Manuscript Revision Purgatory
Consultations, Tutorials, Courses
Spring Equinox, Uranus in q, and Jupiter x Saturn
Astrology in the News in the UK
Profile: Charlie Sheen and Jupiter run amok

Manuscript Revision Purgatory

I was unable to complete a newsletter for February but I have an excuse: I was trapped on the level of Purgatory reserved for writers not wholly satisfied with a manuscript but unable to let go of it. (If you haven’t seen or heard from me in a couple of years its title is Between Fortune and Providence: Astrology and the Universe in Dante’s Divine Comedy.)
            There has been a new translation and edition of the Paradiso that contains commentary specific to the astrology and philosophy in Dante and it just came out in December. (I hope to write a review of this new Paradiso this spring.)  Otherwise I wanted to take advantage of distance in time from my previous draft to go through every idea, paragraph, and sentence in the work.  Here this is only Purgatory because the suffering will end – someday.  And I’ll have a squeaky clean manuscript – at least relatively speaking.   
            In order to complete this newsletter I have placed the manuscript work left in a loose leaf notebook and put an elastic band around it, not to open up the damn thing until this newsletter is complete. 

Consultations, Tutorials

I offer astrological consulting to a diverse group of clients, integrating modern and traditional approaches to life issues such as career and finances, relationship and family, psychological and spiritual issues. We can meet in person (if you are in southern New England) or by telephone.  If by telephone you receive charts ahead of time via e-mail.  In either case you will receive a voice recording of the session afterwards. A 75-90 minute first-time session is $125, subsequent yearly sessions are $90. However, I have always done a sliding scale for clients who have needed it. 
The Personal Consultation/Tutorial Series is a five-session program that begins with a full astrological reading that includes predictive indicators. This program is for those who want to broaden their knowledge of astrology and gain perspective on important life issues.  It’s also a chance for the relative newcomer to astrology to receive basic instruction using their own chart. One can use the Series to explore a variety of astrological techniques, including traditional (including Hellenistic) natal and prediction, relationship indicators, harmonics and midpoints and relocation.  Or we can explore personal issues in depth from an astrological perspective.  $350 for the entire series, although there is a discount if we have already had an individual session previously.
For further information see www.astrologyinstitute.com, or e-mail Joseph Crane at info@astrologyinstitute.com

Astrology Education

Kepler College is continuing its course offerings and has begun an astrology certificate program. Here’s their newsletter with their “webinar” offerings, course offerings, an article by me, and a sense of the direction in which this important institution is heading.
http://www.kepler.edu/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=343

For New England and the Astrology Institute, forthcoming is a workshop on houses, their history and use that will occur in Rhode Island; in Massachusetts will be a presentation on fixed stars, their history and use.  All are welcome to either or both.
This summer will begin a series on astrology and spiritual cosmology through the centuries, from Neoplatonism through the medieval era to Dane Rudhyar and Alice Bailey.
Many announcements forthcoming!
For other information about private classes see http://www.astrologyinstitute.com/Astrology_courses.html

Spring Equinox, Uranus in q, and Jupiter x Saturn

            Below is the “Revolution of the Year”, in the language of the great seventeenth century astrologer William Lilly.  He would place the Revolution of the Year in London; I would prefer the Hub of the Universe Boston Ma, but will have to settle for Washington DC.  Because lately it has been such an extraordinary and unpredictable time over the world, it would be good to speculate what might happen next.
            The spring equinox is the moment the Sun reaches the Celestial Equator heading northwards.  We would see this simply by noting that the Sun is exactly 0°q– that’s all.  Here’s the chart for that exact moment.

What do we see and what does it mean?  Because of its location as the capital of the US, the angles and houses will be most relevant to the vicissitudes of the United States and particularly its government.
Using a Whole Sign chart format we notice that Sun is in the 7th house or place, in very close conjunction with Uranus.
There are many ways to read this configuration.  When we look at American politics we currently note some restiveness within legislatures on a national and a state level (think Wisconsin, for example). This is significant because in this chart the Sun rules the 11th house that in mundane astrology has to do with legislative bodies. 
Another way to approach this is to consider that the 7th is primarily reactive because it opposes the Ascendant and the 1st house. If this chart of the equinox from Washington is concerned with national identity and status, consider the nation reacting rigidly to the sudden and unpredictability changes (or maybe challenges to innovate) brought about by others. We have seen this so far with the uprisings in the Middle East and there will be more.
            The ruler of the 10th (the government itself) is Moon and the Moon’s situation is interesting. You first notice its conjunction with Saturn, exalted but retrograde.  A conjunction with Saturn isn’t particularly good news and since in a mundane chart the Moon usually represents the people it’s not good at all.  Perhaps we are looking at the prevalence of economic issues that affect “Main Street”, not “Wall Street”.  However, Moon is moving away from Saturn into an opposition to Mercury in Aries in the 7th.  I would like to think that this will increase meaningful dialogue – and not just oppositional rhetoric – between political factions.  I am probably being wildly optimistic.
            The solution is probably seen in the ruler of the Ascendant and 1st house – Venus.  Venus is in the 5th, a place of its joy, and approaching Neptune.  On a mundane level the 5th is about entertainment and glamour, and this spring it means that we’ll probably continue to forget about our problems by focusing on wayward celebrities like Charlie Sheen.
            There is another global use for a chart of the spring equinox or other mundane event – its planetary lines.  At this moment where were planets rising, culminating, setting, or anti-culminating?  As of this writing there are momentous events in many countries of the Middle East including an armed conflict between opposition forces and Muammar el-Qaddafi (he’s a man of many spellings) in Libya.
Here are the planetary lines for the Middle East for the spring equinox. 

On the left side you may note some lines going up/down through Western Libya – that is the conjunction of Sun and Uranus. If it is sunset in Washington DC at the time of the equinox it is midnight in Libya, and this country will be quite affected by the unpredictable nature of its government.  It is interesting that this conjunction is exact close to Tripoli, the nation’s capital and where el-Quaddafi is barricaded.  If the man goes I expect it to be sudden and decisive.
Note also that the Uranus and Sun lines extend North into Italy and not far from Rome.  This is striking in light of the fact that Silvio Berlusconi, the Prime Minister, is due to stand trial on April 6 for having sex with a minor.  (Along with Tiger Woods, John Edwards, and the governor who in one weekend made the Appalachian Trial and Argentina famous, Berlusconi was a member of the assembly of “Men Behaving Badly” in our Newsletter of December 2009.)
Our other focus must be Egypt, having recently overthrown Hosni Mubarak who had ruled the country since 1981.  I note Moon and Saturn culminating n the Western part of Egypt but that is also close to the border of Libya and we’re already seeing a humanitarian crisis from the many refugees from the fighting in Libya.  However Pluto also rises very close to Egypt’s capital Cairo.  Clearly we will be seeing a transformation of government during the next several months but we also might see thirty years of corruption and cronyism come to the surface.  It has probably begun with a freeze on Mubarak’s many overseas assets that has just been upheld in court.  Much more will come.  On the other hand India seems to have it pretty well these days.

Astrology in the News in the UK

            Last month’s newsletter dealt with some ignorant comments about astrology that were picked up by the media and propagated widely.  It was a good thing, for many astrologers took to television and other media in rebuttal.  In that newsletter you can read my responses to the “news” of a thirteenth sign and the the signs of the zodiac have moved.
Over across the pond a similar tempest in a teapot was brewing.  The BBC has a “skygazing” program hosted by a young astronomer named Brian Cox was part of a segment that called astrology “rubbish.” This would be ordinarily no big deal but the BBC, as a publicly subsidized organization, has a commitment not to take sides in a controversy.  In response there was a petition by the Astrological Association in England and rebuttals to BBC and Mr. Cox elsewhere.
In the Skyscript site Deborah Houlding addresses this eruption in the UK as well as the “13th sign” focus in the US.  Here’s the link to her article:
http://www.skyscript.co.uk/13thsign.html

Profile: Charlie Sheen and Jupiter run amok

            (As I write this during the afternoon of Monday March 7 CBS has announced that Charlie Sheen has been fired from the TV comedy “Two and a Half Men.”)
This segment was originally to have the title of “Men Behaving Real Badly” but I am somewhat reluctant to put Charlie Sheen in the company of the men listed above from my first “Men Behaving Badly” segment mentioned above. If you have been living in a cave over the past several months you might vaguely know that Charlie Sheen is a famous movie and television star; if you haven’t been living in a cave lately you may wish you never heard of him.
Once upon a time he was known just as a talented actor (his breakout films being Platoon and Wall Street in the late 1980’s and the TV sitcom Two and a Half Men over the past seven years.)  Digging slightly deeper he was also known for a rather tawdry personal life with much substance abuse and rehab attempts, an entourage of handlers and prostitutes and porn stars and drug dealers, and occasional accusations of property destruction and physical intimidation of women.  Here is a man who makes Mel Gibson look like a gentleman.
Beginning in 2010 things became more difficult: earlier last year he was arrested for domestic violence, checked into rehab, had another stint in rehab as a result of the domestic violence arrest, but he never got cleaned up.  During this time Sheen also signed a mega-deal with CBS to get paid $1.8 million an episode of Two and A Half Men so the season wasn’t completely bad for him.  (CBS is now looking quite complicit with his misbehavior – up to this point.)
In October 2010 Sheen was removed from a New York hotel for causing $7000 worth of damage (they settled in the following month) and he also went to the hospital for an “allergic reaction.”  In January after a “bender” Sheen was hospitalized for “severe abdominal pains” and began another rehab program – but he insisted that it be in his home.  At that point the TV show Two and a Half Men went on hiatus. 
Things became worse when Sheen quickly made himself available for interviews in the popular media.  He soon went on a “rant” that had anti-Semitic tones against Chuck Lorre, the creator and producer of the TV show.  Now he had moved from the most popular actor in a hit sitcom to the world’s worst employee.  After some back and forth Lorre cancelled the show for the season, a cancellation that will cost CBS and its affiliates millions of dollars.  Now that Sheen has just been fired from the show there’s a pretty good chance it will not resume, although the “Dr. Who” and “James Bond” franchises have done well with different people taking the lead role over time.
Sheen has continued giving “candid” interviews and maintaining himself steadily in the public eye.  To call his many comments “off-the-wall” would be a charitable assessment.  In my estimation the best analysis of the “Charlie Sheen” phenomena is by Linda Holmes of NPR, who likened his current popularity to the nineteenth century asylum Bedlam where people would pay money to see – and perhaps to taunt – the crazy people. Here it is. http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2011/03/01/134161063/paying-a-penny-at-bedlam
And here is his astrological chart from his birth certificate.

            I begin by looking at the Virgo Sun approaching Uranus and Pluto and especially the opposition between Uranus and Saturn in Pisces.  On its own it doesn’t particularly distinguish Mr. Sheen, for many people born soon before or after Sheen will have the same configuration.  More specific to him is that all these are angular, especially Saturn in the 10th house of career – and authority.  We have a general sense of Sheen as rebellious, eccentric, or creatively innovative.  He would identify himself as Uranian – willful, in part – and others in a more Saturnian role, more repressive or just not fun at all.
But then there’s the matter of substance abuse.  There’s a tendency among some astrologers to look for astrological signature for alcoholism or drug addiction, mostly involving Neptune.  My attitude is to look for why within the chart itself.  In particular, issues involving the Moon are more about dependency and the need for satiation as a means to curb anxiety and physical or mental discomfort.  Issues involving the Sun are about need for excitement, an adrenalin burst, and an attraction to showing off. This faux heroism is easily breeds narcissistic fantasy and self-destructive behavior. When you see the Sun nearby Uranus and Pluto and the Moon in Sagittarius applying to Jupiter, you get the sense of a solar character attracted to extremes.          
Of the seven visible planets in Sheen’s chart four are in angular houses or places.  Let’s now look at the Moon, the “luminary of sect” in his nocturnal chart and in the 7th house.  We begin to get a sense of somebody with people-skills who is also quite confident about himself, especially if we look at the Moon’s applying to an opposition to Jupiter in Gemini in the 1st.
Much could be said about Sheen’s Jupiter placement.  It is in detriment in Mercury’s house but it’s also strongly placed in the 1st – representing the individual and his disposition and means of taking on the world – and is oriental to the Sun.  Jupiter is also out of sect in a night chart.  It is a prominent but not well-disposed Jupiter, leading to poor estimation of one’s value and a tendency toward pretense and, in his case, a false sense of entitlement.
Mercury is the dispositor for his Ascendant as well as his Sun and Lot of Spirit (that we will discuss below).  Mercury is out of sect as an oriental planet in a nocturnal chart and is also moving into the Sun’s beams.  All this makes Mercury prominent to his personality, clever but possibly amoral, and somewhat of a showoff.  As an aspiring actor these are good traits, as a pampered celebrity they can be a drawback.  They certainly give him some charm.
Sheen’s Venus placement is striking: in dignity in Libra, in sect in a night chart, and in its joy in the 5th house and maybe even enhanced by being an evening star.  Also Venus and the Sun are in close contra-antiscia: the midpoint between the two planets is the Aries/Libra axis.  This further emphasizes Venus’ prominence in his chart. We do not see here a history of abusing women or cavorting with prostitutes and porn stars but he may think himself God’s gift to women (especially with Jupiter in the 1st impacting his overall personal style.)  It is a rejoicing Venus but not necessarily the best thing for our actor.
This leaves Mars that is in sect, in dignity and in its joy in the 6th house.  In close sextile with Mars this is a planet that he may work for him, adding an ability to work hard to the Sun’s interest in technique in Virgo. In spite of his madcap personal life and his tendencies to excess, Sheen always showed up for work.
An interesting account of Sheen’s character is from yesterday’s New York Times.  Indeed he is well-known for his physical stamina (Mars) as well as for displays of generosity (Jupiter).  There are some good qualities he can build on in the future.  Here’s the link to the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/07/business/media/07sheen.html?hp
Before we go into his current predictive indicators, let’s look at his chart in a different style that emphasizes his Hellenistic Lots.

             This chart does not have the modern planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto and the Sun-Saturn opposition appears more prominently.  When we add the Lot of Spirit (the Sun symbol with a circle around it) we find an identity very wrapped up in himself, postured as opposing authority.

The Lot of Exaltation is in his 5th near his Venus placement and gives some indication of his success as an actor and as a celebrity
The Lot of Victory (the Jupiter symbol with a circle around it) may point to intellect and eloquence.  In a perverse way this has become apparent with Sheen’s current public appearances – his words are rather quotable and have gone around the Internet as little poems and as cartoon captions.
The Lot of Fortune is conjunct his Lot of Courage (a better translation is “boldness”): this Lot has the symbol Mars with a circle around it.  Again we see his energy being to his advantage and he is an individual who has created his own lucky breaks.  (Note that the Lord of Fortune and Courage are in the 10th house – but it’s a very dicey Saturn.) 
The Lot of Eros (the cursive-looking letter “B” that is next to the symbol of Venus with a circle around) is with Mars and governed by Mars: here is a person whose Mars placement is far more positive than the ways in which he has used it in life, especially most recently.
Here’s my favorite Lot position in Sheen’s chart: Jupiter is conjunct the Lot of Nemesis, meaning that the distance between the Lot of Fortune and Saturn is the same as the distance between the Ascendant and Jupiter.  For me this adds to a sense of tragedy about this man – he cannot afford to be the grandiose entitled person he has let himself become, for that becomes his nemesis.  Although Jupiter is the Great Benefic and brings many good things to an individual, for Sheen it has brought him nothing but trouble.

            Now we enter into his current predictive indicators.  Mid-2010 contained one difficult Saturn transits: Saturn was ending its stay in Virgo and was squaring Jupiter: although he signed a great deal with CBS, a few months later he was sentenced by a court to rehab, probation, and anger management classes from an earlier domestic violence charge.  Below is a triple wheel with his natal charts innermost, his secondary progressed positions in the middle, and the current planets’ positions on the outside so we can find this current transits.

            Things became more difficult for him in the autumn when Jupiter in Pisces was squaring first his Moon in Sagittarius and then the same Jupiter in Gemini.  In December there was a lunar eclipse at 29o for the Sun, conjunct Sheen’s Moon, and 29e for the Moon conjunct Sheen’s his Jupiter. These should have been far easier but his natal Jupiter can give him much difficulty. During this time in which his personal problems escalated to an argument with CBS and the producer of his comedy show, we saw Uranus in Pisces squaring the same Jupiter.  It is difficult for the word “manic” not to come to mind.  Interestingly enough Sheen has no major transits for this remainder of 2011 and this may point to his fading from public view for awhile.  Here is his graphic ephemeris, October to October.  Remember that the transiting planets are on the left, the natal positions on the right, and an intersection between a moving line and a flat line is a transit becoming exact.

His progressions are most interesting and last well into the remainder of 2011.  Most conspicuously, by progression Mars is approaching a square to Saturn at this time and it will be exact next month.  For a greater person this could be highly charged and frustrating – for him it seems like a public adventure tilting at windmills.  Upcoming is progressed Mercury trine Saturn that may give him some opportunities for clear thinking and reflection.  More likely, with natal Saturn in the 10th, it will be a book contract.  
By progression Jupiter is stationary and will turn retrograde in May.  It points to the Jupiterian quality of his brief time as a very notorious public man and may also indicate the way out – by accessing Jupiter’s high mindedness and ability to think in less personal and more societal terms.  It may turn out that his way back will be through some kind of humanitarian endeavor or to become an advocate for those who need one, as has George Cloony, for example. I must admit this has not been his track record so far.

            I will end with a look at his Hellenistic predictive indicators.  Decennials consist of a general time lord for a period of 10 years and 9 months of 360-day years.  With a nocturnal chart his decennials would begin with the Moon; in January 2008 the Sun was both his general and specific time lord.  Considering the nature of his Sun and his tendency toward extremes of behavior, it’s no surprise this feature has been highlighted at this time.  Considering he opposition of Saturn to his Sun in his natal chart, it is also no surprise that there have been consequences for him.
The zodiacal aphesis from the Lot of Fortune proceeds in the order of signs from his Lot of Fortune in Aquarius based on the number of years of the planet ruling the sign – in 360-day years.  In early 2007 his zodiacal aphesis began as Aries-Aries!  The previous 12-year Jupiter period was over and the general focus moves to Mars.  Currently he is going through Aries-Cancer, a combination of his 11th house and 2nd house; true to the nature of the second house, the money’s been good and will continue to be so. 

            At this time I do not see either self-destruction (although the upcoming progressed Mars-Saturn square could be dire), nor do I see any kind of real redemption.  As Jupiter has gone into his 11th house and Uranus is soon to follow, there might be a sudden end to this madness.  Chances are greater that he will continue on for awhile and try a few comebacks.  And the money will be there for him as it will be for the studio or network who signs him on.  Although people love a “second act”, Sheen may have no better chance of turning things truly around than does his character Charlie Harper in Two and A Half Men.

           
Enough of Mr. Sheen and his latest.  Next month I hope to profile two brothers who were kings, Edward VIII and George VI now known to Americans from the movie “The King’s Speech”.  However, former “Men Behaving Badly” Silvio Berlusconi and John Edwards are soon due in court related to their previous bad behavior.  And by then my manuscript will be somewhere else besides my computer’s desktop.