This week President Obama signed the new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law.

The President was out on the road to emphasize his care and concern for the American workingclass. It is unusual for a President to set up such a public signing of a bill. He signed the bill in front of a large crowd in Denver, Colorado to emphasize the potential stimulus for new green energy businesses.

I thought it was like a pep-rally with all the Colorado politicians in attendance. The young businessman who introduced the President is far more representative of the American workingman than Joe the Plumber. Blake Jones, president of Namaste’ Solar Company is the face of clean energy business that is going to help regenerate the economy. Namaste’ has grownsteadily and quickly over the last three years, starting with 3 employees and growing to 55.Jones said that this bill would allow is company to start to grow again and to make new jobs.

What does astrology offer in understanding this event?

The astrological signature of this event is the exact joining of the planets Mars and Jupiter. Mars is the planet of action and deeds. It represents what we do and how we do it. Jupiter is the planet of expansion and opportunity, and it rules legislation. It is the great benefic. Together the two planets have a regular cycle of interaction every two years. They represent enthusiasm and growth.

Mars is the faster trigger and will act like a go between as it moves ahead to meet up with Neptune by March 8. What is important about that is that Jupiter and Neptune are in the close of their 14-year cycle. The new cycle begins on May 27. The Jupiter-Neptune cycle represents the growth of new social, economic and cultural belief systems. Sometimes we see new spiritual movements rise up in society. The pair also help create peaceful relationships internationally.

Their last cycle began in January of 1997 in the sign Capricorn, which represents Capitalism. So, we have seen the growth of the housing bubble, the international level of financial investments, and imperialism related to continued focus on fossil fuels, like oil raise to super inflation. This all came to a sharp fall as soon as Pluto first entered Capricorn in January of 2008. During the summer, it seemed the financiers could fake an improvement, while Pluto backed up into Sagittarius for a few months. They were still saving their own butts with the first bailout. As Pluto entered Capricorn to stay on Nov. 26, 08, we have witnessed the complete collapse of that inflationary cycle.

Mars triggering Jupiter as the President signs this bill to revitalize America, it is setting the pace of the next 14 year cycle of Jupiter and Neptune. This time they meet in Aquarius, which is the sign of groups, humanity as one family, and it is a sign of information and connectivity at a very fast pace. We can expect the continued development of new businesses of fuels based on natural energies, like wind and sun. With that will also be new forms of transportation and broadening connectivity.

The big theme of our time is the represented by the opposition between Saturn and Uranus that has been the main topic since Election Day. The time that the President signed the bill in Denver had Uranus at the Midheaven, illustrating the unusual quality of the administrative action and calling out revolutionary changes. Saturn was on the 4th house cusp, the arena of home and family. Saturn rules real estate, construction, and most forms of structure and organization. It shows the plan to re-evaluate the mortgages of homeowners in trouble. It also illustrates the resistance of some politicians at more local levels.

There are Governors and Mayors who are saying they will not participate in the stimulus money. This is the standoff between conservatives, who hold to fear, petty and menial attitudes, and who stubbornly debate the potential value to their communities. The Moon rules the Cancer rising, and is another factor of first of all, addressing the general American economy. The Moon represents the general population and is in the arena of the workforce. In Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter, suggests that ultimately the people are encouraged that this action will stimulate jobs, put people back in the mood of hope and optimism that will get the economy moving again.

There are many good links in this chart among the planets. The energetic of the chart has a foundation that will rely on cooperation between legislators, lenders, and the positive and active participation of the general workforce. Everyone must make some level of sacrifice for the plan to work.

The President has said that it will take about two weeks before the money is really on the street. This takes us right to the time the Venus, the planet of money, turns retrograde. This illustrates the re-valuing of assets. This is perfect symbolism for what is happening. This doesn’t take away my concern however that bigger issues are brewing at the main street level of society. There are deep problems in the system and they will have to disclose more details in time. It is too soon to think our problems are over.

It will be interesting to see how this all comes together through March and into April. The simple astrological fact that the workings of the planets in the current arrangement brings the bottom line to how much the resisting status quo factions try to derail the intentions of this bill. Opposition brings a butting of heads or a pull in opposite directions. We are in for a lengthy tug of war.

The deep financial crisis that all major financial institutions have been hiding in 2008 may have started when the housing bubble was gaining speed and inflation. The dramatic show in Washington with a new cast on the stage is going to be very compelling in the coming weeks. As the younger generation of the people born in the 1960′s come into power, they must be the clean-up grew for what has amounted to the greatest spending spree in the world’s history.

This generation, which Obama and Geithner belong to, was born with the qualities that will bulldoze the system and completely renovate how big business does its business. This is a groundbreaking ceremony, with Timothy Geithner cutting the ribbon.

The Saturn-Uranus opposition that is one of the main features of this time connects to the positions each held in the mid-1960′s, bringing out the revolutionary energy of those born in that time. It is an activation of a factor established in this generation.

Besides the interaction of the two planets, Pluto was with Uranus in 1964-68, during some of the most violent social demonstrations. It happens that Pluto is another important factor of current time, having just moved into the sign of Capricorn and shut down the 15-year party of greedy business practices that this crisis is exposing.

President Obama’s team has such a mixture of old and new players that the opposition struggle is right in their meeting rooms. It is interesting to listen to the media talk about not being able to tell what real change is. Uranus is the planet of change and revolution. Saturn represents the safe, well-known standards.

As Americans watch the cost of Plutocratic greed grow to astounding figures, April 15 is just around the corner. The enormous crisis is in the street, where the homeless numbers are shocking, and no one is talking about them. I foresee tax day as a potentially radical day. How are people going to buy food? Can they pay taxes too?

When the Big Bank CEO’s come back in response to limits on their PERKS, how can the unemployed families, hard hit by weather, days-into-weeks without electricity, and the Sheriff at the door with a foreclosure notice, consider meeting the April 15 deadline to file taxes?

The astrology of the day holds the potential of civil unrest, possibly exploding into a major national event. Venus, the planet of money and values, will be retrograde from March 6 to April 15. This means that the monetary system will have little to no value.

As it reaches the point of its station to turn direct, Venus contacts a fixed star named, Sheat. It is a star known for shipwrecks and great misfortune. Venus will be traveling through Aries for four months, from February 4 to June 6, except for the two weeks in mid-April when it backs into the last degree of Pisces. Venus is in a very poor condition in Aries. This factor alone suggests that there will be very little improvement in money matters, until Venus enters its own sign of Taurus, on June 7.

Tax day also has other planetary aspects that relate to civil uprising, as well as a major event relative to the US Treasury. The surprising level of information that has been rising to the surface, revealing the hidden causes of this financial event leave me to wonder what more will come out before mid-April. I do not expect the masses of Americans to be jubilant, but likely outraged. The country is on a fast train to a new period of demonstrations and demand for relief. Unfortunately, Tim Geithner may need to overpower his trainers to be true to his generation and revolutionize the financial systems of America.

In his Washington Post editorial, February 5, 2009, President Obama speaks the language of the astrology of the moment. As our country, and the world suffer the incredible crisis of values and issues illustrating the clash between the “influence industry” well represented by people like Bernard Maddof, and unfortunately, Tom Daschle, and the vanishing resources of the common people, the planets triangulate in a way that points the remedy and responsibility on to the President and his leadership.

The face of two slow outer planets, Saturn (representing the old status quo) and Uranus (representing change and revolutionary innovation) are meeting in their second of five oppositions today. (Feb. 5, 2009) The standoff between Democrats and Republicans are doing this dance in real time, arguing and resisting a bipartisan agreement on the economic recovery strategies.

In addition, Pluto (representing the elements of power and influence) that has recently moved out of the sign of exaggerated expansiveness and into the sign of responsibility, hard work, and practicality, has started the great purge of bad character in the economic world. Pluto rules volcanoes, and any energy that can be condensed to a small compact area and that can expand to infinite proportions. Plutocrats are the extremely wealthy, like Maddof and his circle. (Regular thieves go right to jail, not house arrest in penthouse luxury.) This current shakedown of financial lords is a massive, evolutionary shift in consciousness. It’s current movement in the zodiac was last played out in the events that lead to American independence from Britain.

The Seven Years War (1756 to 1776) shows the history of Pluto moving through the last of Sagittarius (expansion, Imperialism, foreign involvements), and into Capricorn. In 1762, Parliament passed the Revenue Act, which was meant to curb corruption. The public debt was similar to today, as the Industrial movement prompted extended credit. The history relative to Pluto’s movement through the same zodiacal zone it habits today is a great thing to be aware of as America faces very critical times. This is our history of taxation. Visit http://www.tax.org/Museum/1756-1776.htm for the full story and timeline.

Today, Feb. 5, the triangulation I mentioned above includes Pluto square to Venus and having their midpoint on the Sun. That is the Sun is equal distance to the other two planets. This brings the blend of energies to be expressed through the Sun. President Obama’s editorial today speaks the language as he expresses his charge to empower the nation and lawmakers to meet the crisis by leaning to the changes and innovations represented by Uranus.

The President writes:

“In recent days, there have been misguided criticisms of this plan that echo the failed theories that helped lead us into this crisis — the notion that tax cuts alone will solve all our problems; that we can meet our enormous tests with half-steps and piecemeal measures; that we can ignore fundamental challenges such as energy independence and the high cost of health care and still expect our economy and our country to thrive.

I reject these theories, and so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change. They know that we have tried it those ways for too long. And because we have, our health-care costs still rise faster than inflation. Our dependence on foreign oil still threatens our economy and our security. Our children still study in schools that put them at a disadvantage. We’ve seen the tragic consequences when our bridges crumble and our levees fail.

Every day, our economy gets sicker — and the time for a remedy that puts Americans back to work, jump-starts our economy and invests in lasting growth is now.” [1]

The President concluded with a clear message that speaks the language of the planet of action (Mars) coming across his planets that represent is ideology (Jupiter) and thinking (Mercury):

“So we have a choice to make. We can once again let Washington’s bad habits stand in the way of progress. Or we can pull together and say that in America, our destiny isn’t written for us but by us. We can place good ideas ahead of old ideological battles, and a sense of purpose above the same narrow partisanship. We can act boldly to turn crisis into opportunity and, together, write the next great chapter in our history and meet the test of our time.” [2]

Pluto is about to spend March, April and May traveling in opposition to the Venus of the USA chart. (Sibley) This is the highly stressed time that will challenge everything to do with American values, ethics, and economic practices. It will challenge the status of the country, internationally. It will also put a great challenge on Congress to examine their own virtues behind their choices and actions in either supporting the President or working against his goals. Obama is sounding the first call to meet the challenge of radically changing times, and not get lost in holding on to the “way it has always been.”

[2] Ibid.

Governor Rod Blagojevich

Maybe it seems like an especially precarious time now, when we get almost daily awakenings that our system of government and corporate business needs an overhaul. Corruption goes with money, which goes with power. The main astrological feature of our time is Pluto’s entrance into Capricorn. Plutocrats are people with too much money.

Astronomers demoted Pluto last year, because they make judgments about size, mass, speed and orbit patterns. Astrologers however, know Pluto to be massively powerful in its influence on the collective, and on events that matter on the scale of governments, nations, and events that affect masses of people.

Some may doubt the astrology of personality, but from the clear connections between planetary movements and the timing of events, not to mention the descriptors of symbolism played out in real life, there is obvious real data in the astrology of events.

For instance, on December 2, 2008, there was the public release of 200 more tapes and stacks of documents of the Nixon White House scandal. In his birth chart Richard Nixon had his Pluto near his Midheaven, the career point. He spent his life chasing power. He was the most secretive and manipulative president on record to date.

Pluto brings buried things out into the light. Pluto is currently passing over former President Nixon’s Mercury (the planet of mental and communication abilities) and the many tapes and documents have been released now illustrate his ruthlessness. We can hear him plot on these tapes in a shocking manner. Pluto is bringing out the truth of ruthless government behavior patterns that need to be addressed by the people. Pluto brings us “impartial truth”. One of the themes of Pluto is the discoveries with deep consequences.

The arrest of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich on December 9 is another current event that plays into the processes of Pluto changing signs and bringing dark things into light.

Rod Blagojevich was born Dec 10 1956 in Chicago, IL. The time of day is not available. Even without it, we can see the processes that are bringing him to be accountable for his actions.

The Chicago Tribune published that he was arrested at 6:15 am at his home. The chart set up for the arrest compared to Blagojevich’s natal solar chart highlights the surprise visit by authorities and brings forward his own responsibility. His natal Saturn was at the ascendant of the arrest chart. His defense will be that he was within the limits of his job and was acting responsibly in his job.

The arrest chart has Saturn, authority figures on the Midheaven, doing their job and making details public. Uranus is at the 4th cusp (home and family) and is in a direct square aspect to his Sun, bringing his identity into the spotlight. Uranus is near his Moon, so his family and home are disrupted, his wife is probably very upset. A few days after the arrest, more audio recordings of Blagojevich on the phone included his wife Patty in the background adding her expletives, and drawing her into the case.

The unexpected turn of events is triggered by Pluto, the planet of surveillance and underground activities is touching of a planetary pattern in Blagojevich chart that include points relative to his communication, actions, and ambitions. The FBI gave details of the many plots Blagojevich seems involved in over a period of years, including events prior to his re-election in 2006.

Blagojevich was sworn in as Governor on January 13, 2003 for his first term of office. Using the chart for this event as a basis for the current event, it is amazing to find that Pluto was on Blagojevich’s Sun when he became Governor.

Pluto was in the 8th house for that Inauguration and the Sun was at 24 Capricorn, where Jupiter was at his arrest. The Sun and Mars are together going over Blagojevich’s natal Sun. It is his solar return or birthday, which sets the stage for the events of the year ahead. This all amounts to broad exposure and will likely bring out deeper levels of misconduct and many more people.

He will fight this case as hard as he can. Mars is the planet of war. There is more than meets the eye in this case that is just being cracked open.

What we have is an example of Pluto setting the man in his position of power and then unseating him through his own misuse of power. His second term Inauguration had Mars exactly conjunct with Pluto, which is ruthless power, again in the 8th of the chart, which in a corporation handles donations, financial gifts, revenues from investments, secrets of trade. The more I work with the details, I begin to lean to the idea that Blagojevich is born just after noon. This would show the transit of Pluto and Mars over his career point at his second Inauguration. Like Nixon, Pluto is putting Governor Rod in a precarious position that is going to expose much that has gone on in the back room of Illinois politics.

Jupiter was giving Blagojevich’s Saturn a boost when he won his second term, making him feel more influential and able to use his power for pressuring others by his authority. The Moon was in secretive Scorpio and square Neptune, giving a picture of back room secret deals and deceptions. The arrest chart rolls along with the trend of uncovering the misuse of power and corruption of government.

I expect Blagojevich to fight, dodge, weave, and power-on in his role as Governor up until the time that some higher authority stops him in his tracks. He boldly announced his appointment of Roland Burris to the vacant Senate seat that was the question of this unfolding event. The US Senate leaders say they will not seat Burris. It will be no surprise when Blagojevich marching into the Congressional Chambers with Burris. The solar return Mars on the Sun acts with the power of a General, marching to war.

This story is likely to have several chapters before we see Blagojevich leave his post as Governor of Illinois.

November 17, 2008

McCain and Obama CAN be friends

Many things are stewing right now. Mercury, the planet of communication and everything to do about discussions, decision-making, commerce, and news, is touching off all the outer, slow planets this week. A few big discussions in the news today include a meeting between President Elect, Barack Obama and his challenger, Senator John McCain. Speculation about their meeting from the pundits tends to include a proverb of “keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” My opinion from the astrological view of their horoscopes is that they could collaborate. Obama is illustrating his true character in bringing advisors from all sides to the process of his transition to the White House.

Astrology is a great tool for judging personality and temperament. The connections between to two men highlight their mutual trait of analyzing things. My sense is that McCain, who is the softer of the two can bring experience of negotiating in Congress from his many years there, as well has his Republican connections. Barack Obama has a different approach to taking action than McCain, but he will benefit from McCain’s “insider” perspective on the climate in Congress. As individuals, I think that by the two men working together, they become better friends and find increased trust in each other.

Dalai Lama seeks true Tibetan autonomy within China

Another major discussion being initiated today is the exiled Tibetan leaders are meeting for week-long negotiations with the Chinese government. The struggle for Tibetan sovereignty is almost 50 years old. The current meetings in Dharmsala with exile communities and political organizations come at a time where negotiations may have a better chance of coming to mutual ground.

The current transit of Uranus is on the Sun of the chart for the Tibetan Revolt of 1959. Saturn is passing over the midpoint of Saturn/Sun in the Communist China chart, opposing the Sun of the Revolt. The theme of Saturn and Uranus, the revolutionizing of the status quo, is quite timely. The potential for getting basic agreements is supported by Jupiter in positive connection to both points and is in its 12-year return in the Revolt chart. This provides the possibility for China to see that allowing Tibet to be given certain autonomy under its rule, as the Dalai Lama has promoted for years, will solve several problems and improve their status with the world. This is the strongly optimistic view. There is still a lot of ground to cover in these talks. The negotiations are likely to continue beyond this week, but hopefully there will be strides toward understanding.

The slow pattern of Saturn oppose Uranus will have a total of five contacts through 2009 and 2010. As they progress through the pattern they will activate the Suns and Midheavens of both charts. Saturn is often the factor of authority and government. As it approaches the Midheaven, which is the top point of a chart, it brings China more prominently onto the world stage. Uranus, the planet of revolution is on the Sun of the Tibetan Revolt and in the the 3rd house of the China chart, which represents neighborhoods and neighbors, transportation and communication. Uranus will bring technological advances that connect China and her people to the outside world. Uranus is often bringing breakthroughs and changes that are progressive and advanced over the old standards. This will show that China’s people are anxious to catch up with the rest of the world and stimulate its economy through more freedom in communication and connectivity.

From another angle, the power planet, Pluto is about to cross the Midheaven of the Tibetan Revolt chart. This represents a very big transformation in status. Pluto represents the masses, power, extremes, the process of death-rebirth, and deep truth. Late January 2009, into February, Pluto will initiate a dramatic, transformative influence on the situation. Pluto will be in a positive and fruitful position to its own place in the Revolt chart, suggesting that this is time for Tibet to be free and autonomous. The following year, Pluto will contact Saturn of Tibet’s chart, which is the ruler of the Midheaven. This will likely be the conclusion to the saga that will bring even greater awareness of the spiritual message behind this struggle. So, this week in November of 2008 is an early nudge of deep change for China and Tibet.