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June 29
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-July 2
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2007
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Dennis Harness, Ph.D.
Komilla Sutton
James Kelleher
William Levacy, M.A.
Nalini (Tom Hopke)
Marty Cottler, Ph.D.
Sam Geppi (Sadasiva)
Krishna
Swami Sitaramananda
K. Krishnan Naamboodiri
At the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm
...in the beautiful Sierra Foothills, California
530-272-9322
4 www.mountainastrologer.com
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So, youve been studying astrol-
ogy for a while now and youre
wondering if youre ready to start
interpreting charts for people
perhaps even make a career of it.
Before you jump in with both
feet, wouldnt it be nice if you
could road test your skills frst
and see how you score?
Or have you ever looked at a
clients chart and wondered
if youve caught everything
important, or whether another
astrologer might offer a
different interpretation?
Student Section p. 22
Research recent, current, and
upcoming solar arc contacts to your
chart. Take note of what happened in
the past or what you predict may hap-
pen with future contacts. Carefully
study the unfolding of your natal chart
by solar arc direction from the begin-
ning of your life. Start with planets near
angles, and consider the length of time
it will take the natal planet to contact
the angle to reach the angle by solar
arc. Identify correlations between the
planets and angles involved, and note
as closely as you can when this would
have occurred. You can do this at a
glance, calculating the distance between
the planets and between planets and
angles. Allot 5 minutes of arc per month
or 60 minutes of arc per year. Notice
the solar arc movement of a planet such
as Mars, Jupiter, or Saturn over another
natal planet or cluster of planets. Try to
recall whether any events in your early
life match the symbolism of the solar arc
contact. Then, go back and calculate
the timing of these arcs precisely. Keep
recordsofallyourfndings.
A Detailed Example
To learn any predictive method,
we need to study retrospectively. We
look backward into the past before we
look forward into the future. We study
events that have already occurred and
fndcorrelationsbetweenthoseevents
and planetary transits and progressions.
We study our own charts in depth to see
how we have responded to past plan-
etary contacts. We also study life histo-
ries, to see how a persons natal aspect
patterns, transits, and progressions have
manifested. By studying past events,
we can begin to anticipate the outcome
of future transits and progressions: We
can predict. We begin to discern how
transits and progressions operate and
how they correlate with real-life events.
And we learn to be alert for comparable
occurrences in the future. This is how
we develop the art of anticipation.
Here is another example of a clients
chart that vividly illustrates the power
of solar arc directions. Chart 2 (p. 21)
belongs to a woman I will call Anne.
When Anne was age 6 years and 3
months, SA Saturn conjoined her natal
Descendant: Her father, an undercover
CIA agent, suddenly disappeared and left
thefamilyforthefrstofmanytimes.It
was a period of sadness, fear, and social
inhibitions for Anne. You might not have
predicted her fathers leaving, but you
would infer from Saturns involvement
that there might be issues related to the
father and possible stresses or inhibitions
connecting to others.
Now, note Annes natal Moon
Uranus conjunction in the 4th house.
Some instability or change in the family
home and environment was indicated.
This came to fruition at age 8, when
the SA Midheaven opposed Annes
Moon. At the same time, transiting Sat-
urn was in Capricorn, opposite her
natal MoonUranus. Her family began
moving constantly, living in a series of
transient homes and trailer parks, caus-
ing Anne much emotional upset. At age
1617, when the natal Sun progressed
to a conjunction with Venus, Anne fell
inloveforthefrsttime.Also,atthis
age, her SA Saturn was conjunct Nep-
tune in the 7th house; this was a period
of romantic illusions and disappoint-
ment, since her boyfriend was an alco-
holic who lied to her. Notice how the
potentials of Neptune in the 7th house
were brought vividly to life, including
Annes ability to devote herself self-
lessly to somebody else. At age 21,
when SA Venus (ruler of the 7th house)
was conjunct natal Jupiter, Anne got
married; she and her husband relo-
cated across the country, bought a
house,andhadtheirfrstchild.Also
around this time, transiting Saturn in
Cancer conjoined her MoonUranus in
the 4th house. Saturn in the 4th house
marked the beginning of family life.
At age 25, when the SA MC
reached a conjunction with Annes
Aquarius Sun in the 11th house, she
became a nationally recognized leader
of an alternative, holistic health move-
ment (11th house); she also joined a
group healing arts clinic. Annes Sun
rules her 5th house (children). When the
SA MC was conjunct her Sun, she had
her second child; the birth was timed
exactly by transiting Saturn in Leo con-
junct natal Pluto in the 5th house. How-
ever, soon thereafter, Annes husband
started having an affair (transiting Sat-
urn aspecting natal Venus opposite
Pluto: relational complications, jeal-
ousy). At age 30, during Annes Sat-
urn return (when transiting Saturn was
in the 7th house), she had increasingly
serious marital problems, yet her pro-
fessional practice with her husband was
thriving. At the same time (age 30),
SA Jupiter reached a conjunction with
Annes Ascendant, and she published a
book that earned her lasting recognition
inherfeld.Thatbookcontinuestosell
today, more than 20 years later. When
Anne was 35, solar arc Mars squared
her MC, and the solar arc Moon con-
joined natal Pluto; she went through
an acrimonious divorce (Mars), an
emotional crisis (MoonPluto), and an
upheaval regarding her children (Pluto
in Leo in the 5th house). She received
her doctorate at age 38, when her pro-
gressed Sun was conjunct Jupiter. It
is astonishing how closely events are
linked to planetary symbolism.
When Annes SA MC was con-
junct natal Venus in the 11th house,
her daughter got married. Lets intro-
duce a little derived house analysis
most often used in horary astrology
but also very helpful in natal astrology.
The 11th house is the seventh from the
5th house (children); therefore, it gov-
erns the childs relationship or marriage.
Two years later, the SA MC opposed
Pluto in the 5th house; Annes daughter
divorced and became a single mother.
When SA Venus reached a conjunc-
tion with Annes Ascendant, her daugh-
The power of solar arc
directions is that the
symbolism is very
likely to manifest
visibly in our lives.
By studying past events,
we can begin to
anticipate the outcome
of future transits and
progressions.
Solar Arc Directions
June/July 2007 TMA p. 23
ter remarried, much more happily. The
effect of this SA Venus contact reso-
nated with the meaning of Venuss natal
placement in Annes 11th house, the
house of the childs marriage.
Anne herself remarried in the late
1980s, when transiting Saturn in Capri-
corn squared her natal Saturn and Nep-
tune in the 7th house that is, under a
hard aspect of Saturn. Her second mar-
riageismuchbetterthanherfrst.We
shouldnt assume that Saturn is neces-
sarilyanegativeormalefcplanetary
infuence.
Annes Mercury in Capricorn con-
junct the Midheaven is a potent force:
She is a tremendous writer, and she
wrote all her major works during transits
of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus to her
natal Mercury. For the past few years,
however, her writing has been dormant.
Anne was in despair; there seemed to
be nothing else to say or write. But I
saw transiting Saturn in Cancer oppo-
site natal Mercury. Could it be that,
fairly soon, Anne would again be stirred
to write? When Saturn turned retro-
grade and formed the second opposi-
tion to Mercury, she was contacted by
a literary agent in New York about a
book proposal. She threw herself into
the new project with focus, energy, and
enthusiasm.
These kinds of retrospective life
studies teach us to assess planetary sym-
bols and the developmental tasks and
phases they indicate. And on this basis,
it is possible to predict or anticipate
future tasks and trends. Such life studies
teach us that astrology reveals the indi-
vidual path of development and the tim-
ing of certain types of experiences.
The Meaning of Events
If astrologys predictive methods
are to be most helpful, it is important
toavoidsuperfciality.Humanistic
astrologers are not concerned only
with whether events are good or bad.
Rather, the goal is to understand how
every phase of life is meaningful. Dane
Rudhyar said: Every event is accepted
as a necessary phase in the ritual pro-
cess of existence
1
We need to go
below the surface of events, to the
deeper dimension of meaning.
When I was 12 years old, I had
solar arc Pluto sesquiquadrate my Sun,
plus a secondary progressed Moon
Mars opposition (charts not shown).
On the day of a transiting MoonPluto
conjunction, I was hit by a car and
broke several bones. This awakened
me to the fragility of life (Pluto: emer-
gencies, brush with death). It was also
a classic manifestation of Mars as the
planet of mishaps and injuries. But
looking more closely at this event, I
was able to discern a deeper mean-
ing. Solar arc Jupiter was conjunct my
2nd-house cusp, and transiting Jupiter
opposed transiting Saturn in Taurus: I
wonasmallfnancialsettlement(Tau-
rus and the 2nd house: money), which
sat in a bank account until I was 21;
this aided my development by enabling
metotravelandfndmyselfforan
extended period after college.
At the time of the accident, transit-
ing Saturn was stationary direct, exactly
square my Moon, and solar arc Saturn
was exactly semi-square my Moon: Sev-
eral nice nurses took good care of me
(Moon: women, caregivers, nurturing)
until my mother (Moon) arrived at the
hospital, and she was especially tender
and loving toward me. I grew closer to
my mother in the days and weeks after
this accident. I had a beautiful experi-
ence of the mother archetype. All my
needs were taken care of. Also, the
MoonPluto conjunction in Virgo in my
12th house was relevant. This was my
frsttimeinsideahospital(12thhouse)
since my birth. In my hours in the emer-
gency room, I saw many gravely ill and
injured individuals. I became aware of
the preciousness of life.
Events are not black and white,
and they may have a deeper meaning
than is apparent on the surface. None
of this subtlety can be captured by an
approach to astrology where we sim-
ply say that is bad or this is good.
The interpretation of a chart requires
attention to the nuances of events, to
what Alexander Ruperti calls the total
uniqueness of each moment.
2
Chart Data and Sources
Holly, December 10, 1950; 12:28 a.m. PST;
Richmond, CA, USA (37N56', 122W21'); AA:
birthcertifcate.
Anne, January 21, 1951; 10:18 a.m. CST;
Biloxi, MS, USA (30N24', 88W53'); AA: birth
certifcate.
References
1. Dane Rudhyar, An Astrological Mandala,
Vintage Books, 1973, p. 385.
2. Alexander Ruperti, Cycles of Becoming,
CRCS, 1978, p. 7.
2007GregBogartallrightsreserved
Greg Bogart, Ph.D., MFT,isapsychother-
apistandastrologerintheSanFranciscoBay
Area;heteachesintheSchoolofProfessional
PsychologyattheCaliforniaInstituteofInte-
gralStudies.GregistheauthorofAstrology
and Meditation: The Fearless Contemplation of
Change; Astrology and Spiritual Awakening;and
Rudhyars Astrology in Plain Language.Tocon-
tactGregforpersonalconsultations,call(510)
594-4329,ore-mail:gbogart7@sbcglobal.net.
ToorderGregsbooks,callDawnMountain
Pressat(510)412-0486,8:00a.m.8:00p.m.
Pacifctime;Websites:www.dawnmountain.
comandwww.gregbogart.net
We shouldnt assume
that Saturn is necessarily
a negative or malefc
planetary infuence.
We need to go below
the surface of events, to
the deeper dimension
of meaning.
TMAs Book Reviews
Are Online
New reviews are
posted at the beginning
of each month.
www.mountainastrologer.com
24 www.mountainastrologer.com
to house ourselves, pump water to our
buildings, travel, stay warm or cool,
grow our food, and produce our medi-
cines. We rely heavily on fossil fuels
for agriculture, since they are needed
to make fertilizers and pesticides and
diesel fuel for tractors and the trucks
that ship the food to us. Oil fuels indus-
try, the military, tourism, and modern
medicine/pharmaceuticals. Nothing can
replace oil for the energy it gives onthe
scaleneeded. Not nuclear plants, not
coal, not renewable energy (like solar
and wind power). If all the worlds cur-
rent grain and oilseed production were
converted to biofuels, it would sup-
ply only 13% of our current fuel use.
5
Unless viable alternatives such as bio-
fuel from algae are developed with the
speed and fervor of the Apollo Project
to land humans on the Moon, biofuels
will not be a major part of the solution.
Natural gas is a big factor in pro-
ducing electricity. We are now past
the peak of natural gas production in
the United States; a lot of gas is being
imported from Canada, even while their
gas producers are drilling more and
more small gas wells just to stay even
with current production.
6
In the U.S.,
25% of our energy comes from natural
gas, and more than half of U.S. homes
are heated by natural gas, including
almost all of the new construction.
Many experts believe that we are
either at the peak of global oil pro-
duction now or will reach the peak by
20082012. From then on, it is a (hope-
fully) slow but irreversible decline. The
keypointiswhendemandsignifcantly
exceeds supply, and shortages begin
to happen. Unless a sharp economic
downturn of the world economy inhibits
the demand soon, we will probably see
something in 20082015 like the follow-
ing scenario:
Aspeopleinthefnancialmarkets
overcome their denial that global pro-
ductionofoilisfatordecreasingwhile
demand is still increasing, there is likely
to be panic and thats when the eco-
nomic dominos start falling. There will
be less oil exported as countries that
extract oil satisfy their domestic needs
frst.(Oilexportsaredown7%justin
the last year.) First come higher prices,
then spot shortages, then rationing.
That will lead to global competition for
theremainingproductiveoilfelds;rich
countries that can pay more will leave
poorer countries high and dry (sparking
new wars over access to energy). Peo-
ple will tend to elect or tolerate totali-
tarian leaders who promise to restore
their access to gasoline or energy. And
as demand for oil is impacted by a div-
ing economy, there will appear to be
moments when supply meets demand
and gas prices swing lower, only to sky-
rocket again when global oil production
is reduced further by the overall deple-
tion trend, the next oil war, or another
natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina.
Itlookstomeasthoughsignif-
cant lifestyle changes are coming for all
but the very wealthy either volun-
tary or forced by circumstances prob-
ably before 2015. Because of the time it
takes to understand the problem, over-
come denial, react creatively, and imple-
ment the infrastructure for innovations
that might soften the transition, the shift
which may last a decade will likely
be chaotic and harsh, triggering a major
economic depression.
I think that Plutos discovery and
elevation to planetary status in 1930
symbolized, among other things, an era
of extreme concentration of power and
wealth (in corporations and govern-
ments as well as rich individuals) that
was made possible by cheap, abun-
dant energy in the form of oil the ulti-
mate Plutonian underground treasure.
NowPlutohasoffciallylostitsstatusas
a planet, and the oil age is starting to
sputter and wane. The new planet Eris,
named after the goddess of chaos, has
been discovered at a time when conser-
Chart 1
December 21, 2009
12:48 p.m. EST
Chart 2
August 4, 2010
12:52 a.m. EDT
AllchartsusePlacidus
housesandtheTrueNode
andarecastforWashington,D.C.
The Years Ahead
and the Oil Crisis
continuedfrompage5
June/July2007
*
The Mountain Astrologer 25
vation,simplifcation,andanewfocus
on community resources are urgently
needed. There is already a ground-
swell of interest in these things as peo-
ple begin to pay attention to the science
regarding climate change. Perhaps Eris
will usher in a mass awakening and a
new tribalism based on local control
and stewardship of Earths resources.
Eris may also bring terribly chaotic cir-
cumstances. Some of the big questions
are how easily Pluto will relinquish con-
trol, how much that we value will be
destroyed in the process, and how long
that will take.
Charting the Course
Lets look at some of the astrologi-
calchartsthatrefectkeymomentsin
this challenging chapter of human civi-
lization. Chart 1 (opposite), the 2009
Capricorn solstice, sets the stage for
the Cardinal Climax. Notice that Mars
turns retrograde in Leo and opposes
a conjunction of Jupiter, Chiron, and
Neptune in Aquarius. Saturn and
Pluto have begun their long square in
LibraCapricorn. Chart 2 (opposite)
in August 2010 is an eye-opener: An
exact t-square involving Jupiter, Mars,
and Pluto is aligned with a Saturn
Uranus opposition as Hades enters
Cancer. The whole summer of 2010
will be intense and transformative,
but many of us may discover that we
have the restraint, strength of heart, and
expanded consciousness we need to
get through it. Chart 3 (below) shows
the June 2012 grand cross of the Sun,
Moon, Uranus, and Pluto, plus a t-square
formed by Jupiter, the North Node,
and Neptune. Chart 4 (below) illus-
trates a dramatic grand cross in 2014
comprised of Pluto (conjunct the
Moon), Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus at
1314 of cardinal signs; it is shown
here because the U.S. Sun (July 4,
1776) is at 13+ Cancer. This is prob-
ably a make-or-break year for all of us,
duetotheinfuencethattheU.S.and
its economy have on the entire world.
The good news in all of this is that
we are getting the cosmic alignments
we need just in time to motivate
us to overcome our collective inertia.
These planetary patterns may help us as
a society to make the massive changes
that are imperative if we want to prevent
widespread unnecessary suffering when
the energy-rug is pulled out from under
us in the coming years. We can work to
create a sustainable, energy-conserving,
locally enriched life for our families and
communities. We can rise to our best
to meet the challenges presented: Isnt
that what squares, t-squares, and grand
crosses are all about meeting the
challenge?
One of the reasons we use astrol-
ogy to look ahead is so that we can be
Chart 3
June 27, 2012
2:42 a.m. EDT
Chart 4
April 20, 2014
8:31 p.m. EDT
better prepared for change physi-
cally, psychologically, and emotionally.
Of course, we cant avoid the actual
waves of change, but my view is that we
can be of much more help to everyone
around us if we are as informed as pos-
sible. I invite TMA readers to elaborate
on this 20082015 time period and to
offer alternate interpretations explain-
ingwhytheseconfgurationscouldbe
more gentle or less traumatic to modern
civilization.
(Editors Note:For TMAQueryand
WritersGuidelines,pleasegotoourWeb
site:www.MountainAstrologer.com)
References and Notes
1. See Ed Gillams two-part article on Pluto in
Capricorn in TheMountainAstrologer, Dec.
2005/Jan. 2006 and Feb./March 2006.
2. See TMA, Oct./Nov. 2005, for more infor-
mation about these transneptunians and, spe-
cifcally, the Gary Christen interview (in the
Mercury Direct section of that issue) for more on
Hades, which is associated with depth, decay,
mean and disgusting things, sickness, poverty,
that which is taboo, the occult, antiquity, and
what is deeply buried. Hades moves about one
degree per year.
3. Kunstlers recent talk to the Commonwealth
Club of San Francisco gives the latest informa-
tion on what we are up against. For an audio
fleandatranscript,see:http://globalpublicme
dia.com/james_howard_kunstler_remarks_to_
the_commonwealth_club_of_california
continuedonpage86
2 www.mountainastrologer.com
Empire or
Community
Globalization and
Relocalization
in the 21st Century
byBillHerbst
In the four-million-year history of hominid
evolution, our ancestors lived on this planet
mainly as small groups of hunterforagers living
in relative harmony with the natural world, just
one species among millions of others. Certainly,
we had bigger brains than most, and as omnivores
our niche was near the top of the food chain, but
our stature in the matrix of life on Earth was still
fairly modest.
Biological selection proceeded at its elegant,
glacial pace until recently, after the appearance
of our particular species homosapiens. By
that time, we were genetically optimized to live
in extended social families, often matrilineal in
organization and usually pantheistic in spirituality.
With the onset of agriculture and the gradual shift
away from fertile earth-goddesses toward a more
distant monotheism, the social order changed. As
human settlements increased in population,
formerly egalitarian cultures operating
through sharing, partnering, and
mutual protection gave way to
authoritarian societies based on
ownership, possession, wealth,
stratifcationintoclasses,and
aggressive patriarchy. Cultural
conditioning supplanted
genetics as the driving force
of our collective evolution,
with commerce our most
fundamental activity.
June/July2007
*
The Mountain Astrologer 2
Over the last millennium, and espe-
cially during the past two centuries, the
powers of civilization grew exponen-
tially. In the rush to manifest dreams of
abundance, convenience, and comfort,
we human beings saw ourselves as rul-
ers over nature. Although many social
philosophers and theologians counseled
a responsible dominion, business pre-
ferred total freedom for exploitation.
Commercial interests, especially among
industrialists and land developers, lob-
bied for an untrammeled, anything-
goes opportunism. The natural world
was widely seen as having no inherent
value other than providing economic
resources for human use. We threw cau-
tion to the winds with a stunning disre-
gard for repercussions, plundering this
garden planet for our own short-term
gain, to the point of the Earths (and
our) impending ruin.
The crises we now face cross all
political, cultural, and spiritual boundar-
ies. Humanitys reign may prove tragi-
cally brief indeed, if we are unable or
unwilling to change how we live. The
changes needed are unlikely to be cho-
sen by a peaceful awakening of fore-
sighted wisdom. No, if we make the
changes at all, they will almost certainly
be the product of much pain, suffering,
andconfict.Nevertheless,wewoulddo
well to prepare as best we can by realis-
tically considering our options.
Thisarticlefocusesononesignif-
cant choice among many in our mak-
ing the necessary adjustment: continued
corporate globalization versus relocal-
ization by revitalizing relatively auton-
omous human-scale communities. Can
astrology tell us anything about the pos-
sibilities for such a major reform of mod-
ern society and culture over the next
century? It can but we need to set the
scenefrstbylookingattheastrological
factors that help us to understand how
we collectively arrived at the current
crossroads.
Civilizational Astrology
As concerns mount for the future of
humanity, a subdiscipline within astrol-
ogy that might be called Civilizational
Astrology is rapidly gaining traction.
Though this is not a new arena of study,
by any means, interest in the astrol-
ogy of civilization is increasing, due to
the obvious dangers we already face
and the emerging crises in the decade
ahead.
Numerous astrological techniques
can be used to glean information about
our shared evolution, including the pre-
cession of the equinoxes (the Ages in
astrology) and the changing sign posi-
tions of various slow-moving outer bod-
ies in the solar system (such as Pluto
leaving Sagittarius and entering Capri-
corn in 2008). Each of those techniques
is well known, but they are limited in the
amount of information and insight they
reveal.
Far and away the most important
technique is the study of paired outer-
planet cycles. Any two planets from
Jupiter outward can be charted and
examined to reveal characteristic cul-
tural meanings and timing of shifts in
thearchetypefeldthatsynchronizeto
their cycles quarterly phase changes.
Primary among these are the six
paired cycles between Saturn, Ura-
nus, Neptune, and Pluto. These six
cycles form the backbone of Civiliza-
tional Astrology. Their individual phase
changes and sporadically concurrent
multiple alignments reveal the grand
panorama of the collective human strug-
gletoadaptandchange,tofulfllour
shared dreams, to grow beyond illusion
into maturity, and to deal with reality
both as it is and as it might become.
Over the modern epoch since the
mid-19th century, seven critical outer-
planet alignments have stood out in
bold relief, with another just around
the corner in the 2010s. All these
include nearly simultaneous cycles
involving combinations of the four
outermost planets mentioned above.
Takeninsequence,theseconfgura-
tionsdefnepassagesthatmarksignif-
cant astrological turning points in the
dramatic acceleration of civilization, for
better or for worse.
The Sidebar (p. 28) lists the major
outer-planet alignments, their respec-
tive periods (using 10 orbs), and a brief
synopsis of just a few of their more obvi-
ous correspondences to historical events
and social changes.
NeptunePluto:
Background Resonance
For civilization, the most encom-
passing outer-planet cycle is Neptune
Pluto; at almost 500 years from one
conjunction to the next, this is the lon-
gest cycle between bodies in the solar
system that represent primary astro-
logical archetypes. Longer cycles exist
among more minor symbols, but they
have neither the breadth of scope nor
depth of meaning that characterizes
NeptunePluto.
This cycle charts the upwelling of
humanitys deepest dreams, our long-
ing to harness power (Pluto) toward
the manifestation of collective fantasies
(Neptune). Who among us has not had
thesleepingdreamoffight,ofmagi-
cally rising into the air to soar, loosed
from the bounds of gravity? After we
achievedpoweredfightinthe20thcen-
tury, space travel through the solar sys-
tem and beyond took over that niche in
human imagination. Our dreams have
always been the repository for visions
of shining cities, great personal wealth
or power, perfect health or immortal-
ity, and possession of beautiful objects
(including other human beings).
Since Neptune has a cycle around
the ecliptic of about 165 years, while
Pluto takes 245 years, their bi-millennial
conjunctions equate almost precisely to
three Neptune and two Pluto orbits. As
a result, their cycles align closely from
one to the next, with each successive
conjunction occurring about 5 further
in the zodiac. In addition, their oppo-
sitions occur on the same sign axis as
their conjunctions, and their quarterly
phase changes occur in signs of the
same modality.
This means that six full cycles,
encompassing almost 3,000 years
total duration, are required to advance
NeptunePluto forward by one sign or
axis and into a different zodiacal mode.
Since the beginnings of civilization,
the movement of the NeptunePluto
Far and away the most
important technique in
Civilizational Astrology
is the study of paired
outer-planet cycles.
2 www.mountainastrologer.com
18471854: Uranus conjunct Pluto
in the last degrees of Aries
18501853: Saturn forms a triple con-
junction with Uranus and Pluto in late
Aries/early Taurus
The Industrial Revolution gears up with
steam-powered ships and worldwide
building of railroads. Cumulative advances
in invention and production of modern
weapons change warfare forever. Radical
theories in natural sciences, politics, and
economics. The Taiping Rebellion kills
20 million in China.
18831900: Neptune conjunct Pluto
in mid Gemini
with three partile passes in 18911892
18891890: Saturn in Virgo forms a
First Quarter square to both
1900: The alignment ends with two
dominant oppositions Saturn oppo-
site Neptune and Uranus opposite
Pluto on the Sagittarius/Gemini axis
The end of the Victorian era and the
beginning of the modern age. Industry
and invention, mainly for pragmatic pur-
poses of travel and convenience (electric
lights, internal-combustion engines). The
rise of corporate power. Idealized dreams
of modernity.
18991905: Uranus opposite Pluto
on the Sagittarius/Gemini axis
1900: a grand opposition of all major
outer planets, with Pluto and Neptune
in Gemini opposed by Jupiter, Saturn,
Chiron, and Uranus in Sagittarius
Shocks in science as the Newtonian uni-
verse is challenged by Einsteins theory of
relativity, which paves the way to quan-
tumphysics.Theeraofpoweredfight
begins. Continued stirrings of radical poli-
tics and social discontent.
19031915: Uranus opposite Neptune
on the Cancer/Capricorn axis
with eleven partile passes in 1906
1910, the maximum number possible
between Uranus and Neptune
19081910: Saturn in Aries forms the
focus of a cardinal t-square with Ura-
nus and Neptune
1914: As Uranus closes out its opposi-
tion to Neptune, Saturn conjoins Pluto
in Cancer
Revolution in the arts. Fascination with
presumedbeneftsforhumanityofindus-
try and technology. Accelerated inter-
national emigration and demographic
population shifts from rural to urban. The
end of royal dynasties in China. Imperial
militarism in Europe and the eruption of
World War I.
19281937: Uranus Last Quarter
square Pluto
in cardinal signs, from Aries to Cancer
withfvepartilepassesin19321934
19301931: Saturn in Capricorn forms
a cardinal t-square
1931: Jupiter conjoins Pluto while
Neptune moves into the semi-square/
sesquiquadrate stress point, forming a
grand alignment of major outer planets
19361937: As the UranusPluto
square ends, Saturn opposes Neptune
from Pisces to Virgo
The Great Depression. In the United
States, onset of FDRs New Deal social
welfare and the labor union movement. In
Germany, decay of Weimar Republic and
rise of Hitler and National Socialism. Mass
purges in Stalins Soviet Union. Revolu-
tionary struggle for control of China. Initial
planning for economic globalization.
19611970: Uranus conjunct Pluto
in mid Virgo
with three partile passes in 19651966
19651967: Saturn in Pisces opposes
both planets during the exact period of
the partile UranusPluto conjunctions,
making that three-planet opposition the
most precise, polarized, and concen-
tratedconfgurationofthe20thcentury
Rise of grassroots movements toward
social equality through civil rights and
feminism. The appearance of ecology and
systemsbiologyasscientifcdisciplines;
the beginnings of widespread concern
for the environment. Political assassina-
tions in the U.S. The Cultural Revolution
in China. The sexual revolution and psy-
chedelic drugs. The Vietnam War. Wood-
stock and the Moon landings. Polarization
between revolutions: in culture alterna-
tive lifestyles vs. social conformity; in agri-
culture small-scale organic farming vs.
corporate agribusiness; in medicine tra-
ditional/natural holism vs. technological/
pharmaceutical allopathy.
19881998: Uranus conjunct Neptune
in Capricorn
with three partile passes in 1993
19881990: The period begins as a
triple conjunction with Saturn
19972001: As Uranus and Neptune
pull out of orb after a decade, Saturn
makes First Quarter squares to both,
frsttoNeptune(fromAries)andthen
to Uranus (from Taurus)
Collapse of the Soviet Union. Proliferation
of consumer technology, especially per-
sonal computers. Networking the planet
through the Internet and cell phones.
Economic globalization by transnational
corporations. Rise of religious fundamen-
talism as a political and social force.
20072020: Uranus First Quarter
square Pluto
Alignment begins in late mutable
signs, from Pisces to Sagittarius, then
moves into cardinal signs, from Aries to
Capricorn
with seven partile passes in 2012
2015, the maximum number possible
for any UranusPluto alignment
20102011: Saturn forms a t-square
from late Virgo into early Libra, with
Pluto at the apex (the so-called Cardi-
nal Climax)
2011: Neptune moves to the semi-
square/sesquiquadrate stress point in a
grand alignment similar to the cardinal
t-square in the 1930s
20142015: UranusPluto square from
Aries to Capricorn forms a cardinal
grand cross with the July 4, 1776 U.S.
charts SunSaturn square from Can-
cer to Libra, again resonating with the
1930s alignment
20192020: Saturn conjoins Pluto in
Capricorn and then squares Uranus in
Aries as the UranusPluto alignment
ends
Major Outer-Planet Alignments, 18472020
June/July2007
*
The Mountain Astrologer 2
cycle through the zodiac has followed a
steady progression:
Aquarius (fxed):
10200 B.C.E. 7300 B.C.E.
Pisces (mutable):
7300 B.C.E. 4400 B.C.E.
Aries (cardinal):
4400 B.C.E. 1500 B.C.E.
Taurus (fxed):
1500 B.C.E. 1400 C.E.
Gemini (mutable):
1400 C.E. 4300 C.E.
Initially, in the Aquarian and Pi-
scean periods of human myth-making
(called the Stone Age in history), social
groups emerged that were matrilineal in
organization, loosely egalitarian, and still
based around relatively small commu-
nities. During the Aries phase (Bronze
Age), communities grew into towns and
cities. Patriarchal hierarchies emerged
here, as did territorial conquest and
the subjugation or enslavement of for-
merly autonomous groups. Banking
developed in Mesopotamian temples as
a way of centralizing the exchange of
goods. During the Taurus phase (Iron
Age) of NeptunePluto dreams, control
oflandwasunifed,frstintocity-states,
then into kingdoms and theocracies.
Money itself was invented in China, ini-
tially as cowrie mollusk shells, then later
as precious metals minted into coins.
Starting in the 14th century with
the onset of the Renaissance in Europe,
the Ming Dynasty in China, consolida-
tion of the Russias under Ivan the Great,
and the Samurai ruling class in Japan
the NeptunePluto cycle entered
the current Gemini phase, where it will
remain for another two millennia from
today. Since the current phase began,
weve had two conjunctions of Nep-
tune and Pluto in Gemini, one opposi-
tion on the Gemini/Sagittarius axis (and
another to come in the 22nd century),
with three intermediate quarterly tran-
sitions in either Sagittarius/Pisces or
Gemini/Pisces.
Thesignifcanceofthesepositions
is revealing. The entire Gemini phase
of NeptunePluto activates wanderlust
dreams of mobility, travel, and explo-
ration. Indeed, discovery of the New
World, linking the cultures of Eurasia
and the Americas, occurred less than
one century after the onset of the Gem-
ini phase. Also emphasized is intellectual
curiosity in discovering how the world is
put together. Science emerged here and
has developed rapidly since the Gem-
ini phase began. Human ingenuity and
invention are all brought to the fore-
ground of our collective yearning. We
want to know by analysis, categoriza-
tion, and disassembly.
The presence in the cycles of the
mutable signs Sagittarius and Pisces
implies pursuit of truth through grand
ideas and philosophies, as well as the
emotional components of metaphysi-
cal faith and belief. Contrasts between
For civilization,
the most encompassing
outer-planet cycle is
NeptunePluto.
30 www.mountainastrologer.com
science and religion are one crucible
through which modern culture has been
shaped.Basicconfictsbetweenthese
two very different approaches to know-
ing will likely continue, although they
mayeventuallyfndacomplemen-
tary basis in mutual support. Already,
the paradoxes of quantum physics
have given rise to parallels with certain
ancient spiritual insights of Taoism and
Buddhism, inspiring some physicists and
theologians to join hands. Many physi-
cal scientists and Christian fundamen-
talists,however,stillfndthemselveson
opposite and mutually exclusive sides
of the cosmic fence over issues such
as biological evolution, the origins of
humanity, and the age of the Earth.
(Personally, I go with science on those
questions,fatout.)
Gemini, Sagittarius, and Pisces
also reveal that limitless horizons of
possibility are now at the center of our
collective dreams of empowerment.
Knowledge is power, and anything
that can be created will be, for bet-
ter or worse. Crucially, however, the
fourth mutable sign, Virgo, is absent
fromanyinfuenceincurrentand
future alignments of Neptune and Pluto
in this phase. The missing element of
earth in the mutable quartet means
that our collective fantasies tend to be
ungrounded, lacking any reference to
Virgoan understanding of whole, inte-
grated systems. The very cleverness
of our big brains may prove to be our
undoing.
Over recent centuries, humans
have explored, theorized, extracted,
experimented, and manufactured with
wild abandon but without any sense of
organicwholeness.Werefne,recom-
bine, or synthesize anything we can
regardless of the consequences. The
current tinkering with nature that is ram-
pant in the chemical, agricultural, and
pharmaceutical industries resembles
nothing so much as Dr. Frankenstein
and his creature. Enough virulent bio-
logical toxins are stored in laboratories
around the world to kill all of humanity
many times over, and the same applies
Empire or Community
to our rapidly degrading arsenals of
nuclear warheads. Respect and rever-
ence for the natural world have been
supplanted by our eagerness to manipu-
late, alter, and reshape the Earth for our
own purposes. In our insatiable curiosity
and childlike eagerness to wield power,
we have fallen headlong into the trap of
the sorcerers apprentice.
Given that the current types of
dreamsfoodingupfromthecollective
unconscious are unlikely to change in
the foreseeable future, do other major
outer-planet cycles offer an alterna-
tive or countervailing symbolism? While
both of the shorter UranusNeptune
and UranusPluto cycles provide a con-
trast to the longer and more subtle tonal
background of NeptunePluto, it is spe-
cifcallyintheUranusPlutoconfgu-
rationsthatwefndasignifcantand
challenging counterpoint.
UranusPluto and the Choice of
Worlds: Empire or Community
Whereas NeptunePluto charts the
collective impact of our shared dreams,
UranusPluto reveals the collective
powerofoursocial,scientifc,political,
and economic revolutions. Cultural
changes during NeptunePluto peri-
odstypicallyworkbyosmosis,fltering
through social structures that remain
atleastsuperfciallystable.Thenewis
quickly integrated. UranusPluto activa-
tions, however, are radical and shock-
ing. The existing shared beliefs that hold
society together are challenged, and
cultural institutions are broken down
by revolutionary attitudes that emerge
from the depths of collective conscious-
ness like magma spewed from a volca-
nic eruption. Old and new worlds collide
in tectonic crashes. Social upheaval is
the result.
The bipolar symbolism of Uranus,
which is akin to alternating current in
electricity, combines with the arche-
type of Plutos deep-seated raw power
for destruction and renewal to indicate
simultaneous but contradictory revolu-
tions that coexist despite their seeming
mutual exclusivity. Uranus and Pluto
together imply the sudden appearance
of new expressions of deep power well-
ing up out of nature or from collective
humanity. This can take the form of
coercive power used by an elite over the
masses through brute force, biased legis-
lation, or, more subtly, the psychological
mind control of propaganda. It can also
mean grassroots uprisings, where people
band together to take power, throw off
their shackles, and challenge the status
quo through social revolt.
In their most archetypal forms, one
direction of UranusPluto eruptions is
related to Empire, and the other is con-
nected to Community. Both empire and
community are methods of social orga-
nization with deep roots in history and
human nature, although they could
hardly be more different in their mean-
ing and shape.
Empire is based on ownership of
land and resources, with economic pro-
ductivity and money as primary val-
ues, along with competition, conquest,
and domination. Perpetual growth is a
necessity, with gargantuan size a desired
result. Empires are monolithic, imposing
themselves on the environment. Power
is amassed and concentrated within a
vertical hierarchy of command and con-
trol, where standardization and con-
formitypromoteeconomiceffciency.
Empirestratifescultureintoclasses
and dictates the limits of social mobil-
ity. The celebration of empire occurs
through spectacles meant to inspire awe
and to be viewed vicariously by their
populations.
Communityisdefnedmainlyby
location or interests shared in com-
mon. It may be based on private own-
ership, communally shared property,
or a combination of both. Coopera-
tion is a key value, as is mutual pro-
tection. Organization is dispersed and
decentralized, with a more horizon-
tal or egalitarian social structure. Scale
remains limited and local, with renewal
preferable to growth. Communities are
diverse, able to exist independently as
towns or, within larger cities, as neigh-
borhoods. Their development is based
onthespecifceco-regionstheyinhabit.
Each community is relatively autono-
mous and different from others, but they
connect through a rhizome-like network
of interconnections, to share their vari-
ous commercial products and unique
cultural styles. The celebration of com-
munity occurs through festivals meant to
inspire joy, with active participation by
the populace.
1
June/July2007
*
The Mountain Astrologer 31
Empire and Globalization
Empire emerged over the past 5,000
years and holds sway in the current struc-
turing of civilization. Patriarchal, pluto-
cratic, and impersonal, empire works
through institutions in the past, this
meant governments of city- or nation-
states and their bureaucratic social orga-
nizations, backed by military force should
economic power alone prove lacking.
The dominant institutions are either
owned or run by an elite group of indi-
viduals. Political scientist and longtime
researcher Thomas Dye has found that
the power to dictate major economic
and sociopolitical policy decisions in
the United States is concentrated in the
hands of a mere 8,000 individuals out of
a population of 300 million.
2
Anyone educated in history is
familiar with empires from antiquity,
such as the Egyptian and Chinese
Dynasties, the Roman Empire, and the
European empires of Portugal, Spain,
France,andGreatBritainthatfour-
ished during the 15th19th centuries.
However, modern imperialism goes
beyond nation-states to include trans-
national corporations. These special-
ized entities, which are commercial
in charter and only political or social
to achieve their economic aims, took
hold during the massive industrializa-
tion of the second half of the 19th cen-
tury through the phenomenal growth
of various industries: railroads, lumber,
mining, steel, oil, textiles, and banking,
among others. Initially modest infusions
of speculative capital by individuals,
aided by governments, produced aston-
ishingprofts,creatingtheGildedAge
of the Robber Barons. Incredible private
fortunes were built as individual entre-
preneurs (Uranus) pumped the well of
collective resources (Pluto).
Industrial expansion continued far
into the 20th century in the automo-
tive, armaments, agricultural, chemical,
and construction industries. Sometimes,
20th-century industries were capital-
istic, as in the U.S.; other times, they
were state-run, as in the communist (or,
more accurately, totalitarian) Soviet
Union. Whatever ism they operated
under, however, such industrial empires
were all centralized and hierarchical
and always abetted by government lar-
gesse. Together, government and busi-
ness milked the Earth of her amazing
abundance; the cream was reserved for
and ladled off by those at the top of the
pyramid, while the diluted skim milk
trickled down toward the base. Dispar-
ity of wealth is a hallmark of empire;
even today, half the population of
humanity more than three billion
people lives in dire poverty, subsist-
ing on an income of less than $2 per
day. For about a billion of those indi-
viduals, chronic hunger is a fact of daily
existence.
Earlier empires used military con-
quest as their initial means of expansion,
followed by colonization (to siphon off
resources and products) and subjuga-
tion of conquered populations. Contem-
porary empires still maintain armies and
use invasion by force, but their preferred
method of expansion now centers around
perpetualgrowthofproftableeconomic
activity through penetration of new mar-
kets for commercial goods and services,
plus the free movement of capital to
maximizeeffciencyinreducingcostsof
production and labor. That sentence is
a mouthful, but it basically means: Sell
more, pay less to do it, grow in size, and
increaseprofts,presumablyforever.
This is called Globalization, the
removal of all boundaries and limits to
commercial development, creating a
global marketplace that functions as the
equivalent of a local market but on a
massive scale designed to accommodate
corporations rather than people. Though
the roots of economic globalization go
back to the 1930s, its implementation
was fervently embraced by big business
when the current UranusNeptune cycle
of revolutionary dreams kicked off in
Capricorn during the 1990s.
Community and Relocalization
On the other side of civilizations
coin is community, which can be traced
back to the earliest hunterforager tribes
of our distant past. Current accounts of
history and even prehistory would lead
one to assume that empire is the natural
order, since the melodramas of wealth,
war,andconficthavesocapturedour
imagination. Communal societies are
all but overlooked. In fact, however, co-
operative sharing in relative peaceful-
ness is much more ancient and deeply
embedded in our genetic heritage.
Empire is actually a very recent devel-
opment in anthropology, almost an
aberration, like a viral infection, calling
forth the extremes in human nature.
Evidence suggests that both agricul-
ture and animal husbandry were known
and understood by our ancestors, but
they did not choose those ways of living
until forced to do so by climate change.
As long as we lived in smaller coopera-
tive groups, humans found it much eas-
ier to live off natures abundance rather
than be chained to the labor-intensive
requirements of farming. At the end
of the Pleistocene Ice Ages, however,
global warming of tropical regions and
resultingdesertifcationforcedhuman
beings to seek out fertile land near riv-
ers and deltas, settle into permanent vil-
lages, and begin full-time agriculture.
By intensifying our labors to grow food
ratherthanfndit,weculledfromnature
suffcientnutritiontosupportthelarger
populations drawn to a central food
source.
In community, we know well, or
are at least familiar with, most others in
our small group. In larger societies, how-
ever, people inevitably become strang-
ers to each other, increasing our anxiety.
Community is defned
mainly by location or
interests shared
in common.
32 www.mountainastrologer.com
Empire or Community
Authority takes over, promising to pro-
vide security and stability but at a
profound cost. Equality is replaced
by hierarchy. Active cooperation is
replaced by passive obedience. The bal-
ance of masculine and feminine expres-
sion, so essential to community and our
genetic heritage, is disrupted. Personal
warmth and feminine nurturing end up
confnedtohomeandfamily,whilethe
impersonal structures of masculine patri-
archy are institutionalized, running soci-
ety as a whole.
Throughoutmuchofthepastfve
millennia, communal groups continued
tofourish,usuallybeyondthereachof
empire or in areas that empire regarded
as devoid of resources. That changed
when NeptunePlutos Gemini phase of
exploration began 600 years ago, and
it accelerated dramatically over the past
200 years, when the Industrial Revolu-
tion geared up and humanitys popu-
lation spiked upward. When empires
comeintocontact(andconfict)with
communal societies, empire wins. Con-
sider the extermination of Native Amer-
ican cultures during the 19th century
throughthejustifcationofmanifest
destiny. Similarly, the 20th century saw
the worldwide decimation of what few
indigenous populations of community-
based societies remained, as their eco-
regions were invaded and overrun for
resource exploitation, the geopolitical
maneuverings of empire, or simply the
encroachment of larger populations.
In a quite different example, the
demolition in the 1960s of New York
Citys Penn Station also demonstrates
empires callous disregard for commu-
nity. Built in 1910 atop an underground
railway terminal, Penn Station was the
fnestexampleofBeauxArtsarchitec-
ture,amagnifcentbuildingwhoseaes-
thetic beauty and cathedral-like inner
spaces thrilled New Yorkers. In 1961,
the Pennsylvania Railroad, in league
with developers and moneyed inter-
ests, announced plans to demolish the
structure and replace it with Madison
Square Garden, a sports and entertain-
ment complex. Hundreds of civic orga-
nizations, neighborhood groups, and
architects guilds organized a concerted
protest, but to no avail. Penn Station
was demolished. The diverse com-
munities embedded in New York City
suffered an incalculable loss, but the
fnancialelitewhoranthecitycarednot
awhit.AsbeftstheUranusPlutoacti-
vation of that decade, however, the his-
toric preservation movement was born
out of that struggle.
Size Matters:
Large versus Small Scale
Right now, the relationship of com-
munity to empire is mythically equiva-
lent to the situation at the end of the
Cretaceous period of life evolution,
when tiny mammals scurried about
onthefoorofprimevalforestsand
savanna grasslands, trying to avoid
being stepped on by huge dinosaurs,
which still ruled the world at that point.
Thatanalogyisfawed,ofcourse.Com-
munity is not a new development, as
mammalian species were community
predates empire by millions of years,
while mammals appeared after dino-
saurs but communities have been
pushed out, overwhelmed, and reduced
to a small niche in the rapidly changing
social environment of imperial civiliza-
tion. Like early mammals, they continue
to survive only because of their small
size and relative invisibility.
Just as the dinosaurs gargan-
tuan size allowed them to dominate
in a world of stable climate and abun-
dant food, so the huge scale of empire
has triumphed in civilization up to now.
And, just as the dinosaurs were wiped
out 65 million years ago by a major
disruption in the natural environment,
where their size and inability to adapt
proved fatal, so the 5,000-year run of
empire may soon end in collapse due to
another disruption of previously favor-
able ecologies, both natural and social.
This time, the catastrophe is less likely to
occur from a meteor collision or super-
volcanic eruption than from the results
of empires colossal scale and inherently
rapacious appetites.
We have become the proverbial
dragon eating our own tail. Numerous
crises loom just ahead, including immi-
nent exhaustion of natural resources
(not just peak oil but, more importantly,
soil depletion and watershed destruc-
tion), increasing toxic waste from wars
and poisonous industrial byproducts,
as well as unsustainable economic and
fnancialsystems.Evenattheheightof
its powers, empire has been digging its
own grave and now faces extinction.
Admittedly, empire will not give up
withoutafght,andnotjustbecause
of the elites in power. We are all part
of empire plugged into the electrical
grid, driving automobiles, and resistant
to giving up our habitual conveniences.
Hybrid vehicles and renewable biofu-
els are now hot topics, but such solu-
tions do nothing to solve the problems
of resource depletion and industrial
toxins, since cars themselves are the
problem. Rebuilding our railroads and
waterwaysforeffcientmasstransitis
barely discussed, however. In this and
other arenas especially politics, eco-
nomics, and mass media the myths
of modern empire stubbornly hold us
in their thrall. Great debates lie ahead
concerning the uses of science and
technology in transportation, the mili-
tary, medicine, and agriculture. If we
continue down the roads weve trav-
eled in those areas over the past half-
century, our future appears dim indeed.
On the other hand, were not going
back to huntergatherer groups, either.
The back to the land communal
experiments of the 1850s and 1960s
(during the last two UranusPluto cycle
births) were utopian, nave, and Lud-
dite. Permaculture eco-villages will
be nothing like the early settlements
of our ancestral lineage, nor will our
reconstituted towns, cities, and urban
enclaves resemble sentimental images
of Americas small-town past. To be
viable, relocalization must integrate
modern technologies and new social
structures customized for each com-
munity and bio-region, unlike empires
one-size-fts-allapproach.Wecanlook
back through history and prehistory
for basic designs, but they will require
Modern imperialism goes
beyond nation-states
to include transnational
corporations.
June/July2007
*
The Mountain Astrologer 33
more sophisticated and contemporary
implementation.
The 2010s:
Disintegration and Awakening
The youthful movements that were
birthed (or rebirthed) during the Uranus
Pluto conjunction of the 1960s ecol-
ogy, feminism, social equality, peace,
reduced consumption, and sustainability
are about to move from the fringes
to the center. UranusPlutos First Quar-
ter square will bring crises that cause
those movements to re-emerge after
their 50-year gestation, during which
they went underground in culture while
slowly gathering strength. Now those
movements are ready to grow again
into fuller, more mature manifestation,
called forth by sudden breakdowns in
empire. Political, economic, and cul-
tural landscapes are about to change
dramatically.
The year 2007 marks the transition
into this reawakening of alternate possi-
bilities. Although the confusion and pas-
sivity of the SaturnNeptune opposition
peaks in June and takes another year to
fade out, the leading edge of radical
consciousness appears on the scene.
Uranus reaches the initial 10-degree orb
of its square to Pluto in May, and Sat-
urn begins its four-year opposition to
Uranus in November 2007. Look for a
steady rise in public outrage concerning
the inactivity and unresponsiveness of
those who hold the reins of power. By
the U.S. presidential election of Novem-
ber 2008, discontent with the status quo
will have struck a resonant chord.
As the t-square of Saturn, Ura-
nus, and Pluto activates from late 2009
through 2011, any of various triggers
could provoke breakdowns in social
stability. History tells us that empires
become most dangerous as they decline,
resorting to ever more extreme mea-
sures in desperate attempts to maintain
control. We are in that fading period
of the American Empire, and the years
ahead may be daunting. Critical mass
is reached in June 2012, when Uranus
andPlutomaketheirfrstpartilesquare.
The rest of the decade should be turbu-
lent indeed.
A particularly dark shadow will be
cast when Uranus and Pluto form a
cardinal grand cross with the Sun and
Saturn in the July 4, 1776, U.S. natal
chart. Over the 200+ year history of
the United States, whenever two outer
planets in Aries and Capricorn formed
a grand cross with the U.S. natal Sun in
Cancer square natal Saturn in Libra, the
corresponding economic event was a
Great Depression: in the 1790s, 1840s,
1870s, and 1930s.
3
The next one up is
in 20142015.
Reasons for Optimism
Many reasons for optimism exist.
We may be at the beginning of a new
awakening in mass consciousness that
will gradually grow through the 2040s,
when Uranus reaches its opposition to
We are all part
of empire, resistant to
giving up our habitual
conveniences.
continuedonpage82
34 www.mountainastrologer.com
Mars, War,
and the
2008 Election
byPhilipBrown
I
naworldflledwithconfict,theplanetMarshas
taken on renewed importance. The Mars of the
United States is about to be powerfully affected by
transits and progressions. Mars in the U.S. horoscope (for
July 4, 1776) recently went retrograde by secondary pro-
gressionforthefrsttimeinthenationshistory.
1
In 2008,
the intense transiting opposition of Saturn and Uranus in
VirgoPisces will square the U.S. Mars in Gemini. Pluto
will soon be entering Capricorn, the sign of Marss exalta-
tion. And Mars features prominently in solar ingress charts
leading up to the 2008 U.S. presidential election.
In addition, the 2008 election will coincide with a
transiting MarsNeptune square in ScorpioAquarius.
Both the SaturnUranus opposition and the Mars
Neptune square will have a decided impact on the
next U.S. presidential election and on the horoscopes
of several presidential candidates.
Forming a background for these alignments is the
Iraq War in many ways an embodiment of the U.S.
MarsNeptune square. My article in the Dec. 2003/Jan.
2004 issue of TheMountainAstrologer looked at the
roleofNeptuneintheIraqWarandforecastdiffcult
times ahead. The war began in 2003 when Saturn con-
joined the U.S. Mars in Gemini and squared the U.S.
Neptune in Virgo. In 2008, Saturn in Virgo will be squar-
ing that same Mars and hitting the U.S. Neptune.
These coming alignments indicate the challenges and
diffcultiestheIraqWarwillstillposetotheU.S.
fveyearsafterthewarbegan.
June/July2007
*
The Mountain Astrologer 35
Chart 1:
U.S. Sibly
Chartsuse
Placidushouses
andtheMeanNode.
Mars, the Planet of War
In mundane astrology, Mars is
the planet of war, aggression, and the
armed forces of a nation.
2
Mars in a
national horoscope does not read-
ily exhibit the smoother edges of Mars
in some personal horoscopes, where a
strongly placed Mars can vent its energy
on something useful, like driving race
cars or becoming a surgeon. Mars fea-
tures prominently in the charts of coun-
tries that place a great emphasis on
their military strength. The horoscopes
for both North Korea and Nazi Ger-
many have a powerful Mars (charts not
shown). North Korea has Mars in Scor-
pio conjunct the South Node, showing
this countrys obsession with a strong
military. In the horoscope for Nazi Ger-
many, retrograde Mars in Virgo is con-
juncttheenlarginginfuenceofJupiter,
while Uranus in Aries tightly quincunx
Mars was a source of friction for the
Third Reichs Red Planet. An elevated
10th-house Aquarius Mercury (conjunct
Saturn) disposits Mars in this chart.
Mars is exalted in Capricorn in the
so-called Scorpionic America chart,
and this aptly describes the U.S., where
military spending accounts for more
than half of the nations federal discre-
tionary budget.
3
This large budget has
enabled the U.S. to build armaments
that, in strictly military terms, are sec-
ond to none.
Marss red color and its mythology
have long been associated with events
that involve anger, passion, and war.
Recent photos sent from the Mars robots
show a desolate, rust-colored landscape
with wispy, orange-tinted ice clouds. It
lookslikeaniconicbattlefeld,anEarth
laid waste.
4
Perhaps these scenes are the
metaphoric effects of an unbridled Mars.
Mark Antony invoked the full destruc-
tive force of Mars when he prophesized
about Rome in Shakespeares Julius
Caesar, a very martial play:
Bloodanddestructionshallbeso
inuse
Anddreadfulobjectssofamiliar
Thatmothersshallbutsmilewhen
theybehold
Theirinfantsquarterdwiththe
handsofwar;
Allpitychokedwithcustomof
felldeeds
5
edithhathaway@cox.net
P.O. Box 69, Laguna Beach, CA 92652-0069
www.mountainastrologer.com
Vishnu
unique ways, which expand upon the
meaning of each sign.
As you can see from Table 2, the
rulership of each sign corresponds with
the sign rulerships used in Western
astrology until the 20th century. The
symmetry of paired rulers is a beauti-
ful thing to observe (see Figure: The
Symmetry of Sign Rulerships, right).
Vedic astrologers were very careful not
to disturb this rulership scheme, even
after they introduced additional points
into the chart.
The abodes listed in Table 2 are a
few of the many physical locations asso-
ciated with each sign. These locations
were used for a variety of purposes,
includingfndinglostobjectsandchoos-
ing where to build a house. The three
doshascomefromthefeldofAyurveda;
they are used to assist astrologers in the
diagnosis and cure of disease and in
making nutritional recommendations.
Pittahasaferyqualityindicatingtem-
per, heat, and assertion; Vata has a
windy quality indicating sensitivity, ner-
vousness, and susceptibility to cold; and
Kapha has a watery quality indicating
heaviness, lethargy, and slowness.
The signs directions are used for
Prashna (Vedic horary astrology) and
Vastu (the Vedic counterpart of Feng
Shui); the fertility attribute addresses the
likelihood of having children. The man-
nerinwhichasignrisesheadfrst,
feetfrst,orbothhasbeenusedto
assess whether a childs intrauterine and
birthconditionswillbeeasyordiffcult.
Oneadditionalclassifcationofthe
signs is central to the Vedic concept of
the aims of life. There are four basic aims
of life: Dharma, which indicates integrity
and the search for life purpose and corre-
spondstothefresignsandhouses(1,5,
and 9); Artha, which indicates livelihood
and security needs and corresponds to
the earth signs and houses (2, 6, and
10); Kama, which indicates involvement
in relationships and the pursuit of plea-
sure and corresponds to the air signs and
houses(3,7,and11);andfnallyMok-
sha, which indicates the goal of enlight-
enment and the lessons in letting go
and corresponds to the water signs and
houses (4, 8, and 12).
Paul Newman is an excellent exam-
ple of a person with strong dharma,
becausehehasplanetsintheirownfre
signsinfrehouses.Renownedforhis
integrity, Newman has Jupiter in Sagit-
tarius in the 1st house and Mars in Aries
in the 5th house. On a more shadowy
side, Charles Mansons charisma gave
himtremendousinfuenceoverothers;
The Vedic Signs
June/July2007
*
The Mountain Astrologer
he has Mercury and Venus (lords of air
houses 3 and 7, respectively), as well
as the Sun and Jupiter, all in Venuss
sign of Libra in the 7th house (charts
not shown). Manson manipulated and
seduced his followers with drugs and
sex, powerfully playing upon their pur-
suit of pleasure.
Planetary Strength and Stability
Both Western and Vedic astrologers
see planets as strong in their own signs
and signs of exaltation and weak in their
sign of debilitation. Western astrologers
also consider planets to be weak in the
opposite sign(s) to the one(s) ruled, but
Vedic astrologers do not.
Besides using exaltation and debili-
tation as indicators of planetary strength
and weakness, Vedic astrologers group
planets as friends, neutrals, and ene-
mies to each other. When a planet is
in the sign of a friend, it is strong (but
not as strong as in its own sign or exal-
tation). When a planet is in the sign of
an enemy, it is weak (but not as weak
as in debilitation). When a planet is in
the sign of a neutral planet, its strength
is mediocre or average. (See Table 3,
above.)
To use Table 3, it is important to
understand that the signs of exalta-
tion, ownership, and debilitation super-
sede the considerations in the table.
For instance, even though the Moon is
a friend to Mars, Mars is debilitated in
Cancer. Similarly, even though Jupiter
is a neutral planet for Venus, Venus is
exalted in Pisces.
Knowing the strength of each planet
is of major importance. It allows Vedic
astrologerstodeterminethemostinfu-
entialplanetinanyconfguration(the
strongest planet has the greatest effect,
although very weak planets can have
potent disruptive effects). Jyotishis
(Vedic astrologers) also need to assess
whether any of the positive combina-
tions in the chart (the positive yogas) are
of real consequence. The rule of thumb
isthatforayogatosignifcantlyliftup
the quality of a persons life, at least one
planet in the combination should be
strong. In Tom Hankss chart, for exam-
ple (not shown), Venus in its own sign
of Taurus in the 10th house is a major
indicator of his fame and success. In
fact, Hanks has three planets in their
own signs (the Moon in Cancer, Mer-
cury in Gemini, Venus in Taurus) and
two others exchanging signs in his chart
(Mars in Aquarius and Saturn in Scor-
pio), which gives them strength. (Yogas
are discussed at greater length in the
next section of this article.)
Another way that signs are used by
Vedic astrologers is to assess the stability
of planets. When a planet is in its sign
of exaltation or debilitation, that planet
becomes unstable and exaggerated in
infuence;therefore,thethemesofthe
houses it occupies, rules, and aspects,
as well as those of the planets it aspects,
become destabilized. (Other causes of
instability are retrogradation, combus-
tion, the New and Full Moon, and plan-
etary wars, where planets are within a
degree of each other.) A good exam-
ple of planetary instability is the chart
of Adolf Hitler (not shown). In his 7th
house, he had the exalted Sun in Aries
and a planetary war between Venus and
Mars; he himself, his primary relation-
ships, and his closest advisors were very
unstable, and he and his generals exag-
gerated their own importance.
Table 3: Planetary Friendships
Planet Friends Neutrals Enemies
Sun Moon, Mars, Jupiter Mercury Venus, Saturn
Moon Sun, Mercury Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn (none)
Mercury Sun, Venus Mars, Jupiter, Saturn Moon
Venus Mercury, Saturn Mars, Jupiter Sun, Moon
Mars Sun, Moon, Jupiter Venus, Saturn Mercury
Jupiter Sun, Moon, Mars Saturn Mercury, Venus
Saturn Mercury, Venus Jupiter Sun, Moon, Mars
Learn Jyotish at the deepest level through the authentic
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The Network of Rulerships
Perhaps the most important use of
the signs in Jyotish is their role in house
rulership. As mentioned earlier, the ruler-
ship systems in both Vedic and ancient
Western astrology are identical. The
employment of house rulers in chart
delineation, however, is more developed
in Vedic astrology than anywhere else.
In Jyotish, combinations of two
or more astrological factors (which are
called yogas) create conditions that
either raise or lower a persons pros-
pects beyond the ordinary. A yoga can
be as simple as a planet strong by its
signplacementinaspecifchouseor
house grouping. Or a yoga can require
several different conditions to be met.
Thousands upon thousands of yogas
aredefnedinclassicalVedictexts,and
the majority of these yogas use sign rul-
ershipsintheirspecifcations.Forexam-
ple, in Harrison Fords chart, the ruler
of the 1st house (Mercury) in the 10th
house, in its own sign (Gemini), is one
of the major indicators of his fame (see
Chart 1, below).
Please remember that in Vedic
astrology, as in ancient Western astrol-
ogy, each house was equivalent to one
sign, so the terms sign and house
became interchangeable. This is called
the Whole Sign house system, in the
West, or a Rashi chart, in Jyotish. For
example, if the Ascendant is in any
degree of Taurus, the entire 1st house is
occupied by the sign of Taurus.
The intricacy and importance of the
network of house rulerships in Jyotish
should not be underestimated. To have
the ruler of a supportive house (all the
houses except 3, 6, 8, and 12) in a chal-
lenging house (especially 6, 8, or 12)
indicates challenges for the themes of
the positive house. For instance, Mari-
lyn Monroes 5th-house lord, Mars, is in
the 8th house, and she had many preg-
nancies, all of which were terminated by
abortion. Her chart will be delineated in
greater detail below.
Similarly, to have two supportive
house rulers together in the same house
portends particularly well, not only for
the themes of both houses ruled but
even more so for the house occupied. In
other words, the ruler of a house carries
its themes into the house it occupies and
aspects. In Harrison Fords chart (Chart
1), his 1st, 4th, 7th, 10th, and 11th lords
are all in the 10th house, as indicators
of great 10th-house success; however,
because the 12th lord is also there, he
had many obstacles on the road to fame
and fortune. Fortunately for him, the
strongest planet is the 1st and 10th lord,
Mercury.
Although this discussion of house
rulerships may seem daunting, it actu-
ally becomes quite easy to apply. If the
ruler of a challenging house is strong
(and in a house other than one it owns),
then the themes of the house it occu-
piesbecomesignifcantlyobstructed.
For example, if the 6th-house lord (indi-
cating adversaries and illness) is strong,
then ones opponents or illnesses are
likelytobesignifcant.Onecaneven
compare the strength of two house
lords; e.g., if the 7th-house lord is stron-
ger than the 1st-house lord, such people
are likely to marry above themselves.
In Princess Dianas chart (not shown),
her 7th-house lord (Venus in Taurus) is
signifcantlystrongerthanher1st-house
lord (Mars in Leo).
Exploring the chart of a famous
person can further clarify the Vedic way
of using the signs in a chart. The chart
of Marilyn Monroe, previously men-
tioned, illustrates several principles (see
Chart 2, below).
C
h
a
r
t
s
u
s
e
t
h
e
L
a
h
i
r
i
a
y
a
n
a
m
s
h
a
.
The Vedic Signs
Chart 1:
Harrison Ford
Chart 2:
Marilyn Monroe
Perhaps the most
important use of the
signs in Jyotish is their
role in house rulership.
June/July2007
*
The Mountain Astrologer
Lets start with Saturn in Libra,
because it is the strongest planet in her
chart. It is the lord of houses 7 and 8,
and it is located in the 4th house. As
lord of the 7th, it represents her part-
ners, who were indeed exalted in the
eyes of the world (they included Joe
DiMaggio, Arthur Miller, President
John F. Kennedy, Frank Sinatra, Mar-
lon Brando, and many others). That
same strong planet, Saturn, in the
house of home and mother (the 4th)
expressed itself as the 8th lord when
Marilyns mentally ill mother tried to
smother her; her mother was later com-
mitted to a mental institution. It is not
generally desirable to have a strong
8th lord because its strength mag-
nifes8th-housethemes,whichcan
include incest, rape, sexual scandals,
emotional challenges, and addictions
and all of these played a major part
in Marilyns life. This powerful Saturn
also aspects the 1st house, so Marilyn
experienced a profound sense of isola-
tion wherever she went. (Vedic astrol-
ogy emphasizes the special aspects cast
by Saturn e.g., Saturn aspects the
house ten houses ahead of itself, count-
ing inclusively.)
Marilyns Sun, on the other hand,
is in a weakened position in the sign of
its enemy, Venus. The Sun as the 2nd
lordrefectsMarilynlivinginrundown
apartments, with a party line (shared
telephone), and having huge money
battles with the studios, even though
she was famous and a great money-
maker for them.
Marilyn Monroe has a powerful
passion combination in her chart.
Venus as lord of the 4th house is oppo-
site Saturn as lord of the 7th, and
Saturn is very strong (exalted and retro-
grade). Saturn being both exalted and
retrograde indicates instabilities cre-
atedbyitsinfuence.Thiscombination
explains Marilyns widespread sexual
activities and the impermanence of her
primary relationships. Saturns destabi-
lizinginfuenceuponher4thhouseand
her 4th lord, Venus, also accounts for
her having lived in more than 45 differ-
ent residences during her short life.
Even though Jupiter and Mars do
not have much strength (both are in
neutral signs) and are placed together in
the 8th house, their rulership of the 9th
and 10th houses, respectively, creates
one of the most profound yogas for suc-
cess, which certainly manifested in her
life. Her fame came from being a sex
symbol an 8th-house theme.
Finally, Mercury in Taurus has both
strength and weakness. (Note: In Vedic
astrology, if a planet is both strong and
weak, both qualities are seen to mani-
fest, instead of nullifying each other.)
Mercury is in the sign of a friend, Venus,
which gives it strength, and very close
to the Sun (combust), which weakens it.
Marilyn was known to those close to her
as having an excellent mind (showing
Mercurys strength), but she was usually
continuedonpage87
Jyotish offers a treasure
trove of accurate and
powerful natal and
predictive techniques.
0 www.mountainastrologer.com
Goodbye,
Skinny Jeans
Hello, Saturn
byJennyMcCutcheon
T
he winter after my son Robbie
was born, I mentioned to my hus-
band on several occasions that
we should close the ice cream shop.
Having a six-month-old baby and own-
ing a business was becoming too much
for me to handle. The long, cold winters
in Ohio were always tough for an ice
cream business, anyway. Our custom-
ers didnt want to leave the warmth of
thecracklingfreintheirfamilyroomto
endure the bitter Ohio air in pursuit of
something cold to eat. We had suffered
a40%lossinproftsovertheprevious
year, since several large corporate-
owned ice cream chains opened within
two miles of us. We were barely making
enough to pay the lease on the space
we were using and certainly werent
making enough money for me to collect
a paycheck. Not to mention, my jeans
were becoming miserably tight from eat-
ing all that ice cream
Saturn is like your favorite pair of
jeans that you wont admit are too small
and you insist on wearing them any-
way. Every uncomfortable moment you
have them on your body, youre
painfully aware that youve out-
grown them.
Not heeding Saturns
nudges will feel like the
uncomfortable minutes you
spend sitting in those restrict-
ing jeans, unable to take a full
breath for fear of popping a but-
ton and revealing the truth: that
youve outgrown them and its time
tobuyjeansthatft.Butuntilyoure
ready to admit that the same old
jeans arent working anymore, you
cant feel the utter bliss and comfort
that come with wearing the new jeans
thatdoft.Thejeansyouremeant to
wear. The life youre meant to live.
When youre thinking of the planet
Saturn, an image of a round rotating
planet surrounded by a large belt of
rings probably appears in your mind.
Astrologers believe that the rings sur-
rounding this wise planet represent
restriction, structure, and responsibility.
They believe that, wherever Saturn falls
in your astrological chart, you will feel
its effects and learn major life lessons in
that area of your life.
Saturn is notorious for making
you fully aware of your limitations. For
instance, my Saturn falls in Leo, which
also happens to be my Sun sign, so
while Leo is typically dramatic, gener-
ous, and outgoing, Im also nervous,
cautious, and rigid. This poses some
interesting challenges for me, due to the
opposite effects of the two planets com-
peting with one another. The placement
of Saturn in my chart also indicates that
Ill have a great desire to express myself
creatively andextremediffcultydoing
so. Creativity is usually a no-brainer for
aconfdent(andsometimesarro-
gant) lion, but I have the nag-
ging voice of Saturn telling me
to be cautious and structured.
Im interested in the
effects of Saturn right now,
because Im personally expe-
riencing what is known as the
frstSaturnreturn.Approximately
every 2830 years, Saturn will
make a full circle around your natal
chart and end up back where it was
at the time of your birth. Saturn will
get nice and comfortable in its natal
sign for a little over two years. Many
people will experience this period as a
harsh emergence into adulthood, but
astrologers recognize that this discomfort
corresponds to Saturns return to its start-
ing point in the birth chart.
WhenSaturnmakesitsfrstreturn,
you may begin to question every-
thing youve done in your life up until
that point. You may become painfully
aware of any shortcomings and wrong
paths youve taken on your life journey.
Its typically a time of career shifts, the
beginning or end of important relation-
ships, or the birth of a child. Major life
adjustments happen during this period.
If you are headed down the wrong path
and refuse to acknowledge the nagging
feeling that things need to change, Sat-
urn will make sure you become aware
of this and he will not always do so
gently.
Although the changes Ive experi-
enced have come on somewhat gradu-
ally, my life has essentially been turned
upside down over the past several
years. For starters, I left a stable com-
pany Id been with for eight years as a
risk analyst to open my own ice cream
shop. I had the ice cream shop for two
years before becoming pregnant and
giving birth to my beloved son, Rob-
bie. One year following the birth of my
son, I was forced to close my ice cream
shop because of competition from sev-
eral large corporate companies that
moved into the area, and I wanted to
meet the needs of my baby boy. Since
then, I have been staying home with my
son while attending school full time in
marketing.
To say that my life has changed
would be an understatement. Ive tried
every career path available to me over
the course of three years and have set-
tled into the perfect path for me. Another
interesting consideration is that Saturn
falls in the 10th house in my natal chart,
whichissaidtoinfuencecareerand
professional and social image. My pro-
fessionallifeisdefnitelywhereIvefelt
the majority of the transformations that
Saturn has brought to me over the past
several years.
The changes Ive gone through
have been, I believe, a direct nudge
(or maybe a kick in the rear) from Sat-
urn. The busy and hectic life I was living
before Saturn returned to rock my world
wasntnearlyasfulfllingasIthought
June/July2007
*
The Mountain Astrologer 1
it to be at the time. It seemed like
I could never do enough, succeed
enough, earn enough, etc. You get the
picture. Saturn forced me to slow down
and realize that I need to stop look-
ingoutwardforfulfllment.Hehelped
me to understand that real content-
ment comes from within, and true sat-
isfaction comes from being happy with
where you are right now.
I now understand that success is
moreaboutfndinghappinessinwhat
Im doing and less about others per-
ceptions of what I choose to do. I
realize that satisfying everyones expec-
tations for me doesnt bring personal
fulfllment.Inowspendlessenergyon
trying to acquire money because I re-
alize that, as long as my needs are met,
what truly matters is that I feel proud
and pleased with how Im living my
life. Maybe thats just the lion in me
talking, but Im pretty sure Old Father
Time is primarily the one I have to
thank for this realization.
Im not saying Im ready to throw
away all my skinny jeans and never look
back. But I know that the new, right,
and comfortable jeans sure feel good
now. So, while I bravely brace myself
for the next lesson that Saturn has in
store for me, I will accept the reality of
my pleasant life and appreciate how
perfect it is for me and where Im going.
Thank you, Saturn.
2007JennyMcCutcheon
allrightsreserved
Jenny McCutcheon is a freelance writer,
a recent graduate of the LongRidge Writers
Group,andholdsaB.S.degreeineMarketing
fromFranklinUniversity.Shelovesthemystery
ofastrology.Jennyliveswithherhusbandand
ornerytwo-year-oldsoninOhio,wheresheis
followingherpassionforwriting,thankstoher
Saturnreturn.Formoreinformation,e-mail:
jennymccutcheon@gmail.com
Do you have an opinion about an article you just read in TMA?
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2 www.mountainastrologer.com
Empire or Community
Pluto at the harvest phase of the 1960s
cycle. Humanity may yet redeem itself.
We may rediscover our connection to
nature and pull back from the brink
of destruction of Earths life-systems,
saving ourselves in the process. We
can apply ingenuity to positively inte-
grate the necessities of mass civiliza-
tion with the essential needs of human
nature by scaling back our industries,
economics, and consumption. Living
more simply carries a whole range of
benefts.Lossesineasymobilityand
habitual convenience could be offset
by decreasing alienation and increas-
ing empathy with others. We may learn
again the pleasures of knowing our
neighbors.
With the end of Plutos passage
through Sagittarius and its entrance into
Capricorn, the culture wars of religious
fundamentalism will wane, although
churches will remain magnetic nodes for
social networking within and between
communities. The monolithic institu-
tions of national government will crack
and crumble as Pluto in Capricorn is
challenged by Uranus in Aries, but local
governments and smaller-scale social
organizations will pick up the slack,
encouraging civic participation.
Environmentaldisastersmayfnally
get our attention. This is not merely
about global warming, which is only
the most recently popular catchphrase
for a whole phalanx of ecological dep-
redations. Nor is the crisis merely about
government policy and unsustainable
economics, although the strong possibil-
ity of collapses in those realms over the
next decade will surely rouse us from
our slumber. No, we need a reawak-
ened understanding of our interdepen-
dence with nature through regard for all
life on Earth, not just human life.
Descartes philosophical mindbody
split that separated us from nature back
in the 15th century must be rescinded,
even if the ultimate healing takes centu-
ries to achieve. In reforming civilization
away from empires pattern of tragic
destruction, we can begin to recover our
reverence and wonder at being part of
nature in the ongoing creation of Earth
and cosmos. Finally, we are caretakers,
not rulers. By our very success as a spe-
cies, the responsibility for maintain-
ing the interconnected life-systems of
our small and amazing planet now falls
to us. No more of this nonsense about
conquering nature.
continuedfrompage33
Uranus in Aries square
Pluto in Capricorn is
about creative individual
responses to dire collective
emergencies.
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of satisfied customers. (See the Testimonials section of our website.)
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SPIRITUALITY COURSE
Ecstatic and visionary
contact with the divine.
Ritual and Meditation
The union of tantric paths:
Tantric Buddhism, Hinduism,
Paganism and Shamanism
www.michaelconneely.com
June/July2007
*
The Mountain Astrologer 3
References and Notes
1. See Barbara Ehrenreich, Dancing in the
Streets:AHistoryofCollectiveJoy (Metropoli-
tan Books, 2007), for a discussion of the dif-
ferences between the spectacles of hierarchical
mass societies and the festivities of smaller com-
munities.
2. Thomas R. Dye, from WhosRunningAmer-
ica?(Seventh Edition: TheBushRestoration,
Prentice-Hall, 2001), an ongoing series of stud-
ies concerning those in positions of author-
ity and power who control industry, banking,
investment, insurance, education, media, law,
private foundations, civic associations, key
federal government posts, and the military.
Quoted in David Kortens TheGreatTurning:
FromEmpiretoEarthCommunity (Berrett-
Koehler, 2006).
3. See Robert Gover, TimeandMoney:The
EconomyandthePlanets (Hopewell Publica-
tions, 2005), an astrological history of econom-
ics in America, for a discussion of these grand
cross correspondences to Great Depressions.
2007BillHerbstallrightsreserved
Bill Herbst lives in
Florence,Oregon.He
has been a full-time
astrologer in private
practicefor36years,
workingwithindividu-
alstodefneandtrack
the evolution of their
life-paths,nowwithparticularemphasisonpar-
ticipationincollectivechange.GotohisWeb
site(www.billherbst.com)toreadthearchive
ofBillsongoingseriesofcommentariesabout
theUranusPlutocycleandtheradicalshifts
thatlieaheadforhumanityinthe2010s(www.
billherbst.com/newsindex.html).Youcane-mail
Billatbill@billherbst.com.
UranusPluto suggests that some
of this long-overdue change in con-
sciousness can occur by individual
efforts, with the rest necessarily legis-
lated and enforced. The old distinc-
tions of liberal versus conservative may
lose relevance as left-wing socialism
and right-wing capitalism merge. Future
generations in the 22nd century and
beyond will almost certainly look back
on our notions of personal freedom as
extremely irresponsible. Freedom for the
next waves of human beings will mean
personal empowerment through conse-
crated service to collective humanity.
The UranusPluto conjunction of
the 1960s saw the birth of this awareness
in infantile and adolescent forms. The
UranusPluto square of the 2010s will
move it into young adulthood through
urgent, pragmatic exigencies. Uranus in
Aries square Pluto in Capricorn is not
about ideologies but rather creative indi-
vidual responses to dire collective emer-
gencies. Some of our responses will be
piecemeal, and most will be messy. As
Humpty Dumpty falls and shatters, we
will glue him back together, with spit and
bailing wire if necessary.
Then, in the culminating Uranus
Pluto opposition of the 2040s, a new
and different type of civilization will be
formalized and put into place. The story
of humanity will have reached another
chapter. Some of us who are already
older will not live to see that day, but
thats all right. To resurrect a phrase
from the 1960s, we have the choice in
the decade of the 2010s to become part
of the solution rather than part of the
problem.
Relocalization is not merely about
economic sustainability, nor is it funda-
mentally about survival, although those
may soon be real motivations for mov-
ing in that direction. Relocalization also
means enhanced quality of life, joy in
social participation, and the shared ful-
fllmentthatextendsbeyondthepri-
mary bonds of marriage and family.
Active communal involvement has been
largely lost in the U.S. over the past cen-
tury, diminished by the urban beehive
and suburban isolation, buried by con-
sumerism, suppressed by the corporate
state, and nearly killed outright by the
passively hypnotic trance of television.
Rejuvenating the gentle pleasures
of belonging by becoming stakehold-
ers in a community is a basic spiritual
need. As human beings, we are here
together on this planet for a very short
time, and we might as well celebrate
that fact with the people who live near
us in our neighborhoods, towns, and
cities. We may not all be One in the lit-
eral sense, but the revitalized experience
of togetherness in work and play within
real communities may move us a little
closer toward the actual experience of
that sublime cosmic truth.
Let us begin now.
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T
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A
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C
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a
r
t
C
ha
l
l
e
n
g
e
Our Astrologers Answer
TMA asked two professional astrologers
to review Sandys chart (see page 17
of this issue) and answer her questions.
Their answers are included here, so you
can compare them with your own!
April Elliott Kent Responds:
Lets pretend for a moment that I
know nothing about your career except
what I see in your chart. Gemini, the
sign of communication, is on the Mid-
heaven (your career angle); its ruling
planet, Mercury, is very close to the
Descendant (your relationship angle).
Saturn is conjunct the Midheaven and
square the Sun, symbolizing tenacity
and discipline. The Moon is in creative
Leo, and the North Node is in the 5th
house of creative pursuits.
So far, this looks an awful lot like a
writers chart to me, with the strong Mer-
cury and Saturn and an emphasis
on creativity. With the Sun and Mer-
cury in Pisces and with Neptune heav-
ily aspected, the writing subjects would
likely be of the nature of Pisces/Neptune:
fantasy or poetry or self-help. This chart
might describe a novelist, screenwriter, or
playwright, preferably working in collab-
oration with a partner. With Virgo rising,
she might be an editor or technical writer,
perhaps for the health care industry (Sun
in Pisces in the 6th house). And Pisces
souls are often drawn to counseling as a
profession, too.
But I would never have looked at
your chart and guessed you were a res-
taurateur. I suspect this wont come as
asurprisetoyou.Infact,whenwefnd
ourselves asking whether were on the
right path, the answer is usually No.
When something feels right, we seldom
think to ask whether it is right!
That said, I imagine youve enjoyed
many aspects of the restaurant business,
including the exciting and dynamic
work environment (Aquarius on your
6th-house cusp), plenty of social inter-
action (Moon in the 11th house in
Leo), and caring for people (Jupiter in
the 4th house).
In many ways, too, the time was
right for this career move. When you
opened the restaurant three years ago,
your progressed Midheaven in Cancer
(the sign of nourishment and mothers)
was trine your natal Sun, so going into
business with Mom especially a res-
taurant made sense! But your natal
Moon is conjunct the South Node,
symbolizing your path of least resis-
tance. Not a path of ease, necessar-
ily (running a restaurant is never easy),
but one that did not require you to
assert your personal creative vision as
fully as you might have done on your
own or even with a different busi-
ness partner.
This years lunar eclipses in Virgo
and Pisces (in March and September)
make close aspects to your Ascendant
and Sun, symbolizing a strong urge to
assert your individuality. I cant shake
the feeling that you are getting lost in
this business venture that its some-
one elses vision, not yours. I doubt it
started that way; three years ago, tran-
siting Uranus conjoined your natal Sun
and squared your Midheaven. You
probably envisioned the restaurant as a
means of achieving greater professional
and personal independence.
But partnerships generate ten-
sion, and relationships between moth-
ers and daughters are emotionally
dynamic! Your natal Moon in dramatic
Leo describes a powerful, exciting mom
whose vibrant personality allows you to
recede into her shadow when you want
to feel safe (Moon conjunct the South
Node). You share a strong bond, but
with the Moon in a wide square to Mars
in your chart, its a relationship with vol-
atile, even competitive, undertones.
Since April 2005 (when transiting
Uranus moved into your 7th house) and
in particular since April 2006 (with Ura-
nus beginning its transit over natal Mer-
cury), you may have started to chafe
under the constraints of your business
partnership. There have almost certainly
been challenges in combining your
professional responsibilities with other
important relationships in your life.
DiscomfortintensifedinSeptember
2006, when a solar eclipse conjoined
your natal Pluto and squared Jupiter.
Perhaps there was a dramatic and over-
whelming spike in your workload at the
restaurantoraseriousfnancialcri-
sis. That same month, a lunar eclipse
in your 7th house brought relationship
issues to a critical point.
Eclipses signal moments of cri-
sis, and the 2007 eclipses light up your
1st and 7th houses (personal identity
and relationships), as well as the Mid-
heaven, Saturn, and the Sun (busi-
ness and personal achievement). Its no
wonderyoufndyourselfatapersonal
and professional crossroads! In combi-
nation with transiting Uranus pressur-
ing natal Mercury, I think its unlikely
that youll stay in your current work
environment much longer.
Speaking of relationships, many
astrologers would eye transiting Uranus
in your 7th house for the next six years
and think: Well, thatcertainly looks like
relationship trouble! Perhaps but
only to the extent that those relation-
ships demand too many compromises
and too little freedom to be yourself.
The relationships that help you to feel
empowered, appreciated, and encour-
aged to pursue your passions may also
face challenges but should withstand
Uranuss push for more freedom. But
any relationships where you feel invis-
ible, constrained, or exploited will have
to change.
June/July2007
*
The Mountain Astrologer 5
and a strong desire to communicate
with them. Your Midheaven is in Gem-
ini, also ruled by Mercury, and Saturn
is very close to your Midheaven, so
you are a good teacher and organizer.
However, Saturn is opposite Neptune
and square your Sun, so you do feel
burdened by your work.
With your Pisces Sun squaring an
angular Neptune and your Moon in Leo
conjoined the South Node, you have
a need to nourish your creative side
with music, dance, poetry, or photogra-
phy. Venus in Aries in the 8th house is
opposite Uranus and Juno in Libra, so
you may need to manifest your creativ-
ity in a more unusual way than you are
doing now. Running a restaurant and
taking care of your children keep you
quite busy but do not provide an out-
let for your more creative and spiritual
sides. The True position of Black Moon
Lilith
2
is 2047' Libra, conjoined Uranus
and Juno in Libra and opposite Venus;
this may symbolize that the Libran
area of your life, the area of harmony
and beauty, has been hidden from
you,makingitmorediffcultforyouto
access your creative side. With the Black
Moon Lilith in Libra opposite Venus,
you may feel that you are not able to
express your deepest love through your
relationships.
Jupiter in Capricorn in your 4th
house of the home is in a grand trine
with Mars in Taurus in your 9th house
and your Virgo Ascendant. This grand
trine in earth signs is certainly a gift
in the practical/material realm; you
also could do well working out of your
home.
Your natal horoscope is also strong
in healing energy, with your Sun in
the 6th house and your Ascendant in
Virgo. Your secondary progressed Moon
is now in early Scorpio, so this might
be good for you to study massage or
another type of healing modality. Since
you have an angular Neptune, you
would do well with color healing, sound
healing, or even homeopathy. Perhaps
yourneedtoservewouldbefulflled
through healing others.
The planet Uranus will be transit-
ing your natal Mercury all year long, so
youaredefnitelyrestlessandreadyfor
a change in pace. Uranus rules your 6th
house of service and health, so it may
be advisable for you to close the restau-
rant you operate with your mother. With
your natal Moon conjoined the South
Node, you have had issues to resolve
with your mother, and running the res-
taurant with her may have enabled you
to work some things out. This could be
the time to move on.
Transiting Saturn in Virgo will
square your Saturn in the fall of 2007,
so this is not the best time to open
another business, but it might be a
good time to study a healing modality.
Saturn will also square your Neptune
and oppose your Sun. Then, Saturn
will cross your Ascendant at 9 Virgo,
butfrstitwillmakeastationat830'
in December 2007. It does not com-
plete the transit of your Ascendant until
August 2008. Saturn entering your 1st
house can signify a time when you will
manifest your new direction to the out-
side world.
Your secondary progressed Sun is
conjoined natal Chiron in the 8th house,
indicating a time to heal yourself and
do some inner work. You have come
into a more creative phase of your life.
Solar arc Mercury is conjunct your natal
Venus, and both your secondary pro-
gressed and solar arc Ascendants are in
Libra, so this is certainly an auspicious
time to begin some creative work, per-
haps some type of writing.
If you were to open another type
of business, you might think about
managing a dance studio, where vari-
ous kinds of classes are taught, and you
could take some of the classes as an
addedbeneft.Anotherideaistoman-
ageaflm-editinglaboraphotography
studio. This would help to satisfy your
Piscean nature.
I think that a combination of indi-
vidual creative expression and working
with people through healing is prob-
ablythebestwaytofulfllalltheareas
in your chart. Then, you may feel more
satisfedinyourdualrolesasmother
and wife.
Notes
1. For more about solar arc directions, see An
Introduction to Solar Arc Directions, by Greg
Bogart, elsewhere in this issue.
2. Black Moon is a mathematical or energy
point. In the article,Lilith, the Great Goddess,
Verena Bachman says: She is the second focus
And whats next for your career?
First, abandon the notion of a single,
perfect career that will satisfy you for-
ever! People with mutable signs on the
Midheaven are usually happiest working
in at least a couple of careers concur-
rently. If you want to stay in the restau-
rant business, opening a second location
or offering a new service such as cater-
ing could satisfy the need for variety. Or
perhaps you can gradually scale back
on your hours at the restaurant and
develop a secondary career on the side.
In December 2007, Saturn in Virgo
will station and turn retrograde close
to your natal Ascendant, heralding an
important time for taking control of
your personal and professional affairs.
By the time progressed Mars crosses
your Midheaven and squares your Sun
(fall of 2008), I expect that you will be
fully engaged in pursuing a new career
path. Ideally, your new career(s) will
build on what you love about the res-
taurant business but incorporate more
of your creative talents and blend more
harmoniously with your family life. Per-
haps youd enjoy writing about food
rather than preparing and serving it
or lending your talents as a communi-
cator to a charitable organization that
feeds the poor.
My warmest wishes, and best of
luck, wherever life takes you!
April Elliott Kent isa
professionalastrologer,
writer,andspeakerliv-
inginSanDiego,Cal-
ifornia. Readers may
contactAprilbye-mail
(april@bigskyastrolo
gy.com) or visit her
Website:www.bigsky
astrology.com
Marcia Starck Responds:
I have used the natal chart with
Chiron, the four asteroids, and the Black
Moon Lilith in the Koch house system. I
have also used transits, secondary pro-
gressions, and solar arc directions.
1
Yourchartdefnitelyshowsa
strong theme of service and communi-
cation. With Virgo (the sign of service)
on the Ascendant and your chart ruler,
Mercury, conjoined your 6th-house
Sun, you have a need to help others
www.mountainastrologer.com
point of the Moons orbit around the Earth; this is due to the fact that
the Moon does not orbit in a circle around Earth but in an oval. In
thefrstfocuspoint,wefndtheEarth,andinthesecond,wefnd
the Black Moon or Lilith. There are some similarities with the Moons
nodes; like them, she is a calculated point and like them, there is a
True and Mean Black Moon. The Black Moon has both an evolution-
ary and shadow side. Where Lilith is in your chart you have some
sort of an opening that allows the pure female energy to enter your
chart and life. (This article was published in Aspects, the journal
of Aquarius Workshops, in 1999.)
Marcia Starck isinternationallyknown
forherworkinMedicalAstrology.Her
personalconsultationsalsoincludeinfor-
mation on psychological and spiritual
aspects,aswellasAstro*Carto*Graphy.
www.EarthMedicineWays.com; e-mail:
earthmed@aol.com
2007TheMountainAstrologer
allrightsreserved
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below, please contact:
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Fax: (530) 477-9423
In Europe:
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Secure Ordering: wessexastrologer.com
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4A Woodside Road, Bournemouth BH5 2AZ
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In Australia/New Zealand:
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Fax: 07 3342 6720
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Chart Challenge
bleakasitappears!Practicesmiling
infrontofthemirror.Whining,act-
ingmorose,andstayinginbedall
daywillgetyounowhere,sosnap
outofit!Prettysoonyouwilllose
allyourfriends.Trustme:Thisis
thedarkbeforethedawn.Keepthe
faith.
Minerva
Okay, so the world may not be quite
ready for me yet. Many people prefer to go
about their sorry little couch-potato lives,
drugging themselves into a stupor in front
of the telly, rather than face reality and get
of f their duf fs. The way I see it, Ive got my
work cut out for me. Send me your cards
and letters. I promise to respond to them
all eventually. Oh, and apologies to those
who publish real, useful astrological advice.
continued
Notes from a Novice
continued from p. 19
Jan de Prosse is
Managing Editor of
The Mountain Astrologer.
She graduated from high
school in Stockbridge,
Massachusetts
Norman Rockwells
hometown.
4. My favorite starting points for information on Peak Oil are: www.
energybulletin.net; www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net; and www.theoildrum.
com. Good sites explaining relocalization are: www.postcarbon.org;
www.apple-nc.org; www.timebanks.org; www.communitysolution.
org. For great video interviews, see: www.peakmoment.tv
5. For data on potential crop conversion to biofuels, see: www.
democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_
all&address=115x88378
6. See the interview of David Hughes about Canadian natural gas
and oil conducted by Julian Darley: www.globalpublicmedia.com/
interviews/823
2007TemTarriktarallrightsreserved
Tem TarriktaristhefounderandpublisherofThe Mountain Astrolo-
ger.Youcancontacthimatpcurrents@mountainastrologer.com
The Years Ahead
and the Oil Crisis continuedfromp.25
June/July2007
*
The Mountain Astrologer
misperceived by the general public as
being ditsy. (Often, the gifts represented
byplanetsincombustionareeitherdiff-
cult to express or unseen by others.)
Notice that, throughout this delin-
eation of Marilyn Monroes chart, the
signs were used only to determine
planetary strength and house ruler-
ships. This is how Vedic chart analysis
is typically done.
Vedic astrologers use the sidereal
signs effectively with methods that differ
from those used by many modern West-
ern astrologers. Jyotishis do not focus
on the psychological makeup of the sign
occupied by each planet, as many West-
ern astrologers do; instead, they place
their attention on what signs and houses
the planets rule and how the planets are
strengthened or weakened by the signs
they occupy.
Employing the sidereal zodiac, Vedic
astrologers assess temperament, success,
life challenges, karma, and many other
life themes in ways unknown to Western
astrology. Jyotish offers a treasure trove
of accurate and powerful natal and pre-
dictive techniques.
Chart Data and Sources
(inalphabeticalorder)
Diana, Princess of Wales, July 1, 1961; 7:45
p.m. GDT; Sandringham, England (52N50',
00E30'); A: Charles Harvey quotes data from
her mother.
Harrison Ford, July 13, 1942; 11:41 a.m.
CWT; Chicago, IL, USA (41N51', 87W39');
AA:birthcertifcateinhandfromBarbaraFri-
gillana.
Tom Hanks, July 9, 1956; 11:17 a.m. PDT;
Concord, CA, USA (37N59', 122W02'); AA:
birthcertifcateinhand,LoisM.Rodden.
Adolf Hitler, April 20, 1889; 6:30 p.m. LMT;
Braunau, Austria (48N15', 13E02'); AA: Zenit
11/1933 quotes birth record.
Charles Manson, November 12, 1934; 4:40
p.m. EST; Cincinnati, OH, USA (39N09',
84W27');AA:birthcertifcate,Contemporary
AmericanHoroscopes.
Marilyn Monroe, June 1, 1926; 9:30 a.m. PST;
Los Angeles, CA, USA (34N03', 118W15');
AA:birthcertifcateinhandfromBobGarner;
photo of BC in TheCuriousDeathofMarilyn
Monroe.
Paul Newman, January 26, 1925; 6:30 a.m.
EST; Cleveland, OH, USA (41N30', 81W42');
AA:birthcertifcateinhand,LoisM.Rodden.
2007HankFriedman
allrightsreserved
Hank FriedmanisrenownedintheSanFran-
ciscoBayAreaforhisastrologicalandtransfor-
mativeworkwithindividualsandcouples.His
in-depthastrologyreadingssynthesizeWestern
and Vedic approaches. Hank is now offering
intensiveworkshopsinVedicastrologyandis
writingabookonprediction.HisWebsite(www.
soulhealing.com) offers software reviews and
extensivetutorialsinastrology,andheguides
astrologerstotherightastrologysoftwarefortheir
needs.ContactHankviae-mail:stars@soulheal
ing.com;orcall:(510)525-3399.
The Vedic Signs
continuedfrompage79
www.mountainastrologer.com
Astrology
News
byGloriaStar
Ifyouhavenewsoreventsofinteresttothe
astrologicalcommunitythatyouwouldlike
tosharewithTMAreaders,pleasesendyour
informationdirectlytoGloriaStar,P.O.Box311,
Clinton,CT06413;fax(860)664-4295;ore-mail:
Gloria@GloriaStar.com
The Moon Makes
Headlines
The British newspaper TheInde-
pendent (January 21, 2007) published
an article by Roger Dobson, How the
Moon Rules Your Life, noting that Pro-
fessor Michael Zimecki of the Polish
Academy of Sciences claims to have
uncovered documented links between
Earths Moon and human behavior.
Dobson reports that the study explored
correlations of variations in lunar cycles
with what humans eat and drink and
found a connection between certain
points in the lunar cycle and human
hormonal levels. Zimeckis paper, The
Lunar Cycle: Effects on Human and
Animal Behavior and Physiology, ana-
lyzed dozens of studies that account for
a correspondence between lunar activity
and human behavior and health. More
details about his paper appeared in the
(U.K.)DailyMail online (www.dailymail.
co.uk) on January 25, 2007, in an arti-
cle by Victoria Moore that listed several
conclusions presented by the professor:
He postulates that a Full Moon could
spur increases in criminal activity and
that there seems to be a close relation-
ship between lunar cycles and womens
fertility. He also cites a study that links
lunar cycles with bladder problems,
asthmaattacks,andgout.(Tofndout
more, google the professors name.)
Geocosmic Alchemy
in the Press
The recent Geocosmic Alchemy
conference of the National Council for
Geocosmic Research (NCGR), held in
Baltimore, Maryland on March 812,
2007, has garnered positive attention
from the press. A pre-conference Secret
Zodiac Walking Tour of Washington,
D.C., hosted by astrologer Mark Kuen-
zel, had an additional guest: a reporter
from the Fox Network. Despite the win-
try weather, the tour was a success, and
participants commented that they were
amazed at the astrological symbolism
appearing in prominent monuments
and works of art in our nations capital
city. The Fox videotape will be used in a
yet-to-be-released television special. On
March 9, 2007, the BaltimoreExaminer
newspaper published a story by Danielle
Ulman about the preconference Research
Symposium. Her article opened with:
Astrology is not a belief or a religion, but
an academic study She noted that
astrologers were seeking to clarify astrol-
ogy and that the conference provided an
opportunity for astrologers to share their
researchandstudy.Inanotherfrstfor
an astrological conference, PlanetWaves.
net offered live online reporting that fea-
tured interviews with speakers, delegates,
and vendors. Eric Francis and the crew
of PlanetWaves are also expected to be
present at The Blast Astrology Confer-
ence in Sedona. Now that we have so
many resources for spreading the word
about astrology, outreach is growing in
exceptional ways!
On the Wrong Track
They crop up like weeds the
musings of skeptics associating astrol-
ogy with ridiculous ideas. On February
18, 2007, the Associated Press released
an article about the annual meeting
of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science (AAAS); par-
ticipants at this conference were dis-
turbed by the apparent paradox that
Americans know more about basic sci-
ence today than they did two decades
ago, but there is also a growing belief in
pseudoscience. Several of the speak-
ers threw astrology into the second cat-
egory. Carol Susan Losh, an associate
professor at Florida State University,
expressed concern that so-called pseu-
doscience can speak to the meaning
of life in ways that science does not
What does astrology speak to? Love
relationships. She noted that belief in
horoscopes is much stronger among
women than men. In another instance,
Professor Jon D. Miller (Michigan State
University) stated that most readers of
horoscopes are women, contributing to
the listing of female as a leading neg-
ative factor in science literacy. Okay
that made me mad! Now Ive been
insulted twice.
Promoting Pluto
The New Mexico State Legislature
declared March 13, 2007 to be Pluto
Planet Day. The astronomer who dis-
covered Pluto spent years living and
working in New Mexico, and Plutos
demotion by astronomers to the status
of icy dwarf did not sit particularly well
with some citizens of the state. Now the
legislature has decreed that, when Pluto
passes over New Mexico in its orbit, it will
berecognizedasafull-fedgedplanet.
In Memoriam
Well-known astrologer, futurist, and
humorist Hannibal Guidice succumbed
to pancreatic cancer on January 18,
2007. Hannibal was born on January
14, 1939 at 2:03 p.m. in New Haven,
Connecticut. He focused much of his
research on the horoscope of Jesus and
co-authored the stage play, TheMessage
oftheMagi.
2007GloriaStarallrightsreserved
Gloria Starisaprofessionalastrologer,author,
andteacher.Youcanlearnmoreaboutherand
herservicesthroughherWebsite,www.Glo
riaStar.com
June/July2007
*
The Mountain Astrologer
Professional Directory Page
(not available for online version)
0 www.mountainastrologer.com
Professional Directory Page
(not available for online version)
1
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PHASES OF THE MOON (START-POINTS)
PacifcTime GreenwichMeanTime
NW=New CR=Crescent FQ=First Quarter GB=Gibbous FL=Full DS=Disseminating LQ=Last Quarter BL=Balsamic
Wheres That Moon?
DS
LQ
BL
NW
CR
FQ
GB
FL
DS
LQ
BL
NW
CR
FQ
GB
FL
GREENWICHMEANTIME
PACIFICTIME
PACIFICTIME
GREENWICHMEANTIME
2
WEEKLY FORECAST CALENDAR
Geocentric Aspects,
Ingresses, and Stations
PacifcDaylight GreenwichMean
June 110
Overview: Were still vibrating from the Full Moon in Sagit-
tarius on May 31 that was conjunct Jupiter and square Uranus, and
the reverberations are likely to continue until the New Moon in
Gemini on June 14. Mars in Aries keeps the energy fowing with
a wide-open trine to Jupiter in Sagittarius on June 4, followed by
Venuss entry into dramatic Leo the next day. Relationships heat
up and passions rise with this energetic trio. The Sun, our giant
ball of life-giving fre, enters the picture with an opposition to
Jupiter on June 5 and a square to Uranus on June 9. A reckless
spirit of rebellion is presiding now, perhaps striking a blow for
freedom or inventing a whole new identity. SunUranus squares
are explosive but rarely life-changing. However, this one links
our central star to the perspective-jolting JupiterUranus square
that began in January, returned in May, and will fnish on Octo-
ber 9. The Last Quarter SunMoon square on June 8 is closely
aligned with Jupiter and Uranus to electrify the atmosphere and
trigger earthquakes, both geological and personal.
The Sagittarius Moon dominates an aspect-free Friday(June
1). This lunar placement usually evokes an optimistic mood,
enabling us to overcome the petty hassles of the day. The restless
quality of this lunation is heightened by Jupiter and Uranuss con-
nections with the next and most recent lunations, which makes
concentrating on current events especially challenging. How-
ever, some settling appears likely on Saturday(June2), when
the Moon enters earthy, responsible Capricorn at 8:09 a.m. This
sometimes somber placement can provide much-needed order in
these volatile times. A tense MercurySaturn semi-square (45) in
the morning brings another dose of sobriety, even moroseness.
Still, a little mental focus can be an asset for dealing with mun-
dane matters effciently. The only aspect on Sunday(June3)is
an awkward VenusPluto quincunx (2802' CancerSagittarius).
This edgy 150-degree angle between the planets of pleasure
and hunger means that pleasure can be elusive, and the drive
to attain it might even be compulsive. Allowing a shift back and
forth between comfort and need may stretch the boundaries of
relationships and deepen our awareness of desire.
Were charged up with energy on Mondaymorning (June4)
as Mars in fery Aries forms a trine with Jupiter in Sagittarius both
in their home signs. This rare event may not produce dramatic
results, since trines represent a harmonious convergence of forces.
Yet, enormous power is available for launching new enterprises,
taking on physical challenges, or battling for our beliefs. A squir-
relly sesquiquadrate (135) between Mercury and Neptune in the
afternoon (700' Cancer 2200' Aquarius) can fog up mental
guidance systems, so the mighty thrust of MarsJupiter could be
way off the mark. Imagination is a gift of Neptune, but its weak
on precision, reminding us to look before leaping. At 4:15 p.m.,
the Moon leaves serious Capricorn and enters intellectual Aquar-
ius, allowing practical considerations to recede so that ideals and
invention can take priority. The Moon in Aquarius is somewhat
contradictory, because it combines the most personal of planets
with the most impersonal of signs. This would normally put a chill
on relationships, yet thats unlikely with Venuss transits on Tues-
day(June5). The Goddess of Love forms a sesquiquadrate with
extravagant Jupiter at 9:40 a.m., before entering warm-blooded
Forecast Calendar for June/July 2007
byJeffJawer
All times given are in Pacifc Daylight Time.
For Eastern Time, add 3 hours; Central Time, add 2 hours;
Mountain Time, add 1 hour; Greenwich Mean Time, add 7 hours.
Leo at 10:59 a.m. Venus in Leo does not merely need approval
it requires adoration. Whether this is a delightful opening of an
innocent heart or the ego-centered demands of a damaged one,
the stakes are higher now. Ideally, the generous side of Leo will
prevail, making Venuss transit a period of sharing without keep-
ing score. The Sun, Leos ruling planet, opposes Jupiter this after-
noon (1455' GeminiSagittarius) and continues the theme of
excess that dominates the day going too far, saying too much,
and demanding more than we should. Still, if Jupiter is wise, we
can expect joy, understanding, and hope to prevail.
Wednesday(June6)is relatively quiet. At 7:57 a.m., the
Gemini Sun trines Chiron in Aquarius, giving rise to healing
conversations and alternative ideas about overcoming old
wounds. At 10:24 p.m., the Moon enters Pisces. The lunar shift
from airy Aquarius to watery Pisces is an exchange of objectiv-
ity for connection. Pisces knows no boundaries and represents
the capacity for complete emotional connection. But Piscean
compassion applies indiscriminately to strangers, family mem-
bers, and animals. There are no signifcant planetary events on
Thursday (June 7). But a full 24 hours of the Moon in Pisces
can complete the transition from concept (Aquarius) to feeling.
Pisces engages body, mind, spirit, and soul. Communion on
many levels is possible. But lack of boundaries can be confus-
ing, since your emotional antennae are wide open, making it
diffcult to discern whether the knot in your belly is a result of
a personal issue or a psychic impression picked up from some-
one you passed on the way to work.
At 4:44 a.m. on Friday(June8),the Moon in Pisces forms
a waning square to the Sun in Gemini. This Last Quarter square
marks a turning point in the monthly lunation cycle; it crosses
the Sun in Geminis dream of endless options with the Moon in
Piscess desire for total union. This contrast is relatively mild.
However, Uranuss conjunction with the Moon and square to the
Sun, along with Jupiters opposition to the Sun and square to the
Moon, crank up the confict between Gemini intellect and Pisces
emotion in nerve-wracking ways. This creates an environment of
excitement and excess a whirlpool of ideas and feelings that
cant be organized by any previously known system. Theres a
need to break from the past, even from the present, that can pro-
voke fghts and prompt threats to quit jobs or relationships. Yet,
this SunMoon square is also rich in information that is beyond
ordinary logic. Flashes of insight and intuition can sweep away
mental cobwebs to reveal bright new pictures of the future. Stay
fexible in your thinking, because these rapidly changing images
may notmake sense at frst glance. At 2:26 a.m. on Saturday(June
9), the Moon enters fery Aries, the zodiacs frst sign. At 1:08
p.m., the Sun squares Uranus (1837' GeminiPisces), delivering
a one-two punch of high-speed emotions and higher conscious-
ness. This is a day for spontaneity, so keep your schedule as
open as possible. Independence reigns, although it may hamper
cooperation and compromise. Uranus stirs rebellion, too, so its
natural to want to break some rules, even your own. There are
no signifcant astrological events on Sunday(June10), but the
dynamics of the Moon in Aries are enough to keep the fames of
excitement burning.
3
WEEKLY FORECAST CALENDAR
Geocentric Aspects,
Ingresses, and Stations
PacifcDaylight GreenwichMean
Week of June 1117
Overview: The New Moon in Gemini on June 14 and
Mercury turning retrograde the next day are this weeks head-
line events. The SunMoon conjunction in the sign of the
Twins generally spawns ideas by the score, but laser-beam
Pluto opposing the New Moon focuses the mind on one task
at a time. Geminis ruling planet, Mercury, slows down well
in advance of its turnaround on the 15th. This, too, puts a
restraint on the high-speed fow of information common to
Gemini season. Besides, business is more important than busy-
ness this week, with responsible Saturn hooking up with both
the Sun and Mars. Its time to act on what we already know,
rather than seeking additional data. Gemini loves choices,
but this planetary environment rewards results.
Monday(June11) is a great day to go to work, if youre the
least bit ambitious. A strong-willed SunMars sextile (2009'
GeminiAries) harnesses energy and directs it with frm inten-
tion. When heart (Sun) and muscle (Mars) are aligned, produc-
tivity is very high. At 4:29 a.m., the Moon enters earthy Taurus
to put our feet solidly on the ground. This fxed sign adds endur-
ance and a steady burn of emotional fuel to help us to sustain
effort over long periods of time. The Sun sextiles Saturn in Leo,
as Mars trines this constructive planet in the afternoon, continu-
ing the hard-working theme of the day. The MarsSaturn trine
is in creative fre signs, and this harmonious alignment helps to
keep the fame of desire burning, to overcome fatigue and blaze
through resistance. There are no signifcant planetary aspects
on Tuesday(June12), but Mondays momentum should con-
tinue to provide plenty of force to forge ahead.
The tone lightens a bit on Wednesday(June13), starting
with a SunNeptune trine at 12:30 a.m. (2156' Gemini
Aquarius). This imaginative alignment may be more active
in dreams than in our waking lives, but it does weave a
supportive web of faith to raise our hopes. Forgiveness is a
common Neptune theme, especially useful during a period
when getting things done tends to be more favored than
the quality of our experiences. At 5:24 a.m., the Moon
enters Gemini, which is normally a source of inspiration.
This light, bright air sign is open and bouncy, but todays
Moon is close to the end of its monthly cycle, so it carries
more of the weight of the past than usual. One of the com-
mon experiences with the Moon in Gemini is a tendency to
talk so much about feelings that we become disconnected
from them. Ideally, we gain objectivity from this detach-
ment. However, the mind is good at telling stories that may
not correspond to whats going on in the deep, dark emo-
tional world within. Credibility evaporates in the lightness
of words that skim the surface to avoid descent into the
complexities of irrational emotions. A gentle push is pos-
sible with a MarsNeptune sextile that combines force with
feeling. Action taken with compassion and intuition mixes
strength with responsiveness in a sweet dance of spirit and
matter. The New Moon in Gemini at 8:14 p.m. on Thurs-
day(June14) is rich in contradictions, but this diverse sign
shows us how to adapt to countervailing winds. Plutos
opposition to this lunation demands focus and decisive-
ness. Power struggles are common when the Lord of the
Underworld is in a hard aspect to the Sun. Regeneration
is one of its gifts, though, so emptying ourselves of out-
moded attitudes can quickly clear the way for new forms
of expression. Eccentric Uranus square the SunMoon con-
junction doesnt squeeze like Pluto it shocks, awakens,
and explodes egos and identities with lightning strikes of
awareness that change circumstances in an instant. Fortu-
nately, brave Mars, a well-armed warrior in his home sign
of Aries, supports the Sun and Moon with a clever sextile,
giving us the power and the quick reactions necessary to
avert disaster and turn crises into opportunities.
The tempo slows on Friday (June 15) as the Moon
moseys into Cancer at 6:45 a.m. We may want to stay cozy
under the covers, especially after yesterdays hyperactive
New Moon. Self-protection and nurturing come frst now,
so dont rush headlong into action without eating a good
breakfast frst. Also, Mercury turns retrograde (1136' Can-
cer), so quick decisions may well be wrong-headed. Its
backward cycle in Cancer, a sign of memory and personal
history, is especially rich for recollecting emotional expe-
riences before they disappear entirely. Conversations will
be colored with more feeling, until Mercury goes direct on
July 9, increasing our chances for intimate discussions that
touch the soul. There are no notable planetary events on
Saturday(June16). Cancers cuddly mood shifts on Sunday
(June 17) at 10:25 a.m. when the Moon enters expressive
Leo. The fxed fre sign is proud, strong-willed, and creative.
This is a time to play and prance, to experience the power
of personality, even if we go over the top now and then.
There may be ego clashes, but in some ways its healthy
for individuals to think of themselves as the center of the
world. Dominating others or demanding all the available
attention is clearly immature, but confdent expression of
ones talents and personality is not.
4
WEEKLY FORECAST CALENDAR
Geocentric Aspects,
Ingresses, and Stations
PacifcDaylight GreenwichMean
Week of June 1824
Overview:The Sun has the starring role this week with
an opposition to Pluto on June 18, its entry into Cancer on
June 21, and its First Quarter square to the Moon on June
22. Sols opposition to penetrating Pluto often forces you
to concentrate your attention and eliminate individuals or
activities that arent top priority. Struggles arise when you
resist letting go. The Suns Cancer ingress is the summer
solstice (winter in Wellington, New Zealand) that marks
a turn toward the warm and fuzzy feelings of the season.
This frst water sign defnes emotional needs that are not
necessarily rational or easily explained. However, Cancer
refects a hunger for security and a sense of belonging, on
an instinctual level, that is the foundation of all relation-
ships. This issue arises more clearly when the Moon in
partner-oriented Libra forms a waxing square to the Can-
cer Sun on the 22nd. This can be a critical time for sorting
out the conficts between our needs and social obligations.
On June 23, Uranus stations retrograde, diminishing overt
revolutionary impulses while we reconsider the price of
freedom and unconventionality. Macho Mars turns mel-
low on June 24 when it enters bucolic Taurus. Anger still
exists, but its tied to a slow fuse.
A SunVenus semi-square on Monday morning (June
18)gets the day off to a sensitive start. This tense aspect
between the planets of identity and values makes idle
comments feel like major criticism. The SunPluto oppo-
sition tonight (2738' GeminiSagittarius) creates a shad-
owy background of pressure and uncertainty that can also
undermine trust. A tough VenusPluto sesquiquadrate on
Tuesdaymorning (June19) underscores the complexities
of relationships and personal values that are under the
microscope now. Obsessive desires and intense repul-
sion dramatize issues that should be explored, but being
kind to oneself and others can increase the potential for
real understanding. The tide turns in the afternoon when
a delicious VenusJupiter trine (1310' LeoSagittarius)
counters our Plutonian fears with an air of optimism. The
shortages of love and resources that weve been feeling so
acutely may lift quickly as opportunities for both become
apparent. The Moons entry into Virgo at 5:45 p.m. usu-
ally indicates contraction after outgoing Leos reign but
not this time. Instead, this effcient earth sign fnds effec-
tive ways to employ the pleasures and assets revealed by
VenusJupiter.
There are no notable astrological events on Wednes-
day(June20).However, Thursday (June 21) is active with
a MarsPluto trine from Aries to Sagittarius thats excellent
for focusing initiative, cutting through clutter, and fnding
the power and passion to overcome obstacles. The solstice
at 11:07 a.m. shifts the solar feld from Geminis airy obser-
vation to Cancers emotional engagement. A MarsJupiter
sesquiquadrate in the evening can unleash philosophical
battles rich in hyperbole. Cancers insecurities may fan
rhetorical fames, but inner peace allows differences of
opinion to be expressed in friendlier terms. A late-night
VenusChiron opposition (1508' LeoAquarius) reveals
chinks in the armor of love and uncertainty about ones
worth. Self-pity adds fuel to the MarsJupiter confagra-
tion; compassion contains the fre.
The Moon moves into Libra on Friday(June22)at 4:43
a.m. Indecisiveness is a possible problem, but objectivity
about emotions is a plus. The contrast between Libran social
awareness and Cancerian feeling-based reality peaks at 6:16
a.m. when the Moon forms an exact square to the Sun. This
First Quarter square is a major turning point in the monthly
lunation cycle. The power to form new patterns is especially
strong now, since this aspect occurs with both bodies at the
very beginning of cardinal signs. The challenge is to navigate
between Cancers insularity and Libras desire to make new
connections. One dilemma is whether to stick to a safe and
familiar base of operations or seek out new partners. As with
all planetary contrasts, the answer is that both perspectives
are valid. In this case, a willingness to discuss your concerns
openly allows you to build trust and develop alliances. Isola-
tion will not work, but excessive compromise can water down
basic principles. Uranus turns retrograde on Saturday(June23)
at 1842' Pisces, which is kind of like an ageing hippie cut-
ting his hair and getting a job in a bank. The rebel goes under-
ground, but true liberation takes place on the inside anyway.
Mars moooos into Taurus at 2:27 p.m. on Sunday(June24);
this can feel like a signifcant slowdown after the Warrior Plan-
ets stay in its fery home sign of Aries. You will likely be more
cautious before advancing into new territory. But Mars in Tau-
rus can be a sensual journey; basking in pleasure on the way
is more important than rushing to your destination. However,
at 5:26 p.m., the Moons ingress into Scorpio, Marss other
traditional home sign, is not a sign of a mellow mood. Libran
logic gives way to emotional score-keeping that serves well for
in-depth psychological work but is capable of wounding with
jealousy and resentment.
CANCER SOLSTICE
June 21, 2007 Washington, D.C.
Placidushouses,TrueNode
5
WEEKLY FORECAST CALENDAR
Geocentric Aspects,
Ingresses, and Stations
PacifcDaylight GreenwichMean
Week of June 25 July 1
Overview:The third and fnal SaturnNeptune opposition
on June 25 announces a major shift in the cosmic landscape.
The face-off between the planets of matter and illusion can
fnally put an end to fruitless fantasies and give form to dreams
ready to be realized. The Full Moon on June 30 pits the Sun in
sensitive Cancer against the hard-boiled Moon in Capricorn.
This lunation across the security axis of the zodiac contrasts
the subjective needs of Cancers inner world with the objec-
tive demands of Capricorns ambition and sense of obligation.
As with all polarities, we neednt make an exclusive choice
between the two, though the challenge is to navigate skill-
fully from one to the other.
The SaturnNeptune opposition on Monday(June25) at
2147' LeoAquarius marks a signifcant turning point, per-
sonally and collectively. Fraud could be exposed, and public
policies founded on illusions may fnally collapse under the
weight of reality, but foundations for noble enterprises can be
formed. Individually, this is a time to commit to your ideals.
Take concrete steps to meditate, work out, sign up for a class,
or schedule regular service to others. If you undergo a pain-
ful loss of hope, recognize that the dissolution of one dream
makes way for another, even better one. For the spiritually
oriented, SaturnNeptune gives form to faith and reveals the
substance of the subtle realms. A short-term change of tone is
likely on Tuesday(June26), when Venus forms an itchy quin-
cunx with Uranus (1841' LeoPisces). Restless feelings can
put relationships on edge, but a fexible attitude can change
the discomfort of uncertainty into the excitement of discover-
ing new delights.
Wednesday (June 27) starts with the warmth of the
Moon entering outgoing Sagittarius. This upbeat lunar
placement is forward-looking, optimistic, and frank. Shar-
ing feelings in a more open way is possible, but the need
to paint things in rosy colors can lead to denial of deeper
and more complex issues. The tone shifts in the evening, as
Mercury in Cancer forms a semi-square with silent Saturn
in Leo. Words can get caught in our throats; we fear say-
ing the wrong thing. Perhaps its simply the challenge to
articulate our thoughts that slows communication. Patience
and precision can help us to make our point clearly. Mer-
cury passes from one hard aspect with Saturn to another (a
sesquiquadrate) with Neptune at 10:32 a.m. on Thursday
(June28),carrying the message of the outer-planet opposi-
tion that occurred on Monday. Mercurys conjunction with
the Sun a little more than an hour later connects ego and
intellect, which can support powerful personal communi-
cation. However, overidentifcation with ones ideas can
inhibit fexible thinking. The Sun then forms a sesquiquad-
rate with Neptune and a semi-square with Saturn, which
could indicate a moment of choosing between dreams and
reality. A strong but supple will can be a healthy ally to
bridging the gap between the two; rigidity is more likely
to lead to failure.
A MercuryVenus semi-square on Friday (June 29)
adds tenderness to conversations. This can make for very
sweet interactions but also requires some diplomacy to
avoid hurting tender feelings. The mood toughens at 3:05
p.m. when the Moon enters earthy Capricorn. This is the
traditional sign of the Moons detriment, representing the
contrast between the personal qualities of the planet and
the public responsibilities of the sign. Emotions are often
repressed in the interest of taking care of business, but a
sense of purpose and discipline can be useful. Capricorns
taste for order will probably be shaken by a MarsUranus
semi-square at 4:43 p.m. (341' Taurus 1841' Pisces).
Instead of following rules and schedules, this pair prefers
to make up their own as they go. A struggle between the
forces of order and independence could ensue. Yet, diff-
cult as this might be, it is also a chance to renovate a sys-
tem using new methods to make it more effective. The
Full Moon on Saturday (June 30) at 6:50 a.m. occurs in
the midst of an unusual atmosphere. This opposition of
the Sun in Cancer and the Moon in Capricorn is generally
rooted in familiar feelings and ambitions. However, the
MarsUranus semi-square is still attracted to strange and
different things. And a VenusNeptune opposition at 8:31
a.m. (2142' LeoAquarius) blurs the lunations security
issues with a desire to escape reality. Social planets Venus
and Mars, in connection with transpersonal outer planets,
stretch us to recognize our essential security, even in the
midst of radical change.Venuss conjunction with Saturn
on Sunday(July1) would normally be considered restric-
tive or depressing but might actually provide the ground-
ing we crave now. Even if we are not thrilled with life, this
aspect offers clarity and helps us get our feet back on the
ground. Mercury sextiles Mars (458' CancerTaurus), giv-
ing some forward thrust to ideas and some intelligence to
our actions. At 10:24 p.m., the Moon enters Aquarius. This
sign change encourages experimentation, allowing us to
loosen our grip on old patterns and fears to invent a new
future for ourselves.
Geocentric Aspects,
Ingresses, and Stations
PacifcDaylight GreenwichMean
WEEKLY FORECAST CALENDAR
Key to Astrological Symbols
BEGINNERS: Planets occupy signs and form exact aspects
to one another when separated by the designated number
of degrees. The midpoint between any two planets is de-
termined by fnding the place in the zodiac equally distant
from those two planets. The North Node and South Node
are astronomical points (not physical objects) determined by
the intersection of the Moons orbit around the Earth with the
Earth's orbit around the Sun.
Coming in the Next Issue of TMA
The New Solar System, by Steven Forrest
Deborah Houlding on Virgo
Vedic Astrology Primer: The Basics
Eclipses Explained
Donna Cunningham on VenusNeptune
The Neptune-in-Sagittarius Generation
Dana Gerhardt on Pluto
Forecasts, Cartoons, and much more!
Dont miss a single issue of TMA
Subscribe at www.mountainastrologer.com
100
WEEKLY FORECAST CALENDAR
Geocentric Aspects,
Ingresses, and Stations
PacifcStandard GreenwichMean
101
June 14, 2007 8:14 p.m. PDT
June 15, 2007 3:14 a.m. GMT
Gemini New Moon June 1415
by Stephanie Austin
Thechartsforthelunationsinthisissueareallseton
thenaturalwheelwith0Ariesrising.Allreferencesto
SabiansymbolsarefromDaneRudhyar,An Astrological
Mandala: The Cycle of Transformations and Its 360 Sym-
bolic Phases,VintageBooks,1973.
TheButterfy.TheDilettante.TheJournalist.Thesign
of Gemini invites us to be ever curious, always open to
newideasandnewsourcesofinformation.Asthefrstair
sign, Gemini represents the development of language, logic,
and intelligence, as well as our ability to interact with our
immediate environment. If there is no word for xyz in our
vocabulary,itisdiffculttothinkortalkaboutxyz.We
may be unable to even perceive xyz because it is outside
our frame of reference. This New Moon reminds us of the
power of words and the power of the mind.
Pluto, the planet most concerned with what is out of sight
and out of mind, is opposite the Sun and Moon. Pluto repre-
sents the force of the unconscious; and in Sagittarius, the pro-
foundinfuenceofourbeliefs.Justasnothavingawordfor
something can be problematic, rigid beliefs hinder us as well.
Plutos opposition to this New Moon helps us to see through
the social and religious programming that has kept us in fear
and isolation. Pluto is the archetype of death and rebirth; his
ongoing conjunction with the Galactic Center, the heart of
our Milky Way Galaxy, indicates that humanity has reached
an evolutionary threshold. The current challenge is the shift
from duality to unity, from the illusion of separation to the
realization of the divinity and interconnectedness of all things.
Mercury, Geminis ruling planet, is poised to turn retro-
grade on June 15 at 12 Cancer, echoing Plutos directive
to get out of our heads and into our hearts. In 2007, all
three of Mercurys retrograde stations occur in water
signs, doubling Mercurys travel time through Pisces,
Cancer, and Scorpio. These retrogrades offer oppor-
tunities to clear emotional blockages, enabling us
to feel connected with our higher self (Pisces), with
our emotions (Cancer), and with others (Scorpio).
When retrograde, Mercury invites us to spend
more time in the upper and lower worlds, listening
to our intuition and integrating what has been bur-
ied in the unconscious. Moving backward in Can-
cer, Mercury directs our attention inward, to catch
up with our inner child, heal old wounds, and elimi-
nate whats unhealthy for us.
Uranus, the higher octave of Mercury, is also
approaching his yearly turn retrograde on June 23 at
19 Pisces. Watch for important revelations, stay extra
grounded,andremainultrafexiblearoundthatday.The
Awakeners retrograde phase in Pisces (until November 24)
helps us to spot doorways and alternatives we might have
missed earlier. Uranus in Pisces says: You have access to
divine intelligence. Ask. Listen. Give thanks. Then act.
Neptune trines this New Moon and makes its third and
fnalexactoppositiontoSaturnonJune25at22Leo
Aquarius; this also encourages us to trust our inner guid-
ance and embrace our divinity. Neptunes three oppositions
toSaturn(thefrstwasonAugust31,2006;thesecond,on
February 28, 2007) have further dissolved the illusion of
duality, reminding us that we are spirit (Neptune) masquer-
ading as matter (Saturn). Those born when Pluto was in
the middle degrees of Leo (19471954) have had the most
insistent wake-up calls to fully claim their creative power and
share their unique gifts. For everyone, the SaturnNeptune
opposition has illuminated the gap between our ideals and
our current reality.
The Sabian symbol for this New Moon at 24 Gem-
inisignifesthatwearestrengtheningourspiritualmus-
cles: Children skating over a frozen village pond; the use
of inhibiting circumstances for the development of charac-
ter and a transcendent approach to the environment. This
New Moon advises us to remain open-minded and open-
hearted: There is no path to truth, it must come to you.
Truth can come to you only when your mind and heart are
simple, clear, and there is love in your heart; not if your
heartisflledwiththethingsofthemind.(Krishnamurti)
102
June 30, 2007 6:50 a.m. PDT
June 30, 2007 1:50 p.m. GMT
Capricorn Full Moon June 30
Full Moons are excellent times to see how far we have
come and to decide whether to carry on or change course.
The Sun in Cancer asks: Are we happy? Are we grow-
ing?TheMooninCapricornquestions:Arewefulflling
our dharma? Are we manifesting our life purpose? This
Full Moon makes it easier for us to recognize the difference
between what we are doing, what we think we should be
doing, and what we really want to do be doing. It offers a
strong spiritual imperative for releasing family patterns or
social pressures and remembering our soul intentions.
Canceristhefrstwatersigninthezodiac,symbolizing
the development of the emotional body and the importance
of feelings. It is also the most feminine sign, the archetype of
the mother and child and the principle of nurturance. Chil-
dren are naturally in touch with their feelings; they know
what they need and easily express themselves, unless they
havebeentraumatizedorotherwisestifed.InmodernWest-
ern cultures, most people are taught to ignore or override
theirfeelingsand,asaconsequence,havediffcultyknowing
what they want to be when they grow up. If we are told
that we are too sensitive and boys dont cry, if we think
feelings are a nuisance or a weakness, we lose the valuable
information they offer. We then hunger for something we
by Stephanie Austin
cant name and get trapped in overeating, overwork, or
otheraddictions.Ourinnerchildmaybemuffed,butour
body remembers and stores unexpressed emotions, hold-
ing them until we are ready to experience them or until ill-
ness induces us to face them. This Full Moon illuminates our
emotional baggage and urges us to unpack it.
In the Northern Hemisphere, Cancer marks the sum-
mer solstice, the longest day and the time of year when
everything is burgeoning. In contrast, Capricorn heralds the
depth of winter, when resources are scarce and the penal-
ties for irresponsibility are immediate and severe. In Can-
cer, we need to grow; in Capricorn, we need to grow up.
Capricorn demands maturity, rewards effort, and teaches
consequences; in return, it offers autonomy, integrity, and
self-fulfllment.TheMooninCapricornasksustoevaluate
our duties and commitments. Where do we need to take
more responsibility? Where do we need to maintain our
boundaries? Where do we need to respect our limits and the
limits of others?
At this Full Moon, Mercury conjoins the Sun, stimulating
exchanges with others and communication with our higher
self. As the one Olympian god without a permanent resi-
dence, Mercury represents the facility of the mind to roam
between the conscious, subconscious, and imaginal realms,
as well as between past, present, and future. The proxim-
ity of the Messenger of the Gods to the Sun facilitates being
able to see and understand things in a new light.
Neptune at 22 Aquarius sesquiquadrates the Sun
and semi-squares the Moon, supporting reconciliation
and the dissolution of parental conditioning. Neptune,
the esoteric ruler of Cancer, helps us to feel a sense of
kinship beyond blood relations and thus draw upon
a much larger source of support. Venus, the arche-
type of love and beauty, closely opposes Neptune
and conjoins Saturn, extending the opposition
that Saturn and Neptune have been making since
last summer. Venus in Leo says: Love yourself.
Saturn in Leo says: Do what you love. Neptune
says: You are Love.
The Sabian symbols for this Full Moon
invite us to recover our sense of wonder and trust
in the support of the spiritual realms. For the Sun
at 9 Cancer: A small, naked girl bends over a
pondtryingtocatchafsh;thefrstnavequestfor
knowledge and for an ever-elusive understanding of
life. And for the Moon at 9 Capricorn: An angel car-
rying a harp; the revelation of the spiritual meaning and
purpose at the core of any life situation. This Full Moon
helps us to put the past in perspective and embody more of
our essence. Wisdom tells me I am nothing. Love tells me
Iameverything.Betweenthetwomylifefows.(Nisarga-
datta Maharaj)
103
July 14, 2007 5:04 a.m. PDT
July 14, 2007 12:04 p.m. GMT
Cancer New Moon July 14
by Stephanie Austin
New Moons are always good times to envision our future
and set new intentions. A New Moon in Cancer invites us to
refectonthecurrentlevelofsustenanceinourlives.Arewe
taking good care of our body? Hows our mental hygiene?
Are we conscious of our thoughts? Our feelings? Our soul
desires? What are we yearning for? This New Moon reminds
us of the importance of monitoring each level of our being.
The crab provides an apt metaphor for the sign of Can-
cer. Like the crab, we must periodically molt and let go of
whathasdefnedandprotectedus,inordertogrow.What
wasoncebenefciallaterbecomesconstrictiveoreventoxic.
We outgrow clothes, habits, ideas, jobs, and relationships.
Just as a childs requirements change, adult needs change,
too. The crab offers further analogies. If we have too thick
a shell, we become isolated and imprisoned in our own lit-
tle world. Too thin a shell, and we are unable to meet lifes
challenges. Too far from the water, too removed from our
emotions, and we shrivel rather than thrive. Where this New
Moon falls in your chart is where you are molting, requiring
extra nourishment, and preparing to go to the next level.
Several alignments potentize this New Moon, making it
easiertoseewhatweneednowandwheretofndit.Nep-
tune at 21 Aquarius closely quincunxes the Sun and Moon,
expanding our identity and extending our sense of family to
those who share our ideals and goals. Neptune, the principle
of unity consciousness, blurs boundaries and distinctions so
that we can recognize our interconnectedness. A quincunx
(150) is in some ways more challenging than an opposition
(180); in CancerAquarius, were required to integrate
water with air (feeling with understanding), cardinal
withfxed(establishingnew,long-lastingassociations),
and feminine with masculine (transcending gender
differences). Neptunes passage through Aquar-
ius (19982012) coincides with quantum leaps
intechnology,whichalwaysprefgureaparallel
advance in collective consciousness. The Internet
access that allows virtually instantaneous, world-
wide communication is a physical representation
of telepathy, a skill that will eventually become the
norm rather than a paranormal ability. Neptunes
quincunx to this New Moon awakens our aware-
ness of more subtle realities and tells us that we are
part of a worldwide web of like-minded souls.
Pluto at 27 Sagittarius is very close to the Galac-
tic Center (exact on July 17); such a conjunction, which
only occurs every 240 years, represents the closing of an
era and the dismantling of the beliefs and structures that
supported it. This is the second of Plutos three exact align-
ments with the Galactic Center (GC) at 2656' Sagittarius.
ThefrstwasonDecember28,2006;thethirdwillbeon
October 28, 2007. Like remodeling a house, things can
get quite messy until the new constructs are in place. Pluto
also represents the shadow and the necessity to confront all
that has been suppressed, in order to ascend to a more uni-
fedlevelofconsciousness.ThemythicLordofDeathand
Rebirth reminds us that, just as there is no real death but
only transformation, there is no real darkness only places
where light (i.e., consciousness) has not yet shone. Plutos
conjunction with the GC activates our cellular memories of
other times and dimensions, holding open a door to a much
more expanded awareness of who we really are and why we
came to planet Earth.
This New Moon represents a time of reunion with for-
gotten parts of ourselves and with those who share our val-
ues. Its never been easier to move beyond our wounding
and into our wholeness. Our feelings will guide us, like a
Geiger counter, toward what we need to do, whom we need
to meet, and what we need to know. The Sabian symbol for
22 Cancer suggests that our feminine side is growing and
ready to explore new vistas: A young woman awaiting a
sailboat; the longing for transcendent happiness in the soul
opened to great dreams. Watch your day and night dreams
around this New Moon, and remember: You grow only by
coming to the end of something and by beginning some-
thing else. (John Irving)
104
July 29, 2007 5:48 p.m. PDT
July 30, 2007 12:48 a.m. GMT
Aquarius Full Moon July 2930
by Stephanie Austin
What is your passion? How do you want the world to
be?ThisferyFullMoonimpelsustoshareourgiftsand
visions. The Sun in Leo advises: Remember your divine
essence and mission. Be true to yourself. There has never
been, nor will ever be, anyone exactly like you. The Moon
in Aquarius says: You are not alone. There are many who
share your dreams and ideals. Come together. Co-create
the future you wish to live.
Jovial Jupiter at 10 Sagittarius is trine the Sun and sex-
tiletheMoon;thisgreatlyamplifesoursenseofoptimism,
creativity, and audacity. Jupiter, the largest planet in our
solar system, is associated with the principle of expansion.
The myriad encounters of the ancient King of the Gods with
othermythologicalfguressymbolizetheboundlesscreativ-
ity of the divine; his transit through Sagittarius encourages
the exploration of new horizons, new truths, and new reali-
ties.Jupitersexpansiveinfuenceisintensifedbyhisdirect
station on August 6. Were preparing to act on what weve
learned since April 5, when Jupiter stationed retrograde at
20 Sagittarius. Weve eliminated some old beliefs, raised
our sights, and are now ready to take a big step forward.
VenussinfuenceisalsostrongaroundthisFullMoon,
since the mythic Goddess of Love and Beauty stationed ret-
rograde on July 27 at 3 Virgo. Venus rules affairs of the
heart; her once-every-two-years retrograde phase offers an
opportunitytoresolveunfnishedbusiness,especiallyinrela-
tionships or artistic endeavors. Venus retrograde in Virgo
asks us to become more discerning and less judgmental; in
Leo, more authentic and less self-conscious. New priori-
ties emerge by September 8, when Venus stations direct
at 17 Leo, and are more integrated into our lives by the
time Venus crosses 3 Virgo again on October 11. Venuss
extended proximity to Saturn (within 16 from mid June
to mid October) highlights issues around self-esteem and
commitment. How can we be more loving, both to our-
selves and to others? What do we need to work on? What
do we need to accept?
On July 25, Saturn crossed 25 Leo, the degree where
it last stationed retrograde on December 5, 2006. Since
last December, weve become more mindful of how we are
expressing our creativity and power; it is becoming more
andmorediffculttosustainanythingnotinalignmentwith
our path. Marss close square to Saturn (exact on July 31
at 26 TaurusLeo) and its quincunx with Pluto (exact on
August 1 at 27 TaurusSagittarius) press us to concentrate
on our next step and eliminate distractions. Saturn says to
Mars: Go for the gold. Work toward what you really want.
Pluto, the higher octave of Mars, impels us to examine our
assumptions and to recognize where we are not walking our
talk. Saturns trine to Pluto (exact on August 6 at 27 Leo
Sagittarius) reveals where each of us can make a difference.
The Sabian symbols for this Full Moon suggest that we
stay focused on our highest ideals and prepare to take
a giant leap forward. For the Sun at 7 Leo: The
constellations of stars shine brilliantly in the night
sky; the power of basic spiritual values which refer
to mans common humanity and to all enduring
archetypes. And for the Moon at 7 Aquarius: A
child is seen being born out of an egg; the emer-
gence of new mutations according to the great
rhythms of the cosmos. The world is changing.
We are changing. This Full Moon reminds us:
There are only two ways to live your life one is
as if everything is a miracle, the other is as though
nothing is a miracle. (Albert Einstein)
2007StephanieAustinallrightsreserved
Stephanie Austin, M.A.,isanastrologicalcounselorspecializing
inlifepurpose,career,andtransitionsreadings.Stephaniealsoteaches
astrologyforpersonalandprofessionaldevelopment,privatelyandat
JohnF.KennedyUniversity.Herbackgroundincludesabachelors
degreeinPsychology,amastersinConsciousnessStudies,andlife-
longinterestsinmeditation,nature,andhealing.Forinformationon
readings,tutorials,courses,andmonthlyteleclasses,visitherWebsite
atwww.EcoAstrology.com
105
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2327'
Graphic Ephemeris of Declination June & July 2007
Diagram generated by Janus 3.0
Map reprinted with permission of Astro Numeric Service
10 www.mountainastrologer.com
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The Mountain Astrologer 10
election day. The following summary
(charts not shown) is not intended as
an attempt to predict a winner, but
rather to examine the huge impact that
the SaturnUranus opposition will have
on the 2008 election.
Hillary Clinton: The SaturnUra-
nus opposition will sextile (Saturn) and
trine (Uranus) her Scorpio stellium. On
election day 2008, Mars will hit Sena-
tor Clintons Mercury (and Neptune will
square it), thus triggering the Mercury
Saturn square in her horoscope.
John Edwards: The Saturn
Uranus opposition will exactly square
his Gemini Sun. The MarsNeptune
square will hit his Pluto in Leo.
Rudy Giuliani: Mars will square
his Jupiter in Leo, and Neptune will
oppose it.
John McCain: His SaturnNep-
tune opposition in PiscesVirgo will
be conjoined by the transiting Saturn
Uranus opposition at the election.
Barack Obama: The SaturnUra-
nus opposition will hit his Virgo Mars.
Mitt Romney: Uranus will conjoin
his Pisces Sun, and Saturn will oppose it.
This brief overview shows how much
the national political scene in 2008 will
be tied into the 2008 elections planetary
alignments. Not only will the planetary
patterns discussed in this article affect the
U.S. and its future, but many of the lead-
ing presidential candidates will feel these
infuencesonapersonallevel.
Chart Data and Sources
(inalphabeticalorder)
Hillary Rodham Clinton, October 26, 1947;
8:00 p.m. CST; Chicago, IL, USA (41N52',
87W39'); DD: conficting/unverifed; Astro-
Databankcitestwoconfictingsources(aquote
from Clinton and a news article).
John Edwards, June 10, 1953; 7:02 a.m.
EST; Seneca, SC, USA (34N41', 82W57'); C:
The time given here is from two sources, but
AstroDatabanksaysthatathirdconfictingtime
is given for Edwards birth.
Rudy Giuliani, May 28, 1944; birth time
unknown; Brooklyn, NY, USA (40N38',
73W56'); from Rudy Giuliani Wikipedia arti-
cle (http://en.wikipedia.org).
John McCain, August 29, 1936; 9:00 a.m.
EST; Coco Solo Air Base, Panama Canal
(09N22', 79W53'); A: from mothers mem-
ory, as reported by his staff.
Nazi Germany (the Third Reich), January
30, 1933; 11:15 a.m. CET; Berlin, Germany
(52N32', 13E25'); from Nicholas Campion,
TheBookofWorldHoroscopes(BWH), Third
Edition, The Wessex Astrologer Ltd, 2004,
Chart 126.
North Korea, September 10, 1948; no time
available; Pyongyang, North Korea (39N01',
125E45'); BWH, Chart 179.
Barack Obama, August 4, 1961; 1:06 p.m.
AHST; Honolulu, HI, USA (21N18', 157W52');
DD:birthtimeunconfrmed.
W. Mitt Romney, March 12, 1947; 9:51 a.m.
EST; Detroit, MI, USA (42N19', 83W02'); A:
Frances McEvoy quotes him.
Scorpionic America (the Articles of Con-
federation), November 15, 1777; 12:46 p.m.
LMT; York, PA, USA (39N58', 76W44');
According to AstroDatabank, David Solt used
the minutes of the Continental Congress to nar-
row down the passage of the Articles of Con-
federation to a few hours between 11:00 a.m.
and 2:00 p.m. on Nov. 15, 1777, when they
weremeetinginYork,PA.Soltthenrectifed
the chart to 12:46 p.m.
U.S. Sibly chart, July 4, 1776; 5:10 p.m. LMT;
Philadelphia, PA, USA (39N57', 75W10');
BWH, Chart 370.
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The Mountain Astrologer 111
The Mountain Astrologer
P.O. Box 970
Cedar Ridge, CA 95924