natal Jupiter 3Cap32 precisely opposes St. Francis' natal Pluto 3Can35 (not a very mild contact!) and his Chiron 20Gem14 conjoins St. Francis' natal Descendant of Partnerships. Pope Francis I's first natal planet to rise in St. Francis of Assissi's chart is his Sun 25Sag54 as his subtle choice of his papal name obviously shown a spotlight on St. Francis of Assissi (who was never actually a pope).

Nikola Tesla: Sun Cancer-Moon Libra w a rare film on video!

Update September 5, 2015: the following text is being retained so that the post title makes sense however, the video referred to gives a message, "this video no longer exists." My original post begins here and includes a few astro-notes concerning the natal planets of inventor (and possible murder victim) Nikola Tesla:

A message has arrived from Alexandra Bruce which sets up the following rare film about the intriguing Uranian, Nikola Tesla:

"This is a rare English-Language film produced in the former Yugoslavia that tells the story of Nikola Tesla's arrival in America and his encounters with Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse and the mighty financier J.P. Morgan, played by Orson Welles.

It portrays one of the most pivotal periods of modern history, during Tesla's development of alternative current, as the global standard for electrification, and the tragedy of this great inventor who aspired to change the world for the better."

-Alexandra Bruce

This is where the Tesla video was embedded before it was mysteriously 'disappeared'.

A Sprinkling of Astrology upon Nikola Tesla

by Jude Cowell

Horoscope: Nikola Tesla July 10, 1856 (NS) 12:00 am -1:01 LMT Smiljan, Yugoslavia 14N35 015E19

Sun 18Can17 (conj Castor and Venus 15Can27--transit Moon 18Can41 conj his n Sun as I opened his chart in my file for the first time in years--such synchronicity is common when a name from the past resurfaces via a reference or a memory which inspires an astrologer to view the natal chart); n Mercury 28Gem26; n Mars 19Lib11 conj n Moon -- he's recently had a Mars Return (with Mars today @24Lib28) but with no activity of his own--he died on or about Jan 7, 1943, NYC; n Jupiter 8Ari37 with today's tr Uranus, The Inventor/The Genius/Electricity, conjunct at 8Ari06; n Saturn 5Can38; n Uranus 23Tau57--Taurus, the intelligent sign of The Architect, Builder, Grower, and Preserver, ruled by Venus; n Neptune Rx @20Pis22 (strong in its own mystical sign); dragon planet Pluto 5Tau33 (some say Tesla's family lineage included the Order of the Dragon as was Count Dracula--that he was a member of the Dragon family line as were John and son John Quincy Adams); Chiron 3AQ48; NN 20Ari06.

Tesla's Sun Cancer-Moon Libra is a Water-Air combo of energies (Sun = conscious mind, Moon = the unconscious), a very creative, misty, and ethereal blend (he was not a practical man especially with finances). With Sun ruled by the Moon and Moon ruled by Venus, Tesla's personality was socially aware, perceptive and super-sensitive yet challenged in the realm of relationships (plus, Venus square Mars). He was a shrewd Cancer who preferred to isolate himself within his protective emotional shell. And with wily old financier J. P. Morgan around (played in the film formerly embedded above by Orson Welles), Tesla was out-foxed in the financial realm which may gave been easy since Tesla was highly focused on his own thoughts and ideas and was largely uninterested in money.

Sun Cancer-Moon Libra: "Images for Integration: Mother Goose recites a poem, surrounded by adoring fairy-tale creatures...A family holds a lucrative sale of its artistic heirlooms to the neighborhood." (Sun Sign-Moon Sign, Charles and Suzi Harvey.)

Oddly enough this ethereal personality blend is found in the natal charts of George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Bruce Springsteen, and Angela Lansbury.

And to the Sun Cancer-Moon Libra blend, master astrologer Noel Tyl adds that "the emphasis will be on the romantic" (not for Tesla!) and that planet "Venus will be especially important in the horoscope." In Tesla's case, Venus is spotlighted by first squaring Mars (3A44), then NN (4A39), and finally trines Neptune (4A55). Venus trine Neptune added inspiration to his pioneering (Aries) Jupiter (broadened horizons; science; discoveries; breakthroughs) and was greatly activated by the innovative spirit of speedy Mercury in its own sign of Gemini, The Messenger to the gods.

Birth data: Rodden Rating: B; source: bio/autobiography, The Life of Nikola Tesla by John J. O'Neill..."midnight between July 9/10, 1856"; O'Neill was a personal friend of Tesla who was said to have been born during a thunderstorm," astrodatabank; "at the stroke midnight," according to his biography.

And with transformer Pluto rising we see his magnetic charisma and--aided by visionary Neptune in its own creative sign of Pisces, Tesla's extraordinary visualization ability because Pluto rising gives a sort of x-ray vision into the workings of the Cosmos, into the deepest layers of the Universe. And of course, Saturn is the traditional planet of Science, along with Mercury, and add Uranus for lightening, electricity, flashes of brilliance, innovation, inventiveness, and pure genius.

This page updated May 3, 2016. jc

Horoscope: New Moon July 19, 2012

A New Moon July 19, 2012 Opposes US natal Pluto in Capricorn

by Jude Cowell

Below is the horoscope of the New Moon @26Can54 on July 19, 2012 at 12:24:02 am edt Capitol Building Washington DC. It's a Saturn Hour with a couple of Cardinal T-Square patterns formed between a conflict-ridden Mars-Uranus opposition and powerful manipulator Pluto 7Cap46 Rx in 9th house (when the chart is set for DC), and Saturn/ASC pointing toward the Sun and Moon in 4th H of Home, Homeland, and Real Estate.

(Cardinality means that events are likely to occur if at least three factors support them.)

Perhaps the potential manifestations contained within the chart's midpoint pictures (from the T-Squares and other midpoints) will yield information about the new cycle of activity timed by this New Moon in Cancer, sign of home, nurturing, security, and business matters.

The pictures are listed below the horoscope image (with interpretations by Noel Tyl); any, all, or none may apply. Click the chart to enlarge for some basic information and for a notation that the transiting South Node of the Moon (3Gem52 in 2nd H) is now lining up with President Obama's natal Moon, an indicator of separation (from public approval? in the home? more threats to Mrs. Obama? hopefully not), bad timing issues and scheduling conflicts, and a lack of cooperation from others. Any misuse of position, power, wealth, or popularity may turn up on the president's menu over the next few weeks and will be hard to deal with until this difficult karmic influence has passed.

Plus, you see Mercury Rx @11Leo52 backing off a bit from transiting the president's natal Sun (a time of self-expression and focussing on one's own ideas--and of blending one's ideas with that of others) and is in process of a drawn out Mercury Return for Mr. Obama (2Leo19 in his natal 6th house with natal Sun which spotlights his interests in Health.)

Midpoint Pictures July 19, 2012 12:24:02 am edt Capitol Building Washington DC:

Mars-Uranus = Pluto: intervention of the big shock; force; a Higher Power. Pluto in 9th H may indicate troubles abroad with wars and occupations or with US foreign policy; terrorist attacks cannot be ruled out, plus, GOP opposition to Obamacare (6/12 axis) is obviously on the agenda of certain political factions with 'factions' ruled by Pluto in Mundane Astrology.

Saturn-ASC = Sun: taking full responsibility; strategizing for personal freedom; making things happen through hard work.

Saturn-ASC = Moon: difficulty being accepted; depression due to environment.

Pluto-ASC = Neptune: vision to fulfill; embarrassment to transcend; fight against rumor; something paranormal influences situations.

Saturn-Uranus = MC: recognition of one's thrust for individuality or loss of self to the grip of controls; break away from the old. (Saturn QD Uranus = interruption of governing systems; defiance of law and order--The Quindecile--Ricki Reeves); this picture is prominent for its angularity at MC and its connections to government, old v new, and the Middle East.

Saturn-MC = NN: major stroke of fate may affect all development.

Saturn-MC = President Obama's natal Moon: renunciation; an attack on private emotions.

Sun-Moon = US natal Pluto: a critical time of development; separation in order to start anew (New Moon); potential new perspectives in relationships.

A 2nd H Jupiter conjoins US natal Uranus which shows much activity concerning group causes and an expansion of personal networks; Venus 15Gem00 returns to her June 5, 2012 Transit position--both are 'money planets' so financial issues are denoted including the US Treasury (2nd H.) The 14 South May 20, 2012 Solar Eclipse (chart shown) may give people 'something to cry about' (conjunct Alcyone) with its degree conjoining 2nd cusp. At the least, 'an obsessive idea may finally be accepted' (Brady.)

The New Moon's Sabian Symbol ('27Can') relates to its 4th house position:

"A Furious Storm Rages Through a Residential Canyon" which highlights storms and water damage from weather conditions, possible turbulence at the White House, and/or a potential for more real estate or mortgage difficulties in the US. Yet perhaps the 'new cycle of activity' indicated by the July 19 New Moon will work on beneficial levels as well.

Addionally, transit Jupiter in Gemini is within orb of squaring President Obama's natal Pluto in Virgo, a period which began on July 9, 2012 and occurred July 14 (exact), on July 19 (this New Moon!), December 29, 2012, January 10, 2013 (exact), February 18, 2013 (exact), and March 3, 2013, a period when covering too wide a base is problematic and sights must be shortened in order to make progress--one step at a time.

Thanks for reading!

Astrology of the Clean Air Act effective Dec 17, 1963

Since the Clean Air Act came into effect on December 17, 1963 levels of acid rain of the 70s and 80s were successfully limited and a few amendments have been made.

Yet today, as Living On Earth reports, acid rain has again become a problem but now it's mainly coming from different sources such as agricultural practices. (Click for LOE's interview text or audio.)

So what were our solar system's planetary actors up to when the Clean Air Act was first put into effect in 1963? And which Solar Eclipse Series did its implementation fall into?

Checking the chart for Dec 17, 1963 noon EST Capitol Building, we find the Moon in Capricorn (law, government, business) for the full 24-hour period, so let's begin with the sometimes opportunistic Sun Sag-Moon Cap blend which describes a social conscience on an enthusiastic quest for both meaning (Sag) and usefulness (Cap.)

This blend has two Images for Integration:

'In the year 2999, a courageous explorer goes on a quest for knowledge of the past which opens up for man a hopeful future on another planet...With patient skill a rock climber scales a seemingly impossible mountain peak.' (Sun Sign-Moon Sign, Charles & Suzy Harvey.)

Hmmm...is living on another planet at the top of a secret agenda after using up the resources and defiling the Earth's environment beyond repair? If so, then we know who is primarily to blame: the resource plundering class whose genesis is marked by the Robber Baron era, the Great Conjunction of oily Neptune and plundering Pluto in the 1890s!

A new cycle for mankind began as Neptune and Pluto met 3 times: August 2, 1891 @ 8Gem38, Nov 5, 1891 @ 8Gem19, and April 30, 1892 @ 7Gem42; their Great Conjunction/s provide a natal chart for our Modern Era. These degrees in the Tropical zodiac are where transiting Midas and Pan linger now...Midas, the royal Gold-Hoarder, and Pan, the trickster and flute-player associated with the labyrinthine sign of Capricorn.

Interestingly, the 7 - 9 Gemini area of the zodiac coincides with America's natal Uranus 8Gem55 of 1776, the planet of science, progress, radical changes, revolution, disruption, genius, and/or awakening. So we may wish to consider the midpoint picture which formed with US n Uranus way back in the 1890s especially since for all intents and purposes, the picture remains in effect, for no Nep/Plu conjunction will appear on Earth's calendar any time soon.

Any, all, or none may apply to this topic or to others, and are subject to stimulation by transit and progression:

Neptune/Pluto = US n Uranus: adventurous, mystical, and supernatural experiences; peculiar discoveries; hypersensitivity; disruption to gain recognition; adventurous ego thrust; possibly aberrant behavior; impersonal attitudes about any destructive or antisocial activities (such as destruction of mountain tops for mining purposes? jc); use of unusual means to change reality; rebellion against artificial supports or pursuits; going to extremes with drugs. (Tyl; Ebertin; Munkasey.)

Through excessive use, large amounts of drugs have ended up in the US water supply and has become a dire health issue as well, hasn't it?

Well, Noel Tyl says of Sun Sag-Moon Cap, "...the higher mind finds purpose and administrated outlet. There is a terrific sense of humor possible since the mind can apply its energy adroitly and effectively. The idealism gains the anchor necessary for effective communication."

On Dec 17, 1963, transiting Uranus 10Vir04 Rx and tr Pluto 14Vir14 Rx (Virgo, an Earth sign) were soon to have their own Great Conjunction/s in 1965/66. Both planets would go on to conjoin US natal Neptune 22Vir25, with Uranus to n Neptune increasing our need to fulfill ideals and spiritual inspirations (ex: "Be ye stewards of the earth" - Scripture - jc) as quirky Uranus upset the status quo of our nation's accustomed Neptunian yet practical ideals through actions of the Flower Power Generation, and the grass roots Power To The People movement. (Not that kind of grass. Well...maybe it helped a little.)

Later, tr Pluto to US n Neptune brought a period when political, economic, and physical power struggles surfaced and power became an illusion. Undetected forces of secret hand Pluto slowly eroded national power which may in part describe the progressively 'toothless' enforcement of the Clean Air Act and other legislation and movements of the time (Civil Rights Act, Vietnam War protests, etc.)

The Clean Air Act of 1963 falls into the 1 North Solar Eclipse Series which manifested on July 20, 1963 @ '1Sag', the "A Grand Army of the Republic Campfire" degree. (This is the PE of both JFK's assassination in Masonic Dealey Plaza and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima 1945. President Harry Truman is known to have been a Freemasonry member.)

The most recent occurrence of 1N is the famous 'King of Alarm' or 'Terror' Eclipse of August 11, 1999 @ '19Leo' as noted by Nostradamus. The next manifestation of 1N will be on August 21, 2017 @ '29Leo' - if we haven't been left so unprotected from industrial practices and contaminates that we've coughed ourselves into oblivion long beforehand.

1N: unexpected events involving groups or friends with relationship issues looming large; hasty decisions are inadvisable since information is distorted and possibly false; elements of fatigue and health problems are attached (paraphrasing Brady's Predictive Astrology.)

Well, a lack of clean air certainly brings mankind a myriad of health problems, a condtion which causes the words 'particulate matter' to come easily to mind and lung.

Financial Astrology 2009 - 2010: Saturn, Jupiter-Neptune

Master Financial Astrologer Ray Merriman has an article on Saturn's Realities and Jupiter/Neptune Hopes that takes us from 2009 into 2010.

Since financial cycles and astrological cycles may be understood in tandem and one used as a magnifying glass to read the other, I recommend Mr. Merriman's article to you, especially since the current media attention seems focused more on Jupiter/Neptune's dreams and grand schemes than on Saturnian practicalities and realism.

2009, year of the Great Conjunction/s of Jupiter and Neptune. This speculating and possibly religious pair's third and final conjunction will be on Dec 21, 2009 @ 24AQ18, conj US natal Moon (the people.) Shall I type out the midpoint picture this forms one more time? Okay.

Jup/Nep = US n Moon: an emotional swoon; going with the wind; dreaminess deceives; becoming involved in speculation (I know - we've been doing that for years, that's a big part of the problem - sheeple to the slaughter); little sense of reality (engrossing new films and TV shows help divert us; plus, power politics played in front of the cameras); losing oneself in plans; instability; wastefulness. (Tyl; Ebertin.)

2009 is also the year of transiting Saturn's late August-early September visit to America's Neptune in Virgo, sign of Health, Work, and Service (which includes our police and military forces.) This is the 'grim reality' transit - but everything Saturn *changes, for change he does, is necessary for owning up to truth, and for lessoning us into compliance with the way things really are.

"All good things must come to an end," was undoubtedly dictated by Saturn, old Cronos himself...to Mercury, **The Scribe.

But Washington, Wall Street and the gold-encrusted world banks are fighting having their culpabilities and weaknesses exposed, as Saturn always insists upon. Destructuring, transformative Pluto the saboteur is Rx again and in the first degree of Saturn-ruled Capricorn which adds to a general sense of doom, and that fated, karmic reaping-what-we-sow vibe.

Thing is, it was mainly the uppercrust who sowed sorriness, and the common folk are doing the reaping of the power elite's frauds and faulty thinking.

The good news is that Saturn-to-Neptune has the magical ability to bring dreams (Neptune) into Saturnian reality and form, so my wish is that it's Saturn the Grizzly Wizard coming along to create new jobs and opportunities which are more stable and long lasting than any dream we have previously imagined.

Our American character's Neptunian dreams and ideals are of a practical Virgoan nature, after all.

I don't think a decent job (Saturn) is too much to expect (Neptune)!

~:~


*One of the caps Saturn wears is The Time Keeper. He doesn't wear it jauntily either, but he does keep a stopwatch in his hand.

**Mercury/Saturn is 'the signature of the professional writer' as Noel Tyl informed me when consulting on my natal chart a few years back. jc

Tina Fey knocks Palin ball out of park

Last evening when former head writer Tina Fey returned to Saturday Night Live, expectations for her impression of Sarah Palin were high, and Fey masterfully delivered alongside Amy Poehler's brilliant version of Hillary Clinton to open the show.

Tina Fey was born May 18, 1970 in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia with Mercury, planet of writers, conjunct Saturn (form; work) in Taurus.

Mercury/Saturn signifies the professional writer and both her Mercury and Saturn are conjunct Fixed Star Menkar, alpha star of Cetus...Fey is able to tap into images and archetypes from the collective unconscious bwo Cetus, the Whale.

This ability usually resonates familiarly with the public, plus, Fey's style of comedy is light enough to cause the stuffier folk among us little or no offense.

Graduating from Upper Darby High School in 1988, Fey grew up a fan of Monthy Python comedy, Marx Brothers' films, and of SNL where she began writing in 1997 after a stint with Second City.

As the first female head writer for SNL (1999), Tina Fey added so much to the show's writing that it was a joyous triumph to see her again on the SNL's season debut and doing a bang-up job of impersonating Sarah Palin.

That Fey favors Palin physically is obvious, but capturing Palin's mannerisms and accent was made to look easy as pie by the self-effacing star.

Now during the 24 hours of May 18, 1970, the Moon was primarily in Libra but if Fey was born between 6:49 pm (edt) and midnight, her natal Moon would be in Scorpio, an intense, rather moody Water sign.

And although her mother (Moon) worked for a brokerage firm (Scorpio = high finance), her chances for having a Libra Moon are high.

She seems more of a balanced, cool Libra Moon lady to me, but I will give both Sun-Moon combinations along with her late Taurus Sun even though her successful career and fame would indicate a Moon upper in the natal chart, thus an earlier birth.

Sun Tau-Moon Libra is an Earth-Air combo which gives a productive, rational personality that can be both innovative and efficient. This is an up-in-the-air and down-to-earth blend that brings together abstract thought with practical considerations of how to get on in the world.

Earth-Air is the practical idealist combo that plans a course of action, then acts (JFK had this blend although he had Sun in Air, Moon in Earth.)

With Sun in Earth, Moon in Air there is a conscious impulse to come to grips with reality through logic, but to make one's efforts as humane and far-reaching as possible.

What may receive short shrift is the emotional side of life, yet Earth-Air usually gets along with most people on a practical social level. Rational rapport is sought within relationships, and this blend is very supportive and adaptable.

Sun Tau-Moon Libra: charming and rational lover of harmony; attractive personality; sensual, sentimental, and devoted with a need for companionship with lots of affection and kindness; a pleasantly persuasive social theorist (a bit of a utopian) and an idealistic artist; a champion of justice who enjoys life to the hilt.

Genuinely interested in people, this blend has a lively social conscience and may be an environmentalist who is attracted to progressive ideas; accepts that everyone is an individualist and believes in a society where everyone is respected; waste not, want not; compromise is integral, for conflict is anathema to this combo; has diplomatic skills that can overcome antagonism in any setting; gentle wit and impeccable artistic sensibilities.

If there are weaknesses here it is an over-reliance on popularity and social acceptance, and an over-emphasis on rational solutions for every kind of problem.

Noel Tyl points out that in this blend both signs are ruled by Venus, so romantic and social dimensions are emphasized, and flattery and social appreciation may easily pull one off-course and off-purpose.

Images for Integration: 'A loaf of fresh bread in an art exhibition...A computer produces beautiful painting...Cream tea for two.' (Sun Sign-Moon Sign, Chas & Suzy Harvey.)

(This is the natal blend of Bertrand Russell and Rudolph Valentino.)

For Sun Tau-Moon Scorpio (an opposition which I don't believe is Tina Fey's personality blend), I shall simply let Noel Tyl give details - see if you think this sounds like Ms. Fey...

a very strong streak of stubbornness; headstrong self-willed energies of Taurus are forced into the world to dramatize how significant, deep, and important the ego is; materialism shows off personal worth; over-analysis of the status quo impedes progress.

(This is the natal blend of Harry Truman.)

Images for Integration: The mating season...Persephone and Pluto...'The Phantom of the Opera'...Dennis Potter's 'The Singing Detective.'

Well, you may decide which blend describes the brilliant writer and comedienne Elizabeth Samatina Fey however you like, but personally I'll have to vote for an Airy Libra Moon!

~:~

This afternoon I'll be posting Wedding Day Astrology; Tina Fey and Jeff Richmond over at jude's threshold if you're interested...look in the sidebar on the Pages list.