The Astrology of Rape

If you are at a party and find yourself cornered by a guest or guests and want to find a way out, here are some conversation topics that are sure to disperse your crowd like pouring water in an ant hill: taxes, astrology, ancient history, your cat’s litterbox challenges or, the best, rape.

When recently mentioning how the US president-elect is a rapist, the reaction was quite strong, as it should be. But this, dear readers, isn’t the first rapist in office. What’s different about this situation is we knowingly chose a rapist.

What is rape and what are we learning by doing this?

The 2nd – 8th house polarity

Astrology contains 12 signs of the zodiac which are six polarities. In the horoscope, those polarities are represented by houses, or areas of life where the energies manifest. And that’s what’s most important here and what this astrologer is finally understanding:

Thoughts and beliefs manifest in physical reality.

The houses, then, are where our thoughts and beliefs manifest and become the themes of our lives.

The 8th house of the horoscope, which is ruled by Scorpio, which is the energy of US elections, traditionally rules death, sex and taxes.

Sex, death and taxes? Ben Franklin famously said, “In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” (Not sex?)

What is the relationship here?

The relationship is boundary crossing. Sex is the crossing of physical barriers to join bodies. Death is the crossing of spirit out of the body. And taxes represent others forcefully or legally taking our products or earnings.

When manifesting positively, sex is intimacy. When not, sex is rape. When manifesting positively, death is release. When not, it’s hanging on. When manifesting positively, taxes are shared resources for common goals. When not, it’s tyrants taking money for their own use or to engage in activities without our consent.

And the 2nd house polarity?

The 2nd is self, self-worth, values, body and tangible items. The 2nd house has boundaries – I worked so I get the money; this is my body and I don’t want to pierce my ears; I have value by simply being alive without having to “earn” it.

The 2nd house is “me” and the 8th house is “we.” Positive 2nd house is a sense of self that does not infringe upon others. A positive 8th house is a desire to form intimate bonds and share our resources with those we love.

Types of rape

When our physical body boundaries are crossed without our consent, it’s rape. Yet rape is the stealing of energy which can occur in more ways than physical. Rape can occur in the four elements of the zodiac: earth, air, fire, and water.

Earth: physical rape

Physical rape is the rape we associate with this word. This is when humans force sexual activity on other humans and needs (hopefully) the least explanation. The trauma from this type of rape is well documented and mostly occurs to women.

Air: mental rape

Mental rape involves others forcing their thoughts into our minds. Cults and totalitarian systems are created for mental rape which control what can be read and said which then limits thought. Families can create this environment as well. Refugees from countries with the most controlling mental systems find that they don’t have the most basic 2nd house self-awareness such as their favorite color or understanding of their own sexual preferences.

Fire: spiritual rape

Spiritual rape involves instilling an “indelible stain” upon individuals before they form a 2nd house sense of self and personal values. Caste systems are spiritual rape. Slavery is a combination of physical and spiritual rape. These types of rape sever the link between individuals and the source to convince humans that they are not worthy and deserve ill treatment.

Water: emotional rape

The tool of emotional rape is unearned shame and guilt. The family environment is the breeding ground of this type of rape where emotions are used to coerce. Of the different forms of rape, this is the one most preferred by women where they have the greatest (or only) influence in many societies. The mother-child bond is strong and guilt can be a very powerful tool of boundary invasion.

Uranus in Taurus

In the US and other countries, we seem to be learning many lessons of rape.

Why now?

Uranus, the planet of inspiration and enlightenment, has been traveling through Taurus since 2018. Since that time, we have had many 2nd house issues arise including physical gender versus identity, whether we have the right to reject forced medicine, and a greater understanding of where consumer product originates and the interdependence of countries for staple goods.

Any focus upon one energy will by default trigger the polarity. Uranus bringing light to 2nd house issues, will also reflect the 8th house shadow issues.

Enlightenment means seeing clearly. “Woke,” which is a positive idea associated with enlightenment has been used to turn the idea into a negative, much as the ancient swastika symbol used for thousands of years on earth in numerous cultures in positive ways was turned around to become a negative symbol of hatred and tyranny.

When we buy, say, a television and put the box on the front lawn, it generates the awareness that there’s a new television inside.

For thieves, this can create an awareness of what’s inside if they can find their way inside.

Our Uranus 2nd house definitions of self and sovereignty are like boxes on our front lawns announcing to the world that we have some new energy. The 8th house – ours and others’ – will be activated. Turning positive images into negative images is a stealing of energy.

Will we let our energy be stolen?

Posted in 2024 Presidential Election, Planets and signs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The United States’ Pluto Return: The Last Moments

During the 2016-2020 presidency Donald Trump, there were a lot of theories on his rise to power: the rise of brand identity; the influence of special interests; the promotion of covert authoritarian agendas; and the human tendency to follow the main ideas of the culture to fit in.

And I’d add some of my own: the power and influence of visual media, the ability to con by simply looking the part, and the sociopath’s preternatural ability to be what you want, even if you don’t know what you want.

Then re-reading Claire Rapaille’s The Culture Code where he unlocks American beliefs about elements of life, he discovered that Americans see the president as “Rebel-in-Chief.”

So true!

That’s when I realized that all the theories made sense! Trump is not the anomaly the educated white middle-class population believes – he’s the cultural norm, a norm that some segments of the population already experience. And he’s the norm for what the United States is versus what we believe ourselves to be.

Trump is our shadow.

Does that make the Democrats the light?

Dualistic politics is also the shadow. “There are two sides to every problem,” is a cliché that helps us reduce complexity to simplicity. American sports cultural adds to the duality by making politics about “winners” and “losers.”

We’ve lost our sense of being one, but we are. From air to food to water to politics, we all win, or we all lose.

Unless, of course, you are planning to occupy Mars. Then you might “win” a distant and desolate existence.

Astrological Shadow and Light

First off, we all have shadow and light: all people, all cultures. Life is (hopefully) rising above the shadow to be our best selves, but we must first know the shadow is always present.

How often do we look at our physical shadows? It follows us everywhere.

Using July 4, 1776 as the symbolic birthday of the United States, sun is in Cancer and moon in Aquarius. Generally, these are not good bedfellows. Cancer (water sign) is very emotional and Aquarius (air sign) is very rational so you have the “this is how I feel” versus “this is how you should feel (aka think).”

And born in the United States, we get to engage in this cultural riddle!

Sun is conscious self, the conscious identity. This is the light as the sun is the source of energy in our solar system and life. Sun in Cancer wants everyone to belong, in an emotional way. To feed the hungry, open one’s arms to beleaguered migrants, and offer a warm and safe place to sleep, well that’s Cancer.

Moon is reactive self, the default when we are not in comfort. As excessive comfort is addiction, for this astrologer moon rules addictions. Traditionally moon is considered to rule emotions.

Moon in Aquarius, then, reacts without emotions and goes into the thinking function. In the air signs (Gemini, Libra and Aquarius), moon does not express well. Moon is ruled by Cancer because its nature is comfort. So the addictive side of Aquarius is to be lost in thoughts and what should be versus what is empirically present.

That the United States has been a leader in technology makes sense as Aquarius rules technology, utopian ideals, and futuristic thinking. The United States was founded in the Age of Enlightenment (relative term) with a constitution that includes in one sentence “. . . we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, . . .”

We = Cancer

All men = Aquarius

Cancer and Aquarius are both “we” oriented but differently: Cancer invites you over for Thanksgiving to share a home-cooked meal by the fire with family; Aquarius builds you the perfect house (or geodesic dome) and supplies it with every technology and device needed for cooking the turkey evenly and having all of the side dishes done at the same time so the Thanksgiving runs on schedule.

Similar motivations, different outcomes.

The United States can offer both, of course.

Where both signs default and have shadow is when the other doesn’t comply with the “we” statement. If Cancer invites you for Thanksgiving and you are vegetarian and mention the terrible state of food production and turkey farms; when Aquarius builds you a crystal palace but you like camping and hunting your own food with a bow and arrow.

Cancer is protective – it’s a soft being in a shell – and it wants to protect you, often so much you can’t breathe or cross the street alone. Aquarius spreads cosmic knowledge which may take you a lifetime to understand so when you have a bruised knee, you really want a bandage and a kiss and not the cosmic laws of healing or a robot assistant.

United States’ Pluto Return

In addition to sun and moon, there are eight other planets in the chart. The furthest out is Pluto taking about 248 years to orbit the sun and relates to evolution. And that is the age of the United States! We are having our first Pluto return.

We the people know that in 1776 all people were not free. Are they free today? What is freedom?

As we return to our birth energy, it’s time to re-examine our core beliefs. As the metaphorical closet door opened for sexual expression, the doors also opened for all of the closet beliefs existing in the tree-lined streets of this country: superiority, resentment, hierarchy, materialism.

These are common themes of Capricorn where Pluto is currently transiting and where it’s placed in the United States horoscope. In 2008 when Pluto entered Capricorn, it opposed sun in Cancer and collapsed the house-of-cards housing market. Bye, bye materialism! The other Capricorn shadow traits may also go bye bye.

At 29 degrees, Pluto is leaving Capricorn for Aquarius and won’t come back for 248 more years. We won’t be here, but our descendants will. Pluto will take about 20 years to meet the moon at 26 degrees of Aquarius.

Are “we” the Cancer and Aquarian people going to travel the path of our shadows or the path of our light? The path of our light was laid out 248 years ago. In 248 years today’s Aquarian thoughts will be tomorrow’s Cancer reality.

Posted in 2016 Presidential Election, 2020 Presidential Election, 2024 Presidential Election, Planets and signs | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Generic Information

Recently the big pharmacy benefit manager used by my health insurance swapped the manufacturer of my generic prescription. Short story: it upset the apple cart of my health. For those that like a long, detailed David and Goliath stories of the average person trying to slay a corporate giant, additional information can be provided. Or you can wait for the movie.

Quick lesson from a non-scientific perspective: generics are not all the same. You may have experienced this in your life; maybe you will in the future. The learning came years ago through a relative using generics from different grocery stores: one grocery store generic worked; the other did not (at all). We learned from a writer friend in the health industry that the numbers on the back of the box allow for standard deviation. Your generic or new generic may not have the same effect as the previous generic. The contents read the same but may not be the same.

And, I hear, that the carrier compounds can also affect efficacy and absorption. Still researching.

The drug information provided for each generic reads the same – only the manufacturer information is swapped out. And some use larger font than others. But content is equivalent.

What’s generic here?

What’s equivalent is the information, not the drug itself.

Generic Culture

Curation of information is useful for organization and categorization so users can access what they need more easily. It’s common in business Intranets and library sites.

Medical information – even the news stories on national news – is curated. Learned that years ago from a media agency. While you may have ten thousand Internet hits on your search for “diabetes,” most is the exact same content tweaked or not tweaked.

Information, like retail products, is increasingly generic, not specific. How is it that we have access to more people and information than ever, yet our search results are increasingly generic?

The volume of information is reducing the variety of information. How did this happen?

Capricorn and Aquarius

Traditionally the signs of Capricorn and Aquarius were both ruled by Saturn, Uranus having not yet been discovered. Capricorn is the sign of authority, rules, and structure. Aquarius is related to genius in that it questions authority, rules, and structure. Both are stubborn.

The outer planets of Uranus (7 years in a sign), Neptune (15 years in a sign) and Pluto (20 years in a sign) have all transited Capricorn since the 1990s, the beginnings of our Digital Age. Uranus and Neptune have also passed through Aquarius and now it’s time for Pluto to do the same.

In these last couple decades, we’ve had sudden changes (Uranus) and glamorization (Neptune) of technology. Now comes the Pluto in Aquarius transformation of technology.

If you haven’t been affected yet, many of our societal threats are coming through the digital environment. The Capricorn government protects the citizen from the Aquarian digital threats. Americans love freedom and supposedly dislike government but left alone in the digital battleground, only the master hackers would survive. As with traditional warfare, the individual needs the protection of those creating the warfare – if they can figure out which side is the protector.

Pluto in Aquarius

In a couple months, Pluto will move into Aquarius for the long haul, until 2043. After Aquarius comes Pisces so by that time we may (hopefully) bring Pisces compassion and empathy to our digital life.

When Pluto entered Capricorn in 2007, the corresponding world events including a collapse of the housing market.

Collapse is bad, right?

