Mitch McConnell: Supreme Court is President's Responsibility - video

Here Thom Hartmann reads a statement written by Mitch McConnell in 1970 concerning the presidential duty to nominate Supreme Court Justices. How very inconvenient for the obstructionist bigots of the Republican Party in 2016:

Broadly Meets: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand - video

Elizabeth Warren Reshapes The Democratic Party (video) plus her personality blend

#ElizabethWarren #2016 #Senate

Here's Rachel Maddow interviewing Senator Warren in November 2013 and a few notes on the senator's natal planets and birth data including her Sun Cancer-Moon Taurus personality blend and her prominent personality-describing conjunction of Sun and Uranus.

September 8, 2014 Full Moon: US Senate votes on Citizens United

Looks like the September 8, 2014 Full Moon in murky Pisces will time a Senate vote on the Citizens United travesty forced upon the American people by a corporate-ruled #SCOTUS.

As a culmination/fulfillment phase of Sun and Moon, wouldn't it be great if the light of the Full Moon falling across the Virgo-Pisces victim-savior axis spotlights a US Senate acting on behalf of We the People rather than further enshrining the demands of their corporate masters?

At the least, public attention (Full Moon) on September 8 may be shone upon our 'deliberative body' and I hope members' votes are recorded for all to see since this would be useful on November 4, 2014 as people decide if corporate Republicans who'd continuing undermining our social safety net deserve to gain the upper claw in the US Senate thereby completely negating President Obama's last two years in office. This Senate vote with its 'The People v Corporations' flavor may tell the tale of who's against and who's for us!

Plus, you know the formula learned from history: corporatism + statism = facism.

11.21.13: Senate nuclear option has Sun Scorpio-Moon Cancer vibes

Today in the Washington Post, Greg Sargent writes that No, the nuclear option will not make Washington partisanship 'worse'. It's difficult to see how the US Senate could get much worse yet I fret that there are those on Capitol Hill who will give 'worse' their best try now that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has actually followed through.

Is this change in the Senate another signpost on the way to collapsing America on behalf of a 'new world order'? Probably, yet it's the president's constitutional duty to fill vacant judicial seats and most everyone agrees that the Republicans did not 'allow' President Obama via their jackassian obstructionism to fulfill his duty. Now he can so that may be, at the moment at least, progress.

Yesterday (11.21.13) as the nuclear option worm turned, the Sun was in the last bit of Mars-Pluto-ruled Scorpio while the Moon was (and right now still is) in its own sign of Cancer, the sign of America's natal Venus, Jupiter, Sun, and Mercury Rx. A double-Water blend indicates intuition and feelings in abundance and perhaps some of the action may have been inspired or influenced by the current Solar Eclipse Saros Series, the 16 North (16N.)

Occurring on November 3, 2013 @11Sco15/16, 16N denotes an 'illumination of ideas' as unconscious material suddenly floats up bringing a 'great deal of insight' due to the initial 16N eclipse (1599) lending its Uranus-Neptune trine energy to current events. And as you know, the Uranus-Neptune duo are the Enlightenment planets and their last conjunction/s time a modern-day natal horoscope for the 'new world order' (Oct 24, 1993.)

Well, for a little insight, let's briefly consider yesterday's nuclear option Sun-Moon blend of Scorpio-Cancer:

This is the 'mailed fist in a velvet glove' combo of energies (which some would say describes Harry Reid!) with a strong sense of duty. Shrewd and charismatic, the blend denotes deep feelings, nostalgia for the past, serenity, and self-sufficiency. However, subjective hunches may trump objective reasoning and self-pity (Mitch McConnell?) may become evident.

Here are the three Images for Integration for this Sun (conscious mind)-Moon (unconscious) combination as given by Charles & Suzi Harvey in their book, Sun Sign-Moon Sign:

"A surgeon develops life-saving methods...A mother eagle defends her babies with immense courage...A mother passionately defends her delinquent child and pleads for a compassionate verdict."

Let's close with two quotes from famous people who were born with the Sun Scorpio-Moon Cancer blend:

"There is a homely adage which runs 'Speak softly and carry a big stick, you will go far..." - Theodore Roosevelt ('big stick' = nuclear option? Well, Harry Reid certainly speaks softly!);

"So live that you would not be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip." - Will Rogers (quite impossible in Washington DC, isn't it?)

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! jc

10.31.13: Senator-elect Cory Booker sworn in w his Venus rising

At noon today, Senator-elect Cory Booker was sworn in and now joins the hallowed lions' den within the US Capitol Building. Assuming the ceremony and oath proceeded on schedule, we find that 2Cap26 is rising on the Ascendant at the Capitol Building (10.31.13) with Venus @25Sag21 rising in 12th house of Politics and Karma, and powerful Pluto @9Cap25 rising in the 1st house of Self.

This gives a 'fascinating, attractive personality' vibe to his tenure (Venus-Pluto = ASC) and makes Saturn the chart-ruler directing the event and his term. Saturn @13Sco32 is in 10th house of Public Status/Career and makes no major applying aspects though the societal pair of planets, Saturn and Jupiter, as in a lovely trine (6A54) from Jupiter's 7th house position 20Can26 (a critical degree).

With no application, Saturn's sign, degree, and house position become more prominent. Yet Saturn is not part of a rather massive YOD pattern with its base an 8th house Mars @9Vir32 sextiling Sun (8Sco23--conjunct President Obama's natal Neptune today and his alleged falsehoods in the news), North Node @7Sco45, and Mercury Rx @11Sco06--not great for taking Mercurial oaths. So will there be a flub? Or is Mercury Rx related to Booker's taking over for deceased Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, as in, a second oath taken for the same senate seat? Well, this is a Balsamic phase of the Moon period so taking over for another who can't carry on is denoted already and a retrograde Mercury seems to be supporting this.

Now the apex of the YOD (special task, crisis, turning point) is planet Uranus Rx @9Ari27 in 3rd house of Communications. As apex planet in a YOD, Uranus behaves as a catalyst, an extraordinary person with acute intellectual capacity who disrupts by making sweeping changes.

And we all know that the US Congress needs all the sweeping (and dusting and cleaning) it can get, so Welcome, Senator Booker, to Capitol Hill Antics Theater! May your 'special task' be successfully performed on behalf of the American people. I hope you brought a large broom.

As for Senator Booker's natal chart (April 27, 1969, Washington DC, 'noon'), his first natal planet to rise today at noon is Venus @10Ari35 with the magic wand of Uranus catalyzing it which indicates new or unusual alliances being formed and interactions with others that are difficult to predict. The swearing-in Moon today @1Lib59 conjoins Mr. Booker's natal Uranus @00Lib33 Rx (which conjoins his natal South Node, and both conjoin America's natal Midheaven, and if his natal Moon in Virgo is on or near 9Vir+, transit Mars @9Vir32 conjoins it denoting a quicker pace to life and emotions that are close to the surface.

Shutdowns 1995/96 and 2013 linked by Mars-Neptune

Mars-Neptune, Government Shutdowns, and Autumn 2013 Eclipses

by Jude Cowell

On Saturday October 19, 2013, transit Mars @2Vir39 returns to its position in the 'Shutdown New Moon 1995' horoscope (Sun-Moon @10Cap33), which is called a Mars Return, and which symbolizes a new 2-year cycle of activity relating to shutdowns and stalemates. For the current government shutdown, testosterone-driven Mars, the planet of quarrels, activism, and war, is opposed by transit Neptune @2Pis44 Rx.

As you see from the 1995 New Moon degree of 10Cap33, transit Pluto now conjoins it showing changed circumstances that lead to a critical time of development (Ebertin.) A New Moon begins a cycle of activity as well, and this one on January 1, 1995 occurred 3 days prior to the swearing in of the 104th Congress, and times the cosmic beginning of the New Gingrich 'revolution'. Rounding up, the negative expression of 11 Cap's Sabian Symbol is: 'egoistic satisfaction in matching the mediocrity of others' and I'm quite certain that then as now, the American people look to the US Congress for such sorriness as that.

In fact, some say that the approval rating of Congress has now dropped to the historic low of 5% (which causes me to wonder what on earth is wrong with the 5%.)

So with tr Mars about to return to its 1995 degree on October 19th, and with the current position of nebulous, fraud-producing Neptune opposing said Mars, what's up in the Mars-Neptune department? Well, you know about America's problematic Mars-Neptune square (22Gemini SQ 22Virgo) in our national horoscope (July 4, 1776) so whenever Mars and Neptune tangle, our 'confused motivations/misguided actions' tendencies are usually on display or are triggered. (Ex: Republicans seem to have forgotten their 'defund Obamacare' campaign which was irrationally instigated by wet-behind-the-ears senator, Ted Cruz. The GOP has "moved on" from that particular losing battle and have set their sights on other budgetary targets where they'll be able to save face, they hope.)

My fuss is that all this high drama is meant to undermine confidence in the US government of the American people--yet it doesn't do that for me but does serve to highlight my lack of confidence in the current doltish crop of Capitol Hill brigands, but not in the republican system itself. Efficient government is what I prefer, even if it means that government isn't 'smaller'. (Well, okay, so I was born with four natal planets in Capricorn, the sign of government, business, and law!)

So! Transit 2013 Neptune opposing 1995 Mars denotes a time of futile efforts (!) and debilitating factors which undermine actions; misguided ideals inspire acts of revenge and aggression while risk-taking endeavors and hostile confrontations do not work out in Mars' favor. Scandal, deception, illusion, and mistrust are on the Martian menu at this time. Headaches are difficult to diagnose yet a majority of Americans agree that it's quite simple to discern from what quarter the headaches the US Congress is giving We the People have their beginnings.

Obviously, the Mars-Neptune transit between Shutdowns 1995 and 2013 indicates that results are not conforming to what the Republican Tea Party's expected outcome was delusionally intended to be and the irrational, self-deceived energies that Neptune can supply to any situation turned out to be more prominent in the real world than Neptune's undermining of President Obama's signature legislation, the Affordable Health Care Act, at least at this time. Additionally, Neptune also signifies The Web and the ACA website's awful first week has been gummed up by Neptunian forces (are hackers involved, I wonder?) More political attacks from anti-government/small-government types will be forthcoming, I suspect, especially since they've fought against FDR's New Deal programs from the start and now consider Obamacare to be an increase in the size of government--which it is.

Well, no one should ever expect outer planets such as Neptune to provide dependable outcomes, should they?

As I type, the Senate is in session--rare for a Saturday--concerning an offer that would reopen the government and extend the debt ceiling limit so we can pay our bills and thereby avoid becoming a deadbeat nation in default.

However, uplifting the 'full faith and credit of the US government' and protecting the dollar as the global currency are quite different matters.

Yes, the Republican Tea Party has a definite 'genius for futile turmoil and persistent upset' (ruling by lurching from crisis to crisis) so the negative expression of the current Solar Eclipse degree (May 2013 @19Tau) is being demonstrated all too well by the austerity-loving political party. Perhaps this morning's Sun-Moon blend may be instructive as to the flavor of the meeting at the White House so let's check it out:

Sun Libra-Moon Capricorn (Venus-Saturn) is a purposeful, pragmatic, ambitious blend of energies with a social conscience; this blend of the 'artful manager' denotes diplomacy and an ability to work together as idealism morphs into decisive action.

This Sun-Moon blend is shared natally by activist Bobby Seale so here's an apt quote for the day from him:

"We must start coming forth with our energies...our intellects, and our abilities to see what is right and what must be done, so the suffering will stop, and the phrase 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' begins to make some human sense."

At 2:00 pm edt today, the Moon enters Aquarius and prepares for a US Lunar Return on October 14, 2013. In the Return chart, the Moon is opposed by--you guessed it--Mars in late Leo, which indicates the deep anger and resentment of the American people toward whomever each one of us considers contentious Mars to be representing in the government shutdown fiasco!

For me, Mars is the actor involved with the anarchistic Uranus-in-Aries zealots as described by Reinhold Ebertin in his book The Combination of Stellar Influences though, as always, you, dear reader, may feel free to totally disagree.

So at 2:00 pm, the Sun-Moon blend becomes Sun Lib-Moon AQ which has a curious implication to the current anarchy in Washington for it signifies those who 'build castles and a Utopia' in their minds. You'll remember that the old 'Utopia' plan is that of the Adam Weishaupt crowd of Illuminatists whose descendants remain determined to destroy civilized systems such as government, law, religion, and education. And with the November 3, 2013 Solar Eclipse soon occurring with its illuminating Uranus-Neptune content, I'd say they've done a pretty good job of it so far.

