Category: Astrology

A Meaningful Coincidence

Whenever we, astrologers, hear the number, seven, we should prick up our ears.  Chances are something is going to resonate with the symbolism of our seven traditional planets.  That might help us see a new perspective on something astrological or at least allow us to enjoy a moment of awe at the syncronicity of the Universe.

Along with our traditional planets, seven refers to the seven colors of the rainbow, the seven notes on the musical scale, the seven seas, the seven continents, the seven sages, the seven sacraments of the Catholic religion, the seven days of Creation, the seven days of each lunar phase, the seven days of the week, the seventh son of the seventh son, the seven deadly sins, the seven virtues, the seven chakras, the seven orifices of the human body, and on and on, including the seven dwarves.

 

Yes, those dwarves!  As in, the fairy tale of Snow White. 

 

Of course, we all know, thanks to Bruno Bettelheim, author of the classic book, “The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales,” that fairy tales are full of symbolism, much more so than we thought in our childhoods.  And one of the many purposes that fairy tales serve is to illuminate the relationship between light and shadow, how a weakness can become a strength, that transformation does occur especially for a happily ever after.

 

For instance, the dwarf, Grumpy, begins the tale being cold and a little suspicious of Snow White, but by the tale’s end, he becomes soft, emotional and caring of her.  Each one of the dwarves goes through that kind of transformation through the tale.

 

When we sort through the dwarves by their characteristics and transformations, some of us might see that Grumpy can be associated with the Moon.

 

Doc, the leader of the dwarves, correlates with the Sun.  Although he is seen as the kingpin of the group, he also can be a fool when he fouls up his words and thoughts, not unlike how the astrological Sun can have a foolishness too.

 

Mercury is Dopey, ironically, the one who doesn’t speak, but he’s highly communicative with facial expressions and body language, and he’s the youngest of the dwarves.

 

Venus is Bashful, the quiet, gentle and shy dwarf with a deep romantic crush on Snow White.

 

Mars is Sneezy, the noisy one.

 

Guess which planet matches up with Jupiter.  Answer:  Happy!

 

Last but not least, Saturn is seen as Sleepy; ironically, he’s the one who brings humor to the tale and is known to make all the others laugh.

 

The number, 7, of course consists of 3 and 4.  There are many symbolic connections with those numbers, but suffice it to say, 3 represents energy and 4 represents form.  Together, they create wholeness.  They are the coming together of yang and yin.  We can see even more meaning when we look at astrology’s triplicity and quadruplicity in our elements and modes.

 

Of course, these numbers when multiplied give us 12, another important symbol for us astrologers, and a number that resonates with many other themes, i.e., the twelve apostles, the twelve tribes of Israel. 

 

Maybe the Brothers Grimm who originally penned “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” consciously intended to create a moral tale about the Universe and its inhabitants, but it’s much more likely they were unconsciously inspired by the syncronicity in the Universe and out came all of their enchanting stories.  In actuality, they simply collected all of their folktales from the peasants of German countryside, who used them as forms of entertainment from generation to generation.  Obviously, though, the Brothers were tapping into the Collective Mind, especially since their stories continue to resonant with us and take on so many other forms through the centuries, from Walt Disney’s retelling of the tale to “The Huntmans.”

 

One of the other important and symbolic characters in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” is the mirror.  It always gives an honest answer to the Evil Queen’s never-ending question.

 

So, the next time you gaze at your chart to see your astrological reflection, and ask, “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?,” remember the mirror never lies.  

 

 

 

John Marchesella is a lover of myths, dreams and astrological symbols.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturn represents the outer limit of determinable reality.  That applies to the reality of the individual as well as the collective.  This is indicated by everything we glean from His mythic face; from His association with lead, death, and winter; and even from His material being – His rings, His position as the last planet visible to the naked eye, and the last of the ancient planets.

The outer planets represent the surreal.  And each of them is disruptive and innovative, not just Uranus.  Each of them is inflated and inspiring, not just Neptune.  And each of them is violent and empowering, not just Pluto.  They each wreak chaos, out of which, our creativity comes.

For 200 years, Saturn had the job of filtering the doings (and misdoings) of the outer planets, doing it sometimes more effectively than other times.  All that changed on November 1, 1977, when Chiron was discovered between the orbits of Saturn and Uranus, making for a bridge, so to speak, between the nether regions and human reality.

By analogy, the space between Saturn and Uranus, between the real and the surreal, can be considered the infamous wound of the mythical Centaur, and that His half-beast-half-god image is both the split and the connection between the primitive self and the Divine.  Perhaps, then, Chiron symbolizes not simply a wound, but a crevasse, a schism, a canyon, a gap, one that calls for a leap, or more appropriately put in equestrian symbolism, a gallop, that bridges the wild world of the outer planets and the order of human consciousness.

Furthermore, similar to the traditional planets which relinquished some of their duties when the outer planets were discovered, so too, now it might be the task of the Centaur, and not Saturn, to carry the “stuff” from the great beyond into awareness.  When He is doing this task well, we get wisemen – our healers, heroes and mentors – the links to the Divine powers within.  When He’s sleeping on the job, we get the wild and wicked madmen who, nevertheless, also stir our souls and bring our wounds to mind.

In the 20th century, there is no better example of the horoscopic Chiron at His best than in the chart of Mahatma Gandhi.  Not only did Gandhi bridge international gaps of culture, religion, politics and economics, and help to form the nation of India, but he also healed many of its great divisions, except for one.  And he did this, of course, not through violence, but with civil disobedience, most notably through his hunger strikes.  We can see this feat in his 6th house Chiron in Aries, in opposition to his Libra Sun, and exactly square his nodes, and closely quincunx natal Mercury. 

Interestingly, Gandhi’s initial tool in setting India free from Great Britain was sanitation.  He firmly believed that no people could be responsible for their freedom until they learned to be physically clean, and so, he initiated major education programs on personal hygiene as well as environmentalism!

Another form of his Chiron is his prolific writing.  Few people realize he wrote every single day from his early teens until the day before his assassination; and this was not 3rd house kind of writing, but rather 6th house technical, informational, practical writing, most often as part of the education of the people, and as a form of service.

His natal Chiron also explains his deep sorrow on the separation of India and Pakistan, a division too great for him to succeed in making whole.

In the mundane chart of India, Chiron is in the 6th house too, but in Scorpio, and it is exactly conjunct Gandhi’s natal Mercury and quincunx his own.  (Bear in mind, too, the association of the quincunx with the sign of Virgo and its manifestations in health and cleanliness).

There is a remarkable connection between these positions of Chiron, (1 degree of Aries and 4 degrees of Scorpio) and that of Martin Luther King, who looked at Gandhi as a mentor.  King’s natal Chiron is 5 Taurus and it sits just above his Ascendant in conjunction to Jupiter.  The interpretation is obvious.  Another important example of Chiron is the transit on the day of King’s most famous speech, “I Have a Dream;” it was conjunct Venus and Moon in Pisces in the 11th house.

In the more literal mentor-student relationship between Freud and Jung, Chiron plays a very substantial role.  For Freud, Chiron, at 6 Aquarius, is the apex of a t-square with his Scorpio Ascendant and his Taurus Sun-Uranus conjunction.  Jung’s natal Uranus is 14 Leo, closing this t-square for Freud.  No wonder they helped give shape to each other’s work, but ultimately, had to separate; and no wonder the separation was Jung’s rebellion against Freud!  To add insult to injury, Jung’s Moon is 15 Taurus.

Jung’s Chiron, at 26 Aries, is conjunct natal Neptune and it is in an out-of-sign square to his Sun-Uranus conjunction in early Leo, and of course, he is most known for healing through dreams and other “Neptunian” work.  Chiron might partly suggest his annoyance with his reputation as a mystic, which he strongly disputed.

Another well-known mentor-student relationship with noteworthy Chiron aspects is that of Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller.  Sullivan’s Chiron is conjunct Keller’s Moon in Pisces!  However, Keller’s own Chiron sits in her natal 6th house (health, skills and self-sufficiency) conjunct Neptune (handicaps) in Taurus (self-resourcefulness, self-worth and valuing the body).

The heroic influence of JFK on Bill Clinton can be seen in many astrological ways, including through the eyes of Chiron.  Most simply put, Clinton’s natal Chiron at 18 Libra is closely conjunct Kennedy’s Ascendant, so he was the very embodiment of Clinton’s hero.  This Chiron also equals the midpoint of Clinton’s Venus and Jupiter.  Too bad he didn’t know that before he overindulged in the private company of young ladies!  That might have been one bridge not to cross.

An interesting Chiron connection exists between Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli.  Of course, everything in Garland’s horoscope indicates her transcendental voice and performance, i.e. a 12th house Sun, Pluto closely conjunct her Cancer Rising, a void of course Moon just passed a sesquiquad to Neptune, the Pisces MC, Saturn and Jupiter on the North Node in the 4th house, and on and on.  However, what is also on the list of indications is a first-house Venus at 19 Cancer making a square to her tenth-house Chiron at 16 Aries, i.e., a voice that leaps over the rainbow (perhaps to the outer planets?) and brings the audience along for the ride.

Minnelli, by comparison, has a Mars-Saturn-Moon conjunction bundled around 19 Cancer, a Midheaven at 19 Capricorn and Chiron at 20 Libra.  That’s a complicated natal t-square that is closed by her mother’s Chiron.  Are there words even to express such an astrological connection?  Just look at their relationship with each other, their parallel lives with men, money and addictions, and their reputations in the world; and have a listen to their sound.

In a twist on the mentor-student theme of Chiron is the synastry of Barbra Streisand with Fanny Brice.  These women never met, but Streisand, of course, skyrocketed to fame by portraying Brice on stage and screen in “Funny Girl” and “Funny Lady.”  (Ties between real-life characters and the actors who portray them are always eye-opening).  Although there are many aspects between these two charts, narrowing down to Chiron’s activity, we see a spread of Scorpio planets (Uranus, Sun, Mercury, MC and Venus) in Brice’s chart in opposition to Streisand’s Taurus (singing) Sun and square to her 5th house Leo (performing) conjunction of Moon, Pluto and Chiron.  Take into account, too, how both performers overcame criticism of their physical looks with their enormous talent and confidence.

Another Chiron connection from showbiz is the mentorship from Oscar Hammerstein, a forerunner of the musical theatre, to Stephen Sondheim, hailed as a legend in his own time and perhaps the last of the great composers in this original American art form.  Hammerstein’s Chiron at 4 Libra opposes Sondheim’s Aries conjunction of Sun, Uranus and Venus, and it squares his Capricorn Moon and Saturn.  It also forms a trine to Sondheim’s Aquarius Ascendant.  A well-known anecdote exemplifies this Chiron connection.  As an adolescent, Sondheim, a family friend of the Hammerstein’s, spent the summer with them and announced that he would like to write a musical-comedy.  With the older man’s encouragement, Sondheim did.  At the end of the summer, Hammerstein declared the young man’s work a travesty, sat him down, and with patience, diligence and a blue pencil, went over page by page and note by note what was wrong with it.  Imagine a private lesson with Oscar Hammerstein on how to write for the theatre!  By the way, at this time, Sondheim’s solar arc Chiron came to oppose his MC.

Sondheim’s own Chiron is in Taurus in the 3rd house and it is in a trine with his Capricorn planets.  As a result of his own experience, he is very active in educational and training programs for children and adolescents who want to go into the theatre and strongly believes in the importance of “passing the mantle” to a younger generation who shares what you value.

There’s one more anecdote for this example.  Hammerstein’s death in 1960 left his writing partner, Richard Rodgers, bereft; so it was suggested that Sondheim, who was established in his own right by then, step into the place of collaborator.  Transiting Chiron was in Pisces forming a closing sextile to its natal position in Taurus.  This aspect often indicates “enjoying the fruits of the labor;” namely, this mentorship left the student to fill the shoes of the teacher.  He was seen as heir to the Broadway throne.  However, the collaboration was a horror for both men, producing a rather insignificant show, and affirming for the Aries Sondheim to go it alone from then on, resulting in some of the most innovative and memorable pieces of musical theatre.

So, now for Chiron as the madman….actually, this is the tragic story of a hero who became a madman….O.J. Simpson.

Of course, there are a myriad of astrological indications of this tragedy, but obviously, for the purpose of this article, we are focusing on the influence of Chiron.

At first glance, Simpson’s natal Chiron seems not so attention-getting, i.e., placed in the cadent 3rd house in Scorpio with a wide square to Saturn in the 12th, a trine to Venus, and a quincunx to Gemini Mars in the 10th.  However, at the time of the murder, transiting Jupiter was just about to station (within a degree) on his Chiron, perhaps inflating its activity; and a full moon in Scorpio (always a difficult one) was conjunct it just six weeks prior to the murder, intensifying the meaning of the Centaur, perhaps more of its divide than wholeness.

On closer evaluation, though, Chiron plays a prominent role in the scenario.  Since the cadent (mental) houses were involved as well as the airy (intellectual) Mars and the closing quincunx (mental health), when triggered by Jupiter (grandiosity) and the emotional intensity of a Scorpio (raging, murderous, powerful) full moon, then indeed, a mind can snap, leap to conclusions, and take action on horrific thoughts.

Ironically, remember the car chase involved a Bronco!  Perhaps even more ironic in light of a 3rd house Chiron, Simpson was known for his gallop, so to speak, on the football field as well as his great leap in his Avis commercials.

More significantly, the synastry between the charts of Simpson and his wife brought out the worse that Chiron has to offer.  His Chiron sits on her natal 8th house cusp and Neptune, and that becomes the Ascendant in her LA relocation chart!  Furthermore, Simpson’s natal Chiron is the midpoint of Nicole’s Saturn and Pluto.  Is there any need for clarification?

By transit, in June, 1994, Chiron was at 4 Virgo, exactly the degree of the IC in their composite chart and just a little off from her natal Descendant.  She was face-to-face with the wild beast that would end their relationship in the most final of ways.

This also implies the transit of a closing sextile to his natal Chiron.  (This is the same aforementioned aspect in the story of Sondheim and Rodgers).  This is hardly to say that closing sextiles make for a horror show; certainly, they don’t.  But it is to say that closing transits (particularly, the square and sextile) are the result of past actions, so they can only be as rewarding as the past actions were well labored.  And they can only be accurately predicted if the astrologer is familiar with the previous transiting aspects in a cycle.

In summation of Chiron as a bridge:  this image serves to connect the power of the outer planets and the ordering principle of the traditional planets, often appearing in our lives as an actual person who serves as a mentor to facilitate that creative process; but when that bridge is strained, it can allow volatility, chaos and primitive behavior to override one’s consciousness, and it can manifest, instead, as the animal in each of us.

Remember, too, that Chiron is very new to human consciousness as well as to the astrologer’s toolkit, so students are encouraged to keep studying, reading and researching its dynamics in the natal chart.  Don’t leap to conclusions.  A most impressive book is one of the first on the topic.  Erminie Lantero’s “The Continuing Discovery of Chiron” provides great mythological, historical and astronomical information on Chiron.  She also emphasizes how astrological interpretation is a creative process which requires an open mind.  One of the best ways to learn is to observe the transits and progressions to and from Chiron in your own horoscope and in the charts of friends, family and public figures.

On a different note, in addition to the wound and a bridge, I propose another image for Chiron – the kiss.  This image is borrowed from the novel, “The Hours,” by Michael Cunningham.  Those readers, who are familiar with it or its film version, know the three main characters use a kiss, not romantically, but as an attempt to connect with another human being, thereby breaking their existential alienation.

This kind of kiss is not the yearning of Neptune and His spiritual transcendence, nor the craving of Pluto and His passion; but rather a need to look deep into the eyes of another and connect with the soul as though to ask, “Are you there?  Do you know what I know?”  That kiss might, might be another manifestation of Chiron.  And hasn’t that “need to connect” been such a popular theme in our culture since the discovery of Chiron?

Existential alienation has been around since, well, the beginning of existence, certainly long before the discovery of Chiron.  We can also see from the writings of Sophocles through Shakespeare and Camus, every generation thinks it invented such alienation or has the worse case of it.  This is most of all true for our current celebrity-seeking, self-aggrandizing times, a tendency we can see even in our own community, which dramatized everything from the Harmonic Convergence of 1987 to the Grand Square Solar Eclipse of August, 2000, and is already projecting the horrors of Pluto in Capricorn.  Despite this social Narcissism, however, one must admit the pitch of existential alienation has been turned up a notch, so to speak, since man discovered a way to destroy mankind in the last century.  Up until then, only Nature had that power.

In the same way that we, astrologers, give or take a decade or two when associating the discovery of Uranus with various revolutions, i.e., French, American and Industrial; and likewise with the social trends that coincided with the discoveries of Neptune and Pluto, perhaps we can be so generous with Chiron too, and say, generally, in the decades surrounding His discovery, the signs of the Aquarian Age became evident in the world, i.e., amazing technological advances, the breakdown of social barriers, and a noticeable rise in the alienation of the individual in society.  If so, what is really taking a leap from the outer planets to the rings of Saturn is the Age of Aquarius and perhaps it comes on the back of the Centaur.

That’s quite a statement, I realize, especially coming from the skeptic of Chiron-ian influences as I am; so I reserve the right to eat my words and lick my wounds.

As we enter the last leg of our journey with Pluto through the kingdom of Sagittarius, we can see the landscape behind us now and take a snapshot of the telltale events and trends, the saga to pass down to our astrological grandchildren, so to speak, the generations of astrologers to come, when we reminisce about this adventure.

Of course, the stand-out event is 9/11, not just the violence, but all that it embodies, i.e., the religious and cultural extremism, the release of long-pent-up fury against capitalism and liberalism.  Odd, how, years ago, Neptune in Sagittarius made for religious fanaticism that turned in on itself, i.e., Jim Jones’ Kool-aid genocide, Jim and Tammy Faye Baker’s fiasco, and the fall of so many spiritual gurus, such as Rajineesh.  This is such a contrast to Pluto’s explosive fury.

As a result of 9/11, the most obvious and practical manifestation of Pluto in Sagittarius is the transformation the travel and leisure industries.

On the other hand, Pluto’s transit materialized in some ironically humorful ways too.  For instance, Daniel Radcliffe, the young actor who portrayed the movie version of Harry Potter, appeared au naturale in “Equus,” playing a deranged adolescent who sexually abuses horses.  How many Pluto in Sagittarius references can you pick out in that reference?  By the way, this play was originally produced in London and on Broadway in the early days of Neptune in Sagittarius!

Furthermore, not only did Harry Potter transform the publishing industry, at least in the children’s division, so did Pluto in Sagittarius.

Although we might chalk up the internet phenomenon to Uranus and Neptune in Aquarius, no other industries were so altered on an everyman basis than sales, marketing, advertising, promotions, etc.  C’mon, admit it; when was the last time you really went out of your way to buy something at a mom-and-pop store instead of going to Amazon.com?

And speaking of sales, well, p.r., where would Paris Hilton be without Pluto in Sagittarius?  She’s the worst of what Pluto in Sagittarius has to offer – the death of meaning in favor of the power of shallowness — and to add insult to injury, she knows it and is proud of it.  How apt that this one-woman circus would come from an heir to a hotel chain with an international city for a first name!

To boot, who ever thought Donald Trump could become a television sensation?  Well, obviously, he thought so, and Pluto in Sagittarius made for the right time for it.  And apparently, Tom Cruise became an expert in psychiatry as well as childbirth while Pluto was in Sagittarius.  Again, how many Pluto in Sagittarius references can you pick out in those examples?

Spectacle par excellence, however, is O.J. Simpson, whose scandal ushered in Pluto in Sagittarius way back in 1995.  It wrapped up all the Pluto-in-Sagittarius buzzwords and tied them up with a bow – the legal system, racial issues, the power of the media, publishing, truth, justice, ethics, civil rights.

As many astrology students know, when a major planet leaves a sign, it balances, so to speak, the developments from its ingress to that sign.  For instance, when Pluto entered Scorpio in 1983-84, AIDS came into broad public awareness.  When He left the sign, for the first time, effective “cocktail” medications came into existence, not as a cure for the disease, but as a successful management of it.

So, when the brouhaha about the publication of Simpson’s book, “If I Did It,’ took place, especially so close to a recent station of Pluto, it was no surprise to those of us who had been keeping an eye on O.J. through these years.   However, the story is much juicier than we expected!  At the time of this writing (November, 2007), it looks like Pluto is going to usher O.J. where he rightfully belongs—in jail—  maybe not for his murderous deed, but for a dozen other minor crimes.

Well, maybe that legal trial was a little rivaled by the impeachment of Bill Clinton, another social phenomenon that’s music to an astrologer’s ear when considering the indications of Pluto in Sagittarius, representing, among other things, the archetype of the Philanderer.  The various elements of Pluto in Sagittarius are obvious in this example, but what might be a bit obscure is the notion that Nero fiddled while Rome was burning.  In other words, the American public was fixated on Bill Clinton’s definition of sexual relations while Osama bin Laden was plotting 9/11.

Sagittarius symbolizes our Supreme Court, and Pluto certainly put that through the ringer too.  We recently saw the death of Justice Rehnquist, the retirement of Sandra Day O’Connor (and the recent announcement of her husband’s love affair with a fellow hospital inmate with Alzheimer’s disease), the debacle of Harriet Miers and the recent steps to undo Roe v. Wade.

Similarly, Sagittarius is related to the office of the Attorney General and, not for decades, has there been such brouhaha about the visibility of these leaders.  Let’s just skip over Alberto Gonzales; he’s cooked his own goose in recent months.  John Ashcroft was a villain right out of Central Casting.  And Janet Reno became quite the celebrity, thanks to the antics of Will Ferrell on “Saturday Night Live,” as well as her handling of Elian Gonzales’ case.  His adventure back to Cuba, in itself, was an example of Pluto in Sagittarius. 

As for injustices to little boys (and some little girls), let’s not even make mention of the Catholic Church, except to say, “Shame on you!  And how dare you use bankruptcy (Pluto) to free yourself from recompense to your survivors (Pluto)!”

If Mother Theresa had lived a little longer, what would she have said?  Her death, however, was another form of Pluto in Sagittarius, i.e., the loss of a heroic or saintly figure.

Similarly, the death of Princess Diana can be considered a form of Pluto in Sagittarius.  In fact, generally, Sagittarius represents the archetype of ‘hero,’ which explains the over-use of that word in these times.  From the victims and survivors of 9/11 to the NBC series, the word ‘hero’ is bandied about so much that it has lost its meaning.  Well, there it is again:  the loss of meaning.

Speaking of NBC, did anyone notice that just as Pluto was transiting out of Scorpio and into Sagittarius, Phil Donahoe retired from his pseudo-psychological TV show, and it was immediately replaced by Judge Judy and a slew of her imitators?

True, there’s still Oprah Winfrey’s psychobabble on television, but it’s peppered with her philosophical acts, spiritual outlook and her book club.  She was fast on the trigger, too, to get James Frey to admit the truth about his memoir, “A Hundred Little Pieces.”  And, wow, did she go into instant damage control mode recently when child abuse was discovered in her girls’ school in Africa!

By the way, memoir as a writing form has been greatly popularized while Pluto has been in Sagittarius, (another transformation in the publishing world), and memoir, itself, can be considered an altered version of the truth or a re-writing of history.  Anybody smell some Pluto?

As for the higher education side of Sagittarius, an actual title has been given to the effort of trying to get a kid into college these days.  It’s called “University Bulge” or “Echo Boomers.”  In other words, the Baby Boomer generation spawned so many children and grandchildren who want to get in to the “right” college that high school seniors have to apply to many more universities in order to be assured being accepted to at least one of the “right” ones.  And of course, we all know that to get a good job, you have to get a good education.  Pluto in Sagittarius single-handedly transformed places of wisdom into very expensive trade schools.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that parents, now, are thinking about their kids’ college acceptances and scholarships as soon as kindergarten, by aiming to get them on track from Day 1 of learning.  That’s interesting connection between Gemini and Sagittarius.

Another interesting connection between these opposing signs is Pluto in Gemini was the Era of Immigration in the United States.  Now that Pluto is in Sagittarius, we are struggling with the immigration issue, especially from our neighboring countries, i.e., Gemini.  Ironically, in New York state , Governor Spitzer’s made a major misstep in fighting for driver licenses (Gemini) for illegal immigrants (Sagittarius), and this was a significant sticking point for Hillary Clinton in a recent debate.

Just to fill out the picture of Pluto in the mutable signs, the current immigration law was signed into effect by President Johnson in the mid-60’s when Pluto was in mid-Virgo.

In the world of business, again, we see that Sagittarius-Aquarius connection in the megamergers, particularly those involving media companies for the purpose of expanding sales, i.e., AOL/Time-Warner, Disney/ABC, Viacom/CBS and NBC with everything.  It will be interesting to see if Pluto in Capricorn will have these giants topple or dismantle.

On a similar note, although there has always been power in advertising, Pluto in Sagittarius saw the magnification of this power in such events as the Superbowl, the gigantic amounts of money paid for advertising spots there, and that those commercials have become a part of the spectacle.

Advertising pulled its power in a different way recently by staging the firing of Don Imus, another scandal emphasizing so many Sagittarius buzzwords, also an interesting connection with Gemini.  And just when Mars went retrograde this month, he went back to work on the air.

Another example of Pluto in Sagittarius in the world business and international trade can be said in a word:  outsourcing.  Well, maybe with another word too:  China.

Pluto in Sagittarius has truly fulfilled the promise of the expression, “global village.”  Despite the very dramatic and dangerous differences that exist between cultures now, we can also see how much we have become One World.  (Last year’s powerful film, “Babel,” exemplifies this theme most effectively).

Perhaps the only way we will resolve our differences and behave as One World is if we have to face some opposition from other galaxies. In other words, maybe human beings, in order to unite, need a common enemy, and where else can that enemy come, but from outer space?  Given the advancements in the exploration of the universe that we have seen while Pluto has been in Sagittarius, this might not be too wild a thought.

Closer to home, meaning our astrology, how ironic that Pluto was dwarfed while in the sign of magnification! On the other hand, if Pluto through Sagittarius is going to transform the Universe as we had known it, then why not start with Himself?

We all know that dwarfing Pluto does not diminish His effect.  Instead, it just makes Him more of an imp, and therefore, harder to spot.  It’s not coincidental that the dwarfing took place in the same era of terrorism, specifically the rise of Osama bin Laden.  Similarly, the upgrading of Ceres from asteroid to dwarf planet represents the rise of the green movement, namely, Al Gore and “The Inconvenient Truth.”

In short order, the meaning of Pluto in Sagittarius has been so much about the death of meaning.  The world has been going for “more, bigger, better, faster,” for centuries, if not forever; but in recent years this dynamic has been at a feverish pitch and we have lost meaning in favor of data, traded in wisdom for information, switched truth for the flatness of words.  It’s no accident that this era ends with the publication of Al Gore’s “The Attack on Reason,” an account of Pluto on the Sagittarius-Gemini polarity.

Ironically, we live in a smaller world with a lifestyle made up of so many more superlatives.  There’s no negative slant intended in that comment.  After all, it’s not Pluto’s job to leave things better or worse, just different.  It’s our job, then, to make “the different” better.

Also, it’s not over until the fat lady sings, so let’s see what Pluto will allow to evolve on this last leg of this journey.  If you keep an eye on the headlines, you can see Plutonian stories are popping up faster than you can say, “Sagittarius,” and with hope, maybe Pluto will leave us with some relief from the terror that has diminished us.

P.S.  Speaking of the fat lady, since Sagittarius symbolizes the opera, go see how Peter Gelb is transforming the Met and bringing music to the masses for all of us to enjoy!

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FYI, Pluto made His initial announcements in Sagittarius with great exactitude.  The first ingress was on January 17, 1995.  Within hours, the great earthquake occurred in Kobe, Japan.  A week later, Rose Kennedy died.

Stations are times when we can see the effects of the planets too.  The first station of Pluto in Sagittarius was on March 3, 1995, and shortly after then, there was a poison gas attack in the Tokyo subway system.

Pluto re-entered Scorpio on April 21, 1995, the day of the Oklahoma City bombing.

The last station of Pluto in Scorpio was August 8, 1995, and Netscape went public on the stock market; this is often sighted by Wall Street traders as the official start of the tech stock boom.

Pluto entered Sagittarius to stay on November 10, 1995, and just prior to that on November 4th, Yitzak Rabin, the prime minister of Israel, was assassinated, the first Million Man March took place in D.C. and the World Trade Organization went into effect.

So, mark your calendars and let’s see what Pluto brings as He enters in Capricorn on January 25, 2008, makes His first station there on April 2nd, re-enters Sagittarius on June 13th, makes His last station there on September 8th, and finally goes into Capricorn to stay on November 26, 2008.

 

©John Marchesella, November 2007

Sometimes the manifestations of planetary phenomena are so literal in popular culture, that as the gods wreak havoc in the world, we really have to wonder if they also are winking at us in our everyday headlines.

For instance, only weeks after Pluto’s ingress into Capricorn in early 2008, the Academy Award for Best Movie went to “No Country for Old Men.”  Shouldn’t that have been a clue to John McCain about his bid for President?

Actually, Pluto’s initial stages in Capricorn sent a signal to all of us about the falls of such great men as Elliot Spitzer to scandal, Paul Newman and John Updike to death, Bernie Madhoff to greed, as well as the fall of all of Corporate America and capitalism, itself, as the “Old Man.”

How ironic that this year’s Academy Award for Best Movie went to “Slumdog Millionaire!”  Just as Pluto was running the last leg of His race in Sagittarius, i.e, the journey toward destiny, and heading toward Capricorn, i.e., the sign of destiny, the film that was slated “to go straight to video,” instead, gained unbridled popularity.  Surely, you can catch the astrological symbolism, too, of Sagittarius and Capricorn in the very title of the movie, and to boot, it’s a story about destiny!

Another good example, in popular culture, of Pluto’s leave-taking from Sagittarius is CBS’s cancellation of “The Guiding Light,” the longest running soap opera in broadcasting history. Talk about the archetype of the Old Man!  It began on radio 72 years ago as a radio serial and switched to television in 1952. Here’s the real irony:  the roots of soap opera are in Sagittarius, plus Sagittarius is the sign of the beacon, as in “the guiding light!”  This is a good example of how Pluto ends not only the manifestations of the sign He enters, but also the manifestations of the sign He leaves.

Actually, Pluto doesn’t just end things.  He exorcises, de-toxes, purges, obliterates and makes extinct the antiquated.  And yes, He allows new forms to develop, evolve, emerge and unfold.
In a similar case of snuffing out the fiery drama of Sagittarius, General Motors, in order to beat a bankruptcy by June 1st, recently announced the closing of the Pontiac brand of cars. 

Of all GM’s brands, isn’t it ironic that the Pontiac would be extinguished!  By tradition, its reputation is America’s original fun car, the little red sports car.  Those of you who know your auto history remember the Pontiac was called “GM’s excitement car.”  The New York Times, in an article on May 4th, referred to it as “Pontiac: The Official Car of the 2009 Economic Crisis.”  By the way, the line began in 1926.  That means 2009 brings the Uranus Return as well as Neptune-Opposition-Neptune to Pontiac.  Cars have transits too.

Here’s one more interesting phenomenon of Pluto’s transits through the signs.  The blockbuster TV hit show, “E.R.,” began in 1994, when Pluto was wrapping up His stay in Scorpio, a very “emergency” kind of sign, to say the least.  The show was originally known for its realism, i.e., blood and gore in the e.r.

As Pluto journeyed through Sagittarius, the show lost its edge and became more of a saga, and it was cancelled just as Pluto entered Capricorn.  The show’s time slot, which is the most popular in prime time television, is being replaced by “Southland,” a drama about law enforcement, symbolized by Capricorn.  And it is so realistic that it is using actual gang members as actors and extras, and it’s being shot on the actual streets of L.A.!

The gods really are everywhere, and they must be having a great laugh at us. In these trying times, it’s good to laugh with them.

“I have tickets for Europe. Do you think I should fly?”

“We have the house in the country. Is it better to hang out there with the kids until all of this blows over?”

“I read something on the internet about a Saturn something with Pluto. How long does that go on for?”

“Am I gonna be okay?”

More and more, thanks to Saturn and Pluto, questions like these are being put to astrologers. Even The Boston Globe recently did an article on the boon of business to astrologers, psychics and the like since the tragedy of 9/11. There’s been plenty on the news, too, noting the increased use of Prozac, alcohol, and cigarettes.

Maybe I’ve gotten more than my share of these questions, thanks to the dynamics of my own 7th house, a steady clientele well before 9/11, and a long background in bereavement counseling. But if you haven’t been faced with such questions yet, believe me, you will be. And hopefully, you will also hear the question beneath the question.

Far from being an expert in trauma counseling, and certainly with so little time passed 9/11, and such a rapid barrage of events following this great tragedy, I can’t offer a standard of astrological counseling in the day and age of the Saturn-Pluto Opposition; but I would like to share with you some counseling points from my own practice. Some of them may be obvious and some of them may be considerations which astrologers should have all of the time. But I offer them in the hope that they will prepare you for your own clients’ needs and how astrology may (and may not) be of help to them.

I’ve become aware of several different categories of clients since 9/11. First, there are those who have an established relationship with me, and then, there are first-time clients. Even in that established group, there are long-term clients who share a great familiarity with me; and then, there are those on only their second or third readings, which I consider to be relatively new. When you’re counseling, take into account the degree of familiarity between the client and you. It greatly alters the comfort level of the client and yourself under such duress as this is these days.

Of course, that should automatically lead you to ask yourself “if they are traumatized even to only a small degree, why are they seeing an astrologer?” Are you a part of a team whose help they are seeking? Or are you on your own in helping them? Also, find out if this is a general reading, or is it related to issues that are a direct result of 9/11.

There are categories, too, for the degree of intensity to the trauma or reaction. I’ve noticed, for instance, that those who are most personally affected by the tragedy, i.e., having lost an immediate family member, are least likely to seek help from astrological counseling unless there is a prior well-established relationship with the astrologer. (That holds true in most grief experiences, not just the tragedy of the World Trade Center.) For these people, the loss is so real that it doesn’t require validation or guidance “from the stars.” Despite the havoc around them, they are actually centered in the crisis. They are very much “in the moment,” and that is exactly where they should be. Prediction, which astrology is so associated with (for better or worse), is of no use in this bereavement situation.

Those people, however, who did not have such a personal loss, but were in the immediate surroundings of the explosion, i.e., in the towers and escaped, are tending to turn to astrology for some philosophical understanding of what this means in their lives. This group of clients has shared profound and very touching revelations in the wake of their experiences. They are not so much looking for astrological predictions or natal interpretations per se; but rather, they are seeking some explanation of what happened and why they survived. (Again, take into account for your effectiveness in the reading the degree of familiarity, which this client has with you and what the natal chart indicates.) This might be, and I emphasize the “might be,” the case most likened to “survivor’s guilt.”

Finally, I’ve noticed the people who were most distant from the event, i.e., had no personal losses or experiences with it, but witnessed it only on TV, have the most unrealistic questions and comments, in the effort of trying to make the tragedy real for themselves. In my experience with this group so far, they also have the most need to “tell their story.” Their fear is anxiety-based and they seem to have the most anticipation of the unknown. Relatively speaking, the events of 9/11 are least visceral for this group of clients; and therefore, their reactions may be the most unfocused, at least this point.

It is very important to consider how much time has passed from 9/11 to the date of your reading too. Time might heal everything ultimately, but given the sudden developments of world events, i.e., anthrax scares and the fall of the Taliban, the healing process can be altered as well. For instance, this article is being submitted over Thanksgiving weekend. Things have already rapidly changed in the counseling process since 9/11, and they will probably change even more by the time of its printing at the Capricorn Ingress. Counseling is always an evolving process, but especially in the face of such critical times as these.

It is mainly this last group of clients who is most likely to project those all-too-human feelings of powerlessness onto the events and perpetrators. They might be driven, too, by the sense of “I’m too young to die,” so to speak; they are waking up to all their unfinished business. They might also be prompted to take action or make resolves in the wake of 9/11.

These are the people who have been saying, “Ever since September 11th, I know what my priorities are.” Some are staying with the relationships that were bad, but resolving to make them better, because now they know what is important to them. Some are leaving relationships because now they also know what is important to them. That can just as easily apply to careers, families, pets or whatever. Hence, an appointment is made with the Great Oracle for some validation and good timing. So, the Oracle had better be prepared with some good counseling skills to help these clients understand their motivations for change. They run the risk of doing the right thing for the wrong reason.

On a practical level, what can be of great help to all of these clients, especially this last category, which obviously constitutes the largest number, is volunteer work. Being close to Ground Zero or in its emotional proximity will help to make it more real for them, and therefore, more easily processed by the psyche.

The astrologer should be ready to ask, how old is the client, really? We’re all human, and no matter how much therapy we’ve had, traumas and irrational fears can take any of us right back to stuff of childhood in a split second.

Understanding the current transits and progressions will help explain how any client is experiencing this tragedy. For instance, if Saturn is passing through the client’s 9th house now, this might be an indignation to his or her cultural and political beliefs. If someone is steeped in a Pluto progression, this is a great opportunity vent its rage. A hard Uranus transit might take this as a great awakening and a call to arms, while something from Neptune might be good reason to run and hide. A ’55 babyboomer, whose Jupiter in Cancer was hit by last summer’s eclipse, said to me, “The American flag never meant anything to me until now.”

However, what every client, young or old, new or old, on the front lines of the event or “as seen on TV,” seems to have is the need to tell his or her story. Sometimes, it’s in a few poignant words. Sometimes, it pervades the reading. At all times, though, we just need to give each person the chance to say it. And it becomes our job just to listen; thereby, helping to make it real. And if we can listen with the ear of the Great Oracle that our clients think we are (actually still knowing that we, too, are only human with our own stories and foibles), then all the better for their healing.

Also consider how the client’s past grief may be reactivated by this present trauma. This connection may or may not be conscious, but it might be fueling the emotionality or motivating current behavior and decisions. The horoscope may give some indications on how to work with it in a willing client.

Another consideration, although a less frequent instance, is the client who actually feels better in such traumatic situations for society. This client tends to be a chronically depressed personality or someone who lives with a festering trauma from the past. Ironically, social crisis of such magnitude can have a healing effect on such a person. As one client put it to me, “Now, I feel understood by the world. This frees me. Now, I can participate.”

Of course, we should be prepared to refer clients appropriately to other professionals. This should always be part of an astrologer’s job. For the kind of distress resulting from this tragedy, usually hypnosis or EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing method) is most effective, especially in the immediate wake of it. Acupuncture is excellent for those with heightened stress reactions. Therefore, have ready a referral list of appropriate therapists or other means of healing. Sometimes, we are the client’s first and last source to such connections.

Although many very good books on trauma, counseling techniques and bereavement care have appeared in recent years, I always recommend the basics: On Death and Dying by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross is the textbook in hospice and bereavement work. And Eugene Kennedy’s On Becoming a Counselor is a must-read for all practicing astrologers in any era.

During my years as a bereavement counselor, I was awestruck by a consistent happening. The process of dying did not change anyone. It only made them more of who they always were. Their caretakers, however, did change. I believe as the survivors of this unspeakable loss, we, too, have a great opportunity, no, a responsibility to change.

Actually, in looking back on the results of previous Saturn-Pluto Oppositions, in fact, we have no choice, but to change. And as astrologers, we have the additional privilege to participate in the process of this change with our clients.

The increasing popularity and accessibility of astrological information has piqued more curiosity about the phenomenon called Mercury Retrograde.

Because it is a simple and common occurrence, it finds its way easily into pop-astrology columns, where it is laden with dramatic overtones, and it takes on unnecessarily ominous connotations in the public’s mind. The description, here, is intended to de-mystify the phenomenon, thereby putting it to more practical use on the everyday level.

Remember: there is a purpose to every season under heaven, even the “season” of Mercury Retrograde!

Technically speaking, retrogradation is, from earth’s perspective, the apparent backward motion of any planet due to change in its rate of speed. Think: watching IRT Local from a seat on the faster moving IRT Express.

Symbolically, the meaning and purpose of retrograde varies from planet to planet (and yes, they all retrograde), but superficially, they share one thing in common, within 24 hours or so of their retrogrades, when they are said to be stationed….well….that turns out to be one of those “interesting” days.

In the case of Mercury, the most common of all retrogrades (three or four times a year for three or four weeks at a time),