Had the housing market not been manipulated and overleveraged, Pluto would still have transformed, but it wouldn’t have been traumatic or destructive. Transformation is dependent upon the underlying foundation. The foundation was cracked and could not survive the impact.

Is the digital foundation cracked?

We’ll soon know. Or do we know already?

Can we get past the generic information to find out?

Posted in Planets and signs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Astrology of Political Falling in Love

During the recent Democratic National convention, NPR roundtable correspondent David Brooks was commenting on the dynamics of the election as the Democratic party switched from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris as nominee. Prior to this new surge of energy, Brooks said the standard belief was:

“Republicans fall in love; Democrats fall in line.”

This election is changing the dynamics of “love” versus “line.” Several Republicans spoke at the Democratic convention (time to convert?) including Stephanie Grisham, former Press Secretary for Donald Trump during his presidency. From the PBS.org story:

Recounting her time as part of Trump’s administration, Grisham said she was more than a supporter, noting she spent holidays with the family.

But behind closed doors, she said, “He has no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth.” She noted she was the first senior staff member to resign during the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, and that she now supports Vice President Kamala Harris.

Reading that, my first thought was “duh!” It took four years to see the obvious?

That’s falling in love.

In love, we see the positive characteristics of the other and even some characteristics that aren’t there, but we imagine to be there. In politics as in personal life, friends and family will drop hints like, “Don’t you think your new love has some, you know, sociopathic characteristics?”

In the movie Office Space, the main character tells several of his friends that he thinks his girlfriend is cheating on him. Each time he says this, the character listening says something like “Yeah, I could see that.”

Falling in Love

Falling is not generally something we like to do, unless it’s into love. Falling into anything else is unpleasant. “The Fall” is even a religious event of losing purity and connection to the maker.

Astrologically love and pleasure are seen as functions of Venus which rules both Taurus and Libra. Libra is the purer Venus focused on partnership. Partnership is not always romance (ruled by Leo) or friendships (ruled by Aquarius) but often takes that form for Libra. While we all need others, Libra doesn’t function well without a partner, even on a walk to the store.

Leo, ruled by the sun, represents romance and children and self-expression. Leo is moon and June and poetry and all the stuff you see in romantic movies and novels. Leo doesn’t simply want to walk to the store with you. It wants the walk to be a shared emotional and spiritual adventure.

By horoscope house, Libra rules the 7th and Leo the 5th.

These are the conscious parts of love. Then there’s the falling part. Falling is involuntary, a reaction. Reactions, dear readers, are in the realm of the moon.

When we fall in love with regular folks or political candidates, are we in the realm of active sun and Venus or the reactive moon?

Our horoscopes contain many planets and signs, some with natural affinities and some with natural stress energies. For example, someone with sun and Venus in Libra would consciously identify with fairness, peace and shared pleasure. But if the moon were in, say, Aries, there would still be a reactive drive for competition, self-assertion and a spot at the front of the line.

In this example, would the more peaceful or more aggressive candidate be attractive?

Falling in Line

Falling in line, in contrast, is about duty and obligation. Astrologers know where this is going – Saturn. Saturn rules Capricorn and the 10th house of social consciousness, reputation, and public image – the very stuff of political life.

Saturn likes to follow the rules, gets its identity and sense of power from working within a system. Saturn like to be authority and to establish systems.

Office Space comes to mind again. Our main character is in deep depression from his soulless corporate job, life in a cubicle and multiple managers pointing out a single oversight (missing cover sheet on TPS Report for the uninitiated). After this, our character learns he must work the entire weekend.

When our main character goes into hypnosis but doesn’t come out, he moves from falling in line to falling in love, first by approaching a love interest in honest and vulnerable terms. He’s no longer following the rules and ironically achieves so much more than when he did.

Stephanie Grisham – in Line or in Love?

According to Wikipedia, Grisham was born July 23, 1976. Sun, Saturn, Mercury and Venus are all in the sign of Leo. This, of course, speaks to love.

Yet Saturn conjunct the sun speaks to “line” and following the rules, Leo rules.

Leo is a sign of natural confidence and exuberance, not needing external validation of self-worth. Saturn is the planet that creates limits on energy for the purpose of discipline and long-term learning. Combined the natural confidence is expressed as the “playbook” of leadership with less natural play and joy in the experience.

Falling in love with Trump for Grisham may simply be the attraction of someone appearing completely confident with no self-doubt or internal control, confidence gone wild. The confidence of the sociopath. External bravado with internal emptiness.

Grisham’s moon in Gemini is the same sign as Trump’s sun. Traditional astrologers looking at male/female partnerships with male dominance viewed the man’s sun in same sign as woman’s moon as a good partnership.

Grisham’s reactive, feminine, “nurturing” nature would support the man’s conscious desires. Gemini is a constantly changing sign which can confuse the more earthy or fixed signs. Grisham with moon in Gemini can follow as she’s not sure who she is at times and may fall into the mood and identity of others.

The life lesson for Grisham is both about falling in love and falling in line. While Saturn is a big heavy and no one likes having it on their sun, there’s a lesson about confidence. The confidence of the sociopath is destructive and is not associated with Leo qualities of love and joy.

The astrological significance is that confidence must be rebuilt from the foundations and be true confidence, not the “confidence” of wielding a big, powerful weapon against those that cannot fight back. Saturn keeps saying she “should” be confident. But having confidence doesn’t mean 100 percent of the time one is in charge and one can’t be afraid of bumps in the night.

With Mars in Virgo and moon in Gemini, Grisham is probably giving this a lot of thought – both signs overthink. There’s not much water in Grisham’s chart meaning she has trouble emotionally relating to others, another way to weed out the sociopaths from the joyfully confident among us. Water can feel the difference.

As transiting Pluto moves into Aquarius, Grisham will meet other powerful figures who are asking her to take one for the team. After falling in love, the challenges are now those of falling in line and the balance of the two motivations.

Posted in 2024 Presidential Election | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Ohio Astrology Answers Questions about Tim Walz

Since the announcement of Minnesota governor Tim Walz as Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate for Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris, letters have been flooding into Ohio Astrology wanting to know more about Walz.

Yes, yes, there is lots of news about Walz – the public relations stories, the political mudslinging, and pundit analyses. But what’s the real story?

