Mars retrograde and Winter Solstice
Winter programs
Dorian’s graduation ceremony
Profiles: More Men Behaving Badly (The Sequel, Continued) – Berlusconi, Woods, Edwards, Sanford
Mars Retrograde and Winter Solstice
First we get Mars retrograde – how often does that happen? About two years and a month elapse between Mars retrograde stations; of course, the same time elapses between Mars direct stations. The last Mars retrograde was from November 15, 2007 until January 20, 2008; the next one after this one is January 23, 2012 until April 13, 2010 – presidential primary season!
This one coming lasts from December 20, 2009 until March 10, 2010: about nine weeks. Mars will go from 10° Leo and will go direct when it goes back to 00° Leo.
The chart is below. Mars goes retrograde when the Sun moves away from Mars somewhat more than a trine (remember that the Sun is the faster planet); Mars will go direct when the Sun moves toward a trine to Mars from the other side.
Lately I’ve spoken with several clients who have mid-Leo or mid-Aquarius rising and they are experiencing some typical Mars phenomena: restless energy, upswells of anger and/or resentment. It isn’t just the holiday season! For Mars has been in transit to their ascendant degree by conjunction and opposition once direct and now a repeat but Mars is retrograde, and the same transits will occur again after March when Mars goes direct again and transits the same degrees. Depending on Mars in your chart and your life-experiences with Mars energy, this can be envigorating or emotionally turbulent.
If you do have an Ascendant (or Sun, Moon) in mid-Leo or Aquarius, it would be wise not to take out your frustration on (1) your boss or (2) a cop who pulls you over, or (3) a recently reconciled relative or partner. On the other hand, some crusading zeal could work out very well.
I now present an entirely different graphic for the solstice.
Below is the midnight positions (in the second column) for the Sun through much of December 2009. You will notice that the Sun moves about one degree a day – that is no surprise. To the right of that column is the Sun’s declination in degrees. “Declination” measures a planet’s location up and down from the celestial equator, so that the Sun is at 00° at the equinoxes and it culminates overhead at the terrestrial equator. Notice that the declination stays close to the first half of the 24th degree for almost the entire month – in other words, the number hardly moves.
Currently the Sun is close to the furthest south that it gets; this explains why the length of the day (or I should say the shortness of the day) is very constant now. This is also why this time is called the “solstice”, meaning the “Sun standing”.Only next month will the days appear to become slightly longer. This is because the Sun’s declination will begin to move away from its extreme at 23S26 and nudge toward the equator.
(Come early summer when the Sun becomes close to the northern sign Cancer, the declinations will have the same numbers but they will be positive numbers instead of negative. Positive numbers denote north of the equator and negative numbers denote south of the equator. For us in the northern hemisphere, the Sun’s angle is closer to us in the summer and therefore the days are their longest.)
Winter Programs
Harmonics and Aspects, Ancient and Modern
Thursday, January 28 7:30 PM
There is no more confusing feature of modern astrology than aspects. Which aspects are most important? How do we know the difference between the strong aspects and the weak ones? What is the relationship between the aspects -- degree numbers and the signs brought together by aspect? How do we use out of sign aspects, and why or why not should we use them? How do modern astrological harmonics impact our understanding of aspects?
Astrology’s Symbol Systems and Their Hellenistic Origins
Saturday, January 30 10:30 AM – 5:30 PM
Here we learn about and apply the first formulations of modern astrology's symbols. We look at the features of the tropical zodiac and its twelve signs, the twelve houses or "places," and will also look at planets, lots and aspects
New England
Last month in Providence we had an afternoon workshop on the structure and interrelationships of the 12 Signs of the Zodiac. Although some were expecting “same old, same old” and may have attended out of being polite to me, there was a lot of new information and insight for all those who attended. (This workshop is available as a set of 3 CD’s.) The November workshop was the first of four that introduces and reintroduces astrology’s symbol systems.
Here’s the second segment:
Astrology’s Planets: Their Character and Function
(January 15/January 23 snow date)
The planets are the fundamentals of astrology – all astrologers use planets and there is surprisingly little dispute about their ranges of meanings. Planets’ meanings cannot be reduced to one dimension or even the sum of many dimensions; they are essentially far vaster than our mind can conceive of them. (This may be the definition of an “archetype.”) This workshop will examine the physical, psychological, and spiritual dimensions as well as their ways of interacting with each other. We will also discuss pragmatics of finding the planetary “ruler” of the soul or the chart. As usual, our approach is historical as well as relevant to concerns and practice.
Here’s our second offering.
Last October we had a workshop on the Autumn Sky in the Boston area. We looked at the fixed stars of the season’s night sky , their visibility, their astrological meanings, and ways to incorporate them into an astrological chart. Then we discussed planetary phenomena – configurations and stations – and applied them to all participants’ charts.
This February we will have The Winter Sky, using the same format. Not only do we some spectacular constellations to discuss (see diagram below), but will review the eclipse season of January, more interactions of Saturn and Pluto, and anticipate the line-up that will come mid-year. For further information e-mail me at the address above.
For further information e-mail me at josephcrane@verizon.net
Dorian’s graduation ceremony
If you know Dorian Greenbaum and want to see her looking very happy and alongside illustrious company, the link is below. Graduating from the Warburg Institute looks a bit like receiving a degree from the University of Bologna – in 1250!
http://www.nookhill.com/warburggraduation.html
More Men Behaving Badly (The Sequel, Continued)
December 2009 has been quite rich in the ongoing drama of public figures who suddenly – or not so suddenly – became infamous due to allegations of sexual discretions. But then 2008 was also a bumper crop year and we have 2010 to look forward to even more.
Previously we looked at Elliot Spitzer (http://www.astrologyinstitute.com/Newsletters/News03-04_08.html) and David Letterman (http://www.astrologyinstitute.com/Newsletters/News10_09.html)
There’s a tendency to look for common patterns to these individuals and classify them all together – the result unfortunately is to promote stereotypes in the face of divergent information. As astrologers we long for specific birth chart features – Venus in Gemini, Jupiter in the 7th, Venus/Pluto contacts? – and we get stereotypes once again. Today I present four entirely different people who to me range from entertaining to creepy. Interestingly, this past week had news stories about all four people.
Silvio Berlusconi
Many Americans know little about him, but he has strong appeal among many Italians, and many Europeans feel that they know him far better than they want to. Berlusconi has been in the news over the past few days, having been injured by a statuette thrown at him at a public gathering and is currently in the hospital recuperating – which has boosted his national popularity even further.
Berlusconi is on his third tour as Italian Prime Minister. He also owns about half the Italian media and the prestigious Milan “football” team and he has a net worth of $6.5 billion. He’s famous for conservative political policies, conflicts of interest that result in his fortune and his political power increasing, is famous for his diplomatic malapropisms and his friendships with George Bush and Vladamir Putin. As usual there are currently some corruption charges pending against him. Over the years Berlusconi has become about half of the Italian media’s coverage – pro and con.
Last spring Berlusconi’s wife Veronica Lario sent out an open letter – she had done this once before – and condemned his preference for young attractive and politically clueless women to represent Italy internationally. A week later she filed for divorce, after he attended a young beauty’s 18th birthday party when he hadn’t attended those for his own sons. Subsequently “other women have come forth” and lately there are allegations of him having paid prostitutes to attend parties held at official residences.
Unlike some of our other “Men Behaving Badly”, none of these allegations are surprising, for they confirm to a reputation Berlusconi has had for years. Yet last spring and summer – with transiting Saturn closing in on his Ascendant – the many allegations made international headlines.
In America, and even in Providence RI, there is a certain attraction to politicians who are “colorful” – tough minded, competant and probably corrupt -- and, in his case, also with a pervasive and open weakness for young female beauty. Silvio Berlusconi may not be well known to many Americans but his character type is well-known and even admired by some.
I produce his natal chart. (This birth time seems the best documented although there is another for 6:00 and a rectified one for 6:20)
Here’s his chart with quadrant houses. I will be discussing the one underneath.
Here’s his chart with whole sign houses so that all of Virgo is his first house, and so on.
When I look at this chart I see Mars and I see Jupiter, and I see other people being Saturn.
