Astrology Institute Newsletter, June 2008

• Summer Course: Astrological Technique and What’s Behind Them –
  June in the Skies: what you can’t see –
  Edward Kennedy, Saturn and Neptune
  

By Joseph Crane, June, 2008

Astrological Techniques and What’s Behind Them

Six Wednesdays: July 9, 16, 23, 30 and August 6 and 13.

7:30 – 9:30 PM

The Arlington Center, 369 Mass Ave, Arlington, Mass.

$150, in one or two payments

Presenter: Joseph Crane

          In this course we will interpret natal charts of well-known individuals, as a means to assess different styles of “putting it all together.”

            Astrological techniques developed over a long time within different eras and cultures, and in this course we will glimpse many of them and compare them to one another.

• What kinds of information do they provide?
• How do they reflect the interplay between “objective” information and the intuitive leaps that make for valid astrological interpretation?
• Can we transfer the techniques from one era to another?
• Above all, which styles “speak” to you most clearly and allow you most confidently to make an interpretation

The first two groups will deal with issues of love and work; the third and fourth will be about psychology in astrology, and the final two groups will concern karma and personal transformation.

As with the Astrology Institute’s certification programs, our emphasis is on helping people find what astrological styles work best for you.

To register, or if you have questions, contact Joseph at josephcrane@verizon.net or at (401) 527-2035.

For the sky phenomena part of this newsletter, I wanted to mention two events of note.  Here is the chart we use.

Retrograde Mercury has passed the (always) direct Sun and is now in front; Venus is direct and is on its way to meeting the Sun and will overtake the Sun.  Because Mercury is retrograde, we know that its meeting the Sun is an “inferior conjunction”, Mercury if between the Sun and the Earth.  (If Mercury was the same latitude as the Sun (0°), that would be called an “occultation” and would have the same physical form as an eclipse.)

Mercury, now earlier in the zodiac than the Sun, will emerge from the Sun’s beams in the east, and will be a semi-visible morning star.  Soon afterwards, on June 19 to be exact, Mercury will go direct and then begin moving toward the Sun, where the planet will act like Venus right now but more quickly.

Direct Venus is moving faster than the Sun but not by a lot -- averaging one degree and twelve minutes per day -- its approach to and departure from the Sun will take place slowly, over weeks.  Venus will continue to move more quickly than the Sun until it reaches 48° behind the Sun and then will slow down: this will take months.

Of course you cannot see the current configuration, because the Sun is too close to the planets for the planets to be seen. 

I include Uranus in the above chart because it will soon to retrograde.  This will happen when the Sun is sufficiently far away from it in the zodiac.  On June 26, Uranus will go retrograde.  At that time Sun will be at 5° Cancer, Uranus still at 22° Pisces – 102° away.  Then Uranus and the Sun will move more quickly toward their opposition, as Jupiter and the Sun are doing presently.  We will look at Jupiter being “at opposition” next month.

Since Ted Kennedy’s recent diagnosis of a brain tumor and subsequent (so far successful) surgery to have the tumor removed, there have been many notes of appreciation for the long-time Senator from Massachusetts.  On a personal note, Kennedy became Senator from my state since I was seven years old, and although I moved to Rhode Island seven years ago, I have always felt he was sitting there in the Senate for me.

This astrological chart shows much of his complexity, his strengths and his weaknesses.  Here it is:

The Ascendant and First House

You may look at Kennedy’s oratorical gifts, his puffy body that is perpetually out of shape, and his role as American’s liberal icon and wonder, “Is this Capricorn and Saturn?”

Many things come to mind when I see Kennedy’s Capricorn and Saturn: perseverance and ability to climb back from major personal and political obstacles, an emphasis on productivity and pragmatism, endurance in one job, and tendency toward overwork.  All these are saturnine qualities.

Saturn isn’t only in the all-important First House but is in its own sign Capricorn and is oriental, i.e., it rises before the Sun on the day of his birth, Saturn’s effect is more pronounced.  Saturn is also out of sect here – this is a diurnal planet in Kennedy’s nocturnal chart.  This might give a tendency toward melancholy, but Mars with Mercury, governed by Saturn, would rather fight than quit.  These qualities of Saturn also indicate his unhealthy appearance, but for somebody who has not taken very good care of himself, he has been quite healthy over the years – until recently, of course.

Moon-Neptune-Sun

Many years ago I presented Kennedy’s chart to an astrology group, and one person looked at Neptune/Moon opposite Sun and quickly exclaimed, “what an alcoholic!”  There is no argument that Kennedy abused alcohol at certain points of his life, yet there is much more than addictive pathology to this configuration.

There are other negative possibilities: Moon may also indicate the body, especially since the Lot of Fortune and Lot of Spirit are governed by the Moon here, yet, as just mentioned, he has been fairly healthy physically and psychologically throughout his life.  The configuration of Moon and Neptune can indicate some kind of psychic delusion that, to my knowledge, Kennedy had never manifested.  He may overlook lunar needs for physical and emotional regularity and moderation: in Kennedy’s case, this may be closer to the mark. 

The positive qualities of Moon-Neptune came forth in much of the positive publicity he received after his diagnosis: his sympathy and maybe identification with the difficulties experienced by ordinary people.  There are many stories of his personally intervening on behalf of ordinary people who had been unfairly treated by the government.  His consuming interest in poverty, education, and health care may be also indicated by his Moon-Neptune combination.  Kennedy’s nocturnal Moon is in its triplicity in Virgo, and his Lot of Exaltation is also in Virgo.  These will help this combination express itself in positive ways.

The opposition of Sun to Moon-Neptune may indicate his failure to forward his larger political ambitions and may have lead him to subordinate his ambition to his sense of greater purpose that would be indicated by Neptune.

This otherwise difficult combination of planets works for him more than it doesn’t– using the ancient practice of aspects from sign to sign, the Sun/Moon opposition with Neptune are in aspect to his Ascendant and his all-important Saturn, helping with pragmatism and soberness (not to be confused with “sobriety.)

Using Modern Natal Techniques

There is much more to say about his chart, and I will mention only a few things more. I will do so mostly in a modern mode.

Kennedy has an angular Venus conjunct Uranus with a trine from Jupiter in Leo: his immoderation, from time to time, has also been in the realm of sexuality. 

For his unswervingly liberal point of view and his fighting spirit, I refer the reader to his Fifth Harmonic, which I will interpret in a modern style.  Here it is:

In the modern style of interpreting harmonic charts, we are solely interested in aspects between planets, and in this case it is difficult not to notice a strong grand trine configuration between Jupiter and Uranus and his Mercury/Mars conjunction.  (Since in Kennedy’s “radical” chart Mercury and Mars are a degree away from each other, in a Fifth Harmonic chart they are five degrees away.)

Planets connecting in this harmonic will give indications of a person’s modes of operation, the abilities or talents someone will use to forward his or her purposes.

Here we get the picture of one with original ideas and is willing to wage war – one kind or another – to forward those ideas.  His intellectual curiosity and sharpness and fighting sprit have not diminished at all during his long tenure as Senator and leading liberal politician.  When one combines this strong intellect and the Saturnine penchant for hard work and thoroughness, you get the historically effective politician he will be remembered for.

Do Kennedy’s midpoints complement or add to the information already uncovered?  One that is wholly positive, however, is Node=Jupiter/MC.  Ebertin describes this as “an engaging manner in contact with other people; successful and fortunate associations.”

Kennedy’s oscillation of triumph and difficulty is indicated by two midpoint configurations involving both Jupiter and Saturn: both planets have the MC degree as their midpoint, and Jupiter is the midpoint of Sun and Saturn.  Interestingly, Ebertin adds that the latter combination will tend one toward corpulence.

Kennedy’s Mercury-Mars conjunction is the midpoint of Saturn and Node, itself a dyad of isolation and personal loss.  There is both articulation of and desire to gain release from loss and depression.  Further indications of emotional difficulty are Moon=Venus/Saturn (more about women and relationships) and Neptune=Saturn/Ascendant.  That Kennedy was about to get married again and settle down in late middle age was a fortunate (and probably life-preserving) development.

What’s Happening Now

Transits most often show times and events that are transient – have some starting point, pass through and come back, and they finally leave us –  just like astrological transits do.

Regardless of his medical prognosis, the late spring 2008 seems an apt time for Kennedy’s medical condition to become national news.  One notes that Jupiter is transiting his First House, which will make for a positive outlook as well as positive responses from others – he’s quite impressive these days.  One will also note that transiting Jupiter has been in opposition to Pluto and is coming back to its retrograde transit toward the middle of June – this certainly brings and life-and-death tone to an otherwise very positive transit.

The obvious transit, however, has been Saturn contacting his Moon-Neptune conjunction and opposing his Sun. This has been in effect for the past several months. During the time of his seizure, cancer diagnosis, and brain surgery, transiting Saturn has been stationary at an opposition to his Sun. Clearly this combination – and many combinations that involved both Saturn and Neptune – indicates sickness of some kind, and quite possibly the lingering weakening sickness that so often occurs with cancer.  The good news, however, is that the Saturn transit is no longer a factor by the middle of July. Saturn does continue in Virgo, in the same sign as Moon (and Neptune); ancient astrologers would consider Saturn having a continuing influence during this entire time.

Belos is a biwheel with the transiting planets on the outside and a graphic ephemeris, which lets us see the movement of the planets (moving lines) with respect to natal positions (straight lines).  When there’s a contact between a moving and straight line, it’s a transit by conjunction, square or opposition.

When we move from transits, what do we get?  His solar arcs yield nothing; his progressions seem unremarkable, except for progressed Sun conjunct progressed Chiron in August of 2009.  This may indicate the long-term and possibly fatal nature of his illness.

His solar return for this year does not bode well – Saturn is opposite Sun, which of course reflects the transit mentioned above.  The Moon, however, is in Virgo, opposite Sun and conjunct Saturn!  Even with a good eventual outcome, it’s clear that this year will feature difficult health issues for him.

When I look at Hellenistic predictive techniques, what I get is yet more Saturn.  His profections advance all positions five signs or zoidia, which is fine for his Ascendant but places profecting Moon – his indicator of life? – to the First House and Saturn.  This is particularly troubling because of transiting Saturn’s presence in the same sign as Kennedy’s Moon (and Neptune).   If Jupiter were not presently transiting Kennedy’s First, this situation could be more dire.  However, Jupiter may also point to the great public acclaim that has accompanied news of Kennedy’s illness.

In my book Astrological Roots: The Hellenistic Tradition, I devote much attention to the predictive technique of decennials, which I have found very effective in modern charts.  This technique divides life into large general periods and shorter ones specific to a planet’s number.  The planets themselves are in order of appearance after the first planet, usually the Sun or Moon.  

Because Kennedy is well into his seventies, his general planetary lord is Moon,, his first planet in life.  This began in 2006, shortly after he turned 74.  The Moon was also his specific planetary lord for 25 30-day months.  This takes us up to May 13, 2008, very close to his seizure.  Which planet has now become his specific planetary lord?  The one that follows Moon in the zodiac – Saturn! This will be in place until autumn 2010.  We have every indication that this is a lengthy period in Kennedy’s life and hopefully it will not be his last.

We must end our preliminary investigation here.  Unless unanticipated events intervene, we will look at John McCain’s chart and his presidential prospects.