News at 12:00 pm et: John Boehner touts that an impasse has been reached in this morning's negotiations with the president. Well, our political drama queens and prima donnas must be pleased that their starring time before the cameras hasn't ended...yet.

View the horoscope of the October 18, 2013 Lunar Eclipse in Aries set for Washington DC, if you wish.

Can Astrology Describe Senator Ted Cruz?

An Astrological Investigation of Senator Ted Cruz

by Jude Cowell

In August 2012, NPR called Ted Cruz a Rising GOP Star (click for text or audio) but his star may be twinkling a bit off-and-on these days, a condition which is quite appropriate for a man born with Saturn Rx in stubborn Taurus opposite Mars, Venus, and Jupiter in Scorpio!

(Mars-Saturn combinations can give off-again-on-again energy to the demeanor like one who tends to 'blow hot and cold'. And he does seem to blow and bluster...)

Well, here's the wiki page of Senator Ted Cruz if you want the brief details of his rise to senatorial power (since January 2013!) As you've heard, the old boys club of the US Senator seems en masse to be somewhat taken aback by Cruz's McCarthy-ite style of interrogation and innuendo and who can blame them? If the off-the-rails GOP is being honest about Cruz's arrogant boat-rocking, that is. Yet, is it actually possible for one mere fellow to out-arrogant the GOP?

Let's consider the main planetary aspects of Mr. Cruz and see what we can glean:

Born December 22, 1970 in *Calgary Alberta, Canada (hour unknown), Cruz has one of the Cardinal Points of Fame and Prominence for his natal Sun position, 00Cap and some minutes. Look to his Sun-ruler Saturn and you see it's retrograde which means father tended to be weak when strength was needed, and domineering when gentleness was called for, plus, dad may not have been available physically (ex: long work hours) and/or emotionally. So Ted had to find his own inner authority and from his current demeanor and the drive it took to reach Capitol Hill, I'd say he found some semblance of it in abundance. One thing we know from his actions: he takes himself very very seriously which is not uncommon with a Capricorn Sun (Sun = ego.)

Also, with Mercury around 12Cap48 and Rx, Cruz thinks like the Capricorn Sun he is, and Cap-ruler Saturn, in Taurus as noted, is in a helpful, opportunistic trine (120 degrees) with Mercury giving structure and a conservative bent to his thinking.

As for his difficult temperament, we find that natal Moon in airy Libra is intellectual and somewhat detached emotionally, and denotes vividness in expression with perhaps a streak of self-indulgence. By sign, Sun and Moon are square (90 degr) which may indicate confusion in parenting what must certainly have been a willful child for Sun and controlling Pluto are squared. Factor in Chiron in Mars-ruled Aries and we see a portrait of one with a wounded sense of self which affects the actions he takes, or chooses not to take. Father issues are authority and control issues so please read on...

Those born with Sun-Pluto squares can be destructively willful, as you know. Frustration may easily lead to explosions (temper tantrums) and moderation is difficult to find or keep in relationships. This square tags Sen. Cruz as a might makes right kind of guy--rather a perfect fit for the Republican Party, imho.

A 'chip on the shoulder' might also describe the junior senator from Texas for his usual tendency is to be eagerly at-the-ready for adversaries, an attitude that arouses the worst in others. Yes, right out of the gate, we find that abuse of authority is about all the American people will be getting from Senator Ted Cruz who is actually his own worst enemy with a Sun-Pluto square that's separating (waning) and so therefore, unconscious. He may not be consciously aware of his self-defeating tendencies! Learning to compromise with others would go a long way toward lessening the ill effects of his overbearing ego and ruthless drive yet at the tender age of 42, he doesn't seem to realize this and perhaps never will.

Well, there are no major applying aspects to his Sun in Capricorn (sign of government, law, and business) which makes his personality a bit harder to fathom astrologically. Actually, he's quite an enigma to those who know him, too. Thinking, communicating Mercury is sextile (60 degr) Mars in Scorpio, an aspect which completely supports his Sun-Pluto implications.

Mercury sextile Mars gives Cruz self-assertion issues and an insatiable curiosity to know more. Apparently at some point in his life, he was browbeaten and his sense of fairness was violated (see Chiron in Aries, above) which sounds much like the behavior he exhibits toward others now. This sextile makes him always ready to quarrel yet patience and discipline are needed when developing ideas before he unleashes them upon the world.

His gruff, forceful way of speaking comes across as harshly aggressive to others, and he should double-check his facts before speaking since he often makes mistakes (Epstein.)

Yes, Cruz likes to take the opposite position in most debates, plus, his planet of debate, Mercury, is engaged in a separating (unconscious) square with quirky Uranus (13Lib14) so there is a definite genius to his thinking yet an off-putting eccentricity, too. This square gives much mental alertness and opinions that are often at odds with prevailing societal trends and beliefs. Obnoxious and belligerent is how many people find him, and when he's speaking, logic may be skipped to make the more dramatic effect. My suspicion is that he loves the sound of his own voice--so what if the facts are skewed or entirely missing, and the hackles of others are standing on end as he pontificates?

Of course, the mature stance is that it is foolish to present oneself prematurely at the risk of being totally discredited. Again, it's moderation and compromise which Senator Ted Cruz so sorely needs.

Yet his Mercury-Uranus square provide him with a know-it-all attitude and a preference for ignoring rules. Of course, the US Senate had rules long before this sassy whippersnapper was born and will continue to have them after he's gone, we may hope.

In addition, there's an out-of-sign conjunction between Jupiter (25Scorpio) and Neptune (1Sag) but I'll leave you to consider what this excessive, grand-scheming pair of energies mean to an ambitious, fanatic fellow like Ted Cruz...because a little Cruz goes a long way with me!

Venus-Mars Passion; Pluto at Critical Degree

With Scorpio being a sign of great passion (and Big Business), we must consider the wide conjunction of Venus (17Sco) and Mars (10Sco) which can give a lack of discrimination within relationships due to an eagerness for contacts. Ruthlessness and pushiness may be traits his colleagues on The Hill have quickly noticed about him, plus, he does not like or accept anyone having control over him (tell that to the GOP, right?)