That’s where astrology can help.

You can fool your doctor, your accountant, your boss and even the voting public. But you can’t fool your astrologer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: If I meet Walz at a campaign stop, should I shake his hand or give him a hug?

A: With Mars, sun and Jupiter in Aries and moon in either Capricorn or Aquarius, you should avoid the hugs as this isn’t a “warm and fuzzy” kind of personality. The handshake will most likely be one of those “shake ‘em hard and impress ‘em” kind where your fingers go numb and you wish you had just given a high five. It’s probably best to stand back and wave.

Q: Would Walz lend me $20 if I needed it?

A: With Mercury in Taurus, Walz might lend you $20 but would also provide a lot of practical information on what you should do with the $20. With Venus in Gemini, he might leave the room to go get his wallet and not return. But if he does return and lend you $20, he’ll also want to understand what new, innovative or productive venture will result from that $20 and if you can return $25. It might be best to borrow from someone else.

Q: If I plan to go somewhere with Walz, should I drive or should he drive?

A: No need to ask the question. He will drive because he has the better car and is the better driver – always. Leave extra time to stop for a speeding ticket.

Q: Who’s “wearing the pants” in this political relationship – Walz or Harris?

A:  This question is very 20th century – we are now in a genderless world where everyone wears pants and dresses per their preference (for those that are not Scottish, this is a new thing). As such, Harris with moon in Aries and Walz with Mars, sun and Jupiter in Aries will be putting one leg each inside a set of pants and then running off in different directions. Shared pants with a rip in the seam is how the pants present astrologically.

Q: What do you think Walz would do as Vice President?

A: As Jupiter has just moved to Gemini transiting Walz’ natal Venus in Gemini, Walz will probably have a great time socializing and making new friends. He’s social and likes extroverts – no bookworms for this guy. However, Venus in Gemini is square to natal Uranus/Pluto in Virgo and square to natal Saturn in Pisces so he may be viewed as spending too much time with some friends and neglecting other friends, like the friends who are stuck in the nursing home and not able to come to the neighborhood hangout and watch the game. He’s not comfortable embracing melancholy types even if that’s what his party promotes.

Q: What famous former president does Walz most resemble?

A: There have been only two Aries sun presidents – Thomas Jefferson and John Tyler. Both have a bit of extra fire in their horoscopes as does Walz. While Jefferson would be the nice sell for Walz, Tyler seems a bit more aligned with Saturn in Pisces and moon in Virgo. Walz’ moon is Aquarius or Capricorn which can be like Virgo being analytical (Aquarius) or practical (Capricorn).

Tyler was Vice President becoming president soon after the 1840 election due to President Harrison dying soon after the election. Tyler served one term. The past and present themes of president/vice president swapping are interesting. OHA will read up more on Tyler as high school is long gone and we didn’t learn much about Tyler anyway. From the state of political discourse, it appears high schools still don’t teach much about Tyler or any president.

Q: What’s Walz most likely to get in trouble for during the campaign?

A: Aries is quite impulsive so there can be many an outspoken comment and assertiveness that for some is unpleasant aggression – the “in your face” kind of feeling.

With Pluto transiting the late degrees of Capricorn and early degrees of Aquarius, Walz’ moon is getting direct hit from this small but powerful “planet.” The thing about Pluto is that it doesn’t allow any choice. Transiting one’s moon, the reactions are not easily controlled – everything you’ve stored below the mouth will come bubbling up.

When looking at the astrology of countries, the moon is “the populace.” The American people, dear readers, have moon in Aquarius and are under the influence of Pluto as natal Pluto is in 27 degrees of Capricorn and just “returned” to that position representing the destruction and transformation of our social, political and economic systems.

All candidates must deal with this larger cycle. For Walz, it ties directly to his moon sign and responses to these transformative times. He may try to exert too much control over will never be in his or any candidate’s control.

Posted in 2024 Presidential Election | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Five Astrological Tips for J. D. Vance

Ohio Astrology always helps where it can, free of charge, as a public service, for the good of humanity or at least the United States, or at least Ohio. Or maybe for the good of one or two insomniacs who read astrology blogs late at night.

It’s been quite a few years since an Ohioan has made charge for the presidency. There was a time, dear readers, when Ohio was the western reaches of the country, the California of its day without all the fads. Ohio proudly sent seven men to the White House.

It’s time again for Ohio to try for the reins of power as Ohio native J. D. Vance has been selected as the Vice-Presidential running mate for Republican Donald Trump.

By now many have probably reminded Vance that on January 6, 2021, a horde of angry Trump supporters wanted to lynch Vice President Pence for not overthrowing an election. Looking at the upcoming transits for Vance which include a bunch of Pluto squares, he might want to really, really think about this.

The advice below, of course, attempts to thwart the compulsive power and control associated with Pluto. But then again, politics is Pluto.

Five Astrological tips for J. D. Vance

Tip 1: Be Nice

Pluto transiting the last degrees of Capricorn (after popping into early Aquarius) squares natal moon/Pluto in Libra. Capricorn is the drive for success and social standing. Libra is the drive for partnerships. Balancing these two types of relationships is not easy for anyone. Pluto tends to take the path of “my way or the highway” for maximum control. Libra often sounds accommodating but with Pluto/moon in this sign, it’s not really.

After Pluto leaves Capricorn and moves into Aquarius for good, it will create squares to natal Saturn/Mars in Scorpio and sun/Mercury in Leo. The transit will be “in orb” or near enough to be felt about the time of the 2028 election.

In summary, enemies are powerful and will plan a response in the realms of Leo (pride, sense of self, happiness) and Scorpio (money, sex, taxes). The usual political stuff. Don’t get trapped feeling invincible. Pluto will course correct if you do.

Tip 2: Learn new languages

With Jupiter transiting Gemini this year opposite Uranus/Neptune in Sagittarius, it’s a good time to not only think and dream “foreign” but learn the language as Gemini rules communication. Don’t talk “about” foreigners from the lofty Sagittarian heights of philosophy (while having a brew and watching soccer). Talk “to” the foreigners. And I don’t mean hillbillies. I mean folks that really want to integrate into a society that’s breaking into shards of cultural glass.

Jupiter is transiting your running mate’s sun opposing his moon and your natal Uranus/Neptune in Sagittarius is conjunct his natal moon opposite his sun. The new language you may need to learn is simply that of your running mate. Your words will create reactions in him.

This tip is for enjoyment as well as political benefit. Someday these folks may be your best friends.

Tip 3: In trying situations ask yourself, “What would Mr. Rogers do?”

With Neptune transiting Pisces for the last 15 years, children’s TV icon Mr. Rogers has been the focus on both a documentary and feature film. In these trying times, we all need a little warmth and comfort from our religious and spiritual friends or double-Pisces Mr. Rogers. Neptune is now in the very last degrees of the sign.

Neptune in Pisces squares natal Neptune in the late degrees of Sagittarius. (Saturn in the mid degrees of Pisces isn’t quite square yet). My, so many squares during this political rise. Sagittarius like all the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, and Pisces are the others) can go on “a mission.”  Gemini to express; Virgo to help the unfortunate; Pisces to save the entire world. For Sagittarius, it’s mission with a purpose – to raise consciousness or some other mission no one understands with arcane concepts discussed during late drinking sessions while in college.

Keep in mind that spiritual missions often cross over to feelings. One man’s savior can to another feel like an oppressor, or common businessman.

Tip 4: Expect the Unexpected

Uranus will be moving into Gemini soon opposing natal Uranus in Sagittarius. This is more of the “learn a language” tip but be careful that you get the words correct, like with Spanish knowing the different between the word for year and the word for a private part that is behind us.

Unexpected is the name of the political game and in this Gemini – Sagittarius polarity it involves language, travel, foreigners, news, and lots of other fun adventuresome type things. But be careful about what you share. While running for president, telling dirty jokes in your new language will cause issues.

This transit can also cause accidents, mostly of the sprain the ankle type of accident but can involve lungs (losing voice, common in this activity) or thighs (tripping).

Tip 5: Remember life is a game and have some fun

With six of the ten astrological planets in fire (sun, Venus, Uranus, Neptune) and air (moon, Pluto), the recipient of such a horoscope ought to have a little fun in life as both elements are extroverted and socially minded. What’s the point of being a shining, happy, expressive Leo sun if you must hide in the cloak closet for fear of outshining your leading star or because an angry mob may not like your decisions and take the law into their own hands?

Great ways to enjoy being a Leo while under the pressure of a political campaign: watch fun movies and imagine yourself as the leading actor; continue to write your memoirs (and tell us what you said to your mother) with all that air/fire gift of storytelling; dance; sing; and most importantly, enjoy the company of happy beings which today are those that don’t watch the news – children, puppies and kittens.

And like a good fire sign, don’t take it all too seriously.

Posted in 2024 Presidential Election | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Watergate 2024: The Mayberry of Political Scandals

Folks choosing a feel-good movie after a long day may pick classics like The Sound of Music or The Lion King or a holiday classic like Miracle on 34th Street or a host of romantic comedies or Disney animated films.

During these tumultuous times, my feel-good movie is All the President’s Men. This 1976 classic details the investigative journalism that revealed the 1972 Watergate break-in and subsequent coverup that forced 36th US President Richard Nixon to resign in 1974.

For those lost in the multitude of political scandals that have happened since – “scandals” like much of life have accelerated in recent decades – Watergate is an industrial complex in Washington, DC that housed (and maybe still does, can’t tell) the National Democratic Headquarters.

As part of a general smear campaign against Democrats, on June 17, 1972, five men supporting the Republican party attempted to bug the National Democratic Headquarters and were caught. As they could be linked directly to the president and his “men” through a re-election campaign “slush fund” money trail, Nixon authorized a cover-up.

Two Washington Post journalists – Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein – worked obsessively to unravel the labyrinth of details and obstructions. Woodward has continued a journalistic career branding himself as the revealer of the secrets and behind-the-scenes machinations of the American political elite.

The Mayberry of Political Scandals

In 1974 Nixon resigned and many of the men involved in the Watergate cover-up were convicted of felonies, perjury and obstruction of justice. Many plead guilty. Many did time.

How quaint!

Today this seems like an episode of The Andy Griffith Show where Mayberry sheriff Andy Taylor is fair, wise, and eternally patient. Bad behavior is corrected through situational monitoring – his son Opie always learns by experience. And, of course, bad guys, when they appear, get their due justice.

Times have changed in America. We’ve moved from Mayberry to Constantinople, the capital city of the Byzantine Empire. Like Byzantine history, American politics changes every day, every minute. It’s always a wonder to me why people (men generally) jumped into the extremely dangerous role as Emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

Power is that alluring.

In today’s Byzantine political climate, what would happen if a Watergate-like break-in crime were to occur?

Watergate Today

Let’s look at the major elements of the Watergate scandal and see how they might play out today. Cultural shifts are represented by the outer planets of Uranus (sudden change, technology, awareness), Neptune (idealization, spirituality, escape, dissolution) and Pluto (destruction, transformation).

Slush fund

Then: In 1952 Nixon was accused of having a secret “slush fund,” or secret money used for campaigning. This led to his famous “Checkers” speech. During his presidency (elected 1968), Nixon continued to maintain a secret slush fund which was tied to the Watergate break-in. At that time it was not a legal practice.

Now: In 2010 the Supreme Court case Citizens United allowed “corporations and outside groups” to spend unlimited money on political campaigns. Slush funds are no longer needed as lots of money and campaigning can be done on one’s behalf with full immunity from moral malfeasance. Nixon today could have been like presidential candidate Mitt Romney in 2012 and simply say, “I don’t know who these people are who are doing these things on my behalf.” Easy-peasy.

What happened? Uranus and Neptune were both changing signs around 2010. Uranus went from Pisces which dissolves into Aries which asserts. Rather than dissolving the slush funds, Uranus made the nebulous nature of campaign funding an accepted practice. Neptune moved into the sign it rules – Pisces. Neptune idealized the secret funding of campaigns – Citizens United is doublespeak for Citizens InTheDark. Uranus in Aries made it sound like people were “united” in supporting unknown entities with large pockets contributing to election messaging.

Facts

Then: While politicians have always lied and hid information, there was still a standard in journalism to provide facts to support news. If the news said that a man walked into a room yesterday, it probably did happen. Of course, there were times when “facts” were nebulous, like whether one lone shooter actually assassinated John F. Kennedy. But we do know Kennedy died.

