A few words from Ayn Rand

"When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion - when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing - when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors - when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don't protect you against them, but protect them against you - when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice - you may know that your society is doomed: Ayn Rand - (1905-1982) Author - Source: Atlas Shrugged, Francisco's "Money Speech"

Foundation data for Phoenix, Arizona

Since new appliances will be delivered here today at any moment, I'll simply provide for those with the time and inclination the natal data for the city of Phoenix, AZ which began on the site of an ancient Native American irrigation system. And yes, the city is named for the mythical phoenix, the bird that rises from ashes and the totem that some of America's founders preferred over the eagle.

My suspicion is that secretly the phoenix has represented America all along!

Be that as it may, the following data may be used to set up a founding horoscope for the city in case you don't have the details already and wish to follow current transits concerning the Veterans Administration's Phoenix office slackness--or, as many of us would term it, the scandal that issues from a huge caseload created for America's multiple war-torn soldiers.

Naturally on this blog and elsewhere the condition of US Mars in Gemini (1776) turning retrograde by progression which occurred in Summer 2006 is a prime factor in such topics with our warriors (Mars) returning (Rx) to find regressive (Rx) and weakening conditions awaiting them when it comes to the US government's glowing promises of care for the health needs of the men and women who were sent into battle by the sub-par politicians of Washington DC. Personally I can think of several neoconservative warmongers who should fairly pony up several million dollars of their own war and weapons profits to pay for our veterans' care.

Phoenix, AZ: October 20, 1870 9:09 am MST; ASC 27Sco43; MC 7Vir24; Moon 2Vir30 in 9th house with natal Mars 25Leo14; Sun 27Lib05 in 11th house and conjunct the Rx degree of transit Mars (March 2, 2014) and thus 27Lib+ is the 'shadow degree' of the Mars Rx period of 2014. The warrior planet ('god of war') will reach and surpass this degree during the 3rd week of July 2014 so perhaps some kind of resolution will be reached in Phoenix around that time--or at least something stalled moves forward. Transit Mars has recently conjoined the city's natal Mercury (paperwork, news, etc) and will hit natal Venus 14Lib58 as well before the warrior planet is done plus, the natal 11th cusp 9Lib02 is within 1 minute of Mars' Direct Station degree (9:01) on May 19th!

In addition, natal South Node 13Cap52 in 2nd house (SN is aka the dragon's tail, a separative and karmic point) is now conjoined by transit Pluto in Capricorn; Pluto/SN is an indicator of violence and war that disrupts society.

Source of founding data and rectification by Marc Penfield, in Horoscopes of the Western Hemisphere

May 7, 2014 Mercury to Gemini conjunct May 2012 Eclipse

Mercury in the Month of May: Thinking of Politics, Praying for Young Girls

by Jude Cowell

Today as speedy Mercury reaches 00Gem00 and conjoins and highlights Fixed Star Alcyone (something to cry about; the Weeping Sisters of the Pleiades) we may be tempted to direct our minds (Mercury) toward the difficult themes of and events concurrent with the Solar Eclipse of May 20, 2012 which manifested, of course, at a Zodiacal degree sensitized by the position of Alcyone. You'll remember that 2012 was quite an active year in Washington DC but not so much for getting things done as for implementing plans to get little if anything done other than to undermine Democrats.

Click the above link for a view of the May 2012 Solar Eclipse horoscope set for the White House (or, White Lodge!) and my typically grumpy-as-usual analysis of US politics and our unfortunate infestation of politicians who are in breach of the public trust.

Mercury's entry into Gemini today is prominent also due to Mercury's rulership of the sign of Good News (and bad), Gemini, for he/she is the servant and messenger of the gods. And naturally we send prayers out to the abducted young girls of Nigeria for their safe return, a circumstance that is definitely 'something to cry about' with Mercury the planet of young people and of transport.

Now for a more uplifting approach to this Mercurial topic, I heartily recommend you check out Depali Desai's article Celestial Twinkle: Mercury enters Gemini May 7th, 2014.

Brunei Jan 1, 1984--and John Oliver on America (video)

Perhaps you watched HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver this past Sunday (5.4.14 11:00 pm EDT) and his comedic report about the country of Brunei and its super-wealthy Sultan. As you know, Mr. Oliver subbed for Jon Stewart on The Daily Show all last summer when Jon was off making a film. Now HBO would undoubtedly take offence if I embedded a video of the Brunei report, so I won't but below is a performance by John Oliver--delivered in Montreal--concerning America, with Brunei's natal details following.

If you remember, the Sultan of Brunei, an oil-rich nation, is often seen at the toniest of places including the White House (the country's Sharia Law notwithstanding) and he was the dude who in 1996 threw a lavish 2-week-long party and invited Michael Jackson to perform. The Sultan, as John Oliver notes in his Brunei report, did not attend the concert.

Now if you wish to set up Brunei's natal horoscope you'll find that transit Pluto (of oil and pipeline fame) has entered 4th house and conjoined first, Mercury, then natal Sun @9Cap24. There's a lot going on behind the scenes in Brunei so invisible Pluto must feel right at home.

You'll also see that natal Mars @24Lib29, the first natal planet to rise in the chart--followed by Pluto @1Sco47--is in process of a national Mars Return on these dates indicating a new cycle of activity: February 6, 2014; March 24, 2014 (Rx); and upcoming is July 15, 2014.

From Campion's The Book of World Horoscopes, we learn that Brunei, formerly a British Protected State, received full independence on January 1, 1984 at 00:00 CCT. ASC 4Lib39; MC 4Can04 (Goals); Sun (leadership) 9Cap24; Moon (the people) 9Sag50 conjunct Fixed Star Antares, 3rd house; Mercury 8Cap35 Rx; Venus 29Sco30, a critical degree, 2nd house; Mars 24Lib29; Jupiter 25Sag50, in its own sign, 3rd house; Saturn 13Sco55 in 2nd house and recently having its Return as well; Uranus 11Sag07, 3rd house (and conjoining Brunei's Pre-Natal Eclipse Series degree of 11Sag46 in the 3 South Series of 'traumatic transformation and endings' (Brady); Neptune, also associated with oil is @25Sag20 in 3rd house and forming a conjunction of the speculation, wastrel, spendthrift, gambling, fraudulent pair, Jupiter-Neptune. First house Pluto @1Sco47, as noted, rises with hotheaded Mars, and is posited at the NWO natal Sun degree of October 24, 1993: 1Sco19.

Yes, Presidents Clinton, George W, and Obama have had sit-down photo ops and private conversations with the Sultan of Brunei, a country that advertises itself as quite a treasure-filled vacation spot if you're interested!

But before you depart, let's consider the Images for Integration of Brunei's Sun Cap-MoonSag personality blend to the portrait: "In his spare time, a High Court Judge takes up the serious hobby of gambling at horse races...A bank clerk plans a world cruise." (Sun Sign-Moon Sign, Charles & Suzi Harvey.)

Bon Voyage!

The Stellar Week of May 5, 2014 and a Joking President

Beginning with Cinco de Mayo on Monday, the week of May 5, 2014 picks up cosmic steam just after the Taurus Solar Eclipse of April 29, 2014. But the real steam will be more apparent once Mars turns direct on May 19th and forges ahead into June toward the next sign, Scorpio, where Mars reigns in tandem with powerful, subversive Pluto's sub-rulership.

Note: May 5th, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day which is actually celebrated on September 17. If you're curious, here's a view of the natal horoscope of Mexico in a post I published on May 22, 2010 which also contains the horoscope of the BP Oil Blowout of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico--Hidalgo rising.

As for astro-details of This Week in May, you'll find handy information over at Tracey's Astro Salon concerning the week ahead.

And in case you missed President Obama's remarks at the White House Correspondents' Dinner last evening, here is a 20-minute video of our jokester-in-chief's comedy routine which preceded that of Joel McHale:

SCOTUS, the 6th Uranus-Pluto Cardinal Square, and a New Millennium

Progressive Uranus in Explosive Aries! 

This morning as I glanced at the horoscope of the next exact square (#6 of 7) between Uranus and Pluto (December 15, 2014 @12+ degrees of Aries/Capricorn), my eye was caught by a Think Progress headline: There's a Hidden Time Bomb in the Senate Rules That Will Go Off If a Supreme Court Justice Retires. How might the symbol for '13 Aries' link to the headline and its topic, above?

Because rounding up the degree of disruptive Uranus to 13 Aries gives a certain Sabian Symbol which may apply to the situation: "A Safely Concealed Bomb Fails to Explode" (Solar Fire software), or, as Dane Rudhyar puts it: "An Unexploded Bomb Reveals an Unsuccessful Social Protest." Keynote: An immature evaluation of the possibility of transforming suddenly the status quo.

And of course, the ongoing Uranus-Pluto square is the current phase of their Great Conjunction/s of the mid-1960s when 'social protest' was all the rage in US streets as it exploded across the globe on behalf of human rights; plus, the 'old order v new order' vibes of Uranus-Pluto have insinuated themselves into every institution these days. Can you feel it?

Now for more info on 13 Aries, Marc Edmund Jones adds: "An Unsuccessful Bomb Explosion." Keyword: IMPETUOUSNESS...positive expression: a dramatic rejection of any accomplishment falling at all short of a very deep or hallowed purpose; negative (unconscious/shadow side--jc): a waste of opportunity and a futile expenditure of self through vanity or petulance. Hmm. Sounds rather like some obstructive, politically motivated judge-appointee nomination hearings to me. And Capitol Hill denizens and shills do like their drama, don't they? Some have made it known that they prefer to govern by not governing.

Sadly for the rest of us, 99% of our politicians are in breach of the public trust and their "very deep or hallowed purpose" seems to be totalitarian control of a 'new order' Global Government based on 'higher' (secret) oaths they've taken which have little if anything to do with their oaths of office and absolutely nothing to do with carrying out 'the people's business.' Yes, We The People must seem only a quaint notion to varmints, brigands, pirates, thieves, psychopaths, and tyrants who imagine themselves kings of the world because they're brazen enough to plunder, pillage, and break societal taboos!

Here's something speculative from April 2013: Ginsburg Eyed as Possible Retirement from Supreme Court. Well, she's an admirable 80-something so it will be interesting to see what happens within the ranks of SCOTUS benchers in or by December 2014.


Another View of the 6th and 7th Uranus-Pluto Cardinal Square

On March 17, 2015, the last of the exact Cardinal Squares (Ari/Cap) occurs between Uranus and Pluto and considering the "progress" made in their 'new order' (Uranus) plans so long ago initiated, it is tempting to consider the Sabian Symbol for 2 Libra. Why? Because the period of time between exact square #6 and #7 (December 15, 2014 -- March 17, 2015) may be crucial to government plans whatever character they may ultimately turn out to have. And in America's often used  'Sibly' natal horoscope, the Midheaven (Mc) which represents The Goal/Aspirations Point of the American Experiment is very near by degree--'1 Libra'. One has only to move the chart from 5:10 pm LMT (Philadelphia, PA) on July 4, 1776 to a couple of minutes later to not only set the Mc for '2 Libra'--but '3 Libra' happens to be the midpoint of our nation's Saturn (15Lib) and Neptune (23Virgo).

Together there are many possible expressions for the Saturn-Neptune combination such as: secret or hidden (Neptune) government (Saturn), social programs, socialism, communism, capitalism and other -isms, suffering, martyrdom, illness, loss--you know the list. Well, the 6th square of  Uranus-Pluto morphs into the 7th square so let's check out the symbol for '2 Libra':

Rudhyar: "The Transmutation of the Fruits of Past Experiences Into the Seed-Realizations of the Forever Creative Spirit." 'Keynote: A repolarization of inner energies leading to a creative centralization of consciousness.'

In the occult, this may relate to Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine and mankind's evolution, yet it may apply more fully to the occult meanings of the numbers 6 and 7. Rudhyar continues: "Number 6 (Solomon's Seal) represents the synthesis of descending spirit and descending matter. It represents the fullness of all past efforts; within the six-fold fruition the seed may be found, the seventh.Outer activity is fulfilled (the Six Days of Creation in the first chapter of Genesis); and the Supreme Actor can be seen in His changelessness and therefore his transcending all-inclusiveness."

"All that was manifested in the plant is gathered in the hidden seed, which in due time becomes the foundation of a new cycle of existence. The fruit decays. For a brief moment the released seed may be seen; this is the 'seventh' period that becomes the creative power fathering a new cycle."

Rudhyar goes on but I shall close for now after reminding myself of the ceremony at the Washington Monument (our national phallic symbol meant for 'seeding' all those feminine goddesses sprinkled abundantly around the District of Columbia--how odd that George, the Father of Our Country, apparently fathered no children of his own!) on New Year's Eve December 31, 1999 when Bill and Hillary seeded the nation and the world into the New Millennium. UPDATE Jan 20, 2016: which to me means that consciously or unconsciously, Hillary (now a 2016 presidential candidate) and Bill Clinton 'seeded' every event and condition that has occurred in this, the New Millennium. A lady 'feminine goddess' president "fathering" our nation? Turn over the Great Seal of America to its covert side and there you'll find America's future.


~:~An Astrological Mandala, Dane Rudhyar; The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, Marc Edmund Jones; Solar Fire Gold software--v9 now available for download: https://alabe.com/solargold.html

Comcast/Charter Deal a Dupe, say Critics | Common Dreams

Comcast/Charter Deal a Dupe, say Critics | Common Dreams



Whoa now. At around 7-8 Pisces these days, networking Neptune, planet of the masses and of the media, has really snugged into her own oceanic, unconscious sign of Pisces, hasn't she? Still floating through the first decan (10 degrees) of the sign, *bugles may be blown and jockeys may spur horses...meanwhile, dupes squirm as victims of the powerful and we all allow the self-deception that precedes, attracts, and/or invites dupery as the polarities of the 6/12 axis are uplifted from the Collective Unconscious into the glare of full awareness.



*paraphrased reference to Sabian Symbols as described by both Jones and Rudhyar.

Now in Pisces: Neptune's current Declination Cycle began in 1944

Neptune now active in its own sign of Pisces

by Jude Cowell

On March 7, 1944 at 10:06 am EWT (Washington DC), Neptune crossed from South declination to North declination while positioned @3Lib19 Rx in the Tropical Zodiac. (Sun @16Pis53, Moon @20Leo33, and rising in DC was 16Tau03.) Venus as chart-ruler was coolly collected @18AQ17.

Facts are difficult to ascertain these days as the current position of transit Neptune @7Pisces conjoins 1944 Mercury (7Pis47.) This relates to some of the Neptunian nature of current events--ferry boats sinking tragically with young people (Mercury) aboard, suicides, the search for downed planes under vast oceans, leaks of all types, media mergings, mass movements, gas and oil pipeline issues and concerns, water contamination, secret trade deals including the Pacific Rim, social networks, disappearances, crimes, and many other associations within the astrological realms of the Big Blue Planet.

Wikipedia's Events of 1944 page contains a list where you'll spy some Neptune-related events many of which occurred during or because of World War II. In fact, the 'fog of war' is one of Neptune's typical manifestations, as you know, along with drugs (including alcohol, dependency and otherwise), the 'silver screen' (Olivier's film Henry V debuted in London, November 1944.) Plus, Neptunian frequencies affected FDR winning his 4th term as POTUS (propaganda to the masses!), Operation Pluto (the world's first undersea oil pipeline laid between England and France), and the beginning of the UN Monetary & Financial Conference at Bretton Woods, NH.

For the Bretton Woods Agreement, Neptune's influence on fraud plays into finances just as obviously as its connection to the liquified natural gas explosion that destroyed a square mile of Cleveland, Ohio on October 22, 1944. So check out 1944 events if you may for Neptune's wavering, merging, deceptive, gaseous vibes are all over the place.

Natal Horoscope/s of Venezuela hit by Uranus-Pluto Square

According to Campion's The Book of World Horoscopes there are two sets of birth data for Venezuela, a country now experiencing political and social upheaval, protests, and police action which may be ascribed to the ongoing Cardinal Square between radical Uranus and powerful transformer Pluto. The square (90 degrees; obstacles, blockages, frustration) issues from their last conjunction/s in mid-Virgo which occurred in the mid-1960s as Civil Rights and other concerns were protested and subsequently legislated in the US and elsewhere. The planetary duo tends, of course, to bring revolutionary vibes to The Collective and generational conflicts arise.

The first birth horoscope for Venezuela (Independence Proclaimed) is the July 5, 1811 Caracas 'noon' (no exact hour known) chart with 12Lib51 rising and 11Can45 at Midheaven with the Sun (leadership) @12Can40. Libra ascending makes the 9th house Venus @16Gem40 potentially the chart-ruler which conjoins Jupiter @20Gem45 and Mercury @23Gem51. Moon (the people) is in 3rd house of the noon chart @4Cap08 so we know that transit Pluto (today @13Cap--the Uranus-Pluto Square perfects today at 3:21 pm edt) has been powerfully affecting this natal Moon. This horoscope's IC (homeland) is @11Cap45 so tr Pluto has crossed the IC into 4th house though without knowing a precise hour for the chart this is speculative timing. Yet a plutonian totalitarian government is apparently on someone's agenda for Venezuela.

Naturally with the 1811 natal Sun @12Can40, tr Pluto in Capricorn has also been in opposition to the leadership of the country much as in the US with our own natal Sun @13Cap19--and you know how that is playing out for President Obama--Pluto isn't playing and signifies several entities such as The Fed, the World Bank, the IMF--all the power brokers and controllers of the world. The Cardinal Square puts tr Uranus @13Aries on the Descendant of the 1811 chart and tr Jupiter (opposite tr Pluto, square Uranus) conjunct n Sun and MC.

The second horoscope for Venezuela also relates to independence and is set for September 22, 1830 'noon' Caracas with 26Sag43 rising and 1Lib07 at MC (Sun on 9th house side @critical degree of 29Vir08.) Moon @00Sag15 conjoins 12th cusp of Politics and Karma and at noon LMT has just entered into 11th house from the 12th. In 1st house are Jupiter @8Cap28 (recently hit by tr Pluto) and Neptune @20Cap02 Rx (20Can/Cap are critical degrees.) So tr Pluto will eventually hit natal Neptune, a time of conflict within moral, political, financial, and religious realms with issues such as genetic engineering, Civil Rights, abortion, mercy killing, executions, fraud, and more.

At this particular time in the 1830 horoscope, tr Pluto plods between natal Jupiter and Neptune (the grand spirit, wastrel, speculator pair) which helps describe difficult conditions in Venezuela with midpoint picture potentials for unreasonable plans that spiral out of control, political conflicts, scandals, speculation, and loss.

And of course the transiting Cardinal Square between Uranus, Pluto, and Jupiter--now a Grand Cross thanks to tr Mars in Libra--catalyzes not only the 1st house Jupiter but also the 4th house (Domestic Scene; Endings) Pluto Rx @8Ari46. That protests, riots, and police action now occur in Venezuela is understandable for even tr Uranus conjunct n Pluto has a revolutionary signature all its own--and tr Uranus' opposition to n Sun during the last few years has added an unpredictable quality to the country's government as the will and authority of its leadership (Sun) has been challenged on many levels by separatist Uranus.

Global Post publishes articles concerning Venezuela if you're interested.

The Truth About Jonathan Pollard

The Truth About Jonathan Pollard



An interesting explanation of US intelligence in the 1980s into 2001 and currently and how the US government thinks more of its imagined infallibility than of doing the right thing and admitting its mistakes, dark secrets though they may be. Plus, there always seemed to me to be something fishy about Caspar Weinberger and Allen Dulles and here, John Loftus tells of their perfidies involving Jonathan Pollard which details their true characters rather well.



Speaking of US government secrets, if you happen to be reading this post today (April 19, 2014) you may wish to catch History2's new presentation of 'America's Book of Secrets' concerning the super-secretive Federal Reserve Banking System titled, "The Gold Conspiracy" at 10:00 pm edt (or a repeat of the broadcast when you can.)