Then there's power-grabbing, manipulative Pluto at an overly eager, critical-crisis 29th degree in Virgo, sign of The Critic. Pluto in Virgo indicates one with an inquisitive mind, a desire to collect, a scientific leaning, and a fanatical zeal for investigation (Ebertin.) We've already seen his 'zeal' and jackassian arrogance demonstrated such as in the following exchange in the Senate where he 'schools' Senator Dianne Feinstein on the Constitution--so I can't resist closing with the video of his performance which is sure to become a Cruz Classic:

Recommended: for astro-notes concerning the Sun-Moon personality blend of Ted Cruz, you may wish to mosey over to my tapestry blog of Astrology, Art, and Politics where you'll find him described as "a crusader dueling with shadows".

~:~

Yes, m'peops, though born in Canada, Mr. Cruz can indeed run for US president because of his mother's American citizenship. Drat.

Will Sen. Roy Blunt step down over Monsanto Protection Act?

May I Be Blunt about Blunt?

by Jude Cowell

Just a quick heads-up concerning the hideously frankenteinian Monsanto Protection Act championed by Missouri Senator Roy Blunt who is being asked by the Organic Consumers Association to step down from his lofty senate perch of special privilege.

Wonder how many pesos it takes for a US senator to sell out the American people, their health, and the safety of our nation's food supply like this? Well, you know that on July 4, 1776, asteroid Ceres (grains, food supply, milk, nurturance, mother, etc) was in Pisces and was unfortunately infused by the midpoint of the oppressive, combined energies of that plutocratic duo, Pluto and Chiron. Reminds me of the Dust Bowl and other busts and collapses that were engineered into food shortages and famine caused by over-planting and other such methods that abuse Mother Earth and mock all common sense.

Besides that, there's at least one conservative, Duane Graham, who is decidedly unimpressed with Mr. Blunt when it comes to gun issues and the NRA. Actually, the more I read about 'Blunt', the more he sounds like a dud. How plainly awful for us that Capitol Hill is infested and crawling with such duddish varmints, charlatans, and crooked pocket-liners these days.

Too bad leviathan Monsanto has no cure for the political infestation that ails us.

March 22, 2013: Senate "vote-a-rama" w a Fire-Fire blend

How For Goes Thy Senate Vote-a-Rama 2013?

by Jude Cowell

In case you missed it, PBS has the scoop on today's Senate "vote-a-rama" though I must award Public Broadcasting a Big Phooey for falling in with the GOP line by using "entitlement" in their article when mentioning the American people's under-threat social safety net programs.

Taking a look at today's astro-portents, perhaps a picture can be captured of Vote-a-Rama energies. At 2:17 pm edt, the excitable pair of Mars and Uranus conjoin at 8Aries+ so we may expect idle posturing and an empty pretense of good will to be shown. ('8Ari' = "A Large Hat With Streamers Blown by the East Wind"--Jones.)

Plus, if senators actually intend to accomplish anything, it should be done prior to the Moon's last aspect of the day (Moon square Saturn at 11:38 pm edt) after which Luna is void-of-course until the wee hours of Saturday when she joins in with the crisis-crossroads-turning-point YOD configuration involving Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto ('trying to save what's left; adoption of the austere'--Tyl.)

In fact, looking at a 6:00 pm edt chart of today (3/22/13) and one for 11:59 pm edt, two YODs are in formation at 6:00 pm--by 11:59 pm, there are four YODs if we count the oppressive Plutocracy pair's pressure upon We-the-People's Moon...Pluto-Chiron = Moon @ 10Leo55. Ouch!

And with Moon in Leo, We-the-People are in the mood for a Friday and weekend of fun and entertainment, not austerity-implementation by politicians who will be 'debating' the issue of whether or not congress members, slack as they are, deserve automatic pay raises! I think most Americans can save them the effort by asserting that the majority of them Do Not Deserve the Pay They Already Receive, much less raises for their sorry mal-practicing performances of recent years.

Still in effect is the Neptune-NN (deception with the public) midpoint where manipulative propagandist Pluto sits giving people difficulties when attempting to blend their perspectives with that of others. However, the late evening YOD that forms tonight includes a lovely Moon-Jupiter sextile at its base (good for PR.) Alan Oken has called this the 'ray of hope' aspect so we'll see if anything beneficial issues forth toward the public from the bowels of the US Senate tonight--especially since its midpoint picture is rather telling:

Moon-Jupiter = Pluto: the big picture and the power to make it appear; major plans for major triumph (Tyl.) Mmm-hmm...but is it a triumph for the American people?

Topics of the day and evening may also include: the legality of drones (freaky draconianism and law-breaking), abortion (politicians get your noses out of our bedrooms and doctors' offices--and zip your pants lest you create a baby politician), and repeal of the Affordable Health Care Act (too expensive to repeal it even if its critics are correct--aka, boat left harbor.)

Now voting Mercury hangs out at 6Pis+ all day into the night and everyone knows Pisces can be murky, confused, deceptive--or, inspired by compassion. So let's look at the Sun-Moon blend in effect all day into night for it's a creative, volatile, and dramatic (to answer the question posed by the above-linked article) Fire-Fire combination which can get very down in the dumps when things don't go its way:

Sun Aries-Moon Leo is full of pride and optimism and describes idealists with tremendous passion--even leaders and heroes. 'Fiery feeling and sharp intellect' combine within a big-thinker mix that's full of conviction as those with 'large personalities' take center stage. A childish insistence on 'my way is the only way' may be the attitude shown along with massive ego needs that blind true self-perception (lookin' at You, Republicans!); plus, in Arien fashion, large objectives are sought before debris from previous projects is tidied up.

Let's close with a word picture which may or may not symbolize any of our senate players acting in the March 22, 2013 Political Theater tragi-drama:

"Image for Integration: After slaying the black dragon of sloth and greed, the young warrior is knighted by the one true king. He marries the maiden of purity and they live happily ever after." (Sun Sign-Moon Sign, Charles & Suzi Harvey.)

Well, if only the people of the world could live happily ever after! And perhaps we could without the self-serving meddling of greedy, power-mad politicians, none of whom deserve pay raises for refusing to govern on our behalves, or for their fumbling ineptitude when they do.

~:~

Astro-Note: 3/22/13 at 6 pm edt: Sun 2Ari26, Moon 7Leo48; at 11:59 pm edt: Sun 2Ari41, Moon 10Leo55, and I believe the '2-3 Aries' degrees of the Zodiac is an area of no follow through; DeVore's Encyclopedia gives '2Ari' as: 'abscesses' and '3Ari' as: 'birds, aviators; collisions; goitre'. Nice.

"In Debt We Trust" (a Schechter documentary)

Our Serfdom of Debt and Oppression

by Jude Cowell

Well, Mr. Danny Schechter has done it again. He's created an elucidating documentary In Debt We Trust (1 1/2 hours long) which begins in church and reminds me of Bush43 immediately after the attacks of 9/11/01 superficially advising the American people that our best response was to, "Go shopping."

No, consumerism is not a religion but it is a form of Pluto-Chiron oppression--the oppression of -isms--and anyone who has reached the limit on a credit card or two knows just how oppressive it can be.

An Exploited Synchronicity?

Curiously, on July 4, 1776, the plutocratic and transiting Pluto-Chiron midpoint @8Pis50 conjoined US natal Ceres, an asteroid denoting basic things everyone needs to feel secure and nurtured such as food, mother's milk, and apparently in our day, an expensive haul of goodies from The Mall. Or at least, that is what the credit card and other industries have consistently preyed upon in the American psyche!

For more videos on a variety of topics, visit Forbidden Knowledge TV.

Hurrah! Now that consumerism expert Elizabeth Warren has been elected to the US Senate, dark forces are gathered against her, forces very upset with the minimal legal protections We the People now have, thanks to her leadership, which open up to the light of full disclosure some of the credit card industry's exploitive practices. And I sincerely hope that there are other benign forces who are protectively 'watching her back'!

Keep It Sheathed Until the Time Is Right

Actually, I'm glad to read that Mrs. Warren is taking a moderate course and not rushing in to that Masonic temple on Capitol Hill, sword in hand! Elizabeth Warren, establishment critic, showing restraint as she prepares for clubby Senate.

As the wise saying goes, Moderation in All Things.

Plus, here's a website with curious information relating to Washington DC, my former city of residence. Scroll down a ways for text concerning the Masonic layout of the Capital City and a photo from September 19, *1993 of Senator Strom Thurmond spreading cement to mark the 200th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of the US Capitol Building.

Then tell me you don't think there's more than meets the eye going on now with the current 'fiscal cliff'--national debt impasse between the White House and the US Congress! Just who really owns the notes on America's national debt anyway?

~:~

*As you know, 1993 was a watershed year in which the planets of The Enlightenment, Uranus and Neptune, met three times in Great Conjunction. Their third meeting is what I tend to use as a New World Order birth chart (October 24, 1993) with '18 Capricorn' the significant degree of their conjunction: '18Cap' = 'POLITICAL POWER...negative expression: smug or strong-armed paternalism'. (MEJ.) Of course, that's a stone's throw away from the tenets of Plutocracy's paternalistic pair, Pluto-Chiron. These days, it's hard to miss seeing--or experiencing--such strong-arming to grasp and hold on to political power on the rise across the globe, is it not?

Horoscope of Venus Transit 2012: Equal Pay for Women, a Recall Vote, and a Queen

In May I blogged aloud whether Greece would leave the EU in tandem with Venus transiting the Sun, a rare cosmic event occurring today or tomorrow (June 5 and 6, 2012) depending on where you are located on Earth. NPR has good coverage of the event, text or audio.

Astrologically the Transit (or Occultation as Venus journeys between Earth and Sun) may be seen as a conjunction by degree....On the level of Politics and Business, it may be interesting to consider the implications of the Sun/Venus combination. Is it synchronicitous that the US Senate is set to vote this afternoon on equal pay for women (Venus) with Republicans carrying their usual flag for Business (men), while Democrats say they're championing equal pay for Women?

Yes, Venus' material values and money are on top of many menus this week with feminine Venus transiting the masculine Sun.

Now concerning the Senate'e procedural vote today, Sun = business (usually men, certainly ego and here paternalism with Venus signifying not only women but evaluations and material earnings (in the US women earn 77 cents for each dollar a man earns so we see who is more valued in American society--even though many women are the only breadwinners for their families, a circumstance seldom of their own choosing.)

Now in my blogging quest to provide you with the best astrological information I can muster, I shall quote from Midpoints: Unleashing the Power of the Planets by Michael Munkasey even though Mr. Munkasey isn't a fan of being precisely quoted and considers his analyses inspirational. Well, so do I. But helpfully, his format uses the Hegelian Thesis-Antithesis model with the resulting Synthesis turning up in the realm of Experience or Outcome in society; naturally, with Venus Transit 2012 visible over the planet, the following may apply to any nation or business-related endeavor:

Potentials for Sun/Venus in Politics and Business:

"Thesis: Using the wealth available to a nation or business to sustain its image or authority; how a society shapes the direction of its growth; the nature of reserves, resources, and the role they play in development.

A leadership which doesn't appreciate the role that art or culture plays in developing the character or identity; a society which is estranged from its leadership; little development of artistic or musical heritage."

We may look to today's re-call vote (Venus re-trograde in voting Mercury's sign of duplicitous Gemini with Mercury out-of-bounds of the earthly plane--watch for vote-counting discrepancies and hopefully a large record-breaking turnout with Mercury OOBs) on paternalistic Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (Sun) with collective values and workers' rights hanging in the balance (Venus!), the current and very soggy Jubilee celebration of Queen Elizabeth (signified by both Venus and the Sun--or is the Sun her master?!), and other news items for clues concerning real world outcomes of Venus Transit 2012. Click to read of the Queen's celebration which has made barely a ripple on this side of the pond; included is one Brit's comment on Her Majesty's remoteness (aka, 'estranged' as mentioned above) as Venus sails across the Sun like a very damp flotilla cruising the River Thames.

Now here's a view of the Venus Transit 2012 horoscope set for the Capitol Building Washington DC; please to click to enlarge and read my scribbly notations for midpoint pictures, a T-Square pattern between Jupiter/NN and Neptune, and more; US natal planets are penned around the outside of the chart with US n Saturn 14Lib48 (lawmakers; managers; Democrats) at MC, the Goal and Public Status point; as you know, Saturn in 10th house is the 'fall from grace' indicator if Saturn's lessons of maturity are not learned, honesty is not upheld, and life's responsibilities are not honored (I'm looking at you, US House of Representatives--and at men who abandon their women and don't pay child support...ya know who ya are):

Sun and Venus @ 16 Gemini: "A Woman Activist In An Emotional Speech Dramatizes Her Cause" = "the PROSYLYTIZING MIND...Keywords: A passionate response to a deeply felt new experience." (Dane Rudhyar's An Astrological Mandala.) Noted on the horoscope is Venus Transit 2012 taking place Tropically among the stars of Orion the Hunter.

And the negative (unconscious/shadow side--jc) expression for '16Gem' as given by Marc Edmund Jones in The Sabian Symbols in Astrology?

"A bias forever exalting itself."

Sounds just right for a self-satisfied Sun/Venus conjunction and super-decriptive of the majority of our self-serving US Congress members who continue to place power, wealth, and weird Utopian ideologies far above the needs and preferences of We The People whose government it is.

Raise taxes on the rich who can afford it--and stop waging war!

A Message to the American People from Anonymous (video)

Does the behavior of the members of the US Senate and House of Representatives ever make you wonder whose influence and on whose behalf they act under? Votes like this show their main influence cannot possibly be We the People:

Senator Olympia Snowe: Sun and Moon in Pisces

Perhaps you heard the announcement yesterday that Maine's Senator Olympia Snowe will retire when her third term ends on January 3, 2013 which could be good news for Democrats.

Her Wiki bio gives February 21, 1947 Augusta, Maine as her birth date and place of entering the Time-Space flux of Planet Earth. Considered a 'moderate' senator, Olympia Snowe's step down offers interesting possibilities for a change of guard in the US Senate.

The 24-hour period of her birth date shows Sun in Pisces (1:44--2:44) and Moon in Pisces (3:11--15:57) making her a double Pisces (Water-Water) at the least since we need her birth time to determine the sign ascending.

As we'd expect, Water-Water types are very creative and able to 'go with the flow' yet may 'go misty' when their deep feelings are touched. Times gone by may be a nostalgic focus for Water-Water, a sentimental combo which may veer toward over-rationality in order to stem their changeable emotional tides.

The Senator's Sun Pisces/Moon Pisces blend has three Images for Integration (Sun = conscious mind; Moon = the unconscious...adult + child), one of which seems apt for her retirement so I wish you'd see what you think and get back to me if you wish:


"The stars and the ocean together create one world, no horizon...adrift at sea...the sunset beckons."

(Sun Sign-Moon Sign, Charles & Suzi Harvey.)

Some very creative folk share the Pisces/Pisces blend natally: Michaelangelo, Maurice Ravel, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov and actress Jennifer Jones, who said:

"I've seen every problem," a remark that well demonstrates a basic trait of 'psychic sponge' Pisces, the last sign of the Zodiac which contains all the others and feels deeply the problems and foibles of the world.

Well, if anyone ever wanted to feel problems and foibles, America circa 2012 is the perfect place in which to do so, isn't it? But quite fatiguing. Medical reasons are possible, of course, but perhaps citing the gridlock of my-way-or-the-highway attitudes and conditions on Capitol Hill these days is reason enough for a lady to retire. And it's certainly no wonder she's had enough of our highly polarized Congress--so have I and I'm only viewing their bad behavior from the far hinterlands of Georgia with horoscopes in hand.

Wishing a Happy Retirement for Senator Snowe! And a better acting Congress for us.


Now it's back to packing for me...but I wish I were watching Heist, the Movie instead...

USA: the Blessings of Saturn in Libra 7.4.11

Happy 235th birthday, America!

America was founded with planet Saturn exalted in Libra, and Julie Demboski's post for today concerns authority and perspectives, Celebrating and Reacting, with asteroid Ceres' activity reminding us of our nurturing and security needs on this, Independence Day 2011.

Using the degree-for-a-year method, 235 years converts to 235 degrees (2011 - 1776) which then tallies on the zodiacal wheel to: 235 - 210 (Libra) = 25 Scorpio, making 2011 America's '25 Scorpio year' of existence upon the evolutionary scale of life on Earth.

Dane Rudhyar gives '25Sco' as "An X-Ray Photograph"...STRUCTURAL KNOWLEDGE...

"Keynote: The capacity to acquire a knowledge of the structural factors of existence."

Everything about this degree mentions various levels of Saturn's form, function, control, systemic, and structural influences. Ex: "Thus if the structure is weak, deformed by persistent strain, or unbalanced, the basic causes of outer disturbances and dis-ease can be discovered.' (DR.)

Basic causes of our dis-ease discovered! Well, that would make a fabulous birthday gift for our creaky 235-year-old nation, wouldn't it? Perhaps the July 1, 2011 Solar Eclipse @9Can12 (between US n Sun and Jupiter) will highlight such discoveries and allow them to be addressed!

In The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, Marc Edmund Jones adds for '25Sco': INVESTIGATION...

positive expression: 'an exceptional power of analysis';

negative/unconscious/shadow side: 'uncritical oversensitiveness to both the condition of self and the state of society'. (My italics, my 'unconscious/shadow side' added.)

Ah yes, the 'state of society'...Saturn, the state, in partnership with Jupiter = the societal planets, the balance between contraction (Saturn) and the expansion of Jupiter, the yin-yang, positive-negative, black-white, up-down dualism of our Universe.

And America was founded with both the societal planets exalted in their signs: Jupiter in home-loving yet business-savvy Cancer, Saturn in Scales-of-Balance Libra, sign of Relationships, ruled by The Attractor, Venus.

As expansion-contraction issues are discussed on Capitol Hill, it is important as well to consider the Jupiter-Saturn phasal relationship in America's natal horoscope. After all, their cycle of contraction-expansion relates closely to financial cycles - and last week the NYSE broke a two-year record for giddiness.

US natal Jupiter 98 degr 52 mins n Saturn, so they're almost 99 degrees apart and square one another by sign. A square (90 degr) aspect denotes frustration, delay, blockage, and obstacles, and a Cancer-Libra square shows a basic structural problem which can cause financial and business reversals if ill-managed. And I might add 'if dishonorably managed' since both Saturn and Jupiter prefer to reward according to our level of upstanding, righteous behavior.

The thing about a square (or 'squarish') relationship between the societal planets is that judgments concerning long-term planning may be faulty especially in the realm of Finances. Plus, there are problems caused by bad timing. Famously, the Sabian Symbol for US natal Jupiter ('6Can') from 1776 is: "Game Birds Feathering Their Nests"! And as I always quickly mention: they still do.

Most of them have become experts at pocket-lining, in fact.

Recently the phasal relationship between tr Jupiter and Saturn has clocked in around 150 degr off and on, a quincunx, or inconjunct aspect of disjunction and adjustment (Rs v Ds: in American Mundane Astrology, Saturn = Democrats, Jupiter = Republicans though naturally each party exhibits traits belonging to both planets.)

Jupiter inconj Saturn shows difficulty with justifying why we feel burdened by responsibilities as past incidents where duty was avoided come home to roost. There are few options or choices, and further disturbance is felt through not knowing how long the condition will last. Bitter resentment results but it's really a disguised self-disgust for allowing others to use and abuse us.

Step Back!

Because honest, objective perspectives are required along with the aid of trusted advisers...if we can, at this momentous time, find any of those critters that politicians will listen to. Personally I believe that America's true worth is unquantifiable...even without retaining our previous financial dominance in the world!

Now it's Independence Day 2011, and we-the-people remain almost wholly unimpressed with the US government and its Congress grumpily meeting tomorrow (Tuesday July 5, 2011) as the Senate forgoes its July 4th vacation to 'debate' the US debt ceiling question, with August 2 still the much-touted 'deadline' for raising it so as not to splash egg upon the face of our deeply indebted, yet still-rich nation. It has become clear that current Republicans are determined to undermine to the point of collapse FDR's New Deal programs thereby taking the US back to the 1920s and 30s - before my time and I have no desire for the US to revisit those decades, do you?

So does America's weakened budgetary condition provide fodder for our 'faulty judgments in long-term planning' canon of neglectful, non-regulating congressional actions taken in timely or belated fashion?

President Obama has mentioned 'July 22' as a date for Congress to take action on economic matters (do your homework early - ya know ya gotta do it!) Well, August 2 falls between our US Mars Return (July 21, 2011, a 2-year cycle of new activity) and the 3rd of 3 returns of Saturn to his natal position in 1776 @14Lib48 on August 28, 2011, thus the universal cosmic clock 'starts over' for our natal Mars and Saturn.

Mars Trine Saturn to the Rescue?

Happily, America's natal Mars ('22Gem') and Saturn are trine (talent; good fortune) by Air signs Gemini and Libra so therein lurks my grand hope (Jupiter) that the regular responsibilities, accounts, and natural authority of our exalted Saturn in Libra will take the lead as Saturnian 'lawmakers' rise to the occasion and place their sworn duty above certain economy-crashing, chaotic ideologies of Utopianism in spite of Uranus now transiting Mars-ruled *Aries, an historical signature of Utopian radicalism!

Saturnian Devil in the Details

And of course, whenever tr Pluto traverses the structural sign of Capricorn (business, law, government, as it did in 1776 @ 27Cap33 Rx), the global power elite ramp up their concentration of money and power into fewer and fewer select hands (aka, raptor's claws.) The devil is that their Plan leans toward a global financial collapse if carried too far (as they well know), so it must be balanced by more mature, stable, commons-favoring energies which strive for social improvements rather than for a hyped-up inequality on steroids.

Meanwhile in 2011, the income inequality gap is outrageously wide in America and so I ask you on this Independence Day: in whose favor will our ruling plutocrats, the US Senate and House, decide?

If Washington's political-ideological stand-off manages to collapse the US economy, I for one say it was done on purpose and according to a long-term plan whose faultiness seems obvious to most anyone who desires the continuance of America as a sovereign nation-state and as a symbol for the entire planet of Freedom, Independence, and Equality.

~:~

Uranus in Aries = Utopians (The Combination of Stellar Influences, Reinhold Ebertin.

Breaking News: House Passes 2011 Spending-Cut Deal

NPR BREAKING NEWS: House Passes 2011 Spending-Cut Deal

House passes spending measure cutting $38 billion, funding government through September. More at NPR.

Update: the Senate passed it, too so 'the deal' is headed for President Obama's desk for signing.

Don't we wish we could feel thrilled at what a good job our alleged representatives have done?

Senators call for end of TSA full body scans/pat downs (video)

November 17, 2010



Senator Michael J. Doherty (R-Hunterdon, Warren) and Senator James Beach (D-Camden) today announced they will present resolutions to the Senate and Assembly calling on the U.S. Congress to end TSA screening procedures requiring full body scans and pat downs at U.S. airports Their action comes in response to widespread concerns over privacy and radiation, as well as reports of inappropriate conduct by TSA agents during the screening process.

Excerpt:

“The pursuit of security should not force Americans to surrender their civil liberties or basic human dignity at a TSA checkpoint,” said Doherty. “Subjecting law-abiding American citizens to naked body scans and full body pat downs is intolerable, humiliating, vulnerable to abuse, and is fast becoming a disincentive to travel. Particularly concerning to us is the fact that physical searches result in children being touched in private areas of the body. Terrorists hate America because of the freedoms upon which this great nation was built. By implementing these screening measures, the TSA has already handed a victory to those who seek to destroy our freedoms.”

Full press release. #

As George Orwell prophetically wrote...

"They could be made to accept the most flagrant violations of reality, because they never fully grasped the enormity of what was demanded of them, and were not sufficiently interested in public events to notice what was happening."

We must be careful what they're grasping. Here's a man who resisted.

~:~

On November 18, 2010, both Venus and Jupiter direct station and begin moving forward. In Astrology, both planets relate to financial issues and when they turn direct, money can begin to flow. Highly recommended reading is Julie Demboski's article Venus Speaks for more astro-details.

Senate returns Oct 12, 2010: Sun Lib-Moon Sag

The US Senate returns to their Masonic Temple (Capitol Building) tomorrow, October 12, 2010 with the Sun in Libra, Moon in Sagittarius, a personality blend which may give us clues concerning the atmosphere of the day.

Libra's mental airiness with Sagittarius' fiery questing and seeking functions give Tuesday a 'live wire' quality that crackles all the way down to Georgia from whence I type. Boredom will not be the order of the day!

Sun Lib-Moon Sag is a blend indicating idealism, foresight, and intelligence with a missionary zeal (uh oh!), persuasive powers, and philanthropic interests. Its adventurous nature and generous spirit combine in an ambitious yet easy-going combination of energies.

One's latest obsession inspires one to 'hold forth' before the next available audience yet this is nothing new on Capitol Hill, is it? ;p This blend gives the Senate a 'doing its own thing' vibe which is also nothing new for this exalted body which was established to see all sides of any issue and to be deliberative about it.

There is a humanitarian 'concerned for all' tone as well but that remains to be demonstrated to the American people as this session goes forward (I never forget that the current condition of this nation has been overseen by the US Senate made up of people who were on duty, therefore, they allowed or enabled these messes to happen.)

Sun Lib-Moon Sag is the 'formulator and mouthpiece for the grand vision that takes society by storm' combo and if you've read this blog once or twice you know how little I value the globalist agenda for world domination...in a word, nada. Storms, we've certainly had with more to come.

Exploring new paths is one of the orders of the day, however, so we'll see where the proffered paths lead. This is a 'team player' combo possessing an optimistic and dedicated commitment to the group agenda. (That's what worries me - unless or until Congress gets serious about protecting America's sovereignty and the well being of we-the-people.)

Good humor is in evidence here along with an ability to see the larger vision yet there is a caution: a tendency to overstretch and over-estimate ones capacities, a huge part of the reason the US is in the lamentable condition she's in, as you may agree. This blend can give a blindness to its own deeper motives and too proud and aloof a bearing. Yes, the US Senate is precisely aloof and, some think, overly proud - and considering the state of our nation in 2010, I agree with them wholeheartedly, for overstretched are we.

"America is too rich to ever go bankrupt" is a sentiment I read often online after 9/11/01 yet it has been proven to be a fallacy (high-frequency trading on Wall Street notwithstanding) with 9/11's Moon (the people) at '28 Gemini' = BANKRUPTCY. (A Moon's sign and condition in a horoscope describes a reigning need.)

The Sun Lib-Moon Sag blend is shared natally by Nobel Peace Prize winner Sir Joseph Chamberlain (1925), Sean Lennon, Christopher Reeve, Dory Previn, and two folks whom I shall quote as follows because their words may just apply to the US Senate:

"I explained to him that I had simple tastes and didn't want anything ostentatious, no matter what it cost me." Art Buchwald

"I see people out there enjoying themselves and I want to join them. I like the camaraderie of the House." Betty Boothroyd, former Speaker of the House of Commons.

~:~

For Further Reading try Sun Sign-Moon Sign by Charles and Suzi Harvey.

Will Senate pass Financial Reform today w/ Moon in Virgo? 7.15.10

Update July 15, 2010 3:09 pm edt: Senate passes financial overhaul bill. Woot! I think...

Here's what the only Democrat to vote against the bill, Russ Feingold, said, in part:

"The reckless practices of Wall Street sent our economy reeling, triggered the worst recession since the Great Depression, and left millions of Americans to foot the bill. Despite these cataclysmic events, Washington once again caved to Wall Street on key issues and produced a bill that fails to protect the American people from the pain of another economic disaster. I will not support a bill that fails to adequately protect the people of Wisconsin from the recklessness of Wall Street."

Yeah. That's what I figured.

Original post begins here...Sun Cancer-Moon Virgo details apply...

NPR BREAKING NEWS: Senate Clears Financial Bill For Final Passage

The Senate voted 60-38 Thursday to end debate on the bill. That paved the way for Congress to send President Obama a crackdown on banks and Wall Street that in some ways is tougher than what he sought.

More at NPR.

~:~

July 15, 2010 Sun Cancer, Moon in Virgo, a Water-Earth blend that can result in mud, or in practical, down-to-earth action...yesterday's Leo Moon was showy. Today's caring if analytical Virgo Moon tends to get things done.

Sun Can-Moon Vir: clear-headed, conscious concern for others; social adaptability; imagination combines with efficiency; serves with both compassion and common sense.

Images for Integration: The 'perfect' mother...A health visitor weighs an infant with tender precision...A wine taster makes pointed comments, restrained accolades.

Noel Tyl says of this Sun-Moon blend, "Conventional and exacting ideals are set up to define what security is, especially in terms of family. Hard work and experience protect personal vulnerability and establish security."

Sounds like a better deal for US consumers, and I imagine that if the Financial Reform bill passes, the accolades (if any) will be restrained in some quarters more than in others! Still, I hope the Capitol Hill sausage factory passes something that will be of real value to the American people who could use a break from the Oilcan Harrys of the world.

~:~

Sun Sign-Moon Sign, Charles & Suzy Harvey; Tyl's Synthesis & Counseling in Astrology.

July 12, 2010: Senate returns with Moon in Leo

Today the US Senate returns to work on Capitol Hill just after yesterday's Solar Eclipse in Cancer.

Meanwhile, here in the Atlanta, Georgia area, a thunderboomer has suddenly announced itself so this post must be brief with only a thumbnail sketch of the day's energies...

Sun Cancer-Moon Leo (Water-Fire): dramatic sensitivity; devoted; clannish; shy but with inner greatness; magnetic; private but radiant; proud; aristocratic; compassionate.

Playing prima donna is a caution, and cutting oneself off from others if they do not tow the line is a weakness; this blend has 'a voracious need to rule the roost and to have others jolly well like it'. (Sun Sign-Moon Sign, Charles & Suzy Harvey.)

Images for Integration: After serving a sumptuous five-course dinner, the hostess leaves the washing-up to her guests while she serenades them on the piano with Moonlight Sonata...A child ventures forth from her family to seek her greatness.

Hmm. Maybe they should better serenade the American people by extending expired unemployment benefits and plop that money into our faltering economy. And it's okay by me if they save their 'greatness' for later kudos especially since a Leo Moon has a reigning need (and bottomless pit?) for applause, approval, and accolades.

As sharer of the Sun Can-Moon Leo blend, Antoine De Saint-Exupery, once advised,

"Love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction."