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Bernadette Brady
on progressions
"The progression will seem to manifest first as a feeling or need and then as an action"
"Progressions are the way the cosmos manifests through us, as compared to a transit, which manifests on us."
"Progressions are a richer source of information than transits. They tap into the realm of the inner, personal world, showing both day-to-day motivations as well as unshakable life statements or desires."
Demetra George
on asteroids
"Astrologers need the asteroids because the tradi-tional planets simply do not and cannot fully explain the issues which are emerging - simply because they are new."
"Before the use of asteroids, the only significators of the feminine in the traditional chart interpretation were the Moon and Venus. The socially acceptable roles for women were the Moon as mother and Venus as mate."
"Ceres, Pallas, June and Vesta represent the new voices of the dormant feminine, recently activated and now demanding power, recognition, justice, and equality in our society."
Richard Tarnas
on the cosmos
Astrology is not concretely predictive, but archetypally predictive."
"The modern dismissal of astrology reflects the virtually universal conviction that the cosmos is disenchanted."
"The universe is a fundamentally and irreducibly interconnected whole, informed by creative intelligence and pervaded by patterns of meaning and order that extend through every level, and that are expressed through a constant correspondence between astronomical events and human events."
Nicholas Campion
on national horoscopes
"Experiment with the charts. Make predictions. And yes, prediction remains a perfectly valid exercise: one successful prediction reveals more about the nature of the universe than a hundred retrospective studies."
" Just as the individual is contained within the collective, so natal astrology can be seen as contained within mundane astrology."
"The modern nation state is largely a creation of the French revolution and is becoming increasingly irrelevant as capitalism becomes global."
Michael O'Reilly
on geopolitics
"Astrology as a worldview shows us that everything is connected, that the individual is an interdependent part of the whole. "
"When Scorpio is rising, the U.S. has four planets in the eighth house, underscoring the national focus on acculating wealth and corporate influence."
"The biggest celebrities have natal planets closely connected to national planets. Their character may personify a specific planet or group of planets, so that they become a national icon or archetype."
"The natal chart is like a seed and progressions are the unfolding in time of that into the plant it is to become. Transits, are like a daily weather report. In political astrology, these three factors have to be taken into account!"
Comments, questions, suggestions? Let us know what you think. Email wolfstar@neptunecafe.com
Recent NewsScope columns
Nov. 1, 2010 - Election Day and the Scorpio Rising US chart, Silicon Valley, and Frank Sinatra, the Voice
November 8, 2010 - John Boehner's horoscope, Pluto and "Quantitative Easing", and actress Jill Clayburgh
November 15, 2010 - Pluto opposite the U.S. Jupiter, Teddy Roosevelt's gilded age, and Elizabeth Smart
Nov 22, 2010 - the U.S. Saturn Return, plus the Sarah Palin book tour, and Prince William and Kate
Nov. 29, 2010 - Kim Jong' un's horoscope, December's top five astro-events, and Mark Twain's autobiography
December 6, 2010 - Julian Assange's horoscope, Afghainistan's Hamid Karzai, and Tron star Olivia Wilde
Dec. 13, 2010 - Obama's tax cut deal, Ron Paul and the Fed, and besieged Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi
Dec. 20, 2010 - transits to the U.S. horoscope, Amelia Earhart's return, and Julian Assange's chart refined.
Jan. 3, 2011 lBrazil's Dilma Rousseff, super spy Anna Chapman, plus Kelsey Grammer's double Neptune
January 10, 2011 - looks at Gabrielle Giffords' Mars, China's new horoscope, and Rahm Emanuel's residency
January 17, 2011 - Tuni-sia's social network, chess prodigy Hou Youfin, David Arquette and Couteney Cox.
Jan. 24, 2011 - Ophiuchus' delineation by the IAU, February's top five, Steve Jobs progressed New Moon
January 31, 2011 - Egypt's horoscope, Ophiuchus, the 13th constellation, Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul
February 7, 2011 - Hosni Mubarak's Neptune, the NFL horoscope, and the upcoming NFL lock-out.
Feb. 14, 2011 - Algeria's horoscope, plus the 2012 Uranus-Pluto square, and Arianna Huffington's political conversion
NewsScope for February 21, 2011
By Michael Wolfstar
Bahrain and the U.S. Navy
Of all the troubled nations in the Middle East, the island nation of Bahrain has drawn the most media attention in the U.S., since its strategic location in the Persian Gulf is headquarters for the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. Also, the religious split between the ruling Sunnis and the impoverished Shiites – the underlying cause of the turmoil – has parallels in neighboring Saudi Arabia.
Bahrain became independent on August 14, 1971 (2:00 pm*, Manama, Bahrain) when the Sun was conjunct comfortable Venus in the royal sign of Leo. The Jupiter-Neptune conjunction near the Ascendant enhances the Sunni monarchy with an unusually vibrant economy derived from its oil reserves. The Moon in Gemini is conjunct austere Saturn, with both opposing the opulent Jupiter-Neptune pair. This polarity reflects the stark contrast between the haves and the have-nots.
Bahrain’s Pluto is a key element in the current struggle. Located in the 10th house of the ruling party, Pluto here symbolizes the autocratic government. Bahrain’s situation has a remarkable similarity to Egypt’s. Egypt’s president was determined to keep power under the influence of a progressed Sun-Pluto conjunction. He was forced out when planets transiting through Aquarius opposed the progressed Sun-Pluto. Bahrain is now experiencing a progressed Sun-Pluto conjunction!
The trouble started on February 14 when Bahrain’s Shiite majority called for a national Day of Rage, as progressed Mars formed a dynamic aspect to natal Pluto (orb 0º03’). At the same time, transiting Uranus is opposing Bahrain’s progressed Sun-Pluto conjunction. These important astro-events will get stronger over the coming month. Bahrain has some difficult times ahead, and neighboring monarchs are watching closely to see whether U.S. interests lie with its fleet or the protestors.
Top Five Astro-Events for March
1. Uranus squares the lunar node axis on the 4th, marking a vital day in the flow of geopolitical processes. Expect crises, accidents, sudden changes of direction and new experiences with fateful twists and turns. In the Middle East, Washington D.C., and the pivotal midwest states, entrenched standoffs reach a critical turning point that can lead to strikes and shutdowns.
2. Uranus enters Aries on the 11th, emboldening revolutionaries, pioneers, radicals, progressives, fanatics, and activists in many fields of human interaction. Uranus is militantly brash and expressive in this sign, and made more so by the tense square to Pluto, which feels oppressive and tyrannical to the Uranian forces of freedom and independence. Uranus in Aries is not in favor of cooperative, peaceful negotiations, indicating an increase in violent conflict across our global village.
3. The Vernal Equinox on the 20th (7:21 pm EST) features the Sun conjunct Uranus. This chart set in Washington features powerful polarities between Libra and Aries indicating sharp, perhaps irreconcilable differences between political factions. This Sun-Uranus vibe favors the sudden self-promotion of new leaders based on their opposition to the status quo. The Sun-Uranus ignites Sarah Palin’s action planet, suggesting her announcement about 2012.
4. The U.S. Saturn is activated this month by three outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune), signifying that the political, financial, and corporate structures that bring stability to the nation need fortifying. Jupiter and Saturn provide opposing views about how to do that, while Neptune’s influence suggests confusion, deception and lack
of clarity. The U.S. Saturn is in Libra, which indicates mixed messages in foreign policy.
5. Jupiter opposes Saturn on March 28, but is a significant influence all month. In financial astrology, this combination is associated with a downturn in the business cycle. For individuals, Jupiter-Saturn presents ethical issues, such as personal freedom versus shared responsibilities, and for some, whether to proceed forward in life as an individual or part of a couple.
Alan Turing and Artificial Intelligence
Although the year 2012 is being seen by many metaphysicians with some trepidation, in the computer world, 2012 is being hailed as The Alan Turing Year, since it’s the 100th anniversary of his birth. Alan Turing’s pioneering work in artificial intelligence took a quantum leap forward last week when IBM’s Watson computer defeated the human champions in a special Jeopardy challenge event.
Alan Turing’s horoscope (June 23, 1912; 2:15 am; London) is dominated by outer planets, especially Uranus and Pluto. The Sun-Pluto conjunction gave him an intense personality, with the potential to discover hidden dimensions and unlock the mysteries of computing. Pluto is naturally secretive, and with its conjunction to Venus, the ruler of the 12th house of secrets, Turing’s hidden sexual orientation eventually landed him in trouble with the British police.
Uranus at the Midheaven is the most elevated planet in this chart. It’s dignified by being placed in its own sign, Aquarius, and given extra significance by close aspects to Turing’s Sun in Cancer and the Gemini Ascendant. Uranus here describes Turing’s inventiveness, his intellectual vision, and unique solutions to problems. His article “Computing Machinery and Intelligence” appeared in the October 1950 issue of Mind, and is the theoretical basis for artificial intelligence.
At the time, transiting Uranus was conjunct his Mercury, the ruler of his chart, and transiting Jupiter was favorably trine his Pluto. Uranus and Pluto in combination bring technological revolutions as well as political. As we watch the political
* As Nicholas Campion notes in The Book of World Horoscopes, the 2:00 pm birth time is approximate based on several news sources.
upheavals around the global village in 2012, it’s good to know that Alan Turing’s 100th birthday takes place within one day of the epochal Uranus-Pluto square. The new AI technologies built around Watson are just beginning to change our collective reality.
Reader feedback: "Today (Feb. 15th), President Obama seemed pretty low--with low energy. How is the outlook for him in the near future? Any areas "we the people" can help cheer him up in? People talk about him being a "realist"
but I can't help but think that a very idealistic Leo heart is at his core--we've seen it in his speeches. It must get hard given what he is faced with at times (and who) both at home and around the world."