Now: Journalistic standards have not gone away, they’ve just been buried in a pile of junk news that is pushed to citizens every day, all day. The politicians would like us to disregard good journalism as it’s counter to their own narratives. Like food, Pop Tarts can be a much tastier snack than carrot sticks. Americans may be trying to eat healthier, but we don’t think healthier. That may be a trend for Pluto in Aquarius that has just begun.

What happened? Pluto entered Capricorn in 2008 destroying and transforming government. While many would like to see government “destroyed,” it’s simply transformed into a different power structure. Pluto is about power and coercion. Government still exists but is now run by elites and corporations through puppet figures. Uranus in Pisces provided understanding of the power of technology to manipulate and Neptune in Pisces is bringing us a society that has no foundation of understanding with which to collaborate.

Pay phones and camera-less parking garages

Then: Woodward had a source on “deep background” in the executive branch who in recent years has been identified as Mark Felt of the FBI. Felt provided bread crumb trails that helped the two journalists down the trail of the scandal. To hide Felt’s identity, Woodward used pay phones and met Felt late night in parking garages.

Now: Today, where would Woodward and Felt meet to have private conversations? I’d say “nowhere” but there are probably people doing this today and not explaining the how or why of it. And one can turn off a phone and its ability to trace, but then later we turn it back on so it’s evident we’re hiding. Cameras are everywhere so there’s path that won’t be on film at some point.

What happened? Pay phones went away when hand-held devices became more prevalent as Uranus moved into “me” Aries and Neptune into Pisces. Pay phones also use coins which are becoming less and less available. Camera-less parking garages? Cameras seemed to appear everywhere during Pluto in Sagittarius when foreigners (very Sagittarius) carried out a terrorist attack. Uranus in Aries brought all the things government does in this regard to the individual level. You too can put up a camera! My neighborhood site had a posting recently about someone running through a person’s backyard. Today, everything needs to be in Pluto-in-Capricorn control and order. There was a time kids running through backyards did not cause great fear. Our homes were not fortresses.

Telephone books

Then: In one scene we see Woodward trying to find a person in all the phone books that are available on the phonebook shelf. Oh my, I think, wouldn’t it be so much better if there was an Internet where he could just find someone?

Now: Today the information is more easily accessible but also can have a cost. Phonebooks were provided to every household for free when landlines were prevalent. But the company providing them was a monopoly, so the cost was embedded in the service. Technology provides numerous points of contact with which to “monetize” an interaction so it probably costs more to gain the same information, although must faster.

What happened? Technology is still the big story as Uranus and Neptune had traveled through Aquarius bringing us our hand-held devices. The “monetize” part of the story is pure Pluto in Capricorn. Capricorn’s keyword is “I use” and nothing in the world, no interaction, should go unpaid. Neptune in Pisces has added the glamor of this monetization process where the Average Joe and Jane now dream of a Social Media Stardom.

Bugging

Then: Listening in on others’ conversations was called “eavesdropping” and considered a bad behavior and a crime. (For the visual, there was something called a “Peeping Tom” describing men who looked in windows at other people doing stuff).

Now: Pluto at the end of Sagittarius when some violent religious activities took place led the government to diminish civil rights and allowed more surveillance. It’s the old program of changing things when folks are in a fear state

What happened? Smartphones are “smart” not just for the consumer but for any “smart” entity that wants to get in and listen. Folks are more aware now that anything said on the phone (or text) is recorded somewhere as we see the results come back to us in social media feeds. Don’t believe? Give it a try but be careful. As with cameras, this is pure Pluto in Capricorn using, controlling and monetizing.

Watergate Lessons

What are the lessons of Watergate?

For the voting public, it was proof of the lies, misdemeanors and felonies committed by politicians. It was a big deal in 1972. Today, an ex-president being charged with rape doesn’t raise an eyebrow. The voting public went into acceptance. Technology assisted by providing so much stimulation, that distraction is a new norm. And even if one wanted to trace the lies and malfeasance created by politicians, there would not be enough time in a day.

For politicians, the lesson was “don’t get caught again.” The best way not to get caught is to change the rules. And the best time to change the rules is when folks aren’t looking because they are busy with something that is super interesting (like 24/7 feeds of entertainment) or something that is super scary (terrorist attack, spreading illness).

There would be no “Watergate” today because there would be no acknowledged crime; the information war about the crime has become the news.

Posted in Planets and signs, Politicians - Not Ohio, Politicians - Republican Presidential Candidates | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hunter Biden for President!

This week President Biden’s son Hunter was convicted of three felonies related to gun purchases. Based on current trends in American politics, this makes him the perfect presidential candidate and a perfect replacement for his aging father: he’s young, vibrant, a gun owner, a drug user and now a felon.

Awesome! He has the perfect resume for “rebel-in-chief” – an American “culture code” studied by Clotaire Rapaille – and appears healthy enough to last four to eight years.

What astrological characteristics can Hunter Biden leverage for his campaign?

Hunter Biden Horoscope

Astrotheme provides a time of birth for Biden so I’ll go ahead and use that although it can’t be verified.

Born February 4, Biden is Aquarius sun and Venus with moon and Mercury in Capricorn. We’ll stop here for a minute. Four of the ten celestial bodies in the horoscope in Capricorn and Aquarius makes one what used to be called a “cold fish.”

Affection does not come easily to either sign. Share ideas, talk about daily life, explore opportunities for success, share information about the stuff you have or plan to buy but don’t talk about feelings. Conversation is best that expresses feelings the least.

As with all energies, there is polarity or the continuum of the energy. This makes every energy both an asset and liability, a blessing and a curse. For this Capricorn/Aquarius combination, the liability is in personal relationships where feeling is difficult to express.

The asset is that it’s perfect for what are considered difficult situations like rounding up the family and organizing a funeral after the death of a loved one. More emotional types might feel paralyzed after the loss of a loved one unable to act. Capricorn moon can control its feelings and move forward with duty and obligation.

It’s also good for business where the profit motive overrides other concerns and tough decisions are made that affect others’ lives.

So why is such a personality drawn to drug use as Biden has apparently been?

