Kamala Harris: From Prosecuter to VP to President

Introduction: The astrological chart holds the key to our most profound nature, our true identity. In its purest form it represents our archetypal Self; a Self that is always growing, evolving, and changing, through ups and downs, successes and setbacks, all part of the intricate cycle of self realization and actualization.

Each of the 360 degrees of the zodiac represent a symbol that speaks to the essence of that process. This set of symbols are known as the Sabian Symbols, passed down through the centuries from the ancient philosophers, astrologers and astronomers from the Sabian period circa 600 BCE (*see footnote).

The specific degree of each planet, asteroid, calculated point and cusp of the astrological chart can be understood as a set of keys that can unlock or open the doors to the inner world of ones chart, to its holistic meaning. 

Vice President Kamala Harris: Birth Chart: October 20 1964: 9:28 PM Oakland Ca. 

An overview of Kamala Harris's chart reveals a woman who is highly skilled, highly motivated, and highly disciplined. In this analysis of her chart I have chosen to begin with the placement of the asteroid/planet Chiron in Pisces at 14 degrees in the 10th house of leadership and career. This is the house that I first look to when the native's professional career is paramount to their lives. It is also the house that I pay closest attention to during an election cycle. 

Auspiciously, on November 5th, 2024, and in the months preceding, transiting Saturn will be in conjunction (the same degree), as Kamala Harris' natal chiron in the house of career. The Sabian Symbol for her Chiron is as follows:

A champion swordsman studies a film of one of his fights-frame by 

frame-in order to improve his skills.

                Interpretation: Analyzing and perfecting a multistage process by breaking it down into component parts; solving technical or scientific problems through intense, protracted concentration (conquer the mind's tendency towards distraction; aspire to machine like efficiency in their use of time); perfecting a mental or physical skill through focused practice; problems involving precise timing or synchronization, as in the gearing of a clock; concentrating on a particular task vs. reconsidering the larger framework of one's life (rudderless); balancing focused work with carefree play (prefer to work in isolation but are very social and even raffish when off-duty); talent for teaching based on an ability to break down complex ideas into simple components; attention to significant details. (G. A. "The Zodiac by Degrees." ).

Having this symbol for Kamala Harris' natal Chiron, in the house of career, speaks for itself, and it is exactly what we are seeing transpire in the days following President Biden's exit of the race, and her accepting the torch. The fact that it will be transited by the planet Saturn is a good sign for Kamala Harris because Saturn represents structure, discipline, and as one of the ruling planets of the sign Aquarius, it represents change and progressive politics. Of note, Kamala Harris also has her natal Saturn, in the sign of Aquarius where it is exalted. 

Some might say that a transit by Saturn is bad news, however, given that she is no stranger to a disciplined and tempered approach to her life and her career, this transit will only serve to strengthen her during the coming months, of the attacks on her credibility and integrity by those who are threatened by her expertise, passion and agency.

Another important point in the chart when the native is in a position of leadership is the MC Midheaven, the Zenith, a.k.a. high Noon. The degree for Kamala Harris' MC is 2 Pisces. The following Sabian symbol, speaks directly to her soul work, her destiny, and that she does not live her life as a victim, rather as a survivor; accepting the challenges of her life, her race, her gender. She lives in the present, and exhibits a passion for overcoming obstacles. 

"A woman stares at the body of her husband, which is hanging by a noose from the branches of a dead tree. On another branch, a raven looks down and chatters cheerfully."

Interpretation: "Sober reflections on the deeper meanings of life and death; looking squarely at the facts; accepting a bad situation, but recognizing that 'this too shall pass'; surviving life's trials and helping others deal with similar problems; analyzing some aspect of human society; offering an astute opinion after scrutinizing the evidence; sharp-tongued criticism (dark humor that makes light of a grim situation); getting to the bare bones of a situation by stripping away falsehoods; seeing the full ramifications of a situation vs. falling into simplistic conclusions; dealing with loss (pessimism, depression); learning to forgive oneself and others vs. pointless squabbling and an unwillingness to let other people off the hook; stubborn independence of perspective."

     At this stage of the race, I believe these are the most pertinent and profound, key take-a-ways from Kamala Harris' chart. They symbolize both ends of the spectrum of her humanity; her personal and her political  achievements and struggles. Her status and her position in this race, as the newly minted presumptive candidate for the democratic ticket, they speak to the personal as political; the existential nature of the swing of this pendulum between an ideology of hate, isolation and fear, and that of integrating all people, all ideals, and, as hard as it is, of  galvanized ideologies. 

    The message that I am getting from an intuitive sense of her chart is that the time has come to meet the challenges head on. Many are saying that America is still not ready for a Black woman to be president. The reality is that at this rate, we never will be ready. To use the analogy of the Libra/Aries axis: Libran's have long been associated with the scales of justice, but also with being conflict avoidant, which can consequently simply drag out the conflict, for which a great deal of control and manipulation is needed; an exhausting dynamic. On the Aries end of the dynamic the impulse is to "just get it over with." What may appear violent on the surface, can actually be a more compassionate and honest approach. 

    What we can be sure of is that Kamala Harris will not run from adversity or avoid this existential opportunity to reveal the heavy hand of insidious justice on the scales of liberty. 

    In fact, she was born on the full moon, and is intimately aware of the Aries/Libran axis; her moon in Aries, her sun in Libra. 

* The Sabians were ancient astrologers and astronomers (600 BCE), and were attributed powers of prophesy. Their spiritually informed belief system also rested on a philosophical framework that informed Greek Philosophy, and upon a rational system of statutes and ordinances. Ironically, their celestial deities were opposite to that of Western astrology and modern times; the moon was worshiped as a God, the sun as a Goddess, and Venus as the God of agriculture and the harvest (M. Eliade. Encyclopedia of Religion. V. 1, 5, 7, 13).

A Bald Headed Man Who Has Seized Power

2016 Election Series: After the Glow

One doesn't need to understand or even believe in astrology to feel the profound synchronicity of the timing of planetary movements and the Sabian Symbols as they present auspiciously in our lives.

For example, on September 1^st 2016 the planet Jupiter will move into the 28^th degree of Virgo (according to the astrological calculations of the ancient astrologers). The same day, the Moons lunar North Node will continue its transit of key points in Bernie Sanders natal chart, and Mercury Retrograde will join Jupiter in 28th degree of Virgo. One day later, the Moon will form a conjunction with Jupiter and Mercury - the Sabian Symbol for the 28^th degree of Virgo is:

"A Bald Headed Man Who Has Seized Power"

The interpretation of this ancient symbol by the astrologer Dane Rudyar is of the sheer power of personality in times that call for decision. In "360 Degrees of Wisdom" (1974) Rudyar writes

“Whether at the religious or the socio-political and cultural level there comes a time when obsolescent patterns of order and cultural refinement have to be radically and relentlessly challenged. Catabolic personages emerge to seize power and dictate decisions that alter the structures of society; or within an individual life, an intense urge for cathartic changes mobilizes the will, and traumatic decisions are made. At such times the issue has to be met and, ruthless as the power may appear, it must be accepted.”  “Existence is motion. No static formation, however beautiful and inspiring, can remain long unchallenged. Everything bows to THE POWER OF THE WILL-divine, executively human, or Satanic.”

The profound and imminent message in this symbol goes without saying. But here it is: we have, or had, two candidates that fit this description, if we take the symbol a bit literally. Which is okay. In my work with the symbols I have observed this degree of synchronicity. At any rate, both men are  catabolic personages that have emerged to inspire movements that challenge the status quo.

Bernie Sanders has at this point relinquished his power to the establishment, the Democratic Party. Donald Trump’s power is growing, in spite of his radical and seemingly relentless, and some would  say, Satanic disposition.

This symbol first came into play when Bernie Sanders announced his run for the presidency. In fact, the 28^th degree of Virgo is prominent in his natal chart, as a midpoint for Neptune and Mercury in his tenth house of leadership. The time period that he announced his decision to run this astrological point in his chart was being contacted by powerful transiting planets. His calling was to lead but unfortunately, the leading party could not follow.

Now, with this tremendous groundswell of support the movement has taken on a life of its own, and it needed to go somewhere. It has been a revolution in the making for decades. 

Now, with Bernie's full endorsement of Hillary Clinton, the question remains, how will the archetype of this symbol manifest? Tongue in cheek, the possibilities are that 1) underneath, Hillary Clinton is really a man and that she's bald, 2) that Donald Trump is really bald, or 3) that Sander's will find himself called to seize the day. Time will tell. 

It may be after the glow, and many are feeling the bern in ways they never imagined, but one thing is certain, this symbol suggests that the momentum of this movement to deconstruct and restructure the status quo has far from played itself out.

The Vote for Independence July 2 1776

America's Nativity and the Current Presidential Election 

Part One

"The Second Day of July 1776 will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires, and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."

--John Adams to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776

Bostonians Reading the Stamp Act

Introduction

The "birth chart" of the United States is a highly contested matter and for good reason. There is considerable ambiguity around the actual moment of separation between the colonies and their mother country; their beloved family and friends across the ocean.

So what would be the actual event that would be most symbolic of birth? The consensus in the astrological community is that of the 4th of July, the primary source from Thomas Jefferson's memoirs written many years later. However, countless documents, letters, articles, and the notes from the Continental Congress prove otherwise (Library of Congress). There was no group signing on the 4th of July, late in the day after a unanimous vote to approve the declaration, as Jefferson recalled years later. In fact, his own daily accounting had him shopping for women's gloves for his wife, purchasing seven pairs, then over to Sparhawks on 2nd street where he bought a thermometer and later donated a shilling and sixpence to charity. The actual minutes of the Continental Congress show that they convened in the morning, addressed a few unrelated matters and then approved the final wording of the declaration. It's assumed that Jefferson then took the document to be printed and left it there, where it was cut into sections for the convenience of the typesetters, which is why the original document was never seen again. All this is not to say that the fourth is not an important date, but, it is not the date of the unanimous vote, the moment filled with tension and relief that John Adams referred to in his letter to Abigail on the 3rd of July.

Because that moment reads so much like a birth, and having given birth (natural childbirth, so fully aware of the intensity of the moment) I can relate; therefore, I have chosen to go with the date and time that corresponds with historical records, which consist of articles, letters and notes made by those present, many of which contain impassioned references to the vote on the 2nd as a "birth" or "rebirth".

 "That the hand of God was involved in the birth of the new nation he [Adams] had no doubt. "It is the will of God that these two countries should be sundered forever." (Adams, 2001).


The chart below is for the vote on the morning of July 2nd 1776 shortly after 10 am. The time is an educated guess based on the notes from Congress combined with an account of the proceedings by David McCullough in Adams. To summarize, the doors to Congress were closed at "nine o'clock" just after Caesar Rodney made a dramatic entrance, mud-spattered, "booted and spurred." "Outside, rain and a cloudburst at 10 am, while New York continued to "abstain," after which South Carolina joined the majority and the vote went rapidly, making the decision unanimous in the sense that no colony opposed.

Discussion

This most compelling difference between this chart and the one that so many astrologers have adopted for the 4th of July is the Capricorn Moon in the shadow of Pluto. The other fundamental differences are the ascendent/descendent at Virgo and Pisces, and Gemini on the midheaven and Sagittarius on the nadir. My reasoning for this position of the moon is as follows:

The vote for independence was in every way a vote for revolution as the King had long since decided that the colonies were in a state of rebellion and that those responsible were guilty of treason. The Moon in Pluto's shadow is symbolic of the dark mother, whereas a Moon/Pluto conjunct, with Moon on the light side or waning would have a very different energy. Had the moon been leading the mother figure would be positive and encouraging. If we take the chart for the 2nd of July we see an entity struggling to throw off a devouring mother. This position of the Moon speaks volumes to what the colonists were struggling with. At the moment of the vote they knew full well that they had cleared the hurdle of declaring independence but the war for freedom and liberty was just beginning. They would have to win the power struggle with a dark and oppressive mother.

Pluto conjunct Moon symbolizes an evolutionary need to transform oneself completely, to eliminate all external forms of security, but with Moon in Pluto's shadow one finds a mother that seeks to oppress and limit the child. They had merely cut the cord, now they had to fend for themselves against a mighty and formidable opponent in what became a bloody and tragic war. 

For the sake of brevity and also to cut to the quick of what spurred this article this is not a full analysis of the chart of the Vote, rather a "transit" reading of an extremely profound and phenomenal cycle taking place for the US. And, because we are such an important player in world affairs, and the future of our planet, this transit reading effects everyone on earth. 

CURRENT TRANSITS: 2016 Presidential Election and the Revolution

This chart for the US bears considerable significance now as we are in the final months of the 2016 presidential campaign as transiting Pluto (17 degrees Capricorn) is slowly closing in on a conjunction with the natal Moon in Capricorn.  To quote John Adams "Revolution began in the minds of Americans long before any shots were fired or bloodshed." With the mounting support for the two most unlikely fringe candidates, Bernie Sanders running on the Democratic Ticket and Donald Trump running on the Republican ticket, the spirit of revolution has become more than a word tossed around the ring, it has evolved into a political action that has swept both parties along with it.  The movement for full reform has brought new waves of voters to the polls, hoping for radical change, for full transformation of the status quo. 

As transiting Pluto proceeds toward the Moon, a transit that began February 2015, we will hear more and more about the need for a re-volution, remember that re-volution is simply a turning or spiraling around a center, a return to a specific point or degree. We are coming full circle as Pluto is in the final stages of its revolution around the sun, a 250 year cycle, when it comes back comes back to the point or degree it was in during the American Revolution, in a conjunction with the natal Moon sign of Capricorn, and Natal Pluto in Capricorn. This conjunction will not lock into place until 2020. It is not a question of IF there will be a revolution, but WHO will lead us through it. 

Bernie Sanders: Election 2016 An Astrological Perspective

OVERVIEW 2016  Election Cycle             

With the DNC just over two months away it’s clear that the Democratic contenders for the nomination for President elect are running a hotly contested race.

            In spite of Hillary Clinton’s lead in terms of super delegates, Bernie Sanders has been drawing record crowds; his appeal is not fading rather waxing across the board as recent polls now show that he is more likely to beat Trump in the general election. On May 10^th RealClearPolitics reports Sanders lead over Trump a decided 51% to 38% with Clinton’s lead over Trump a slim 47% to 41%. (June 3rd, Clinton's lead dropped to 1%). 

            In an interview with NPR (May 10^th 2016), Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver noted that 44% of those backing Sanders would switch their vote to Trump rather than support another Clinton presidency. While many take issue at this, it’s important to remember that those who prefer Trump to Clinton if Sanders where to back out, are not jumping the democratic ship, rather they represent republican voters disenchanted with the GOP. Sanders looks more like the change they want while Clinton’s values, although progressive by some standards, are more in line with the Oligarchy, the obsolete status quo that has driven this movement for radical change to the streets. As Clinton continues to monopolize on the super delegates, who many feel also represent the elite, Sanders continues to grow in popularity, appealing to voters from both sides of the political spectrum.

            Political analysts typify Sanders as the underdog and the revolutionary, others vilify him as the symbol of a welfare state, and Obama has recently cast him in the light of one lacking in pragmatism in his speech at the Rutgers Commencement May 15^th.  On the other hand Clinton is typically seen as lacking in the fundamental core value of honesty, as one who is “untrustworthy” and willing to say whatever she needs to say to get the vote; basically a daughter of the “establishment.” Diehard feminists insist that we support her or go to our special place in hell. In my article on Hillary Clinton’s chart, whom I did support at one time, I highlight the repeating planetary aspects that reveal a highly duplicitous and calculating nature combined with an authentic concern for humanitarian ideals.

            The following analysis of Bernie Sanders natal chart and current transits takes a look at how he has made it the forefront of this race for the White House, how his revolutionary ideals and ideological underpinnings have dovetailed with a 250 year cycle, a phenomenological period of American and world history. Let’s see how Bernie’s chart reflects the needs and voices of the American people and the highest standard of democracy.

           

INTRODUCTION

            I have been analyzing the charts of our elections, the contenders, and the presidents along with key events in American history for two decades. There are definite patterns that can be found running through the charts of our most celebrated and effective leaders, as well as the self-serving and unscrupulous. For the most part, the former correspond to the higher aspirations of the American people, as characterized by the chart that I use as the birth chart of the United States, the Vote for Independence on July 2^nd 1776 in Philadelphia. This date and relative time is the consensus among historians, although many astrologers continue to use the fourth of July. In any case, I evaluate the charts of the contenders based on the way they reflect the core values of liberty, justice, freedom, equality, self-sufficiency and compassion; their ability to intuit and execute change when change is needed as we are a country that was conceived by courageous and intelligent men and women who believed in the concepts of self-determination and liberty.  

            Our most celebrated presidents have embodied the ideals and virtues put forth by ancient Greek Philosophers. Socrates understood the potential for failure in all forms of government; Democracy was no exception. Although Socrates left little in writing his student Plato wrote extensively on the phenomenon. They saw Democracy as the natural progression from Oligarchy in which the wealthy dominate, where wealth and the desire element form the ruling class, where honor is confirmed by the accumulation of wealth. As the gap between rich and poor widens, the majority, (the poor), revolt, and seek to establish, or re-establish democratic values, maximum freedom, not just for the wealthy but for all. But maximum freedom based just on desire leads to mob rule, fueled by fear of the oligarchy, undisciplined, unrestrained. At that point, a clever demagogue can exploit the angry masses, wield power and take control, the result a tyranny. Many feel that this is how Donald Trump has managed to gain such a strong hold on the minds of the disenfranchised.

            In a nutshell, 250 years since the first stirrings of revolution in the colonies, after the stings of imperial oppression in the name of the Sugar and the Stamp Acts, we have in many respects come full circle and this is apparent in the transits to the July 2nd 1776 US chart. We have cycled back to a system that has the same impact as the Oligarchy under King George and Parliament, whose decisions to tax the colonists against their will, without their consent or representation, set the stage for the first revolutionary war 13 years later. The Sugar Act and Stamp Act burdened the colonists with the debt of the French and Indian war along with the expense of paying for British troops on American soil, to enforce laws and rules made in Parliament without representation by the colonies. Here we are 250 years later, burdened with taxes, feeling unrepresented by our parties, amassing behind candidates who have emerged from the fringes, whose support comes from the people, not from the elite.

            It’s impossible to discuss Bernie Sander’s chart and aspects without weaving in our current economic crisis, which many believe to be a consequence of opportunistic politicians and the wealthy elite that have perpetuated it. Sander’s natal chart is the profile of a politician that has a history of pragmatic, progressive, ingenious reform, of not catering to the elite, but of one who has learned the lesson of self-discipline through the acceptance of responsibility. In no uncertain terms Bernie Sander’s chart speaks to the movement he speaks for, the core values of the American Revolution, which was not the work of a mob of reckless or undisciplined individuals (take away Sam Adams), but a carefully weighed, organized, phenomenological movement, one whose time had come.

The revolution that the Sanders Movement speaks to today is not so unlike the American Revolution, freedom through self-determination.

Analysis of Key Aspects in Sanders Natal Chart

A Pragmatic Crusader for American Values, Equality and Positive Change

(Scorpio ascendant, Pluto (ruler of Scorpio) in the 8^th house in Leo, on the Cusp of the 9^th). 

The signs here speak to a powerful and profound leader. His strong personality radiates from an inner core of power that has the ability to inspire and transform others. There is a classic dislike of superficial or useless habits and actions, he is brief and to the point. This combined with what astrologers refer to as a “why” oriented person – he attracts those who are ready for change, through his pragmatic approach to reality; his brief and to the point announcement of his decision to run for the office of president a case in point. Both of these placements (Scorpio Ascendant and Pluto in the 8^th) speak to one whose ideals go very deep, whose commitment to the responsibilities vested in him is of the highest integrity. The attributes of personal courage, personal conviction and with Pluto in the sign leo here, the promise of good health and longevity are strong. Presidents who had Pluto in the 8^th/9^th house: FDR, JFK, Jefferson, Jackson, Harrison, Truman, Buchannan, Carter and Coolidge.

(Mars conjunct Moon in Aries 5^th house).

Complementing the above placements, this configuration of the moon and mars speaks to Sander’s unwavering passion as a crusader for humanitarian values, and for the energy that infuses him which he uses for the good of humanity, which in turn stimulates the collective. He is inspired by, and inspires a higher aspiration to the collective ideal of egalitarianism. This combination of Mars and the Moon can also be overbearing and abrupt at times, and can come across as rude to others, however other aspects in the chart indicate that this impatience stems directly from his natural grasp of complex issues and frustration with setbacks and limitations. Fortunately there are a number of solid indications that he has the self-awareness to cultivate self-discipline that he learns from his mistakes, and uses them as an opportunity to develop more effective forms of negotiation based on awareness of opposing ideologies and perspectives. He understands the need for discourse. People with moon and mars in Aries thrive on open communication as they know it is the only way that problems truly get solved. The tendency to be impatient is modified throughout the chart (Venus in Libra and Mercury Trine Saturn/Uranus) indicating not only self-awareness and the need for balance and judgement in negotiation with groups and organizations, it also indicates a highly sensitive nature, one that is not obvious to everyone given his strong personal dynamism and passionate moral convictions. Libra is the most sensitive placement for Venus, natives with Venus in Libra who have sustained great loss and trauma often cloak themselves in armor, but those who know them understand that there is a highly sensitive, intuitive side to them. FDR had moon/mars conjunct in the 10th. 

(Gemini on the 7^th house cusp, Saturn conjunct Uranus trine Mercury in the 10^th). 

Here we see the signs for one who is naturally ingenious, who is highly pragmatic and who sees the big picture. There are profound intuitive abilities along with a strong mind which can easily grasp what needs to be done and how to do it. There are highly developed mathematic as well as intuitive abilities. He is adept at dealing with organizational responsibilities on the highest order. This is an excellent configuration for leadership, for the political, managerial planning needed for healthy organizations to function. There is an advanced understanding of the rewards that come through taking responsibility for one’s life and the challenges that present, that true freedom comes from voluntary acceptance of responsibility. This is key for those who are afraid that a vote for Sanders is a vote for a welfare state. On the contrary, he embodies the true meaning of freedom through taking responsibility for one’s life.

(Gemini/Sagittarius intercepted in the 1^st and 7^th houses). 

These placements confer an accelerated and concentrated learning experience found in the charts of individuals who understand the importance of adhering to one’s ideals, simultaneous to cultivating an awareness of the ideals of others. There is a natural skill for compromise without compromising one’s values. Here is the sign of one that is devoted to developing skillful powers of negotiation. Sanders history in Washington, the passage of so many important bills, demonstrates his understanding of how to work with others without compromising moral values, rather maintaining a sense of objectivity. These aspects and signs also reiterate his understanding of the importance of creating systems and techniques that support healthy functioning in relationships, partnerships. With transpersonal planets here the skills are used to further healthy dynamics in more complex organizations where partnerships and open discourse is paramount to success. A case in point, his response to the question of Israeli use of force during the debate in New York historical; his response genuine and evenhanded, objective and fair, while refusing to condone disproportionate violence.

Career and Calling

Talents, Virtues and Current Cycles

(Tenth House Virgo with Sun, North Node, Neptune and Mercury)

This placement indicates one whose soul work and mission is to lead, specifically movements where there is need for reform, where obsolescent patterns of order and cultural perspectives need to be challenged. The midpoint of the North Node and Mercury, which has been activated by a slow steady transit of the North Node (expressly pulling him toward his life work) since he announced his candidacy, symbolizes a leadership personality that identifies the need for change and who has the personal power and will to channel it.
Presidents JFK, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Adams and Carter had either North Node, Sun, and Neptune (or some combination of the three) in the same house. 

Current Cycles: Jupiter, the planet of expansion on all levels is currently coursing back and forth over this dynamic planetary grouping and will continue to grant him protection and fortune throughout the entirety of his race. If Bernie came to me and asked me whether he should stay in the race, based on the “stars” I would so in no uncertain terms, Yes, with a capital “Y.” He has, unequivocally the strongest chart for the job and the best aspects for the race.       

Help From Above
The Collective Power of Truth

(March-May transiting Uranus over natal Moon and Mars, Pluto trine 10^th House Sun, N. Node Neptune, 7^th house Saturn). 

There is no doubt that Bernie has been experiencing an electrifying uphill swing, one that has the energy of a figure 8, or, a positive feedback loop. The more passionate his convictions and “moral outrage” to use a Greek term, the greater his support and appeal. This energy will continue and will peak around the time of the DNC. The momentum will be sustained by the long term transits by transpersonal planets for more than a decade. 
A sign of the universal importance of Bernie’s message came on March 25^th2016 with the voluntary appearance of the sparrow on his podium in the midst of a rally of 11,000 strong in Oregon.  On that day, the planet Uranus at 19 degrees Aries, made an exact conjunction with his natal moon. The Ancient Sabian Symbol for that degree of the zodiac:

A Young Girl Feeding Birds In Winter: Overcoming crisis through compassion.

The synchronicity of this event is not to be taken lightly. It can be taken as a sign that there is an endorsement of a higher or greater power, I prefer to think of it as a collective power of an archetypal quality. There is protection and support for his mission which is far greater than the sum of its parts. This endorsement a sign that he is on the right track, the goal is not to divide but to unite the American people, but unite them under the core values of tolerance, compassion, love, and sympathy, of the need to replace the impotency of hate and self-serving ideals with that of a higher level of human expression, of “the transmutation of life into love.” Symbolically speaking, the Sanders Movement, so to speak is taking place "under the auspices."

The week of the DNC in Philadelphia will be nothing short of electrifying.
Bernie's transits are extraordinarily beneficial, with Sun at an exact conjunction with Natal Pluto, Moon in Aries giving his Moon in Aries conjunct Mars an extra lift, North Node conjunct Sun, Mercury trining his Natal Moon and Mars (clear and effective communication), Venus and Mercury trine natal Mars, Mars conjunct his Ascendant, Jupiter conjunct North Node, and Saturn forming a grand trine with natal Moon/Mars and Pluto.

Uranus continues to conjunct his Mars/Moon conjunct, the planet of progressive reform. My advice to Bernie and the movement as a whole is to exercise temperance in the highest meaning of the word. That of the voluntary act of self-disciplined commitment to spiritually informed values. This is not to say there needs to be a compromise of values, rather, what the founding mothers and fathers strove for, a harmonious balance of the concepts of liberty and freedom and voluntary self-determination.  With Uranus coursing back and forth over Bernie's natal Mars there will be Movement, Tension and Upheaval. By September Mars and Saturn will be in a strong trine to Mars and Moon, the energy will be even more constructive and will be channeled in a positive direction. With the "karmic debt" transits that will be in effect for Hillary, it would be a big mistake for Sanders to pull out of the race.  Clinton will be called to task in the least for her bold move to install a private server in her home for government business as Secretary of State, deleting emails, etc. etc. her integrity will be put under greater and greater scrutiny. 

In essence, Sanders Chart and the overall tone of his message is one of emotional honesty and high moral integrity. Is he a politician? Is he prepared for the job? I believe that I have answered those questions in the body of this discussion, in terms of his capabilities and how those parallel many of our most celebrated leaders. 

After Thoughts...

After writing many have commented that Bernie's legislative record does not compare with HRC. The general tone is that Clinton has more experience and that Bernie's biggest claim to fame is his work to enhance the quality of life for Veteran's.

Prior to writing this article I did a good bit of research and found hundreds of bills that Bernie had sponsored or co-sponsored on Health Care, Armed Forces, Labor and Employment, Energy, Education, Government and Politics, Taxation and Finance (Gov.Track.com).

What's in a Name? Seed Work, Sabian Symbol Astrology

 (Revised and Updated 2/9/2020)

This post offers an abbreviated discussion of how the Sabian Symbols have influenced astrology, why I chose the name Seed Work for this site, and an example of how these concepts or philosophical ideas can be integrated into a reading. 

I chose the term Seed Work for two reasons. The most obvious being that the seed is a symbol of beginnings, of a concentration of power held within a tiny germ. Not only does it hold the genetic material that has the potential for life, it represents the cycle of birth death and renewal. Living to our fullest potential is what so many want out of life, but to be truly fulfilled we also need to learn to accept life for what it is and embrace the difficult with the easy. We are shaped by events and situations that can thwart us on our path, or make us stronger. The idea is that life is a journey

The overarching reason for the term Seed Work is that it speaks to the way humanistic astrology approaches the chart, as a symbol of a cyclic process of growth. It honors the potential for autonomy as well as the innate potential inherent within, that which we bring with us from the past. Astrology is a language of symbols that human beings have been learning since the ancient Sumerians. The natal chart, like a seed, unfolds.

The concept of person-centered or humanistic astrology was re-introduced by Dane Rudyar and Marc Edmond Jones in the early part of the 20th century. Jones brought to life the work of harmonics through the channeling of the Sabian symbols- a symbol for each degree of the zodiac - by the clairvoyant Elsie Wheeler. Jones believed that he and Elsie had tapped into the well of ancient Sumerian culture and wisdom by establishing a rapport with the ancestral spirits or seed men and women. It was the Sumerians that first perfected the science and art of astrology. The symbols, like the I Ching, provide profound insight into the cyclic character of human experience.

In Dane Rudyar's An Astrological Mandala: The Cycle of Transformations and its 360 Symbolic Phases he writes that the symbols are meant to arouse in the student a realization of the power of his own creative spirit . . to inspire us to live our lives instead of being lived by the events of our lives. To access our power, instead of being swayed by natural forces, to live from the creative spirit within. "The symbol is the key to the adjustment between the individual act, problem or situation and a universal frame of reference."

My approach is also what I believe to be transcendental, and at times have used that term to describe my work because it speaks to the process of developing meta-awareness with regard to our lives, our choices and crisis. Transcending the confusion through structure, through compassionate acceptance of ourselves. Transcendence does not mean avoidance, side stepping our role in life's drama, nor does it mean passively passing through it without giving it the sense of meaning required to master the lesson and move on; the process of expanding consciousness.

     There are times when it seems that other words or terms would be a better fit, as this one, Transcendental, has developed an elastic quality that could easily be stretched beyond recognition. Dane Rudyar waxes on about his reasons for choosing Transpersonal as the frame word for his school of astrology. Transpersonal implies that we are all a part of a greater cosmic plan, or at least that we affect and are affected by the ebb and flow of all life, that we are have the choice to react, instinctively to what comes our way, resisting in our attempt to alter it, or, be like the sieve, allowing the experience to flow through us, through the framework of our personality, but without reacting negatively in our attempt to alter the experience that it might better align with our assumptions of ourselves and of the world.

I would love to know your thoughts.:-)

Uranus Square Pluto the 
Mayan Calendar and the 
Current Global Economic Crisis

Prophesies and predictions are often cloaked in mystery for good reason. The first reaction is to panic or to cast blame on the most recent version of the anti-Christ.

This may be why many prophecies blend philosophic principals of self accountability into the mix. The Hopi prophesies incorporate the concept of the outer world as a reflection of one's inner state. C. G. Jung reiterated this for us, stating that the outer state of affairs is a reflection of an inner "split" that presents outside ourselves through conflict.

But this is only part of the picture. The reality is that social, political, economic upheaval happens and the innocent suffer.

Pluto Square Uranus - A Historical Overview

Approximately every 70 - 110 years two planets in the farthest reaches of our solar system - Uranus and Pluto - form a ninety degree angle to one another in an aspect that astrologers refer to as a square. Each time this square formation or 90 degree aspect has taken place it has correlated to periods of global, political upheaval and economic hardship. Of course there are variations on the theme, but overall, the square seems to parallel historically relevant economic and political crisis. The importance of this current square cannot be overstated given the length of it in combination with Uranus' transit through the fiery sign of Aries. Also of note, the square between these two planets does reach it's climactic point on June 24th 2012, close to the end of the Mayan calendar.

Uranus Transit Through Aries

The mythical symbolism of Uranus in the astrological sign Aries bear significant resemblance to the dynamic momentum that characterizes the period of history that correlate to this transit.

There are many variations on the creation myths surrounding Uranos. In one of the Greek myths Uranos was the archetypal son of Gaia the primordial Earth Goddess and first being. He then became Gaia's husband and father of the first generation of gods and goddesses in the Greek pantheon. Uranos' death came at the hands of one of his sons (in some myths it is Saturn), who slayed him at Gaia's behest and cast him into the ocean. In one myth Saturn castrates Uranos because of his fathers excessive sexual appetite. Apparently Gaia was tired of bearing children.

Ironically, in humanistic astrology Uranus is associated with breaking down saturnine barriers to the degree of reckless abandon of conservative ideals with equal emphasis on the extreme reactive nature of Uranus. Creation myths worldwide attribute storms that bring change, particularly those that involve water, as a sign of Uranos' rage or wrath at having been overthrown by his son.

Other myths place him as the first king of Atlantes, a skilled astronomer and astrologer who used mundane astrology (Lat. Latin: world) to predict principal world events. C. G. Jung found archaic reference to Uranos as "the One" and the transcendent principal in the Trinity with Kronos and Zeus (Symbols of Transformation, 1956, p. 138).

In astrological terms, Uranus is the planet that governs electricity and electronics, science, progressive ideologies and genius. When afflicted, violent upsets and sudden events that remove the obsolete structure are common. As ruler of Aquarius Uranus governs collective ideals and freedom.

With regard to the current aspect, the focus on Uranus as opposed to Pluto bears significance in that the periods of history most profoundly marked by this aspect always involved Uranus in the constellation Aries.  Pluto on the other hand, a much slower moving planet, occupied a different constellation each time the two squared off. The combination of Uranus in Aries in square to Pluto seems to be the fuse that ignites and awakens the masses.

Uranus entered the sign Aries in 1928 just as it began to form the square to Pluto in Cancer, 1849 after it's square with Pluto (1817) and in 1761. The time it spent in Aries were decades that represented periods in history punctuated by one group or political body oppressing another and the violent liberation.

In the case of the first Uranus in Aries transit; in 1761 the Writs of Assistance was up for renewal, a law that authorized British officials to search shops, warehouses and private homes. The renewal of this Act sparked the first passions of revolution as colonists began to formulate resistance to British rule, opposing laws they felt restricted or limited their natural rights. Not only were they growing weary of subsidizing Britain's colonial imperialism abroad, they felt that it was unjust that they also be forced to pay for the support of the very soldiers that had the authority to search their homes and businesses at will. Uranus in Aries ushered in the cast of characters that sounded the early calls for independence.

Fortunately, during the revolutionary war years the Uranus transit through Aries was not accompanied by an afflicting square by Pluto or any of the other malefic planets. The end result, a new form of government, liberty and the promise of a progressive altruistic ideology. Democracies were also in the making in Europe.

The Uranus Pluto Square of 1817 and Uranus in Aries and the American Civil War 1844

In 1844 when Uranus entered Aries again, the square to Pluto had long since waned. Economically and politically the period of time marked by the square was not more dramatic than other periods in history. There was an economic crisis in Europe following the Napoleonic wars, however it did not reverberate globally like the square of 1929 and 2007. The 1800's were marked more by Uranus's movement through Aries preceding the Civil war. Fortunately, once again, the civil war, although one of the bloodiest did not escalate to world war or devolve into a totalitarian government, although all might not agree. World history documents this was as one war that ended in progressive political and social reforms. The end of government sanctioned slavery.

Uranus in Aries Again, Squaring Pluto in Cancer 1928 - 1941

In the late 1920's Uranus entered Aries again, this time accompanied by a waxing square from Pluto in Cancer that culminated at 23 degrees in 1934 at the peak of the great depression. The combination of the two aspects reflected one of the most tragic eras in world history. Political fanaticism and greed, genocide, forced famines, natural disasters, holocausts in Armenia, Germany, Russia, Poland, and China, to name a few. It was also marked by the same attempt on the part of one entity to monopolize on another through control of commodities, emblematic of the events that precipitated the two previous wars. Famine, political, social, economic and cultural oppression surfaced throughout the world. It was an era of radical and often rabid reaction to revolutionary agendas and political ideologues alike. During this square the U.S. was economy was challenged by the depression that often follows a war (WWI), and after a round of republican's in the White House, the country was ready to give the democratic party a go again. FDR, elected in 1932 launched his first term on the three "R's", Relief, Recovery and Reform. Relief for the poor and unemployed, recovery of the nations economy and reform of the financial system.

This aspect between uranus and pluto, with uranus in Aries and pluto in Cancer most closely aligns with the current global economic crisis with one major difference. When FDR introduced the liberal policies of the first and second "new" deals, those reforms were designed to nurture and restore the country as a whole, and from the foundation up. The programs subsidized the poor and economically challenged. New Deal Relief and Reform had a watershed effect with a spike in the US economy in the years following. Among the programs FDR introduced were the Social Security System, The United States Housing Authority and Farm Security Administration, the Fair Labor Standards ACT, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), FCIC, FHA and Security and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Our Current Economic Crisis 
Uranus in Aries Square Pluto in Capricorn 2006 - 2019

Uranus and Pluto began to form the square of the current century in July 2006. The position that the two planets were in during the months leading up to the sub prime mortgage crisis parallels the position that the two planets were in during the months leading up to Black Tuesday, October 1929
The difference between Black Tuesday 1929 and the crash of 2007 is that Uranus had already entered Aries in the months prior to Black Tuesday, whereas, currently, Uranus will not fully enter Aries until May 29th, 2010. Another dramatic difference is the astrological sign position of Pluto. During the great depression and throughout New Deal reconstruction Pluto was in the domestic, maternal sign of cancer while engaged in the tense square to Uranus. During the current recession Pluto is in the zodiac sign of Capricorn, the sign of the father and of big government.

Historically Pluto in Capricorn has also coincided with major reforms in governments, institutions and political structures;during Pluto's transit through Capricorn new Governments based on democratic principals have replaced totalitarian or imperialistic power structures (Sakoin and Acker, 1973). E.g., the U.S. Declaration of Independence became manifest when Pluto transited Capricorn, as well, Poland adopted the first democratic constitution in Europe during Pluto's transit through Capricorn in 1791 (Zamoyski, 1987). However, during the revolutionary war years and the birth of democracy here in the U.S. Uranus was not squaring Pluto. Logically it could be deduced that the current configuration would reflect a combination of the two eras, the revolutionary war era in which freedom fights donned the caps of liberty and fought economic imperialism, combined with the dramatic break-a-way from obsolete, ineffective political systems.

The culmination of Pluto's transit through Capricorn forming the afflicting square with Uranus will climax when Uranus reaches 8 degrees 23 minutes Aries June 24th 2012, not far from the end of the Mayan Calendar and shortly after the Lunar eclipse and the 100 year transit of Venus across the sun. Pluto's position: 8 degrees 23 minutes Capricorn. However, the two planets remain in the tension of the square for another seven years. Hopefully the struggle will bring reform and transformation. 

What to expect: I would expect nothing less than a further collapse of the economy and quality of life for many through 2012 as the tension of the square reaches its climax, as big business continues to influence big government with little progress and few programs that provide long term relief.  The square represents a cyclic process of  re-orientation and repolarization and with Uranus in Aries, revolutionary movements when all else fails. When Uranus, the ruler of the revolutionary and altruistic sign Aquarius, is in the fearless, impulsiveness and confrontational sign of Aries, expect the unexpected.

The current "occupy" movements are symbolic of this revolutionary aspect as they challenge the steady move away from the pure capitalist ideology of the founding fathers and mothers to an ever more extreme version of modified capitalism where government becomes more incested and invested in our free enterprise system, beyond healthy regulations to the point of using the collective power to erode civil rights.  At the dawn of the great depression FDR decried the "unlikely alliance between big business and big government" and urged the American people to "resist the concentration of economic power...to don liberty caps like their revolutionary forebears..or risk all property [becoming] concentrated in the hands of a few with the overwhelming majority becoming serfs." 

The economic programs that FDR introduced did not tax the poor rather taxed the rich and used the revenue to create programs that pulled the country out of a severe economic crisis. At the peak of the great depression unemployment figures hit 30%. Today, many feel that the true unemployment level is closer to 21% than the 8% that the government would have us believe.



In 1776 Adam Smith said that the best regulator of the economy is the invisible hand of competition. By forcing individuals to purchase a product, the competition that would eventually challenge our hugely ineffective and overpriced health care system is eliminated. The current health care reform act is in many ways one step forward but two steps back because it does nothing to call Big Pharma to task on its health crippling policies. Remember both parties have an investment in this bill. But this is just a symptom of the alliance between Washington and Wall Street, one that has been in place for decades (Bartlett and Steele, The Betrayal of the American Dream).

Similar to the events characterized by the astrological configuration of the Great Depression battle lines have been drawn between those who would concentrate government power to amass wealth and those who like to see that power and wealth used for the benefit of the whole. We still have 7 years to go before this square has waned, will we elect a leader with the vision and the political competence of FDR, one who understood the necessity of infusing the economy with new life without further tipping the scales of our free enterprise system.

Clearly this is written from the perspective of American politics and economics. The effect of these transiting planets will vary. Astrologically, these variances can be explored through an analysis of the birth charts of individual nations and countries.

With respect to the prophesies and predictions that the end is near based on the Mayan calendar coming to an end in December of 2012, the combination of this square between pluto and uranus and uranus in the zodiac sign of aries has coincided with what has felt like the end of the world for those that lived through the holocaust and the great depression that swept the globe in the 30's. Having said that, the prophetic verses being quoted are very ambiguous and could apply to almost any dark era in history. Hopefully humankind has evolved enough this time around to perceive the crisis through the abstract rather than the concrete. Prophesies and predictions are often cloaked in mystery for good reason. The first reaction is to panic or to cast blame on the most recent version of the anti-Christ. This may be why many prophecies blend philosophic principals of self accountability into the mix. The Hopi prophesies incorporate the concept of the outer world as a reflection of one's inner state. C. G. Jung reiterated this for us, stating that the outer state of affairs is a reflection of an inner "split" that presents outside ourselves through conflict.

But this is only part of the picture. The reality is that social, political, economic upheaval happens and the innocent suffer.

________________________________________________________________________________
(1)The dates reflect a calculation using a ten degree orb from the beginning of the waxing square to the waning square. For example, using the current square between the two, Uranus moved to the 18th degree of Pisces on May 2007 entering into the 90 degree aspect with a ten degree orb to Pluto's position at 28 degrees sagittarius.
(2) The current square formation will be the longest of the three lasting approximately 12 years compared to the relatively short square that took place during the Napoleonic wars (1817) and the economic depression that followed, which lasted only 7 years.

God is a Circle

God is a circle whose centre is everywhere and circumference is nowhere" (Hermes Trismegistus*).

The circle has long been associated with sacredness, a natural and perfect shape with no beginning and no end. The rotation of the earth around the sun is now known to be both spherical and spiraling, another symbol of eternity of time enclosing space, of space-less-ness above and below.

In modern culture Pi has become a symbol for the mystical, the autonomous, irrational, infinite or transcendental value found in the geometry of a sphere.

This concept of infinity in relation to the path of human evolution through the lens of transcendental philosophy converges with the concept of pi and the circle in that pi is a transcendental number the base of which is complex and elusive, and at the same time based on a simplistic theory (3.14). I.e., it represents the return to the constant through disintregration and regeneration, aptly symbolized by the tail-biting ouroboros, the ancient symbol of the alchemists.

The ouroboros is also an ancient symbol found worldwide and is not merely a symbol of infinity, but one of death and regeneration. To the alchemist Hermes, it might have represented the latent power of infinity through the unmanifest or unredeemed and the understanding that once the concept of infinity is mastered the field becomes static, much like the archetype or the old King who must relinquish his power. The godhead must at some point fall.

The myth of Osiris a case in point. It was through death and disintegration that Osiris was reborn, the power of the Gods transformed through the alchemy of Isis.

The circle has long been a sacred symbol of the universal man. The Greek philosopher Pythagoras theorized the earth and all the planets as also spherical. He believed that the most perfect or harmonious geometric form was the circle consisting of four parts, perhaps evolving into Plato’s Symposium; the theory of the “round man” as an entity of primordial wholeness. It would naturally follow that the very idea that the solar system being anything but circular would have been met with a charge of heresy as the lines between theology and science blurred.

My point is that the universe is not perfect, nor is man, nor is the circle. Transcending our imperfections may mean accepting them rather than aiming for a degree of perfection that doesn't exist.

So with all this talk of the circle as the most perfect symbol of life in our universe, where does the square fit in, the four points? It is the salt of the earth, what humanity cannot live without.

*The thrice (Trismegistus) great teacher Hermes (circa 250 B.C.) is accredited with imparting the knowledge and wisdom of the healing arts, astrology, philosophy, writing and alchemy to humankind.

*

Is The Serpent Bearer the 13th Zodiac Sign?

The zodiac belt as we know it today, with or without the inclusion of the precession of the equinox and the wobble of the earth, are iconic images symbolic of the collective imaginations of ancient civilizations from the time the first human walked the earth to the present. The twelve constellations in the zodiac are symbols reflective of the cyclic process of becoming, natural evolutionary cycles of growth, death and rebirth. 

Ancient civilizations aligned their calendar systems with the zodiac belt and movement of the sun and moon because it worked with the whole of the cosmic order, the seasons - the phases of the moon, and division of the annual rotation of the sun into four quadrants – the vernal equinox, summer solstice, autumnal equinox and winter solstice. Not only did the belt of twelve constellations make sense to the naked eye, one major star configuration following another in a belt around the earth or solar system, it made sense in terms of the twelve annual revolutions of the moon around the earth and the division of the year by four quadrants or seasons.

With respect to the question of Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer, there are dozens of other constellations or stars that fill the night sky, that intrude on the stars that form the constellations in the zodiac belt, that fall in or around them, and their presence was not unknown, as illustrated by Kepler’s illustration in 1600 the constellations Scorpios and Sagittarius still follow closely, the tail of the scorpion curves just under the bow of the archer. The boundary between the two is ambiguous, all boundaries around the constellations mere projections of human civilization. Moreover, the constellation Ophiuchus is clearly not between the archer and scorpion but above them, with a star depicting his foot falling on the scorpion’s back. He is not new by any stretch, nor does he qualify as a zodiac sign, nor has he ever. He is quite impressive though!

Figure 1. Keppleri, Johannis. (1606). Ophiuchus, [Gk., The Serpent Bearer], a.k.a., Serpentarious. Retrieved from wikipedia.