Classes and Consultations -- Quarterly Workshops – The Ides of October: Obama, Letterman
Here in New England we’ve very temporarily replaced January weather with September weather – but now it’s beginning to feel like November although the foliage looks great.
One week from now, on October 29, Saturn goes into Libra, its sign of exaltation. I trust this will be a far happier Saturn than the one we have endured for the previous two and a half years (although Saturn will make a nod back into Virgo April 7- July 21. We’ll worry about that then, once again.)
Mars has just entered Leo -- a happier (and fiestier) place for the red planet than the previous sign Cancer, the sign of its fall. We had better like Mars in Leo – because of its upcoming retrograde phase, Mars will be in this sign until June 7 2010. If politicians can stay away from posturing and other people can be a little less theatrical, we might come out of this alright.
And summer will be just in time for Uranus and Jupiter to go into Aries. By then it will be a different world for all of us.
Consultations…
Here’s the link from the webpage for information about individual consultations :http://www.astrologyinstitute.com/joseph_crane.htm
I live in Providence Rhode Island and love having astrology clients come see me at my office in Warren RI. Many people, new or returning, instead meet with me over the telephone. Here’s the procedure: after receiving information from you (if you’re new) I send you charts over e-mail, record our session, and I send the recording to you. Once you listen to the recording you’re welcome to ask some follow-up questions. Occasionally I do a written chart analysis (usually for young children or wedding gifts) and I never do one-way recorded sessions.
….and Courses
As you might remember from the last newsletter, we are beginning a structured curriculum to train people in astrological interpretative and consulting skills.
After our first contact we always begin with a telephone interview: we interview each other.
Our program consists of (1) working with example charts of your choosing, (2) reading and written responses for specific issues of technique and interpretation, (3) recorded or in-person lectures, (4) your chart and predictive analyses and feedback from them, and (5) telephone consultations and mentoring. This is a self-paced but collaboratively designed program. The curriculum is on the Education link below.
Many people contact me who have studied astrology in the past. For them I have designed an assessment questionnaire: it allows me and you to assess your knowledge of the fundamentals and technical features of natal astrology.
Would you like to take the quiz? I would love to see results and any feedback. It’s on the Education page.
Quarterly Workshops: The Autumn Planets and Stars
Early in October I conducted a workshop in which we looked at the autumn sky – the pagent of stars, the movements and ingresses of the planets in application to some well-known people and to class participants. A good time was had by all (of course there was the reception afterward…)
Most of our time was taken up with the first matter – how can we urbanites begin to orient ourselves to the moving night sky? Right now the most prominent planet in the sky is Jupiter that is gradually moving further west in the sky; in a few months Jupiter will sink into the western horizon. If you are up before sunrise – easy this time of year – you may notice Mars high on the eastern horizon and Venus and Saturn closer to the rising Sun.
For us, planets are easy to find and but specific stars are more difficult. Specific stars cannot be picked out because many are not as well known as planets, because all but the brightest stars are difficult to see in urban or suburban environments, and because the constellations do not appear as stick figures in the sky.
As a means to help people find stars, I have narrowed the focus to those stars in the night sky visible when people might get outside to find them. I chose October 29 (Saturn’s ingress into Libra) and I chose 10 PM -- this changes to 9 PM the following day when most of us return to Standard Time. (I have set the location for Providence, RI, although your location at your time zone should yield a similar picture.) If you use these locations for the rest of the autumn they will be sufficiently accurate to find some stars in the sky.
Below are five diagrams from the Starlight program, all of them for the same time: 10/29 at 10 PM Eastern. You do the rest: take a compass and find north and establish your directions. Then note the direction of the clearest view from where you are, go clockwise from there maybe 90° at a time. From where I live I have the best view to the south and I begin there by going west, then north, then east.
One problem with most of these computer astronomy programs (including with better-known Starry Night) is their altitude range can be limited. For that reason I’ve included a “zenith” picture – what stars are above you?
You will also see blue lines that represent the celestial equator and purple lines that represent the ecliptic. You can get different kinds of information from these lines. Unfortunately, they are not written in the sky for us.
For example, it’s easy to see what stars are overhead north and south of the equator – that’s called north or south declination. It’s also easy to see how the equator and ecliptic intersect and go furthest apart: they come together when the ecliptic is close to the tropical signs Aries and Libra and they’re furthest apart when the ecliptic is close to tropical Cancer and Capricorn (think of the Tropics of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn). You can see where the different constellations of the zodiac are north and south of the zodiac.
And then you can start recognizing the different bright stars in the sky. It’s quite a good feeling when you’ve heard of various stars already, used them in your astrology work, or memorized some for an NCGR exam.
I hope many of you take time to study these diagrams and take a walk on a clear evening and find what you can find. Your knowledge of the sky – and of how astrology’s charts and symbols fit into the sky – will be greatly enhanced.
Stars of October 29, 2009 10 PM EDT (On November 1 it will be 9 PM EST)
From the North
From the East
From the South
From the West
From Zenith
First Obama
Iwoke up on Friday morning October 9, and was surprised to learn that Barack Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize. It was stunning and, to many people, strange that this prestigous award went to a sitting US President so early in his term. Many also felt the Nobel Committee was also rewarding anything that was different from the previous US administration.
Nobody pays me for my punditry so I will leave the above issues alone; what is the astrology of this event? It’s a good one to work with astrologically: the initiative came from elsewhere, the award is considered the achievement of a lifetime, and nobody’s quite sure if it’s actually good news for him.
It is sometimes difficult to do personal astrology for presidents in office: there is so much happening all the time that it’s difficult to correlate events with our usual predictive indicators. Yet one can try.
Before moving on to the transits, we’ll start with other predictive methods. We can begin with the total solar eclipse of July 22, 2009 where the Sun and Moon were both at 29r. This is very close to his Mercury and opposite Jupiter (yes, with eclipses it’s a 3° orb for conjunctions and oppositions – even if the aspect is “out of sign”.) The Sun on October 9 was 9u, less than 90° from the eclipsed Sun’s position (29r). Therefore July’s solar eclipse will still have an effect.
There are no relevant solar arc directions; his secondary progressions show progressed Moon conjunct progressed Uranus on October 7. This progressed aspect corresponds nicely to the surprising nature of this announcement. Uranus, also being somewhat a trickster, hints at a connection between winning a Peace prize and being on the verge of sending many more soldiers to Afganistan – which so far he has not done.
We see a trend beginning with, of all things, his Hellenistic indicators. His last birthday was his 49th year (he turned 48, by conventional reckoning). Taking 49 and subtracting from that the next lowest multiple of 12 (48), gives 49-48=1. That brings the profected Ascendant to Aquarius and his natal Ascendant place that is inhabited by Jupiter. (This way of using profections is found in Vettius Valens from the 2nd century.) Those are his yearly profections. His monthly profection had been governed by Jupiter for the previous month; a few days before the announcement his profected monthly Acendant sign was Aries and was governed by Mars (no planets in his third).
Zodiacal releasing usually proceeds from the sign or zoidion of the Lot of Fortune and Lot of Spirit. This yields general periods of many years (conforming to the planetary number of the ruler of the sign), specific periods of as many months, and particular periods of several weeks. The zodiacal releasing from Fortune was ru for general/specific and then [ for particular. This smallest period is from August 27 to November 10. From the Lot of Spirit we have [t and [ once again! Between these releasings and his yearly profection, puts a lot of emphasis on his Ascendant sign (about being oneself) and on Jupiter which inhabits his first house. (The Aquarius particular periods last 75 days each.)
Doesn’t this nicely set up his transits? Below, in case you haven’t peeked already, is a biwheel with natal planets on the inside, transiting planets on the outside.
It’s curious to see that Mars has been opposing Saturn on its way into Leo. This ingress into Leo means an opposition from Jupiter in Aquairus and a conjunction with his Mercury in Leo and later his Sun in Leo. We also see that Uranus is opposing natal Mars. I do not see these Mars transits coinciding with his winning a Nobel Peace Prize, but they do coincide nicely with his administration’s war with Fox News and his more aggressive tone with the health care industry and the big financial companies. It’s hard for me to see Obama as the excitable or impulsive person as a Uranus transit Mars might indicate but I don’t live or work with this guy either.
More to the point is his Jupiter hovering around his Ascendant degree where it has been from mid-September and will continue to be until early November. In general this is a good time for him to take some chances and there might be a “Teflon Effect” to greet him (don’t tell that to Fox News). However, transiting Jupiter on his Ascendant does point to some kind of positive development simply for being oneself. I think all my readers of various political persuasions can concede as much.
I conclude with Obama’s graphic ephemeris for the last months of 2009. Remember that the transiting planets are the curving lines, the natal planets form straight lines. Also, you can read the transiting planets from the left, the natal planets from the right. Here you can see how tightly the Jupiter line (Jupiter station, going retrograde to direct) is connecting with his natal Ascendant line.
Mr. Obama is in a pretty lucky phase of his life. Our next person hasn’t been so lucky.
Letterman and His Surprise Monologue
Late night talk show entertainer David Letterman was recently the target of an alleged blackmail scheme. On the last night in September, Letterman discussed this situation on his own television show. He admitted to having had affairs different women on his staff, and that this was the situation that contributed to the blackmail attempt.
After his surprise monologue Letterman received a positive response from the public, for (1) he had never claimed to be a member of the “Moral Majority” or anything close, and (2) he discussed the matter publicly in a straightforward and adult manner. The next week he continued with a public apology to his wife but since then he has made no public statements about the matter. This is not exactly over, however: recent news reports disclosed there was a room above the studio specifically designated for his dalliances. The trial of the person who allegedly attempted to blackmail him will begin sometime in 2010 and promises to be a “tell all”.
I had difficulties initially in searching for an adequate birthtime for Letterman. I found one birth time for him for 9:05 in the evening, quoted from a 1995 periodical Data News by Lois Rodden. Several years ago, based on his mother’s memory, astrodatabank provided a different birthtime of 6:00 AM.
The 9:05 time was quite tempting, since it doesn’t appear rounded off and because a chart with this time would have Jupiter ascending in Scorpio.
Over a few days, however, I have become more comfortable with the 6 AM chart and I present it below. Transiting planets on the outside.
We begin with the natal chart.
It strikes me as odd that Letterman would have Taurus rising and Venus in Pisces, governing the Ascendant, and I had to ponder that awhile. Venus’ importance becomes greater when we realize that (1) the Moon applies to Venus, and (2) Venus is the overall dispositor for Moon and Mercury and thus has much to do with his mind or soul. Letterman is in the entertainment business, and I’ve heard from a friend of a friend that Letterman is quite charming and likeable in person. Venus’ strength may help take the edge off a persona that can otherwise appear abrasive and condescending and he actually comes across as attractive. His on-show demeanor is affable – but with a distinct edge.
For somebody who is a communicator and a comic we must also look at his Mercury. Initially Mercury seems in poor shape, being in detriment and fall in Pisces. This is mitigated, however, by Mercury’s strong trine to Pisces’ governing planet Jupiter. Jupiter therefore is able to lend Mercury a hand; Jupiter can take over somewhat for the smaller planet. To me this corresponds to the topical nature of his wit, his use of clever wit to provide incisive and relevant commentary on current social and political concerns. Unlike many other comedians who use life’s minutiae for their material, Letterman prefers the latest political events and our cultural absurdity as material.
Letterman has Sun in Aries, in its exaltation, and Mars in Aries, in its sign or domicile. Clearly this adds inventiveness, spontaneity and forcefulness, yet these planets are in the twelfth house. How might we think of this? First of all there could be aggression that would be more behind the scenes, and these qualities could also prove his undoing. Whenever things have been “about him” – his being stalked, his high-profile disagreements with networks – things have tended toward extremes. To some extent, trouble seems to find him more than it does many other famous people. Sun and Mars are cadent to the Ascendant but are angular to his Lot of Fortune: none of the difficulties from his Aries planets have prevented him from becoming even more famous and wealthy. (Jupiter, a planet of wealth, is also in the eleventh house from his Lot of Fortune that Valens would refer to as “the house of acquisition.”)
This chart is also a good demonstration of the power of orientality: Mars, Mercury, and Venus are all rising ahead of the Sun and can be powerful on their own, even Mars in the twelfth house. Venus and Mercury are both favored by being in the eleventh house of the “Good Spirit”, Venus more because she is in high dignity.
So what has been going on lately for Letterman?
Letterman’s secondary progressions yield one item of interest: progressed Venus has moved from Taurus to Gemini on September 4. Ordinarily this should favor multiple dalliances, since Venus in Gemini can be notorious for inconstancy in love, although it’s hard to imagine that this will be happening as often as before. It is also the case that when progressed Venus moved out of Taurus is moved out of dignity, and indeed his love life can suffer some loss of good condition.
Onto more traditional material: Letterman this year has third house profections; with Taurus ascending the ruler of his profected Ascendant in Cancer is Moon. In his solar return, Moon is in Scorpio and in the seventh house: indeed and this might indicate difficulties with relationships. Coincidentally his specific lords for Zodiacal Releasing for Fortune and Spirit are in Aquarius –in the tenth house or place of career or public standing.
His transits point to the fact that the current news about him was sudden for the public but the situation had been going on for some time beforehand.
(Remember that the moving lines are the transiting planets, the straight lines are the natal planets. The signs for the transiting planets are on the left and for the natal planets are on the right.)
We quickly note how much Mars has been in operation. His natal Mars has been affected by a long-term transit of Pluto: this brings intensity and aggression – like a blackmail threat. In August Mars entered Cancer and joined natal Mars in a square; in September Mars transited Letterman’s Moon/Neptune square, bringing on more of a personal threat. Transiting Mars in Cancer was in square to his Aries Sun when he made his public announcement. Although Letterman appeared straightforward, adult, and in control of the situation, I suspect the reality was considerably otherwise.
The other planet strongly involved here is Letterman’s natal Mercury. If you look on the left-hand lower side of the graphic ephemeris you will find that natal Mercury was transited by Mars in August (before it went into Cancer), then a conjunction from Uranus, also in Pisces, and finally an opposition from Saturn in Virgo. This connects to an upheaval in his thinking or communications – like giving testimony to a grand jury – as well as being with one’s own limitations (Saturn opposition). Again, Letterman’s public statements have only been after this whole matter had been already well under way and seem like the tip of an iceberg.
How do things look for him in the near future? I suspect they will turn out well, judging from the changing condition of his Mars: after Saturn entering Libra opposes his Mars, Uranus and Jupiter will be in Aries in mid-2010. With transiting Uranus and Jupiter both conjunct natal Mars, expect some more surprises from him. Earlier in 2010 Jupiter will be transiting Pisces where Letterman’s Mercury and Venus reside and, when Jupiter is in Aries, that planet will be in the same sign as his Sun. These are all positive indications for him.
That’s enough for now about Mr. Letterman.
In the next newsletters – barring surprising appearances in the collective conscious or new celebrities or celebrity wannabes – will be Bono, Ayn Rand, and Dmitri Shostakotich, Part 2.