Mars, according to the whole sign house arrangement, is quite a strong planet: it is angular in the first, oriental – visible, rising ahead of the Sun on the day of birth -- and in sect; hence Mars qualifies as a spear-bearer for his Sun. Because Berlusconi’s Sun is in fall in Libra and is in a relatively inactive house, Sun needs a tough bodyguard – and that would be Mars. The fiery red planet is also the lord of his Lot of Fortune and tells us something about how he conducts his business – toughly.
Berlusconi’s first instinct is aggressive, and he is particularly good at taking the fight directly to his perceived enemies. Indeed that is part of his entertainment value.
Mars’ ruler is Mercury and, like the Sun, it is in a compromised position – in a mediocre house, within the Sun’s beams and, being retrograde, closing into the Sun. These limiting factors are mitigated somewhat by Mercury being in its own triplicity (in this nocturnal chart). His Mars-like angry instincts are not always well-tethered and he has the knack of making enemies unnecessarily when a softer approach might work better. (The Mercurial nature of his Mars does lead him to come up with fascinating names for his adversaries: after an exposé in the magazine The Economist he renamed the periodical “The E-communist.” Clever guy.)
By the way when he was born the fixed star Betelgeuse (one of the shoulders of Orion) was culminating. The planetary nature of this star is Mars and Mercury. He’s also famous for having had much cosmetic surgery – is that also Mars and Mercury?
This brings us to his Jupiter, angular and in its own sign Sagittarius. Jupiter also governs the Moon-Saturn conjunction and is in a “predominating” tenth-house square to it. Berlusconi’s adversaries are strong but so is he -- in fact adversity brings out even greater self-confidence or even defiance, perhaps to the point of his over-reaching. Jupiter is also the lord of the Lot of Spirit, indicating its importance for how he fashions his life. There is another Hellenistic Lot, one that involves Jupiter and the Lot of Spirit, that’s called “The Lot of Victory”; its meaning has the same range as that of Jupiter. In this nocturnal chart, it is the distance from Jupiter to Spirit, added to the Ascendant: it is five degrees from Jupiter itself! This is a supremely self-confident guy.
We return to his Mars that also has a fascinating relationship to Venus – a very close sextile, within a degree. Importantly, Venus and Mars are also contra-antiscia to each other –symmetrical to the Aries/Libra axis – that brings the two planets even closer together. And Venus in Scorpio is, of course, governed by Mars. You could say that Venus does this business of Mars in this chart.
When we get to marriage we get an entirely different set of symbols. This renders his adversaries (including marriage partners) the nature of Saturn in the 7th house, and his emotional dependency on them is signified by the Moon. And his Jupiter reigns supreme.
Here we begin to find Berlusconi’s style of being a “Man Behaving Badly”: his extracurricular sexual activity does not simply manifest as a large appetite but is a form of conquest, of personal self-expression, cast in a Mars/Jupiter-like way. Venus makes a contribution to his Mars-like nature, not the other way around. His partying etc is not simple lust but is about the fact that he can do what he wants, thank you very much.
There is another Hellenistic lot, the “Lot of Marriage” that involves the distance between Saturn and Venus (in a man’s chart) and add that distance to the Ascendant degree. That degree is 10 Taurus – conjunct Uranus! In concert with his other indicators, Berlusconi’s chart does not strike me as strongly monogomous – yet again his dalliances seem not about sexuality but mostly about conquest and defying detractors.
Tiger Woods
They say that in this age of celebrities there is no such thing as bad publicity. We now have the exception: Mr. Wood’s recent difficulties are far more publicity than he would ever want.
To recap in case you’ve been living under a rock lately: early on Saturday morning of November 27, golf’s greatest athelete crashed into a fire hydrant and tree with his SUV. Although this seemed like a minor mishap at the time, further investigation revealed that his minor injuries were caused not by the accident but by his enraged wife, who had confronted him about an affair he was having. She did not attempt to get him out of the car using a golf club– which was the “official story” -- but instead had been chasing him with it.
All this was bad enough indeed, but during the following week various women came forward with their stories of being involved with Woods, and the whole thing has taken on a tawdry melodramatic flavor. And of course, the media is loving it as are many professional and occasional comedians. Most recently Woods has taken an indefinite leave from golf competition and corporate sponsers are beginning to question his value to them.
Before looking at Wood’s natal chart, let’s start with a chart of the accident. The chart below is taken from the police report that was been posted on the internet. Note that we are looking not at the time of the crash but shortly afterwards when the police came upon the scene.
For a horary astrologer this chart is a joy to behold.
Tiger Woods is Saturn and the Ascendant. Saturn is exalted but it’s still Saturn and its situation is not made better by the square from Pluto in the 4th house, the place of one’s home. There are some major destructive possibilities here.
Ordinarily one would use the Moon as a cosignificator for Woods but in its position in the 7th opposite Saturn it is hard not to read Moon in Aries as representing one very angry wife. Matters are not made better by Pluto’s square to the Moon!
It is remarkable how strong the angles are in this chart, signifying that this incident has had a powerful impact. That the angles are in cardinal signs tells us that this is a rapidly changing situation.
The rulers of the angles, however, are more difficult to assess. The ruler (and almuten) of the Ascendant and Saturn is Venus who is in detriment and applies to no planet, although Venus is aspected by Uranus, Jupiter, and Neptune. This seems to testify to the largeness but also the uncertainty of the situation. Mars in Leo, however, is the planet that would govern Wood’s wife Elin Nordegren. Mars here is a strong and well placed planet that is also in square to Wood’s governing planet Venus. I don’t see a reconciliation between them soon (rulers in fixed signs) or easily (in square), or at all (Venus is moving away from Mars).
What is fascinating is that the placements in this chart also represent transits he would be having at this time. First we need to look at his natal chart.
Notice that at this time transiting Uranus is at its station at 22 Pisces in square to Wood’s natal Moon – in the 4th house of one’s home. During this past year transiting Saturn had been near his Ascendant degree and Uranus had been opposing his Ascendant degree – and will do so later. These are indication of instability in one’s personal life. Because Saturn had been conjunct his Ascendant previously, it appears that what is now on public display was previously kept from view.
Let’s review some main features of his chart.
We certainly can get discipline and focus from a Capricorn Sun and Mercury (who also governs the Ascendant), intensity with Pluto in a close square to his Sun. Mars in the Midheaven can indicate an athletic – or at least a physical – career, and golf itself seems a particularly Mars-Mercury activity. His ability to make money may be indicated by his Lot of Fortune with Sun, Mercury, and Jupiter angular. Fortuna’s ruler Venus is governed by Mars in the 10th – but the conjunction of the Lot of Fortune to Pluto may make matters more complicated and difficult over time. (His wealth is only one-sixth that of Silvio Berlusconi, so he has more work to do.)
Woods has also been a very charismatic star athlete and has used this to make a lot of money from endorsements. We can look at the relationship between his Capricorn Sun and Sagittarius Moon, being symmetrical to the Cancer/Capricorn axis. We may also note that the Sun culminates with the fixed star Vega that is the nature of Venus and Mercury, a star of charm.
Now we look at his love-life, what we can discern astrologically.
Venus is oriental and governed by Mars in the 10th as we’ve said. This is no big deal. What is striking is its relationship with Saturn in the 12th – they are symmetrical to the Aries/Libra axis within less than a half degree. Saturn is also Venus’ next aspect, once Venus leaves Scorpio for Sagittarius.
Ordinarily we might think of Saturn having an inhibiting influence on Venus, possibly resulting in a rigid or neurotic disposition toward love or toward sex. This Saturn, however, is in the 12th house – in its joy and also in a place that is hidden. Ancient and medieval astrologers were inclined to think of Saturn as a corrupting influence (especially as Saturn is out of sect in this diurnal chart), and with Venus an inclination to what they would call “sordidness.” We begin to see the disjunction between public image that has been spotless and a private life that is far more questionable. Wood’s extracurricular activity has been successfully bracketed off from his life as a 12th house influence – until now.
On the other hand his marriage indicators are fairly positive. The seventh house is governed by Jupiter that is at least in its own triplicity and has a trine from Neptune. (However Jupiter has a sextile from Mars – hence the need not to anger the wife.) His Lot of Marriage that uses the distance between Venus and Saturn falls in Capricorn close to his Mercury. In other words, his marriage should be better than it is right now.
I need to discuss the long-range predictive indicators at a later time. Woods’ chart has considerable charisma and he remains a singularly talented athlete – and Americans tend to love comebacks. There may be great merit in his attempting to resurrect his marriage. Like many others, hidden sexual behavior has been compartmentalized, separated from other more positive aspects of his life.
Along with money and celebrity can come a sense of entitlement and invulnerability and this can lead one to colossal folly – as we have seen with Tiger Woods. One can only hope that with time and learning from this bitter experience that some real personal growth can happen.
John Edwards
I’m afraid the next two charts will not enamor the reader to Gemini’s.
Berlusconi and Woods have been highly entertaining for their respective public audiences – this next one is darker, almost nightmarish.
John Edwards has been a well-known American politician; while serving his first term in the Senate he ran for president and became John Kerry’s vice-presidential candidate in 2004; he began a second run four years later but dropped out of the race as the primaries began. During this time his wife was diagnosed with a reoccurrence of cancer.
In October 2007 the National Enquirer began running stories about an extra-marital affair Edwards had with a campaign worker; later it came out that there may have been a child from the affair. After initially denying the affair, Edwards publicly admitted to it in August 2008 – at which time he became politically persona not grata. Since then there has been an investigation into campaign fund irregularities from the affair. Next February there will be a “tell all” book by another campaign aide, Andrew Young, whom Edwards had talked into falsely admitting to the affair and being the father of the woman’s child.
Here is Edward’s chart.
In some ways this is the chart of somebody who has had a charmed life – at least externally. We could start with his Lot of Fortune, whose ruler is in the first, its place of joy. The Lot also is exactly conjunct Mars – which should add some aggressiveness to his worldly ambition. The sign of the Lot of Fortune is well-inhabited and has a strong Jupiter – oriental and the application of the Moon, yet in detriment. Sun has close trines from Saturn and Neptune.
From his humble background Edwards has become wealthy as a very successful medical malpractice and product liability lawyer – a Mercurial profession! Aside from being very smart and eloquent, his Mercury conjunct Ascendant in Cancer has given him an ability to connect with people on an emotional level.
Prior to his affair, his marriage to Elizabeth Edwards was considered quite strong – but since then Elizabeth has made several media appearances and has written an autobiography as her husband has taken residence in a very posh doghouse. We could look at Capricorn being Edwards’ 7th house, governed by an exalted and angular Saturn – yet accompanied by Neptune that always complicates things. (His Lot of Marriage is also in Capricorn that is another positive feature.)
We turn our attention to Venus. We note its strength is the 11th house and in Taurus, and that it is oriental to the Sun. Venus is out of sect in this diurnal chart and there may be a tendency for it to become excessive Up to the revelations about his affair, this strong placement seemed simply about his personal vanity – the stylized and expensive haircuts and all that.
There is another really interesting fact about Venus. It is early in the sign Taurus. Originally I though Venus was “feral” – it would not complete an aspect in its sign, but instead there is one planet that Venus completes an application to – Pluto! This makes for a powerful and potentially far more difficult Venus placement.
From an astrological point of view, what are the causes of his wanderings? His Venus in Taurus may suggest an overcharged sexuality, yet I would expect more from his natal Mars to account for that. Nor have other women come forward.
Here we may be seeing Venus in its shallowest form as physical vanity. In combination with native good looks and the temptations of being the center of attention on the campaign trail, we may be surprised this hasn’t happened more often with him – as far as we know.
Edwards’ predictive indicators are fascinating: the news began to break with his progressed chart showing a Pluto-Ascendant conjunction and the last pass of transiting Pluto on his Mars. It is probable that the Pluto transit to his Mars coincided with the timing of the affair: this would have brought a certain emotional intensity that could have made room for the folly of what was to follow.
His difficulty with the public is not just because of his affair, but that his wife was battling cancer, that the woman became pregnant, and that the cover-up had twisted his campaign around. From an astrological point of view, can we account for this?
I have been pondering the 1st house/12th house connection in Edward’s chart. The lord of his Lot of Spirit is Moon in the 12th; the lord of his 12th house Lot of Fortune is in the 1st. It is possible that his 12th house planets are otherwise so strong that he used that to create a superficial worldly identity for himself – like the nature of the Lot of Fortune. For an extremely intelligent man with strong contributions to make to American political discourse, most of him seems to have been surface level only. When difficulties with the media began to emerge, his interest was solely in keeping the ocean-liner of his public image intact. This misplaced sense of priorities can only cause one ruin.
Mark Sanford
In some ways this example is similar to that of John Edwards but it lends itself better to humor
Previously in 2009 Sanford was known as the governor of South Carolina who objected to his state receiving federal stimulus money and later was ordered by a court to make the funds available. He fit the picture of a well-heeled conservative politician who could be acceptable to the different wings of the Republican Party.
Sanford’s ambitions and public approval came to a screeching halt this past spring, beginning during a weekend in which his presence could not be accounted for. The governor’s aides had been told to tell people that he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. Instead he was discovered in an airport in Atlanta by a reporter and it became clear that he had been out of the country. Soon he tearfully admitted that he had been in Argentina seeing a woman with whom he once had an affair. This caused quite the uproar and soon his wife moved out with their children (not to mother’s basement – they have a nice seaside house, too). The following week Sanford gave an interview to AP in which he discussed the Argentine woman being his “soul mate”, how he fell in love with her, and that he had “crossed the line” at other times.
Although Sanford gave up his chairmanship of the Republican Governors Association, he refused to resign as governor. Charges of corruption were made against him subsequently but the legislature recently voted not to impeach. Last week his wife filed for divorce. Chances are he will finish his days as governor quietly and fade from view when his term ends.
Unfortunately we do not have a birth time for Sanford. I have produced a noontime solar sign chart, whereby the Sun sign is the first house and they all proceed from there. We have no degrees for Ascendant, Midheaven, or Lot of Fortune.
What information can we get from this chart? He has many planets in dignity – Moon, Mars, Mercury, and Saturn. This often means that he has a great deal of unreflective self-confidence. Standing out of the pack is Jupiter in Capricorn, the sign of its fall.
If Sanford was born before 1:11 AM, Venus would be in the last degree of Taurus. That means there’s a very strong chance that he has Venus in Gemini. This could be important: in Gemini Venus is approaching a stronger square to Pluto in Virgo. With the Sun also involved, it’s likely we are looking at a strong planetary combination that would indicate a person inclined to live in a more intense way or toward extreme behavior.
Moon can be six degrees earlier or later than its location here at 12 Cancer. Moon is likely to have strong aspects from a dignified Mars in Aries and a dignified Saturn in Capricorn. This is a powerful aspect configuration because all three planets are dignified in their governing signs. My hunch is that Saturn mostly keeps the Moon contained – except for when Mars tries to break out. This might lead to a more conservative straight-laced persona – and every once in a while all hell breaks loose.
It seems that Sanford’s hidden modus operandi is that of the thrill-seeker, the person who every once in a while must bust open and do something truly interesting. Unfortunately for him life has just become very dull.
It’s hard to be sure about his transits but we know a few things. In February 2009 both Saturn and Uranus squared Mercury in Gemini – but this also coincided with his temporary national prominence for refusing federal stimulus money for South Carolina. More to the point is that in May transiting Mars in Cancer was in contact with his prominent Mars, Saturn, and (if time is close) Moon. This could surely connect with his sudden fall from prominence into becoming a political embarrassment and a feast for stand-up comics.
We must factor in Jupiter and it will have strong prominence in his chart – when we have a birth time for him. For this spring transiting, Pluto was approaching Jupiter and during the summer Pluto dwelt there along its direct station. Its coincidence with Sanford’s personal and political unraveling is worthy of consideration when it comes time to rectify his chart or confirm a birth time.
Okay, enough sordidness for this holiday season. We have seen Men Behaving Badly from defiant love of conquest (Berlusconi), the compartmentalized shadow (Woods), the seduction of vanity and superficiality (Edwards), and love of thrill to the point of self-destruction (Sanford). Tolstoy said that all happy families resemble one another but all unhappy families are unhappy in different ways. Men Behaving Badly are like unhappy families.
So much for this. I expect that we can get onto happier matters of life to greet the cold and winds of January.