Terror in Mumbai

Here is the the mundane horoscope for the City of Mumbai (when its name changed from Bombay), cast for  August 12, 1996 at midnight:

 

Mumbai has a very rare fallen Cardinal T-Cross comprised of the opposition of Mars in Cancer and Jupiter in Capricorn and each in square to a fallen Saturn in Aries. This aspect configuration can only form once in a century. Just the fallen opposition of Mars and Jupiter alone is considered quite malefic and an aspect such as this occurred in December 1913 at the outbreak of World War I.

This severe debilitation of Jupiter in the mundane horoscope produces an effect wherein the transit of Jupiter can bring the results equivalent to a transiting malefic.

One observes that transit Jupiter opposed the Mumbai Moon (ruling hotels and restaurants) as the terrorist attacks commenced (9:30 PM local time; 16:00 GMT on 26 November 2008).

One sees that at the incorporation of Mumbai, Pluto was stationary in 00° Sagittarius. When Muslim extremists launched their terrorist attacks, Pluto was in 29° 59’ 59″ Sagittarius. On the last day of Pluto in Sagittarius (religious extremism and violence committed in the name of religion), it is ironic that a city incorporated at the ingress of Pluto into Sagittarius should have the fate to be attacked as Pluto finally leaves this sign.

Michelle Obama

Although we don’t have a time for Michelle Obama’s birth, we know that she was born on January 17, 1964 in Chicago, Illinois. (1) The Sun is at 27° Capricorn and Venus is at 1° Pisces, trine her husband’s Venus at 2° Cancer. The Moon changed from Aquarius to Pisces at about noon on the day Michelle was born. Mercury had just stationed direct on January 15 at 4° Capricorn. Mercury’s speed is, therefore, very slow. A slow Mercury is a signature of a deliberate, careful manner of communicating, emphasized also by its placement in cautious and thoughtful Capricorn. I think that careful Capricorn has been easy to see in her media appearances. Many commentators noted her composure and poise during the tense days of the campaign and that quality of steadiness and steadfastness are true marks of the mountain goat at its best.

The Capricorn urge and ability to accomplish shows itself in her biography – she graduated from Princeton University (with honors) and Harvard Law School, as well as being married to president-elect of the US.

The north node is at 11° Cancer, and the south node at 11° Capricorn. We can infer from this the great importance of her role as a mother – her personal focus will undoubtedly be with her daughters, especially while they are young, as well as in fulfilling her professional obligations.

Without a time of birth, one thing we can do is set the prenatal solar eclipse chart for the place of birth to get a feel for the big themes and purpose of the life. Michelle Obama was born several days after a solar eclipse – curiously, the same eclipse that preceeded Sarah Palin’s birth in February 1964.

If we look at the solar eclipse chart, January 14, 1964 (2:30 pm CST, Chicago, Illinois) the Sun Moon conjunction at 24° Capricorn falls in the 8th house. This is a signature of 8th house matters being paramount for expression and fulfillment of the the life purpose. The 8th house, of course, signifies resources shared intimately with others. Capricorn will naturally take very seriously the matters involving the intimate partner. Barak Obama’s natal Saturn, co-ruler of his Aquarius rising chart, is placed in its own sign at 25° Capricorn, exactly on Michelle’s prenatal solar eclipse. I think this is a striking symbol of a marriage destined to be connected to governance and the public life.

(1) biographical data from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Obama

Yes, He Did!

At 8:00 pm PT on November 4 MSNBC announced that Obama had won the presidency. Over 200,000 people erupted in celebration Grants Park in Chicago and in tv rooms all around the country, indeed the world. At that moment, the Ascendant in Washington, DC was 10°11′ Leo, very close to Obama’s natal Sun at 12°33′ Leo. For the next 13 minutes or so and celebration and amazement was at its height, the local Ascendant moved to exactly align with Obama’s Sun in Leo. Quite a victory moment. The transiting Moon was at 1°59′ Aquarius conjunct his natal Jupiter and the sign of the US Sibly Moon, ruler of the people.

Obama’s South Node is conjunct the US Moon at 27° Aquarius – he has an instinctive resonance with the soul of the American people and can speak to the idealism, longings and dreams of the people in our country that has been battered these past eight years.  The Saturn Uranus opposition arrived with a bang on election day and we chose a leader who seems both firmly grounded in his own being, and also able to hold a greater, more unified vision for what needs to happen next. The ability to take one step at a time towards a grand new vision might be one of the clearest interpretations of the opposition and, here we are with a new president with Aquarius rising in his natal chart. Saturn and Uranus, of course, are the co-rulers of Aquarius and this sign holds a key to the paradox inherent in the opposition. This gentleman, who speaks often and eloquently of bringing people together, maintained humor and a high road during the sometimes brutal and devisive tone of the campaign. What a promising way for the oppostion to have manifested.

As one of my favorite headlines in the days after the election read: “Suddenly, It’s Cool to be American Again.”

Paul Newman

The much-loved actor and philanthropist Paul Newman died at home on Friday, September 26.

Paul Newman met Joanne Woodward in 1952 when both were cast in a Broadway play. (1) “But,” as the obituary in the New York Times reports, “he was a married man, and Ms. Woodward has insisted that they spent the next several years running away from each other.” (2)

One of many remarkable features in their synastry is the position of the Vertex in each birth chart: Newman’s is at 20°45′ Leo and Woodward’s is 20°52′ Leo, a partile conjunction. Originally described by L. Edward Johndro in the 1930s, the Vertex is seen as the most fated part of the horoscope, where we have least control over events and actions.

And so, after “running away from each other,” life had other plans in store for them, and they married on January 29, 1958. When Newman married Joanne Woodward, his progressed Sun was at 9°24 Pisces, just past her natal Sun at 8°03′ Pisces. Her progressed Moon was at 2°23′ Pisces, just past his natal Moon at 1°39′ Pisces.

Famous for their long and happy marriage, their natal synastry is indeed also powerful. To mention a few connections between the natal charts:

their ascendants are conjunct, i.e., hers 12°, his, 13° Capricorn

Saturn, the ascendant rulers, are sextile one another – his Saturn 14° Scorpio; her Saturn 10° Capricorn

both have Venus sextile Saturn natally: (his Venus 14° Capricorn/ Saturn 14° Scorpio; her Venus 13° Pisces/Saturn 10° Capricorn). As a simple delineation: Each has a mature understanding of love, values loyalty, and know that love gets better with age.

their natal Venus’s are sextile each other: his Venus 14° Capricorn, her Venus 13° Pisces. Their natal Mars’s are also sextile each other: his Mars 23° Aries, her Mars 16° Aquarius.

And, perhaps most importantly, they have Sun-Moon conjunctions both ways: Newman’s Sun is 6°02′ Aquarius and Moon is 1°39′ Pisces. Woodward’s Sun is 8°03′ Pisces and her Moon at 24°52′ Aquarius.

On August 16, less than six weeks before he died, there was a lunar eclipse at 24°17′ Aquarius, the degree of Woodward’s natal Moon (ruler of the 7th). This is also within a few degrees of their mutual Vertex points, both very close to the 8th house cusps. This lunar eclipse was also square Newman’s progressed ascendant at his death – 24°06′ Taurus.

There is an upcoming solar eclipse on January 26, 2009 at 6°29′ Aquarius, conjunct Newman’s natal Sun (ruler of the 8th) at 6°02′. The following lunar eclipse – February 9, 2009 – is at 20°52′ Leo, the exact degree of Woodward’s natal Vertex is on the 8th cusp: 20°52′ Leo.

On one more note to the end of a long marriage: Juno, goddess of marriage, is at 28°20′ Sagittarius in the couple’s natal composite chart. Transiting Pluto was at 28°34′ Sagittarius at Mr. Newman’s death.

(1) Chart data:
Paul Newman: Jan. 26, 1925; 6:30 am EST; Cleveland, OH (41°N30 81°W42′). Rodden rating: AA

Joanne Woodward: Feb. 27, 1930; 4:00 am EST; Thomasville, GA (30°N50′ 83°W59′). Rodden rating: AA

(2) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/28/movies/28newman.html

 

McCain’s Venus Moment

On his birthday, August 29, John McCain (1) chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. Natal Venus, ruler of his Libra Ascendant, is at 22°48′ Virgo.

Transiting Uranus is at 21°14′ Pisces, opposite natal Venus. Since it is also his birthday, that aspect will be in his solar return chart and be effective for the entire year. Venus, of course, rules women and is key for him as it rules the natal Ascendant. We might say he ventured out to the bold and crazy Uranian fringes with his choice of running mate. Sarah Palin has shaken up the race, an excellent job for Uranus.

Although we don’t have an exact time for Governor Palin, there are some things to notice about her birthday: Born on February 11, 1964 in Sandpoint, Idaho, (2) she has Sun, Mars, Saturn, and Mercury in Aquarius. If she was born early in the morning, the Moon was in Capricorn. The Moon moved into Aquarius at 9:40 a.m. – either way, Palin’s Moon is disposed by Saturn, in rulership and therefore powerfully placed in Aquarius. Palin was born on a Tuesday, Mars’s day, so the Sun, Mars, Saturn conjunction suggest a particularly steadfast and unyielding quality to her basic character. The ambition and confidence many have noticed in her brief public appearances – not to mention frequent photos of her with a rifle in hand – are well indicated by her horoscope.

The Sun, Mars, Saturn conjunction between 21° – 26° Aquarius is currently being transited by that glamorous caster of spells, Neptune. It seems likely that the scandals surrounding the “bridge to nowhere” (how’s that for Neptune imagery?) and various other sagas (e.g., “TrooperGate”) will linger around the Governor at least until Neptune’s last exact conjunction to natal Saturn in early 2010.

And, on a last (for now) and chilling (to me, anyway) note: Palin’s Sun, Mars, Saturn conjunction are sitting nearly exactly on the U.S. Sibly Moon at 27°10′. She naturally taps into the needs of the public, especially women, and issues of security (the Moon). Palin has – at least temporarily – had a big impact on the U.S. psyche. With the first exact Saturn – Uranus opposition on Election Day coming very quickly, the polarity between the past and the future, rules and freedom, constraint and expression are all magnifying. I’d suggest that a personal task in these daunting times may be to find a way to keep standing firmly within ourselves to anchor and direct (Saturn in Virgo) the Greater Will so that beneficial reform and a future of inclusion and forgiveness (Uranus in Pisces) arrives sooner, rather than later!

(1) Data: John McCain, August 29,1936, 9:00 AM EST +5:00, Coco Solo Air Base, Panama Canal; Rodden Rating:  Source: A: From memory

(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin