Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Sir Elton's Big Day

Sir Elton's Big Day
mumin_bey@yahoo.com

8:00 AM 12/21/05 Wed

Pop Music Legend Sir Elton John, who has appeared on the pop charts worldwide for the better part of 3 decades, will "marry" his longtime male partner today in the United Kingdom, who recently passed "civil union" lesiglation. John will perhaps be the most famous gay person to date who has "married" in this manner.

The UK will now join a number of countries who have passed such laws on their books, the other recent additions being Spain and Canada; if you consider these national charts, you will note the strong incidence of Uranus, usually tied into either the 7th House and/or Venus.

The chart for the UK - commonly accepted as the date of Coronation of, if memory serves, King William, Dec 25 1066 - is officially untimed. Most astrologers simply use the "stand in" time of 12 noon and take it from there. However, if one considers the rectification work of Noel Tyl, we can see why England & Wales would go "the gay way" as well:

England Dec 25 1066, 3.20PM LMT, Westminster; Placidus 2 Can 35, Tyl Rect. NOTE: Tyl's notes in this regard can be found in the book "Predicitions For A New Millennium".

In this option, we can see that Uranus is at 28 Sagittairus - very close to the Aries Point - and conjunct the Dsc/ 7th House cusp, at 2 Cap 35. The Sun and Mercury are both in the 7th, with the ruler of the 7th Saturn, Rx and in Sign of Virgo. And, we can include two other features: Venus, the nation's symbol about its attitudes towards socializing, the Arts and in this case, relationship and marital norms, is at both the Uranus/Pluto and Asc/MC midpoints.

In the radical map, Venus is in the Sign of Aquarius, ruled by Uranus; and it's most interesting that today, transit Venus in the sky is approaching its Retrograde Station, actually turning Rx in a few days time.

In my thoughts on the Gay & Lesbian lifestyle, etc. elsewhere, I've suggested that very often, Venus is placed in certain Signs, Aquarius being among them, regarding such matters.. While this may continue to be a matter of debate with regard to natal horoscopes, it continues to be an interesting phenomenon to witness on the macro, mundane scale.

The following are selected excerpts from a recent essay I wrote on the question of formalizing Gay & Lesbian marriage, its astrological underpinnings and implications, etc.:

"As we astrologers well know, Mundane Astrology is a powerful tool in assessing not only political, economic and weather trends, but so to social trends, and this extends to the marital, relationtional and sexual areas as well, especially since it is these associations between and among human beings that makes up and/or alters a given society for better or worse. Although homosexuality has, according to some historians, anthropologists and sociologists, always been with us, what has been occuring over the past few decades in particular, is the first time since the Greco-Roman Era, that Gay lifestyles have been pushed to be codified in a number of ways, such as Gay Marriage and so on.
In my own personal study of gay and lesbian charts, I've found that often, the Signs Gemini and/or Pisces are involved with the 5th House, and/or Mercury or Neptune; also, Uranus and/or Neptune will play a role, either with the aforementioned planets/Signs/Houses/Rulers, and/or, with Venus and/or Mars."

- Thoughts On The Gay Way, by Mu'Min M. Bey 9:14 PM 10/29/05 Sat

Today's transits with respect to the UK chart is interesting: as noted earlier, transit Venus is in Aquarius and conjunct the national Venus; transit Pluto is within orb of conjunction to the national Uranus; transit Uranus had already gone over the national Pluto in the 10th House, and more.

Considering Sir Elton John's chart (Mar 25 1947 4PM BST, Pinner, England; Placidus 29 Leo 43, Clifford), we see that he too has Venus in Aquarius, with its dispositor Uranus ruling the 7th, and square Mars, also in the 7th, AND in Pisces. Hmm. For his "marriage", transit Uranus is applying conjunction to his 7th House residing Mercury, while the Fixed Grand Cross is activating his Moon in Taurus. In Oct, he had SA Venus=Saturn/Neptune; this month, he has SA Node=Mars (again, keep in mind, Mars is natally in the 7th; this arc then suggests the public nature of his civil union, etc.).
Comparing Sir Elton's chart to that of the land of his birth, we find two interesting contacts relevant to this discussion: his MC conjunct the UK's Neptune, while his Venus squares the national Neptune.

Hmm.

With many of the Western World's nations either legalizing Gay Marriage outright, or at the very least taking steps towards same, the Big Question has to be: will the USA go the same route? This is what I had to say about the matter, from the same essay cited above:

"Then, there's the Uranus-Neptune Conjunction of 1993 (Feb 2 1993 3.05AM EST Washington DC; Placidus 9 Sag 31): the conjunction itself occurs in the 2nd House (national values) and square the Asc ruler Jupiter in the 10th (confusion and alteration of traditional values along these lines for the entire country). Note also that Saturn and Uranus are in Mutual Reception...and Saturn conjuncts Mercury, ruler of the 7th. The Moon is in Gemini in the 7th and Venus is in Pisces at the AP. Also, and I mentioned this in my essay on Mars Rx, Mars in this chart is in Cancer and also Rx! This I feel accounts for a great deal of the sexual confusion on the part of many men in American society, the "downlow" etc. Recall, you didn't hear that phrase prior to 1993; now, it's old hat. Capricorn represents traditional family values, and Uranus-Neptune, as we have seen, plays a huge role in the gay and lesbian lifestyle. Capricorn represents men, too, so again, this conjunction would contribute to a period of confusion accross the board insofar as men are concerned.

The Uranus-Neptune "vibe" would carry over long after the actual conjunction would take place, in the form of the ongoing Mutual Reception between Uranus and Neptune, and this is what I think accounts for the continuing gay/lesbian focus. At the moment Uranus entered 00 Pisces (Uranus-Neptune Mutual Reception Mar 10 2003 3.05PM EST, Washington DC; Placidus 13 Leo 50), Uranus was in the national 7th House with Neptune in the 6th while hugging the 7th cusp, opposing the Asc, and conjunct Venus. Note that Mars is in Capricorn and sextile Uranus from the 5th...and also note that the Sun is in the 8th and in exact sqaure to Pluto in the 5th. This is an event chart that focuses almost exclusively upon sex, marriage, relationships and children, and think about, it - hasn't there been a huge push on the part of the various gay and lesbian lobby groups in these areas? "Alternative Lifetstyles" indeed!

I've said elsewhere that I don't think Gay Marriage will happen here in the USA during Pluto's transit of Capricorn; therefore, if it happens at all, it'll be either before the end of Pluto's sojourn of Sagittarius, or, when Pluto moves into Aquarius. In the latter case, Uranus will have moved out of Pisces, so it's still up in the air as to whether Gay Marriage will ever happen here. Although the country natally has Uranus right on the 7th cusp, it also has a very strong Saturnian vibe to it, with the national Cancerian Sun square Saturn from the 7th. So I'm not sure that GM will happen here regardless of the astrological trend.

At the time Pluto enters Capricorn, Pluto sits at the bottom of the chart, in the 4th House and opposed the MC; this is a classic signal of the party out of power coming to to the forefront in some way, perhaps through landslide elections? Mars is Rx in Gemini and right on the MC over Washington DC; Virgo is rising, with its ruler Mercury tightly conjunct Neptune and both in the national 5th, with Neptune ruling the 7th; and Uranus, ruling the 5th and 6th, is in the 6th. At the very least, the whole hubub over Gay Marriage will have reached a fever pitch by then, which is only a few years away...maybe it will be the meat of much of the debate between whoever the candidates for both parties?

We'll see..."

Indeed, we will...

Salaam,
Mu

Monday, December 19, 2005

George W. Bush: War Footing, Or Slippery Slope?

George W. Bush: War Footing, Or Slippery Slope?
mumin_bey@yahoo.com

6:51 AM 12/19/05 Mon

Despite tremendous success in Iraq, where the people turned out to the tune of 70%-plus to participate in nationwide elections - *includling the Sunni minority* - President Bush continues to be under enormous pressure here at home, in the form of his adversaries, the Democrats. Right after the historic elections took place in Iraq, the New York Times released a story detailing the President's authorization of the National Security Agency listening in on specific international calls going out of the USA; such actions have, according to Bush, thwarted numerous terrorist plots in the years since Sep 11.

Thus the President went on the air to deliver a brief, but pointed address to the nation from the Oval Office last night, at 9PM EST; the chart reflects just how much pressure is on Bush.

As in the case of his natal chart (Placidus Houses, Western system) Leo rises, with the Moon conjunct Saturn in the 12th House of secret activities, and opposes Neptune in the 6th, representing intelligence agencies; Neptune in turn opposes the Asc and square the MC, reflecting Bush & Co. being "outed" by the press.

As it so often happens so many times in the astrological activities of the President, Mars, at the time of the start of his address to the nation, was conspicuous in its presence, in this case, conjunct the MC at 8 Taurus. In past event charts, Mars was similarly situated. For example, for the Iraq War Resolution horoscope, Mars was at 0 Libra and conjunct the MC; for Bush's 1st Inauguration, Mars was in Scorpio in the 7th, opposed the Asc and square Mercury-Uranus in the 10th; for his 2nd Inaugural, Mars was widely conjunct Pluto in the 8th; and the Mars-Saturn Conjunction of 2002 showed the two planets appearing in the 4th House at partile in Washington, DC, opposed Pluto in and ruling the 10th (interestingly enough, this conjunction, at 13 Gemini, also tightly opposed the USA's Asc, at 12 Sagittarius!).

In the Oval Office Address chart, Mars also tightly square Bush's Asc (along with Mercury and Pluto), with Uranus on its way to yet again oppose Bush's Mars, ruler of his 10th House.

Still, the Fixed Sign Grand Cross in the sky, which everyone has felt to one degree or another, seems to have taken its toll on Bush, with his approval ratings continuing to sag under the weight these & other revelations. In particular, the transit of Saturn in exact conjunction with Bush's Pluto, augurs a difficult, difficult time indeed, involving his management and deployment of the military, the costs of doing this economically and politically, etc. (Saturn ruling the 6th House of Bush's chart, the 6th being that of the Armed Forces). In that this transit "hit" will take place once more in the coming year, it looks very likely that Bush will have to weather several more storms before it's all said and done.

A final point. As noted earlier, Mars is strongly implicated throughout Bush's natal and related astrology, clearly reflecting the War in Iraq and elsewhere; in the coming year, this trend will continue, with the 2006 Mars-Saturn Conjunction taking place right on his Asc, and his own natal Mars being activated by heavy transits and Solar Arc movements. Will the free elections that just took place in Iraq bring about the peace that Bush & Co. have fought for? Or, will there continue to be bloodshed in the Middle East's newest Constitutional Democracy? Is it possible that a new front in the War On Terror will have presented itself, concomitant with the Mars symbolism? Or will President Bush continue to struggle, both with the loyal opposition Democrats and his own Party?

Could the President himself, be in danger?

Hmm...

Salaam,
Mu

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Inner City Astrologer's Blues

Inner City Astrologer's Blues
mumin_bey@yahoo.com

9:05 PM 12/13/05 Tue

Back in the late 1990s, I, along with a few other online chums were discussing what it took, Jyotishically speaking, to make one an astrologer on what was then known as the "GJList", an online forum founded by Goravani Jyotish progentior Das Goravani. All manner of suggestions were made and aphorisms uttered, and finally, Dasji himself chimed in; his recommendations was as follows: "A strong Mars makes one a jyotishi (astrologer)".

"Mars?!?", we all asked. What the heck did Mars have to do with astrology?

Well, as we would soon find out, a lot - Dasji explained that the jyotishi must have lots of courage to want to do astrology and more importantly, to do for it for others; because very often, one will see a tremendous amount of suffering, bad news, setbacks, even death, in the lives of those who come to us for insight.

Boy oh boy, was my good friend Dasji right.

In the years since he made those remarks, I can personally attest to what he said as being very true; and while I've seen much of what he and others have talked about, still I find myself greatly pained from time to time, when I hear a bit of bad news about a client or two. Very often, I could see things in their charts, and try to warn them, hope for the best, and at other times, just couldn't see it at all.

Yesterday, I got some bad news about a few clients of mine.

Earlier this year a young lady got wind of me by way of a mutual friend; she asked this friend of ours if I would be willing to take a look at her chart and give my opinion, especially as she was interested in a new man she had met. Her Western chart clearly indicated that not only was a relationship indicated, but that the great potential was there for her to get pregnant. That was January. In late Oct I heard from this lady; she indeed was pregnant, very happy and looking forward to getting married. She thanked me so very much for my accurate prediction. It seemed like a happy ending, a rare bird in the astrology business.

But yesterday I got word that her man seems to have gone creepin'; their relationship is on the rocks, with this lady very pregnant, if you know what I mean. Among other things, transit Uranus is square the ruler of her 7th, while transit Neptune opposes Saturn in the 7th; the big Saturn-Neptune opposition will fall very close to her natal Saturn placement next year. I had seen all of this earlier on, and had hoped for the best. I still am hoping for the best, that somehow, they work this thing out, for the baby's sake. God, I hope they work this thing out.

On the same day - yesterday - I ran into another young lady whom I hadn't seen in almost a year. Back then I had counselled her and her boyfriend of over a year; they had been having a bit of trouble, with her using jealousy ploys on him, and with him taking up with other women. It was a big mess, but we seemed to have worked things out after carefully discussing their charts with them, along with giving them both a good sermon.

Yesterday, this woman told me that her boyfriend is now in prison for life, as a result of murdering this woman's cousin; they had an argument and settled it with blue steel. This all went down only a few months ago, at the end of the Summer.

While they both had Kuja Dosha - the "Blemish of Mars" that brings relationship/marital misery to the native - they didn't have it in equal measure. This woman's Kuja Dosha was ultra-strong, perhaps one of the strongest cases of Kuja Dosha I had ever actually seen being lived in a human being (I should point out that this woman has also killed a former lover herself and did time in the pen for it). Her Vedic chart has Mars in the 1st House, within about 5 degrees of conjunction with the Asc degree; the Kuja Dosha is compounded due to Mars being in the 4th from Jupiter, in the 1st House with Venus (Venus itself being both weak by degree and by Sign) and Mars in Scorpio in the 12th House of the Navamsa along with Saturn. To make matters worse, this lady also has Lagnesh and the 7th Lord in the 12th House - and the two are mutual enemies - and she's having Rahu-Saturn, to last well into 2006. Rahu aspects the 7th. Saturn is the 7th Lord.

She offed her first boyfriend during her Mars Dasa; at present, she's 29 years old, meaning that Mars is just now "maturing", bringing the worst possible results promised from such a horoscopic setup.
Needless to say, yesterday ended on a low note, even for a hardnose like me.

I know that this sort of thing is what comes with the job, the day to day grind. But, when you have so much hope for others, when things look so promising, it can be a huge letdown when you get word that things went really, really wrong.

Even for me.

"Makes me wanna holla"

Salaam,
Mu

Mars Rx 2005 Wrap-Up Commentary

Mars Rx 2005 Wrap-Up Commentary
mumin_bey@yahoo.com

6:22 AM 12/14/05 Wed

With Mas now firmly in Direct motion, I thought it useful to take a look back on what this year's Retrograde transit of Mars brought us. Several important events have gone down in the just over two month period of the Red Planet's backward trek through Tropical Taurus, one of them coming dangerously close to that which I wrote about, just a few days after Mars went Rx on Oct 1 2005:

"The Essential Truths of Mars - and MenWe read in many of the textbooks, that Mars is the male principle per excellence - he is the warrior, the blacksmith, the athelete. He is also the criminal, the rapist, the thug, the lout-drunkard, who is much more a detriment to society than a benefit. While many of today's astrologers are loathe to mention the name, Mars truly is one of the "malefic" planets in our astrology. While that word sends chills up the spine of my Birkenstock wearning colleagues, they need to understand that malefic only means that you acknowledge that the planet so named has the great potential for both good and bad. And no, "all" planets DON'T have that potential. No one ever cast charts for when Venus and Jupiter were in conjunction over a national capital somewhere in the world. It's just a fact of life, that some planets have more potential impact, for better or worse, than others. And Mars is one of those planets.

Likewise, it has always been recognized for millennia, that boys needed a different kind of instruction in how to be an adult than that of girls. In this era of androngyny and political correctness, I fully realize that what I'm saying here could potentially get me stoned. But the facts as we have it regarding boys and young men are crystal clear - they need fathers to mentor them into the ways, responsibilities and rewards of manhood.

In its own sign, Aries, Mars is unrefined - the boy with talent, the young man with lots of gusto - but without direction, purpose, training, that boy will go nowhere, and worse, he do all kinds of damage. Enter Mars in Capricorn, its exaltation sign, which symbolizes man at his level best - competent, responsible, dutiful; willing to sacrifice his own desires to a higher calling and purpose, and who works hard at his craft, not just for increased material benefits but for the good of all and for his own internal sense of well-being and accomplishment. These things are what it means to be a man, and, unlike what many in our national discourse say today, they are not situational "mix n match" qualities. They are enduring and have stood the test of time, while many of the theorists' notions have begun to fray at the edges.

Please note that Mars is at his best in Capricorn - the sign of the Father. Classically, Mars and Saturn were said to be a "malefic" combination. And there is a great deal of truth to this observation: the clash of hot and cold, of gusto and temperance, of "stop and go" is vivid here. Both planets, Mars and Saturn, represent metals like iron and steel - think of the image of sharpening a knife or sword against a stone or rod. And while either could potentially be destructive, their coming together also forges a benefit for the common good (ever try to cut something with a dull knife?). On the other hand, please note that Mars is at his worst in the most feminine of all the signs, Cancer - and the past 40 years' focus on "feelings" and "self-esteem" in place of competition and learning-by-doing, just to name a few, has greatly demoralized men and boys. For anyone to deny any of this, is not only fooling themselves, but seriously running the risk of harming others. The lesson in all this? That Astrology confirms the fact that there are indeed crucial differences between the sexes, and that it would be wise for us lowly human beings to be mindful of such a powerful truth."

- Mars Retrograde & The Incredible Disappearing Man, 3:03 AM 10/3/05 Mon, by Mu'Min Bey

Before October's end, an event of unpreceedented proportions would wrack one of the world's most influential societies, clearly one of its oldest - it became to be known to some as France's Intifada. Almost a month of continuous nightly rioting took place among France's principle minority - young, Islamic, often Black men, what I like to call "Islam's Lost Boys". The riot reportedly began as the result of two young Muslim men being killed by tresspassing on a French electrical plant. The world was transfixed on the images of thousands of burnt out cars; pundits far and wide began giving their editorialized reasons as to why so much "wilding" was going on; sociologists opined that this is what happens when so many are so poor and desperate for so long; others suggested that this was the result of racism in French society; social conservative commentators argued that the riots were the long overdue results of France's allegiance to Socialistic programs and "multiculturalism"; and the most hardline among those conservative voices said flatly, that this was the dark underbelly of Islam at work. Gangsta Rap, an American invention, was even brought up as one of the Usual Suspects; in an article written by New York Times columnist David Brooks, he pointed out that Thug Life has gone Global, and that we were all bearing witness to its effects on the streets of Paris in late Oct to early Nov.

When Mars first went Retrograde - at 23 Taurus - it almost exactly opposed the French National Martian position of 25 Scorpio, placed in the 9th House of Immigration, Foreign Relations and Culture, and Religion (and square the exact Uranus-Pluto opposition running along the 1-7 House axis: France, Sep 21 1792 3.30PM LMT, Paris, Placidus 25 Cap 33). It is through the 9th House, that we also see Racism, and clearly, this was a factor in the mix, as was all of the aforementioned; clearly, no one can deny the influence of Radical Islam, or of Gangsta Rap for that matter; no one can deny what amounted to Segregation of France's largest racial, ethnic and religous minority, and now France, in many ways the center of Western Europe, now has to take a good, long, hard look at itself in the mirror with regard to how it has handled its cultural identity.

But what so many pundits and commentators and writers and observers - yes, even my astrological colleagues - didn't mention was so very obvious - WHERE are the fathers? ANY time I hear of boys/young men acting out, that's the first question I ask. By now, we all know the answer to that one, don't we? All too often, he is out of the picture, for a variety of reasons, far too many of them that make it far too easy for him not to be there.

We all know that the Family is the bedrock of any Society; and that it's Dads of any country who are literally the first line of defense in keeping and maintaining the Social Order. The various social programs and the like that have been instituted in France and elsewhere throughout the Western World, are all to greater or lesser degrees, "stand-ins" for this vital institution in civilized society - Fatherhood.

As noted, France's riots only highlighted a problem that, like those occuring in America, have taken root first among its weakest citizens, but soon to get ahold of its more stable and affluent majority; all of the cultural indices of a civilized society has been on the wane in France for many years - church attendance is at record low figures; marital & reproductive rates among native born French folks (that is, White) is at record lows; unemployment remains in the high single-digit figures for those same citizens for decades; and the "Noblese Oblige" that France has offered, through its massive welfare state system, has shown itself to be ineffective in spurring innovation, creating a sense of cohesion and belonging, and providing a system whereby people can move up through the social pecking order by means of their individual merit and effort. With France finally able to get a handle on the rioting and putting much of the country on curfew until Feb (the month when Mars finally leaves Tropical Taurus), it is my hope that the leaders of French Society look beyond easy, superficial scapegoats - the young, wilding, Gangsta Rap listening Muslim male youth - and instead take a look at its social structure overall. If they can get a handle on what I call their "Daddy problem" they'll be both on the way to healing their long ill land, as well as serving as an example to the rest of Europe, what the reclaiming of bedrock values looks like.

We'll see.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, President Bush was recently here in Philly, to give one of several speeches explaining his reasons for invading Iraq. These are important talks for the President to have with the American public, since during the Mars Rx transit, much murmuring and outright disagreement has taken place, both among the "loyal opposition party" the Democrats, but even among some of the President's own party as well. With Mars now moving in direct motion and in square to his Asc, Bush laid out to the Philadelphia audience his rationale for invading Iraq, and even took some "off the cuff" questions from the audience, a rare move for him - and he actually looked calm, in control and glib with his answers, even at one point joking with Senator Arlen Spector.
After much cogitation over this whole affair, I think I've finally got it as to why there is so much debate; I have plans to further flesh these thoughts out in a seperate piece, but for now, I'll just layout the broad over-arching themes and disagreements.

It's much like the old saying about how two people can look at the same thing and come away with different impressions/conclusions? The Iraq War/War On Terror is much in the same vein:
If you're on the Left, you see Sep 11 as something along the lines of a criminal act - a large, extraordinary, heinous criminal act, but a criminal act nonetheless. Therefore, your position is that it is necessary to apprehend those responsible - Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda network - and you might even go along with removing the Taliban from power in Afghanistan. Stop.

Now, if you're on the Right, you see Sep 11 not as a criminal act, but an act of war, the first shot in what Rumsfeld called a "long tough slog" that is the War On Terror. With so much unpreceedented carnage and death occuring on American soil, you finally realize that it's not enough to ignore the state of affairs that have cropped up in the Middle East and larger Islamic World, even if the USA might have played a hand or two in those developments over the years. You see the need to clean house, to depose dictators and literally give the Middle East a makeover. Afghanistan was just the first stop on the Democracy Express.

Clearly, Bush and the GOP are advocates of the latter approach, one that is at the very least controversial, but one which, at this early juncture, seems to be working - tomorrow the Iraqi people will vote to ratify their Constitution, the third time overall in a year that they have had free elections in more than 3 decades. Afghanistan too has held free elections with the Taliban having been removed shortly after Sep 11; and indeed, there HAS been a ripple effect in the Middle East. The Saudi hierarchy has had to at least give the appearance of crawling to reform; Eygpt has held free elections; Lebanon has finally kicked Syria out of its country; and Syria itself is under tremendous pressure from both the USA and the international community in the form of the United Nations, to both stay out of Lebanon's internal affairs, as well as to allow unfettered investigations into the assassination of one of Lebanon's most famous and revered statesmen, Rafiq Hariri.

At the time Mars went Retrograde at 23 Taurus, it had squared Uranus in the Iraq War Resolution horoscope (Oct 16 2002 11.32AM EDT Washington DC, Placidus 13 Sag 00, CNN), Uranus ruling the the 3rd - a national "re-think" of the War?-and during the course of Mars' backward transit, it would conjunct the Asc of President Bush's 2nd Inauguration chart as well (Jan 20 2005 12PM EST Washington DC, Placidus 14 Tau 02, Public Record).

In fact, both Mars and Saturn would square each other during Mars' Rx transit, bringing up much international discussion regarding the USA's position on the use of torture as a tactic of extracting vital information from terrorist suspects taken prisoner. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice's visit to Europe was in fact peppered with these kind of questions; note that she has these planets (Mars and Saturn) in square in her natus (Nov 14 1954 11.30AM CST Birmingham AL, Placidus 3 Aqr 8, Rodden). I'll have more to say about this issue in due course, but suffice it to say that as Mars and Saturn move toward squaring each other again very soon, this is an issue that will remain on the front burner for a bit longer in the news cycle.

A final note - the next Mars-Saturn Conjunction will take place in June of 2006, at about 7 Leo (Tropical) EXACTLY CONJUNCT President Bush's Asc! With the Fixed Grand Cross in the sky exacerbated by the Mars Rx transit and Saturn squares, this upcoming conjunction could prove to be very, very important, especially if things take a drastic turn for the worse in Iraq and elsewhere.

Hmm....

Salaam,
Mu

Norway's "Positive Discrimination"

Norway's "Positive Discrimination"
mumin_bey@yahoo.com

6:28 AM 12/13/05 Tue

Don't know if anyone's heard about this - I just found out this morning by way of BBC World News Radio - but it seems that Norway is looking to take what we call Affirmative Action - and what they call "Positive Discrimination" - to a whole new level.

That's because, starting Jan 1 2006, the Norweigian goverment has decreed that 40% of ALL private and public board positions, upper-tier management and the like must be held by women. The rationale of course, is that up to now, to deny women these coveted positions in business, society and government is in essence to be anti-democratic, a waste of potentially half the nation's talent, and just plain ole unfair. The astrology for the country of Norway is very interesting in light of these developments:

Norway Jun 7 1905 11AM CET Oslo, Norway; Placidus 8 Vir 47, Campion

It should be clear as a bell to the keen astrological eye: Virgo rises, the Sign of the working class, particularly these days, women; the Sun conjuncts Pluto in the 10th in the bi-sexual Sign of Gemini; the Moon is in Leo (leadership) and Venus is in Taurus, ruling the MC (leadership again) placed in the 9th (courts, college). Not only that, but note that Venus is the most aspected planet in the entire chart. AP=Neptune/Pluto, social programs of grand scope brought forward for all to see; Venus=Saturn/Neptune, another echo of the aforementioned midpoint combination, suggesting in this case, massive social programs specifically targeted at women (see Liz Green's book "The Astrological Neptune" for more on Saturn-Neptune pairings politically); and finally, Moon=Venus/Mars, suggesting a considerable "sexual" index among the people of Norway. It would be interesting to know what the marriage rate is vs. the out of wedlock birth rate there.

Checking the transits for today, we see that Mars, which had just come out of Rx, is tightly opposed the National Mars (which rules the 9th House), transit Uranus opposed the Asc, transit Pluto had, over the past year, opposed the National Sun and Pluto, and transit Jupiter and Saturn have made contacts to the National Moon. Looking ahead in 2006, SA Jupiter=MC in Jul, SA Asc=Neptune/Pluto in Oct and SA Venus=Uranus/Pluto in Nov; the first "hit" suggests success for the nation; the latter two pictures, however, suggest something else.

And then there's the big Saturn-Neptune Opposition coming up in the Summer of 2006, coming to within "striking distance" of Norway's Jupiter in the 9th, and ruling their 5th and 7th Houses (??? Perhaps this "Positive Discrimination" will have the unintended consequence of higher divorce/family breakup rates?).

We'll see.

In any event, before the cheering starts, it should be pointed out that there has been, and will continue to be, a hotly charged debate concerning Affirmative Action here in the United States; once conceived to redress inequities impacting specifically on African Americans, AA has now "morphed" into a tool used by Women's groups as a means to gain access into schools, business and government. Many will see this as not only necessary, but good that such a thing has come about; but what they might not consider, is that the USA is totally different from a place like Norway.

Because the USA is built on the principle (which can and sometimes is, different from the practice, I will concede) of individual merit, not schemes of inclusion based on color, sex or class. Here, the principle of Competition is what undergirds the entire society, and opponents of Affirmative Action argue - not without substance - that such ideas erodes performance and standards of excellence, to say nothing of innovation. Proponents for Affirmative Action argue that up until recently, groups of folks who had both talents and skills were deliberately kept out of the mix.

With an all-out cultural push to see a woman in the White House with TV programs like "Commander in Chief", the putting up of Hillary Clinton to run for President in 08 and so on, no doubt this debate will continue. Since I'm not one for staying on the sidelines, I'll say right now that I think that, while the idea of Affirmative Action was well intentioned, in the longrun it can prove to be not only ineffective, but potentially destructive as well, for a whole host of reasons. Even IF the notion of individual merit is at best an idealistic one that is rarely actualized (as some may argue), it's an ideal worth striving for. Afterall, Norway is, like many countries in Europe, for the most part homogenous, small in population and to a large extent existing in something of a fishbowl compared to the dynamic, diverse and competitive - and yes, flawed, United States.

That's it.

Salaam,
Mu

Monday, December 12, 2005

Tookie's Date With Destiny

Tookie's Date With Destiny
mumin_bey@yahoo.com

6:25 AM 12/12/05 Mon

With less than a day till "zero hour" the country's eyes are on two men; California Republican Governor Arnold Schwrazenegger, and Stanley "Tookie" Williams, condemned killer and co-founder of one of America's most notorious street gangs, The Crips. At the time of this writing, the governor is still contemplating whether Williams will indeed die at one minute past midnite, Tue Dec 13 2005; celebrities from near and far lobby him strongly to save Tookie's life, including Jamie Foxx and Snoop Dogg; Los Angeles Police is on high alert should Tookie be put to death; and Tookie himself has been the subject of intense debate as to whether a man can indeed redeem himself, even in the face of untold horror and carnage left in his wake, the result of murderous, merciless past deeds.

The National View
At the heart of this issue, of course, is the Death Penalty, which in the United States was put back on the books in 1976; recently, it was reported that the country had executed 1,000 people since then. Taking a look at the country's chart (USA Jul 4 1776 5.10PM LMT Philadelphia PA, Placidus 12 Sag 19, Campion), we can see why the USA still believes in the Ultimate Punishment for the Ultimate Crime - Pluto, ruling the 12th House of Prisons and Punishment, is in the 2nd House of Values and opposes Mercury in the 8th (Death); despite constant opinion polling and the like, deep down in the American psyche, is the strong belief that we as a society not only must be protected from its worst criminals, but that a powerful message must be sent to all, that a murderer will forfeit his or her own life should they deliberately and with malice take the life of another. In 1976, transit Pluto was conjunct the national Saturn in the 10th and square the national Sun, while transit Saturn was conjunct the national Mercury and opposed the national Pluto; in other words, Saturn and Pluto clearly played a strong role in bringing back the Death Penalty to America's court and prison systems.
Astrology Of A Killer
Tookie Williams was born on Dec 29 1953 in New Orleans, LA; no time is known, but from what we know about him, it's quite possible that he could have been born with the Sun in Capricorn and the Moon in Scorpio, a formidable Solar/Lunar combo; the potential for ruthlessness is strong, especially when we factor in the Moon's probable conjunction to Mars and Saturn, both conjunct in Scorpio. His Venus at 29 Sagittarius is at the Aries Point, while his Jupiter in Gemini sextile Pluto in Leo, with all three planets in aspect in the declinations, which also contributes to his success in organizing a vicious street gang from coast to coast, as well as his post "Redemption" years as an anti-gang children's books writer and perennial Nobel Peace Prize candidate. He has been placed on Death Row for the commiting of four heinous murders. Williams has claimed his innocence in the murders, and even if that were so, still he is directly responsible for the untold deaths of thousands of people throughout the country, as a result of his "creation", The Crips. For that alone, he should pay the ultimate price.

Governator - Or Girly-Man?
Governor Schwarzenegger (Jul 30 1947 4.10AM CET Graz, Austria; Placidus 19 Can 7, Rodden) finds himself at a serious crossroads in his political life; having come off crushing defeats on his ballot proposals last month, he seems to want to stray a bit from the hardline Republican positions and seek the middle ground; recently he's hired an outwardly gay woman as his Chief of Staff, and with the GOP on the ropes over the past few months, his decision in this matter could make a huge difference in the near to-the-death struggle between the Republicans and the Democrats as to who will run the country in 08. Will the Governator play a tough guy in real life - or, will he become one of the very "girly-men" that he looked down scornfully on during his campaign?

At present, Schwarzenegger is having his 2nd Saturn Return, a crucial time in the life of politicians, while transit Pluto is opposed his Uranus in the 12th House. Additionally, last month, he had, among other things, SA Mars=Uranus/Neptune, a confusing combination suggesting not being clear about one's position on things. But the heavy transits looks like Gov. Arnold may uphold the execution date.
For Williams, we have no exact time of birth, so about 30% of the astrology we cannot see (the Angles and exact placement of the Moon). So, there are no exact heavy transits in operation on Williams' birthdate. However, last month, Williams had SA Mars=Mercury with Mercury in the Solar 12th of prisons and punishment; and this month, he has SA Saturn=Mars/Pluto, a combination that promises force, brutality, punishment.

It seems that Williams will meet his fate.

A Final & Personal Note
Over the past month, as the news got louder surrounding the Tookie Williams affair, I began to see more and more postings, blogs and articles on the subject written by my peers in the astrological community; like most things of a political nature in such settings, these writings were in the main, desirous to see Tookie's life spared, a manifestation of what I call the Astrological Left. But I have a different point of view, born not of once-removed-in-the-burbs-comfortable-middleclass-existence altruistic or idealistic notions, but instead born of living with the day to day consequences of sharing living space with ruthless men like Williams. I live in Philadelphia, PA, and at present, as I write this, there have been 359 murders this year alone, almost all of them by Black men, on Black men.

According to experts, this number could rise as high as 380 before year's end, a little over two weeks from now. I have attended more funerals to last several lifetimes, gatherings not to celebrate the life well and long lived of a good friend or loved one, but sorrowful, sobbing affairs to mourn the senseless wasting of so much potential. Unlike many of my peers, who can look on "Thug Life" and "Gangsta Rap" from afar, offering all manner of convoluted sociological commentary, I see, everyday, the real world comings and goings and the serious unintended consequences of such (anti)cultural norms. And it ain't pretty, let me tell ya. I've worked in Newark & Camden, Detroit, Baltimore, New York City, and visited the not-so-pretty sections of Atlanta, and there are very familiar to my native Philly. There are entire generations of people like Tookie there. And I hold out no illusions about turning the bulk and mass of them around. There is a such thing as Evil in this world, as Sep 11 clearly showed the world; for such people, there can only be one way of dealing with them.

Taking Tookie out would be both a strong message sent to would-be Tookies, as well as upholding our standards regarding the sanctity of Human Life.

Salaam,
Mu

Sunday, December 11, 2005

John Lennon 25 Years Later

John Lennon 25 Years Later
muminbey@yahoo.com

5:17 PM 12/8/05 Thu

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the death of John Lennon, killed at the hands of a crazed fan, Mark David Chapman. As I type this, all manner of retrospectives and the like are airing on radio, TV and the internet about the life and times of one of the most famous people ever to walk the Earth.
As always, Lennon's life and Vedic chart proves a good case study for those of us who wish to glean Jyotish's insights:


John Lennon Oct 9 1940 6.30PM BST Liverpool, England/UK; Lahiri 26 Pis 40.


Lennon was born with Pisces on the Asc, a Sign associated with artistry, mysticism and, when other factors are involved, drugs. It is well known that Lennon, along with the rest of the Beatles were quite heavily into drugs, and of course, their musical contributions speak for themselves. Note the strong influence of Ketu on the Lagna (Ascendant), which, as one half of the serpent-being who tried to steal the drink of immortality, represents all forms of intoxicants.
Looking a bit closely at Lennon's chart though, speaks strongly as to his longevity; right off the bat we can see that his lifespan would not be long.


I say that because Jupiter, Lennon's Asc Lord, is both Rx and in tight conjunction with Saturn in the 2nd House. Saturn is not only debilitated in Aries, but in DEEP debilitation at that; in the 2nd House, this combination accounts for many of Lennon's gaffes, particularly the "We're more famous than Jesus" remark. Very often, people with strong 2nd House challenges tend to make remarks they shouldn't utter within public earshot.


For any chart, the Asc Lord is the most important planet; its condition and participation in planetary yogas with other planets will very often tell the tale as to the overall life chances of the native. In Lennon's case, with the Asc Lord so very weakened, we would have to say that Lenno's health would be in question.


But with his Moon in the 11th House of Groups - in this case, The Beatles - we can see where his fame came from. The Moon forms a Gaja Kersari Yoga, and from the Moon we see that Saturn, which is Lagnesh from the Moon, has attained Neechabhanga status. Moreover, again from the Moon, Mercury, which is the 9th Lord, is in the 10th and aspects Saturn.


As a rule, a singer/artist needs a strong 3rd House, for this House represents such areas of life; in Lennon's case, from the birth Asc, we see that Venus rules his 3rd and is aspected by Lagnesh Jupiter. "The arts" is an easy theme to see in this horoscope.


What is very noticeable in Lennon's chart is the very, very, very, VERY stressed out 7th House; not only does he have Kuja Dosha but he also has the Sun and Rahu in the 78th as well. On top of that, Venus, which represents relationships and marriage in general, is placed in one of the worst Houses in a Vedic chart, the 6th, AND in one of its worst Sign placements, Leo. All of these markers suggest at the very least, a turbulent state of affairs with regard to marriage, if not worse. Lennon's chart stands as a vivid example of just how Kuja Dosha works in a chart - first of all, Mars in and of itself placed in the 7th House will not bring about the destruction of a marriage; much depends on whether the native is a man or woman, as well as to the inherent condition of Mars in the particular chart. But even IF Mars is placed in a bad way in someone's chart, the 7th House has to be severely challenged in order for all of the textbook problems associated with Kuja Dosha to truly manifest. With 3 first rate malefics in the 7th House (the Sun, Rahu and Mars), with Mars in the 7th House in the chart of a man and with Mars in the Sign of an Enemy, we can see why Lennon had a disasterous previous marriage before he met Yoko Ono - and even then, they went through a period of seperation.


This 7th House situation also speaks very well to Lennon's dislike of Paul McCartney; the other night, I happened to hear a previously unreleased interview with Lennon in 1970, right after the breakup of the Beatles. During the interview Lennon made it very clear that not only did he work with McCartney often if at all, but that he didn't like him much either. The 7th House represents "marriages" of all kinds - personal/romantic/sexual, and business as well.


Note that the 7th Lord Mercury is placed in the 8th House, while Venus, the 8th Lord, is placed in the 6th. This is a very difficult chart for marriage and relationships, no matter how you slice it.
The entire decade of the 1960s saw tremendous success for Lennon and the rest of the Beatles; at the time, Lennon was having Venus Dasa. Note the YK status of Venus from the Moon, as well as the 3rd House tie-ins from both the Asc and the Moon.


Lennon met and married Yoko Ono toward the end of his Venus Dasa in the late 1960s; the Mercury sub period was running at the time of his marriage to Ono. Mercury rules the 7th.


At the time Lennon was killed, he was in his Moon Dasa. This in itself wouldn't make one think "death" - but - when we consider the fact that Lennon's sub period of Jupiter came in ONE DAY BEFORE he was shot to death, it all makes perfect sense. Remember what I said above about the importance of the Asc Lord? Very often, in the charts of people who's lives are shortened, the Lagnesh is usually very weakened in some way. At the very least, even if they don't die when the periods of their ruling planets are in operation, they can expect protracted periods of illness, etc. Note too that Jupiter rules the 12th House from the Moon. Loss. Note too that Jupiter along with debilitated Saturn aspects the 8th House of Death.


Salaam,Mu

Sunday, December 04, 2005

Neptune & Political Correctness

Neptune & Political Correctness

6:10 AM 12/1/05 Thu

Although I don't consider myself a huge fan of Liz Greene - she's far and away too "pop psych" for me - I
have to admit that in my humble view girlfriend hit a homerun with "The Astrological Neptune & The Quest For
Redemption". This weighty tome - well over 400 pages - is quite possibly the single best treatment of
Neptune I've ever seen in print. She covers Neptune from just about every conceivable angle an astrologer
could think of - relationships, House placement, in Mundane analysis, Jungian analysis, you name it.


On page 308, Greene offers an unusually lucid series of comments regarding one of the largest socio-political
trends of our times - Political Correctness:

"At the time of this writing, the phenomenon of "poliotical correctness" is spreading accross North America,
and has even pervaded the Saturnian bastions of British society. Although the United States has never even
flirted, let alone conducted a love affair with true socialism (Thank God! - my comments), Neptune has
entered the American political arena in this most curious guise. There is much to be said for an increased
public awareness of the religious, racial, and social sensitivities of others, and the eradication of blatantly
offensive racist and sexist terminology from media and publications is, in principle, something which any
intelligent individual would applaud. But a line appears to have been crossed which threatens to submerge us
in shrouds of Neptunian fog. An article published in The Times in June 1994 offers an excellent illustration. It
reported the case of an excessively overweight woman who threatened to take her local cinema to court
because it had not provided double-sized seats for people too large to fit into ordinary ones. Individuals like
her, she claimed, had the same rights as other, thinner folk; and such an oversight constituted persecution
of a minority. No doubt my description of this case will provoke anger in the politically correct reader. So be
it. But are others really responsible for accomodating the rage and envy of those who are perfectly capable
of facing and working with their own personal compulsions? Here is the infant demanding that mother, in the
form of society (and, ultimately, the taxpayer), gratifies unquestioningly and unconditionally the needs of the
unformed personality which does not wish to be born. I do not have the birth horoscope of the particular
individual described in The Times, but I am certain that Neptune is very strong in it. in Neptune's watery
world, personal grief and anger toward the mother who has not provided enough can be easily transformed
into a political perspective which seeks a scapegoat - and scapegoat - for one's expulsion from Eden too
soon."

Clearly, Greene speaks to both the Uranus-Neptune Conjunction in Capricorn, which took place in 1993; and
as well, to her view that Neptune is a decidedly Feminine influence ("The Great Mother", etc.). In the earlier
chapters of her book, Greene goes to great lengths to flesh out her views in this regard.

I think her thoughts really sums it all up, because Political Correctness - also referred to as "PC" - has in
actual fact stultified candor from a theorectical premise based in nobility. It is characteristic of Left thinking,
politically, coming from a emotive proposition, instead of a well-reasoned one.

The Conjunction (Feb 2 1993 3.05AM EST Washington, DC; Placidus 9 Sag 31) occuring in Capricorn,
reflected a massive amount of damage in the traditions that have held American society together; though
not perfect, those traditions have made America what it is today, the wealthiest, freest democracy in the
history of Human Beings. Some will invariably argue that the Uranus-Neptune Conjunction brought great
things with it as well, and I'm honest enough to acknowledge this. But one is hard pressed, in light of the
comments given above by Greene - hardly on the astro-political Right - to say with a straight face that
things have gone just a wee-bt too far in our public socio-political discourse.

The Conjunction itself, occuring in the 2nd House at the time of Partile, speaks in dramatic fashion to the
National Values the country has held, and indeed, during that time (and even now, as the Uranus-Neptune
"link" continues through its Mutual Reception in Aquarius/Pisces) there was/is much talk of "Family Values".

The Conjunction itself was opposed the National Sun and Mercury, and square the National Saturn,
suggesting a wide ranging series of shifts politically, culturally, and would manifest itself most strongly
through the media and academia (USA Jul 4 1776 5.10PM LMT Philadelphia PA; Placidus 12 Sag 19, Campion).
Today, our Astrology is in my view, infested with Neptunian-drenched Political Correctness - any attempt at
"straight talk" is automatically viewed, by enthusiast and professional alike, as crude, rude, offensive, even
racist and/or sexist. Nevermind the self-appointed mandate that we astrologers are to assist others - indeed,
we end up aiding and abetting the dysfunctionality of so many people. Who can deny that so many people -
on both sides of the table, astrologers and those they serve - have a prominence, if not an "overload" of
Neptune in their charts?

As I type this, there is much talk on local talk radio of an editorial cartoon featuring the KKK and which says
something about the high level of Black on Black crime (which usually ends in homicide). Both the listeners
and the talk show host - Black on both sides of the microphone - are livid at the stunt. But what neither side
wishes to acknowledge, is the harsh truth of the matter - that here in Philadelphia, where I live, the vast
majority of the murders that take place here are by Black people, almost always against Black people. And
this has been the case for as long as I can remember. The Klan, nor anyone else, has little if anything to do
with that. Not only that, but this is a relatively recent phenomenon, since the late 60s; prior to that, "Black
on Black" crime was few and far between. Only when a few racist (?) Whites comes along and makes a
statement - one telling the truth, no less - do we get all hot and bothered? What about all those people who
were killed, by their very neighbors?

Another incident that occured earlier this Summer - a doctor up in, I think New Hampshire was threatened
with a lawsuit by one of his patients - an excessively overweight woman (sound familiar?) whom he told had
to lose the weight for the sake of her health. The woman left "offended" and contacted a bunch of activists
and the like; under the pressure of both "fat activists", lawyers and even this doctor's own local medical
board, he was forced to issue an apology to this woman. Now, does anyone see anything at all wrong with
this picture? Isn't it a doctor's job - duty - to look out for the well being of the patients in his/her care?

Since when did advising a patient to "lose weight" become grounds for a lawsuit and possible rescinding of
one's medical liscence?

These are just a few of a long series of "politically correct" instances and thoughtstreams, streams that are
heavily polluted by, as Greene points out above, Neptunian elements (victimization, infantilism, etc.).

I run into many, many astrologers who are just enamoured with Liz Greene; as I said in my open remarks, I've
never been a huge fan of hers overall; I wonder if her staunch supporters just happened to read the above
quote? What would they have to say about that?

Hmmm...

Salaam,
Mu
mumin_bey@yahoo.com