Explaining Retroactive Retirement to Your Cat

Posted on July 16, 2012 by ohioastrology

I often wonder what my cat, Lacy, does in the long hours I’m away at work. Today I had a clue. The minute I walked in the door she purred:

“What’s retroactive retirement?”

Clearly she had been reading the newspaper.

In case you haven’t been keeping up with the news like my cat has, “retroactive retirement” is what the Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney’s team is using to describe his exit from Bain Capital. He left, they say, in 1999 to run the Olympics committee and never came back thereby “retiring retroactively” in 1999.

President Barack Obama’s campaign is claiming Romney worked at Bain in 2002 and outsourced jobs.

How do you explain this to your cat?

Explaining Retroactive Retirement

I cut to the chase. “The campaigns are just trying to find some big ‘issue’ to use for the rest of the campaign. It seems kind of lame to me, but that’s how it goes.”

“You said that Mars in Libra would make them nice,” Lacy reminded me.

“Yes, I got that wrong,” I admitted. “I’ve probably given astrologers across the world a bad reputation,” I added. “But economists are wrong all the time and they still get respect.”

“So Mars in Libra has made them mean?” she asked, ever the astrology student.

“I forgot that Mars in Libra would create a T-square with Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn. I know they’re fighting, but it all seems kind of lame to me. I think James Carville and Karl Rove are on vacation. If this is the best they can come up with, it’s going to be one urine-filled campaign.”

“But the Washington Post reports that the Bain charge is sticking,” Lacy retorted.

“The Washington Post needs news like you need cat nip. It’s all they have. What else are they going to write about?”

Thinking about it I added, “Maybe the ‘demands for apology’ from Romney are the Mars in Libra manifestation. Pretending to be innocent and offended is very Libra. Libra is nothing if not mannered.”

“You don’t think Romney is truly offended?” Lacy asked.

“I bet he is,” I answered. “He’s got sun in Pisces and moon in Scorpio, both highly sensitive. The Obama campaign has followed up the Bain Capital charge with an entreaty for Romney to ‘stop whining.’ Someone in that campaign has read up about sensitive Pisces.”

“Maybe the charges aren’t so lame, then,” Lacy meowed. “Maybe they are setting up the strong Leo against the weak Pisces.”

“You’re too cynical for me,” Lacy. “I’d like to retroactively end this conversation. Tomorrow, no Washington Post for you. Be a cat and sleep through the election.”

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What Sign of the Zodiac is Coffee?

Posted on July 15, 2012 by ohioastrology

Today I rode my bike to meet a friend for breakfast. At the fancy restaurant, I had two cups of rather strong coffee. I’m normally a tea drinker.

My ride home was much faster.

As I passed some walkers a biker speeding in the opposite direction gave a nasty response and I almost swore at him.

That was the coffee trying to talk. I’ve learned to keep the coffee inside.

This is why I limit my coffee intake.

As I continued my ride I considered morning rush hour and had the image of masses of people, pumped on aggression-fueling coffee, controlling 4,000 pounds of steel each.

Is there really road rage or is it simply coffee rage?

What sign is coffee?

Coffee may not produce rage but it certainly can be said to provide energy, although of the nervous, edgy sort.

What sign is energy?

The planet that rules assertive, directed energy is Mars.

Mars is also the God of War, in case you haven’t been keeping up on your pantheon of gods.

Coffee, to me, is an injection of Mars into the horoscope.

Mars is ruled by Aries. So I’ll brand coffee an Aries.

Mars

If we didn’t have Mars in our charts, we might not get out of our comfy beds. Mars gets us to move forward, to press on, to compete, to succeed.

Mars, like all planets, is in a particular sign in your chart. And it aspects the other planets in a unique way based on your time of birth.

So if you have a nice Mars in Aries trine sun in Leo, you are open and assertive, sometimes forceful, but never shy about communicating your needs.

If your Mars is in Cancer and square your sun in Libra, then you will still try to get what you need (which in Cancer, is comfort) but will do it in a subtle, manipulative way.

For example, Mars in Aries will say, “I’m not going outside, it’s too cold.”

Mars in Cancer, on the other hand, might say, “I’d love to go outside, but I know that it will irritate your sinuses so I will stay inside with you. It’s really best you stay inside.”

Coffee seems to active the Mars in our charts.

Drive to work

Thinking about the drive to work as a drive through an enemy territory faced with coffee-fueled hostile combatants is one of those images I have to toss aside. It’s kind of like realizing that the earth is careening through space and could hit an object at any time.

You just can’t think about it.

Maybe there is no “road” rage but coffee and caffeinated drink rage.

You rarely hear about an accident being caused by someone drinking chamomile, now do you?

Speaking of chamomile, I’d better go make a cup or I’ll never get to sleep tonight. Two cups of coffee takes a long time to wear off.

Posted in The most . . . sign of the zodiac | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Fight Against Abundance

Posted on July 15, 2012 by ohioastrology

We’ve heard the phrases “fight against poverty” and “fight against hunger.” Often our fight is to help those with not enough have enough or those with less have more.

While the US has both poverty and hunger, often Americans are fighting the opposite – abundance.

What percent of your friends and family are currently trying to lose weight or constantly watch their weight?

Rather than not enough food, many of us have too much food (which doesn’t necessarily mean, I hear, that we have adequate nutrition).

Our banks have gained weight as well.

In this article “U.S. Banks Too Big to Get Bigger?” there is a quote from Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher on the large size of US banks:

“Perhaps the financial equivalent of irreversible lap-band or gastric bypass surgery is the only way to treat the pathology of financial obesity, contain the relentless expansion of these banks, and downsize them to manageable proportions,” he said.

Fischer calls the mega banking system “financial obesity.”

Why isn’t abundance always a good thing?

Abundance versus Scarcity

Abundance, according to Dictionary.com is “an extremely plentiful or oversufficient quantity or supply.” The opposite of abundance is scarcity which is “insufficiency or shortness of supply.”

The planet in astrology associated with abundance is Jupiter. The planet associated with scarcity is Saturn.

We all want abundance and none of us wants scarcity, right?

At an AFA convention back in 1992, I saw astrologer Jan Snodgrass who explained to the class that Jupiter isn’t a simple benefic planet. What Jupiter does, she explained, is “expands what it finds.”

While all of us would love an expansion of money, few of us want an expansion of the waistline. Expansion like all energies is neutral it’s what it “finds” that can be the problem.

One common chart of the US has a Sagittarius rising. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter. If you meet a person with a Sagittarius rising, that person may be corpulent because Sagittarius is about abundance and exuberance and is clinically unable to say “no” to an additional goodie (a goodie being anything from a slice of cake to a bottle of wine to an extra quarter in the slot machine).

Scarcity, on the other hand, is generally seen as bad but a scarcity of termites and rodents in your basement is a good thing. Restriction and limitation, ruled by Saturn, are also neutral qualities.

A ballet dance needs to restrict certain foods to have a lean body for optimal performance. Saturn, then, provides discipline.

Saturn gone bad becomes a person who allows him/herself no pleasure and fears being “bad” for having an extra slice of pie. Saturn gone extreme is controlling and rather than restricting diet for optimal performance, in the case of the ballet dancer, the person may restrict food to be “perfect” and threaten the health of the physical body by shedding too much weight.

Jupiter (abundance) and Saturn (restriction) are energies needed at different times and at different places. Balance is the key.

As I get older I see balance as the key to all energies. To me, the US is a dualistic society that constantly splits the world in half and forces us to take sides. So we become Jupiter or Saturn (and a host of other dualities).

Pluto in Sagittarius and Capricorn

Pluto transited Sagittarius from the mid-1990s until 2008. Remember that time? The roaring 1990s of dot.coms, sign-on bonuses, escalating house values and ping pong at work?

Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter. The transit of Jupiter brought financial and physical expansion. The Center for Disease Control writes:

“During the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States and rates remain high.”

Pluto entered Capricorn in 2008. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn. Remember anything that occurred about that time? Like maybe a housing crisis?

Our house values “lost weight.” I’m guessing that Americans will also be slimmer by the time Pluto enters Aquarius in 2023.

I’m guessing that by 2023 our banks will also be slimmer. They got huge during Pluto in Sagittarius and will probably slim down during Pluto in Capricorn.

After abundance and scarcity cycles

If Pluto is creating the abundance / scarcity extremes, we can look to its next stop to see where this leads.

After Capricorn comes Aquarius, the fixed air sign ruling ideals and humanitarian goals. I’m expecting a more deliberately egalitarian financial system when Pluto moves into Aquarius.

I’m wondering if we will have more sharing of property and financial systems.

Aquarius is a fixed sign, so there is a rigidity to belief. The downside of brotherhood is that if you don’t consider me a brother, I’m banished.

While Aquarius relates to individuality, it can also devolve into tribalism. We may see more shared assets in groups, but dueling groups.

Pluto in Capricorn may be a good time to start a small bank. And maybe you can do something crazy – like only lend money on actual deposits. You won’t be as huge as J.P. Morgan Chase, but you will be solvent.

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Mohamed Morsi – The Human Firecracker

Posted on July 14, 2012 by ohioastrology

Mohamed Morsi, the new President of Egypt, has sun conjunct Pluto in Leo, Mars in Leo and Jupiter conjunct moon in Aries.

What does Morsi have in abundance?

Fire and energy.

What does Morsi lack completely?

Self-control.

The good news to me is that no matter what role exists in this world, there is someone to fill it. Some of us shake in fear at the idea of ruling a country that is still highly explosive emotionally and politically. We (water and earth signs) are hiding under the bed during the uprisings.

The air signs join in and send newspaper stories and blogs.

The fire signs say, “How can I lead this?”

The Jupiter / moon conjunction is opposed by Neptune in Libra which says, “Do it for your partner.”

Neptune adds idealism to the Aries aggressive pursuit of the goal.

Delusion is high in this chart.

Delusion, again, can be a good thing when you want to do something extraordinary. I find confidence and delusion to be close cousins.

An ideal or goal drives us forward and if we don’t truly believe in it, we couldn’t take a step. That’s why earth is so slow to move. Earth puts its foot down only as long as it can see where it will step.

Fire, if you’ve watched it lately, doesn’t have boundaries and moves rapidly and unpredictably.

If you need a fire to watch there is one in Colorado and a train derailment in Columbus, Ohio. The train fire is out at this time, but you can check out the pictures.

Some astrologers look to the current Pluto (in Capricorn) and Uranus (in Aries) square as the extreme friction that is creating these fiery situations.

Speaking of this nasty square, Uranus (in Aries) will conjunct Morsi’s Jupiter/moon conjunction at the end of 2013. Morsi will be a very lit firecracker. Whatever will be occurring at that time, Morsi is not a man to go down without a fight.

In fact, Aries and Leo look for a fight, enjoy the energy of competition and combat. That’s good if you are attacked but somewhat of a problem if you are seeking peace.

As Saturn enters Scorpio at the beginning of October, it will begin squaring Morsi’s abundant Leo energy. It’s going to be a rough two years.

Morsi wants to keep a flame alive and Scorpio wants to play in the mud. Not good bedfellows.

But who said politics was easy?

If you rule after a revolt, you need to manage the capricious energy. If you have a bunch of Leo and Aries in your chart you probably don’t want that exciting energy to end which can be a problem in itself.

Ohio Astrology has a suggestion to Morsi on the financial sphere. There’s another man in the news who was born just a month before Morsi – former Barclays Chief Executive Robert Diamond.

Diamond is probably looking for work right now. His Leo sun will get along with Leo sun Morsi. Diamond may have moon in Taurus which would probably stability and perseverance.

There’s a Chinese quote I can’t find in the cyber sphere right now but goes something like this. “If you are fated to meet someone, you can find each other from 10,000 miles away. But if you aren’t fated to meet someone, you could be standing back to back and not see each other.”

A man like Morsi with too much fire in the chart should seek stable, earth-sign folks to implement the huge, ostentatious Leoine ideas.

We all need balance in some way. If we don’t achieve balance, the world often provides external controls. Hopefully Morsi will find his own controls.

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Diamonds are Not Forever

Posted on July 10, 2012 by ohioastrology

The former chief executive of Barclays, the bank accused of Libor rate fixing, is named Robert Diamond. The CEO of J.P. Morgan Chase is Jamie Dimon, which sounds a lot like Diamond.

How did I not notice this sooner?

Diamonds are not trump in this game of banks.

Astrologers around the world are discussing the exact square aspect of Uranus (in Aries) and Pluto (in Capricorn). The two planets will be in square signs for several years and will make exact aspects several times (the most recent on June 24). With sun in Cancer, a T-square is roaming the skies causing friction in cardinal areas of life.

Aries is personal self (and identity), Cancer is emotional self (and family) and Capricorn is social self (and career). The last cardinal sign is Libra which is the partnering self (relationships). The last couple years of breakups were part of the cardinal square fun (with Saturn in Libra).

Cardinal signs don’t come into your house and rearrange the furniture to be mean. They are helping fixed signs (slow to move) and mutable signs (too distracted) on a path of continuous improvement.

The continuous improvement people in your life will drive you nuts.

Remember that as Pluto in Capricorn destroys the banking and housing industry. It’s trying to make them better. Pluto is walking into Earth House and cleaning the file cabinets and tossing food from the fridge and balancing the checkbook and making sure that you listen to your father.

Robert Diamond

Diamond is a sun in Leo and moon in Taurus or Gemini. Leo sun and Taurus moon is extremely forceful, proud and stubborn as they are both fixed signs. Mountaineer Joe Simpson has this combination and it helped him crawl down a mountain without food and water but with a broken leg.

Leo and Taurus are proud perseverance. Both are also loyal in the extreme, Leo to personal hero qualities and Taurus to duty.

Diamond’s underlings don’t need to worry that he will sell them upstream. Unless, of course, moon is in Gemini then they might want to find new jobs very, very soon.

Mars just left the sign of Virgo and is now in Libra. When in Virgo it was conjunct Diamond’s Saturn in Virgo. He was probably a suit full of nerves during that time but will feel more relaxed as Mars enters Libra and conjuncts his “make love not war” Neptune in Libra. I see some kicking back in his future. There’s probably a beer on his end table right now.

Pluto in Capricorn square Uranus in Aries does affect Diamond’s chart. Diamond has natal Mars and Uranus conjunct in Cancer. Right now family is highly supportive; in a few years, maybe not so much.

Mid-2014 is when the Pluto-Uranus square will really put the cardinal force into Diamond’s chart. Diamond already has a nice cardinal T-square with Mars/Uranus in Cancer, Neptune in Libra and Jupiter in Aries. Pluto transiting Capricorn will add the non-natal element and cause destructive tension.

If Diamond faces charges/penalties for his recent actives as head of Barclays, the results will probably occur around 2014. That’s when Diamond must pay the piper, if at all.

Any non-family members in his life playing a family role will also cause difficulties.

If Diamond has moon in Taurus, then he probably has a wad of cash stuffed away somewhere. Maybe that will be the focus of the inquiry?

Jupiter just transited Taurus so last year the bank account grew. With Jupiter in Gemini some of that money may go to charity (trine Neptune in Libra), voluntarily or through coersion.

Jamie Dimon

I’ve already blogged a couple times on J.P. Morgan Chase’s Dimon. Dimon is also in the news for some trading losses and other practices over at his bank.

We’re all experiencing a little heat with these crazy aspects, but we don’t all run banks. This is a good time to have compassion for people who experience the same problems we do but on a huge scale and with responsibility for others.

This is also a good time to clear the pipes of power and help those at the top understand that their decisions cost people roofs over their heads and food on the table and such.

With sun in Pisces, I have some hope for Dimon’s ability to truly feel what others feel. However, Pisces can also get lost in the fog and pick up all the elements of the environment.

The Banking of Tomorrow

As Pluto crawls through Capricorn, banking will change. The sign after Capricorn is Aquarius, the sign of brotherhood.

I’m not a visionary of banking or anything else but I’ll use astrological symbolism to guess where banking is headed.

If we move from Capricorn power to Aquarian equality, banks might be owned by people in a different way than through the stock market. Maybe an employee-owned bank? Or depositor-owned bank?

Uranus will be in Taurus-Cancer when Pluto crawls through Aquarius. Possibly folks will save money in some sort of family/group unit rather than through systems of people that they don’t know.

But that’s ten years down the road. Who knows, maybe someone will at least write a song “Banking in the Age of Aquarius.”

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Mars in Libra for Obama and Romney

Posted on July 9, 2012 by ohioastrology

Yesterday I did something I haven’t done for several months – I read a book. An avid reader since childhood, reading to me is like breathing. Not reading for several months is almost as bad as not bathing, or not eating.

This weekend I found myself at a place where I didn’t have to work especially hard.

Now where did that come from?

Mars entered Libra on July 4. Whew! Morrissey has a song “Everyday is like Sunday.” When Mars was in Virgo, it was “Everday is like Monday” — Monday meaning a work day.

Mars in Virgo was squaring the Venus in Gemini (which is still in Gemini). Work had some fun, but the accounting had to be done. I meant to blog a bit on Venus in Gemini, but I was just too darn busy and forgot. Writing about it now is like going to a party after everyone is already drunk.

Mars in Libra, by contrast, brings a little lazy to our lives. After Virgo, lazy is medicine. (Maybe if Virgo calmed down, it wouldn’t need so much medicine).

I bet the sun in Virgos need a little lazy even more than the rest of us as they had a double dose of Virgo with Mars conjunct the sun.

Mars in Libra

How does Mars in Libra manifest?

Mars is Libra is in its detriment. That means that Mars doesn’t really like being in Libra.

Why is that?

Mars, if you’ve seen the glyph lately, is a circle with an arrow pointing out. It’s the glyph for male and looks like the male parts that make babies.

In astrology, it’s the same expression – outward focused assertive energy. And why is that a problem in Libra?

Libra, if you recall, is the scales. Scales have two sides which go up and down as the other side receives weight. Forward directed energy into an object with two sides means the energy is no longer focused. The beam is now split into two.

Mars in Libra, and Libra itself, can be confused. Mars in Libra wants to assert and wants peace which are not always compatible. Mars in Libra goes back and forth on the scales constantly.

On the pleasant side, Mars in Libra is soothing. On a winter night, it is a plush couch (brand name) in front of a warm fire with a glass of wine (expensive) and slices of fancy cheese (imported, non-pasteurized) on the table.

How will this placement manifest for the presidential candidates?

Presidential Candidates

Mars will be in Libra for a regular one-month transit. Mars’ never-ending transit through Virgo occurred because Mars went retrograde.

I’d scold Mars for that long stay in Virgo, if I could, but with Mars in Libra, I don’t care anymore.

With Mars in Libra through late August, both presidential candidates will probably be a little nicer to each other than normal. It’s just a month, so don’t get too attached to the love.

Barack Obama

Mars in Libra will trine his moon in Gemini and sextile his sun in Leo. Added charisma is on tap for the already charismatic (to some) Leo.

Mars sextiles Obama’s Mercury in Leo as well so expect additional pretty talk from an already smooth speaker.

I keep imagining that Obama and his contender Mitt Romney will have some sort of truce, a public pronouncement that they will play nice.

Or it’s possible one of the candidates will experience a trying event and the other will be there showing support, hand on shoulder, tears in eyes.

At the end of the Mars in Libra transit, Mars will square Obama’s Saturn in Capricorn. Expect a little “I didn’t want to say this, but I must” revelation. It is driven by external forces of authority (his party maybe?).

Mitt Romney

Mars in Libra will conjunct Romney’s Neptune in Libra. Romney will experience some drive-by charisma. I keep telling you that underneath that good boy exterior is a poetry-writing hippie. Romney may do something “hippie” that will endear him to the crowd.

Mars in Libra will trine Romney’s Uranus in Gemini which provides some spark and will sextile Saturn and Pluto in Leo which lightens this intense conjunction a bit but also adds a bit of snobbery to an already arrogant energy pattern.

Mars in Libra creates what’s called a quincunx to Romney’s Piscean energy. It’s not a bad aspect per se, but not necessarily good.

What Pisces and Libra have in common is a desire to please and not be perceived as mean. Combined, Romney’s passive “I maybe might could possibly, I’ll think it over and tell you later” answers will get even more convoluted. Expect pleasant platitudes and nice nothings from Romney.

The Election Summer Vacation Continues

This election has gotten a little, how shall I say it, boring. July and August will continue to be pleasantly boring as the men make nice over whatever little things are blipping on the radar screens of their lives.

When Mars enters Scorpio at the end of August, Campaign Ugly will return and continue through the election as Saturn enters Scorpio at the beginning of October and then the sun enters Scorpio at the end of October.

Enjoy the summer vacation in Pleasantville before our return to Mudville.

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Sun Happiness and Moon Happiness

Posted on July 8, 2012 by ohioastrology

After years of meditation I think I understand how to be happy – be happy for no reason.

If happiness is due to external circumstances, there will always be a threat to that happiness – the external stimulus will go away or change. As it’s the nature of the universe to change, there’s a very great (if not 100 percent) chance happiness will be threatened.

In Spanish, there are two verbs for “to be” – “ser” is the verb for a permanent state of being and “estar” is the verb for a transient state of being.

You are a female (ser) and today you feel ill (estar).

To move happiness from “estar” to “ser” is removing happiness from an external, transient state to a permanent state.

The transient state doesn’t go away – there’s still lots of “estar” to experience. But “ser” will be intact.

Sun Happiness and Moon Happiness

The sun is the conscious self. It’s like the “ser” permanent state “to be.” The moon is the reactive self. It’s like the “estar” or transient state “to be.”

Much happiness can stem from “estar” – you eat an ice cream cone on a hot day and feel happy. Your loved one notices you’re tired and does the laundry.

But if you buy an ice cream cone on a hot day and the ice cream falls off the cone into a sewer, your “estar” happiness is over. But your “ser” happiness does not need to follow the melted butter pecan ice cream into the sewer.

I don’t think sun happiness is delusional – moon experiences continue to exist. Pretending you aren’t upset that your ice cream now swims with toilet waste denies the moon experience. The moon is sad but the sun can still be happy that it’s alive and possibly happier still that is has another $2 for more ice cream (or $5 if Jeni’s Ice Cream).

Right now I think being happy is to have sun (ser) happiness while moon (estar) experiences flow through the system. Sun happiness is the pipe and moon happiness is the water that flows through it.

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Why You Can’t Criticize Americans

Posted on July 7, 2012 by ohioastrology

On NPR the other day, a journalist was talking about Pakistan, I think, and how there are factions in the country spreading “anti-American” sentiment.

I thought then of the performance review that many Americans experience in corporate life and how constructive criticism is part of that process so that we can grow and develop.

If we experience constructive criticism as part of American corporate work culture, why can’t Americans accept any type of constructive political criticism?

“Anti-American” sentiment as a phrase precludes the idea that there is anything constructive in the sentiment. It’s 100 percent bad for no reason.

If another country wanted to provide constructive criticism, how could they do it?

The Horoscope of the United States

Unlike people, nations and institutions may be born over time, not in one exit from the birth canal. The United States, likewise, arose in fits and starts and July 4, 1776 is not considered by some astrologers to be when we were truly “born.”

To me, July 4, 1776 is the date of our birth because it is what we believe is the date we were “born” via our state –sponsored history books, which I consider a type of living myth.

On July 4, 1776 we were “free,” right?

Some were free but others were enslaved and women couldn’t vote. So we as a country might have had a great deal of freedom in relative terms, relative to what others on the planet were experiencing. But freedom definitely wasn’t for everyone.

The July 4, 1776 chart has Venus, Jupiter and sun and Mercury in Cancer with moon in Aquarius.

We do have a grand air trine going on with moon in Aquarius, Uranus & Mars in Gemini and Saturn in Libra.

That leaves Pluto in Capricorn and Neptune in Virgo.

Yikes, I didn’t realize we were going to have a Pluto return in 2023. This is the end of the Pluto power cycle number one.

Cancer – Aquarius

Cancer is a cardinal water sign, extremely sensitive and represented by the crab. When you see a crab on the beach what does it do?

It crawls inside its shell to be safe. I would too if I was made of glutinous soft stuff like a crab. Your Cancer friends are soft inside, even if they wear T-shirts with tough sayings on the front. The tough sayings are the shell that the crab hides inside.

As such a sensitive being ruled by the moon, which changes constantly, Cancer is known to be moody, laughing with you one moment then accusing you of being mean the next.

Aquarius, in contrast, is the fixed air sign, detached and analytical. If Cancer is the warm waters of Cancun then Aquarius is the cold ice of the North Pole.

Aquarius, to me, is a perfectionist and has an ideal of how things “should be.” Capricorn has a “should be” mentality as well but Capricorn follows established rules and Aquarius makes up its own. Aquarius is independent and even rebellious.

In a person, I would say there is an analytical reaction prior to an emotional presentation in any situation. In a person, there would be even more back and forth between analytical and emotional responses.

So maybe the US cowboy image comes from moon in Aquarius and the breadbasket of the world image comes from sun in Cancer.

Transits

We recently had a Saturn return in Libra, which can explain the many breakups that have been occurring. In our land of liberty, we are free to divorce.

Saturn in Libra is ultimately about fairness and equality, so I’m wondering how recent Supreme Court decisions will play out over time. I suspect the Supreme Court itself may be challenged in terms of fairness. Based on the Judiciary Act of 1789 (September 24, 1789) the Supreme Court is a Libra sun and Sagittarius moon.

Transiting Pluto in Capricorn will be opposing the abundant Cancer energy in the US chart. Capricorn is father and Cancer is mother. For me personally (which means also politically), 9/11 gave license for government to ebb the boundaries of American civil liberties. See Ron Paul for more on this . . .

Pluto in Capricorn is authoritarian and knows what’s best for you.

In some segments of the people I know, I see a lot of concern about this. In other segments, it’s not a concern at all. I suspect we don’t worry about others’ civil liberties being eroded until it hits home.

I completely agree with Ayn Rand who said in “Censorship: Local and Express”:

“But in the transition to statism, every infringement of human rights has begun with the suppression of a given right’s least attractive practitioners. In this case, the disgusting nature of the offenders makes it a good test of one’s loyalty to a principle.”

For example, few non-smokers complain about the crazy taxes on cigarettes. We’ve given license to a “sin” tax, which has a very open religious connotation. But what happens then when someone decides that greasy hamburgers are also bad for you?

Rise and Fall

It’s been said that all powers rise and fall. It makes sense – although many humans live by habit, the universe constantly changes, is in constant motion, even if the motions are cyclical.

I sense the US government understands this and is why we have a military capability to wipe out the entire earth.

Pluto is coming home. Let’s see if in the next 200+ year cycle we decide to completely overpower and annihilate our critics (Pluto) or if we can come out of our nuclear shell and listen to why they hate us. Listening isn’t agreement. Listening doesn’t mean that you must abandon your shell.

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Whiny Kleenex

Posted on July 5, 2012 by ohioastrology

The other day I read the bottom of my Kleenex box and discovered an interesting marketing message.

“Take Care with Kleenex tissue. For life’s everyday joys, sorrows and sniffles, reach for the gentle comfort of Kleenex tissues. With the perfect balance of softness and strength, each tissue soothes your sniffles, sneezes and tears and leaves your spirits uplifted.”

Leaves your spirits uplifted?

Puleeese!

The message is also in French – “et vous remonte le moral.”

Si vous plait!

I’m glad this marketing message is on the bottom of the box as it’s so ridiculous. Then again, maybe it should be on the top of the box because often I have to blow my nose after laughing hard.

Marketing Assistance Using Astrology

I thought it might be fun to take a look at Kleenex’s horoscope and offer astrological marketing help.

In the tradition of American dualism, we have two major brands of facial tissue – Kleenex and Puffs. Because there are only two choices (like Republican and Democrat in a presidential election), it may not matter than Kleenex’s marketing message is something to cry about.

According to Wikipedia, Kleenex filed for trademark on July 12, 1924.

Kleenex has sun in Cancer and moon in Scorpio. Cancer and Scorpio are two of the three water signs. Kleenex also has Mars and Uranus in Pisces which form a grand water trine.

The grand water trine is called the “whine trine.”

In addition to sun in Cancer, Kleenex also has Venus, Pluto and Mercury in Cancer.

The hyperbolic, sentimental marketing message now makes sense.

Kleenex’s Neptune is in Leo, Saturn in Libra and Jupiter in Sagittarius.

Current Transits

Before re-branding Kleenex at no cost to them, let’s take a look at the current transits.

Pluto in Capricorn is opposing all that Cancer energy. Looks like some regulation or company restructuring is on the way.

Saturn enters Scorpio in early October and Kleenex may find it can’t pay some debt. Maybe that’s the reason for restructuring. Maybe there is a Chapter 11 in its future.

Neptune in Pisces will conjunct Mars in Pisces so rebranding around Piscean themes (more later) may help. Moving to a watery place (offshore) may also help.

Uranus in Aries squares the Cancer energy saying Kleenex needs to stop weeping and stand up for itself.

Re-Branding

With a grand trine in water, Kleenex has figured out that tissues are about emotions. Joys and sorrows are water feelings and sometimes water signs feel both in one day.

Going with the emotions is good. But they might want to remove the “spirit uplifted,” which is about fire.

By water sign, Cancer is family home, Scorpio is intimate emotional encounters and Pisces is about group and merging feelings.

Possibly Kleenex can brand around all of the natural disasters that are occurring and require group emotional support. I’d suggest Kleenex be involved in relief efforts and make a marketing statement from it.

Could Kleenex also create box patterns suitable for different emotional states? Like make a box with runny noses, a box with flowers (for funeral homes) and box with moons (for the bed stand) and a box for the baby’s room (with children on it)?

I’m guessing that they’ve tried that. Might be a turn off for a guy who’s buying tissues for his nightstand to see a box of tissues with babies on it.

Images, however, are in the realm of water (and Pisces specifically) so Kleenex may want to consider a more visual than written marketing message.

The Kleenex message mentions comfort, which is also in the domain of water and the moon. Comfort in the message is a good thing and could possibly be emphasized as Neptune enters Pisces.

Tissues as Comfort

I agree with Kleenex that tissues provide comfort. The world definitely needs a lot of comfort these days as we experience tough economic and weather conditions.

Kleenex may do well to provide images of comfort on the boxes.

Posted in American Dualism, Nations / States / Institutions | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Hard Times for David Cameron

Posted on July 4, 2012 by ohioastrology

David Cameron, British Prime Minister, is going through some hard times. He’s been interviewed regarding a newspaper phone tapping scandal, has a host of European Union problems to contend with and now must answer questions about Barclays.

What’s up in his chart?

It’s all about the hair

I shouldn’t use astrology negatively, but I can’t help throwing this out there to the evil journalists amongst us. If you want to truly piss off Mr. Cameron, forget about Barclays, forget about the BP oil spill, forget about phone tapping and forget about Greece.

You want to get under Cameron’s skin, just publish a picture of him with his hair in disarray.

Cameron has sun in Libra and moon in Leo. This is a romantic combination with poetry and pride in equal amounts and a total and complete fear of a bad hair day, and I mean that literally.

With Jupiter and Mars also in Leo, Cameron is quite a stuffed-shirt of pride, even more maybe than Mick Jagger and Bugs Bunny.

Libra is air and Leo is fire. The water and earth signs in Cameron’s chart are from the outer planets and are generational – Neptune in Scorpio, Saturn in Pisces and Uranus/Pluto conjunct in Virgo.

Cameron came from a generation that wants to clean up the planet (Uranus/Pluto in Virgo), stop bullying (Saturn in Pisces) and prevent AIDS (Neptune in Scorpio), but Cameron may not be so interested in these things personally.

Saturn in Libra and Scorpio

Saturn is just finishing its transit of Libra. Like all Libras, Cameron has had his share of relationship issues. Saturn has been breaking us apart when our relationships aren’t fair or equitable. Thank you Saturn.

As Saturn moves into Scorpio at the beginning of October, it will conjunct Cameron’s Mercury in Scorpio. I have some news for Cameron – you may have finished all your testimonies, but the questions will only getting deeper and nastier come October. Plan now.

In a year when Saturn moves onto Cameron’s Neptune, he will experience some sadness or depression. Some of those issues that his generation focuses on will become part of his life. The sadness comes through lost emotional connection.

Leo can feel, but is quite dramatic in its expression. Scorpio is also somewhat dramatic and intense, but Scorpio is the entire picture, the inside of the box and not all items are pleasant. Libra and Leo prefer things to be fun.

Scorpio has been called a lot of names, but I’m not sure “fun” is one of those names.

Uranus in Aries

Uranus transiting Aries trines the moon in Leo but opposes Venus and sun in Libra. While Aries energies with a strong sense of self, it also puts up a fight.

Leo likes a fight but Libra doesn’t. Also, good healthy bantering that leads to a beer or sex afterward is 100 percent acceptable to Libra/Leo. It’s a fight that has no end or is ugly for no apparent reason that bothers this romantic combination.

Leo wants to be a hero. Uranus in Aries will promote that energy, but the Libra energy may back away at the wrong time for fear of appearing uncouth.

Pluto in Capricorn

Pluto transiting Capricorn has torn down some of our structures, like the world economy. As a politician, Cameron must deal with this personally even if it doesn’t affect his own chart.

In his own chart, Pluto is squaring Venus in Libra. Once again, the once fun relationships with picnics in the park and wine by the fire are now being replaced with arguments about power and control.

As Cameron has the north node in Taurus, he should develop self-reliance. Pluto will help with that, first by removing the partnerships that prop up his independence.

Neptune in Pisces

Neptune has just begun its 14 year transit of Pisces. It will take about that much time to transit Cameron’s Saturn in Pisces. Epiphanies for Cameron are still a way off.

Neptune is currently trine that Mercury in Scorpio that will take the Saturn hit come October. Cameron will have many stories to tell around that time. I suspect that if Cameron leaves power soon, a book will be issued soon after.

Cameron’s book may involve Piscean self-pity about how people were out to get him. I suspect with the Pisces-Scorpio energy, he will reveal some secrets.

I’ve seen worse

While Cameron is undergoing some unpleasant aspects with Pluto, he’s got it better than a lot of folks out there. Also, Leo moon generally bounces back with good cheer, even in the midst of a Saturn transit of Neptune in Scorpio.

One thing that might help Cameron through this time is to get more in touch with the generational energies he carries. I don’t know enough about him to know how that would affect his political position. But this is a chart that might benefit from truly feeling others’ pain.

It’s good to have fun. But in power, the people’s problems are your problems. Cameron may not understand that and may only realize it when he writes that book in reflection.

Posted in Politicians - Not Ohio | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment