Transits for January 1, 2010 00.00 EST Washington, DC
Transits for January 1, 2010 00.00 EST Washington, DC
With the start of 2010, here are a few general ideas about what the New Year may bring. For New Year predictions, I like to refer to the New Year’s horoscope, that is, the position of the planets at the stroke of midnight on January 1. This is a simple, easy way to get a snapshot on some emerging themes for the year ahead. It will not provide any specifics, but it is a fairly efficient way to get a general overview on the coming twelve months. Some might object to the use of a chart that doesn’t reflect any particular astronomical reality in a way that eclipse or conjunction charts might, but the New Year’s chart does nevertheless provide interesting insights into the year ahead. For example, the New Year chart for 2008 showed that trouble was brewing with the close opposition aspect between Mars and Pluto (conflict, power struggles) with Jupiter (wealth, wisdom) also in close proximity. While this combination did not explicitly say "financial crisis", the presence of Jupiter signifying wealth suggested that some disruption of the financial system was possible. Certainly, those planets inclined towards a fairly pessimistic outlook for 2008, especially when considered alongside Saturn in the 12th house of loss in aspect with the Sun. The Mars-Rahu aspect may have suggested a significant new development in leadership as we witnessed in Barack Obama’s election given Mars’ 10th house occupancy ( the house of government) and Rahu’s penchant for breaks with the status quo. By contrast, the 2009 New Year (see middle below) chart seemed much more positive on the Mercury-Jupiter conjunction ("good news") and the happy conjunction of the Moon with Venus. This is pretty much what one would expect to see for a chart that suggested a year of economic recovery and hopefulness that was embodied in the first year of the Obama administration.
The horoscope of the earthquake shows considerable affliction, although the aspects and orbs with angles are not as close as one might expect for a event of this magnitude. It is perhaps no coincidence that the quake occurred just three days before a Solar Eclipse and just one day before Saturn, the planet of loss, turned retrograde. Planets near their retrograde and direct stations greatly increase their potency for do good or ill, depending on their nature and their current condition. Saturn is a natural malefic planet and it is currently in a close square aspect with Pluto, another mostly malefic planet, so that tilts the scales pretty heavily towards the negative. At the moment the quake struck, Saturn was just four degrees from the IC, or unequal 4th house cusp. Students of astrology know that the 4th house is associated with land and earth and afflictions to it are often implicated in earthquakes. The other critical difficulty in this chart is that the 1st and 4th houses (Gemini and Virgo) are ruled by Mercury and it is just three degrees from Pluto and therefore, also resonating with the negative Saturn-Pluto square aspect. If the 4th house represents land, earth and houses, the 1st represents the country as a whole. Both houses therefore come under pressure in this Mercury-Saturn-Pluto configuration, so that picture offers a plausible enough account for the earthquake. In addition, we can see malefic Rahu and Ketu closely straddled the ascendant-descendant axis. The lunar nodes are also frequently seen in sudden events, and when combined with other malefic aspects, it can signal an event of misfortune and hardship.
In recent weeks, President Obama has encountered problems are at least two fronts. His proposed health care reforms have run into opposition both in the public and in Congress. Even the current watered-down compromise version championed by moderates is coming in for stiff criticism from different quarters. Second, Obama recently got into trouble by unwisely wading into the controversial arrest of Harvard Professor and personal friend Henry Louis Gates by local police. Obama’s "stupidly" remark brought the race issue in the foreground and he eventually was forced to backtrack and hold a face-saving "beer summit" photo-op with the black professor and the white policeman. These events highlight some of the difficult influences that are setting up in Obama’s horoscope. The brouhaha over ‘Gatesgate’ occurred when Mars was transiting over Obama’s relocated ascendant in Washington, DC while Rahu is conjunct his Jupiter and Saturn is sitting on his natal 8th house cusp. Mars is a fast moving triggering planet and represents a surplus of active energy that is often hard to handle. This may have led the usually scripted Obama to veer off-message (and off teleprompter) and make comments about a situation where he did not know all the facts. The Rahu-Jupiter conjunction is a longer term influence that has been in effect for much of July and now early August. It can signal situations where a person’s philosophy or advice (Jupiter) is questioned or causes confusion (Rahu). The affliction of Obama’s Jupiter by transiting Rahu is one important astrological reason why his poll numbers have been falling throughout the summer.
It may also be related the persistence of the "birther" movement in the fringes of the Republican party and certain parts of the right-wing media. For foreign readers who may not be aware, the birthers are a group of Americans who suspect that Barack Obama was actually born in Kenya rather than Hawaii, USA and therefore is not legally elligible to be president. They are demanding that he produce his legal birth certificate as proof. So far, this has been little more than a marginalized sideshow that the White House has not had to respond to publically. But Obama’s transits do not show much improvement this month, so the questions are likely to continue. Saturn (25 Leo) is currently sitting on his 8th house cusp (24 Leo). The 8th house is a malefic house and represents obstacles in general along with scandals, embarrassments, and vitality. Saturn is a particularly important planet for Obama because it rules his Capricorn ascendant. When it comes under stress such as this transit of the 8th house, Obama will tend to run into more problems and setbacks. This is the second important reason why Obama has been losing support over the summer.
With Saturn slowly moving off this point, however, Obama’s fortunes may improve somewhat in the next couple of weeks. However, Saturn is now moving forward and will conjoin with his natal Mars (29 Leo). This will probably make the second half of August more unpredictable for him since Mars embodies a surplus of energy. We might pay extra attention around the middle of August when Mercury will conjoin Saturn on his Mars while transiting Mars also aspects his natal Mars. This looks like a nasty alignment of planets that will coincide with a stressful and frustrating situation. This does not bode well for his health care reform and may also reflect the onset of new economic problems. Obama will likely experience some significant relief from these transits by September when Jupiter and Venus set up on his ascendant. After that, November and December also don’t look favourable as Saturn will station square to his Venus. This looks like a very disappointing time for him and the USA.
The underlying assumption of astrology is that the position of the planets at birth is a discernible pattern against which future developments can be read. This principle may also apply to the start of new projects, new companies, new relationships, and new ideas. However, the selection of auspicious dates to begin a new endeavour is rarely straightfoward since the time of day will determine the position of the angles, and hence the orientation of houses. These are at least as important as the geometric patterns between the planets themselves and hence, apparently "good" astrological days can deliver bad results and vice versa. As always, astrology is not an exact science. With that caveat in mind, here are a few dates that stand out this month. New things begun on auspicious dates will tend to work out according to plan, while projects started on inauspicious dates may have disappointing results.
Auspicious Dates: August 6, 14, 21
Inauspicious Dates: August 10, 17, 24, 26