Drugs are different things to different people – and there are many different types of drugs – but for this type of personality drugs can help overcome natural reserve and melancholy. The drug Biden is accused of using is cocaine which provides energy and confidence.

Does Biden lack confidence?

Let’s move to Biden’s natal Mars in Aries. Mars is where we assert ourselves and it loves being in Aries since that’s what it rules. Biden is naturally assertive, that’s good. But Aries is square to Capricorn which creates the feeling of constant frustration with a world that doesn’t move fast enough. I’m guessing there are a lot of speeding tickets in Biden’s file cabinet.

Mars in Aries combined with the Capricorn / Aquarius energy adds to the “asset” side of non-feeling with the ability to do things like lead others in war where you can’t apply feeling, empathy or compassion otherwise you can’t do the job.

The liability side is that others think you are self-centered and do not care about anyone.

Natal Uranus in Libra opposes the Mars in Aries so there are constant challenges of Libra relationship against Aries self-interest. What’s occurring to Biden this week is exactly that. If he wasn’t the president’s son, but, say the son of a rich but relatively unknown real estate developer, this charge could have been avoided through money and influence.

But he is the president’s son so Uranus has come knocking (as it does for the common man as well).

Let’s move on to Biden’s natal Jupiter in Scorpio opposition to Saturn in Taurus. Today transiting Pluto is in Aquarius squaring this opposition making what’s called a T-square. Squares create tension. If Biden isn’t tense right now, then the feeling function has been snuffed out entirely.

With Capricorn moon and Aquarius sun, Pluto’s transit through Capricorn and now Aquarius means that Biden can’t escape Pluto transformation (and destruction). Pluto can’t be ignored. It’s already passed his moon bringing issues of emotional restraint to the surface and now will begin approaching his sun. Pluto is currently tucked between natal moon and natal sun. It’s a shadow over both, looming and threatening to take over.

But it hasn’t . . . yet.

The natal Jupiter-Saturn opposition involves the Scorpio-Taurus axis which is body, money and tangible items and in opposition involves lessons on sharing, self-esteem, intimacy and body image. In women I see “good girl/bad girl” issues here where natural sensuality creates feelings of guilt and fear of becoming a social outcast.

In men? Men need to tell me as society has been more accepting of male promiscuity than female promiscuity. But maybe inside they feel guilty and dirty as well. Women can feel like “whores” or “sluts.” Not sure if men have an equivalent inside image.

Upcoming Uranus and Neptune transits

The upcoming transits of Uranus moving into Gemini and Neptune moving into Aries in 2025 are positive transitions for Biden.

If the Astrotheme horoscope is correct, Uranus in the last degrees of Taurus and all of Gemini is a 12th house transit for Biden. The 12th or last house of the horoscope represents our subconscious or what is hidden not just from others but from ourselves. For Biden, it will lend sudden, intuitive insights into what lessons are being learned in this life.

Neptune in Aries will enhance natal Mars in Aries. Neptune in Aries will glorify and idealize things Aries: self, assertion, motivation, action, warriorship and possibly war itself.

For Biden, this may very well be a great time to run for president. These Aries “missteps” of today may very well become Aries ideals of the next 15 years.

It’s possible in future years we’ll see more Biden-Trump presidential competition with different, younger, second- and third-generation Bidens and Trumps.

Posted in 2024 Presidential Election | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

29 Degrees of Pisces

If I were a journalist writing about astrology for a cheesy tabloid and developing a sensational headline to sell thousands of copies, it would read “Neptune in 29 Degrees of Pisces is planning to swallow up your reality any minute. Hang on!”

But I’m not that kind of astrologer.

And what’s a cheesy tabloid? If you were just out of the birth canal and your momma’s first interaction with you was to take a picture of you for social media, you won’t know what a cheesy tabloid is (was). It was printed on paper and contained the crazy news of UFO sightings and famous women without makeup and genetically modified creatures and presidents paying off hookers and the first announcement of celebrity divorces and secret government plots.

Today that’s the regular news.

Then no one believed a word of it. Today we believe it all.

How do we know what’s true?

29 Degrees

In the 360 degrees of the zodiac, Aries is the first sign and Pisces the last sign. Each of the 12 signs spans 30 degrees from 0 degrees to 29 degrees (and 59 minutes and 59 seconds) when it then goes into the next sign.

At 0 degrees, the energy is “new” and folks with lots of planets in early degrees are like travelers to a new country, open to experience with a bit of naivety not understanding that you don’t eat cut fruit from the roadside stand.

With planets at later degrees, including the 29th degree, one has been around the block, seen a few rodeos, lived a bunch of lifetimes including some as monks in caves. Sometimes we call these folks “old souls.” They sometimes hide away, weary of life on earth.

29 Degrees of Pisces

Neptune, the planet that rules Pisces, has been in traveling through this sign for the last 15 years. It’s now in the 29th degree of Pisces and next year in 2025 will move into Aries.

What’s Neptune about?

Today I’ll quote Astrograph which has a succinct description:

Both God of the sea and the ruler of Pisces, Neptune finds exaltation in Cancer. Neptune, associated with universal love, is said to be the higher octave of Venus, which rules individual love. Neptune represents the universal ocean of oneness with all beings. Therefore, Neptune is highly compassionate, idealistic, and imaginative. It is considered a planet of inspiration, dreams, and psychic receptivity. Neptune rules spirituality, and all things subtle. The more negative manifestations of Neptune include deception, trickery, deceit, guilt, and addiction associated with drugs, alcohol, or even media and fantasy. Its position in a person’s chart would indicate where there may be confusion or illusion, and also great creativity in the poetic and musical fields.

The big earth news from the last 15 years is the rise of technology in daily life. At the end of this cycle, we now are told that we don’t even have to think, that it will be done for us. Yet at the same time we spent 15 years feeding the think tank.

Did we give our souls away?

Slot machines provide emotional stimulation by providing highs (thoughts and potential of winning) and lows (reality of loss and no money to continue) in a constant cycle of manic depression.

Social media can do the same.

Neptune and Pisces do not have strong emotional boundaries so often take on others’ energies or become a savior or scapegoat in others’ eyes.

While being a scapegoat is horrific, being a savior also creates unrealistic burdens which is why cult leaders get so destructive: the daily grind isn’t what a savior should be doing.

Scrabble

Since Neptune has been in Pisces there has been a lot more debate about what’s “real.” While news has always been questioned (and questionable) by those who consume it, today there’s no common agreement about the most basic of elements of 3D-reality.

Neptune is dissolving our shared agreements.

Which brings me to Scrabble, the great word game of tiled letters that scores points as you form your words against others’ words.

Many years ago I played Scrabble with the “word freaks” who have special Scrabble dictionaries which include “oe” or wind in the Faroe Islands, a word not at that time in the official dictionary. Since that time more and more word variations have made it into online dictionaries – language always changes so it makes sense.

Yet playing with a super competitive friend, I discovered that every utterance has made it into the online dictionaries. While that provides more options for the game, it has started to feel like any and every word was acceptable.

What’s the point of playing a game without constraints? There’s nothing to perform against.

If every word is valid, then no word is “unreal,” and our shared Scrabble reality – like other shared realities – has been dissolved in the tidal wave of Neptune in Pisces.

Related blogs

Neptune Spirits

Mutable signs dissolving in a glass of Neptune

Neptune the Metaphysical Fourth Dimension

The Green Generation Smokes Neptune in Pisces

History Continues Itself – The Opium Wars

Posted in Planets and signs | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jupiter in Gemini: Liver and Lungs

Rich in symbolism, astrology applies to the spheres of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual existence. The physical symbolism includes understanding of the body which contains illness but is not limited to illness. Astrology describes the relation between physical and mental/emotional/spiritual. In literature the heavy person was jolly – that’s Jupiter and Sagittarius. The thin, wizened taciturn character was mean or severe – that’s Saturn and Capricorn.

The body like the spiritual life can be ignored until something bad comes along then we want to eat healthy and perform spiritual practices. Like financial planning for retirement, the care of body and soul are best started when young.

Not a medical professional, I steer away from the health aspect of astrology. Yet the spiritual community and increasingly the traditional medical community are aware of the relationship between our mental, emotional and spiritual state and our physical state. Western medicine sees the relation between lack of social connection and ill health but not the lack of spiritual connection. It’s still a gap.

Spiritual health focuses on internal solutions and the physical health focuses on external solutions. Internal solutions are long and tedious but may be longer lasting. External solutions create immediate benefits but may not be long lasting and/or create dependencies and side effects.

Hypochondria, I believe, a Virgo trait that comes from overthinking. Hypochondriacs get ill, just like anyone else, but may have greater notice and response to the small ailments that more optimistic and jovial signs ignore. Lots of people ignore physical signs until it’s too late to cure or improve. Not Virgo.

Jupiter and Gemini

Jupiter just moved from earth sign Taurus to air sign Gemini on May 26.

The planet Jupiter rules the liver, the organ that processes toxins in the body. A naturopath once told me the liver rules “one thousand things” in the body. Listening to a Chinese acupuncturist recently, she described systems that might be called “liver” or “heart” but do not relate solely to that specific organ. Finding an abstract on The pan-liver network theory: From traditional Chinese medicine to Western medicine the liver is described as “the ‘general organ’ that is responsible for governing/maintaining the free flow of qi over the entire body and storing blood.”

Qi is the universal life force, a concept we don’t have in the West unless you’re a fan of Star Wars (“follow the force Luke”). Terms from other countries are prana (India) and ki (Japan – i.e., reiki).

Gemini as sign of the twins rules some “twin” body parts like the lungs and the nervous system (sympathetic and parasympathetic). Ruled by Mercury, Gemini is the sign of communication, learning, siblings, local environment and mental stimulation.

Jupiter moves quickly going through a sign in about a year – it represents things you remember at the end of the year as we celebrate a new year and reflect on the old. Yet what we’re seeing with Jupiter (and Saturn too) is that they transit a sign before the outer planets which a year or two later then move into those same signs. Jupiter and Saturn are like bridges into the large energy shifts that are occurring.

In a little over a year, Uranus will start moving into Gemini as Jupiter starts to move into Cancer. Pluto will be in air-sign Aquarius (and staying there) so that two of the outer planets are in air. Neptune will have moved into fire-sign Aries which trines the air signs.

In other words, the pandemic is over. Memories appear short in these times when we process more information in a day than our ancestors did in  . . .  a decade? A lifetime?

Healthwise the effects of those years reside in our livers and lungs. Liver – toxins physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Toxins in the liver create anger and in this small city on the globe, post pandemic there has been much flaunting of the rules if not the law (street racing, ignoring red lights, etc.).

On lungs, respiratory illnesses spread easily between the social human via kisses and hugs as well as speaking, sneezing and sharing food. As kids get the most kisses and hugs, it’s no wonder they are the spreaders of illness at daycare. And if you’ve ever been sober talking to someone drunk or paid extra to sit close to the stage on Broadway, you’ll notice a lot of spit.

During the pandemic, the outer planets were in earth (Pluto in Capricorn and Uranus in Taurus) and water (Neptune in Pisces). Earth and water are trine, they get along.

Now the energy is moving to the opposite – air (Pluto in Aquarius, Uranus in Gemini) and fire (Neptune in Aries) which are trine. Earth and water are introverted; air and fire are extroverted. The street racing has just begun.

La Vie Boheme

In the mid 1860s when Uranus was in Taurus and then Gemini, the lung illness tuberculosis was an epidemic. In the opera La Boheme (“the bohemians”) depicting that era we see the artistic life of painters, poets, musicians and philosophers. Creative existence is challenged by the realities of poverty and illness (tuberculosis) – air/fire vs earth/water. (The opera was adapted into the very popular Broadway play Rent and the song La Vie Boheme.)

Earth and water are most likely to pay the bills and stick to the family concerns for fear of loss of physical and emotional security.

Air and fire, in contrast, are less rooted in security and practical matters and follow ideas and dreams. They appear more faddish although in our social media age what were called fads are now common occurrences. Like air and fire, fads move and pass very quickly now. Who can even remember when kids were dumping buckets of ice on their heads? What was that popular diet everyone was on?

The movement from earth/water to air/fire can bring a new La Vie Boheme for a populace that has been taxed by too much earth fear and water heavy emotion.

And the pendulum swings.

Posted in Planets and signs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment