Dec 2023: Leona occults Betelgeuse!

Rising: The Constellations in the Sky

by Jude Cowell

On December 11, 2023, a rare celestial event occurred when asteroid Leona (#319), discovered on October 8, 1891 at the Nice Observatory in France, occulted starry Betelgeuse in the right shoulder of constellation Orion. Perhaps you caught the story in or on Scientific American published December 11th. An Eastern Time of 8:17 pm is cited in the article for the seconds-long occultation, with December 12th the date the path crossed Southern Europe, Turkey, Greece, and Sicily.

Setting a December 11th horoscope for Washington DC for 8:17 pm EST shows America's 1776 North Node rising with Midheaven @23Ari30 conjunct the transiting North Node @23Ari28 although other times and locations of the occultation would naturally vary, and you'll see sprinklings about Trump on the chart, plus, with asteroid Leona, you know that Supreme Court whisperer Leonard Leo must be lurking about somewhere.

Well, here's a quickly marked-up horoscope for your consideration which may also be used as merely a transit chart for December 11, 2023:

Keywords for Betelgeuse: Fame, success, good fortune, determined, shrewd, a rebel, rash, inventive, fevers, acute illness (A. Louis). Note that there are indications of someone's nervousness and/or neuroses on the chart (see lower right corner's New Moon) although admittedly, this could describe many people in light of current events. The occultation's Vertex ('VX' of fated encounters) conjuncts Trump's natal Moon-South Node of fluctuating popularity and emotional estrangement.

Leonard Leo: Scorpio Sun-AQ Moon

Right-wing operative Leonard Leo of SCOTUS-stacking fame, and long time VP of the conservative-libertarian Federalist Society is now under investigation by DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb - see details in The Guardian, Leonard Leo Under Investigation in Washington DC.

Up until now, Mr. Leo's birth date has been elusive but has apparently turned up thanks to master astrologer Marjorie Orr. Other astrologers may have it, too, but Marjorie's Star4Cast website is where I discovered it first, however, her source is unknown to me.

So below are two images of Leonard Leo's 'noon' natal horoscope, the first with a bunch of my study notes squooshed upon it, the second the same natal horoscope set for November 1, 1965, no aspect grid, unmarked and suitable for printing or whatever:

You'll note that little baby Leonard was born under the auspices of a 3 North Solar Eclipse (@9Gem13; May 30, 1965), the Saros Series that brought America the WTC Attacks of 9/11 and the Financial Crash of 1929 that announced the Republican Great Depression of the 1930s; a 3 North Eclipse last manifested in 2019 @11Cancer. To review 3 North themes go here.

Sept 13, 2023 UPDATE: Another birth date and location have turned up for Mr. Leo. Below is an unmarked 'noon' chart image set for November 7, 1965 Northport, New York. His 3 North PE and Syzygy Moon remain the same as noted, above, however, a Sun Scorpio-Moon Aries personality blend is more combative and confrontational with Scorpio and Aries both ruled by warrior planet, Mars. So obviously, unless a verified source appears, the topic of Leonard Leo's natal horoscope will be an ongoing enigma suitable for such a controversial man who prefers secrecy!

A huge Thank You to my FB friend Kat King for bringing Mr. Leo's alternate data to my attention!