The Return of Authority – more on Pluto in Capricorn

Posted on March 2, 2011 by ohioastrology

I’m reminded once again that Pluto is transiting Capricorn.  As I mentioned in my blog “Pluto in Capricorn – Christmas is Over,” Capricorn is the contraction after the Pluto in Sagittarius expansion.  Remember our religious wars during Pluto in Sagittarius?  Religious war faded as the US economy collapsed and Americans and American politicians focused on problems at home.

As an unabashed bleeding-heart liberal, I feel that our politicians bringing their political attention back from abroad is giving the American citizen a taste of what our politicians have been pushing beyond our borders – authoritarianism.  From dictionary.com authoritarianism is:  “favoring complete obedience or subjection to authority as opposed to individual freedom.”  An example is Ohio’s Senate Bill 5 amendment.

According to a Columbus Dispatch article on Ohio’s Senate Bill 5 amendment, “Binding arbitration for safety forces would be replaced by a procedure giving ultimate authority over contracts to elected officials, according to a key provision of a massive amendment to a bill that would sharply curtail collective bargaining rights.”  The key phrase here is “ultimate authority.”  Hello Capricorn.

 Capricorn is a cardinal earth sign that rules the 10th house of the chart, the house at the top that represents your career, your reputation and your status in society.  Like the lonely man at the top of the mountain, Capricorn has a compulsion to climb those peaks and be at the top, controlling from above.  Capricorn is the CEO.  Capricorn is the manager.  Capricorn is the politician.  Capricorn makes the rules.

Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, the great taskmaster who creates structure.  Societies need structure, which are also called “rules.”  Imagine if there were roads but no signs, no rules, no directions.  Imagine the chaos.  Ohio had a horrible wind storm several years ago and some traffic lights were out for days.  I vowed after that storm that I would never, ever feel frustrated when being stuck at a red light (which, of course, I have since forgotten).  Rules can be frustrating; that is why Saturn and its placement in your chart are areas of discipline and structure rather than areas of fun and excitement.   But Saturn is necessary.

Pluto in the sign of Capricorn means we are collectively experiencing a transformation of the structure of society, of its rules and its authority.  I say collectively because Pluto is an outer planet with a long cycle which represents cycles that affect entire generations.  As with any sign, Capricorn has its extremes.  Structure is necessary.  Too little structure creates chaos and confusion.  Excessive structure creates oppression.

The current amendment to Senate Bill 5, according to the Columbus Dispatch, would “eliminate the right to strike for all public employees.”  As a liberal, I find this an extreme rule that tries to create order by forcing people to relinquish their freedom and accept authority.   In trying to keep the economy under “control,” politicians are promoting structure that imprisons rather than structure that creates order.

I am expecting that we will have these types of political struggles as Pluto transits Capricorn through 2023.  And while Pluto is transiting Capricorn, the great awakener and creator of sudden events, Uranus will be in Aries for some of that time.  Aries and Capricorn have what is called a “square” relationship – one of friction.  Aries, also a cardinal sign, wants, like Capricorn, to lead and take charge.  Aries is not, though, about structure, but about starting new ventures, being the first sign of the zodiac (and a fire sign to boot).  Aries is the plant pushing up from the soil and breaking through to reach the sunlight.  Capricorn is the fence around the garden.  This should be fun . . .

The beginning of Pluto in Capricorn and Uranus moving into Aries, which is occurring as we speak, is the collapse of authoritarian regimes in the Middle East.  As authoritarianism is waning abroad, it seems to be gathering strength domestically and in Ohio.

Ohio’s current governor, John Kasich, has natal moon in Capricorn.  For him, these excessive rules make perfect sense because moon in Capricorn is emotionally reserved and accepting of extreme limits.  Moon in Capricorn is not comfortable having or expressing emotions.  When Kasich is at a loss of any sort, my guess is that a rule or mandate will arise.

Because Kasich’s moon is in Capricorn, this transit of Pluto in Capricorn will be touching him personally and well as collectively.  Kasich will experience emotional forces that will upset his carefully-controlled emotional balance.  As the moon also relates to women, I expect Kasich will have transformations with the women in his life over the very same issue he faces in politics – control.

Pluto in Capricorn will help us collectively revisit, transform and then re-define the “rules” we chose to live by as a society.  Uranus in Aries squaring this transit suggests people aren’t going to apathetically accept the new rules.  As in Egypt, I expect Americans to go into the ring and fight.

Oh, I wish Peter Tosh were here now (“Get up, stand up,” . . .).

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Communication is Overrated

Posted on February 27, 2011 by ohioastrology

One day a friend was lying to me.   Upset, I decided to look through my binder of horoscopes and find the common element in the charts of everyone I thought had lying tendencies.  I was going to find the “mark of a liar.”  I learned something very important that day.

We all lie.

I learned that we all lie differently.  The bigger lesson, the lesson of astrology that I proclaim over and over, is that we all have the same signs and planets.  We are the same.  We’re the same in different ways, our chart representing the unique way we experience the world.  So we all lie at times, we just lie differently and for different reasons.

In our charts, Mercury is the planet representing communication.  In my great quest to find liars, I discovered that individuals with Mercury is water signs and/or aspected to Neptune communicate in a way I think of as “lying.”  That’s because my Mercury is in Capricorn, a practical no-nonsense earth sign.  If I’m hungry I might say something like, “I’m hungry.”  If my Mercury in water sign friend with Neptune opposite is hungry, he/she may say, “I haven’t eaten for days.  I think I’m going to faint.”  That may not be true, in a Capricornian kind-of way.  But it may be how this Mercury in water feels.  It’s not a lie; it’s an expression, a feeling.

The importance of communication, to me, is way overrated.  You hear people say, “It’s so important in a marriage to communicate.”  At work we constantly and eternally try to improve communications yet people continually feel excluded or that the communication is not clear.  Where I work, we talk all day every day yet we feel we are not communicating.  Why?

To me, it’s not about communication.  It’s about agreement.  It’s about sharing a perception of the world.  Talking and writing are means for me to send data to you.  That’s all.

We are driving on a 1,000 mile road trip and I say, “I’m hungry.”   You respond that you are hungry as well.  My Mercury is in an earth sign so I make the logical leap that we are stopping for lunch.  Your Mercury is in an air sign so you are able to have hunger and ignore it because the long drive is helping you think through the details of your new invention.  We communicated.  We sent data to each other.   We soon learn that our initial communication was not enough.  We communicate more and hopefully at some point find agreement.  We either stop for lunch or we learn to keep snacks in the car.  Or we find other traveling companions.

I’ve been to several silent meditation retreats and am always amazed at how easily you can get along peacefully with your fellow man.  Who knew?  Talking not only isn’t necessary, it makes life complex.  At the silent retreats, we make an agreement before the silence on how we will live and how we will treat each other.  Because we signed up for the retreat and even paid some money, we agree.   We agree to get along and not complicate the agreement with unnecessary talk.  We don’t let the talk confuse the simple things we are doing like eating, walking, sitting and sleeping.

I’ve also learned from silent retreats how much my own talking is not truly about communicating.  I’ve learned that my talking is a way to appease others.  I have noticed during silence that a lot of the talking I would have done, had we not had given each other the gift of silence, would have been simply to grease the engine of the social interaction machine.  It’s embarrassing to realize the emptiness of most of my talk, how I talk to keep others from bothering me.

Mercury is still important, of course, being one of the Gods and one of the planets in our chart.  Mercury delivers meaning.  Mercury is the hyperlink on the web page, moving you from one topic to another.  Mercury is a text message.  Mercury is the thought “I’m hungry” that your belly sends to your brain.  Mercury is the iPhone I recently purchased that I look at 85% of my waking hours for texts and emails from my friends.  Mercury is great fun, sending me interesting tidbits of this and that all day long, from the weather report to the location of a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend eating dinner at a restaurant.

As anyone with an iPhone discovers, Mercury can take over your life.  The Internet allows Mercury to go mad, delivering, delivering, delivering.  Tweeting, tweeting, tweeting.   Sharing, sharing, sharing.  Blogging, blogging, blogging.

Mercury is a link but it is not the meaning.  The meaning is what Mercury is delivering.

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The Seven Year Itch

Posted on February 20, 2011 by ohioastrology

Each planet has a cycle.  The cycle is the time it takes the planet to revolve around the sun.  Uranus, the planet of awakening, inspiration and sudden events has an 84-year cycle. 

Now remember that there are 12 signs of the zodiac.  If it takes Uranus 84 years to go through 12 signs that means it takes Uranus 7 years to go through each sign.  That means Uranus is traveling through one sign every 7 years in your horoscope and touching planets and areas of your life.  Every 7 years some aspect of your life will probably change suddenly.  It could be as simple as learning that you are allergic to milk and changing your dietary habits.  Or like the movie “The Seven Year Itch” you could decide to quit your job, divorce your partner, find a new lover and move to Bermuda.

The second option sounds more fun, but why do some people stop drinking milk and others disrupt their entire lives during a Uranus transit, I mean a 7-year itch?

The most important thing to remember about astrology is that we all have the same signs and the same planets in our charts.  Yes, we are all alike.  We are the same species and have the same needs and hunting ground.  What is different about each of us, what makes us unique, is the placement of those signs and planets.  We each have a unique view of the world, a view of one’s own.

How much Uranus awakens with sudden events depends on your level of “sleep” in certain areas of your life.  In Buddhism, there is the term “enlightenment.”  If we are to be “enlightened,” then that suggests we are in the dark.  We don’t need to awaken if we are not asleep.  Uranus will help you “enlighten” and “waken,” whether you care to or not.

Uranus is currently in the sign of Pisces, very soon moving to the sign of Aries.  Pisces is a water sign.  Anyone with Pisces strong in the chart will feel the effects of Uranus in whatever area of the chart Uranus happens to be passing through.  For the world as a whole, have you noticed the “sudden” water we are experiencing – tsunamis, floods and unusually high precipitation?  As Uranus moves into Aries, we may see sudden water change to sudden fire and explosion as Aries is a fire sign.  I would expect volcano activity to be more prevalent as well as explosions due to the buildup of unstable materials.  Maybe the current political “explosions” in the lands of oil (Middle East) are the first indication of where Uranus will be awakening the earth in the next 7 years.

Let’s look at Uranus in a personal chart, the chart of President Obama.  Using a birthday/time of 8/4/61 at 7:24 pm in Honolulu, Obama has a sun in Leo and moon in Gemini and an Aquarius rising.  Pluto is square moon, my personal “mark of a politician” indicator (see John Boehner, Mark of a Politician).  Neptune is square the Sun suggesting strong idealism that will not be subject to facts.

Are there areas where President Obama might be asleep?

Uranus has just moved into Obama’s second house, the house of “my money,” values and self-reliance.  Obama has Aries intercepted in that house, meaning the sign Pisces rules the cusp and the entire 30 degrees of Aries is captured in the second house.

Obama will be going through sudden, unexpected changes with his own money, property and other material goods.  The deeper level of “my money” is values.  Obama may find his values changing from Piscean compassion to Aries self-determination.  I get the impression of someone putting their foot down on a dependent monetary situation that has gone on for too long.

Obama is lucky in that Uranus in Aries will aspect positively his Sun (trine) and moon (sextile).  The awakenings won’t be harsh as the changes will involve aspects of his life that he has consciously wanted to change. When that occurs in a chart, the 7-year itch is a 7-year influx of energy and excitement.

Uranus will be squaring Obama’s natal Venus in Cancer.  This suggests his changes will cause conflict in the family.  He will be seen as seeking his personal goals over family goals.  He will see it as making others more self-reliant.

Uranus’ 7-year cycle can be an “itch” or an “inspiration,” depending on how you manifest the planets/signs in your own chart.  Uranus rules electricity.  If electricity hits the roof of your house, your house will be okay if you have something that conducts the sudden charge.  If you do not, the house will be damaged.  That, to me, explains how to handle Uranus.  Make sure you can conduct and release the energies of your life or they will suddenly erupt when Uranus strikes its bolt in that area of your chart.

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Confidence or Delusion?

Posted on February 19, 2011 by ohioastrology

I’ve been thinking a lot about confidence versus delusion.  What’s the difference?

In asking people and searching the Web, many people point out that it takes some sort of combination of confidence/delusion to follow a dream.  If people with big dreams, such as making the world’s best ice cream with the most unique flavors (i.e., Jeni’s ice cream), didn’t feel a great amount of something called confidence or delusion, we would all be eating supermarket ice cream.

The dictionary.com difference is that confidence is “belief in oneself and one’s powers or abilities” while delusion is “a false belief or opinion.”  Both contain the word “belief.”  The difference is whether the object of belief is empirically true or false.  That may sound simple, but it’s not.

If I think I am the queen of England, that is clearly empirically wrong and you can call me deluded.  But if I think I can sing well and have a dream of winning American Idol, whether I can sing well is not necessarily “true” or “false.”   You could measure my singing on harmony, pitch, tune, etc. but then you’d also have to explain why Mick Jagger is famous and I can’t be.

I see confidence as a quality that allows you to forge into the world and delusion as a quality that keeps you sheltered from the world.  From an astrological perspective, I see confidence as relating the element fire and delusion as relating to the element water.  Fire represents enthusiasm and energy whereas water represents receptivity and emotion.  Taking this to the planets, the Sun is the active self and the moon the emotions, or reactive self.  Confidence is projecting the image you want to be and delusion is projecting the image of a need.

We like confident people and don’t like deluded people.   Why?

I think confident people project positive energy that is perceived as charisma.  Confident people are actively engaged with the world and are connecting to you to share the idea.  Deluded people, on the other hand, are projecting a negative energy that is perceived as dependent.  They are reaching out to you but asking you to share an agreement that you can’t see and fulfills their own emotional need.  The confident person may be asking you to believe that cars can one day fly and to invest in a flying car company.  The deluded person is asking you to believe that he is Napoleon and is ruling the world.  While you may not believe that cars can fly, you could.  It might even be fun to think about.  The enthusiasm of the confident person may even convince you to throw a few bucks at the idea.  But you will never believe your friend is Napoleon, so his efforts to convince you will drain you of energy.

Confidence, as a fire quality, perceives the possibilities and is trying to make those possibilities into reality.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.  Delusion, as a water quality, is reacting to personal or group needs and wants others to agree so that the needs can be met.  Confident people find success in the world whereas deluded people find struggle in the world.

The line between confidence and delusion may be thin, but I believe confidence is what you need to succeed.  I think confidence is about possibilities and delusion is about need.  Convincing others to share in ideas is uplifting.  Forcing others to believe ideas that fulfill a person or group need is draining.

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George Voinovich

Posted on January 29, 2011 by ohioastrology

As a native of Cleveland, I have known George Voinovich as mayor, governor and senator.  While I have not followed his career closely, I associate him with popularity and a clean reputation – something rare among politicians.  I have further associated him with quiet politics – not one to show up on contentious political talk shows fighting with others from a clear political corner (like our current governor).

Having positive thoughts about him as a politician, I cast his horoscope wondering how this easy, breezy popularity looks on paper.  Much to my surprise, I found my changeable, not-made-for-politics friend Gemini.  And lots of emotional Cancer.

Voinovich’s sun is in Cancer, the cardinal water sign of emotions, mothering and family.  In addition to sun in Cancer, Voinovich has Mercury, Mars, Venus and Pluto in Cancer.  In case you lost count, that makes a total of five planets out of ten (Moon & Pluto are “planets” in the horoscope) in the sign of Cancer.  The driving need here is to BELONG.  The crab, Cancer’s symbolic representation, has the defensive mechanism of hiding in its shell when threatened.  Is the quiet politics I associate with Voinovich actually a form of hiding?

Hiding is necessary for such a sensitive creature, the crab, and the person born under the sign of Cancer.  Feelings are easily hurt.  What you said to Voinovich was interpreted in emotional ways you hardly meant and you can barely fathom.  He’s moody, quite moody.   Maybe his scarcity on the political talk shows is a way to hide his constantly changing moods.

The leftover five planets, those not in Cancer, are in Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces, Taurus and Gemini.  A little bit of earth (Virgo, Taurus), a little bit of fire (Sagittarius), a little bit of air (Gemini) and a little more water (Pisces).  The moon carries more weight, to me, than the other planets, which is the air sign in Voinovich’s chart.  I hereby pronounce that fire is the element least in attendance, with its outgoing nature, optimism and enthusiasm. 

Lack of fire and surfeit of water suggest one of Voinovich’s many mood swings includes some sadness or depression.  Saturn opposing Neptune adds weight to this.  Saturn and Neptune are the only opposition in Voinovich’s chart.  Lack of opposition in the chart suggests just that – the person doesn’t experience a lot of pressure from outside.  No clear, open enemy.  For example, if you were African American and grew up in the 1950s, you experienced clear, open opposition from society.  Or if you walked to school as a child and had the school bully beat you up and promise to quit only if you’d pay “protection money,” that is also clear, open opposition.  Voinovich doesn’t have a clear opponent.   Maybe that’s why his political career has seemed, to me at least, to be so effortless.

Not having open opposition may seem a blessing, but think twice about this.  Open opposition often helps people unite, develop identity and strong inner confidence from their own internal resources.  While I’m not suggesting we give others a hard time, external opponents can drive us to become our best selves, if we are aware enough to accomplish this feat while under the pressure of the opponent.  Of course, the opposite can happen as well – we believe our opponents ideas and dislike ourselves.

Now onto the topic I’ve been waiting for with this chart – the Gemini moon.  In my blog on Mike Dewine, who also has moon in Gemini, I mentioned how rare this sign is among presidential sun signs.  Take John Edwards, for instance.  Edwards has both sun & moon in Gemini.  As an astrologer, I had trouble believing that a double Gemini could be just a good, down-to-earth country boy.  And his running mate Kerry had moon in Gemini.  Gemini doesn’t fare well in American politics.

Why doesn’t Gemini appear much in American politics?

My guess is that Gemini cannot be consistent enough for the American public.  Gemini is the sign of the twins.  Not only does Gemini see both sides of a situation, Gemini may choose to live both sides.  In American political terms, Gemini is the “waffler.”  Remember when “waffle” came into the dialogue of American politics?  It was during the presidency of George H.W.  Bush – a sun sign Gemini and one-term president.  American politicians are not able to honestly develop and change their opinions once they’ve pitched a campaign speech.

Gemini, an air sign, is detached.  Gemini is looking for stimulation, easily bored and constantly needing new information, ideas, lights, action.  Attach this to five signs in Cancer and you have a very changeable emotional landscape.  Gemini duality suggests Voinovich as another area his life, or another life, that is very different than the one we see.

I am impressed that a man of so many moods and changing feelings has survived the intense arena of politics in such a graceful manner.   I can’t imagine what drove Voinovich to jump into the boxing ring – with all the planets in Cancer in his chart, I can only suspect family.

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John Boehner: The Mark of a Politician

Posted on January 24, 2011 by ohioastrology

Back during the 1992 Presidential election, I noticed that each of the three candidates (Bill Clinton, H. W. Bush & Ross Perot) had moon/Pluto square in his chart.  This started me looking more closely at Pluto aspects in the charts of politicians.  I’ve since referred to Moon/Pluto and Sun/Pluto squares as “the mark of a politician.”

Why Pluto?  And why the square (90 degree) aspect?

Pluto is the planet that rules will power, regeneration and transformation.  This is intense stuff, as your Scorpio friends can demonstrate, being “ruled” by Pluto.  For a Scorpio, everything is serious, a life and death matter.  Pluto is intense and forceful.

The square aspect seems best described by the word “friction.”  Friction is not outright opposition or entirely unpleasant; the friction of a square in astrology stems from the fact that the signs involved are actually alike in some way.  To be square, signs involved must share the same mode (cardinal, mutable or fixed).  The alikeness creates attraction but the friction comes from the signs being in incompatible elements (such as air & water).   Squares are frustrating.  You like the person, if only he wouldn’t talk so loud . . . 

John Boehner, Ohio 8th district house rep and current speaker of the House, is both a Sun sign Scorpio with Pluto square his sun.  Boehner has a double dose of intensity with a forceful twist.  I haven’t met the man, but I will guess his is a “presence” when he is in the room, drawing attention through intense charisma and power.  Scorpios are extreme in their feelings, either loving or hating; likewise, Scorpios attract the same passionate response – they are loved or hated, or both.

So why do Pluto/Moon and Pluto/Sun squares love politics?

I’ll have to quote my 12th grade political science teacher.  He taught us that politics was simply about two things:  “Politics is power and it’s all about who’s ox is being gored.”   Individuals with Pluto square sun or moon have lost power or have had their willpower thwarted in some way.  Their loss of personal power through life’s challenges creates a driving need to be in control, to be back in power.  Pluto square aspects represent your quintessential “control freak.”  What better place is there to manifest a drive for control than in the realm of politics? 

John Boehner’s chart clearly demonstrates a need to be in control.  What’s more, his chart also indicates a need for perfection, with Saturn conjunct Mars in Virgo.  I imagine working for Boehner is much like working for the head of a fashion magazine as described in The Devil Wears Prada.  Saturn and Mars conjunct also suggests that when he is not pleased with you, Boehner can describe in great, painstaking detail the reasons why.  He is a demanding perfectionist.

There is one area of Boehner’s chart that suggests relief from all this intensity and that is his moon conjunct Neptune in Libra.  It’s nice to see there is a part of Boehner that can enjoy pleasure and spend a lazy afternoon doing nothing – as long as there is a partner present.  Neptune conjunct the moon suggests that Boehner is very idealistic in love.  His harsh demands in other areas of life are relaxed as he tends to worship his partner with an almost mystical devotion.

Boehner is charmingly ruthless and ruthlessly charming.  He’s ruthless.  And he’s charming.

Writing about Boehner’s intense energy level is somewhat exhausting.  I imagine those working with or near Boehner might feel energy depletion from this intensely demanding man.  And imagine living with all this energy oneself?  Possibly Boehner entered politics not solely from a desire to maintain power and control, but because his energy level couldn’t be contained in a cubicle, office or the small portion of life that most of us are allotted.  A man of this energy level needs a wide open area where the force of his personality can be dispersed, like radioactive material, so as not to cause injury to those around him or himself.

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A Woman’s Work is Never Done

Posted on January 15, 2011 by ohioastrology

Mary Taylor, Ohio’s new Lieutenant Governor, is the person to talk to if you are an Ohioan seeking sympathy for your case, cause or plight – not her boss the thick-skinned nails-for-breakfast John Kasich.  Looking at Taylor’s chart, I respect Kasich for finding a balancing partner in his role as governor.

With Sun in Taurus and moon in Cancer, Taylor is a realistic but warm individual with a love of family and a strong need to belong.   The moon in Cancer is conjunct aggressive Mars in Cancer – you might refer to Taylor as aggressively nurturing.  If she suggests you put on a jacket as you walk out the door, I suggest you do that.  Taylor may chase you down with a coat and, if you get a cold, she will stir up some chicken soup for you all the while nagging, I mean reminding, you about the coat.

Taylor’s sense of nurturing seems to stem from a Saturnian influence in her life.  Saturn, the big heavy of astrological planets, is opposite all of that nurturing Mars/Moon energy.  The aspect suggests that Taylor had to do a lot of nurturing in her life because the people around her did not have this skill.

There is another difficult aspect in Taylor’s chart – a T-square involving Sun in Taurus, Jupiter in Aquarius and Neptune in Scorpio (a T-square means all three planets are square which looks like the letter T).  Jupiter in Aquarius is the outlet for this stubborn square – Aquarius being the sign of group activity and group ideals.

I suspect that the sensitive-moon Taylor entered politics because she is naturally adept at taking care of people in very difficult situations.  She might even help people to the extent of wanting to save them – at least to a point.  Taylor has much earth in her chart and can set boundaries when needed, but probably seeks out these difficult persons in an attempt to provide them the comfort that she also seeks as a human being.

A rather fun aspect in Taylor’s chart is the wide conjunction of Mercury and Venus in passionate, headstrong Aries.  In love (Venus), Taylor is quite fiery and aggressive.  Trine the unusual and erratic Uranus, Taylor’s romantic encounters take on a spontaneous, unusual twist.

What’s coming up for Taylor?

Current planet movement symbolically moving across the natal chart is how an astrologer can see the energies that are coming into a life.   Saturn, for example, is in Libra at this moment opposite Taylor’s passionate Venus/Mercury conjunction in Aries.  This signifies opposition and arguments in love.  The partner is trying to work out a balance and passionate, loving Taylor does not want to compromise any part of the relationship.

Neptune is transiting that Jupiter in Aquarius.  I suspect Taylor is feeling something akin to spiritual connection to the masses.  The role she has taken on is providing her spiritual and familial delight.  And I believe she will continue to feel this way for the duration of her term as Lieutenant Governor.

Pluto is entering the sign of Capricorn and will transit Taylor’s natal Saturn around 2020.  At that time Taylor may be considering entering a wider political sphere, maybe a more prominent position such as governor or senator.  I suggest she enjoy her time as Lieutenant Governor because it will be much more enjoyable that life in a greater political arena.  In 10 years the political climate will be much “uglier” than it is today for Taylor.  I hope this sensitive soul considers carefully her next political move.

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My Money / Your Money

Posted on January 3, 2011 by ohioastrology

Unemployment is at a 20-year high in the United States, around 10% as of November 2010.   This constricting of our economy (see blog “Pluto in Capricorn, Christmas is Over”) has affected all of in some way.  If we are not personally affected through loss of job or income, someone in our family or group of friends is, and we can see what financial hardship can do – unpaid bills, foreclosures, strains in relationships and unmet physical needs.

It occurred to me the other day why looking for a job, especially in a bad economy, is so noxious.  The US is commonly referred to as a consumer society – buying products is what keeps the economy moving (as opposed to manufacturing and exporting).  In the financially bubbled late 1990s and early 2000’s, we had easy access to credit and the things we wanted.  I want a new tennis racket – I can save or I can charge.  Saving means “later” and credit means “now.”  Credit gave way to instant gratification.  Instant gratification created sophisticated Internet tools that continue to allow us order all the books we want from Amazon.com in one blink-of-an-eye click (which I still love, no matter how my wallet shrinks).

When I shop, I choose.  As a US consumer, I have great power to make choices.  I ordered the blue shirt, not the black shirt.  I send it back, no questions are asked and I then receive the blue shirt.  Or I take my receipt back to the store and exchange the black shirt for a new DVD, because at that moment a DVD is more appealing.

When I interview for a job, someone else is choosing.  None of my awesome power as a consumer is relevant.  I arrive for the interview early.  I wait for the interview.   I wait for a follow-up phone call, I wait for an offer.  I move from powerful consumer to powerless beggar.

I wonder if our power as consumers has made us forget the fact we are still dependent upon others for income?   “Mine” and “yours” are interdependent.  Maybe part of the intense psychological impact of the recent recession is that we were recently very powerful beings with credit and bonuses.   Yesterday we had sign-on bonuses and today we get pay cuts.  We were highly valuable, now we’re as precious as sand.

In the natal horoscope, the 2nd house is our money & assets and the opposite 8th house is other people’s money, shared assets and taxes.  At a deeper level, the 2nd house is about values.  Our values can most easily be seen in how we spend our money.  The deeper level of the 8th house is recognition – others give us money because of how much they value or care about us.  Who isn’t offended when not receiving a raise?  It sends the message that you are not valuable enough for more money or that you are doing something wrong.  The 8th house also rules inheritance and if you are left out of the will, it sends a strong negative message about your person.

In the past decade, we were encouraged to buy houses through low interest rates and banks’ willingness to lend money.   The banks were encouraging 2nd house self-sufficiency, right?  Yes, until you received your letter in the mail suggesting you borrow off of that house to buy things – things for your house, or maybe a car or maybe a vacation . . . Very clever to lend us money and then engage us in borrowing off of it.  Our 2nd house self-sufficiency was turned into 8th house debt.

The sign on the cusp of the 2nd house and planets within it represent an individual’s attitude toward money, resources and values.   If the sun is in the 2nd house in a practical earth sign, this is someone who likes to save money.  But if the moon is in the 2nd in a fire sign, this would represent someone who spends impulsively.

Moving to the 8th house, look again at sign on cusp and planets within.   If the sun is in the 8th house, most likely the person is sharing assets with someone, maybe as the party that brings more physical assets to the relationship.  If the moon is in the 8th house, the person expects others to provide for them.

The 2nd house is more independent, while the 8th house is more dependent.  As with all polarities described in the horoscope, they are inter-related.  My independence is still dependent on someone providing me money (wage, inheritance, trust, welfare).  My dependence allows someone else to interact in the world while I take care of certain aspects of his/her life.  You can’t go to work with your baby; someone needs to watch the child to allow you to be independent.

Don’t feel powerless on that next job interview.  We are all part of a whole, dependent on each other for our livelihoods.  And don’t forget the 2nd house habit of saving for a rainy day.  The rainy days have arrived.

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Who Are Your Enemies?

Posted on December 31, 2010 by ohioastrology

Enemy.  Outside of formal war, this word seems to have dropped out of Western man’s vocabulary.  When Hillary Clinton claimed there was a “vast right-wing conspiracy” against her, she was called paranoid.   Why can’t we believe Hillary Clinton has enemies?  And why don’t we believe that we, too, have enemies?  Is our world so utopian that enemies have been eradicated, like a disease, like smallpox that no longer exists in the world?

Dictionary.com defines an enemy as “a person who feels hatred for, fosters harmful designs against, or engages in antagonistic activities against another; an adversary or opponent.”  You read this sentence and faces flash before you – your boss, your ex, a relative, a supposed friend or a co-worker.  Not everyone loves or supports you.

In the horoscope, the 7th house relates to open enemies and the 12th house those pernicious, hidden enemies.  Look to the sign on the cusps of these houses and the planets within them to see the nature of your enemies.  Your enemies, like you, have patterns.  Is it that people are always talking behind your back?  Look for Mercury.  Are people always letting you down?  Hello Saturn.  Are people strange and unpredictable?  That’s Uranus.  Is it that you are always trying to help people and they are so terribly selfish in return?   I would examine the sign where the moon is placed.

Why would your enemies be described in your chart?  Enemies are out there, separate from me, right?  My chart is about me, isn’t it?

Psychology carries the idea of projection – things we see in others and feel strongly about (both good and bad) are salient parts of our own personalities.  Projection is usually seen as denying the negative parts of ourselves.  But I believe that people with low self-esteem tend to project their own positive traits onto others and deny those positive traits in themselves.

Projection certainly doesn’t mean that the qualities we are seeing in others don’t exist – it’s that we are drawn to those people and situations that reflect this quality back to us.  The horoscope reflects our personality and the people and areas of life we are drawn to – including our enemies.

The 7th house in the horoscope is the house of “others.”  It opposes the 1st house or house of “self.”  The self is in natural opposition (180 degrees) to others in all of our charts.  Our “keeping up with the Jones’” is simply a way to understand ourselves.  How would I know if my car were expensive if there were no other cars to compare it to?  I am in constant opposition to others because my actions affect others.  If I take the last cookie from the plate, then you don’t get a cookie.  If I drive in the left lane at 40 mph, you can’t pass me.

The 12th house, on the other hand, represents hidden enemies.  The 12th house as a whole is hidden; the sign on the cusp and the planets within it (if any) are parts of ourselves we don’t show to others.  The 12th house is the house of the subconscious.  Everyone has secrets and this is the place to look for those secrets.  How are secrets and enemies related?

Often we hide unpleasant or traumatic past events. Those events in themselves may involve enemies — people who we have intentionally or unintentionally hurt or those who have hurt us.  Let’s say you find Saturn in a person’s 12th house.  I see that frequently with individuals who have lost a father in some way – not necessarily through death but because the father is absent from the person’s life.  Is the father the enemy?  Not necessarily.  Saturn doesn’t represent the father as much as authority figures in general.  The traumatic separation or loss of the father can create issues with authority.  You’ll probably find this 12th house Saturn person complaining about authority – “I’m the only one who got the speeding ticket when everyone else was speeding too” – and possibly even instigating authority through deliberate resistance and negative attitude.  I’m sure every cop can smell a 12th house Saturn from across the street.  Is authority out to get the 12th house Saturn or are they provoking authority?

I believe bad things do happen to good, innocent people.  I also believe that our energy patterns can create situations, such as enemy attack.  It’s not necessarily our bad qualities that bring enemies.  Jealousy and envy are strong motivations for others to dislike us and those jealousies and envies can result from things we do very well.  The 7th and 12th houses of the chart describes the qualities of other people, including those who may work against us – our enemies.

 “When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.”

African proverb (from Thinkexist.com)

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Mike DeWine – Ohio’s New Top Cop

Posted on December 20, 2010 by ohioastrology

Of our 43 presidents, the most common sun signs are Aquarius and Scorpio.  Each sign of the zodiac has a mode – fixed (stable, strong, unwavering), cardinal (starter, bossy, active) or mutable (changeable, adaptable, impressionable).  Of the 43 presidents, 18 (42%) have been in fixed signs (Aquarius, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio).

What’s this love of fixed signs in American politics?  As an astrologer, I watch every election for the insult that someone is “waffling,” the very opposite of being fixed. Americans love politicians who do not waffle, who believe in a something and stick with that one idea or belief for a very long time.  Changing one’s mind or talking about the complications of a situation are very unpopular behaviors for anyone running for office in the United States.

The least common sun signs for American presidents are Gemini, Virgo and Aries.  One of the Gemini presidents, John F. Kennedy, did not complete office and the other Gemini president (George Bush Sr.) only lasted one term.  In our 234-year history, the United States has been run by a Gemini president for a mere 6 years.

Whenever I happen upon Gemini in the chart of a politician, I get very interested in how this intellectual, changeable, double-personality sign has managed its way into office.  When I see Gemini in the chart of a politician, I look, more than usual, for the hidden life behind the public image.

Mike DeWine, Ohio’s Attorney-General elect and former Ohio Senator, has sun in Capricorn with moon in Gemini.  Capricorn is that ambitious earth sign known for seeking positions of authority and respect.  Gemini, the sign of the twins, is known for its dualistic and, gone bad, duplicitous nature.  Capricorn and Gemini combined in a chart represent an individual who is motivated by ambition and intellectual stimulation and moved very little by feelings.  Do not cry on the shoulder of Mike DeWine.

Do ask Mike DeWine to tell you about his beliefs and you will find yourself in a very heady, deep conversation.  Keep on your toes because Gemini moon conjunct Uranus in DeWine’s chart makes him a wily debater with a quick, agile mind.  He can pick up facts from the air to challenge you at every point.  After your long, detailed conversation with him, you will walk away wondering how he talked you out of your most basic beliefs.  He may have appeared to contradict himself, but somehow he explained that too.  You agreed with him but now you wonder why . . . Even if you don’t agree with Mike DeWine you can learn much from his tremendous intellectual power.  Mike DeWine has the intellectual ability (Gemini) and authoritative nature (Capricorn) to convince you the sky is green.

Dewine’s Venus and Jupiter are conjunct in Scorpio which add intensity to an already serious nature.  Saturn and Pluto are conjunct in Leo which square the Venus/Jupiter conjunction.  This Saturn/Pluto conjunction, which occurred right after WWII, can also be found in the chart of Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson.  Like Frank Jackson, DeWine probably received negative messages during his youth that taxed his self-esteem and challenged his sense of self.   For both Jackson and DeWine, growing up post-WWII must have been difficult.

The office of Attorney General should be a comfortable one for Mike DeWine, a Capricorn whose very nature is one of Top Cop.  As an astrologer, I’ll still be watching for that Gemini moon and that “other” Mike DeWine that does like to break the rules.

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