Thursday, October 26, 2006

• Pluto enters Capricorn 2008 where it is likely to begin the breakdown (Pluto) of our social and governmental structures (Capricorn) so that ultimately they can be rebuilt.
• Saturn will oppose Uranus 2008-2010, bringing about a clash of authority (Saturn) with rebellion and cultural change (Uranus) (beginning right at the US presidential election).
• Saturn will square Pluto 2009-2010 with the addition of Jupiter and Uranus during a portion of the cycle. When the two dark lords face off it usually isn't very pretty.
  

By ancient sources we are told humanity is on an arc of return, and past the depths of its ignorance, though there are a few throwbacks still flailing against history. I believe these times are the last effort for those clutching at a way of life that is already fading, as the vast majority of us do NOT think torture, starvation, violence, greed, and smashmouth politics and economics are part of a desireable or sustainable reality.

::snip::

We are now becoming aware of global issues that transcend nations, and affect everyone on Earth. This is the wave of history, and we have some ability to determine whether the transition into the era dawning after 2020 will be unnecessarily difficult. It will be rough enough, but eventually we will break free of the mindset that is gripping the planet at present. This too will pass.

It's like humanity is the planetary brain, and one part of it has awakened to some much greater possibilities of how to live in this 3 dimensional place we call Earth, while the other part of the brain has a diseased tumor destroying everything it seeks to possess through its desires with no thought to the destruction it has caused. However, eventually we will learn we must work together as we have always learned since the dawn of humankind. We have grown separate through an illusion that is divisive and exploitive, and this is contrary to evolution. What confronts us is a decision to change focus due to forces beyond our control forcing us to adapt to future needs.

It will all turn out to be ultimately "good," since we'll move past the destructive mindsets and emotional toxicity presently plaguing the public health. During this time, many we encounter will still try to frame "success" and "failure" in terms of the old reality systems, whether they are realistic or not. Often we find ourselves moving through experiences pushing and pulling us in confusing direction.

Our practice is to remember that we are Eternals participating in shaping the future by our thoughts, feelings, and deeds in the present, despite the oppositions, polarizations, dualisms, and crashing philosophies and views that are inherently unreal. Maybe they used to be real (or not!) to whatever extent, but they are no longer, as everything is giving way to the evolutionary necessities that are presenting themselves with greater and greater frequency as we all come to realize our connectedness with the Earth we live on.

So relax a little, and to the degree you're able, enjoy the passing soft parade inside the gold mine. We are the trailblazers of a dawning era that will make this one seem like a grand illusion. We just have to stay focused, balanced, of abundant view and generous in our goodwill in living our lives on this beautiful, fragile Earth.

It will get better after it gets worse for awhile, but that will make the goal all the more wonderful by its contrast to this old dying era. We're playing for the long haul, which promises so much we've never known or experienced that it will stagger the imagination. Our job is to open the door and greet that which shows us our freedom to be greater than we were.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:21 AM :: |

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Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Financial markets defy astrological predictions

I am the first one to admit that astrology cannot predict the future, but that doesn't keep me from trying. I was not the only one to look at the astrological signatures and predict financial doom in September and October with the eclipse series and the square of Saturn (pessimism and realism) to optimistic Jupiter. Many of us also expected the addition of Neptune to the mix to bring the end (Saturn) of illusions (Neptune).

And it wasn't just the astrologers - financial experts also predicted a downfall. Bill Fleckenstein, a columnist for CNBC and MSN, wrote:

"The stage is set for some real fireworks, especially since this has been such a straight-up, bulletproof rampage for the last 2 1/2 months. In fact, given how we've powered through the large pre-announcement season into an earnings season that I expect to be pregnant with disappointment ... (we're) more ripe for reversal than at any point in time since the fall of 2000."

Yet the Dow Jones average is soaring above 12,000, London's FTSE index is trading at a 52-week high, Germany's DAX is at a five-year high and Tokyo's Nikkei index closed at a five-month high. The relentless optimism that we've seen since Pluto entered Sagittarius and began this reign of financial expansion continues unabated. Writer Alan Hall writes, "A whole thesaurus of words fails to describe the degree of investor optimism." The stock market increase of the Pluto in Sagittarius era has been fueled by consumer spending and the desire for extravagant lifestyles. Second homes, luxury cars - much of which is funded by equity loans.

Perhaps it is the overarching influence of this compulsive (Pluto) optimism (Sagittarius) that is continuing to fuel the increase in the markets despite sobering financial news. The Federal Reserve decided today short-term interest rates will remain unchanged and that is likely to have a strong effect on the markets. In any event, the underlying climate is still challenging for financial growth and security but could be positive for short-term speculation.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 1:31 PM :: |

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Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Scorpio and Wuthering Heights

Barbara Palliser digs into Wuthering Heights to find the archetypal theme of this heavily Scorpionic time:

"And I pray one prayer - I repeat it till my tongue stiffens - Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living! You said I killed you - haunt me, then! The murdered do haunt their murderers, I believe. I know that ghosts have wandered the earth. Be with me always - take any form - drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you!... I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!”

This is the thing with Scorpio. When it’s important, it's life and death, all or nothing. No middle ground. No grey areas. It's an all encompassing, utterly absorbing, and inescapable power that Scorpio deals in, and touching on this kind of energy can drive people to do strange things. They can turn unrecognisable even to themselves. Even the quiet ones, who of course by Scorpio standards are the worst.

But don’t forget that Scorpio, like all other signs of the zodiac, is ultimately positive, purposeful and well designed as a medium to experience the best that the mystery of life has to offer. It’s through Scorpio that we come to know Love by first meeting what Love is not. It’s up to us how much we allow ourselves to be impacted by that knowledge, and how much we are willing to let go of what Love is not.

The letting go of what love is not is an aspect of Scorpio has to do with the connection of Pluto with Scorpio. Pluto requires that we let go of that which no longer serves us; it reduces us to the bare essentials of our humanity and face the raw power that lies within. It can be an excrutiating experience but an exhilarating one as well. I love the use of Wuthering Heights to illustrate this process: the dark mists and brooding passions are such vivid images.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 5:18 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- Neptune goes direct and Saturn/Neptune shifts as well

Dharma over at Astrotabletalk has an interesting take on Neptune's change of direction next week: Like me, Dharma is intently exploring the application of the new planet Eris and brings her into the equation as well:

Neptune is due to change direction in about a week. This means we can expect a new phase in the current Saturn-Neptune Opposition, which lasts for about a year, to begin. And the most obvious manifestation of this transit is the developing political realism around Iraq, which any decent mundane astrologer could have predicted a long time ago. [and many of us did]

::snip::

[T]he phase shift in a transit usually begins, I have noticed, in the run-up to a planet changing direction, and we have certainly seen this in the case of Neptune's upcoming change of direction. The news has been full of politicians admitting to the need for policy change in Iraq. Neptune coming up to turn round has been like a bubble bursting. It began with a trickle, and now every day some senior official in either the US or UK governments is admitting to the need for change, and then another official will come along and deny it. They are obviously fudging their way to something more realistic, and doing their best to save face along the way, as you'd expect.

Even though it's not being said, George Bush is obviously in the middle of a political disaster of the first order. But the acknowledgement of this belongs to a slightly later phase of the Saturn-Neptune Opposition. It's the Iraq reality that is currently being acknowledged, and we can expect to see the momentum developing further over the next week as Neptune moves towards changing direction. The next phase-shift will be in early December, when Saturn changes direction: the run-up to this begins soon after the November mid-term elections. So I think we can fairly confidently predict that the phase after next will involve GWB getting his political come-uppance. Neptune changing direction (which it hasn't quite yet) is proving to be about the bursting of illusion. Saturn changing direction could well be about GWB reaping the political consequences of his actions over Iraq.

And it seemed to be that Mars-Eris Opposition of a couple of weeks ago that catalysed the present momentum behind policy change. [This remember occurred the day of the nuclear test in North Korea.] Eris, the Goddess of Strife, is a newly-named 'dwarf planet'. She was the one who mischievously threw an apple into a wedding feast and ended up occasioning the Trojan War. Eris can be seen as having the keyword 'Catalyst'. The word catalyst comes originally from chemistry, where a small amount of one substance can make a chemical reaction occur much more easily and effectively, without that substance itself being changed by the reaction. The planet Uranus can also have a catalytic quality. What, I wondered, was going on when catalysts first came on the scene? The term was coined in 1835... at the end of an Eris-Uranus conjunction at 23/24 Aquarius!

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 8:12 AM :: |

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Monday, October 23, 2006

You are the Light of the World

Thanks to Ursi's Eso Garden for this beautiful movie:

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 8:16 PM :: |

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Sunday, October 22, 2006

Happy Birthday Scorpio!

Art from Soul India

The Sun entered Scorpio today, following on the heels of the New Moon at the last degree of Libra and joining the Moon, Mercury and Jupiter already deepening the Scorpio experience. The entrance of the Sun into Scorpio marks the darkening of days, the time when the veils between the worlds grows thinner. There is a greater sensitivity to what lies beneath the surface, and this is the work of Scorpio.

Scorpio is the sign of intensity and profound transformation. Even though it is a water sign and therefore associated with the emotional realms of the psyche, Mars is its ancient ruler and bestows a fiery nature. This combination of fire and water produces an emotional intensity and strength of will that would burn out many mere mortals. Scorpio is well-known for its penchant for secrecy and appreciation for mystery. Like all fixed signs, Scorpio has a strong need for control and tends to exercise this control by probing into the secrets of everyone else and preserving their own inside a tightly locked box.

Like all water signs, Scorpio is sensitive to the emotional undercurrents of human interaction, yet the compassion of some of the other water signs may be missing. The fiery nature of Scorpio pulls them more in the direction of action and initiation than commiseration and bonding. Yet Scorpio has a powerful need for connection with others on a deeply soulful level. Scorpio lives intensely and disdains superficial conversation or activities, so every relationship, job or pastime must have significance in some way.

Scorpio's modern ruler is Pluto - the god of death and rebirth. In facing death we understand the deeper nature of life, and Pluto is not afraid to travel into the realm of the underworld. Scorpio is comfortable with the darker emotions that terrify lighter beings: jealousy, rage, passion. The quest of Scorpio is to live fully and completely, experiencing the power of life and incorporating that power within themselves. Power is a major issue for Scorpio - the wielding of it and the manipulation of it. For this reason Scorpio is associated with the process of magic, where the will manipulates the material world.

The symbol for Scorpio is the scorpion, which has a deadly sting when attacked. Scorpio tends to be well-guarded and that wall is not easily breached. Living in the underworld of emotion, one needs protection and Scorpio is slow to trust. But there is none more passionate or a better friend. They are loyal and dedicated and since they are not afraid of the darkness of human emotion, they are better able than most people to accept that darkness in others without judgement. It's easy to forget how vulnerable they are because of their power, but their loved ones would do well to avoid inflicting pain or else they are likely to experience the famous Scorpio sting.

Scorpio has a well-deserved reputation for a strong sexuality - their sexual drive comes from the need to be absolutely consumed by everything they touch. Sex for the Scorpio is a tool for mysticism and ecstacy, but due to the Scorpio need for control they may also fear losing themselves in the power of the sexual experience.

The Scorpio individual is on a quest for empowerment on the purest level: where the truth is known absolutely and without question. The quest of Scorpio is no less than to dive deep into the hell of his subconscious and karmic destiny and then, like the Phoenix which is his ancient symbol, to be reborn in glory and magnificence. The tools of Scorpio for this journey are tremendous courage, a strong and powerful will, and an underlying strength and intelligence as guidance.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:27 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- Keith Urban and the Chiron/Uranus opposition

Keith Urban yesterday checked himself into rehab, canceling his appearance at the ARIA awards concert and much of his upcoming tour. Urban has a well-documented history of battling addictions, and if tabloid reports can be believed his marriage to Nicole Kidman has been under stress since tying the knot back in June. The National Enquirer reports that the pair are desperately trying to become pregnant and have sought fertility treatment. Other gossip rags reported last summer that Nicole became furious that Keith was still friends with his ex Niki Taylor. Rumors are rampant that Keith never really got over the relationship with Niki, and the timing of the rehab relapse just ten days after Niki Taylor announced her engagement are an interesting coincidence.

Keith is a Scorpio and his Mercury and Neptune are also in Scorpio. Scorpios are passionate about everything they do, and because Scorpio is a fixed sign their natures tend to be more entrenched and unflexible. Keith has Mars in Capricorn, the sign of material success. He is driven (Mars) to achieve (Capricorn), and his Mars is both trined by Jupiter, expanding his sense of possibility, and squared by Saturn, causing frustration as Saturn puts the brakes on that drive.

To make things more complicated for him, Saturn in his chart is retrograde (appearing to move backwards) and the negative voice of Saturn is turned inwards in self-critical thinking. Because so much of a man's self-image is tied up in his work, this that Keith puts on himself to achieve success is going to color any relationship that he is in. Keith had a spell of alcohol and cocaine addiction while he was climbing his way to the top--apparently his own intensity was too much for him.

Chiron opposes Uranus in Keith's chart, an aspect that occurred over 50 times between the early 1950's and the late 1980s. The individuals with this aspect often have difficulty with the enormous energy that is created by the polarization of these two planets. On an energetic healing level, Chiron is associated with kundalini energy - the life-sustaining force in the body. Uranus is energetically associated with the electromagnetic force field that surrounds the body (the "aura"). Individuals both with Chiron in aspect to Uranus, particularly the opposition, have a direct line into the healing force (found in many modalities of energy healing) once they have been able to balance those opposing force within their own bodies. Until then this dynamic can cause tremendous unease for which the individual may seek to numb themselves in various drugs or alcohol. For someone like Keith Urban whose focus may be more on his outer life than the inner world, alcohol and drugs may be the one thing that helps him to keep working.

Earlier this year in a profile of the relationship between Keith and Nicole I wrote that these two are very different in their natures and while that is exciting during the initial phases of a relationship, it is hard for two such different people to maintain closeness over the long term of a settled, living together marriage and partnership. This is a relationship that can last in a long-distance situation but marriage will be very difficult.

Keith Urban is experiencing some difficult planetary cycles right now that are exacerbating the inner struggles that he deals with on a day-to-day basis. Earlier this year I wrote that Keith was undergoing a difficult transit of Pluto (transformation) to Chiron (wounding and healing) that could bring great healing along with great pain, since Chiron heals through the exposure of our deepest wounds. I then predicted that if Keith was able to walk through the fire of his painful history this could be a time of healing and growth for him, but that if he did not face the challenge he would run to escape the pressure.

Since then Keith has been affected by the beginning of another difficult cycle of Saturn (restriction and disappointment) to Neptune in his chart (creativity and spiritual connection). This can be a demoralizing time where we find that our illusions and dreams (Neptune) are shattered by the hard cold reality of Saturn. The difficulty in Keith's relationship with Nicole Kidman is that her chart and psychological makeup is much lighter and easier than Keith's, and she may not really understand the dark places of Keith's psyche. This is a time when he is being called upon to face the underworld of his fears and darkness, and this is a difficult thing to do in the limelight of celebrity.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 8:38 AM :: |

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Saturday, October 21, 2006

The Connecticut Race: Ned Lamont

This is part two in a series on the Connecticut senatorial race. See part I for Joe Lieberman.

Ned Lamont is an interesting character in this year's political race which has come down to a referendum on Iraq and Joe Lieberman's embrace of President Bush and his failed policies. Lamont has virtually no political experience outside of local politics (he ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 1990), and his net work is in the hundreds of millions of dollars. So far the media has portrayed him primarily as "Not Lieberman" and as the candidate who would withdraw US troops from Iraq immediately. He has also come out in favor of health care reform and energy conservation as well as supporting biofuels as an alternative to oil.

His astrological chart gives us a clue about the real Ned Lamont. Lamont has a strong emphasis in the sign of Capricorn with four planets there including the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Chiron. Capricorn is the sign of dealing effectively in the material world. Capricorn is about discipline, responsibility, practicality and hard work. Young Capricorns are often overwhelmed by the responsibilities that life has given them, but if they shoulder the burdens they are given, their hard work and practicality can create extraordinarily successful adults.

Lamont's Mars (showing his drive and aggressive instinct) is in the intense sign of Scorpio, a placement that is passionate and driven. Mars conjuncts Saturn which, like Capricorn which it rules, is associated with discipine and success but in conjunction with Mars it can also have the effect of inhibiting one's energy and drive. This can be frustrating in the short term, although in the long run it instills patience and a careful attention to one's plans so that they can be completed.

Although Lamont comes from generations of real money (his was the sixth generation to attend the prestigious Exeter academy), he is a true entrepreneur. He began his cable company from scratch and worked actively in every part of the business. He views the political landscape as though it were a business: watch the budget, invest in human resources and the work force, listen to the customers (the voters). Identify the challenges and offer real solutions - these are true Capricorn qualities.

Lamont's Moon is in Sagittarius showing that despite his focus on work he has an adventurous streak and an inner longing to be free to travel. We don't know exactly where his Moon is because we don't know his birth time, but it is almost certainly in harmonious aspect (trine) to Pluto in his chart. Pluto is the god of the underworld, representing power and transformation. The trine to the Moon brings a deepening of his inner power and a strengthening of his inner world.

Mercury and Venus are in tight conjunction as they are in Lieberman's chart, aligning communication with an ability to relate to others. This is obviously an excellent characteristic in a politician, and the Mercury/Venus combination demonstrates his ability to communicate his thoughts and values to others so that they can be understood. However, Scorpio is a fixed sign and Lamont will be stubborn and unyielding in his opinions and it may be difficult for him to negotiate with others.

Jupiter in the birthchart shows where we are optimistic, where we find meaning in life and make our fortune. Lamont's Jupiter is in Gemini where it makes no aspects to any other planets except possibly to his Sagittarius Moon. An individual with an unaspected Jupiter, while very idealistic and innocent in many ways, may be unable to experience the lightness of Jupiter and may tend to feel weighed down by life and somewhat of a loner. This is exacerbated by the restrictive Capricorn emphasis on responsibility and in the chart. He is also likely lacking in self-confidence and maybe somewhat single-pointed in his views.

Another interesting point is the near-exact square of the new planet Eris to Lamont's Mercury/Venus conjunction. If my hypothesis about Eris holds true, that Eris represents the small discordant acts that have an ultimate significant effect to transform our lives, then the challenging aspects such as the square would give us a more negative manifestation of those small acts. Perhaps the Eris square creates a situation where he gets in his own way and is unable to effect the changes he desires and then, lacking confidence, becomes stuck doing what he knows best rather than taking the big plunge.

I suspect that the lack of self-confidence has hindered Lamont's entry into public life. After his failure to win the Senate seat in 1990 he dropped out of politics until his sudden decision to run against Lieberman. Still, the strong Capricorn emphasis gives him a dogged determination that is not easily daunted.

Lamont is experiencing some very positive planetary cycles this year. Transiting Pluto last year began a trine to Lamont's natal Pluto, facilitating the expansion of his personal empowerment and facilitating his ability to transform his life in accordance with his highest aspirations. Uranus has been in harmonious aspect (sextile) to Lamont's Sun all year, encouraging him to try the unexpected and offering unusual opportunities. And most significantly for the election, Saturn began a sextile to Jupiter in Lamont's chart - giving form (Saturn) to opportunity (Jupiter) and deepening his self confidence.

Lamont narrowly won the primary against Joe Lieberman, the incumbent Democratic candidate, who shortly thereafter announced his candidacy as an independent. Polls have shown Lamont as far as 20 points behind Lieberman, who enjoys strong support from the Republican side of the aisle. With the news from Iraq becoming more depressing every day, recent polls showed Lamont as few as six points behind Lieberman. However, Friday's polls showed him slipping back behind Lieberman whose support from Republicans could push him over the top. In fact, with Schlesinger (the GOP candidate) polling with only 4 percent of the vote, Lieberman will be the favored Republican candidate.

One difficult cycle for Lamont right now is the square of Chiron (wounding and healing) to Lamont's Saturn (self-doubt and determination). Chiron transits can be painful: they force us to face the demons of the past in order to become fully healed and release the energy that is held in those old wounds. He is vulnerable to personal attacks in this race, and this could pose a problem for him as we near election day. In addition, right at election time Saturn will conjunct Pluto, showing a big change is coming for him that could be overwhelming. This could mean he will win the election or that he will lose, it's difficult to predict. There are a number of Jupiter events just before the election that will be liberating and offer opportunities for him, so if I had to put money on this race my money would be on Lamont.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 9:01 AM :: |

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Friday, October 20, 2006

An astrological look at the Connecticut election: Part I

The Connecticut Senatorial race is one of the most contentious and therefore the most interesting. Longtime senator Joe Lieberman, having lost the Democratic primary to Ned Lamont due to his support of the Iraq war, is running as an Independent. Alan Schlesinger is the Republican challenger. Let's take a look at their birthcharts over the next few days. Today:

Joseph Lieberman has a Pisces Sun and a Gemini Moon, both mutable signs that seek to adapt to the environment around them. He has been known to waffle on positions, such as his stand on affirmative action: In 1995, he came out publicly against affirmative action. In 1996, he supported California's proposition against affirmative action. In the 2000 campaign he rescinded his support, saying to black voters that he had supported affirmative action and would continue to do so.

Astrodatabank has two birthtimes listed for Joe Lieberman, neither of which is reliable. Consequently, I have used the noon solar chart rather than rely on incorrect information.

His Sun is squared by Jupiter, the planet of philosophy and religion and one's search for meaning in life. This is a challenging aspect that tends to show an element of arrogance and self-righteousness, someone who always claims to be right and for whom one's religion or world view is often of paramount importance (President Bush has this also).

Lieberman has an interesting triple conjunction of Saturn, Mars and Uranus all in the stable and grounded sign of Taurus - interesting because Mars and Uranus are aggressive action planets and Saturn and Taurus seek stability. The conjunction of Mars to Uranus creates a restless and potentially reckless need for action, yet in Taurus both of those planets seek stability and serenity. Saturn tends to be conservative and likes rules and established order, and when conjunct Mars and Uranus it tends to put the brakes on everything the individual attempts to do. There is a push/pull here between the conservatism of Taurus and Saturn and the radical aggression of Mars/Uranus.

Lieberman's Venus, showing the way he relates to others, is in the radically independent and rational sign of Aquarius as is his Mercury. This tells us that Lieberman is a rational thinker and a true maverick. Mercury/Venus in Aquarius thinks for himself and is comfortable walking his own path, without fear of losing friends (Venus in Aquarius can be detached and remote). Yet the conjunction of Venus to Mercury shows that he is able to express himself well and be heard by those listening.

Chiron is conjunct Pluto in his chart, and both are retrograde. Chiron shows where we are likely to come face to face with the demons of our old wounds, and the conjunction with Pluto forces him to unflinchingly confront those demons head-on. This can be very painful for a young person, but over time the individual becomes more comfortable with the process and develops a deep courage that serves him well. This conjunction of Pluto and Chiron is opposite the Venus/Mercury system, creating a stew of difficult relationships (Venus) that tend to force him to confront his inner demons. He walks a tightrope between the intensity of his feelings in relationships (Chiron/Pluto opposite Venus) and the detachment and need for autonomy of the Aquarius Venus and Mercury.

Joe Lieberman is undergoing some difficult planetary events this year. Numerous transits of Saturn (delays and disappointments) to sensitive points in his chart along with transits of Chiron (exposing our deepest wounds so they can be healed) have brought up issues for him both personally and professionally. Uranus, the planet of radical and unexpected change, has been making a challenging aspect (square) to Jupiter in his chart, facilitating his independent streak and urging him to make radical changes (such as leave his party and run as an independent).
During the period around the election, the Saturn transits intensify with an exact hit of Saturn in square to not only his natal Saturn, a very difficult and disappointing time, but also Mars and Uranus, stifling his ability to act (Mars) and take independent action (Uranus). During the week leading up to the election transiting Mars challenges the sensitive Chiron/Pluto conjunction as well as Venus/Mercury, showing that he will be vulnerable to attack at that time. These are very difficult aspects that indicate his failure to achieve a win in the election on November 7.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:41 AM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- New Moon in Libra before the descent into Scorpio

The New Moon in Libra occurs on October 22 at 1:14 am EST, but the initiatory energy of the New Moon is available now. With the Sun and Moon conjunct in Libra, the focus is on harmony and balance. The New Moon is conjunct Mars, once again energizing this lunation and offering an added boost to its magickal properties. This is a particularly focused Moon event (no oppositions are present in the chart). In addition, Mercury is conjunct Jupiter (both in Scorpio) and approaching a square to Saturn on October 23 which will bring our attention to the final event in the Jupiter/Saturn cycle. There is a struggle now between the expansive mind of Jupiter and the doubt and fear of Saturn. The New Moon can shed light on this struggle and with Mars can energize a resolution.

On October 23 the Sun and Mars both leave Libra for the intensity of Scorpio, following closely on the 24th by Venus as we head into the darker season of the underworld. Scorpio, like its ruler Pluto, is associated with the Underworld of darkness, both literal and psychological. Scorpio fearlessly travels into the depths of the subconscious and is associated with the season of Samhain, the end of the Celtic year where the veils between the world are at their thinnest. The conjunction of the Sun, Mars and Venus in Scorpio is a pointed reminder that there is more to life than our superficial experiences, and with five planets in Scorpio (including Mercury and Jupiter) the intensity will be palpable. Scorpio tends to be an introverted sign and we are now drawn inward to face the drama within. Remember too Mercury is preparing to retrograde (see previous article) which will accelerate the inward focus.

This period also marks the final point of the Jupiter/Saturn cycle (read more about that here) which has brought about an adjustment in the way we balance our optimism (Jupiter) and pragmatism (Saturn). This cycle has witnessed rapid swings in the world economic systems and financial markets, and this is likely to peak in October after which things should stabilize. On a more personal level, the Jupiter/Saturn cycle has caused most of us to make adjustments in the way in which we view the world which will begin to take a new shape over the next few months as Saturn approaches a trine to Pluto next year.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:08 AM :: |

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Thursday, October 19, 2006

More on Rumsfeld

I've just found another great blog called Karmic Knowledge linked to this one. Leslie expands on the nodal axis in Rumsfeld chart today with a link to a fantastic article by Stan Goff who is a fellow North Carolinian and wonderful social activist. Stan writes "of Rumsfeld’s reliance on military “metrics,” a reductionist strategy that has played a major role in creating the quagmire that now plagues the so-called war on terror. He also examines Rumsfeld’s insistence on controlling the public’s perceptions. "

Leslie explores the karmic indicators of Rumsfeld's chart:

Rumsfeld’s South Node in Virgo in the 9th house of beliefs is most certainly the karmic marker of his faith in the power of metrics. Virgo likes precision. Virgo can be inflexible and can exaggerate the importance of details, analysis and accuracy. It’s important to remember that the South Node denotes the karmic Achilles Heel, the possible past life pitfall. Falling into the 9th house, this can manifest as self-righteous dogma for Rumsfeld.

If Rumsfeld remains ferociously atttached to the idea that he has the perfect plan from which there must be no deviation, he will not create order and success, only more chaos. For him, dependence on fallible technology and theoretical numerics is a sure road to failure. Success will come for Rumsfeld when he learns to let go of his need to be right and develops trust in the instinctual (Pisces North Node).

You may want to go back and read my own take on Rumsfeld and the presence of Eris in his chart as well.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 11:08 AM :: |

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Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Time is Speeding Up

I found this interesting article on Red-Ice.net:

Some people believe time is speeding up. This idea is based on observation that the difference between subjective and objective assessments of time have increased over the past decade. For instance, time seems to be flying by faster than ever, or what used to take several years to accomplish now seems to be taking place in just a couple. In the 2012 paradigm, this idea serves to correlate the prophesied dissolution of time with immediate personal observations. . . .

The combination of “days flying by” and “having come so far in so few years” contributes to our perception that time is speeding up. These may both be symptomatic of the shift from 3D to 4D if we recognize that linear time is giving way to nonlinear time, that priorities are shifting from the trivial to the spiritual in accordance with the 2012 and related paradigms. Linear time is measured in increments of trivialities such as astronomical or atomic motions, while nonlinear time is delineated in increments of freewill progressions. With a shift of priorities, trivialities fade into a repeating background pattern while spiritual events (leaps in awareness and maturity) increase in their frequency and novelty, both of which lead to the perception that time is speeding up for different reasons. . . .

There is another interesting trend worth noting, which is that the more recently a person awakens from programmed sleep and into the pursuit of truth, the more rapid his or her growth from that point onward. I know several people who started their paths in the 1960s and 70s, and it took them about two decades to complete the first pass of their research, to come full circle and finally see the bigger picture. My awakening began in 1993 and I did not reach that point until 2003, so about a decade. Those I know who began in 2001 reached it by 2004, so three years. Now I am coming across people who are doing it in under a year, sometimes just a few months. . . .

In a practical sense, for us this means we would do well to initially become better educated on matters of truth and grow more skilled in communicating them. It is a good idea to become more streamlined, discerning, and capable of providing primary sources like books, websites, videos, etc… to the receptive when the occasion arises. Why? Both to increase our capacity to meet the potential future demand, and to presently act as a channel for synchronicity to trigger the awakening and empowerment of others.

This speeding up of time has seen exponential increase in the pace of technological discoveries and the ability of humans to destroy the planet, along with an increase in the pace of spiritual growth. I have long wondered if this could have anything to do with the speeding up of Pluto's orbit through the signs of the zodiac since Pluto rules not only personal transformation but also cataclysmic change and the death of old ways. . Pluto's orbit is extremely elliptical, spending about 30 years in Aries and Taurus but only twelve in Scorpio and just thirteen years in Sagittarius. Pluto began its acceleration back in 1912 when it entered Cancer and spent just 25 years there and the case can definitely be made that since 1912 the world has changed at breakneck speeds.

However, if this is true then we would expect the pace of time to slow down as Pluto begins to slow down over the next ten years and it's difficult to imagine this happening but it gives me hope to think that this could be true. Perhaps as the Plutonic process begins to slow the Ceres nurturance of the seeds of new growth can begin to take place. Pluto will begin to slow down as it enters Capricorn next year, spending only 15 years in that sign. I do have some concerns about what is likely to take place during that period as Pluto creates upheavals in the structures of our society that Capricorn rules, particularly when Pluto is squared by Uranus in 2010-2013.

Hindsight is the clearest vision and the future can never be predicted, but speculation is endlessly fascinating.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:51 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- The Art of Compatibility

The Lovers by Jiri Borsky

Not surprisingly, one of the questions that most often comes in for the advice column is "Are we compatible" or "Will we stay together." I like this quote on the subject:

What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility. ~George Levinger

In earlier articles I've written on this subject I've addressed the fallacy of our concept of the soulmate as the perfect mirror and perfect partnership free of difficulties. While there is a fated quality to most soulmate partnerships, their purpose is primarily to encourage growth on a deep soul level and this is not always particularly comfortable. In the soulmate relationship we are drawn deep within to face our innermost Self and reveal it to our partner; this requires a great deal of courage and determination. The kind of personal growth engendered by a soulmate connection requires that the two partners learn to depend on each other while simultaneously encouraging the personal growth of each individual.

Often the couples I see in brand new relationships eagerly await my affirmation that the relationship will last. They are reluctant to look at the hints of difficulties that may come before them, instead preferring to hope that this time the relationship will be Perfect. In a new relationship the Self is temporarily merged with the Other in a blissful experience of Oneness.

The couples that I see who have been together for long periods of time are already aware of their points of conflict but they don't always understand the nature of that conflict. The reading illustrates for them quite clearly the source of their misunderstandings and irritations and offers keys so that they can help each other to grow beyond the limitations of their incompatibilities. By this point they often have a deep sense of commitment to the process but may have temporarily lost the way.

Often two people who have come together in a relationship that feels like a soulmate connection have charts that tightly aspect each other, but this is not always true. In my own marriage, my husband's chart and mine have very few points of contact between the charts and we are very separate and independent within the relationship. His Moon and my Moon are not compatible; neither are the two Mercurys. However, the energetic components of the charts are similar: Where Rich is a Pisces, I have Sun conjunct Neptune (ruler of Pisces). Where my Sun squares Uranus, his Mars is in Aquarius (ruler of Uranus). His Aquarius Venus is not compatible with my Scorpio Venus, but my Venus makes a trine to Uranus which rules Aquarius, bridging that divide very nicely. Because we understand the astrology of our relationship we are able to appreciate our differences rather than become frustrated by them.

Even the most perfect of relationships have moments that are not perfect, but that never means that the relationship is doomed. Planetary cycles experienced by one partner or the other, or often both, can disrupt the most stable of marriages and the question must then be asked: does this partnership feed my soul and allow me to grow into the person I most want to be? There is small still voice within us that speaks the truth when we take the time to listen to it. From this voice alone, all answers come.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:13 AM :: |

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Tuesday, October 17, 2006

The eye in the sky

This photo which I snagged from Universe Today won first prize in the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's astronomy image contest. They claim it's a gas bubble, but a conspiracy nut like me will never believe that! For the scientists out there:

English’s winning image shows a giant bubble in the Milky Way’s dusty gas disk. The bubble has been sculpted by the wind and radiation force from a few dozen hot, massive stars along with the explosive force of supernova explosions from dying stars. The bubble, seen in the faint radio glow of hydrogen gas, is some 30,000 light-years from Earth and measures 1,100 by 520 light-years. If the bubble, in the constellation Vulpecula, were visible to human eyes, it would appear to be eight times the diameter of the full Moon in the sky.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 3:32 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- Desperate Despot: - The astrology of Kim Jong Il

Kim Jong Il has defied the UN and has begun a second test of his nuclear capabilities. Dr. Jerrold Post is a political psychologist with the CIA that recently spoke with the UK's Daily Telegraph about Kim Jong Il's psychological makeup:

"He's not clinically crazy, but he is crazy like a fox and has some major insecurities that help explain how he acts," Dr Post told The Sunday Telegraph.

::snip::

Dr Post traces Kim's insecurities back to his childhood, though in this case it was his relationship with his father – rather than the mother-child bond that is the hub of Freudian analysis – that shaped him. He is the son of the late Kim il-Sung, North Korea's founder and creator of the state religion of juche, who was given semi-divine qualities by the country's propaganda machine.

"It is hard enough to follow in the footsteps of your father when he was once a monarch, president or prime minister, as I'm sure George W Bush could testify," he said. "But those difficulties seem trivial when you succeed a father who had god-like qualities."

Kim's rampant insecurities are fuelled, like Napoleon's, by his lack of height. The dictator only reaches 5ft 2in without his platform shoes, although he tries to appear taller by maintaining a bouffant hairstyle.

Dr Post runs off a checklist of Kim's character traits — malignant narcissism, extreme self-absorption, grandiose views, paranoid tendencies and defensive self-aggression. To a layman, they appear alarming attributes for a man who may already be in control of a nuclear bomb.

"Kim believes that big boys have big toys. He wants to be a major league player with major league weapons," said Dr Post, who is now director of the political psychology programme at George Washington University and also a Pentagon consultant.

He believes the timing of last week's announcement also reflected Kim's obsessive desire for attention. "He's been seeing the Iranians, North Korea's colleagues in the axis of evil, getting a lot of play and he doesn't want to be outdone." Amid the analysis, Dr Post also doled out a prescription that will probably not be welcomed in the White House, where official policy rules out any direct talks with Pyongyang.

He believes that the only hope of securing any concessions from Kim is to talk to him, however unpalatable the prospect.

That would not only help give him the status he craves, but also reassure him about his security fears. "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you, as the aphorism goes," said Dr Post. "Kim's priority is to stay in power."

Kim's desperate attempts to gain respect often reach comical proportions — his official biographers recount how he finished his first round of golf at 38 under par and wrote more than a book a day as a student genius.

He is also a film fanatic — his video library reportedly contains more than 15,000 movies. "His view of the world and how he should behave and how others will respond is doubtless shaped by movies," said Dr Post.

There are a lot of different versions of Kim Jong Il's birthchart floating around because of the mystery surrounding his birthdate. Although his official biography gives his birthdate as February 16, 1942 Soviet records show that he was actually born in 1941 but that his birthdate was later changed so that he would appear to be 50 years of age at the time of his father's 80th birthday celebration. The noon birthchart that I've posted uses the actual birthdate of 1941.

Kim's mother died when he was eight, which is shown in his chart by the square, or challenging aspect, of Chiron (deep and painful wound) to his Moon (mother). In addition, Saturn (insecurity and doubt) is square to his Venus (ability to relate to others), showing a deep lack of confidence in his ability to be liked or loved by those around him.

His Sun is in Aquarius and squared by Uranus which is the ruler of Aquarius, so this is a double signature linking the eccentricity, detachment and idealization of Uranus/Aquarius with his personal identity as described by the Sun. The square of Uranus to the Sun identifies him as a rebel and revolutionary, who will not take orders from anyone and instead needs to do things exactly his own way.

This tendency is exacerbated by his Mars (drive and aggression) in Sagittarius; a placement that requires a great deal of freedom and a tendency to become focused on one's goals to the exclusion of all else. However, that Mars is squared by Neptune, a challenging aspect that can confuse and dilute his drive causing frustration and irritation. The Neptunian theme is carried out by Kim's Pisces Mercury, the only real water element in the chart. Mercury in Pisces tends to be very sensitive, almost psychic. This sensitivity is not supported by the other elements of the chart, giving him a vulnerability that he has no way to deal with except by trying to maintain control. There is a sense that he is flailing about, trying to establish his place in the world and becoming endlessly frustrated in the process.

His Sun is also the Apex planet of a Yod formation with Chiron and Neptune. The Yod (see below) shows that Kim's identity (Sun) is being constantly pressured and irritated by both Chiron (wounding and healing) and Neptune (fantasy and illusion). Kim's father was worshiped by the people as a god, which is a lot for a son to live up to. This constant pressure sends him through phases of painful lack of self-confidence (Chiron/Sun) alternating with a fantasy self-identification (Neptune/Sun). His official biography is full of exaggerations and lies of mythic proportions, such as the idea that his birth was heralded by a double rainbow and foretold by a swallow.

He is desperate for a mirror that will reflect back to him his need for a personal identity, but the world he has created does not permit this. Consequently, he has turned to the world in a desperate attempt for recognition. The problem for Kim is that the recognition he needs is within himself. This is a person who would likely be a bully in the best of circumstances, but given a country and a staff of nuclear scientists his psychological complexes have made him a menace.

Geeky astrological notes on the Yod: (A Yod, or "finger of fate," includes one planet that is quincunx, or 150 degrees, from two other planets that are sextile, or 60 degrees, from one another. The single planet is called the Apex planet and is the focus of the system. Some writers have said that a Yod must feature an outer planet as the Apex, but I do not believe this to be true. With the Sun as Apex, such as in Kim Jong Il's chart, the solar identity is the key to understanding the birthchart. )

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:31 AM :: |

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Monday, October 16, 2006

When cold hard reality bumps up against unrealistic expectations...

...you have the end of the fantasy over Western democracy in Iraq. Leaked policy options of a 10-member commission formed to assess US progress in Iraq have ruled out the prospect of US victory in Iraq. The commission is headed by James Baker, former secretary of state under Bush I.

Both option papers would compel America to open dialogue with Syria and Iran, two rogue states that Iraqi leaders and American military commanders say are providing arms and funds to Iraq's insurgents. "Stabilizing Iraq will be impossible without greater cooperation from Iran and Syria," the "Stability First" paper says.

The option also calls on America to solicit aid and support from the European Union and the United Nations, though both bodies in the past have spurned requests for significant aid for Iraq.

The panel has agreed not to release their findings until after the November elections, which is a real cloud on the democratic process in which voters need to know the truth in order to make an informed choice. Fortunately enough of the policy concepts have been leaked to create a question as to the wisdom of "staying the course" without a new plan.

Republicans John Warner and Chuck Hagel are echoing the same theme. Warner in particular is speaking out strongly about the grim outlook in Iraq having just returned from Baghdad.

All of this of course coincides against the final square of Jupiter (unrealistic optimistism) to Saturn (cold hard reality) that we are heading into right now. Watch for more news like this, particularly as we get closer to the US election. The square of Pluto to the nodes offers a hint that change is coming.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 3:53 PM :: |

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Sunday, October 15, 2006

The Self as Ecosystem

One of my favorite non-astrology sites is Tim Boucher's blog Pop Occulture. He had a post a few days ago that is just fascinating about the purpose of magic. Tim quotes David Abram who complains that the real purpose of magic should be to save the planet rather than facilitate individual healing. Tim argues for a more ecological approach to spirituality:

What exactly is one’s “self?”

Where does it come from? What does it look like? What is it made up of? Is the self made up of memories, of feelings, of thoughts, emotions, experiences, the past, present, future, the influences of other people, the effects of your environment, the soul, the heart, the mind, the body, your DNA? Which one of those is it?

The short answer: it’s all of those and much more.

The long answer: the self is an ecosystem, a complex web of interlocking relationships. Parts of your self are made up of your experiences of other people which you have internalized so thoroughly over the years that you now think of them as you. In fact, you might make an a convincing argument that the overwhelming majority of the self is actually made up of other people.

::snipped::

So it seems that an ecological understanding of the self may be the “missing link” between saving your-self and saving the world. Ecology doesn’t just mean nature, plants and animals (although those all fit within it), it means what are you a part of and what is a part of you? How large are you able to expand your notion of who you are and what you are made up of? Are you ready or able to give up small artificial boundaries that you have drawn or been drawn for you about what constitutes “you” and “not-you?” . . . How does your ecosystem interlock with and affect other ecosystems - both of equal size and complexity, of smaller and of larger scale? What effect do your words, thoughts, feelings and actions have on that ecology?

This is an appropriate discussion for the opposition of Saturn to Neptune, because Saturn seeks to apply distinctions and Neptune dissolves them. For Neptune there are no boundaries, artificial or not - everything is interconnected and the Self becomes lost in the experiences around it. For Saturn, however, the Self is isolated and alone, unencumbered by the stories of others an acting solely and individually - yet never lonely.

Each of us has a different experience of this ecosystem that Tim describes and much of this depends upon our astrological nature. Those with a watery nature are more likely to have more permeable boundaries and a more connected ecosystem; those with fixed planets and strong Saturn will be more rigid. Still, his point is an important one: we are none of us an island and each of us have a tremendous ability to impact everything that we touch. Expanding our intention to others around us and the collective as a whole may serve to effect positive change to a greater degree than we think.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 5:13 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- Sunday inspiration blog

This quote from the great Yoga master Patanjali is the perfect inspiration for the upcoming few weeks:

“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and your discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”

Birth Lotus by Wendy Feldmann.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:19 AM :: |

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Saturday, October 14, 2006

Attention: Transformation Directly Ahead!!

Mercury will turn retrograde later this month (October 28) and in doing so it will enter into a dance with Jupiter and Saturn as they face off one final time, and all at the time of the New Moon in Libra. The "shadow period" of Mercury retrograde is said to begin about two weeks ahead of the actual event, as Mercury slows its motion in preparation for the change of direction. This is similar to a car which, when preparing to make a U-turn, must come to a near complete stop. This is also called a "station" and can be as powerful as the retrograde event itself.

Venus, the Sun and Mars are in pretty tight formation now in Libra, and the New Moon on October 22 will take place in the midst of this Libra party. At that time Mercury will conjunct Jupiter as it approaches its final square to Saturn, and the confidence of Jupiter will rub off on our thinking and plans (Mercury), defying the negativity of Saturn. The positive energy of the new beginning at the New Moon combined with the buoyancy of the Mercury/Jupiter combination is likely to overcome the doubt of Mercury's simultaneous square to Saturn that coincides with the end of the Jupiter/Saturn event.

Shortly thereafter, though, we are likely to experience a major shift as the Sun enters Scorpio on October 23, followed within hours by Mars and Venus. The shift into Scorpio marks a transition into darkness. There we leave behind the light airiness of Libra and descend into the Underworld where we face the dark side and expose our subconscious. By the morning of October 24 those three planets will all be conjunct in Scorpio.

At the same time the fast-traveling Moon will join Mercury and Jupiter to face off with Saturn. Mercury and Jupiter tend to be fairly rational, but the addition of the Moon will add an emotional component that will facilitate the rattling of our psychological cages and show where the cracks in our armor may be. The conflict between Jupiter and Saturn is the conflict between confidence and doubt, and in this closing square of the current cycle we are likely to see corrections in the financial markets as well as a need to face the truths within ourselves.

At the same time we see a square of Pluto to the Nodes of the Moon. The Nodes of the Moon (the points where the Moon crosses the ecliptic) are said to describe the evolutionary journey with the North Node showing the path forward, and the square from Pluto to the Nodes tends to bring a shift in direction.

Political note with lots of geeky astrological details: It is interesting to note that the last Pluto/Node event took place in August of 2002 as the US was making plans to attack Iraq. (In September 2002 Bush addressed the UN and shortly thereafter was granted war powers by the US Congress.) Pluto opposed the North Node at that time and both were in a tight aspect to the ascendant of the US Sibley chart, indicating a death and subsequent transformation (Pluto) of the identity of the United States (ascendant) that hindered the ability of the country to move forward (opposition between Pluto and the North Node). Even more interesting, Pluto first crossed the US ascendant in October of 2000, shortly before the election that put George Bush into power and transformed the image (ascendant) of the US.

The current square of Pluto to the Nodes offers a course correction: an opportunity to adjust the pathway on which we travel in our evolutionary journey. This is particularly powerful to baby boomers in their 50s that are going through a trine of Pluto to their natal Pluto, and also to individuals in their 40s that are going through the square of Pluto to natal Pluto.

All of these influences precede the retrograde turn of Mercury on October 28. At that point we may become frustrated in our endeavors which will necessitate us to look backwards (retrograde) and re-image our life and our plans. The retrograde period will end November 18 but the effects may be felt for a few days afterwards.

Going into the depths of the Scorpio experience which demands authenticity and the removal of extraneous detritus from our lives, this is a truly wonderful time to let go of anything that no longer serves us and open our hearts to new opportunities. At times like this if we don't embrace change we may be hit on the head with it; it's far easier and more exhilarating to go along willingly.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:36 AM :: |

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Friday, October 13, 2006

Cory Lidle's Plane Crash

The story of Cory Lidle's plane crash into a New York City building seems bizarre to me. The trajectory that the plane took to crash into the building was completely unexpected, and the presence of an experienced flight instructor on the plane as it crashed for virtually no reason defies explanation.

Susan Custer has posted Cory Lidle's chart and her analysis. I have somewhat of a different take than Susan's:

Lidle was an Aries, independent and self-directed. Aries people don't like to take orders, and Cory Lidle was no exception from all accounts. Pluto was nearly exactly opposite his Sun, showing an individual who has difficulty with authority figures (Pluto represents power and death) and a need to come face to face with death and experience life on the deepest level. His Jupiter squared both the Sun and Pluto, adding a reckless (Jupiter) approach to the need to confront death. He was known for immersing himself completely in whatever he became involved in, and flying was no exception.

Jupiter in his chart was in Capricorn, giving him a strong work ethic and need to achieve that conflicted with the independence of his Aries Sun. Mars in his chart was in Taurus, which desires peace and serenity and stability -- not the adventures that his Aries Sun required. There is thus an inner conflict between the need for accomplishment and stability of the earthy Capricorn and Taurus battling with the adventurous Aries.

As Susan writes, depending on the exact placement of his Moon Lidle had a Grand Cross in the Cardinal signs of Aries (Sun/Chiron/Mercury), Libra (Pluto), Cancer (Moon) and Capricorn (Jupiter). The Grand Cross is the most difficult of all of the major aspects, but it also creates the most tension that motivates tremendous growth. The Cardinal signs are signs of action and initiation - they are the leaders. This aspect generates a huge amount of energy that propels the individual into projects of all kinds, but it can be difficult for that person to focus. His Cancer Moon, very sensitive and easily wounded, was squared by both Chiron and Pluto. Challenging aspects of Chiron to the Moon show an emotionally (Moon) wounded (Chiron) individual, and the square of Pluto to the Moon shows an intense (Pluto) emotional nature that is easily made afraid.

We therefore have an individual who at his core may have been fearful (Moon/Chiron/Pluto) yet who had a strong adventurous streak (Aries) as well, and it may be that he overemphasized the Aries part of his nature in order to combat the other.

At the time of Cory Lidle's crash, his progressed Moon was exactly conjunct Chiron in his natal chart which, by the way, was also exactly conjunct the new planet Eris. The progressed Moon shows our unfolding personality, and when conjunct Chiron we tend to encounter events that force us to face our old wounds (Chiron) so that they can be healed. The progressed Moon therefore became a part of the Grand Cross and was likely to activate a significant event of some kind.

I will be keeping an eye on this situation as the details unfold. I feel strongly that there is more to this situation than meets the eye.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 10:08 AM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- Mark Foley's birthchart: Now with birth time

Thanks to Astrodatabank for obtaining an accurate birthchart for Mark Foley (with time of birth evidently from his birth certificate). (See my earlier profile using a noon chart.)

Not surprisingly, Leo is rising in Foley's chart. (I had guessed Gemini or Libra because of his facilitiy with words and political relationship, but the Leo love for drama certainly fits what we know of him.) In addition, he has a fifth house emphasis (ruled by Leo) with three planets present there, all in Capricorn. The urge for him to express and make a name for himself is pronounced; yet the Virgo modesty and Capricorn pressure for power and material success create a stew of conflict that is difficult to manage.

The conjunct of Jupiter to Uranus often indicates a sudden (Uranus) change of fortune (Jupiter), and these planets as we saw before are tightly tied to a T-square which includes the Moon/Chiron and Neptune. Neptune creates an illusion that can erupt in scandal, exposing the Moon/Chiron with painful results.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:04 AM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- Saturn/Neptune and the Demise of the GOP

Even conservatives are now reporting the likelihood that the Democrats will win at least one seat in the house in November. The number of emerging scandals decimating the Republicans is staggering:

• First Bob Woodward's book State of Denial reports what many have been saying for years: that the Bush White House flagrantly ignored reports from his generals on the ground and the intelligence community that the insurgency was growing and the US-led attempt to transform Iraq into a democracy was a failure - all the while proclaiming success to the American public.
  
• Then the Mark Foley scandal erupted, indicating that GOP Speaker Denny Hastert knew about allegations of Foley's improper conduct and did nothing to eliminate it. Yesterday an email was published from Foley to Jeb Bush where Foley complained about being snubbed by the President during a visit to Florida, and there is speculation that the knowledge of Foley's misadventures went all the way to the White House.
  
• Next comes a new book by David Kuo, the #2 man in Bush's Faith-Based Initiatives program, who claims that the Bush White House exploited evangelican supportives, promising faith-based initiatives and failing to fund them, all the while calling them "the nuts" and saying they were "out of control" and "ridiculous."
  
• The parliament in Iraq passed a law allowing the formation of federal regions, a move that is likely to lead to civil war.

The opposition of Saturn to Neptune which began in late August and continues until next summer was predicted to bring the end (Saturn) of illusions (Neptune). It was, after all, the dominating planetary influence during the Watergate scandal. Neptune tends to erode the power structures of Saturn, and Saturn tests and challenges our idealistic fantasies and things that we would prefer to ignore. Americans have been willing to ignore the debacle in Iraq because by and large they haven't really been personally affected. This is a very Neptunian way of looking at things: ignore them and they wil go away. Saturn comes and jolts us into realizing that our world is actually unraveling.

Last July, Saturn entered the sign of Leo - the sign of kings and leadership where the individual ego and Self is celebrated Saturn creates test and challenges in every sign with which it is associated, and while in Leo it has been testing the leaders around the world, asking the question "Who is in charge?"

I can't ignore the fact that all of these events are occurring the week that Mars opposes the new planet Eris. In order to understand how Eris will operate in the astrological pantheon we are watching it carefully, and the image of the golden apple being thrown by the goddess of discord and strife to begin the Trojan War is a powerful one to me. One small event can change the world, and perhaps the presence of Eris is a clue that these events are the harbingers of greater change.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:21 AM :: |

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Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Astrology goes on the watch list in Saudi Arabia

From the Kuwaiti Times:

Powerful clerics in Saudi Arabia have warned Arab media against publishing "forbidden" horoscopes, which are hugely popular despite a clerical ban. "This is astrology, which is forbidden and is considered as a form of magic," a committee of senior Saudi clerics said in a statement published on state news agency SPA late on Saturday. "The committee reminds Muslims and journalists in particular that it is their obligation to take advice from God, His Prophet and the clergy," it said, adding that all schools of Islamic law forbid such practices.

"Certain newspapers and magazines have adopted the practice of carrying articles on astrology with catchy headlines which trick those who are unaware that astrology, horoscopes and fortune-telling are forbidden," said the statement. "Certain satellite television channels have also grown accustomed to broadcasting programmes on astrology and fortune-telling," said the statement carried by Saudi dailies. "All such practices are forbidden as they are a form of magic ... that claims to see the unseen world."

In Saudi Arabia, clerics of a puritanical school of Islam known as Wahhabism oversee the strict application of their reading of Islamic Sharia law. But they are concerned about liberal trends spreading in the Gulf Arab country of 24 million. "Believing that a certain star can be the cause of happiness or misfortune is a superstition from the pre-Islamic age...," the prominent clerics said. Saudi-owned newspapers based in London such as Asharq Al-Awsat and Al-Hayat have started publishing horoscopes in recent years and fortune tellers appear on Saudi-owned television stations based outside the kingdom.

Papers within the kingdom stick to the Wahhabi line. "Many Saudis don't know their birth date on the Christian calendar so they don't care about horoscopes, but the new generation is obsessed by them," the editor of a popular Saudi daily told Reuters. He did not want to be identified. "It's blatantly un-Islamic, we won't do it," he added.

Isn't it ironic that during the Dark Ages in Europe when the Roman Church had stifled all learning, in the Arab states the study of astrology, astronomy and other sciences was blossoming. Beginning in the eighth century the Persians, Syrians and Babylonians oversaw a renaissance of scientific study. In today's world religion threatens to overcome science once again.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 5:43 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- The Archetype of Ceres

This is part II of the Ceres Series, part I is here.

Ceres is the Roman name for Demeter, the Goddess of the Grain. Demeter means "the mother" (de meter) and Ceres is said to be from the root ker meaning "to grow." Although some researchers believe Ceres and Demeter were two separate goddesses, most historians equate the two. (There is an asteroid called Demeter but she is not commonly used in the astrological pantheon.) Some sources report that Ceres was the fourth sister-wife of Jupiter, king of the gods, with whom she bore her daughter Kore (Persephone), precluding her from the unmarried state that would associate her with the sign of Virgo (more on that later).

The story of the abduction of Persephone forms the fundamental Ceres/Demeter archetype. Persephone was gathering flowers in a meadow when the earth split open and Hades/Pluto emerged in a gold chariot pulled by black horses, grabbed her, and stole her away to the Underworld. Demeter heard Persephone's cries for help and went to find her, searching high and low, not stopping to eat or drink. One day she reached Eleusis and was found by the daughters of the King. She commanded that a temple be built for her there and there she sat, grieving for her lost daughter and refused to perform her functions of nurturing the land. As a result, the crops died and famine threatened the entire human race. Zeus took pity on her and induced Hades to free Persephone in order to ease Demeter's grief and restore the land. But Hades, knowing that if Demeter ate while in the Underworld she would have to return to him, gave her some pomegranate seeds and as a result she was compelled to spend one-third of the year (winter) in the Underworld.

Like all divine personages of the Greek and Roman pantheon, Ceres has a dual nature. She is the "greatest cause of joy" in the giving of the grain, but can also cause deprivation, starvation and hunger. Her wrath was legendary: after the abduction of her daughter, she turned the attending handmaidens into the bird-shaped Sirens. She was the goddess of more than grain; she presided over fruits, seeds and most vegetables as well. Because agriculture formed the wealth of the society, she is also associated with abundance and the gifts of the gods. When a villager did not offer her hospitality during her visit to the town, she burned down his house with him in it. Those who did welcome her into their home received abundant gifts.

Demeter had eight children altogether, and her son Ploutos is associated with diligence and acquisition of property.

The Eleusinian Mysteries originated in the temple of Eleusis in which Ceres/Demeter spent her grieving period after her daughter's abduction. The Mysteries took place during an annual festival that lasted for nine days, during which there was an international truce which allowed worshippers to travel from all corners of the Greek world. Little of the details of the rites of this festival are known because they were treated with absolute secrecy, but they were thought to give protection during life and afterwards as well. The rites included periods of fasting and a special drink which may have had hallucinogenic properties, as well the probably reenactment of the abduction and resurrection of Persephone from the Underworld. It is likely that the hieros gamos or Sacred Marriage was performed between the Priestess and the Hierophant in a fertility rite.

The primary archetype of Ceres is that of the mother. She is the provider not only of food, but also of spiritual sustenance and a faith that life will be reborn from the Underworld. Ceres represents not only the nurturing qualities of the mother, but also the ebb and flow of women's reproductive cycles that are tied to the Moon. The offering of food to others is a hallmark of the Ceres archetype, as Ceres ruled over the bounty of the harvest. Ceres was the most generous of all the goddesses, providing care on all levels.

The dark side of the Ceres archetype includes depression and loss. The depression of Ceres/Demeter after the loss of her daughter was so great that she withdrew and would willingly have caused the death of all humanity through famine. She cannot bear to lose her adult child who leaves the home to begin her own life and marriage (in most versions of the story Persephone/Kore ultimately finds happiness with Hades/Pluto and settles into a life of comfortable domesticity as Queen of the Underworld). Ceres/Demeter became virtually possessed by her grief and legend in her destructiveness. That which nourishes becomes that which destroys.

Tomorrow: The Astrological Symbolism of Ceres.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 5:48 AM :: |

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Tuesday, October 10, 2006

The North Korean Missile Test , Eris, and Planetary News This Week

I'd like to interrupt my Ceres series for a brief note on the presence of Eris in the activities surrounding the nuclear test yesterday. In looking at the chart for the test, Eris, goddess of strife and discord, is at 20 degrees Aries and Mars, god of war, is exactly opposite her at 20 degrees Libra. The missile test is widely regarded as a "provocative act," intended to create drama and disrupt the power structure. This sounds very like the Eris of myth, who was the sister of the god Ares/Mars and went into war with him, whispering in the ears of the soldiers to inspire them to kill the enemy. She also famously threw the golden apple that started the Trojan War - one small act that resulted in ten years of war.

This of course comes right on the heels of the Aries Full Moon that includes a Mars/Sun conjunction, which is a tremendous amount of Mars and Aries influence. Mars is useful for releasing pent-up energy and creating activity that can bring resolution, although Mars in Libra can get bogged down in the building of relationships rather than taking effective action. However, Mars is approaching a harmonious aspect (sextile) to Pluto this week, linking the dynamic of action and aggression (Mars) with the transformative power of Pluto. We also have Chiron preparing to end its retrograde passage and turn direct on October 12 when its work with exposing old wounds will become more effective.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:04 AM :: |

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Monday, October 09, 2006

Ceres and the Asteroids, part I

Part I: A history of the use of Asteroids in Astrology

Ceres was first discovered in 1801 and immediately classified as a planet. Shortly thereafter, several other bodies were discovered and classified as planets beginning with Pallas in 1802, Juno in 1804, Vesta in 1807, and later Astraea in 1845. When Neptune was discovered in 1846, it was much larger than the other bodies and was therefore retained as a planet and the others were demoted to the asteroid belt along with thousands more asteroids that were discovered over the next 200 years. The "major" asteroids languished there until in a surge of interest in women's issues in the 1960s and 1970s inspired the later use of the asteroids in astrological analysis.

We could argue that the modern women's movement in the US began in 1966 with the founding of the National Organization of Women (NOW) (it incorporated formally the following year) when the Uranus and Pluto were exactly conjunct in Virgo, setting off cultural revolutions of various kinds around the world. In the mid to late 1970s the feminist movement inspired research into the history of women in societies that were matriarchal in nature, and the subsequent return of goddess worship in the form of neo-pagan rituals. In 1976, with Saturn trine Neptune, Merlin Stone's book When God was a Woman retold the Judaeo-Christian story from the feminine perspective, reaching back beyond the god Yahweh to earlier matriarchal cultures and female deities. This groundbreaking work opened the doors to the study of earlier goddesses and their applications in women's issues.

In the astrological pantheon of the time Venus was the only feminine archetypes. The love goddess that we know as Venus is significantly watered down from her origins as Innana, Ishtar, Hathor, Ashtoreth and Astarte, various incarnations of the same pagan goddess, slandered in the bibles and expunged from history They were powerful goddesses associated with fertility and sexuality and considered more powerful than their male counterparts. This must have terrified the priesthoods. Ashtoreth, the Hebrew incarnation of this goddess, was called the female demon of lust. The Greeks called her Aphrodite, but their patriarchal society necessitated the diminution of her powers and she was relegated to her role as the goddess of love and beauty. The Romans stripped her power as Venus even more, resulting in the cartoon character we have today.

The Moon of course is not a planet and although it deals with the emotional nature and the quality of nurturing, those are not exclusively feminine qualities.

The feminist atmosphere of the 1970s made its way into the field of astrology, and in 1986 the groundbreaking work by Demetra George called Asteroid Goddesses made four new feminine archetypes available to astrologers. The four major asteroids she covers are Juno, Ceres, Pallas and Vesta, but there are thousands more (both male and female), each with their own astrological symbolism. The use of asteroids by astrologers is not all that common (although I worked with them briefly in the late 1980s but ultimately found they didn't really speak to me). With the inclusion of Ceres into the planetary pantheon the other asteroids are likely to make their way into the astrological language as well.

I have always had a particular affinity for Astraea (the Starry One), the goddess of innocence and purity and the last of the immortals to live with humans after the other gods had retreated to Mount Olympus as a result of the wickedness of man. She was a goddess of justice, and is often depicted as holding the Libran scales although she is also associated with the constellation Virgo. Perhaps she will return to play a role in the difficult times that are to come.

As I've written elsewhere in this column, the inclusion of Ceres into a new category with Pluto, astrological god of transformation, likely indicates a new element of the transformational process. Tomorrow's column will explore the archetype of Ceres and her astrological functions.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:53 AM :: |

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Sunday, October 08, 2006

Astrology makes the mainstream news

Thanks to Astrococktail for this delicious tidbit: An article in the Sentinel in New Jersey reports that three council members have birthdays within a 5-day span, and proceeds to consult a reputable astrologer (founder and president of the Academy of Astrology in New Jersey):

Mayor Francis "Mac" Womack and Councilmen Ralph Andrews, Bob Davis and Carlo Socio all have birthdays within five days of one another, but one area astrologer feels there's no correlation between their birthdays and their rise to elected office.

Steven Joseph Sinopoli, the founder and president of The Academy of Astrology in New Jersey, said that compatibility and personality analysis is most dependent on time of birth, not the birth date. [This is not entirely true, other factors are more important such as Mercury and Mars compatibility and aspects between the charts.]

::details on each individual snipped::

Andrews said the makeup of the council is effective because the councilwomen are community-based, Davis is a fiery, exuberant individual, Socio lacks shyness, and Womack is the statesman, holding the group together, which was pinpointed by Sinopoli.

"We all get along real well. We're fairly respectful of each other. I don't know, [maybe] what we do with our birthdays has to do with making up who we are," Andrews said. "I'm certainly not one to argue with the stars. If that's what the stars say, the stars must be right. ... To come together this way, it may be meant to be. I don't know."

"What we have here ... is a vast amount of different personalities. Two people can be born on the same day, [but] that doesn't mean they have the same personality. Even twins do not have the same personality, because they are minutes apart," Sinopoli said. "In astrology, every four minutes equals one degree and one degree by solar motion is a year, one degree by lunar motion is a month. ... Where you are on your birth day surely is going to set a precedent for the year ahead, so that's the complexities of astrology."

Since many skeptics do exist in society, the council is unsure if the stars actually brought them to the board, but they enjoyed learning about their personality characteristics.

"Now that this has been brought up, it's kind of fun to look back and think about it, because in a way it does make some sense," [Councilman] Socio said. "Whether it's a coincidence or just the way it is, it's wild."

The article has some inaccuracies, but it's always good to see astrology presented in mainstream press in all of its complex glory to help battle the bad press we get from newspaper horoscopes.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 12:21 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- Stephen Levine on Awakening

As the weather turns colder and we head into the season of Scorpio, we are pulled deeper within, deeper into the Mystery.

There always seems to be a bit of discussion about what is the nature of the soul…. Some believe the soul to be eternal; others believe that time itself is impermanent. Eternity can have widely differing definitions depending on the peephole through which we are squinting.

For some, eternity means paradise with their beloved; for others, eternity is the time it takes and the births that must be taken to be wholly transformed into our indescribable original grace.

Some say that for a few moments before death we retrieve our soul. It sounded good, but I just couldn’t wait. It is advisable in fact to begin as soon after birth as you remember.

The definition of soul that seems closest to most people’s deepest experience is that of being “the witness,” the awareness behind it all, the presence in presence.

Soul as watcher, the awareness that combines with what is near to produce consciousness.

To retrieve the soul is to regain consciousness. That is why it is called awakening.

Awakening is not enlightenment, but is is a prerequisite. It is the breaking of the trance of blindly following conditioning. It is a coming into your own to find out who and what that might be.

We have literally passed out (or never passed in) and become unconscious. Now we must pass in (get fully born) to reestablish consciousness in the body/mind.

We need to coax the light back with mercy and awareness.

First awareness must reenter the belly – we must feel our feelings. Then we must become aware we are aware. And gradually we must at least consider forgiveness and kindness toward ourselves and perhaps another. And ultimately we come to love for no reason whatsoever, to love wholly, unreasonably.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:37 AM :: |

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Saturday, October 07, 2006

Chemical fire and the Aries Full Moon

A chemical fire at a hazardous waste management plant in a North Carolina suburb very close to where I live erupted late Thursday night in the shadow of the Full Moon, evacuating thousands of people and creating a health emergency. The fire produced a chemical fume of chlorine gas that spread across the area but fortunately a steady rain all day yesterday helped to clear the air. As of this morning the fire is "essentially out" but may still contain hotspots..

In March the company that owns this plant, with the Orwellian name of EQ Industrial Services (the EQ standing for Environmental Quality) , was fined $32,000 for safety violations. Last August a plant owned by the same company in Michigan caught fire in a similar fashion driving over 2,000 people from their homes.

I can't help see the correlations between this fire and the chart for last night's Full Moon. Remember Mars was conjunct the Sun and opposite the Moon in Aries, which is ruled by Mars, a double signature that the fiery nature of Mars would be significant in this lunation. Mars of course doesn't always bring literal fire, but it does bring an aggressive energy into the mix. We are seeing this in the battle within the Republican party over the Mark Foley debacle; we are seeing this in North Korea's aggressive stance on testing a nuclear weapon. Conflict between the Russian government and the independent state of Georgia (formerly of the Soviet Union) escalated late last week as we entered the shadow of the full moon.

And all of this is nestled within the opposition of Saturn to Neptune, which in this case created difficulty and challenge (Saturn) as the result of a chemical (Neptune) fire (Mars/Aries). A hallmark of the Saturn/Neptune opposition seems to be the question "What did they know and when did they know it," as it is often associated with cover-ups (Neptune) that ultimately come to light (Saturn). just as we're seeing with the Mark Foley scandal which is exposing the dirty laundry of the Republican party.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:28 AM :: |

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Friday, October 06, 2006

Why Eris? Why not Sedna or Quaoar?

Ever since the tenth planet was discovered as UB313, nicknamed Xena and now officially named Eris, it's been calling to me. I don't know why Eris speaks to me and not the other recently discovered planets, Sedna and Quaoar, but it is very clear to me that Eris has something to say astrologically.

I felt the same way about Chiron. I began studying astrology in 1980, and although Chiron was discovered in 1977 there was little astrological information available about Chiron until the early 1980s. It was the late 1980s before I even heard of Chiron, but immediately it beckoned to me. At the time many astronomers and astrologers thought Chiron was a comet or an asteroid, but it was later classified as a Centaur. There are lots of other Centaurs: Ixion, Pholus Nessus, etc. Because Chiron was a Centaur in mythology and classified as a Centaur astronomically, many astrologers wanted to assign the rulership of Sagittarius to Chiron. However, Chiron was completely unlike the other Centaurs; his half man/half horse form occured as the result of his parents having taken on a horse form when he was conceived. He was half immortal and is associated with integrating the spirit into the body: a very different role than the rest of the Centaurs who were primarily concerned with drinking and barbaric behavior.

At any rate, Chiron spoke to me loudly and I began to use him in readings nearly immediately. Astrology books in the mid-1980s classified Chiron as an asteroid and lumped him in with the other asteroids such as Vesta, Juno and Pallas as well as Ceres. I attempted to work with these other asteroids but they remained quiet and yielded no information to me. Yet my work with Chiron became very important and to this day I consider Chiron somewhat of a specialty.

As you know if you've been reading this column, the reclassification of Pluto and the addition of Ceres and Eris captivated me. Although I wish they had retained the name "The Plutons," for me they represent an important shift in consciousness and in astrological consultations. The recent discoveries of Sedna and Quaoar did not speak to me in this way, nor it seems have other astrologers been inspired by those planets.

I have explored Ceres only briefly, but Eris is demanding quite a bit of attention which I suppose is appropriate in light of her significance as the goddess of Strife and Discord.

To learn more about the vast array of planetary bodies and to see who speaks to you, visit Zane Stein's pages on Chiron and his Friends. Zane was one of the early astrologers exploring the significance of Chiron and he has lots of interesting information there.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:06 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- Mark Foley's Fall from Grace.

In light of the mess surrounding "Pagegate" and the potential fall of the Republican Party I thought Mr. Foley deserved his own post.

Mark Foley (see chart) was born under the sign of Virgo, a sign famously known for its fastidiousness and desire for continual self-improvement. Unless there are other more fiery elements in the birthchart, Virgo dislikes the limelight and prefers to stay behind the scenes where they can be of service and deny the ego. Typically, though, they are perfectionists who work hard to achieve their goals and in Foley's case, he worked hard to hide his own sexuality and his penchant for young boys. Just last July Foley introduced legislation to punish credit card companies and internet service providers that aid in the dissemination of child pornography.

We don't know Mark Foley's time of birth so we have no way to calculate his ascendant or rising sign which would describe his outward appearance and personality. I am guessing either Gemini because of his sociability and "talent for mimicry" or Libra because of his ability to build political relationships. Foley's political history is interesting: At the age of 23 he served on the City Council in his Florida town as a Democrat, but after later failed bids at higher office switched to run as a Republican and finally won a representative seat in 1990. Mercury in his chart is in Libra, indicating that his thinking (Mercury) sees both sides of an issue (Libra), facilitating his ability to switch from one argument to another but perhaps showing a man who lacks the courage of his convictions. Mercury in Foley's chart conflicts with his Mars which is in Capricorn and very pragmatic. Libra is about relationships and Capricorn is about the objectives, but for both of these signs the end justifies the means and there is a tendency to manipulate in order to achieve one's goals.

Chiron (wounding and healing) conjuncts Foley's Capricorn Moon, indicating that there is a painful history in the way that he was nurtured as represented by the Moon. Chiron shows where in our lives there is an old psychic wound that doesn't heal, and when in aspect to the Moon there are deep painful emotions (Moon) that must be faced in order to be resolved. Yet the Moon in Capricorn is pragmatic about this and is generally not particularly emotional. Consequently, the inner drama tends to remain repressed until there is an outer event that triggers it.

The Moon/Chiron combination in Foley's chart is opposite another combination of Jupiter and Uranus, showing an exaggerated (Jupiter) sense of being different (Uranus). It was widely but quietly known that Mark Foley is gay, and Uranus is often associated with homosexuality because of the sense of being outside of conventional culture and the tendency to live a non-traditional life. Reportedly Foley had a long-term relationship with a doctor in Palm Beach, but evidently these two didn't live together and owned separate residences.

Both ends of the opposition of the Moon/Chiron combination to the Jupiter/Uranus combination are in challenge with Foley's Neptune forming what's called a "T-square", and because it is a hard (or challenging) aspect we tend to see the more negative attributes of all planets involved. Neptune shrouds everything in a misty obscurity, and brings with it an ability to hide from oneself and others. Neptune creates an illusion, both from outside and within as well.

Foley's Sun makes no major aspects to any other planet (we call this a "singleton" or "unaspected" Sun). When the Sun is unaspected it has the opportunity to shine unencumbered by other influences, but individuals with an unaspected Sun often find it difficult to connect with others on an essential emotional level. This can be frustrating personally but is not uncommon in the charts of famous people, who tend to put their careers before their relationships. In Foley's chart the unaspected Sun aids him in disassociating himself (Sun) from his emotional problems and operate in a state of denial. However, the emotional difficulties continue to simmer underneath until released by an outer event as we have seen here.

In addition, Foley's Venus conjuncts Saturn and both in Scorpio, demonstrating a deep insecurity (Saturn) in his ability to be loved and found desirable (Venus) along with a strong sexual nature (Scorpio). It is likely this insecurity that drives him to seek relationships with young boys who won't challenge his weak sense of self and help him to feel more powerful.

Mark Foley's chart shows that he has some positive Pluto transits at this time even in the midst of this debacle, which tells me that these events, while incredibly difficult, will have an ultimately positive affect on Foley. Perhaps having been "outed" he will come face to face with his true self and begin to live a more authentic life. More challenging will be the lingering effect on the structure of our current leadership which is already suffering under the opposition of Saturn in Leo to Neptune.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 5:41 AM :: |

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Thursday, October 05, 2006

Persephone: Queen of the Underworld?

art by Kris Waldherr snagged from Paleothea.com

Jeffrey had a fascinating post the other day on Persephone's willingness to go into the underworld of her own free will. I'm looking forward to debating Jeffrey soon on the rulership of Ceres (he says Virgo, I say Cancer) but I'm still looking for my Demetra George book. Meanwhile, check out this excerpt (I added paragraphs to make it easier to read):

Pluto was originally a female deity, but when the matriarchalists were subjugated, was changed to a male, although the powers and attributes remained pretty well intact. Pluto as a female deity was a Crone aspect of a chthonian, deep-earth Mother Goddess. She ruled underground wealth, mines, magick, deep mysteries, death and spirits of the dead, initiation and transformation. Persephone was a Maiden Goddess, daughter of Demeter the Earth-Mother, who ruled fertility, the fields, crops, and agriculture.

Now consider that when Persephone left her mother to go down to Hades/Tartarus, the underworld, it was of her own free will. She voluntarily left her Mother to study with the Crone the things which were in her sphere of influence. She went to study, in brief, magick. And she was initiated into the Mysteries and underwent a transformation. This was symbolized by the eating of the pomegranate and her need to spend a portion of each year in Hades/Tartarus. Once she was an initiate, she was bound to pay homage for all she had learned, and to presumably spend a certain amount of time studying and broadening her knowledge, and hopefully attaining higher levels on initiation, eventually becoming One with the Crone in knowledge and understanding.

Yes, Demeter suffered from loneliness because of the loss of her daughter, but both benefitted from the transformation and knowledge gained. And this may be a myth explaining the true reason for winter -- a time to study, to go within and explore the mysteries of life, death, the cycle of the seasons, and renewal. The Maiden returns each spring and life renews itself, but the Maiden is more wise and tempered by her sojourn into the underworld, and the secret knowledge she has gained. Eventually there is little difference between Maiden, Mother, and Crone -- all are aspects of the same Great Goddess. And that is the deepest Mystery of all.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 8:04 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- Thank you Topix.Net!!

Topix.net is a great portal that's been carrying many of my posts lately, including links in their science section which as an astrologer makes me really happy. It's a search engine AND news feed, and a really good source of information on just about everything. I have it linked in the left sidebar, so take a look and see what they have to offer.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:59 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- Harvest Moon and lots of Mars/Aries

The Harvest Moon is the Full Moon closest to the Autumn Equinox (usually in September but occasionally in early October), rising within an hour of sunset in the Northern hemispheres and hanging in the sky like a huge lantern, illuminating farmers as they bring in the harvested crops.

The Full Moon occurs when the Sun is opposite the Moon in the sky and the Moon is in full illumination. Astrologically, the Moon represents our instinctive emotions and security needs and the Sun represents our conscious mind, so during the Full Moons the lunar instincts and emotions, usually kept hidden, take center stage for a brief time. This Full Moon is in Aries on October 6 at 11:13 pm est and the Sun conjuncts Mars, offering a strong fiery energy to the raw lunar power. We are in the shadow of the Full Moon now, and Mars is not only stimulating the Full Moon but also approaching harmonious aspects (trine) to Neptune and to Saturn (sextile), fueling our creativity (Neptune) and applying the discipline (Saturn) that we need to manifest our goals and dreams.

This a powerful time for manifestation. Although we may be feeling a bit destabilized by the Saturn/Neptune energy, we have an opportunity now to bring in a new focus and energy with the Mars interactions. Aries of course is the sign ruled by Mars, and at this Full Moon the Sun in Libra conjuncts Mars as it opposes the Moon in Aries, highlighting the duality between our own individual needs (Mars/Aries) and our relationships with others (Libra). The addition of Mars increases Martian energy of Aries which can be problematic at times, but with the harmonious interactions between Mars and the Saturn/Neptune opposition that fiery energy will be easy to access and focus as we bring our will into alignment with our goals and wishes.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:42 AM :: |

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Wednesday, October 04, 2006

New Planet "Bonanza" Discovered at Galactic Center!

In the news today:

A "bonanza" of new planets has been found at the heart of our galaxy, NASA astronomers announced today.

Sixteen potential planets have been detected in the region known as the Galactic Bulge, the mass of stars and hot gas at the center of the Milky Way some 26,000 light-years away.

This makes the newfound planets the most distant worlds ever discovered.

Of the 16 newly detected bodies, 7 have been deemed likely planets, with the remaining 9 awaiting confirmation.

If all 16 are confirmed, the find would constitute the largest number of new planets detected in a single observation.

A team of astronomers discovered the planets during a seven-day survey of the constellation Sagittarius using the Hubble Space Telescope in February 2004.

The faraway find has dramatic implications for the ongoing search for other, possibly habitable planets, scientists said. Most notably, the survey reveals that planets are as plentiful around distant stars as they are around stars closer to our solar system.

"We had [already] found all of these planets relatively near the sun. We wanted to know, Are they there all across the galaxy?" said Mario Livio, an astronomer with the Hubble project, at a press conference today at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C.

"The answer was yes, they are there, even at the center of the galaxy. … This allows us to say now with a very high degree of confidence that there are literally billions of planets in our galaxy."

With Pluto approaching a conjunction with the Galactic Center later this year, this is fascinating news!! From what I can tell, the Galactic Bulge, where the planetary bonanza was discovered, is a mass of stars in our or any spiral galaxy that harbors within it a supermassive black hole, which is the Galactic Center. You may want to re-read this article from last March about the Galactic Center and the Mayans, who worshiped the Galactic Center as "Hunab Ku."

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 8:45 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- School shootings and the balance of the collective psyche

The past couple of months have seen a virtual epidemic of shootings in schools:

• August 24 - a 27-year old man went to an elementary school in Essex, Vermont looking for his ex-girlfriend, a teacher. Unable to find her, he killed the ex-girlfriend's mother and fatally shot one teacher, wounding another.
• August 30 - inspired by the Columbine massacre, a 19-year old in Hillsborough, North Carolina murdered his father and went to his former high school for a shooting spree that fortunately resulted in no deaths.
• September 13 - a 25-year old man stormed a Montreal college, wounding 19 students and killing one and himself.
• September 17 - three teenagers in Green Bay Wisconsin were arrested for a plan to kill students and themselves at their high school.
• September 27 - a 53-year old man in Platte Canyon, Colorado took six girls hostage, sexually assaulting them and ultimately killing one girl and himself.
• September 29 - a 15-year old boy in rural Wisconsin killed a school principal and himself.
• October 2- a 32-year old man took female students hostage and ultimately killed five young girls and himself.

This cluster cannot adequately be explained by the "copycat" explanation, and there is no consistency here as to age of the shooters. As an astrologer, I look for synchronicity and planetary events, and what these events have in common is the opposition of Saturn to Neptune with the addition of Jupiter in Scorpio.

Earlier this year I wrote on Jupiter in Scorpio:

Scorpio is ruled by Pluto, the god of death, and therefore relishes the journey through the underworld of darkness and emotional baggage. Scorpio seeks power and emotional intensity and Jupiter is the planet of buoyant abundance, so this is an odd combination that expands (Jupiter) the focus on death, secrecy and sexuality, the domains of Scorpio. Scorpio is rather ruthless in its aims, and Jupiter, being the King of the Gods, can be somewhat arrogant and self-righteous and an unfortunate aspect of this combination can be the ruthless slaughter of innocents. Jupiter was last in Scorpio in 1994, witnessing the beginning of the Rwandan massacre and the murders of Nicole Simpson (wife of OJ Simpson in case anyone needs a reminder) and Ron Goldman.

The opposition of Saturn to Neptune can be very destabilizing especially if it hits a sensitive point in one's chart. That opposition was exact on August 29, coinciding with a square of Mars (aggression) to Pluto (death and transformation), an intensely combative period. At the same time Jupiter moved towards a square of both Saturn and Neptune, creating a challenging T-square on September 24. The addition of Jupiter expands the dynamic and creates more tension between the pressure of Saturn and the dissolving quality of Neptune: a very difficult psychological situation. Psychologists agree that these school shootings are typically suicidal events, but for some reason the shooters choose a public arena for their suicides.

When events come in clusters like this and play out in the public arena, they are more than personal events - they become a signal that the collective is out of alignment and needs adjustment. The symbolism of the Jupiter/Saturn/Neptune combination is very significant and reflects the imbalance of our society and its simultaneous repression (Saturn) and desire for unlimited freedom (Jupiter) combined with a tendency to stick our head in the sand and ignore reality (Neptune). This is true not only for the apparent free western society, in which sexual repression and celebration of violence is the norm, but also for the new Islamist societies which share the same dysfunctional repression and embrace of violence. These events are wake-up calls for us to look in our own families, our own communities, our own nations, and make the necessary adjustments to bring the collective psyche back into balance.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 6:44 AM :: |

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Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Mark Foley, Eris, and the Secret Life of Virgo

This post is for D, within whom a struggle rages between her Virgo Moon and her Leo Sun/Ascendant. She generally takes the side of Virgo against Leo, preferring the modest humility of Virgo to the ego drives of Leo. I, of course, am always urging her not to hide her Leo light under a bushel. So I thought she, and others like her, might enjoy this post from Elsa on the Secret Lives of Virgo, and this made me investigate Mark Foley a little more deeply (view chart):

Speaking of the secret lives of Virgo, disgraced politician, Mark Foley is a Virgo.

So is Michael Jackson.

So is the very clean Hugh Grant… who was caught cheating on his model girlfriend with a whore, Divine Brown. Whoops!

How are these for examples of secret lives?

And don’t go jumping on this because there are a lot more classier examples. For example, Virgo, Sophia Loren. Years ago when a reporter yelled at her, “Hey Sophia! What are you doing with that old man?” (Carlo Ponti)

“None of your business!” she yelled back.

So there you go. Some Virgos are aware of their secret lives, others delude themselves.

For example, Leonard Cohen, another Virgo acknowledges his secret life in his song, “In My Secret Life“. He does it again in another song, “The Future“. But the Mark Foley types are far more common. I mean, he’s an extreme example, but this is the point:

Virgo likes to see themselves as innocent maiden do-gooders. The men as well at the women, this is. So they just deny all the heinous things they do which are easily as numerous as the rest of peeps in the zodiac.

But you best be careful pointing this out to them because by and large, they won’t like it. Virgo wants to be flawless, see. So they project the Pisces, the sign opposite, the sign that knows everything is askew, away from themselves. And this has an unfortunate affect, obviously.

The really smart Virgos embrace and even covet their secret life. And these are the Virgos who have tremendous appeal. Like Sophia Loren.

Isn’t she always pulled together? Look how she presents. Perfection! She’s a textbook Virgo (Virgin). Can you imagine her showing up for work with with her hair messed up from last night’s sex? Forget about it! She’s a Virgo!

Compare to Foley who takes a public stance against what he does in private. Ack! That’s bad Virgo.

All kidding aside, though, Mark Foley is a perfect example of how someone's astrological chart can be much more complex than their sun sign. Foley is a Virgo, it's true (currently being knocked off-center by Uranus which tends to create radical change in our life and reveals surprises that serve to make our lives more authentic). But more important is a difficult T-square in his chart. The T-square involves a Moon/Chiron conjunction (painful (Chiron) emotional (Moon) background) that is opposite a conjunction of Jupiter and Uranus (an exaggerated (Jupiter)sense of being different (Uranus) which shows an extreme restlessness in his nature. It is widely but quietly known that Mark Foley is gay, and Uranus is often associated with homosexuality because of the sense of being outside of conventional culture and the tendency to live a non-traditional life.

Both ends of this powerhouse of an opposition with four strong planets makes a square to Foley's Neptune, and because it is a hard (or challenging) aspect we tend to see the more negative attributes of all planets involved. Neptune shrouds everything in a misty obscurity, and brings with it an ability to hide from oneself and others. Neptune creates an illusion, both from outside and within as well.

In addition, Foley's Venus conjuncts Saturn and both in Scorpio, demonstrating a deep insecurity (Saturn) in his ability to be loved and found desirable (Venus) along with a strong sexual nature (Scorpio). It is likely this insecurity that drives him to seek relationships with young boys who won't challenge his weak sense of self and help him to feel more powerful.

While we're talking about Eris, we also find Eris at 8 degrees Aries square his Capricorn Mars at nearly 6 degrees. If, as we're beginning to see is a real possibility, Eris in the chart denotes where a quality within us creates a small but disruptive event that changes the course of history, it would be Foley's sexual drive as shown by Mars that is affected by Eris and could possibly lead to the downfall of the Republican majority in Congress and a takeover by the Democrats. Just a thought, but worth watching!

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 1:57 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- Skepticism without magic: An empty prison

Fractal art by 3Datelier.

For years I have pursued skeptics, offering free readings to anyone who doesn't believe in astrology. I am fairly certain that most skepticism arises from a disbelief in "sun sign" astrology and horoscopes, yet not one skeptic has ever taken me up on my offer which would demonstrate the difference between newspaper horoscopes and a real astrological consultation. There is no doubt that a certain amount of skepticism is a healthy thing and keeps us from falling into the Neptunian abyss of illusion and fantasy, but what is it that would prevent someone who doesn't believe in astrology from being willing to explore it a little further?

I do understand that astrology cannot be quantified using a scientific method, but neither can many other phenomena that we take for granted. Weather predictions are less accurate than astrological predictions, but we call meteorology a science. In addition, the relatively new field of quantum physics defies many of the laws of classical physics. You cannot prove that you love someone using science, but you can experience it. In the same way, it's difficult to prove how a birthchart describes the character of a person you have never met, but this too can be experienced.

I've just started reading Richard Tarnas's book Cosmos and Psyche, and in the very first paragraph he describes the dry desert of a life a closed mind can bring:

Skepticism is the chastity of the intellect, Santayana declared, and the metaphor is apt. THe mind that seeks the deepest intellectual fulfillment does not give itself up to every passing idea. Yet what is sometimes forgotten is the larger purpose of such a virtue. For in the end, chastity is something one preserves not for its own sake, which would be barren, but rather so that one may be fully ready for the moment of surrender to the belove,d the suitor whose aim is true. Whether in knowledge or in love, the capacity to recognize and embrace that moment when it finally arrives, perhaps in quite unexpected circumstances, is essential to the virtue. Only with that discernment and inward opening can the full participatory engagement unfold that brings forth new realities and new knowledge. Without this capacity, at once active and receptive, the long discipline would be fruitless. The carefully cultivated skeptical posture would become finally an empty prison, an armored state of unfulfillment, a permanently confining end to itself rather than the rigorous means to a sublime result.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 7:36 AM :: |

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Sunday, October 01, 2006

Astrology of Donald Rumsfeld, George Bush and Eris

Despite the recently released National Intelligence Estimate that unequivocally states that the war in Iraq has worsened the problem of terrorism around the world, Donald Rumsfeld remains stubbornly optimistic and admits no errors in his handling of the war, saying "No one anticipated the insurgency's strength," a statement which of course is patently untrue. He is the subject of a documentary that airs on CNN tonight.

Rumsfeld's astrological chart shows that he was born with the Sun in Cancer conjunct Pluto, showing an obsession with issues of power (Pluto). The Sun/Pluto combination challenge Uranus which tends to show an extremely individual who prefers to work autonomously and does not take orders willingly. With Pluto and the Sun in his eighth house (ruled by Pluto and associated with Scorpio), his quest for power is not overt but instead takes place behind the scenes, manipulating events to achieve his outcome. An example of this occurred when Rumsfeld used his political influence to obtain FDA approval for aspartame in 1981 while he was chairman of Searle, its manufacturer. Before Rumsfeld was tapped by the Bush administration he was chairman of Gilead Research in which he still owns a large stake. Gilead Research just happens to be the manufacturer of Tamiflu, which became the vaccine of choice to respond to the Bird Flu scare of last year.

Mercury in Leo in the eighth house shows that his thinking tends to seek to understand the deeper issues, but in Leo where there is a celebration of the Self there is a tendency to think that one is always right. Mercury in his chart is sextile Mars, indicating a bright mind and quick thinker as has been shown by his unusual command of the English language. (Be sure to read Slate Magazine's compilation of Rumsfeldian poetry.)

Mars in Rumsfeld's chart falls on his descendant (opposite the ascendant), showing that he does not get along well with others and finds it difficult to work in partnership (it's interesting that he is a hardball squash player which is highly competitive); however with Mars in Gemini he does enjoy talking.

If the birth data available on the internet is correct, Rumsfeld has Moon in Libra, indicating that he has a strong emotional need for balance and harmony in his life, and his Moon falls right on his Midheaven which is the point of career and public life, and he has been the longest serving Secretary of Defense in American history including his term under Gerald Ford. This is someone who has a strong emotional need to live a life of accomplishment that takes place in the public arena and that he seeks partnerships in the realm of careers, even though he is not all that good at them as shown by Mars on the descendant.

Like George W Bush, Rumsfeld has no oppositions in his chart showing that he finds it difficult to achieve perspective and tends to lack objectivity.

Rumsfeld's Libra Moon makes an exact opposition to Eris, the new planet which is already associated with the goddess of "strife and discord." The mythological Eris instigated a competition among other goddesses which began the Trojan War, and with Eris prominent in a chart we are likely to see an individual who is an instigator, who begins a process by which the established order begins to unravel. It can be argued that Rumsfeld's fatally flaw plan to invade Iraq will ultimately be the golden apple that change the entire balance of world power.

George W Bush also has a prominent Eris, exactly opposite Neptune in his chart and widely square his Sun (I hesitate to use too wide an orb for Eris because it moves so slowly). Neptune shows where we have a tendency to be deceived and to live a fantasy life, and it is his "playing president" complete with costumes and surrounding himself with "yes men" which has made him a pawn for the unfolding events that are certain to destroy the balance of power as we know it and transform our world forever. The very way Bush came to power exemplifies the confusion that Neptune can bring, and demonstrates that a very small event such as a hanging chad can have incredible historical significance.

I believe that we will come to discover that Eris rules the small events that change the course of history. Unlike Pluto which comes in with a nuclear bomb, Eris may be associated with events that appear small but ultimately change the course of history, just like the Trojan War which lasted ten years and began because of a small golden apple and a goddess with a grudge.

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 5:17 PM :: |

---------------oOo--------------- October Skywatch is posted

You can read here all about what October has in store for us. I also pulled my thoughts on Saturn/Neptune into one article which is posted here.

From Skywatch, here's what's coming up next week including the Full Moon in Aries:

Mercury (communication and thought process) will leave Libra for Scorpio on October 2, intensifying all matters of information processing. Scorpio does not share Libra's concern for harmony but instead seeks to probe to the bottom of an issue in order to achieve a final resolution. Mercury is approaching a square to Chiron now, where it may bring about some conversations (Mercury) that open old wounds (Chiron). There is potential for healing here, but only if we face the difficulty head on and work towards a resolution. At the same time, Mars is approaching a harmonious aspect (trine) to Neptune as well as to Saturn (sextile), fueling our creativity (Neptune) and applying the discipline (Saturn) that we need in order to use that creativity in order to manifest our goals and dreams. This occurs as we head into the shadow of the Full Moon, making this a powerful time for manifestation. Although we may be feeling a bit destabilized by the Saturn/Neptune energy, we have an opportunity now to bring in a new focus and energy with the Mars interactions which peaks at the Aries Full Moon on October 6 at 11:13 pm EST.

Aries of course is the sign ruled by Mars, and at this Full Moon the Sun in Libra conjuncts Mars as it opposes the Moon in Aries, highlighting the duality between our own individual needs (Mars/Aries) and our relationships with others (Libra). The addition of Mars increases Martian energy of Aries which can be problematic at times, but with the harmonious interactions between Mars and the Saturn/Neptune opposition that fiery energy will be easy to access and focus as we bring our will into alignment with our goals and wishes. Neptune seeks to bring us beyond our ordinary reality and will look kindly on our desire to seek a higher purpose while achieving our personal and material goals (Saturn).

Posted by Lynn Hayes :: 8:01 AM :: |

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