“If I can’t be a banker, I don’t want to live.”
Cat Reads News
My tuxedo cat, Lacy, learned that Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit abruptly resigned. She chided me for my blog on bankers where I voted that Pandit would prevail over his peers.
“Economists are wrong a lot too,” I pointed out, “and no one seems to bother about it.”
It is surprising that a man with sun in Capricorn and Mars in Aries has given in to the big “F” word – Failure. Capricorn and Aries are about success and competition – by throwing in the towel Pandit must be facing a Herculean frustration.
His moon may be in Gemini, the sign where Jupiter is currently transiting. Does this mean that Pandit has a Gemini-twin second job, a backup plan, a getaway car at the back door?
My guess is that he’s having thoughts such as “let’s see how well they do without ME.”
His successor is Michael Corbat.
Michael Corbat
In addition to the great perks of bank chairmanship like the executive dining room, private jets and stock options, one also gets, at no charge, two full paragraphs of astrological insight from Ohio Astrology.
How cool is that?
There’s very little kindness directed to bankers these days. OHA gives where it can.
No longer must banking chairmen sneak out at night and walk down dark, empty alleys to visit the local astrologer.
Bankerly Sun
Corbat has a bankerly Taurus sun, the fixed earth sign that is grounded and fully engaged with the physical world without the glossy glaze that many of us inflict on it.
It’s a nice sign to be if you want to count money.
Where is Corbat’s moon? It could be either in Cancer or Leo. Taurus/Leo is more charismatic and very, very stubborn while Taurus/Cancer is garden-variety stubborn but warm and inviting. Taurus/Leo is sensual while Taurus/Cancer is seeking a nostalgic and comforting physical environment.
Corbat’s Mars, the planet which shows how we assert ourselves, is in the sign of Pisces. Pisces is not generally assertive and is more likely looking at how to relate to others than conquer and dominate others. That’s nice in family life but not as useful in banking life.
With Mercury and Venus in Aries, Corbat may have a bark worse than his bite.
The interesting planets in Corbat’s chart are Jupiter and Saturn, both in Capricorn. They are not yet conjunct – it took another year for that to occur and when Corbat was about 1-2 years old his life probably changed in terms of social or religious environment.
Astrology Critics describes the 20-year Jupiter / Saturn conjunction cycle as:
• important economic fluctuations, rise or fall of the market;
• conflicts may appear as two different processes must converge in order to generate evolution, especially social progress: expansionism, liberalisation, democratic values, freedom and, on the other side, oppression, rules, limits, performance, effort
• the manifestation of ideas, potentialities in the material world;
• the Jupiter – Saturn conjunctions are called “Grand Conjunctions”; the conjunctions occur in the same element (fire, earth, air or water) for about 200 years, with 1 or 2 exceptions;
• a series in fire signs symbolise discoveries, exploration, independence, free spirit, adventure, power, display (1603 – 1782); a series in the earth element signify materialism, wealth, industrial development, agriculture, infrastructure, territorial disputes (1802 – 2000); a series in air (next will start in 2020) symbolise new concepts, ideas, intellectual development (1226 – 1405); a series in water corresponds with spiritual movements, art development (1425 – 1583).
The big news here for Jupiter/Saturn in Capricorn folks (born in 1960 and 1961) is that transiting Pluto is coming to visit. Lessons are coming along the lines of:
• When should I trust and when should I challenge authority?
• What is success?
• What is failure?
• How is my self-esteem tied with my material success/failure?
When Capricorn loses position in society, it loses everything. For some a job is a job, but for Capricorn it is the core of self-worth.
What a perfect time for Corbat to run the nation’s third largest bank!
Jupiter and Saturn in Capricorn also represent growing up in an environment of strict rules, lots of “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts” and strong religious, moral or ethical beliefs.
Transiting Jupiter in Gemini has formed a square to Corbat’s Pluto in Virgo (health issues?) and will soon square that Mars in Pisces. Trying to please everyone won’t work very well.
Transiting Saturn in Scorpio is close to Corbat’s natal Neptune in Scorpio and opposing his Taurus sun. I’m feeling that Corbat might have a belief that people are ultimately good and will do well. He has some things to learn in this regard, with his strong Jupiter/Saturn in Capricorn standards.
I’m wondering if he will also discover the institution he has chosen to head is in worse financial shape than presented. It will take many years before transiting Uranus touches his Mercury in Aries when he will have the impulse to spit it all out. I’m guessing he will keep his lips shut for now and follow orders (a Capricorn thing to do) based on his personal code of ethics.
Corbat may also do well to watch his own finances. Stock options are nice but don’t forget Enron. Financial whizzes often know when to bail even if they tell those around them not to – but if Corbat may be the type to put all his eggs in Citigroup stock in an effort to prove his seriousness.
Banking seems a ship so large that no one man (or woman) can truly run it. It’s interesting to watch folks try.
Astrologers in Dark Alleys
For more insight, Corbat will need to take his date, place and time of birth to the local astrologer, who may also welcome bankerly folk with open arms.
Without time of birth, much is unknown in the horoscope.
With Pluto conjunct one’s Saturn and tearing down the known social structure, it’s also a good time for Corbat to explore things once forbidden – such as astrology.
Astrology presents a more fluid universe that Capricorn energy enjoys. For strong earthly folks, a fluid universe can be a scary thing. The universe doesn’t provide a Monday night special forever – it’s simply a cycle.
Ohio Astrology 