advertisements
"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!"
Search within NeptuneCafe
Custom Search
advertisements
Recent NewsScope columns at NeptuneCafe:
January 4, 2010 - advise on new year's resolutions, a check into Iran's horoscope, and hero Jasper Schuringer
Jan 11, 2010 - Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Timothy Geithner, and Casey Johnson's death
and consultations from NeptuneCafe's resident astrologer.
January 18, 2010 - Haiti's earthquake, the eclipse hits the U.S. chart, and Google fights censorship in China.
January 25, 2010 - the Supreme Court's decision, Feb's Top Five Astro-events, and Heidi Montag's surgery
February 1, 2010 - Toyota's troubles, J.D. Salinger and Howard Zinn, and Hollywood legend Jean Simmons
February 8, 2010 - the market outlook for 2010, China's 3:00 pm horoscope and Charlie Sheen.
Feb 15, 2010 - Michelle Obama's Cause, Greece's financial crisis, and Ellen DeGeneris's Q rating
Feb 22, 2010 - the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, March's Top Five, and Olympic snowboarder Chris Klug
Comments, questions, suggestions? Let us know what you think. Email wolfstar@neptunecafe.com
March 1, 2010 - Chile's 8.8 earthquake, the Bloom Box, and Alice in Wonderland star Mia Wasikowska
March 8, 2010 - Best Actor Jeff Bridges, Mars turns direct and anger, plus the European Union's horoscope
March 15, 2010 - New York's wounded politicians, Greater Israel, and Betty White's Comeback at 88.
March 22, 2010 - Pluto's role in financial reform, Pope Benedict's troubles, and Sandra Bullock's marriage.
March 29, 2010 - Obama's improved standing, April's Astro-Events, and DWTS leader Nicole Scherzinger
2009 NewsScope columns designed for this website are located in the
NewsScope for April 5, 2010
by Michael Wolfstar
Karzai and the Lunar Eclipse
In general, astrologers are in agreement that Solar Eclipses are more powerful than Lunar Eclipses. However, the next Lunar Eclipse on June 26 should be unusually potent in geopolitics since the luminaries align with four outer planets to form a Cardinal Grand Cross. Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan, is celestially targeted by the Lunar Eclipse and has recently become a questionable American ally.
Last week, Karzai toughened his view of the American mission in his country to the point of referring to U.S. troops as invaders and the obstacle to peace negotiations with the Taliban. His Sun-Mercury conjunction in Capricorn (December 24, 1957; Kabul, Afghanistan; time unknown) is currently under the influence of transiting Pluto, and aligned with the June 26 Lunar Eclipse.
Karzai benefits from American largesse: his Sun-Mercury is aligned with the U.S. Venus-Jupiter, making him the beneficiary American financial aid that supports his kleptocracy. Also, his
North Node in Scorpio is conjunct the U.S. Scorpio Ascendant, a karmic tie that brings him American protection. However, this North Node is squared by his Moon-Uranus opposition, suggesting an independent streak (Uranus) that speaks to popular sentiment (Moon).
Karzai's progressed Mars and Uranus are almost exactly quincunx, an extremely volatile dynamic that readily goes off the reservation. Last week, Karzai's invitation to Washington was revoked, and in angry response, he invited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to his Kabul palace. The U.S. relationship with Karzai is likely to become increasingly unstable as transiting Mars activates this progressed Mars-Uranus dynamic over the next three weeks.
Pluto and the Pope
Two weeks ago, I wrote that because of his progressed Sun-Pluto conjunction, the Pope's tenure in office may not last the year. A reader asks "Do you mean that he will die during the conjunction, or be removed from office?" Pluto themes include both death and abdication or removal from office, so here's a deeper look at the Pope's Pluto.
At the age of five, Joseph Ratzinger first encountered a visiting Cardinal and was much impressed by the colorful garb. He announced that very day that he wanted to be a Cardinal. At the time, transiting Pluto was at 19º Cancer where it trined his ostentatious Jupiter-Ascendant conjunction in Pisces. Cardinal Ratzinger was elected Pope on April 19, 2005 when transiting Pluto was conjunct his Midheaven.
* See Asteroid Goddesses by Demetra George, p. 163.
The iPad's Debut
Is the iPad a laptop killer or just another e-book? Apple rolled out the iPad last Saturday at precisely 9:00 am up and down the Atlantic coast. At the flagship Apple Store in Manhattan, hundreds of people were lined up waiting for the doors to open. The product launch has had people buzzing for months, but will it do any better than Apple's dismal Newton PDA?
The iPad horoscope (April 3, 2010; 9:00 am; New York, NY) features the Sun in pioneering Aries, which is a good start. Gemini Rising shows that the device's main purpose is as a communication and information system. With Mars in stylish Leo sextile the Ascendant, the iPad presents a strong and clear interface, which is one of its main selling points.
The ruler of this chart is Mercury at 1º Taurus, and is located in the twelfth house. This Mercury happens to be aligned with Steve Jobs' Mars-Neptune, highlighting him as the
A key to understanding the current scandal is Juno, who is the protector of the powerless, including young sexual abuse victims*. By secondary progression, Juno is at 4º Cancer. The recent round of allegations against the Pope has unfolded as transiting Pluto opposed his progressed Juno. This configuration remains in effect right through the Lunar Eclipse on June 26, 2010 which lands right on his progressed Juno.
The Pope's protective Fire Grand Trine (Aries Sun, Neptune in Leo, and Sagittarius Midheaven) probably makes it unlikely that he will be removed from office. Health issues should become more critical. With Leo on his sixth house of health, his heart becomes a weak point, making him susceptible to heart failure under the stressful progressed Sun-Pluto conjunction. Also, debilitating strokes are possible, since Uranus squares Mars and the North Node. This dynamic is now being activated by the outer planets.
behind-the-scenes promoter of the iPad as a product of his energy and vision. A potential problem can be seen in Mercury's square to Mars, which may manifest as legal fights or combating negative product reviews.
However, with Mercury's conjunction to Venus and trine to Ceres and Pluto – all in earth signs – the iPad should be a big money maker. The Part of Fortune, the Midheaven, and Neptune (the most elevated planet) are in the social-networking sign of Aquarius and help to define the iPad's purpose. Neptune gains importance by its sextile to Mercury and square to the Ascendant. Neptune adds the priceless quality of being a glossy fashion statement.
