A tale of two sisters

Families have astrological similarities just like they have genetic likenesses. Family charts reveal amazing synchronicity.

Two sisters have Sun-Saturn aspects: big sis has the conjunction, little sis the opposition. Both are achievers with graduate degrees and professions, and responsibilities within the family hierarchy. Their mother, a Capricorn whose Sun is sesquiquadrate Saturn [its own ruler], has described the two as "my delayed twins" because of their similarities. Sun-Sat. natives are long haul people. They have common sense, bedrock values. They're the designated drivers of life.

Big sis' Sun conj. Saturn has Jupiter sq. the conj. Her sibling has Jupiter trine Saturn and sextile the Sun. Each has Mercury in the 3rd house.

Big sis has Mercury conj. Pluto.
Little sis has Mercury conj. Mars.
Both women are gabby, friendly, car-fixated; both are public speakers.
Mercury in its own house [3] gives natural ability and strengths in speaking, short journeys, siblings, neighbors, and manual dexterity.

Even more these strong Mercury placements tell the true story of how the sisters get along or rather how they don't. One relative called the two the worst case of sibling rivalry she'd ever seen.

With each sister having a conjunction of the planet of communication from a Scorpionic planet [Mars, the traditional ruler, and Pluto, the newer ruler], barbs fly back and forth.

Mercury is neutral and takes its cue from the planets aspecting it. Mars and Pluto rule aggression and dominance respectively. Like Israel and Palestine, the sisters have periodic fall-outs. As each fulfills familial duties, they have learned to keep their distance and watch their tongues to get along.

Emotionally, the diplomatic breakthrough often comes from their brother who also has Sun conj. Saturn. But here's the difference. He has an exact [partile] conjunction of Sun and Venus at 5.9 and 5.12 degrees Cancer. This is called combust when the planet is this close to the Sun. Its effect is to "combine the planet's influence more closely with that of the Sun, until it is no longer a physical emotion capable of independent control, but an integral part" of that consciousness that the Sun imparts; Venus combust the Sun is also reputed to give nymphomania [Astrology Encyclopedia]. Interestingly the brother has admitted to going through such a phase in his youth.

But since he has Sun conj. Saturn [0 degrees Cancer], over time he transmuted that quality to being the person who conciliates [Venus]--in his job and within his family. That's a nice way of saying he sublimated his excessive sexual energies.

His Mercury [29 degrees Gemini] is closely conjunct this Saturn: What a genetic pattern--Mercury again conj. an outer planet. This family has gabfests of the highest order, and they all have 3rd/9th house occupations [teaching, the law, driving]. But luckily for all, the brother's Sun/Venus/Sat/Merc. conjunction is a stellium or concentration of three+ planets in the seventh house.

The seventh house rules partners, enemies, contests, public battles, marriage. The brother, who has been married for 35+ years, is the calming force between the sisters.

Mercury Goes Retrograde [9.24-10.15]

Some people get spooked by Mercury Retrograde. I don't. It's snafu time, not life or death time. Because today, Sept. 24, it starts going backwards [not really, it just looks that way in the heavens above] at 21* Libra, the sign of partnerships, agreements, the public, it affects our relationships with others.

Here are some general dos and don'ts for the three week periods that occur three times a year:

Don't buy, sign for or sell key merchandise.
Try not to start a new job or project. [This is the general recommendation I've read for years. However, you can't stop breathing. I've started jobs, bought items, etc. Yes, sometimes, I have to go back and redo the buy. That's life.]

Don't expect resolutions made during this period to stick. They will probably need redoing or redrafting after October 15.
[Uh oh, whazzup with the $700 Billion bailout??!!]
If you can, postpone any kind of negotiations.

Don't indulge in heated debate--tempers flare, miscommunication is heightened.
Try not to get married.

Watch out for your electronics. They may need repairs or get misplaced.
When making travel plans watch out for last minute changes.
Don't ask for a raise or quit your job.

Make sure you have emergency numbers programmed into your cell phone, and a paper backup in your purse, the car, in your office desk.

What does work when Mercury goes retrograde? Which tasks should we tackle?

Tie up loose ends.
Re-do, re-check, go over details.
Stall on negotiations.
Get second opinions.
Be thorough in your affairs.
Finish up projects [This is music to a writer's ears. We get to work on that story, poem, essay, project that we shoved to the back burner weeks or months ago].
Repair and maintain anything.
Clean out the basement, closets, yard, garage.
Give clothes to charity.
Get rid of books you know you'll never read or books you won't re-read. They're old ideas hanging around. Let them go into the universe where someone else can use them.
Back up all your files, paperwork and put in a safe place.
Place all valuables in a secure place.
Get a safe deposit box.
Read a favorite book, poem, short story or view a movie again.

LISTEN and PAUSE before reacting or responding.
Saying these phrases may be helpful:
"Can I get back to you?"
"Let's come back to this after we've both calmed down."
"I need some time to think about this before I give you an answer."

Sarah Palin an interesting v.p. choice - Klondike Barbie?

McCain's v.p. pick, Sarah Palin, was born Feb. 11, 1964, in Sandpoint, Idaho. I felt a strong revulsion this morning at the announcement of the pick at seeing Palin's daughter holding the newborn baby. It just looked wrong, like the young daughter is doing the parental job. I wondered, what is Palin doing--about to commit so much time to campaigning when she has a special needs infant to take care of and another who is four? Perhaps my Obama bias is kicking in.

Nevertheless, Palin's Sun/Saturn/Mars conjunction in Aquarius is a doozy of a configuration, in Aq., signature of trailblazers, stubborn, unusual even eccentric personalities. The sq. from Neptune says she blazes the trail, holds the stubbornness in an inspired, if sometimes misguided way.

I hope Palin's TOB surfaces soon.

Her Neptune is fully aspected, sq. n. Sun, sesqui. Venus, sq. Mars and Saturn, rather frightening contacts with the planet of delusion and oil. It quintiles Mercury and possibly her Moon for sure.

The sesquiquadrate, planets 135 degrees apart, provides irritation or agitation to the planets involved, thus its reputation for being an aspect of stress. Obbviously having five children, a husband, a political career, and being an athletic outdoorswoman, Ms. Palin knows how to handle stress.

This campaign is so interesting. Each of the four candidates on the tickets has a compelling tragedy/circumstance--death and being widowed [Biden], abandonment [Obama], captivity [McCain], Downs' syndrome [Palin].

Palin has three biquintiles, special talents and abilities, to Uranus from her Moon, Mercury and Jupiter. So her personal planets, thus her personal life, is very Uranian. The hunting, fishing, snowboarding show that.

McCain has Uranian biquintiles also, from n. Mercury and Jupiter, and with his Moon/Chiron. Lots of special talents on this ticket which will unfold in the next 66 days.

Someone on Huffington's post called Palin Klondike Barbie. Her Venus might be angular and taking even more stress than indicated by two natal sextiles to personal planets and a sesquis. to Neptune.

Obama has biquintiles too, one from Jupiter to Pluto, both outer planets, thus the societal impact and grandness of his vision, and another from Mars to his rising sign, showing that he is indefatigueable.

Joe Biden - a good choice for veepee

I like the Biden choice from many angles. Looking at the synastry between Biden's chart and the Sag rising USA chart, we see that Biden's retrograde Jupiter, his chart ruler, conjuncts the USA Mercury, opposing the USA Pluto. That USA Mercury-Pluto opposition in Cancer/Capricorn, is key to our foreign affairs and holds for any July 4th, 1776 chart, no matter the rising sign. It points to Biden's valuable length of tenure in the Senate handling judicial and foreign affairs, both 9th house matters.

Biden's birthdata: 11/20.1942, 8:29 am, Scranton, PA. See astrodatabank.com for the USA chart.

I love Biden's tough Scorpio Sun with its combust Venus which explains his magnetism and affectionate Irish geniality. This Sun/Venus/Merc. conjunction trines his n. Jup. and USA's n. Merc. His Mars, also in Scorp., trines the USA's Jupiter/Venus, again bringing in that vociferousness he's known for, yet the joking, appealing side. Some were shocked at his lugubriousness at judicial hearings. But he's obviously at home wielding power in his own way.

The lack of strong harmonious Moon interaspects shows why Biden couldn't win two Presidential bids [Michael O'Reily argues that it's all-important for Presidents to connect to the USA Moon at 27 Aq., thus appealing to the public and capturing the vote]: Biden's Moon in Taurus squares the USA Pluto in late Cap. though it sextiles the USA Venus in Cancer. His only Ptolemaic [major] aspects to the USA Moon are squares from his Sun/Ven. Those interaspect squares in fixed signs show that we will see even more of his some say principled, others say irascible side in the future. He's not going to bite his tongue--ever. Presidents have mouthy veepees-remember Spiro Agnew? The job is a perfect place for attitude, and, of course, the campaign trail calls for a v.p. attack dog.

Another interesting interaspect that echoes Obama's Neptune close contact with the USA chart is the USA Neptune sitting on Biden's Midheaven with his own Neptune not far away in the 10th house of prominence. Inspiration, inspiration, inspiration is the hallmark of Neptune. You gotta get people inspired to get them out of their mundane worlds and to the polls. To the t-shirt wearing stage. To the participatory democracy stage. I'd like to see how McCain tops this.

Biden's retrograde Pluto is exactly conjunct the USA North Node, a mark of destiny, and promises transformation and regeneration which the country needs badly. The charts' Saturns are trine in air signs, lots of communication and plans made through agreements and talks. Looks like Biden will be a veep-ambassador more than most. No Cheney-in-the-bunker type here.

Pardon my bias. I have the Sun in Cancer right on Biden's Jupiter; my Moon in Pisces trines his Scorpio planets. Biden's long political career speaks to his strong Saturn, conj. Uranus, at his 7th house angle, his Descendant. It points to the tragedy that occurred one month after winning his Senate seat and losing his wife and infant in a car-train collision. Yet he rebounded, Scorpionically, and went on to become Delaware's longest serving senator. I know the power of water strength in a chart. It can wear away the rock every time. It just takes time.

John Edwards and Rielle Hunter- not just a jump-off

The composite chart of Edwards and Rielle Hunter is very compelling. It has more punch and juice between the two of them than many other composites that I've done before, including these key aspects: Sun in the Eleventh House • Sun Conjunct Venus • Sun Conjunct Mars • Sun Conjunct Jupiter • Moon in the Second House • Moon Conjunct Uranus • Venus in the Eleventh House • Venus Conjunct Mars • Venus Conjunct Jupiter. Maybe it's love. Maybe she's more than a jump-off [contemporary slang for mistress]. One might argue that these are lust, fun, and travel aspects, but look at the natal chart interchanges:

His Mars in Gemini makes a grand trine with her 5th h. Moon in Libra/9th h. Sat in Aq. Her 5th h. Nep trines his 1st h.Ur. The affair and the child fulfill something unique, even eccentric, about him that he's proud of. Check out the webvideos she made of him. He says he wants to be revealed publicly for who he is, not just a Ken doll.

They each have a Sun/Mars conj; their natal Mars are squared which produces friction to be sure, but still not insubstantial. Her Sat. squares his 11th h. Moon/Jup/Juno which reflects the child, the affair[Juno] and the wrecking of his public idealism. They're connected for better or worse.

Look at Edwards' Sat/Nept on the cusp of her 5th h. of children and love affairs, opposite her Merc/Jup. on the cusp of her 11th h. With his son tragically lost in a car accident, not to mention a mate with a terminal illness, I wager he would be averse to turning his back on his own kin/blood.

His 11th h. Venus trines her 3rd. h. Uran/Pl, both retrograde. Perhaps this is a backwards love, the horse before the cart. Each also possesses an 11th h. Venus, which gives an Aquarian off-beat friendship cast to romantic liasons.

Her 11th h. Venus squares his 2nd. h. Pluto, which speaks of the $$ exchanges going on to keep her hidden, the baby cared for, etc. Two Venus-Pluto interchanges say this is fated, tumultuous, life-changing [more like life-churning], volcanic, explosive, possessive-oriented. The sq. goes to his Pl. in 2nd h. He will own this child publicly in due time, but I bet he's owning it already in private.

His Juno/Moon/Jup opposes her Juno. Yes, an affair was inescapable, once their ships had passed in the night. He has a loaded 12th h.-Sun/Mars/Merc. in Gemini, signalling hidden affairs, hidden strength, hidden resolutions. Her NN conj. his Merc, sq. her own Sun shows her cross-purposes with herself touched on a fundamental schism within him that perhaps he wanted to come to grips with once and for all.

I don't care how public they are; humans are susceptible to wanting to transform on a deep personal level. Everybody has a Uranus and a Pluto. Everyone gets hit by outer planet transits. He got hit by Neptune trining his Gemini planets, and Ur. squaring them and Pl. opposing that Mars in late Gem. for the last two years. He wanted deep inner/interpersonal change. Being Prez would not have helped. He would have had to keep the pretty facade and tend to far larger universal issues, prety much a contradiction right there. His road to the White House ended with Kerry, quiet as it's kept. Planets in the 12th house can mean that we cannot see a person clearly because his public image is distorted. Often public office holders with a 12th house Sun undergo extreme personal sacrifice and ego attacks. Some have speculated that this prepares them for the humiliation that comes with ignominy associated with the 12th house.
I can't help think of the Susan Sarandon film Stepmom where she was terminally-ill and Julia Roberts was the next up wifey. This is really an intensely personal dilemma for John and Elizabeth Edwards and now for Rielle Hunter as well.

Obama's grand trines in earth and water signs

I keep stepping back from his chart and seeing the double grand trines, one of which forms the kite. These extremely fortunate combos have planets 120 degrees [*] apart in three contiguous trines.

His watery grand trine has Venus [love, affection, what we attract to us] at 1* Cancer trine to Neptune [compassion, sympathy, inspiration, oil, drugs, creativity] at 8* Scorpio trine the third planet Chiron[the wounded Healer] at 5* Pisces. This is indicated in his life by the difficult childhood circumstances, the parental separation, his father living so far away. As he's expressed in his books, he worked through the anguish of his youth to become a healing force in the world.

Pluto[societal concerns] at 6* Virgo forms the kite, making sextiles [60 * angles] to Venus and Neptune.

His cha-cha flows like water. When he met Michelle she wouldn't date him because they worked together. So he told her he'd quit, and he got another position. That's flow; when you're fluid, you don't get stuck. It also means that he will take meaningful social action as a prez around water issues. He's promised that a Katrina debacle won't take place on his watch.

When I first studied astrology I so envied grand trine people, as I called them. I thought it meant their lives were forever lucky. It took many moons for me to observe the inclination to hold onto fortunate patterns/relationships/jobs/homes, past the point of usefulness, because the influence is so strong. It represents good deeds done in past lives coming to fruition in this one. Obama has many squares, planets in conflict and 90* apart, to keep him on the move, lifelong-striving, hustling, reaching, searching. He's not a plateau person.

His Moon sextiles Mercury. Mercury sextiles in a person's chart bring friendships and talkativeness, even glibness.

A person with a kite formation in the natal horoscope has grand ideas and, like a kite runner, keeps putting them up and out there. The gusts of wind pick up the kite and off he or she goes with kite in hand, i.e. making ideas concrete.
[Obama has a 7:24 pm birthtime, 4 Aug 1961, in Honolulu]

His Moon at 3* Gemini trines his Saturn/Jupiter conjunction at 25* Capricorn/0* Aquarius. These positions also trine his Mars at 22* Virgo, giving the Moon, a light, a wide orb.

This blended air and earth sign trine gives him an abundance of common sense, earthiness, grounding, a liking for material goods, the here and now, and a great ability to circumnavigate this great earth. The travelling involved in politics no doubt is much to his liking; he will be a prez who goes all over, not a shut-in by any stretch of the imagination.

Also that earthiness means he can pick himself up once he's down. He looked a forlorn figure for a minute while defending himself against Wright, taking the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. He's either building enormous sympathy or enormous antipathy from all this guilt by association.

Whatever doesn't kill his candidacy keeps making it stronger.

Obama and treachery from others

Transiting Mars opposition Obama's natal Saturn [Apr. 28-May 2] represented a critical culmination for him. Astrologer Robert Hand cautions this transit brings other people's aggressive actions which block one's success. Hand also says the native may not have prepared adequately for the challenges that any personal initiative must face. Sounds like the Rev. Wright debacle that Obama may not have reckoned with theretofore.

This was treachery since Rev. Wright, Barbara Reynolds and the Clintons colluded on this one, whether overtly or unconsciously-and I have my suspicions knowing how dirty politics is. I wouldn't be surprised if cash or promises were horse-traded here. This is high stakes.

Treachery from others comes under the aegis of Neptune. Obama's natal Neptune gets three squares from natal Sun/Mercury/Jupiter. The opposition of his natal Mercury to natal Saturn/Jupiter conjunction [two planets within six degrees of each other] with natal Neptune forms a t-square [this looks like a triangle-two planets 180* apart with a third 90* equidistant from each]. This will always, always bring up conflict, internal and external, and in Obama's case, bombast [Jupiter] and distortion [Neptune] from others.

Also his natal Mercury, the planet of speech and fast stepping, is septile his natal Mars [51 degrees apart]. Septiles are both spiritual and fated aspects and play out with force in the 51st year of life which would be 2012, the fourth year of an Obama presidency.

This septile is responsible for his passionate, dramatic style of communicating, and also for that quick-footed way he hops onto platforms. It gives a sense of mission or divine imperative in the expression of ideas and desires, the ability to inspire and motivate people, and the feeling that it is somehow his destiny to do so [all of which this campaign has brought to the light].

Rev. Wright and some astro joose

Here's a very interesting comparison of preachers who have been connected to prez candidates from The Huffington Post:
www.huffingtonpost.com/cenk-uygur/different-standards-for-b_b_92337.html

Since Rush et al have vowed to ride this Wright thing into Nov., it looks like it will be the gift they never stop giving Obama. That definitely has Plutonian overtones what with Saturn transiting back and forth over his Pluto at 6 Virgo for this past six months and the next six months.

I receive a lot of e-mails from blacks on this matter. The flood of e-mails makes me wonder about other groups who communicate and bond this way too. Internet person-to-person politicking is having a profound effect. It's rallying people and hardening attitudes, disseminating key info, negatively and positively. It reminds me of ATMs, said to appeal more to blacks and other minorities because it eliminates a level of racism we face on a daily basis.

Barack Obama is a reminder

Obama is a reminder that America still has its big problem with race and ethnicity, that the dream hasn't come true for many, many people--the dream of equality.

This is why he has 90%+ of black voters-not because we see him as a messiah. We had proportionate turnouts like that for Sharpton and Jackson. We still need redress. And blacks supported Hillary until Bill put his foot in his mouth in Carolina with the racist statement about Jesse Jackson having won just like Obama did. We got indignant that he would try to put down this guy who credibly fought his way up like Hill and Bill themselves.

I also think Hillary is getting a backlash from black voters. White middle-class women were the primary beneficiaries of affirmative action. Even Willie Brown said this last year. All one has to do is look at tv news and see all these lip-glossed Barbie doll reporters and know that the feminist revolution stopped midway. Once the corporate, educational, professional and skilled trade doors opened, white females were allowed in and a miniscule number of highly trained or educated black women, far fewer black males-game over.

Blacks know that the feminist movement profited from and got a lot of its momentum from the civil rights movement. But once they made gains, did feminists make life better for all or for a few? Did they help the women in the pink collar ghettoes? Did they change the perception of women in media? If they did, why do women in media have to look sexy, young and glamorous while the men can look like Uncle Festus and have hair sprouting from their noses and ears?

Did they stay in the struggle long enough to change the status of women throughout society? I would say not long enough, although I think some would say that Hillary's campaign is proof that they did. Her campaign is primarily proof that she gained credibility from being the prez's wife...her 3 a.m. ad trades on that; her diplomatic cred comes from her travels as First Lady, and her high start in senatorial politics comes from her White House visibility and stature. Some have even said she won because Bill cheated and she got an empathy vote. I'd say Hillary, no disrespect for her brainpower and endurance, has gained mightily from the feminist movement.

amazing horoscopic synastry between Cannon & Carey

Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey have an amazing horoscopic hook-up. She has a stellium [3 or more planets] in Aries and he has a stellium in Libra. That means those sets of planets were in opposition to each other which in turns means they had to build a bridge to each other [the video I presume]. After that it was on and popping.

This is a love match; they have strong Venus connections. Her Venus has a favorable trine [120*] to his Neptune--a dreamy love connection. Look at her name written in script across his shoulder blades. His Venus trines her Saturn--an aspect of longevity and commitment. This is a long haul relationship however it turns out.

These lovebirds do have a clashing aspect, his Saturn to her Chiron, but they really have far more strong connections:

• her Pluto to his Jupiter/Saturn; this is a very strong societal connection. Perhaps they would have been biz partners in any case. Also he's no lightweight with a Jupiter/Saturn conjunction. Obama has a Jup-Sat conjunction-people destined to affect society in a big way.
• his Moon to her Uranus shows the sudden domestic change for them;
• her Mercury's in Aries and his is in Scorpio. This means that each's planet of communication[Mercury] is in a Mars-ruled sign, so they have fiery hot talk for days;
• sextiles in the chart show the friendliness between them.

I was surprised by the suddenness of it all but see soul mates written all over their compatibility chart.